You’ve crossed the line. You’re meddling in a criminal investigation.
[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
Jess, are you hurt?
I just can’t conceive of this kind of brutality.
There’s a lot of weird stuff that goes on in that family.
You are up to something, woman.
I won’t feel safe
until I learn a little more about this case.
This is New York. Nobody ever feels safe.
My safety is no one’s problem but my own.
♪ For she’s a jolly good fellow ♪
♪ Which nobody can deny ♪
♪ For she’s a jolly good fellow ♪
♪ Which nobody can deny ♪
What a wonderful surprise!
You almost gave me a heart attack!
Teach you to leave your back door open.
When she gets to the Big Apple
she’ll be using chains, locks and deadbolts.
Oh, no, no, no, I’m going to be too busy teaching
to worry about things like that, Eve.
I understand you’re giving a lecture course in criminology.
Yes. I’m going to be teaching at Manhattan University
and I’ll also be going into the inner city schools
from time to time, but altogether I’ll only be
in Manhattan probably three or four days a week.
Then why do you have to rent an apartment?
Oh, Seth, I’m sick and tired of living in hotels.
I do so much of that on those book tours,
and I can’t keep landing on poor Grady all the time.
Why not?
He lands on you whenever it suits him.
Oh, my goodness, would you look at that glorious cake?
Eve, I have a feeling that this is your contribution,
sixty thousand calories in every bite.
Well, here’s to the best darn neighbor
a person could ever have.
-Yes. -Success in New York.
-Hear, hear. -Hear, hear.
Success and lots of gorgeous men.
Well, I’ll leave that to you, Eve.
How about your apartment, Jessica?
Knowing you, I’ll bet it’s right out of Architectural Digest.
Oh, no, no, no.
No, it certainly is not lavish,
but it’s very comfortable and it’s nicely furnished,
and best of all, it’s in an area
where I feel absolutely safe.
[police siren blaring]
What do you think you’re doing?
Moving us out of here and you out of my life,
just like I said I would.
Mike, this is not fair.
It’s simple math, Sharon. I can’t afford this place.
-I can’t afford you. -Oh.
So all of a sudden out I go right on my ear, is that it, Mike?
I don’t know why you’re so surprised.
I told you to try to find another apartment two weeks ago.
And what are you gonna do?
Go crawling back to your sick wife?
She may have some problems,
but at least she doesn’t take me
for $2,000 dresses and $300 shoes.
Well, I am not somebody you can toss out like garbage,
snap your fingers and little Sharon’s history.
You started this,
and if I can’t have you, nobody can.
Sounds like a threat to me, sweetheart.
Well, thanks for listening, you know, I always knew
there was a brain inside that head of yours.
[knocking on door]
Get the door.
Who is it?
Painters.
What do you want?
Come on, lady. What are you talking here?
What does it look like?
Will you just let them in?
We’ll be out of here in about ten seconds.
Good, because the new tenants
are gonna be here tomorrow morning
and we’re looking at two coats
plus the enamel here.
I hope you’re not leaving all that stuff over there?
The truck will pick it up in about two hours,
just work around it, okay?
And watch the paint splatters. Let’s go.
Creep.
Oh, Mr. Freelander, will you be leaving now, sir?
Some of our stuff is still upstairs.
The company truck will be coming by later
-to pick it up. -Very good, sir.
Let me know if I can be any assistance to you.
Thanks, Ahmed.
Here’s $20.
What for? Severance pay?
Get a cab.
Keep it, little boy.
You need it more than I do.
What is that?
Okay, fellows. Time to take a coffee break.
We just got here.
I have to make a private call
which neither of you are invited to.
Do you understand? Let’s go!
Shall I make it clearer?
Bust my chops.
Come on, come on, come on, let’s go.
Try to do your job...
Go, go, go.
We’re gone, we’re gone.
Oh, this is very kind of you, Seth.
Well, if I’m gonna be denied
the pleasure of your company for a while,
I thought it was the least I could do.
Oh, don’t be melodramatic.
I told you, I’ll only be gone two or three days.
