I’m talking about your dirty little deal with Hong Kong.
I’m talking about a murder.
[Jessica] Tonight, on Murder, She Wrote.
Whatever it is, I want no part of it.
Jess, what do you mean?
I just thought a drink, for old times’ sake.
Let’s stick to business, Paul.
Paul was kind and gentle and he loved me.
If you won’t help me, maybe I’ll have to kill him.
Nobody is gonna take on an ex-congressman
and a respectable bank
without some kind of a smoking gun.
I’m calling it a night, Paul. Here.
Me, too.
Buy a gimlet on the way out?
I don’t drink gimlets anymore, Paul.
They leave a bad taste.
Besides, I’d assume
you’d have plans with your fiancee.
I do, later.
I just thought a drink, for old times’ sake.
Let’s stick to business, Paul. It works a lot better.
Andrea has everything you ever wanted,
looks, money and social position.
You always gave me good advice, Laura.
I almost forgot that’s why I keep you around.
Is this merger thing really gonna happen,
or are you just playing games again?
Hey, bet the ranch.
When it does, there’s a vice presidency
with your name on it.
Playing in the big leagues now, Paul.
I hope you got your bases covered.
Oh, I do.
I’ve got insurance in Spades.
But of course you already know that.
Close to my heart,
and that’s where it’s gonna stay.
-Oh, excuse me-- -Laura!
Mr. Quatrain, I’m sorry.
-Good night. -Good night.
Paul, you’re still here?
Well, I was just wrapping up, Adam.
You work too hard.
Young man with a beautiful fiancee,
you shouldn’t neglect her.
I wasn’t planning to.
Good.
Come on, I’ll walk you out.
So, Adam, what’s happening with the Hong Kong merger?
Brad Filmore expects a green light
from the banking committee in Washington,
but I don’t have to tell you,
it’s at a very sensitive stage.
That’s what worries me.
Mr. Lee is very happy with your work on the merger, Paul,
and so am I.
That’s what I get paid to do.
Good night, sir.
Good night.
Hold it right there, mister.
Well, I’m glad somebody finally showed up,
because I think there’s been a mistake in the work order.
This machine is a 457
with a 2.5 spreadsheet loaded in.
They want the new 300,
but it’s not compatible with the 457.
How’d you get in here?
The cleaning people let me in.
No, the cleaning people don’t get here for another hour.
Look, maybe I’ve got the wrong office.
Does this say Marlowe or Marston?
I mean, can you believe some people’s handwriting?
-May I help you? -Yes.
Jessica Fletcher, I have a reservation.
J. B. Fletcher,
yes, of course, you’ve been pre-registered.
I have?
Mr. Smyth has taken care of everything.
Suite 614.
Mr. Smyth?
Yes, Smyth, with a y.
It’s all taken care of.
You can go right up.
Your luggage will be up in a few minutes.
Is Mr. Smyth with the book convention, by any chance?
He didn’t mention that, Mrs. Fletcher.
Elevators to your right.
I see.
Thank you very much.
Hong Kong bankers place a premium on privacy.
It’ll only take a few minutes.
Sure you don’t mind?
Of course not, darling.
I’ll meet you downstairs.
Laura: see you later, honey.
[phone rings]
[Michael on phone] Well, now, you took your sweet time getting here.
Michael?
Yes. Listen to me carefully, Jessica.
You’re being watched.
Watched? By whom?
What’s going on?
Not so loud, he’ll hear you.
Who?
There’s a very dangerous man in your suite.
Don’t turn around, and just keep talking.
Oh, Michael, for heaven’s sakes.
I have to ring off now, Jess.
There’s a fascinating woman standing in front of me,
and there’s some explaining I have to do.
I’ll say you have some explaining to do,
Michael Hagerty.
Oh, you scared the wits out of me.
But it made you glad to see me, didn’t it?
Or are you disappointed?
Look, I should have known.
Smyth with a y?
Scraping the bottom of the barrel, Michael.
Just my idea of a little surprise.
Oh, I’ve had too many of your surprises in the past,
thank you very much.
Jess, what do you mean?
Whatever assignment you’re on for MI6,
whatever caper you’re involved in,
whatever lie you’re trying to sell me,
count me out.
Jessica, how could you even think such a thing?
The truth of it is, I’m on leave.
I found out you were here
and thought you’d be glad to see me.
