[man] Nobody in this town ever tells the truth
about anything anyway, do they?
[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
Splendid to see you again.
What are you up to, Michael?
I’ve got a silenced Walther right here,
which if I had any brains in my head I'd be using--
These missiles would seriously upset the balance of power.
We could both end up at the bottom of Chesapeake Bay.
-We really should talk about us. -Us?
In your place, I would probably pull the trigger.
My countryman was murdered by a British agent.
Oh.
[cheerful orchestral music]
[man] I suppose it could be worse.
Stalin could still be in power.
Or my ex-wife could be waiting for me at the airport.
[chuckles]
Here, key to the kingdom.
An honor and a great responsibility.
An interesting game.
I’ve often wondered
if anything we’ve sent or received
in the last 20 years has fooled anyone.
Well, my friend, it won’t be easy filling your shoes.
I’m glad to hear you say that, Sergei Vanch.
Although, by all appearances,
you’re already finding them too small.
I told you not to come till tomorrow afternoon.
The staff meeting, I’m already late.
See you at the reception.
[man] Sir, it’s one of the best pieces
of legislation Congressman Prouty has ever written.
I think that if you just take one more look at it.
Aha.
I’ll take that. Sign for it.
Absolutely, sir. He’ll get right back to you.
Got him.
He should be along any minute now, Mrs. Fletcher.
Oh, that’s quite all right, Harry, I understand.
Well, this goes in his action file.
You wouldn’t believe his workload nowadays,
committees, speeches,
magazine articles, planning his campaign
and he’s got all of it up in his head.
The thing I can’t understand though
is how he keeps from getting discouraged.
I mean, it takes forever
to make anything happen in this town.
Did I say something funny, Mrs. Fletcher?
Oh, no. No, no, no, nothing, Harry.
I was just thinking about the impatience of youth.
Yeah, well.
I guess it beats making moccasins up at Buffum’s Bay.
Oh, but aren’t they wonderful?
You know, I’ve got a pair.
They must be, oh, 20 years old.
One of the reasons they’re in trouble,
darn things last too long.
Jessica, can you ever forgive me?
Don’t worry.
Harry has entertained me wonderfully.
And besides, with your schedule,
I’m amazed you could find any time for me at all.
You were the last thing I would miss.
Excuse me, sir.
I’ve taken care of most of these
and I hope you don’t mind,
but I ran your trade bill by Congressman Larsen
just to test the waters.
I think he’s gonna get behind it.
What’s it going to cost?
Support for his wheat subsidy.
Well, I suppose we made worse deals.
Thanks, Harry.
Cancel our luncheon reservation.
Jess, they’ve gone and scheduled a quorum call,
which leaves us all of five minutes.
Well, I hate to say this, but, you know,
it’s probably for the best.
They moved up my interview, which reminds me,
I brought you the advance copy of my book.
Oh, Jessica, I shall treasure this forever.
Well, not too much, I hope.
I may have to borrow it back,
I’m down to my last five copies.
I’ll give you my review tomorrow morning.
Unbiased I hope.
Now I've kept my part of the bargain.
Jessica, I forgot.
Besides, you don’t really want to read
a pretentious semi-literate treatise on fly-fishing.
I most certainly do, because you wrote it.
All right, I tell you what.
I’ll give it to you tonight, there’s a trade reception.
Arthur, no.
No, no, no, no.
It’s the only chance we’re gonna have to catch up.
Besides, it’s at your hotel, I won’t take no for an answer.
Oh, Arthur, I’d forgotten what a stubborn man you are.
So what time?
Ah, how does eight o’clock sound?
Sounds perfect.
[Harry] Mr. Kesmek, you can’t go in there.
At least have the decency to call me.
But no, I have to find out from the newspapers.
I’m sorry, sir.
Would you like me to call security?
Constantin Kesmek, Jessica Fletcher.
How do you do?
Madam.
I’ll see you tonight, Arthur. Excuse me.
Constantin, I don’t appreciate you breaking into my office.
And don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little?
Because you and your committee
decided to put me out of business.
I assure you, it was nothing personal.