Fine. And I hope you’ll take along a bulletproof vest.
Oh, Seth.
How long is it since you were in New York?
Well, that time I got kidnapped by those gangsters and...
well, I could not save their dying godfather.
That was Boston.
What’s the difference? All big cities are the same.
Besides, they’re getting worse by the minute.
All right, I’ll make a deal with you.
If you’ll water my lawn
and pick up any stray newspapers,
I will promise, cross my heart, hope to die,
that I will be on guard
every moment of the day and night.
I have been reading the statistics.
The number of women who are attacked every year,
I tell you, it is frightening.
Oh, Seth, you’re an angel, but I’m gonna be fine.
And once I’m settled, you can come and visit me.
It’s a very safe neighborhood.
You’re gonna see for yourself.
[gunshots]
Mrs. Fletcher, good morning. How nice to see you.
Good morning. You’re Ahmed?
-Correct, madam. -Right.
Now, is there anyone who can help me with my bags?
Yes, of course. I can do that.
Thank you.
Mrs. Fletcher, may I ask
if there’s been any communication
between you and the management since yesterday afternoon?
Why, no.
Oh, I thought they might have told you about the...
-the excitement. -Oh, what excitement?
Mr. Freelander, the tenant who vacated your apartment.
Unfortunately, he was very seriously murdered.
Oh, excuse me.
I thought this place was still empty.
Lieutenant Boyle, homicide. This is Sergeant Acosta.
Oh, hello, lieutenant, sergeant.
Well, I’m the new tenant here. I’m Jessica Fletcher.
Yes, that’s who you are. I knew you looked familiar.
Nick, this is the best damn, excuse me,
darned mystery writer in the business.
Well, I’ll accept the compliment either way, lieutenant.
She describes crime scenes
better than any textbook I’ve ever read.
Ballistics, physical evidence,
blood splatters, you’ve got it all.
Well, I assume you gentleman are here about the murder.
I’m sure by now you’ve searched the apartment,
so my guess is that you’ve come for
Mr. Freelander’s personal effects.
His and his girlfriend’s.
Ah, yes.
I thought there’d been a woman living in the apartment.
I noticed a slight smell of perfume in the closet.
Belle à Versailles, if I’m not mistaken.
She must have very expensive taste.
Especially for a secretary.
[officer] Sergeant, we’re here to pick up the evidence.
Yeah, well, be my guest.
I was wondering what I was gonna do with all that stuff.
Is there anything else?
Have you opened any of your kitchen drawers yet?
Oh, no. No I haven’t had a chance.
Well, there’s a couple of them that stick like crazy.
Get right on the manager’s tail, because in New York
nothing ever gets done unless you start squawking
or unless you cross somebody’s palm with a hundred dollar bill.
Me, I’m for the former, not for the later.
Well, thanks for the advice.
If you get any heat, you call me.
I love hassling managers.
We’re finished here, lieutenant.
Hey, you keep on writing, Mrs. Fletcher, you’re terrific.
The Corpse That Wasn’t There
kept me up for three nights straight.
I couldn’t put it down.
Excuse me, miss.
I’d keep my door closed if I was you.
Somebody got killed in this building.
[knocking on door]
I’m Estelle Freelander, Mike’s wife.
Can I come in?
Oh, yes, yes, of course, Mrs. Freelander.
I’m Jessica Fletcher.
I’m so sorry about your loss.
Yes. And I’m sorry to bother you like this.
I came for Mike’s belongings.
Oh, his things are all gone.
The police took them over an hour ago.
How can they do that?
Everything he owned belongs to me.
Every button on every shirt.
Well, I’m sure that you’ll get them all back
as soon as they finish their investigation.
Unless she gets them first.
You can bet she’ll try.
His secretary.
He lived with her
right here in this apartment.
Do you believe in logical consequences?
Well, I’m not sure that I know what you mean.
Immoral behavior.
No one gets away with it,
not even Michael Freelander.
Why don’t you go home, Mrs. Freelander?
At a time like this you should be with your family.
Yes, you’re right.
I’ll talk to the police
and then I’ll go right back home.
Goodbye.