And you’re welcome for the Flowers, don’t mention it.
I know you’re very busy, I’ll just be on my way.
Oh, for heaven’s sakes.
The Flowers are lovely, thank you.
How did you know I’d be here?
Well, I am in the spying business, my dear.
Besides, I read it in the Chronicle yesterday.
Look, I know you’ve just flown in from New York,
so I’ll give you a breather to freshen up.
I know this little Italian place,
does a scallopini that’ll bring tears to your eyes.
And I won’t take no for an answer.
I’ll pick you up in an hour.
Sure.
I would like to express my gratitude
for your very special help in arranging
the merger of our two banks, Mr. Marlowe.
I will see to it that you are very generously rewarded.
I’m glad you bring that up, Mr. Lee.
The figure I was thinking about is five million.
The amount agreed to was one million.
Yeah, but that was before I did all my homework
on mainland Hong Kong bank,
like who really owns it
and where your deposits come from.
I think five million sounds just about right.
I assure you you’re misinformed, Mr. Marlowe.
Look, five million is chump change.
I’ll bet you spend twice that much on your lawyers
and lobbyists in Washington.
Oh, and just to prove to you that I’m on your team,
I wanna share a little problem that I have discovered.
We have this hidden video as part of our security setup,
and last night this man broke into my office.
We have invested too much in this merger
to let anything spoil it now.
I think you and I can deal with the situation.
Unless I’m mistaken, some of your investors
do have people to handle damage control?
Possibly.
But it may be difficult to find this mysterious intruder.
Oh, it’s not a problem.
I know who he is.
So, tell me, how did you happen to pick
San Francisco to take your leave?
Just coming back from some routine stuff in the Orient.
The old calendar is a little quiet now
that the cold war has gone into the deep freeze,
and San Francisco is a beautiful city.
Why not?
Now, Michael, I know you too well.
Jess, they do a pasta primavera at this place
that is absolutely to die for.
Oh, coming from you, Michael,
to die for isn’t a very happy image.
We’ll have to figure out a way to get you out
of that silly book conference.
Well, that won’t be so easy.
Jessica!
[screaming]
[tries screeching]
Michael.
You all right?
Yes, I think so.
On second thought, there’s a perfectly
good restaurant back at the hotel.
Darling, I don’t know what’s so important
about having dinner with your assistant
and his little fiancee.
Cynthia, Paul is my executive vice president.
He’s a young banking genius.
Be nice to him, darling.
Well, they could at least be on time.
For God’s sake, Cynthia, don’t treat him
like the assistant tennis pro at the club.
Here they are.
A Bryn Mawr type.
I suppose dinner conversation would mostly be about
saving the environment.
Paul, Andrea, we’re so happy you could join us.
Cynthia, I don’t believe you’ve met Paul’s fiancee.
Andrea Cromwell.
Oh, it’s so nice to meet you.
Adam’s told me so many nice things about you.
Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Quatrain.
We’re sorry we’re late. Are we ready?
Yeah, by all means.
That is a lovely dress, is it a Bertolucci?
Yes, it is.
Look, there’s something
you’re not telling me. It’s obvious.
Absolutely nothing to worry about.
What you need is a square meal, Jess.
Are you following me?
Andrea, look. We have to talk.
There’s nothing to talk about.
You can’t keep avoiding me this way.
Whatever was between us is finished.
Just stay out of my life.
I’m sorry, Jess, I’m really not hungry.
Oh, for heaven’s sakes, Michael.
You’re not going to let a little rejection
by an old flame spoil your whole evening, are you?
She isn’t an old flame, Jess.
Michael, who is she?
Andrea is my daughter.
Michael, I don’t remember you ever mentioning a daughter,
or ever having been married.
Well, it wasn’t much of a marriage, Jess.
Didn’t last very long, either.
Her mother was a New York society girl.
The family never really bought my act.
An honest, forthright man like you?
I see that the suite that you pre-registered for me
just happens to be right across
from your daughter’s suite.
Michael, don’t you ever get tired of
trying to manipulate people?
You’re right, Jess.
Let’s order up a sandwich and I’ll explain.
The truth is, Jess, I wasn’t much of a father.
Presents sent from exotic locations,
weekend visits I had to cancel
because of assignments,
and all of it slowly poisoned by an ex-wife
who wanted to cut me out of the child’s life.
She died last year,
leaving Andrea with too much money
and a deep resentment against me.
