[man] Do you believe in evil, Mrs. Fletcher?
[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
Can you tell us what did happen?
The house started talking to me.
Is your husband around?
No, he’s out of town.
Damn it, Darryl. How could you do this to me?
I need to streamline things.
You just streamlined me right into the unemployment line.
I heard she’s going back to the Bates house tonight.
Now, you know that place isn’t very healthy,
and we both know it isn’t very safe.
-Mrs. Fletcher. -Yes.
Caroline Pryce. We spoke on the phone.
Yes, of course.
Yes, how nice to meet you at last.
Darryl’s tied up in a meeting just now,
but he did ask me to escort you to the office,
and it’s this way.
You know every one in the whole studio
is so thrilled about doing a movie based on your novel.
It’s such a wonderful read.
Well, that’s very kind of you to say so.
Actually, I was surprised that you moved so fast on it
because the book has only just come out.
Oh, Darryl doesn’t waste time.
That’s why he insisted you stop by
even before you check in to your hotel.
He is so excited about meeting you,
even if it’s just for a minute.
Is this your first visit to Universal?
Yes, actually, it is.
But I’m hoping to do a bit of exploring.
Then you’re in for a treat,
because around here you never know what will happen.
Ah, Mrs. Fletcher, J.B., welcome.
Thank you.
-How was your flight? -Well, it was fine.
It was quiet and uneventful, which is the way I like it.
Terrific.
Allow me to introduce my agent, Willy Montego.
A pleasure, I enjoy your books.
Thank you.
And that is John Cavershaw, the young writer
we’ve hired to adapt your novel to the screen.
Hello, Mr. Cavershaw.
Hi.
Please have a seat.
Thank you.
Ah, can I get you some coffee, a tea?
Oh, no, no, I’m fine, thanks.
Oh, it’s so nice to meet you all
after all those long distance phone calls.
I must say that my publisher was very impressed
with your persistence.
That’s Darryl. This project’s
all he’s been able to talk about for weeks.
Well, now that the legal formalities are behind us,
do you see any creative problems in adapting the novel?
Ah, that’s really John’s purview,
but I do know that he has some fantastic
fixes on your book.
Uh, fixes?
Just an expression.
There’s a big difference between what works on the page
and what works on the stage.
A fix just means taking what’s there
and making it more visual, not changing it.
[alarm chirps]
I have to be somewhere in 20 minutes.
But I’ve taken the liberty of setting up a lunch for you and Johnny.
Later today, you can discuss the story in more detail.
Oh, well, that’ll be fine.
That’ll give me just enough time to go
and check in at the hotel.
Well, it’s been so nice meeting you all.
Glad to have you aboard, Mrs. Fletcher.
I think you’re gonna have a good time.
It may sound like a cliché, but around here,
we’re just one big happy family.
Damn it, Darryl. How could you do this to me?
Leonora, you want to listen to me for a minute, please?
The only thing I want to listen to
is the glorious sound of something
very heavy hitting you right between the eyes.
I didn’t do anything.
No? Check today’s trades.
"Kevin maxwell slated to co-star
in film pick of J.B. Fletcher’s
the Messengers of Midnight.
You know I can’t stand that man.
Well, I knew he wasn’t on your a list.
You promised I’d never have to work with him again
after what happened last time, he’s a--
Creep. A creep. Exactly.
I don’t know where this article came from.
I swear I had nothing to do with it.
Maxwell probably fed it to the papers himself
to drum up enough publicity to get the part, that’s all.
Then, he won’t be in the movie?
In the movie, why he won’t be allowed on the set, honestly.
Would I lie to you?
For your sake, I’ll treat that as a rhetorical question.
When I bought the rights to J.B.’s novel,
I knew it was right for you.
I’m not gonna let anything get in the way of that,
particularly not Kevin Maxwell.
I’m sorry.
I feel like such a fool.
It’s all right, it’s all right, it’s all right.
Forgiven, forgotten, gone.
Now finish getting dressed, I want over at the studio later to meet J.B.
you two guys are gonna get along famously, alright?
All right? Okay?
Okay.
See you later.