It’s ironic, isn’t it?
The person who gave him his pleasure
fired both the shots that killed him.
To the best of our knowledge
there were no eyewitnesses to the murder.
But there was somebody on the elevator
who saw your brother get on at the fourth floor and ride down
just a couple of minutes before he was shot.
A man who lived in the building.
I just can’t conceive this kind of brutality.
I’m sorry, Mr. Freelander.
I wish I could say it never happens.
Any special reason your brother was moving out yesterday?
Oh, you should ask his wife or his girlfriend.
They had a timeshare on him.
Scott, that’s family business,
and let’s keep it where it belongs...
Oh, excuse me, lieutenant.
Forgive me for interrupting you,
but your office told me I might find you here.
Mr. Harry Freelander and his son Scott,
meet my new friend, Mrs. Fletcher.
She now resides in apartment 4B.
Somebody moved in already?
May I express my deepest sympathy to both of you?
So was there something in particular
that you wanted, Mrs. Fletcher?
Well, these were hidden in the apartment.
You got to be kidding.
We searched that place from top to bottom.
Well, I found them in the shower rod.
You looked in there?
I wasn’t looking.
I was trying to take a shower
and the rod fell out of the wall.
It’s amazing.
May I see those?
They’re ours. Company invoices.
Why would he hide these?
Take a look at the bottom, Dad.
One diamond tiara headband.
We’re not in the jewelry business.
There’s an item of jewelry
on the bottom of every single one of those invoices.
And they are all going to different European destinations,
which might indicate that someone in your firm was smuggling.
You’re embarrassing me, Mrs. Fletcher.
You’re supposed to leave the deductions to me.
-Sharon? -[Woman on phone] Yes, sir?
Bring out our file copies on invoice numbers
88462 through 88471.
Yes, sir, 88462 through 88471.
This is impossible.
I signed all these myself, so did Mike.
Oh, actually it wouldn’t be the first time that hot merchandise
passed through customs
in a legitimate shipment from New York.
Here. See? See?
Not one lousy piece of jewelry on any of these.
Someone added them to the shipping invoices
after the duplicates were signed and filed.
Why are you looking at me?
I don’t know anything about it.
Well, maybe Uncle Mike
asked you to a little extra typing
while you two were putting in a little overtime.
Scott, I am warning you.
Come on, Dad. Who ran the foreign operation?
Stop it, right now.
[Scott] Well, that’s what you hired him for, wasn’t it?
To beef up foreign sales?
Instead of giving me the job.
[Scott continues] You know, I warned you,
but you never listen to me about anything.
Well, thank you for all your help, Mrs. Fletcher.
May I call you a cab? Taxi!
Lieutenant, there’s just one other thing
I think you should know.
Mike Freelander’s wife came by the apartment.
She seemed like a very disturbed woman.
You might want to find out
where she was at the time of the murder.
Your telling me these things
and coming down here with these invoices,
does that mean you’re...
Oh, don’t you worry, lieutenant.
I’m only in Manhattan to teach.
Good, because the Big Apple is full of worms
with very sharp teeth.
Taxi!
I hate to tell you this,
but I’ve seen some amateur detectives get pretty chewed up.
Am I right, Nick?
Oh, listen, you don’t have to convince me, either of you.
Crime solving is something
I’m more than happy to leave to the professionals.
Taxi!
Oh, allow me, Mrs. Fletcher.
I’m really very grateful for your care of me.
You’re a very considerate man.
Why are you being such a sourpuss?
You just wait, lieutenant.
I guarantee she’ll be stepping all over our feet.
Don't you ever embarrass me like that again.
Embarrass you? What about me?
I just found out
we’re in the smuggling business.
That’s a lie and you know it.
What I know and couldn’t understand for the longest time
is why Uncle Mike got made a partner.
Are you insinuating it should have been you?
Just out of college and still wet behind the ears?
Well, maybe my problem was I didn’t major in burglary.
Okay. You want it straight?
Next to Mike you were a pygmy.
Now if that made you jealous, I’m sorry.
While we’re on the subject of jealousy,
Sharon quit today.
