Murder, She Wrote s03e20 Episode Script

Hands up or I'll shoot.
[Woman.]
Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
Yates has been coverin' up a murder.
Folks around here know better than to make threats against the sheriff.
Where I come from the sheriff upholds the law.
There's one thing I know how to do is follow orders.
A trained dog can do that.
Wayne's a good boy.
I think he'd make a good sheriff.
Hell, she's crookeder than a dog's hind leg.
Watch yourself.
You could get hurt.
- [Jessica.]
Pull over, let him pass.
- I don't think he wants to pass.
Hang on! [Dog Barking In Distance.]
[Grunting.]
You're deep in the dung heap now, old man.
Breaking and entering is a felony.
[Groans.]
What's that? I can't hear you.
What's the matter? Cat got your tongue, huh? Ease off, Wayne.
That's no way to treat a senior citizen.
- Yeah, you see what he done to that gate? - Let him be.
Harry, you all right? No.
Thanks to your deputy.
Well, you shouldn't be here, Harry.
I got a right to look atJimmy's car.
Not while it's locked up in my pound.
It shouldn't be locked up in your pound.
It should've been released toJimmy's wife six weeks ago.
No reason to get riled up over a little red tape.
I liked your boy.
He was an honest mayor.
Yeah, that's what probably got him killed.
You know, Harry, it grieves me to see you hung up on that damn fool notion.
Jim's death was an accident, pure and simple.
Maybe I'll believe that when I examine this wreck for myself.
And I mean to do that, Yates- Even if I have to get a court order.
Careful now, Harry.
A man of your age, it's dangerous to get so worked up.
Humph.
I'll have the county bill you for that busted gate.
You do that.
Beeler, you get away from my truck before I run over your size 12s.
[Engine Starts.]
I found out about it when I called Seth Hazlitt from Rome.
And he told me that he'd heard about the accident from your mother.
You shouldn't have canceled your plans, but I'm glad you're here.
The two of you cutting up like a couple of kids.
[Sighs.]
And how are you, Linda? I'm holding together.
Barely, sometimes.
I wake up groggy, and Jim isn't there.
Yes.
I find myself inventing places where he must be- 'cause he can't be dead.
I miss him so much.
I know.
But you are keeping busy, I hope.
You mentioned something on the telephone about being involved in some special election? To replaceJim as mayor.
Oh, I, ah, I promised to pick up some posters.
Mind if we make one quick stop at the city hall? Not a bit.
Come on.
Well, I know, George, that the incumbent has the edge, but, uh, the trouble is that I'm not the incumbent, I'm only the acting mayor.
What are you trying to say? That you've got a fight on your hands? Hell, it says that on your poster.
Well, I don't mind a scrap as long as there's a crowd behind me.
The decent element of this town is solidly behind you.
You've got me on the city council.
I can deliver most of the others.
Don't belittle your position, David.
Well, the decent element has yet to stand up and be counted.
And I'm not so sure whether my being backed by most of the council equals the civic club's wholesale endorsement of Orville Yates.
Kate Gunnerson's civic club? Hell, she's crookeder than a dog's hind leg.
[Buzzing.]
Don't even think about that bunch.
Rita, I said no interruptions.
Oh, that's different.
Send her in.
Linda Stevens.
David, I'm sorry to drop in like this.
Oh, hi, George.
Don't I get a hug anymore? Always.
How's it going, kiddo? Oh, it's better sinceJessica arrived.
Jessica, may I present George McDaniels, the best hugger west of the Mississippi.
Hello, George.
My pleasure, ma'am.
And David Carroll.
Oh, Jim's friend.
He told me about the time you went hunting jackrabbits and almost shot a cow.
Is nothing sacred? In defense of David, it was a very small cow, with very long ears.
Oh.
I dropped by to pick up some more posters.
Oh, well, here they are.
Uh, I don't know where you're gonna put them though.
There isn't an empty square inch of fence left in this town.
[Harry.]
And I'm tellin'you.
I gotta see David right now! But, Mr.
Stevens- Outta my way, girl.
You can't go in there! David, I need some kind of legal paper to use on Sheriff Yates.
Harry, now what have you been up to? I tried to look atJimmy's brakes and steerin' but Yates and his bully-boy deputy stopped me cold.
I asked you not to do it.
That death car is evidence, and Sheriff Yates is sittin' on it.
Big as you please.
Evidence? Harry's got it in his head thatJim was murdered.
But I thought it was an accident.
[Linda.]
It was.