Caroline, me.
Get Kevin Maxwell’s agent on the phone
and remind him that I offered Kevin the role on the condition
that we keep the deal quiet until I say otherwise.
If he opens his mouth again,
I’ll rip off his eyelids and use them for bookmarks.
What?
No, I won’t be back to the office for a couple of hours yet.
I have an important errand to run.
And I got this gig practically the day I got out of college.
Darryl read a sample, he decided he liked it, and here I am.
Well, it’s certainly a wonderful opportunity.
Speaking of which, Darryl tells me
that you have some ideas about the novel.
Right. Offhand, I don’t see any need to change the structure,
just open it up a little.
Open it up?
Sure, you know, liven it up?
Like the part where the two guys go over the cliff,
when the brakes fail, I think if we made it a car chase,
the audience would get into it more.
What else do you have in mind?
I thought, we’d add the usual ingredients.
A steamy romance, another car chase,
maybe two or three more murders.
Oh, and we have to change the ending.
Nobody is gonna believe that the killer
was the victim’s own brother.
Mr. Cavershaw, this novel is based on a true story.
You can’t go around changing the ending.
Why not?
Because that’s not the way it was in the book.
Absolutely, that’s my point.
If the killer in the book is the same one
as the killer in the movie,
who is gonna pay $5 to go see the movie
if they already know the ending?
So, we give them a new killer, make it a surprise.
You see?
Makes perfect sense.
Ms. Chase.
Mr. Heyward.
Your husband around?
No, he’s out of town.
Won’t be back till Tuesday.
That’s a shame.
Mrs. Fletcher? Ben Miller,
Darryl’s head of production.
Caroline told me I could find you here.
Oh, how nice to meet you.
Thank you. Hello, John.
Ben. Well, I'd better be getting back to the office.
See you later, Mrs. Fletcher.
I’m really looking forward to working on
Messengers of Midnight.
A heck of a read.
Thank you.
Caroline tells me that this is your first time on the lot.
Mm-hmm.
So I had an idea.
You see before working exclusively for Darryl,
I worked here 40 years, good times and bad times.
I haven’t been back on the lot in a couple of years.
So I figured that I... well, I’d take a look around.
You’re welcome to join me if you like.
Well, that’s very kind, but I don’t want to impose.
Oh, nonsense, I’d love it.
Besides, if you really want to do it up right,
I’m your man.
Well, all right, you talked me into it.
Marker.
Action.
[Ben] Do you know how many films were made here
from 1913 to 1982 before I went to work for Darryl?
2641.
Oh, that’s amazing.
And right down the street here is where we made the film,
Winchester 73 with Jimmy Stewart.
And now they’re making films about guys in mohawks.
Go figure, huh?
Something down here that might interest you,
what with you writing murder mysteries and all?
Do you believe in evil, Mrs. Fletcher?
I mean almost like a force of nature,
invisible, but intangible, but aware?
Well, I’m afraid that is a question
that has baffled philosophers down through the centuries.
-Why? -Well, I was thinking...
what happens, Mrs. Fletcher, when you build a house
and you spend dozens of years
and millions of dollars convincing people
that it’s the most evil place on earth,
that there’s something not right about it.
Now if you do a good enough job,
really convincing people it’s evil,
does it become evil?
I don’t know.
I suppose it would depend on what it is.
That... the psycho house.
You know if you really want to take a look around inside,
I can get the key.
-Oh, you don’t have to. -No, no trouble at all.
I’ll set it up for tomorrow afternoon.
I must say, it’s much more impressive
up close than it is on the screen.
Well, that’s a word for it.
Well, Ben, you said it, it’s only a set.
I know it’s a set.
Heck, I helped build it back in 1960,
but that was 32 years since then.
32 times millions of people
seeing this house in their nightmares and screaming,
and after a while, you know,
a house like that takes on a life of its own.
Well, it’s an intriguing theory,
but I can’t accept it.
I mean certainly it’s a fascinating
piece of movie history,
I mean the central icon in probably
the most famous movie murder mystery ever made.
-Ben. -Yes?
I thought I saw something.
What?
