Matlock s01e04 Episode Script

Who is it? Well, can you see who it is? I'm working on it, Ben.
She's a stripper.
Anything you care to tell me about? Cover's 5 bucks, buddy.
She takes off everything except her shoes.
All right, all right.
Come on.
What you waiting for, baby? - Take off your feather, baby.
- Yeah.
All right.
Come on, hurt me.
Hurt me.
- Oh, yeah, baby.
- Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
The lovely Yolanda, ladies and gentlemen.
Let's hear it for Yolanda.
He's fine.
He's reading a book.
He's gonna be tired.
Hi, mister.
- Are you finished dancing, Mom? - No, I have one more number.
But Gracie and I are gonna take you home first.
Oh, let me stay.
Please, I'll read my book.
- It's past your bedtime.
- I'll go to sleep here on the couch.
Please, Mom.
Please? Yeah? There's somebody here to see you, Carla.
Just a second.
You get ready to go home.
I'll be right back.
Hello, Carla.
What are you doing here? You should've known I'd find you sooner or later.
I came by to give you a little token of my affection.
The process server usually does this, but I wanted to be here in person - so I could see the look in your eyes.
- Another hearing.
Why? Why can't you just let this be over? Well, you know why, darling.
Because I still care.
You're not gonna get away with it.
That's up to the courts to decide.
But when they see the surroundings you're exposing my son to, as opposed to the advantages Allison and I can give him-- You know you don't give a damn about Jimmy.
You just want to keep punishing me.
You know, you seem disturbed, Carla.
Really psychotic.
I'm not gonna stand still for this.
I'm warning you.
Really? - What are you going to do? - Anything I have to.
You haven't changed, have you? Neither have you.
Well, I've got to run, darling.
I'll see you in court.
Who is it? It was a boy.
It was great.
Saw the whole thing.
Eight pounds, 7 ounces.
Born with the fullest head of hair.
So were you.
Hey, say, guys.
Well, congratulations.
You guys are a bit of all right.
Wanna make sure the kid dresses better than you.
Best to the missus.
- Thanks, Ben.
- See you around.
You gonna open it? While we're here, we should stop by Property and check out the evidence on the Morton case-- What's the matter? I'll be right back.
- Don't be shy.
Take two or three.
- Sure, no problem.
- Hey, Bob.
- That was quick.
Cigar? There's a lady out there, Carla Hardiman, used to be.
Calls herself Evans now.
She's the ex-wife of Jason Hardiman, who, in case you hadn't heard, was shot last night.
He's hanging by a thread over at County General.
They were divorced five years ago.
What's that have to do with Carla? All I know is she threatened him publicly just a few hours before the shooting, so we brought her in for questioning.
I gotta tell you something, if I was gonna shoot somebody, I'd keep it a secret.
I wouldn't yell it out in front of a bunch of witnesses.
Are you her lawyer? I'm thinking about it.
Miss Evans, Ben Matlock.
It's been a long time.
I don't know if you remember.
I remember.
I was just presenting your husband's proposal.
I was just going on what he told me.
That I was a slut who got pregnant so I could pry money out of him? Isn't that why you tried to bribe me into giving up my baby? It wasn't a bribe.
It was a proposal.
It was a bribe, and you know it.
No.
And I'm sorry it appeared to be.
Ever since I won custody of Jimmy he's been hounding me, getting me fired from one job after another.
I finally had to change my name and get work in a strip joint.
Now he's found me again.
He wants to take me to court and have me declared an unfit mother.
Are you going to represent him? No.
I stopped representing your ex-husband when I found out what a liar he is.
And I've always felt bad that I had anything to do with that divorce.
I just wanted to tell you that if you need representation, I'd be happy to oblige, on the house.
My way of apologizing.
Can you get me out of here? If I'm your lawyer, yes.
Okay.
I'll arrange for your release.
Ben.
I got the fax from O'Hanian after I read the sister's statement.
It's very suspicious.
- Where did you disappear to? - I was hunting us up a new client.