Did she tell you that?
I don’t even know why I bother talking to you.
Whatever happened to that handgun
you brought for protection?
I noticed it wasn’t in your desk this morning, Dad.
[knocking on door]
Who is it?
[man] Oh, for heaven’s sake, woman, let me in.
Seth, what are you doing here?
Visiting. What’s it look like?
Well, why didn’t you call?
Oh, this is an attractive apartment, Jessica.
And in such a nice, safe neighborhood, too.
And I do like this high-security building.
Yes, it is. And how did you get in?
I showed them this.
Volunteer Fire Department issued to me in 1947.
You had to pay for them then,
it cost me $12.50.
Are you all right?
I am absolutely fine.
I wasn’t even here when this happened.
You weren’t even here. Uh-huh. Why?
Tell me why, Jessica, do I get the feeling
that you’re holding out on me, hmm?
I don’t know.
I mean, I can’t imagine
why you’d come all this distance without calling first.
Well, it’s simple enough.
I was over at your place this morning
mending a couple of garden hoses,
and then, don’t ask me why,
the thought crossed my mind that
you possibly were in some kind of danger.
Pretty silly, wasn’t it?
[knocking on door]
Hello again, Mrs. Fletcher.
Oh, hello, lieutenant.
This is my friend, Dr. Hazlitt.
This is Lieutenant Boyle
and this is Sergeant Acosta.
How do you do, lieutenant, sergeant?
Wherever Mrs. Fletcher goes
I usually find interesting people
on the police force.
Well, a sense of humor.
We can use a little of that.
Now, do you care to tell the sergeant and me
what happened here?
Well, I’m not certain.
I went out to have some dinner with friends
and when I came home, it looked like this.
What did you lose, ma’am? What’s gone?
Well, nothing. They didn’t steal anything.
Whoever busted in here
was looking for something special.
A particular item.
They try, they try, they don’t find nothing
and whammo,
they tear the joint down to the plaster.
You want us to believe
the burglar had some sort of temper tantrum?
Why not?
Most criminals are like children.
When they don’t get what they want,
they leave a big mess for mommy and daddy.
What about you, Mrs. Fletcher?
Do you have any theories about all this?
Well, I suppose
it might have something to do with the other matter.
What matter?
The murder, doctor.
Murder?
Oh, I guess she didn’t tell you
about the last guy that lived here.
He was shot downstairs, right in the parking garage.
That’s good as new.
You can take a shower now
without getting soapsuds in the elevator.
Oh, thank you, for everything.
You know, I’m really glad that you had that crazy hunch.
Lot more stuff around here needs fixing.
Those kitchen drawers stick, sink’s plugged up
and the window in the spare room will not open.
Well, I called the manager, told him all that.
And?
I’m on a list.
Oh, well, good luck.
Why don’t I pick up some tools somewhere
and fix it all for you tomorrow?
Seth, have you made any arrangements?
For what?
A hotel, place to stay.
I’m staying right here.
Oh, well, you see,
I don’t have a bed in the spare room.
Oh! This couch will be just fine.
Oh, but wouldn’t you be more comfortable in a nice hotel?
Not me.
I can sleep on a brick floor.
Look, I know what you’re trying to do
and I appreciate it.
But with the door locked and the chain on,
I feel perfectly safe.
Jessica, for once I will not take no for an answer.
Now, until they find that maniac
who broke in here,
I will not, repeat not, leave you alone.
Where do you think you’re going?
Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.
You are up to something, woman.
You’ve got that look on your face again.
Oh, all right. I’m caught and I give up.
After I got into bed last night
I got to thinking about what you said,
and as usual you’re quite right.
I won’t feel safe until I learn a little more about this case.
That means you’re going to do something dangerous.
Absolutely not.
I’m just gonna take a peek around the building.
Give me five minutes and I’ll be dressed.
No, Seth.
Now, this is where I draw the line.
Now, you can stay here for a few days,
but you’re not gonna hold me a prisoner.
I simple won’t tolerate that.
Stubbornest person I ever met.
Hey, your glasses, your glasses.