Oh, nothing. Probably my imagination.
Can I make you some coffee?
No, no thanks. I gotta get back to the studio.
So soon? Devon’s hardly ever out of town for a whole day.
Yeah, I know. But then, as one of my investors.
I’m sure he’d prefer to see me making movies
rather than enjoying myself.
Well, not this way, that’s for sure.
Which reminds me... you know, these last few months
have really been very special, huh.
We both had our share of fun.
But I’m afraid this is the end of the line.
You mean, for us?
Just like that, boom, it’s over?
I think it’s for the best.
I need to make some changes in my life, get rid of complications.
Sweet heart, come on, this is a major complication.
Listen to me, you’ve got Devon, you’ve got your kids,
I don’t feel I can deal with all of that any more.
You didn’t seem to have a problem
dealing with it when we were together all these months.
Or when I convinced Devon to invest in your company
just in time to save your neck.
Hey, I’m grateful, believe me, but things change.
You know, Darwin? Evolve or die.
We’ve had our fun, now we emerge from the sea,
we lose our gills, grow opposing thumbs,
get on with our lives.
It’s for the best, believe me.
We’ll run into each other.
Hey, we’ll have lunch, soon, my treat.
Later, sweet heart.
Oh, good, you’re here.
Jessica, I’d like you to meet Leonora Holt.
She’s our star for the Messengers of Midnight.
Oh, what a great pleasure, Ms. Holt.
I enjoyed your last movie enormously.
Thank you.
You know I read your book in one sitting.
Absolutely gripping.
I have just one question.
The part I’m supposed to play,
the woman investigator who’s asked
by her old friend to investigate the murder,
she wouldn’t by any chance be based on you, would she?
Well, actually, yes.
The book is based on a true story,
and in this particular case, I was the investigator.
I knew it, I just knew it.
This is wonderful.
Not only do we have the author,
but the heroine of the story right here.
Well, I wouldn’t go that far.
We’re going to have to spend lots of time together.
I want to pick your brain,
learn everything I can from you.
Your life, your work,
how you investigate murders, how you dress.
I want to make the role as true to life as I can.
Well, that’s very nice, but I--
I’ll have to take karate, of course,
and all those terms.
Moxie, moll,
hood, heaters, how to put somebody on ice
and a piece of the action.
Oh, it’s going to be such fun.
I wonder if this means I’ll have to learn to type.
So, you’re saying you don’t like John’s take on the script.
Oh, it isn’t that I don’t like it, it’s... look...
I’m sure it would be perfect for another movie.
It’s just that, well, my novels
have never been about car chases and explosions,
that sort of thing.
And if you suddenly insert them,
well, it compromises the integrity of the book.
And since in this particular case
it was based on a true story,
well, you start suddenly changing the ending
and, well, given the chance,
I really would prefer to withdraw the book
than see it eviscerated.
Say no more, I agree, hundred percent.
I thought you liked him.
Truth is I never wanted him.
The studio forced him down my throat.
All that matters to me
is that you are comfortable with the movie,
which is why I’ve been thinking
maybe you should write the script.
Darryl, I’m really very flattered, but--
I’m not gonna take "no" for an answer.
I know you’ve adapted some of your stories into stage plays.
A movie is no different, it’s just bigger, that’s all.
What do you say?
Well, let me think about it.
Please do. In fact, I just had a great idea.
Why don’t we set up a little brain trust for you
to sort of help you over the learning curve,
and Leonora can get a leg up on her character.
While you’re in L.A., I think the two of you should spend
as much time together as possible.
Oh, no. I couldn’t possibly dream of imposing.
It wouldn’t be an imposition at all, Jessica.
It’s a wonderful idea.
I have just a million questions I want to ask you.
Good night.
See you tomorrow, honey.
Monica, what are you doing here?
All afternoon, I’ve been running
our little talk through my head.
You know, at first, I wasn’t gonna fight it.
Let it go, I thought, be mature,
but damn it, I’m not gonna let you use me
and just throw me aside like this.
I didn’t have much choice.
I’ve got this huge deal pending with the studio
and they felt that an involvement
with an investor was inappropriate. Oh, come on, will you?