Oh, a one car accident on a stretch of straight road that Jimmy had driven over 900 times before.
Don't you believe it! Jessica, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to burden you with Harry's obsession.
Jessica, you be the friend from back East? Yes.
Well, then you know my son.
He wasn't careless, and he wasn't reckless.
Somebody tampered with his car.
And I was fixin' to examine it when Deputy Beeler got a choke hold on me.
- He used force on you? - Thought he was gonna break my neck.
[Sighs.]
That wrecked car should have been released to Linda within 30 days.
You had every right to see it, and they had no right to stop you.
Getting a court order in the middle of an election might look like politicking.
[Tapping Buttons.]
You know, George, I really don't care.
Linda, you'll see.
Yates has been coverin' up a murder.
Get meJudge Reardon.
Harry, are you sure? Sure as I'm standin' on this spot.
Jimmy's wrecked car was right here.
You must be mistaken.
Well, something stood here until recently.
That oil stain is still fresh.
Well, you folks have a problem? What did you do with Jim's car? Wayne, you know anything about a missin' car? Well, last week you told me to clean this area up.
That old piece ofjunk was a terrible eyesore.
Yates, that car was an important piece of evidence you conveniently got rid of.
That what you think, Mrs.
Stevens? That car is my property, Sheriff.
I want it returned immediately.
Well, now I'd like to oblige you, ma'am.
But, uh, this is a big county with lots of junkyards.
By now, it's probably been shoved into some compactor and scrunched up to the size of a suitcase.
I don't think you understand, Sheriff.
The court order directs you to return the car to Mrs.
Stevens.
Surely you don't want a violation of the law hanging over your head just before election time.
You must be from out of town.
Well, what's that got to do with it? Folks around here know better than to make threats against the sheriff.
[Jessica.]
Where I come from, folks don't have to make threats.
The sheriff upholds the law.
I don't believe I caught your name, ma'am.
[Woman.]
Just who the hell is this Jessica Fletcher? My wife says she's some kind of book writer.
What kind of books? I don't know what kind of books.
Why? You takin' up readin', Kate? Strangers make me edgy.
That wasn't too smart of you, Orville, makin'Jim Stevens's car disappear.
Well, maybe I should've left it there, let 'em all examine it.
Maybe you should've got rid of it before that old man started asking questions you can't answer.
Nobody'd listen to him for a minute if it wasn'tJim Stevens's pa.
Let me worry about old Harry.
Strikes me you don't worry near enough.
You know, this special election ain't in the bag.
- You've got yourself a real candidate this time.
- Is that right? Yes.
I didn't call this meeting to an end.
Orville, you come back here.
You owe us.
I don't owe you spit in the wind, Stokes.
I been savin'your butts all the while.
Or ain't that weekend gamblin' club of yours still wide open? Nobody come close to shuttin'you down butJim Stevens, and he's gone.
You've been gettin' your share, Orville.
Or maybe it's not enough.
That it, Orville? You lookin' for more? Thanks for the suds.
[Linda.]
I wish you could stay a few days longer.
Well, I really have to get home.
Amos Tupper may uphold the law, but I can't trust him to water my plants.
And I have so much work to do.
I could get you a typewriter.
[Laughs.]
Linda, when I'm writing, I am the world's worst company.
Well, I'll never forget the way you stood up to Sheriff Yates.
I don't believe he's covering up anything, but he's sure not somebody I trust.
Jim said there's a rumor he won his first election by the cemetery vote.
The what? Oh, you know, copying names off tombstones to cast extra votes on election day.
Oh yeah.
Yates was a heavy favorite with the R.
I.
P.
Crowd.
Too bad Jim couldn't prove it.
[Glass Shattering.]
What was that? Somebody's in the house.
We should call the police.
Sheriff Yates? I'd rather take my chances with the burglar.
Is that loaded? I don't know.
Hands up or I'll shoot! - Ain't thatJimmy's old jackrabbit gun? - Harry.
My goodness.
You frightened us half to death.
Well, I rang the doorbell.
Guess it ain't workin' again.
I'll have a look at it tomorrow.
Why are you going through Jim's desk? Jimmy said he was gonna clean up this town.
Now I got to thinkin' about the illegal gambling that goes on every Friday and Saturday in Gil Stokes's warehouse near the railroad tracks.
That isn't a secret.
Everybody in town knows about it.
Supposing Jimmy had proof that Sheriff Yates was gettin' his cut off the top, that he was like a partner in it.
Well, it explains a few things about law and order in this town.