I’m sorry, Michael, but we all have to live
with the choices we’ve made.
I may have neglected her in the past, but damn it,
I can at least stop Andrea
from making a mistake that could ruin her life.
You mean with that good-looking young man
that she seems so happy with?
I heard they were engaged.
I did some checking.
Not every father has access to CIA, FBI and MI6 files.
Her young fancy man belongs in jail.
Are you sure you’re not exaggerating?
I wish I were.
With ex-congressman Adam Quatrain
smoothing the way in Washington,
Paul Marlowe is arranging a merger
between a small American bank
he and Quatrain have gotten control of
and a Hong Kong bank owned by a man named Luc Lee.
Is that illegal?
The problem is the Hong Kong bank
is really owned by some
Middle Eastern gangsters in the arms-peddling racket,
and the funds come in directly from the Colombian drug trade.
And Paul Marlowe is in it up to his eyeballs.
But that’s awful.
Shouldn’t you report this information
to the justice department?
It’s not that easy to prove.
It’d take a small army of accountants,
court orders in a dozen countries
even to pick up the threads.
These guys are good and they play rough.
The shot that was made at you, you mean?
That’s why I need your help now, Jess.
I need to keep kind of a low profile.
I thought maybe you could talk to Andrea,
you know, woman to woman.
Oh, no, no, no, Michael.
No, you can’t expect me to fix something
that you broke years ago.
If you won’t help me,
maybe I’ll have to kill him.
[Luc] I appreciate your seeing me on such short notice,
Mr. Quatrain.
I wanted Brad Filmore to be here.
I mean, he is our point man in Washington.
What’s your problem, Mr. Lee?
As a businessman,
I am very disappointed in your Paul Marlowe.
I thought you were very high on him.
He is demanding five million dollars from me, Mr. Quatrain.
Are you aware of that?
For what?
I mean, personally?
Yes, and what I find particularly disturbing,
Mr. Quatrain,
is that Mr. Marlowe made certain threats.
Threats?
What kind of threats?
About stopping the merger from being approved.
We’ve spent months
stroking the right people in Washington.
The merger’s a done deal.
I’m also disturbed to learn that the father
of Mr. Marlowe’s fiancee is a British Intelligence agent.
Good Lord!
Do you know anything about this?
There’s been no indication of a problem with the British.
My business associates do not like surprises, Mr. Quatrain.
Paul Marlowe is your man.
I suggest you rethink your situation with him.
You know where to reach me.
I’ll show you out, Mr. Lee.
You were a fool to let that young man into the firm.
This whole merger was his idea.
No, it’s not just the merger, Adam.
It’s our bank that’s threatened.
So the way I see it,
we’ll hold on to your place in New York
and I’ll buy something here.
I mean, my place is way too small.
What? What?
As long as we’re together, I don’t really care.
Oh, I almost forgot.
What’s this?
Well, it’s just a little engagement present.
Can I open it now?
Sure.
Oh.
Oh, they’re beautiful.
Really?
Yeah.
You fancy a drink?
Now? Isn’t it a little early?
Then we’ll have coffee and talk about
how we’re going to get you out
of this boring book conference.
Michael, you’re being compulsive.
You know, you’re not going to win
any points spying on them.
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
It’s a public place.
Mr. Marlowe, a telephone call for you, Sir.
Thank you.
Paul Marlowe.
How could that happen?
Now? Where?
Okay, okay.
Paul, is something wrong?
No, no, it’s nothing.
I’ve got to meet someone. It’s business.
Now?
It won’t take long.
Look, I’ll meet you up in
your suite in half an hour, okay?
Okay.
Maybe I’ll wear my pearls.
Honey, I think that’s a great idea.
But you know what?
I think we should put these in the hotel vault.
Can’t be too careful.
Okay.
I’ll take care of the check and I’ll do it right away.
See you upstairs.
Excuse me, Jess, there’s something I have to do.
Michael, you’ll only alienate your daughter.
This might be a grand time to have nice chat with Andrea.
I think I’ll pass.
If you need me, you’ll find me in my room.
[knock on door]
Mrs. Fletcher?
Yes.
I’m Andrea Cromwell, Michael’s daughter.
Can we talk?
I think that would be very nice.
Come in.
Well, I know you’re a friend of his.
We don’t talk that often, but he’s mentioned you.