This is neither the time nor the place to discuss this.
No? Then why don’t we reconvene at your house?
How do you think your wife would react
if she found out what went on between us?
I see no reason for her to know.
Well, I do. I see plenty of reasons
like hurting you as much as you hurt me, for starters.
-And I’ll do it, too! -Over my dead body.
Suits me right down to the ground.
Hey, guys.
You want to give me a break here please?
We shoot the promo in two days, remember?
Come on, come on, come on.
I gotta do everything on myself here?
Darryl, you wanted to see me?
Yeah, I did.
You look bushed.
I had a bad night.
Ben, I’ve been looking over our operation
and I decided I need some streamlining,
new blood, fresh faces, enthusiasm.
I want to bring in a whole new production team.
Oh, that’s gonna be tough on some of our regular guys.
I don’t think you’re doing right,
but if that’s what you want,
I suppose I can work with a new team.
Actually, Ben, I’m afraid you’re one of those
who’ll have to be replaced.
But why?
That’s really none of your concern.
You promised me that I could have this job
for as long as I wanted it.
Now you’re trying to pull this on me.
I’m sorry. There is no other way.
I need to streamline things.
You just streamlined me right into the unemployment line.
I’m sure things will work out for you, kid.
No chance I’m not going.
No, this is my job, this is my life,
and I intend to stay.
Look, Ben, you can either leave here with dignity
and a month’s severance pay
or I can call security and have you removed.
It’s your choice.
Hey, Darryl.
This is not over yet, not by a long shot.
Jessica, over here.
Hi, why don’t you join us?
You know my agent, Willy?
Oh, yes, we met the other day. Mrs. Fletcher.
We’re just finishing, why don’t you join us for a cup of coffee?
Oh, no, no, that’s all right, I was supposed to meet Ben.
Ben? Not available just now.
Oh, I see. Well, that’s too bad.
He promised me a tour of the Bates house the other day and--
No problem.
I’ll get the keys, I’ll finish your tour myself.
Darryl, I wish you’d reconsider.
I don’t think there’s anything to reconsider, Willy, I’m sorry.
I have a few quick errands to run.
Why don’t you take the shuttle,
I’ll meet you there at 3:30?
Done. I’ll see you then.
Great. Thanks.
Darryl?
[lieutenant] And you didn’t see anyone
leaving the house as you arrived?
No, lieutenant,
but as I was coming up the steps I thought
I saw a flash of movement behind one of the windows.
Now, my guess is that someone was here
and that they slipped out after I came in.
All right, anything else?
Just one other thing.
Over there, you did notice the blood smear,
narrow at one end, wide at the other.
Yeah, I saw it when I came in.
Looks like something was dragged through the blood
or the body was moved.
Well, I’m not so sure.
Oh, my God!
I just saw them leaving and I just don’t believe it.
-Is it true? -I’m afraid so.
-Ma’am? -This is Caroline Pryce.
She was Darryl’s personal assistant.
I’m sorry about your loss, Ms. Pryce.
This may not be the best time,
but I’m going to have to ask you a few questions.
Oh, no. I understand.
Is there any place we can go
away from here maybe get the whole staff together?
Yes, the office.
There’s just one thing, lieutenant.
I have a feeling I might know someone
who wanted to hurt Darryl.
I just would rather discuss it
with you privately, if I could.
Well, I’m fine.
I’ll see you both in a few minutes.
I’m sorry I’m late, but I ran into Willy at the parking lot,
and I figured I had to tell him.
Oh, Willy, are you all right?
I was just on my way to meet Darryl, is it true?
I’m afraid so, Willie.
-Oh, God. -And at that house.
See? I told you there was something wrong with that place.
Is there anywhere I can lie down for a moment?
I don’t feel well.
Yeah, Willy, why don’t you lie down out here on the sofa?
Thank you.
Poor Willy.
Darryl was his number one client.
The rest of his table, well, let’s just say their combined
wattage couldn’t light a very small light bulb.
He was riding Darryl’s coattails to an early retirement.
Willy, can I get you anything?
No, I’m fine.