Jessica.
Good morning.
It’s very peculiar.
Every time a car goes out
it’s as if someone’s running over
poor Mr. Freelander.
You know, it’s my guess that the killer knew
that he was leaving the building
and he was down here waiting for him.
Well, this was even more peculiar.
Well, shortly before his death
he came out the front door with Miss Kingsley,
then quite suddenly he became very agitated
and went back in.
Do you have any idea why?
There was a car parked across the street.
I saw Mr. Freelander was looking at it.
You mean someone was watching him?
It was hard to tell.
But he seemed to be terribly frightened.
A short time later
I heard that he’d been shot.
What about Sharon Kingsley?
She went into the bookstore and I never saw her again.
You mean she never came out?
Well, not to my knowledge.
But there’s a rear entrance
which connects with the lobby.
She might have gone out that way.
Well, thank you, Ahmed.
You’d better run upstairs before you get into trouble.
If there’s anything else I can assist you with,
please feel free to call me immediately.
Seth?
Where are you? Seth.
There is no need to shout.
Say, where to keep your coffee around here?
Well, in the cabinet above the sink.
Where else would you keep coffee?
Oh.
[phone ringing]
Hello?
[woman] Mrs. Fletcher?
Yes.
This is Sharon Kingsley.
I have to talk to you.
Thank you for coming.
I wanted to meet with you sooner,
but I was clearing out my office.
I quit my job.
Oh, I see.
There’s a lot of weird stuff
that goes on in that family.
And the problem is I got kind of personally involved
when Harry’s wife disappeared.
With the man I met this morning?
Yeah. Harry, the owner.
And maybe you think he looks pretty straight,
but I’m here to tell you that looks deceive.
He and his wife, they used to fight like crazy,
and then a couple of years ago
she just disappeared.
It was like she just evaporated
out of her pantyhose.
And that’s when you became personally involved.
I was scared, Mrs. Fletcher.
He wouldn’t let me alone.
Yeah, I can imagine the effect
that must have had on Harry.
He went crazy.
You see, he’d just made Mike a partner in the business.
Sharon, what is it that you’re trying to tell me?
I think Harry killed Mike because of me.
Now, you were with Mike just before he was murdered.
What happened?
He gave me money for a cab
and then he went back inside.
And what did you do?
I went into the bookstore.
And the next thing I knew,
I heard sirens and saw more police cars
than I have ever seen in my life.
Well, I talked to the man at the bookstore,
and he told me that you didn’t buy anything
and that you left by a rear door
before the police arrived.
Well, I was looking for a certain magazine.
They didn’t have it.
And you left by the back door.
Yeah. There’s an alley back there that leads to 64th street.
I figured I’d get a cab there.
Why didn’t you tell me there was someone watching you
and Mike in a car in front of the building?
Didn’t I mention that?
Yeah, we thought it was Harry.
Look, if you don’t believe me, Mrs. Fletcher,
why don’t you just go over there and talk to him yourself?
Just for openers, why don’t you ask him
who is the last person to sign
every company invoice?
Good afternoon,
I’m your neighbor from across the hall.
My neighbor’s a woman and single
from what I’ve been able to find out.
Not quite correct.
She’s widowed, actually.
Oh, then, I guess it was her husband’s ghost
I saw coming out of her place wearing those foolish pajamas.
Well, you’re a very observant woman, Mrs....
Tessler. Rose Tessler.
That’s why I thought you might have
heard something or seen something
that might help us solve this murder.
You see, your neighbor is J.B. Fletcher,
a famous mystery writer.
I don’t read books
and I don’t talk to strangers,
not even cops.
But I...
Well, if you change your mind,
I’ll be right across the hall.
Hazlitt, Dr. Seth Hazlitt.
Did you say doctor?
General practice, 37 years.
What’s the possibility of coming in
and taking a look at my throat, doctor?
I can hardly swallow.
It’s been bothering me for days.
Huh.
Hello?
[gunshots]
[Jessica] Oof! [shattering noise]
-[officer] Here, open that. -Right.
Excuse me.
Coming by, please.