I’ve got 14 million dollars worth
of ground-to-air missiles sitting in New York on a dock.
And now you suddenly decide
that they are illegal for me to ship
and I shouldn’t take it personally?
It’s the quantity, Constantin, not who’s selling them.
We felt that these missiles would seriously upset
the balance of power in the region.
Balance of power.
We’re talking a couple of Banana Republics
with two pairs of shoes between them.
Arthur, all I’m asking is that you look the other way
for 24 hours, please.
Mr. Kesmek, I’m quite aware of how things
work around here among other people.
And I’m sure you’ll find another buyer
for your ground-to-air missiles.
So I suggest that you leave before--
Excuse me, sir.
Mr. Kesmek, you have an urgent phone call
from Mr. Standish on line three.
Sir, your quorum call.
Thank you.
[man] Constantine, I am warning you
to think about the kind of people
that you’re dealing with.
Well, forget it.
I’ve got a buyer.
And after what happened yesterday, I need this.
So don’t let me down.
Don’t even consider that thought.
We could both end up
at the bottom of Chesapeake Bay.
Listen, when I stop taking risks
is when you start missing payments
on that horse farm and the lady in Georgetown.
So just stick you law books and leave business to me.
All right?
[telephone ringing]
Lermentov.
[Kesmek]I tried to reach you all morning.
So now you have me.
I have the materials you required.
You receive them tonight.
Perhaps not, I have problems.
Mr. Lermentov, listen carefully
because I will say this only once.
Whatever your problems happen to be,
they are beyond insignificant
when compared to the ones you’ll have
if you violate our arrangement.
Understand?
Let’s go.
[man] You’ve jeopardized your life with this list.
[Lermentov] There have been times I have been more pleased to see you.
That cuts both ways.
This is a pretty chancy game you’re playing.
Surely, someone at the embassy must know
that you had access, that you’re not...
ready for retirement.
I don’t think so.
They’re too busy worrying about their own futures.
Being a good apparatchik
doesn’t carry the guarantees it used to.
For us, too.
It’s as if the...
structure has gone out of it.
Yeah, and the fun.
It’s old.
It or us?
Well, it sure as hell isn’t Livorno anymore.
Yes, or Frankfurt.
Look, Michael, you think I want to do this?
But the apartment I’m going back to in Kiev is even smaller
and infinitely more dismal than my pension.
Come on, Yuri, nobody’s twisting your bloody arm.
You’ve had what?
Seventeen pretty cushy years here.
Cushy?
Posing as a trade representative,
talking up tractors and wheat while the field agents were
piling up dollars in Swiss banks.
Okay, okay, so Salonika was a tough break,
but you’re alive.
Sometimes I wish you hadn’t been there for me.
But I was there for you.
Yes.
You know, Michael,
in Moscow, they’re finally beginning to get it.
Perhaps in twenty years,
this will be the next land of opportunity.
But I don’t have that much time.
Unlike several of my countrymen
who managed to cut themselves a slice of the American pie,
I unfortunately do not have a gift for standup comedy
or shoving a puck around the hockey rink.
So I prefer to do business with you.
Okay.
Here’s where it is.
I’m not getting a whole lot of cooperation
from those twits at Whitehall.
They’re all terrified that the list
you’re trying to peddle is a ploy to rob the Exchequer.
So what it totals out to is,
you got to give me another 24 hours.
Impossible.
The buyer wants to close the deal tonight
and my flight for Moscow leaves at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow.
If you can meet my price tonight, fine.
Damn you, I’ve got a silenced Walther right here,
which if I had any brains in my head
I’d be using right now.
Instead, I’ll make you a promise.
If that merchandise is damaged
in any way at all on account of you,
I swear if I have to follow you to Siberia,
I’ll kill you.
Michael, if I were in your place,
I would probably pull the trigger.
And on the whole,
I’m not sure it wouldn’t be preferable to Kiev.
[Prouty] Jess, here’s my book.
If you can wade through it, I guarantee,
you’ll know more than you ever wanted to know
about fly-fishing in northern Maine.
Well, then I will become an expert.