[Ben] Darryl was the worst, and you know it John.
This is not the time or the place for this.
What, the truth?
Come on, he turned out to be a sleaze.
If I stood here and told you I was sorry he was dead,
I’d be struck by a bolt of lightning
the size of Rhode Island.
No, no, he got what was coming to him.
Did he, really?
Would you like to explain that
in a little more detail, Mr. Miller?
Or would you prefer to have your lawyer present?
[Monica] I’m afraid I don’t know
what you’re talking about, lieutenant.
But we have a witness who says
that you threatened Darryl Heyward
shortly before he was murdered.
His secretary, Caroline, right?
Well, I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.
Well, if it is lieutenant, I wouldn’t believe a word she said.
Darryl told me all about
how she wormed her boyfriend,
John Cavershaw, in to write his movie.
She was working both sides of the bed, if you know what I mean.
I wouldn’t even be surprised
to find out that she killed Darryl.
What would she gain by doing that
or by lying about your threat?
Maybe you should ask her that question.
Ah, of course, thank you.
One thing,
where were you yesterday afternoon between 3:00 and 4:00 pm?
I went for a drive by myself,
didn’t get back till about 6:00.
If you want, I’m sure I can produce a witness.
I’m sure you could too, Mrs. Chase. Be seeing you.
I understand your concern, Mrs. Fletcher,
but I don’t see what I can do.
Willy, if Darryl’s death was an attempt
to keep the movie from being made,
we need to find that out now
before anyone else is harmed.
I agree, but I don’t know of any threats made against
either Darryl or the movie.
There’s nothing that I can--
Come on, Willy.
Stop running a number and give us the straight skinny.
Somebody must have wanted to finger Darryl
and if anybody would know
who the triggerman was, it’s you.
Are you sure there isn’t anyone else
who might have wanted to harm Darryl?
I already gave that list of names to Lieutenant Hanrahan,
who asked me not to tell anyone else.
It’s strictly confidential.
All right then, fine, we’ll play it your way,
but stay local, Willy.
We may need to talk to you again.
Thank you for your help, Willy.
It’s a tragedy to be sure,
but at least you had the chance
to see him just before.
Well, before.
In fact, if I’m not mistaken,
weren’t you the last person to see Darryl alive?
Yes, at the commissary as same as you.
Darryl and I were having lunch to celebrate
renewing our agent-client contract for another two years.
He had great plans.
He could have been another spielberg or Lucas,
but now...
Well, thank you again, Willy.
My pleasure.
[telephone ringing]
Belmont Productions.
No, I’m afraid.
Well, I don’t know what will happen with pending invoices,
you’ll have to take that up with accounting.
Thank you.
I’m sorry what is it that you needed?
I was wondering if you would know
when Leonora Holt would be in.
Ms. Holt isn’t expected back until later this afternoon,
but I’d be happy to give her a message.
Belmont Productions.
I just have something to give her,
but it can wait, I can wait.
Yes, we’re all very upset about what happened.
No, I’m sorry I just--
The news.
And a short time ago, we had a conversation
with a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department
who said that the investigation
into the apparent murder of Film Producer Darryl Heyward
will continue to have the highest priority.
I’m Larry Carroll reporting live from Universal Studios.
Oh, darn.
[knocking on door]
John, please come in.
I was just in the neighborhood
so I thought I’d drop these off.
After our conversation the other day,
I decided you were right.
So, I wrote up some new approaches
to adapting the book.
I think you’ll approve.
Oh, well, thank you. I appreciate it.
Though I still find it very hard to believe
that the studio is prepared to go ahead with the project.
Well, I guess they have a lot of money invested in it.
It was a big deal from the very start.
-Oh, how so? -Now that Darryl’s gone, I can tell you.
He asked me to keep it quiet, but Messengers of Midnight
was the first of a five-picture deal
Darryl made with the studio.
It was going to mean millions for him.
I see, please sit down.
Ben mentioned that Darryl
was streamlining the company, letting people go.
Was that part of the deal?