A new c--? The woman in the hall? - Who is she? - An old acquaintance.
Anything you care to tell me about? Oh, no, no.
She was involved in a custody case I was handling.
A former client.
Actually, I was representing the husband.
It was a very unusual case.
- How so? - I lost.
- That's unusual.
- I was glad I lost.
She's a suspect in a shooting.
You wanna get some background? I'll go see Bob.
- My very thought.
- She's still a little upset with me.
Charlene, she's a stripper.
Code blue.
Code blue.
ICU 7.
Wait a second.
Stop.
This woman first attempted to kill her ex-husband with a handgun.
Then, as he lay helpless in a hospital bed, barely clinging to life, she entered his room and coldly completed the job of snuffing out his life.
The evidence is substantial and compelling and the state strongly suspects that this defendant will attempt to flee this jurisdiction regardless of the amount of bail set.
We urge the court to deny bail.
Thank you, Your Honour.
Your Honour, to deny my client bail would evoke a terrible hardship.
She's the devoted mother of a 5-year-old son who needs the care and attention only a mother can give.
There are no other relatives in the whole Atlanta area.
To separate these two and place the boy in a foster home would be disastrous.
I earnestly beg the court to consider the boy in rendering its decision.
I think a reasonable bail is appropriate.
Thank you for your eloquent advice, Mr.
Matlock, but I'm going to deny bail.
I'm sorry.
Tell Jimmy I had to take a trip.
Gracie knows how to take care of him.
You sure you don't wanna see him first? Not like this.
Yeah, it looks like she came in this way.
High-heel marks in the grass over there.
Yeah.
- She went in through that door.
- Yeah.
Forced it.
- Pretty strong woman.
- Yeah.
Apparently.
- Excuse me a minute, Bob.
- Sure.
I want you to check the lower windows as well as the door for prints, all right? Morning, Tyler.
What's this? Ben, there are several kinds of whizzes in this world.
Now, the kind of whiz that I am is a stock-market whiz.
- What's he talking about? - He says he's gonna retire next week.
Red, turbo-charged, fuel-injected convertible car with cellular phone is the results of profits from one day's playing - the open stock market.
- One day? One day.
So when you see me coming-- - Here comes the whiz? - Here comes the whiz.
And my stock is at 73 and still climbing.
No more surveillance.
No more subpoenas.
No more stakeouts.
Well, Tyler, I'm gonna miss you.
Picking over the peaches, are you, Ben? Morning, Allison.
What is it? I just wanted to convey my condolences.
Thank you.
Allison, I have to ask you some questions.
I know this is a difficult time for you, - but it's my job.
- What do you wanna know, Ben? How did Jason find out where Carla Evans was working? I think somebody told him.
Oh, yes.
I remember.
He got a telephone call from someone who worked at her club.
He really wanted that boy, didn't he? Once he owned something, he never liked to part with it.
Anything else? Oh, I don't know, Allison.
I'm embarrassed to ask.
Never stopped you before.
According to the police records, you weren't at home when your husband was shot.
I drove up to our cabin at Lake Lenier.
- Alone? - Yes, alone.
All by yourself in the middle of the night? Yes.
Wayne can confirm that.
Wayne is the caretaker at our place on the lake.
Mr.
Matlock wants to know if I was at the lake all night Wednesday.
She was.
Bye, Ben.
Bye, Allison.
Tyler, I want you to keep a sharp eye on Allison Hardiman.
What's the matter? I don't know.
It just seems kind of sad.
What? My last stakeout.
- So, what do you think? - About Tyler? No, I mean about this.
I don't know, Charlene.
I've known Allison Hardiman a long time.
It's hard to imagine she went through all this rigmarole to shoot Jason.
Well, I think I'll go over to the hospital and nose around.
Good idea.
- Nurse Jackson? - Yes.
Are you the nurse who identified Carla Evans? Yes.
Are you from the newspaper? No.
I'm sorry, I'm Charlene Matlock.
I'm an attorney representing Carla Evans.