Well, I’m sorry to say that he has neglected
to mention you to me.
Mrs. Fletcher, please,
you have to tell him to leave me alone.
I’m afraid I really don’t have that much influence over him.
He’s a very hard-headed man
and he’s very worried about you.
He’s trying to poison my mind against Paul.
He dropped out of my life ten years ago,
and when he shows up,
it’s just to ruin the one good thing I have left.
You know, he’s a father, Andrea, and he’s a man.
And I’m sorry to say that diplomacy isn’t his long suit.
But he loves you, of that I am quite sure.
Freeze!
Put your hands over your head, real slow.
You know, it looks like we got a cold piece here,
no serial number.
That’s funny.
But my nose tells me
it’s got warm fingerprints all over it.
Get it down to the lab.
So, uh, give it to me again, Charlie.
How did you make him?
I’m up in the security office, I get a call.
One of the staff people.
They tell me they heard a gunshot down here
in the service area,
so I come down to check it out.
I see this guy bending over the deceased,
so I cuff him and call my old friend.
Pat Hogan.
You did good, Charlie. Anything else?
Yeah, it turns out our suspect here
is the father of the fiancee.
Oh, it gets better all the time.
Where’s the girl?
Is this man your father, miss?
How could you do this?
How could you?
Andrea, I didn’t kill him.
I’m sorry, miss, but I’ll need a statement.
There’s no hurry, maybe when you’re feeling a little better.
Take him down and book him. Murder one.
[lieutenant] Okay, Mrs. Fletcher, I checked you out.
So you’ve got friends in high places,
by me that’s no problem.
Lieutenant Hogan--
I’ve only got one question.
What exactly is Michael Hagerty to you?
He’s a good friend.
That’s fair enough.
Did you know he worked for MI6?
Yes, I was aware of that.
They never heard of him, but that’s the party line.
Want some coffee?
No, thank you.
He claims somebody slugged him,
but they all got a sad story.
Has a doctor seen him?
No, he says he doesn’t want one.
Anyway, we didn’t see any marks on him.
Look, this one’s a lock, Mrs. Fletcher,
the gun has his prints all over it.
I’d like to see him.
Sure, why not?
Funny, isn’t it?
It’s a fact, most murders,
they turn out to be family disputes.
Well, they weren’t a family yet, lieutenant.
Jessica, you’ve got to convince her I didn’t kill him.
Michael, that’s not going to be easy.
Why don’t you start by telling me what happened?
I was set up.
I was following him.
Somebody hit me.
When I came to, he was there, dead on the floor
and that damned hotel cop was standing over me.
And did you see anyone else?
The room was dark.
I remember searching for the light switch,
and the next thing I woke up with a face full of floor.
Michael, think for a minute.
When you were investigating Paul,
was there anyone who,
well, who might want him dead?
You mean besides me?
Paul Marlowe was a white collar crook
playing for high stakes,
mixed up with dangerous people on four continents.
Well, that certainly narrows it down.
What I need from you, and I need it desperately,
is for you to make Andrea understand
that I didn’t kill Paul.
-Michael-- -Jessica!
I don’t want her to hate me.
There isn’t much I care about, but I care about her.
Talk to her, please.
I’ll try.
[Andrea] When I was a little girl,
I thought he was the most handsome man
in the whole world.
I hardly ever saw him, just, you know,
holidays and birthdays, special occasions.
But I worshipped him.
My mother said he was irresponsible,
didn’t really want a family.
He and my mother never really got along.
Even as a child I could see that.
You know, children are always more perceptive
than we give them credit for.
I guess I grew up believing that he abandoned me.
He chose a very difficult life, Andrea,
and I’m certainly not making excuses for him,
but I can tell you this.
I don’t believe for a moment that he was in any way
responsible for Paul’s death.
But why did he hate Paul so much?
I mean, why did he have to spoil everything?
Oh, but he didn’t hate Paul.
I mean, he didn’t know him.
Your father was concerned about you.
He was convinced that Paul was involved
in something illegal, something dangerous.
Paul was kind and gentle and he loved me.
He wasn’t involved in anything illegal.
He had a bright future at the bank.
I mean, he told me he was in line for a big promotion.
Did he ever talk to you about business?
No.
Andrea, somebody killed him.
Now, you’ll never know any peace until we find out
who and why.
Andrea, I’m so terribly sorry about Paul.