And if you’ve written it, I intend to read every word.
I was afraid you were gonna say that.
[Constantin] I’m telling you, senator,
you back that embargo and your constituents will be,
how do you say, very unhappy campers.
You’ll be accused of playing sides.
So for your own good,
I say you better look at the big picture.
Senator-- excuse me, senator.
Constantin, I’ve got to talk to you.
Standish, what the devil--
You think that I was upset this morning.
That’s before I heard about your dust-up with Prouty.
Wait--
Now as usual, I will do my best to clean up your mess,
but you understand this,
if you go through with this Lermentov transaction,
you can find yourself a new lawyer.
Charlie, my boy, let’s talk.
Bonnie, now listen to me, really, I’m not kidding.
I found this great little hotel in the Chanon D'Or Valley.
I mean, we’re talking heavy duty charm
and I figured we could--
Harry.
Come on, Bonnie, I’m 26 years old for God’s sake.
So what if you’re four years older than me?
Harry, that’s not what it’s about.
Oh, I know what it’s about, all right.
What it’s about is you’ve got yourself
a serious old-guy fixation.
And bless her little heart for that, too.
Michael Preston, at your service.
Geriatrically speaking, of course.
Sir Michael, Harry Neville.
Sir Michael is the lobbyist
for the South African diamond cartel.
Careful with that drink, Harry,
I believe they’re checking ID.
My dear.
[Michael] Hated to leave him standing there, poor boy.
I mean, I think Harry will make some
post-pubescent teenager very happy.
Don’t you?
Michael, what is it?
It’s just a woman I know.
Let me guess.
Someone you jilted.
A former mistress? An ex-wife?
Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Lermentov?
With so many changes taking place now,
the prospect of going home must be very exciting.
Yes, yes.
I’m very excited about it.
At any rate we’ll miss you, Yuri,
you’ve been a fixture around here
for as long as I can remember.
As matter of fact, I believe--
Excuse me.
Please.
Come on.
-Michael-- -Don’t argue, love.
Michael! Michael.
Oh, good Lord, Jessica Fletcher, isn’t it?
Sir Michael Preston.
Splendid to see you again!
What are you up to, Michael?
Jessica, darling, I promise you
I’ll explain everything to you in good time.
Oh, excuse me.
Oh, no, if you think
this is going to be another San Francisco or Athens--
Excuse me.
Oh, I’m sorry.
Terribly sorry.
Is there a problem, gentlemen?
What do you suppose all that was about?
You have no idea how badly I don’t want to know.
And Seth Hazlitt is as cranky as ever.
Marvelous character, I wish I could find
a physician like him in Washington.
And all the others I want to hear about,
the McKessons, the Moreys, the Arnolds.
Well, between your schedule
and that excitement this evening,
I mean, there does seems to be some sort of a conspiracy.
That Preston fellow, I can’t get it out of my mind
that I’ve seen him somewhere before.
Jessica, are you sure you don’t know
what line of work he’s in?
Well, actually on the few occasions that I met him,
he’s been rather secretive.
But the young woman that he was with--
Miss Hartman.
Yeah, she mentioned
that he had something to do with diamonds.
Ah, it doesn’t ring any bells.
Anyway, we can salvage a few moments
at breakfast tomorrow morning and on the way to the airport.
Oh, Arthur, really, I--
Jessica, I’ll pick you up at 7:30 sharp.
Now, good night.
It was a wonderful evening, despite your friend.
Thank you.
Michael? What are you...
Ah, you were trying to cure your insomnia, right?
I mean, that’s the only possible reason
anyone would spend an entire evening
with that terminally stuffed shirt.
Michael, Arthur Prouty
is not what this conversation is about.
Now--
At least you had the good sense not to invite him in.
[Jessica] Well, he happens to be a lovely man.
You and him? Oh, Jess.
Look, Michael, there’s nothing romantic
about my relationship with Arthur.
Which certainly doesn’t mean that he isn’t very attractive.
He’s literate, charming, and principled.
And boring.
I can’t believe that we’re having this conversation.
You know, Jess, when we’ve got some time,
we really should talk about us.