Then I have nothing to say.
Well, you had a great deal to say to the police.
That's right.
For someone to come in here, to endanger the lives of all of our patients, murder one of them.
How could you defend someone like that? Sometimes it isn't easy.
Your case hangs on this videotape of a hospital security camera and the nurse who saw the killer leave.
Anybody you know? Someone I know? Yeah, somebody you know who doesn't like you very much.
Somebody told Jason Hardiman where you were.
I'm sorry.
I don't recognize her.
Well, if it's not you, it's somebody made up to look like you.
What about Jason's wife, Allison? We're checking her out.
- Anybody else? - I don't know.
Maybe Helen.
Who's Helen? Helen Shelly.
She was a friend of Doug Templitt, the emcee at the club where I worked.
She got it into her head that I was after Doug, which was ridiculous because there was nothing going on between us.
But anyway, she would call me up every night for about a week.
She'd threaten me.
I told her I'd call the cops if she didn't stop, so she stopped.
- I'll check her out.
- I didn't take her seriously.
Besides, this was a month ago or so.
I haven't seen or heard of her since.
Doug Templitt? Yeah.
Cover's 5 bucks, buddy.
She takes off everything except her shoes.
She doesn't take off her shoes? The lovely Sabrina, ladies and gentlemen.
Let's hear it for Sabrina.
A little while ago, I was over at the bar and a woman walked in with a duck under her arm.
Harry, our bartender, he walks over to her and he says, ''What are you doing with the pig?'' The woman says, ''It's a duck.
'' Harry says, ''I was talking to the duck.
'' I'm gonna call Forest Lawn for you.
How about a big hand for our wonderful orchestra over there.
Don't they sound terrific tonight? Don't they? She was spitting bullets the night that Hardiman came by to see her.
You heard the conversation? Yes, and I will testify.
I'm her friend.
She needs all the friends she can get.
Right now, it's her enemies I'm interested in.
And I think somebody who knew Jason Hardiman was looking for her and was willing to tell him where she was.
Well, who would do anything like that? That's what I'd sure like to find out.
- Who are you? - I'm her lawyer, Ben Matlock.
I'm on Carla's side, so if there's anything at all that I can do to help-- You can tell me how Jason Hardiman knew she was working here.
Well, nobody here would do that.
We're all friends here.
Carla said you have a friend named Helen Shelly.
She couldn't have had anything to do with it.
How can you be sure? I haven't seen her in months.
I need to find her.
I don't know.
Well, I have to find her.
There's an easy way and a hard way.
Either way, I have to find her.
Here's my card.
In case she contacts you, have her give me a call.
Thank you both for your help.
No, no, no, I'm not worried.
I was worried two hours ago.
Now I'm frantic.
Just get me out of it, okay? Just sell it.
Yeah, sell.
Hold on, hold on.
I got somebody on the other line.
Hello? Tyler, I've been trying to reach you.
Your line's always busy.
Ben, let me get right back to you, okay? Now, look, Irv.
I gotta go.
Just sell everything, okay? No, I don't care.
Just get what you can.
And call me back.
I'll be in my car.
All right.
All right.
Yes, Ben? Tyler, what's going on with Allison Hardiman? I followed her to the Red Embers.
I figured she was gonna meet somebody.
She's been acting suspicious, I think she's trying to lose me.
How is that for timing? - There she goes.
- Well, follow her.
All right.
Tyler? Tyler? Tyler, what's happening? - I'm still following her, Ben.
- Well, don't lose her.
Do you tell Julia Child how to fry an egg? Is she with somebody? Can you see? - Not yet.
- Get closer.
- I'm trying.
- Can you see who it is? I'm working on it, Ben.
I'm gonna take this shortcut through the alley, try to get in front in her.
Tyler? Tyler? Tyler? Tyler? Tyler.
- Tyler, are you all right? - Yeah, I'm fine, but I think I lost them momentarily.
- Did you check that plate number? - Yeah.
The car is registered to Mrs.
Hardiman.