It’s just awful.
Yes.
He was a wonderful man.
I learned so much from him.
Everyone at the bank is going to miss him.
Mrs. Fletcher, this is Laura Downing.
She worked with Paul at the bank.
How do you do, Ms. Downing?
It’s a pleasure, Mrs. Fletcher.
Andrea, Mr. Quatrain asked me to come and see you.
Apparently there are some papers,
something to do with the merger,
that Paul may have taken from the office.
He thought they might be
in Paul’s briefcase or something.
He may have left his briefcase up in my suite.
Why don’t you come up with us and have a look?
[Man] So what exactly is missing, Ms. Cromwell?
As far as I can tell, nothing is.
What little jewelry I have is still here.
Aren’t you going to inform the police, Mr. Bennett?
Well, I’m going make out a report,
but since nothing has been stolen,
the police really won’t be able to do anything.
Well, in view of the fact that Ms. Cromwell’s fiancee
was murdered yesterday in the hotel,
I think the police would be very interested.
That’s a good point, Mrs. Fletcher.
I’ll call lieutenant Hogan.
Well, I’d better get back to the bank.
If there’s anything I can do...
Thank you, Laura, I’ll call you.
All right. Bye-bye.
Meanwhile, we’ll move you to a new suite with our apologies.
Oh, that won’t be necessary, Mr. Bennett.
Ms. Cromwell will be staying with me.
The material just came to my attention,
lieutenant Hogan, and I felt it was our responsibility
to pass it along to the proper authorities.
Appreciate your help, Mr. Quatrain.
As Paul Marlowe’s employer and personal friend,
I want to see his killer convicted.
Has this Hagerty been making any wild accusations, lieutenant?
Not one.
Excuse me, is this a bad moment, lieutenant?
Oh, no, no, no, come on in, Mrs. Fletcher.
I got a message you wanted to see me.
Do you know Mr. Quatrain?
We haven’t met formally.
No, I believe we all almost met the night
before the tragedy.
I didn’t know who you were then,
but it’s a real pleasure to meet J.B. Fletcher.
My attorney, Brad Filmore.
[Jessica] How do you do?
I’m sorry, but Ms. Downing didn’t find the papers
you were looking for.
Papers?
At the hotel, the ones that Paul might have
taken from the bank?
It’s apparently something Ms. Downing forgot to mention.
Well, we mustn’t take anymore of your valuable time, lieutenant.
My wife will be impressed, she’s quite a fan.
Thank you.
Lieutenant, you know, I am very concerned about
Ms. Cromwell’s suite being ransacked.
Wait a minute.
Her hotel suite?
Somebody broke into Paul Marlowe’s apartment
and tossed it, but I didn’t know about the hotel.
Well, didn’t Mr. Bennett report it to you?
Well, no, not to me he didn’t.
An ex-cop like Charlie Bennett,
he would have known enough to report something like that.
Look, lieutenant,
Paul Marlowe’s apartment was searched,
his fiancee’s suite at the hotel was ransacked,
and someone arrives from bank
looking for some papers that Paul may have
absentmindedly taken home from the bank.
Does that tell you anything?
What does it tell you, Mrs. Fletcher?
That it’s possible that someone killed Paul Marlowe
to get their hands on the papers
that he was carrying.
We didn’t find any papers,
either on the victim or on your friend Mr. Hagerty.
Look, Michael Hagerty did not kill Paul Marlowe.
No?
Take a look at this.
Did you know that Hagerty
tried to break into Paul Marlowe’s
office at the bank?
He is some piece of work, your Mr. Hagerty.
Where did you get that?
From Quatrain and his lawyer.
He tells me that Hagerty had some kind of twisted grudge
against his future son-in-law.
It’s gonna look great in court.
Michael thinks that Paul Marlowe
and the bank were involved in
some kind of international criminal conspiracy.
What kind of conspiracy?
I think you should hear that from Michael.
So, when the bloody deal’s done,
they can recycle drug money into the arms trade
via Hong Kong through San Francisco
in lily-white US dollars
right under Washington’s nose.
You got any proof?
Anything we can show the DAs office?
Nah, most of it I put together on an eyes-only basis
from the CIA and MI6 files
that I’m not even supposed to have access to.
Nobody is gonna take on an ex-congressman
and a respectable bank without some kind of a smoking gun.
I was hoping to find something.
That’s why I tried to break into his computer.