Us?
Oh, I know what you’re thinking, Jessica,
but you needn’t give that Miss Hartman a second thought.
She was only my ticket into the reception.
And once I saw you there...
Michael, will you please stop?
Listen to me.
I’ve had it up to here with your flimflams
and your half-truths, and your secrets.
This time it’s going to be different.
Now I want some answers and I want them straight.
Starting right now.
All right, Jessica, let’s start with the book.
Where is it?
The book.
The book?
[man] Mr. Prouty, I believe you forgot this.
[Jessica] Good night, Michael. I’m tired, I’m going to sleep.
Well, Jess, I guess you’ll have to trust me.
No, Michael, you’ve asked me to do that
one too many times.
Believe me, love,
it’s better that you don’t know,
for now at least.
Good night.
[knocking on door]
Yes?
Jessica, it’s Arthur. You forgot something.
Oh, dear, Arthur.
I just realized.
Well, it’s understandable
considering all the excitement downstairs.
Well, that’s hardly an excuse, but I’m very relieved.
Thank you.
Jessica, look.
Whatever is going on
between you and this Preston fellow
is clearly none of my business,
but I just want to make sure that you’re all right.
I’m fine, Arthur. Thank you so much.
Good.
I’ll see you in the morning then.
Yes.
[thud]
[thump]
[gasps]
Okay, Mrs. Fletcher, let me put this off in a row.
You’re telling me that Mr. Lermentov
was murdered at 4:30 in the morning
by a third party,
and you didn’t know that either of them were here.
Don’t know who the perpetrator was,
how they got in, what either of them
was doing in your room, is that right?
Mrs. Fletcher, please.
I mean, both of us,
we’ve been around the block a couple of times, haven’t we?
You, you’re Congressman Prouty, aren’t you?
Poor Yuri.
He didn’t have a great deal to look forward to,
but it had to have been better than...
Jessica, you should have called me.
Oh, really, why is that?
And what’s your connection to the victim?
Well, Arthur introduced me to Mr. Lermentov.
Well, now doesn’t that open up a whole bowl of noodles?
You know, if I thought I was gonna get
a straight answer from either one of you two,
I’d ask you some questions
about your relationship to each other like
and where were you at 4:30 this morning
and what your connection to the victim was,
but my better judgment tells me, why bother?
I mean, nobody in this town ever tells the truth
about anything anyway, do they?
I have a theory about that.
I think it’s the drinking water.
You know, Lieutenant, there is something
that might shed some light on why Mr. Lermentov...
Jessica!
I just saw the body bag.
-Thank heaven. -Who are you?
Oh, excuse me, officer,
I’ll explain everything in a moment.
Jessica, about the book,
I’ve searched everywhere for it.
Book? What book?
By any chance...
just give me a moment, please.
It’s all right.
No, it’s not all right.
Now, look.
I want to know who you are
and what your connection to all this is.
Would you please just give me one moment? Now--
All right, that’s it, pal.
Either you’re prepared to tell me now,
who you are, why you’re here
and what in hell all this stuff is about,
or I’m gonna hold you for questioning.
Officer, I really can’t afford to be detained just now.
Oh, isn’t that a shame.
And unfortunately, I’m not in the position to explain why,
not at the moment at any rate.
All right, pal, that’s it. Jackson!
Not me, dummy, it’s him I want.
Okay, Mrs. Fletcher.
I lost him, Lieutenant.
Wonderful.
Well, one, at least I know what my perp looks like.
Two, you are at least an accomplice.
Three, you’re gonna tell me who he is and fast.
Hmm?
[Lt.] Okay, Mrs. Fletcher, one more time.
Who is he?
And I’m warning you, your saying
I really don’t think I should say
is not an acceptable answer.
This just came in, Lieutenant.
Thanks, Joni.
Unless, of course, you want to be arrested
for obstruction of justice.
Lieutenant, I--
Save it, congressman.
Well, looky here.
Besides forensics finding Michael what’s-his-name’s
fingerprints all over your hotel suite,
we also have yours and his on the murder weapon.