You better get up to their lake house, have a talk with Wayne Cornell.
He's the caretaker.
- What's the matter? - No car.
Take mine.
Ben, I've been thinking.
Allison Hardiman could be the one.
She's close in height and build to Carla.
Put a red wig on her and she matches the description.
- Yeah.
- Well, what are the alternatives? There's Allison Hardiman, there's Carla's friend, Gracie, there's this mystery woman, Helen.
There's Carla herself.
Is that what you're thinking? Hello? It's Helen.
Yes? This is Ben Matlock.
Yeah.
Yes, I'll be there.
- Miss Shelly? - Yes.
Ben Matlock.
- Hello.
- Thank you for seeing me.
Of course.
- Would you care for a drink? - No, thank you.
I must tell you, Mr.
Matlock, Doug really didn't want me to speak to you.
- You're still friends? - Oh, yes.
Doug said you hadn't seen one another in quite a while.
But we're still friends.
Then you must know Carla Evans.
No, not really.
She said you called her.
Often.
Says you threatened her.
Threatened her? I've never even spoken to her.
- You know Jason Hardiman? - Who? Carla's ex-husband.
She's been accused of murdering him.
Mr.
Matlock, what has all this got to do with me? I don't know that it has anything to do with you.
I have a strong suspicion that another woman impersonating Carla committed the murder.
Somebody who had reason to hate her and maybe wanted to get even.
You're not suggesting I had to do with it.
- Oh, no.
I'm not suggesting anything.
- Good.
Then don't.
I'll tell you what Carla is, Mr.
Matlock.
Carla is a liar.
Excuse me.
- Are you all right? - I'm fine.
Let me get something for that.
- No, no, no, really.
- Be right back.
Excuse me, do you have--? The lady cut her hand.
Something for her Miss Jackson, is this the same person you saw leaving Mr.
Hardiman's room moments after his life-support monitors went flat? Yes, sir.
It is.
Would you look around the courtroom and tell us if that person is present today? That person right there.
May the record show the witness has identified the defendant.
The records will so indicate.
I have no further questions.
Cross-examine? It's nice to see you again, Miss Jackson.
- Why do you wear glasses? - I'm nearsighted.
So you wear them so that you can see things in the distance.
Yes, and I see perfectly with them.
Good.
Miss Jackson, were you wearing your glasses when you identified Carla Evans just now? - Yes.
- Were you also wearing them when you viewed the security videotape? Yes.
So you were wearing them when you saw the woman in the hospital.
Yes, I was.
Let's look at the videotape again.
I call your attention to the part after the woman has run away.
Miss Jackson, that's you, isn't it, when you observed the woman running away? Yes, it is.
Miss Jackson, you're not wearing your glasses.
Well, in the confusion, I suppose I might-- I can understand how you might have thought you had your glasses on, just as you thought the woman in the hallway was Carla Evans.
But you couldn't really see her, could you? I don't know.
I'm not sure.
No further questions, Your Honour.
Redirect? No, Your Honour.
The people rest.
Miss Jackson, you may step down.
You nailed that one, didn't you? Your Honour, if it pleases the court, the defence would like to call as its first witness Mr.
Wayne Cornell.
Mr.
Cornell, how long have you been caretaker of the Hardimans' lake house? Two years.
Did anybody visit the lake house the night Jason Hardiman was shot? - Mrs.
Hardiman came up that night.
- She did? - Was anybody with her? - No, she was by herself.
Well, were you there? Did you see her arrive? I saw her arrive.
I saw her leave the next morning.
Irrelevant, Your Honour.
Mrs.
Hardiman is not on trial here.
Mr.
Matlock, just where is this going? A few more questions, Your Honour, and it'll become evident.
Very well, but kindly get to the point as quickly as you can.
Yes, sir.
Mr.
Cornell, how do you know that Mrs.
Hardiman was there all night that night? Well, for one thing, her car was parked outside.
But did you see her in the house? No, but I saw the light go on in her bedroom window.