Yes, the studio was going to underwrite everything
and that meant getting rid of deadwood,
replacing others with some of the studio’s people
to pay off prior commitments,
and Darryl didn’t like sharing the wealth.
John, before Darryl was killed,
did he mention anything to you about the script?
Only that he was very happy with my work. Why?
No reason, just... just curious.
Well, I better get going
if I’m going to meet Leonora
for phase two of her internship.
Good luck. At least now, it wouldn’t be wasted.
Wasted? In what way?
Well, Darryl never really wanted
Leonora on the project in the first place.
He only took her on the studio’s insistence.
So, then, he hired an actor named Kevin Maxwell
to play opposite her.
She hates Kevin,
and Darryl knew that she would rather
quit than work with him.
I guess now that Darryl’s gone,
she’s back on track again.
So it seems.
Then, you never really knew about Darryl
wanting to replace you?
Absolutely, that was only a rumor about Kevin Maxwell,
and even if it were true, I’m a professional.
If they’d wanted to hire Kevin,
I wouldn’t have a problem in the world with that.
I’m a big fan of his movies.
-I’d do anything-- -Excuse me, Mrs. Fletcher,
you have a call on line 2, it’s a Dr. Seth Hazlitt.
Oh, that’s right.
Yes, I have to give him the new flight schedule
so that he can meet me at the airport.
Please excuse me, Leonora.
Leonora,
oh, I went through a lot of trouble to find you,
but I’d do it again in a minute.
I did everything for you, Leonora.
I did it all for you and this, Leonora,
this is for you too.
I did it all for you, Leonora.
All for you,
I saw Mrs. Fletcher over at that house,
and I waited for you to come but you didn’t.
Oh, but that’s okay.
I knew I’d find you sooner or later.
Leonora, call security.
Leonora, now.
I didn’t mean her any harm.
I am her number one fan.
[Jessica] Are you telling me that the gun was a prop?
Yes, ma’am.
From Leonora’s first film, The Lady Takes a Dive.
Oliver says that he found it
at a memorabilia sale in Wisconsin.
Oh.
That’s right.
And I thought she’d be glad to get it back.
In fact I thought she’d even be grateful,
maybe take me to dinner.
You told Leonora that you saw Mrs. Fletcher
over by that house and you waited,
meaning the Bates house.
The Bates house, that’s right.
So you were there waiting when Darryl showed up.
He tried to throw you out, there was a struggle, and--
Oh, no.
No, it wasn’t that way at all.
I swear, I couldn’t hurt anyone,
I wouldn’t hurt a fly.
Well, then, can you tell us what did happen?
All I wanted was to see Leonora Holt.
I heard about the movie and I figured
since you were here,
well, Leonora couldn’t be far behind.
So, I waited.
I even spent the night up in that house,
and it’s a pretty creepy place too,
I don’t mind telling you.
Just get to the point, all right?
Well, I got hungry.
So, I went over to the commissary
and I ate and then I came back
and then when I got back,
there was this body on the floor, dead.
And then I...
Then you what?
I heard you and that man talk about the house
and how maybe there was evil inside it,
and I didn’t believe that, but then when I came back
and I saw the body in...the house
and the house... the house
started talking to me.
It made this low mournful sounds.
One last question, Oliver.
When you found Darryl’s body,
did you see anything in the pockets?
Paper. Blue paper.
I remember because it was sticking out.
Mrs. Fletcher, we did not find any papers.
Yes, yes, I... I know.
So, are you finished
then Mrs. Fletcher because if so,
I’ve gotta get this guy downtown.
Oh, yes, of course but before you book him,
I suggest that you omit the charge of murder.
Why?
Because Mr. Thistle didn’t do it.
Lieutenant, we have to find Ben Miller.
I’d explain everything on the way.
Wait!
If you ask me, I think she maybe onto something.
Ben, there you are. The office just called. They’re looking for you.
I know it, and I’d prefer it if you didn’t tell them you saw me.
Willy, I’m gonna need your help.
With Darryl gone, you more or less speak for him,
and Jessica Fletcher’s bound to listen to you.
-What’s this all about? -I heard she’s going to the Bates house.
Now you know that place isn’t very healthy
and we both know it isn’t very safe.