Do you know how close you came, Mrs. Fletcher?
Suppose that shooter had decided to stay a couple of more seconds?
Maybe you’d be just as dead as Harry Freelander.
Look, I’m sorry.
I was just trying to find some answers to this case.
You said you weren’t going to do that.
Before someone broke into my apartment.
Now, until it’s solved,
I can’t feel safe.
Mrs. Fletcher, this is New York!
Nobody ever feels safe.
[Lt.] Excuse me for raising my voice.
If anything happened to you,
I’d kick my self all the way to Yonkers.
Look, lieutenant, I’ve always done
what I believed was right
and I’ve taken full responsibility
for whatever has happened.
Please, don’t worry.
My safety is no one’s problem but my own.
It’s not that easy, Mrs. Fletcher.
You’ve crossed the line.
By getting yourself directly involved,
you’re meddling in a criminal investigation.
And that is something that can end up
getting you arrested.
Well, then I guess it’s only fair to say
that until someone catches the killer,
I’m just going to have to take my chances.
Now, if you don’t mind,
I’d like to get back to my apartment.
Nick?
Sir.
Have someone give this lady a ride back to her apartment.
Yes, sir, lieutenant. Right this way, Mrs. Fletcher.
Thank you.
[knocking on door]
Oh.
I’m coming.
I’m coming!
I’m sorry, I lost my key.
Have you any idea how long you’ve been gone?
I was about to call the police.
What happened, Jess?
Well, Harry Freelander was murdered
while I was in his store.
I got knocked down by the killer
as he was escaping.
I guess that’s when I lost my key.
Jess, are you hurt?
Oh, nothing terminal, just a few bruises.
Oh.
I got slapped on the wrist by the Police Department.
Well, since when have you been into plumbing?
Oh, well, I was just getting the old place
fixed up for you.
I got the drawers unstuck
and now I’ll have that sink ready in a moment.
Thanks.
Well, I guess I'll get myself cleaned up.
You want to hear something funny?
I did little snooping around myself.
I went to talk to that old busybody
who lives across the hall.
I thought maybe she could shed some light on
who came and went around here on the day of the murder.
Well, dare I ask what you found out?
Nothing.
Unless the painters did it.
I don’t think so.
They were too busy
splattering paint on the windows.
Freelander kicked them out of here
when he came back upstairs.
Rose told me they weren’t too happy about that.
Rose?
Mrs. Tessler.
You know, that’s interesting.
Maybe he threw them out
so that he could hide the invoices.
What else did she tell you?
Well, Freelander went downstairs
at exactly three o’clock
because that’s when Rose’s favorite TV show comes on.
General Hospital, no doubt.
Well, how did you know that?
Oh, I keep up on these things.
Huh, well, that’s about it.
After the murder the police came.
That was during Rose’s other favorite TV show,
Marcus Welby, MD.
But Marcus Welby airs at two o’clock.
Rose is a little peculiar about doctors.
Maybe she’s is the same way about TV shows.
Oh, my God!
Seth, that’s it!
That’s what the killer was looking for.
Homicide, Sergeant Acosta.
Sergeant, this is Jessica Fletcher.
Yes, ma’am.
I found something in my apartment.
A very, very large diamond about 25 carats.
But I wonder if you could do me a favor
and see if it’s on any of the Freelander invoices
I brought to you.
Oh?
Are you quite sure?
Well, yes, that is strange.
Yes, yes. Well, I understand.
And thank you.
Well,
what did the police have to say?
I found out something very interesting,
and I just may know who our killer is.
What’s going on?
Not a damn thing that concerns you.
Excuse me, where's Acosta?
He left here about 20 minutes ago.
Took off like he had a hornet in his shorts.
Excuse me.
[phone ringing]
Boyle, Homicide.
Lieutenant? This is Jessica Fletcher.
I have found what the person
who broke in here was looking for.
And I’m certain that I know who the murderer is.
Whoa, whoa, slow down.
Found what?
A diamond.
The biggest diamond that I have ever seen.
I’ve ordered a cab. I’ll be there in 15 minutes.