Did you see the light go off - in her bedroom window? - Yeah.
- That's how you knew she was there.
- Right.
Good, good, good.
Now we're getting somewhere.
Were you there September 2nd? Oh, I'm there all year round.
Do you recall having a visitor that day? No, I don't remember.
Gee, it hadn't been that long ago.
Let me see if I can help.
It was the Tuesday after Labor Day and the Hardimans had closed up the house, and the man from the power company came up there like he does every year after Labor Day.
Now, does that help you with your recollection? Yes.
So the man from the power company was there that day.
Yeah.
What did he do? - Shut off the electricity.
- Say again? He shut off the electricity.
I see.
Mr.
Cornell, you've testified that Mrs.
Hardiman was at the lake house the night of the shooting and that you saw the lights go on and off in her bedroom.
That's not quite true, is it? No.
Mrs.
Hardiman was not at the lake house that night, was she? No.
Mrs.
Hardiman told you to say she was at the lake house that night, didn't she? Yes.
No further questions.
- Mr.
Hawkins? - I have no questions, Your Honour.
You can step down, Mr.
Cornell.
Your Honour, I call Allison Hardiman to the stand.
Mrs.
Hardiman, you are the chief beneficiary of your husband's will, - is that correct? - Yes, I am.
And as a result of his death, you've inherited several million dollars, - is that correct? - I believe so.
Mrs.
Hardiman, do you know what ''subornation of perjury'' means? No.
It means getting someone to lie for you under oath, and it's a very serious offence.
Now, your caretaker has testified that you asked him to lie for you about the night your husband was shot.
We're trying the charge of murder here.
My client's life is at stake, and I refuse to allow her to be convicted unjustly as a result of perjured testimony.
I want you to tell this court about that night, what you did and where you went.
And I serve notice that this time only the truth will do.
I was-- I was with another man.
- Another man? - Yes.
- What man? - James O'Donnell.
That's your late husband's - business partner, isn't it? - Yes.
Where were you and Mr.
O'Donnell? At the Turner Arms.
I registered in my name.
I was afraid it might come to this.
Here's the hotel bill.
I see.
So the reason you lied under oath and encouraged others to do the same, the reason you jeopardized my client's life and liberty was to conceal the fact that you were having an affair.
- Is that correct? - Yes.
But that doesn't mean I killed my husband, because I didn't.
No further questions.
Well, we had one halfway decent suspect, Allison Hardiman.
Now we don't have her.
Well, someone had to be made up to look like me on that tape.
Something's gnawing at me.
I don't know what it is, but it's driving me crazy.
Is there more to this? Is there something you haven't told me? You never did believe me, did you? Well, then just get out.
Come on, get out.
I'm not gonna walk out on you.
Is there anything or anybody we've overlooked? I don't know.
I don't either.
I'll see you in the morning.
Irv, I don't care.
I want you to sell everything at the opening bell.
Right, tomorrow.
I don't believe it.
The biggest bull market of my lifetime and I'm ruined.
Why don't you go home and get some sleep? Yeah, might as well get used to doing things that don't cost money.
See you tomorrow.
If you're not gonna get some sleep, then at least stay awake in style.
- Thanks.
- It's my own private blend.
I've been trying to track down Helen Shelly, but so far nothing.
Well, I think I'm gonna get some sleep.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Charlene? Unbutton your jacket.
Now button it.
Something wrong? I don't know.
- See you tomorrow.
- Yeah.
Hello? Hello? Anybody here? Mr.
Matlock? What do you want? - I need to see Helen.
- Well, what are you asking me for? - I don't know where she is.
- I have to find her.
Well, that's your problem.
Then I'll have the marshals find her, Doug.
What? What do you mean? The court has issued a subpoena for Helen to appear at trial tomorrow.
If she doesn't show up, we'll find her no matter where she is.
If you're a friend of hers, you'll get word to her right away.
Fast.
I'll try and find her.
I don't know that she'll listen to me.
I'll try.
You do that.
Look around out there and see if you can see her, will you? Quick.