You got to talk her out of it,
tell her to let the police handle this.
I tried to warn her, but she won’t listen to me.
Did she say why she was going there?
Well, that’s what worries me.
She says, well, she wants to make the house talk to her.
The house talk to her?
[door opening]
No, Willy.
This is the last place you wanted me to come, isn’t it?
How did you know?
The house told me,
and this.
It’s your contract with Darryl.
The one that you said had been renewed
the day the two of you had lunch.
I took the liberty of removing this from Darryl’s files.
It’s a copy of the same contract
I saw on the table that day.
As Darryl folded it and put it in his pocket,
i noticed your unhappy expression
when you asked him to reconsider.
I wondered at the time what was going on,
but decided that it wasn’t my concern.
Later, when we found the body
i noticed that the papers were gone.
Since Darryl said he had to run some errands before meeting me,
I assumed that he had dropped it by his office,
but he didn’t.
He had it with him at the house.
Before the police arrived,
you removed it and forged Darryl’s signature
to conceal the fact that he intended to fire you.
That’s what you were asking him to reconsider.
It’s a very good forgery, but to the trained eye,
the differences are substantial.
But not murder.
That’s just circumstantial evidence.
You’re right.
It was until the house talked to me,
the same way it did the afternoon
that you confronted Darryl Hayward.
At lunch, you heard him arrange
to meet me at the Bates house
for the five picture deal worth millions of dollars,
you went there to convince him to renew your contract.
You argued, there was a struggle,
and you reached for the nearest object at hand
and struck him.
The blow was fatal.
As you left, you slipped on Darryl’s blood
covering the sole of your shoe with his blood.
When you left the room to wash off the blood,
a studio gatecrasher stumbled upon the body
and was frightened by a sound like moaning.
Now I recognized his description,
it’s the same sound that I’ve heard in my own house
when the water has been turned off for sometime
and I turn on the spigot.
When you tried to wash the blood off your shoe,
you found that the water had been turned off.
The pipes rattled and moaned with the unequal air pressure.
Then you remembered the motel set below.
You went below and washed the shoe,
and in the process thoroughly soaked the Leather.
When you arrived at the office later,
i noticed that one sole of one shoe
was darker though the other as they were wet,
but I thought nothing of it until later.
I’m willing to bet that a fingerprint check here
and in the bathroom in the Bates house
will confirm my theory.
And however thoroughly you may have washed the shoe,
there’s probably still enough blood
remaining for a comparison.
It was an accident.
I never meant to.
I stuck with him through all the years
he couldn’t get a job,
putting off my own retirement waiting for the big break,
and when it came, he was ready to throw me away.
Why should he pay me or any agent
10% of what he had coming
when he can hire a lawyer to do the paperwork
for fraction that amount.
A man pays his dues
and sticks with the client through good days and bad.
He deserves more than a kick in the pants.
It wasn’t fair, Mrs. Fletcher,
damn it, it just wasn’t fair.
No, no, Willy, it wasn’t.
Ever since it happened,
I can’t eat, can’t sleep,
waiting for a knock on the door,
terrified of being caught, frightened by every sound.
I can’t live that way.
You don’t have to, Willy,
not any more, it’s over.
Aha, I knew I’d find you here.
Now, don’t forget,
we’ve got to get you to the airport by 2.
Yeah, well, I just wanted to have one more look.
I just talked to the police.
Willy gave a full confession.
Poor man walked around with a lot of pain.
Well, they do say that confession
is good for the soul.
There is nothing harder to bear
for an ordinarily decent man than murder.
I hope he finds some peace.
So, what do you think about this place now?
I was right, wasn’t I?
Of all places for a murder to take place,
it would happen here.
I disagree.
Pain, anger, murder,
they have no borders, no geography.
What happened here was simply another chapter in the sad,
tragedy of human affairs.
I mean it could have happened anywhere.
No, Ben, there’s nothing wrong with that house,
it isn’t evil or strange.
-It’s just a set. -Maybe so.
Ben, is anyone supposed to be inside there?
No, we locked it up good and tight. Why?
Never mind.