Yeah, well, I think that I can explain it.
I’m sure you can, Mrs. Fletcher
and I’m gonna let you try.
Ten seconds. Starting with his name.
And you, congressman,
I don’t want hear another sound out of you.
If he struck him, Lieutenant,
the matter must be very, very important.
That’s it, Mrs. Fletcher. I’ve had it.
Too bad.
You just brought yourself a cell in women’s lockup.
You’re gonna love it there. Hot and cold running freaks.
You call this a justice system?
The Baltic States don’t know
what they’ve let themselves in for--
Who the hell are you?
My countryman was murdered by a British agent, Lieutenant.
Do you intend to do anything about it?
Or has the State Department already ordered you
to look the other way
because of the ties between your countries?
MI6, of course.
Now I remember.
It was on my visit to Whitehall
on behalf of the Intelligence Oversight Committee.
O’Banion, O’Brien...
His name is Michael Hagarty.
That’s it.
But I don’t think he’s the killer, Lieutenant.
Of course, he is.
I understand that Mr. Lermentov was a KGB agent.
Nonsense.
Oh, come on, Onyegin.
Stay out of this, both of you.
KGB? Who told you that?
Lieutenant, I happen to know
that Yuri was no longer in the KGB.
Not that I’m admitting he ever was in the KGB.
Please, for 20 years our people have known he was an agent.
All right, all right. Cut it out.
Time out, tea here.
All right, either one of you opens your mouth, one more time,
you’re out of here.
And this Hagarty fellow, he never told you
why he was so desperate to get his hands on my book?
No, he didn’t.
He said it was better that I didn’t know,
which is what he says virtually every time we meet.
I just never seem to learn.
Maybe your book is some kind of collector’s item
and this Michael Hagarty
is the only one who knows about it.
Kind of like the little salt-shaker
in your new mystery, Mrs. Fletcher.
Yes, that was a wonderful touch, Jessica.
And you know what?
I never in a million years would have figured
that the ambassador did it and yet,
it all made perfect sense.
It was just great.
Well, thank you, Harry.
Isn’t that Bonnie over there?
Yeah, it is. Hey, Bonnie!
I guess she didn’t hear me.
Now, Jessica, are you sure you don’t want to move your things
to my guest room in Georgetown?
Oh, no, no, Arthur, I’ll be fine.
The hotel has changed my room.
All right. Now look, Jessica,
given that this friend of yours,
Mr. Hagarty has once again managed
to spoil our little catching up session,
my inclination is to insist that we have dinner.
Arthur--
But knowing the kind of day that you had,
I think rest is far more important.
Oh, you’re very understanding.
Maybe tomorrow.
How do you do, Mrs. Fletcher?
I’m Charles Lawton Standish.
Oh, yes.
Yes, I know, I’ve seen your picture in the newspaper.
I plead to a degree of infamy.
Mrs. Fletcher, I have a business proposition for you.
I understand that you have a certain
slip of paper in your possession
and I would like to purchase it from you.
Then I’m led to assume that you must be the one
who killed Mr. Lermentov?
Oh.
You are very direct, Mrs. Fletcher.
No, no, I am not.
But think about it.
Can you sit down, please?
What profit would there have been
in my killing him without getting my hands on the list?
Well, you seem very confident
that the killer didn’t get the list.
Well, the indications in the marketplace
are that nobody’s been offered the opportunity to buy it.
And what are you willing to pay for it?
Ah, clearly you’re astuteness as a businessperson
is equal to your talents as a writer.
The number, Mrs. Fletcher is one million dollars.
Cash.
Yes. Well...
I’ll have to think about it.
I see, well.
I suggest you not wait too long,
considering what happened to Mr. Lermentov.
The sooner that you get the list out of your hands,
the safer you’re going to be.
Michael, get in here.
Now, no more nonsense.
This place has been searched.
I know that. Michael.
Me?
Jessica, I’ve been running around town
dodging the police all day.
Hadn’t you better check, see if anything’s missing?
If you mean the list, it’s perfectly safe.
Thank God.
Which is more than I can say for myself.
You got that right.