That’s why I followed him.
You know, I wouldn’t be surprised
if that’s why he was killed.
Maybe they were looking for some documents
that Paul was carrying
when they ransacked Andrea’s hotel suite.
They came after Andrea?
Oh, she wasn’t there.
They only searched the room.
Andrea is staying with me.
I’m sorry, Michael, I didn’t mean to worry you.
I’ve got to get out of here.
Talk to your lawyer.
Michael, I’ve contacted my attorney.
He’s trying to arrange a bail hearing in a few days.
[man] What’s the score?
When they brought me up,
the giants were ahead by two in the bottom of the 7th.
Still two-zip.
Can I have a drink of water?
Hurry up.
You got a cigarette?
I left my pack--
Sorry about that.
Time you quit smoking, anyway.
I’ll just take this for luck.
...very worried about you, and to tell you the truth, so am I.
Miss Cromwell,
and I believe you must be Mrs. J.B. Fletcher.
Who are you? How did you get in here?
My name is Luc Lee.
Are you the one who ransacked Ms. Cromwell’s room?
I’m not a thief, Mrs. Fletcher,
merely a businessman with interests
in Hong Kong and San Francisco.
Hello, operator?
Hello, hello?
I took the trouble to disconnect it to avoid interruptions.
Calm yourself.
I’m only here to make Ms. Cromwell
a business proposition.
Something has disappeared
since the tragic death of your fiancee, Ms. Cromwell.
Something that belongs to me
and for which I would be willing to pay
a substantial finder’s fee.
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
I don’t have anything that belongs to you.
What exactly is this something?
A boring list of business details
probably on a computer disk.
I’m prepared to offer two million US dollars,
no questions asked.
I think that you’d better leave now.
Miss Cromwell, I personally abhor violence,
but I have certain business associates
who place a very low value on human life.
If you or any of your thugs
so much as lay a finger on my daughter,
I swear I’ll kill you.
You misjudge me, sir.
I’m only a businessman on a business errand.
But if you, sir, can deliver my missing property,
I will consider raising my bid to three million.
Now, if you will excuse me.
Oh, daddy, I’m so glad you were here.
Are they handing out guns at bail hearings these days?
Well, I couldn’t wait around while they came after Andrea.
Lee’s coming here only proves my theory.
Paul must have had some incriminating details
and was probably holding it over their heads.
And they killed him for it, Andrea.
And somebody still seems to be looking for it.
Yes.
Michael, where are you going?
If you don’t know, you won’t have to lie to the police.
Don’t let her out of your sight, Jess.
I’ll be in touch.
How did you get in here?
It’s my trade and I’m damn good at it.
I also know how to make people vanish
without a trace, so don’t tempt me.
What do you want?
Answers, Quatrain.
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
I’m talking about your dirty little deal with Hong Kong.
I’m talking about a murder that was laid on me.
Somebody phoned Paul Marlowe for a meet.
They hit me and used my gun to terminate Marlowe.
Maybe it was you, Quatrain.
Maybe Marlowe threatened to blow off the deal
and you didn’t want that to happen.
No, it couldn’t have been my husband.
He was with me when Paul Marlowe was murdered.
You tell your friends to stay away
from my daughter,
or so help me I’ll have you all.
And don’t bother phoning the police.
I cut your phone line when I took out the alarm.
Thank you, my dear. That was very convincing.
But you weren’t here when Marlowe was killed.
You said you were at the hairdresser.
Odds are it was Luc Lee’s people that shot at us
and probably ransacked Andrea’s room.
Maybe Paul was going to see Luc Lee.
Andrea, think.
What did Paul say when the phone call
came through for him in the lobby?
Not very much.
It seemed like somebody he knew.
He looked worried, he told me he had to meet someone
and that he would see me up in my room later.
Did he say anything else?
No.
Well, only to put the pearls in the hotel safe.
What, Jess?
Andrea, was he paged for that telephone call?
No, the bartender just brought the phone.
They knew Paul at the hotel.
Of course.
That must be it.
[Bennett] There you go, miss Cromwell.
If you’ll just sign for it.
Thank you, Mr. Bennett.
Is everything there?
Everything’s here.
Mr. Bennett, you told lieutenant Hogan
that a member of the hotel staff had phoned
to report hearing a gunshot that killed Paul Marlowe.
That’s right.
Which member of the staff reported that?