Mrs. Fletcher, no. Now, don’t be crazy.
I’ll pick you up and bring you here myself.
Well, all right.
But you mustn’t tell anyone else,
especially Sergeant Acosta.
[Jessica] This is what the killing is all about.
[Boyle] And you were gonna troop around New York with that?
Mrs. Fletcher, wrap it up
and put it right back in your purse, okay?
Lieutenant, I think that the person
who broke into my apartment was looking for this diamond,
and that the same person killed Michael Freelander
and most likely killed his brother Harry.
Who?
I’m really sorry to have to say this, lieutenant, but...
it’s your partner.
Nick Acosta?
I called him right after I found the diamond
to see if it was on any of the Freelander invoices,
and he lied to me.
I think the problem, Mrs. Fletcher,
is maybe you’re working on another book.
I wish it were true.
But he made the mistake of saying that the diamond
wasn’t on any of the nine Freelander invoices.
If you’ll remember, there were ten.
I just don’t believe this.
Figure it out, lieutenant.
He enlisted several top jewel thieves,
then teamed up with Michael Freelander
to smuggle the stolen merchandise to Europe.
It was perfect, until Freelander
double-crossed him and made the fatal error
of trying to keep the diamond.
So Nick Acosta,
one of the best cops I’ve ever known,
killed Mike in cold blood.
I’m afraid so.
Sorry, you got to go back to square one.
You see, Nick was at Captain McVeigh’s retirement party
the exact time that Mike Freelander was shot.
So it’s your word against 50 or 60 policemen,
and those aren’t good odds.
Well, how can that possibly be if he didn’t lie
and an invoice was missing?
That means only one other person.
Trouble is, Mrs. Fletcher, you’re too damn smart.
I’ve worried about that
since the first minute I met you.
I’ve been a cop for 25 years.
Six hash marks, half a dozen commendations,
three serious wounds,
but all I end up with is a divorce,
a bleeding ulcer,
and one good suit that they’ll probably use to bury me in.
Lieutenant, please, don’t.
There is no justification in the world
that can excuse what you’ve done.
This is for me, Mrs. Fletcher.
I’m trying to convince myself
that I’ll be able to kill you,
but it’s the last thing in the world I want to do.
I’m sorry.
I let you go once,
I can’t let it happen again.
Let’s go, Mrs. Fletcher,
we’re both out of options.
[police siren blaring]
Drop it, lieutenant, now.
Nick, I...
save your breath.
We got it all on tape,
the whole conversation from beginning to end.
You okay, Mrs. Fletcher?
Yes, yes. I’m just fine.
A thousand stings, and I get stung.
Mrs. Fletcher, how did you do it?
Well, I’m sure you remember my neighbor across the hall,
the woman who never closed her door?
She saw you go into Mike Freelander’s apartment
while she was watching her favorite TV program,
Marcus Welby, MD.
So?
Marcus Welby airs two o’clock,
exactly one hour before Mike Freelander was murdered.
And I was pretty sure you were there the day he was murdered.
You followed me?
Off and on for a couple of weeks.
I couldn’t prove anything, though,
maybe because I didn’t want to.
But after Mrs. Fletcher found the diamond
she called me,
figured it ought to be on an invoice
that hadn’t been shipped.
Well, I checked, and guess what?
We were one short.
I knew you were dirty, lieutenant.
That just about broke my heart.
Read him his rights.
[officer] You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be...
Come on, Mrs. Fletcher.
I think you’ve done more than enough for one day.
Well, goodbye, doctor. Have a pleasant journey.
I will.
And you look after
Mrs. Fletcher for me, will you?
Oh, Mrs. Fletcher?
Well, she can take care of herself,
of that I’m absolutely certain.
You see?
He’s a New Yorker and he’s not worried,
so why should you be?
Because I come from a place
that has a little clearer perspective.
Oh, Seth, you know, you’re an angel.
I feel very lucky.
Bye.
Don’t forget to water my lawn.
Now, don’t nag.
Next thing, you know, you’ll want me to weed your dang roses.
You don’t have to!
I’m coming home for the weekend!