Miss Fielder, how long have you known Carla Evans? About a year.
And were you present when the victim appeared at the Tassels nightclub on the 1 8th of this month? Yes.
Do you recall what was said between Carla Evans and the decedent? Yes, I do.
And did Miss Evans at any time threaten the decedent? No.
No.
Thank you, Miss Fielder.
I have no further questions for this witness, Your Honour.
Mrs.
Fielder, you may step down.
Your Honour, at this time, defence would like to call Miss Helen Shelly.
Miss Shelly, do you know the defendant, Carla Evans? I know her slightly.
Have you ever met her? I've seen her before.
Did you ever talk with her on the telephone? - I told you no, I did not.
- That's right.
You told me that time we met.
You don't care for her, do you? No, I don't.
- You know Doug Templitt? - Yes, I do.
He's a pretty funny guy.
- How do you like his act? - I've never seen it.
- You haven't? - No.
Well, you're friends, aren't you? - More or less.
- What do you mean, more or less? He has his life and I have mine.
Oh, how's your hand? It's fine, thank you.
Where were you the night Jason Hardiman was shot? I was with Doug.
Well, let me ask you this: Where were you last Friday evening when someone dressed in a nurse's uniform went in that hospital room and killed Jason Hardiman? Where were you then? I was with Doug.
- So you were with Doug both times? - Yes.
Objection.
Relevancy.
Your Honour, it is entirely possible that someone other than my client committed this murder.
I have a right to pursue that possibility.
Overruled.
Answer the question, please.
- So you were with Doug both times.
- Yes.
So you and Doug have been spending quite a little time together.
I suppose so.
- Are you still back sharing now? - Sometimes.
Let me ask you this, Helen.
If you were leaving this place that you and Doug sometimes share and you were, say, in a hurry, do you think it would ever be possible you might put on Doug's trench coat instead of yours by mistake? I suppose it's possible.
You know, Helen, I've been looking at the tape of that woman in that hospital, and it took a while for the penny to drop, but I finally realized.
You know, a man buttons his coat left over right.
A woman just the opposite.
Now, the woman in that tape buttoned her coat just like a man.
And you know something else? You know that time when we saw one another? You cut your hand.
When I saw Doug yesterday, he had a bandage on the exact same spot on his hand.
Now, isn't it odd that you and Doug would've cut your hand in exactly the same place? Isn't that odd, Helen? I honestly don't know.
You know what I think? I think that you and Doug are closer than even you can admit.
I do.
I think you're together all the time.
I think that you're somehow connected.
I think we have a case of confused identity.
Let me illustrate my point by telling a little story.
One time a woman went in a barroom with a duck under her arm.
The bartender walks over and he says, ''Where did you get the pig?'' The woman says, ''It's a duck.
'' And the bartender says, ''I was talking to the pig.
'' Duck.
I was talking to the duck.
What's this? You blew the joke.
The bartender says, ''I was talking to the duck.
'' Doug? Is that you? Is that you? Doug? Helen said she was with you the night Jason Hardiman was murdered.
Is that true? No.
Helen wasn't with you the night Jason Hardiman was murdered? No.
Doug who killed Jason Hardiman? She did.
- She did.
- Helen? Yeah.
I don't know a lot about this.
I did speak with a doctor friend of mine.
I know that Helen is a part of you, and I'm very sorry to put you both through this.
One more question.
Why did Helen kill Jason Hardiman? Why didn't she kill Carla? She wanted to.
Carla was everything Helen wanted to be, but couldn't.
She wanted to humiliate her, to degrade her, to take her son away from her.
How did you feel? I wouldn't let Helen kill Carla.
I love Carla.
No further questions.
Come on.
Thank you.
- Maybe it made up for the last time.
- It did.
- Good luck.
- You too.
Your father's not so bad after all.
That's what he tells me.
Remember, it's all in the shoulder.
- What's in the shoulders? - Professional secret.
It's nice to know I have a trade to fall back on.
Charlene.