I have no idea.
I asked around, but nobody claimed to make the call.
Was it a woman’s voice or a man’s voice?
Oh, it was a woman’s voice.
It must have been one of the kitchen help.
I mean, who else would have been in that area?
Who indeed?
Yes, I think I have the item you were looking for.
Yes, it’s a computer disk.
Paul gave it to me for safekeeping minutes
before he was killed, only I didn’t know I had it.
Yes, an hour would be fine.
I’ll be waiting.
Well, it’s a gamble, but if we’re lucky,
we may have Paul’s murderer.
I don’t like it one damn bit.
[Andrea] It’s the only way it’ll work, daddy.
And if it gets you off the hook, it’s worth it.
No, it’s too risky for Andrea.
Michael, for once you’re going to have
to butt out and leave it to us.
It was where?
Now, wait a minute, wait a minute.
When?
Okay, okay, I’m in.
[knock on door]
Come in.
I really appreciate you calling, Andrea.
That computer disk must be
what Paul inadvertently took from the office.
Mr. Quatrain will be so pleased to have it back.
Where did you find it?
We were having a drink in the lounge right
before Paul was murdered.
He gave it to me.
I didn’t realize I had it.
I see.
What beautiful pearls. Paul had such nice taste.
Well, may I have the disk now, please?
Well, you see, I’m not sure I should give it to you.
What are you talking about?
Mr. Luc Lee phoned me.
He offered me money for the disk.
I was wondering if you or Mr. Quatrain might want to buy it.
Honey, I’m not planning to pay you anything.
Are you looking for this?
Why would you look for it in Andrea’s jewel case?
-I didn’t. -Oh, but you did.
Because you saw Paul give Andrea the pearls
just before you telephoned him in the lobby lounge.
No.
I’m afraid it all fits.
[Jessica] They didn’t need to page Paul
because you knew he was in the lounge.
You told them where he was, because you were calling
from a house phone where you could see him.
Yeah. You’re making all this up.
You had to have seen Paul give Andrea the pearls.
There’s no other explanation.
What you didn’t see was Paul slipping the disk into he Jewel case
before he left to meet you.
But when Andrea told you that Paul had given it to her
just before he was killed,
and when you saw the pearls and the open case here,
well, you’re a clever young lady, Ms. Downing,
not to mention ambitious and ruthless.
I learned it from Paul.
Oh, yes, Paul taught me a lot.
His problem was that he didn’t know
that I was smarter than he was.
The information on that disk, I dug it out for him.
Did he think I didn’t know
what he was gonna use it for?
Didn’t know what it was worth?
So you decided to cash in on it, take over his game.
You phoned him, said you had to talk with him.
Why did you frame my father?
I didn’t plan it that way, but Hagerty followed Paul.
Paul had spotted Hagerty following him.
It was Paul who hit him.
Then it just flashed into my head, the perfect cover.
Now, I had to kill Paul either way.
I had the gun in my purse,
but Hagerty’s gun was just lying on the floor...
-Give it to me. -I swear to God I don’t have it.
...so it was even better.
Then you slipped out and phoned security,
reporting the gunshot.
It was almost a perfect plan.
Except for the fact that Paul wasn’t carrying the disk.
How did you figure it out?
You made a couple of slips, Ms. Downing.
When you came looking for the papers
Paul took from the office,
you said that Mr. Quatrain had sent you,
but he didn’t know anything about any papers.
Then when we found Paul’s briefcase
in Andrea’s ransacked hotel room,
you didn’t even bother to look at the papers.
That’s because you’d done the ransacking yourself,
but it wasn’t papers you were after.
It was the disk.
Well, it doesn’t matter now, does it?
I don’t think either of you will be
telling anyone anything.
Put it down, Ms. Downing.
You’re already in enough trouble.
You know, when you called me and you suggested this,
well, I thought you had a screw loose.
Well, I only said it might work.
[Michael] Jess, guess what Andrea and I have decided to do?
I don’t have a clue.
Well, I still have a week left of leave,
so we’re gonna go down to Carmel for a few days.
We thought we’d do some poking around in
some of those cute little shops,
find you something pretty to wear.
Forget the presents, daddy.
I’ll settle for some nice long walks on the beach.
Of course, we’d both like to invite you along.
Oh, not a chance.
I’m a week behind on my schedule,
and in this case, three’s a crowd.