I saw you drive up.
And I’m telling you,
you’ve got to look out for that oaf of a congressman.
Michael, we are not going to talk--
Anyone can tell from the look in the man’s eye
that he’s positively bonkers about you.
That, that, that is absolutely ridiculous.
Now look...
What, are you blind?
I’ve known men like that.
They’re all tea party etiquette,
but dull enough to put a shark to sleep.
But underneath, they’re oilier than Saddam Hussein’s hair.
You’ll see.
He’ll wait till your eyes glaze
over with boredom and suddenly,
you’ll find yourself on a cruise ship with him,
or on one of those bloody junkets
those jokers are always going on all the time.
Michael, Michael, will you please stop?
Okay, okay, fine,
but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
So, let’s have the list.
No.
-No? -No.
I’ve let you do it to me again, Michael.
I’m not blaming you.
You can’t help yourself.
I should have learned by now.
Jessica, darlin’.
Look, don’t interrupt.
And don’t for goodness sakes
keep calling me Jessica darling.
Look, I promised myself over and over
that I was never gonna let you draw me
into another one of your intrigues,
into this, this crazy life that you lead.
Jess, I wouldn’t dream of--
But once again, I’ve gone and fallen for your lies,
and your blarney, and that charm
you turn on and off like a faucet.
But now I want an explanation.
And I want the truth.
Okay, okay, you’re right.
Everything you’re saying is true.
Hell, Jess, I guess, it’s me
I should’ve been warning you against.
Michael, you’re doing it to me again.
Right.
Now this list. What is it a list of?
How did it get into Arthur’s book?
And why are people willing to kill for it?
Look, for whatever it’s worth,
I didn’t want to get you involved in a--
I know, the list.
It’s a list of five names in code,
five of my closest friends, MI6 spooks like me.
And they’re under deep cover in Libya.
In fact, it’s so deep we can’t communicate with them
to warn them of the danger they’re in.
The danger of their being found out.
You mean if someone sells the list to the Libyans...
they’ll be killed.
But not till they’ve been tortured
far beyond the capacities of most men.
Oh, dear.
You’ve got to understand, Jess,
there’s more to it than us
just being members of the same bloody club.
Reggie Bowers.
Reggie lost an eye breaking me
out of an East German prison the night before
I was to be shot by a Stasi firing squad.
Ron Priestly.
I was his best man.
I’m godfather to his children.
Rather than tell the bastards my whereabouts in Beirut,
he let them do things to his body
I don’t even want to think about,
much less describe them to a lady.
How awful.
Anyway, Yuri Lermentov
accidentally got his hands on the list.
He happened to be in the embassy communications center
when a stray MI6 burst transmission
bounced off the wrong satellite.
He recognized the boys’ code names
and the code for their Libyan assignments.
But I thought that since the Cold War ended,
the Russians haven’t been any friendlier
toward the Libyans than we are.
Well, you got that right.
Only Yuri figured that there were many people,
middle men, with connections in Tripoli
who’d be willing to pay handsomely for the list.
And then sell it for bigger money over there.
All those people trafficking in human lives.
Yeah, you try not to think of it.
And when you do,
you kind of rationalize the fact
that a great many more lives are potentially at stake.
Civilians, millions of them.
Except, every so often I get this sneaky thought.
Maybe we’re just doing a number on ourselves
to justify playing cowboys and Indians.
At any rate, Yuri wasn’t all that happy
with himself for what he was doing
and at the last second, he had a change of heart,
slipped the list into that book that Prouty gave you.
Jess, there’s no way you can imagine
how badly I want to get my hands
on the miserable son of a...
After what he almost did to your friends, Michael?
How can you feel that way?
I guess I keep forgetting how hard it is for civilians
to relate to the world I live in.
Let me tell you about Yuri Lermentov and me.
[Jessica] And so Mr. Lermentov broke into my room
to retrieve the list to make sure
that it didn’t fall into the wrong hands?
That’s the way I read it, Jess.
And someone followed him, and...
Yuri was as much my friend as those fellows in Libya.
The list.
Isn’t it possible that there are other copies?
Yuri said no. But there could be.
Whitehall sent a man into Libya to warn the others,
but that’s gonna take a few days.
Meanwhile, they aren’t gonna be safe
as long as even one copy of the damn thing
is out here and neither are you.
Don’t even move Hagarty, or you’re dead meat.
Lieutenant!
I don’t want to hear about it, Mrs. Fletcher.
Mr. Hagarty, you’re under arrest
for the murder of Yuri Lermentov,
for resisting arrest,
for assaulting a police officer,
and unlawful flight.
And with a little luck, illegal entry into the US.
Cuff him.
And you, dear lady, I ought to be running you in
for harboring a fugitive.
Lieutenant Blaisdell...
You don’t listen, do you, Mrs. Fletcher?
And if I may say so,
you don’t listen very well yourself.
You’ve got the wrong man.
The person who searched these rooms
is very likely the killer.
And you don’t quit either, do you?
I mean, you’ll tell me just about anything
to take the heat off of this bozo, won’t you?
And I’ll tell you something else.
Both Bonnie Hartman and Charles Lawton Standish
were here in this hotel just before I returned.
This is Blaisdell.
I want a finger printing unit up here
in Mrs. Fletcher’s suite, on the double.
Roger, Lieutenant.
I’m still taking Hagarty in.
And you, Mrs. Fletcher,
don’t even think about leaving town
and don’t touch anything.
Jessica, for God’s sake, be careful.
Five people, five lives,
and yours hang in the balance.
Let’s go, come on.
Forget it, Mrs. Fletcher. I am not interested.
I’ve got my perp, I’ve got my motive,
my opportunity, my means,
plus fingerprints and a whole lot of no alibi.
So why don’t you go off and write another book
and stop bothering me?
Yeah.
Pick her up.
Well, this town hasn’t totally corrupted you,
Mrs. Fletcher, after all.
Our guys lifted a couple of perfect fingerprints
from your hotel room.
They belong to this Miss Bonnie Hartman
who works over the Treasury Department,
which makes a whole lot of sense,
since according to this,
she was Michael Hagarty’s date at the trade reception.
See, they were working together.
We bring her in, she hangs Mr. Hagarty
out to dry or vice versa.
Lieutenant Blaisdell,
I believe that I can prove that you’re mistaken.
Is there any way that I can convince you to listen?
Mrs. Fletcher...
have a nice day.
Arthur? It’s Jessica.
Well, I wasn’t sure that you’d be home.
No, everything is fine.
I just had a question.
Here you go. And, Joey, please today.
Franklin Messenger. Mm-hmm.
We can have it there in 30 minutes.
Done.
Now thank you for calling Franklin.
Oh, tell me you don’t have a complaint.
Not yet, I don’t.
Good, ’cause it’s already been a long day.
Would you be able to deliver something
to Congressman Arthur Prouty over the Capitol building?
It’s gonna be at least an hour.
Well, I would prefer nearer to closing time.
Hmm, bless you.
I’ll need a sheet of letter size paper,
a small pad and a large envelope, please.
Okay, here.
Thank you.
Franklin Messenger.
That packet should be there any minute, sir.
Really?
[knocking on door]
You’re early, Arthur.
Oh, Harry.
Sorry to startle you, Mrs. Fletcher.
Oh, it’s not your fault. Please, come in.
I’ve got a message for you from Congressman Prouty.
Oh.
Thank you for sending that letter
to the congressman, along with Mr. Lermentov’s list.
It’s the reason Lermentov was murdered.
I’m afraid I’m gonna have to kill you now.
I guess you didn’t realize I open all his mail.
Actually, Harry, I was counting on it.
You were?
Well, the day I met you at the office,
I saw you open a package that was addressed to him.
I was impressed in the way that you handled his affairs.
In fact, until you walked through the door just now,
I really wasn’t certain that it was you
who had murdered Mr. Lermentov.
But the note that you sent to the congressman said
you had absolute proof that I did it.
I knew when I sent it
that Arthur had already gone home for the day.
But I guess you read it despite my having written
"Personal" across the envelope.
If I’d been wrong, you might have come here
to protest what I’d written.
But you certainly wouldn’t be threatening to kill me.
So you’ve got nothing to tie me to it.
Well, not directly.
But I knew that at some point you had been in my room.
This afternoon I discovered
that an advance copy of my book had been stolen.
I had five copies left, there were only four.
At first I wasn’t certain if it happened yesterday
when someone else had searched this place
or if it might have been grabbed in the darkness
by Mr. Lermentov’s killer.
And that was you, Harry.
There’s no way that you can prove that.
I think I can.
You took my book under the mistaken impression
that it was Congressman Prouty’s,
the one with the list inside.
Mine hasn’t even been officially published.
But you admitted this afternoon that you read it.
But that could have been the copy that you gave
to Congressman Prouty in his office.
It could have been, but it wasn’t.
When I called Arthur at home this afternoon,
he confirmed that he’d taken
my book home with him yesterday,
that it was never out of his briefcase
till he got there.
Ah, that’s pretty slick, Mrs. Fletcher.
Anyway it was real nice of you
to send along Mr. Lermentov’s list for safekeeping,
I’ve made a few calls
and between Mr. Standish and Mr. Kesmek,
the bidding is already up around a million and a half.
What was it, Harry?
Was paying your dues just too tedious?
Something like that.
Well, for a million bucks,
I guess one more dead body
won’t make a whole lot of difference.
Drop it right there, pal, just drop it.
We found these in his apartment.
Apparently, he’s been taping every conversation
coming into and out of your office
over the last three years.
My God.
That’s how you found out about the list,
isn’t it, Harry?
The other day, when Mr. Kesmek
took the call from Mr. Standish,
Harry was able to hear both sides of the conversation.
Those tapes must contain privileged information
about half the people in Washington.
Which according to his bank deposits
he’s been selling from the get go.
A little scoop here or a little inside gossip there.
Anyway, leather pattern on these
match the prints on that marble thing
that was used to kill Lermentov.
I didn’t know all that much about the list
except for the big money involved.
But then at the trade reception,
I happened to pick up on the looks
between Mr. Kesmek and Mr. Lermentov
and when Lermentov slipped something into the book...
Well, anyway, after the reception,
I saw the head waiter give the book to Mr. Prouty
and when he got on the elevator...
you knew it would be in my room
and you were already there
when Mr. Lermentov let himself in.
I just found what I thought was the right book.
I bumped into something and he saw me.
I had no choice.
The hell you didn’t...
Miss Bonnie Hartman must have been another one
that saw Lermentov get rid of the list.
You know, Arthur, you and I must be the only two people
in that room who didn’t see it.
Poor sweet lass, that Miss Hartman.
Well, I guess she just got herself in over her head.
Well, so far all we’ve got her for is illegal trespass.
We haven’t picked her up yet.
I doubt if it’ll stick, Lieutenant.
While Mr. Hagarty believed he was using Miss Hartman
to get into the reception, she knew exactly who he was.
Now wait a minute.
That young lady bought my act
without so much as a flicker of the stars I put in her eyes.
Mr. Hagarty, Miss Hartman works for US intelligence.
And while she was searching Jessica’s suite,
she was trying to determine
who was doing what to whom and why.
Uh, Jessica, there is one thing.
With all due respect, I have to say,
by sending this, you were taking
one hell of a chance with five men’s lives.
Oh, but that’s not the real list, Michael.
I scribbled that one in the Messenger’s office.
The original list is in the hotel safe.
[Michael] Poor Yuri. Well, he got his wish.
He doesn’t have to go back to Kiev after all.
So listen, Jess, you have no idea
how relieved I am I helped you see the light
about that Prouty fellow.
Now about you and me...
Oh, come on, Michael.
Now, Jessica, please, hear me out.
We’ve simply got to start spending more time together.
And I have the perfect plan.
You see, I have to be in Singapore
day after tomorrow.
And you need a cover.
And I need a cover.
And you’d be perfect.
There’s absolutely zero risk.
And it would be a great chance
for you and I to, ehm...
Oof!