But there isn't any proof.
Are you sure? Jimmy was very careful.
He would have put it down on paper so somebody would see it just in case- Jimmy lost control of his car.
He fell asleep at the wheel.
Linda, that's what they want you to think.
But where is the car? Where is Jimmy's car? Look, I'm going to put on some coffee.
I can't sleep anyway.
I guess I do talk crazy sometimes.
Not to me.
Look, that car is missing.
Frankly, if Yates was the sheriff of my hometown, I wouldn't call a special election.
I would call the state's attorney or the exterminator.
You know, Linda's a smart girl.
Levelheaded most of the time.
But she's got a blind spot when it comes toJimmy's death.
Look here, Jimmy's personal effects.
Guess Linda couldn't deal with 'em.
Hey, look at this ring.
Ever seen a ring like this? Oh, not in years.
That's a horseshoe nail, isn't it? Just looks like one, but my daddy made this specially- Mm-hmm.
Out of a $10 gold piece.
He was a blacksmith.
He gave it to me when I was just, well, wet behind the ears.
Said it was lucky.
So I passed it on toJimmy.
And now it's come back to me.
You know, I ain't worn a ring in years.
Still fits.
Harry, take a look at this.
It could be a cipher of some sort.
Jessica, this here is just what I was lookin' for.
A bunch of numbers and letters? Surely that can't be the proof of anything.
Maybe this isn't the proof, but it tells me where I can find it.
And that's where I'm goin, and when I get it, I want you to tell Linda that I'm takin' it straight to Ernie Lenko at the state police.
[Keys Jingling.]
Harry, be careful.
Don't worry.
I ain't gonna fall asleep at the wheel.
And thanks, Jessica.
[Yates.]
Mrs.
Stevens, I'm gonna ask you to identify the body since you bein' practically next of kin.
Sheriff, is that really necessary? I can make an identification, if you won't.
[Man.]
Matter of form, Mrs.
Fletcher.
Papers need signin'.
Won't take but a few minutes.
I'll be all right.
Okay.
Come on, Bernard.
Let's get it over with.
Sure am sorry, Mrs.
Stevens.
The town won't be the same without old Harry.
There's some benches there by the front door.
Like to find a magazine or two, ma'am.
Excuse me.
[Huffs.]
Sheriff, may I ask you a question? It's up to you, ma'am.
When your deputy came to the house, he only told Mrs.
Stevens that Harry's body had been found on the highway.
Exactly how did he die? You know that bench out there is a real nice place to wait.
Was he struck by a car? And why was he alone out on that highway? Surely you're not going to claim that that was another accident.
You know, for the life of me, ma'am, I don't think it's any of your business.
Linda is a friend of mine, and so was Jimmy and so was Harry.
For some reason, nobody wanted to listen when Harry said his son had been murdered.
You know, I think folks around here put a lot of faith in proof and not in the ravings of a grievin' old man.
Last night, Harry was sure that he had turned up proof.
Now I ask you again, Sheriff: How did he die? [Sighs.]
Somebody banged him over the head and shoved him out of a car.
Coroner says he was dead before he hit the pavement.
That was sometime last night.
Satisfied? I see.
First the son is killed on one of your lonely roads, then the father.
Are you going to tell me that that was a coincidence? [Drawer Slams.]
Harry was muleheaded.
He spoke his mind; he got folks riled up.
Anyone could've done it.
It didn't have to be the same one who- The same one who killed Jimmy.
Is that what you were going to say? No, ma'am.
If I said that, I would be lyin'.
Jim Stevens died in a car accident.
That's official.
Now is there anything else I can do for you, ma'am? Can I maybe buy you a can of soda pop from the machine? [Sighs.]
[David.]
Yates.
They told me Linda was identifying the body.
Now that is a lousy thing to put her through and totally unnecessary.
Somebody had to do it.
Oh, come on, Yates.
You could have corroborated your own identification of Harry with his driver's license and signed the forms yourself.
Maybe if he had a driver's license.
He drove a pickup truck.
Yes, ma'am.
[David.]
Look, Yates, I don't know what you're trying to pull here.
But I'm gonna settle it.
Now, as Mrs.
Stevens's personal attorney, I have the authority to take possession of Harry's personal effects.
Well, now, that might be a bit of a problem.
Since he didn't have any.
His watch, his wallet, his ring, the key to his pickup.
We didn't find none of those things on him.
He wasn't even wearin' boots.
What are you talking about? Why would the killer take Harry's boots? That's a good question.
[Jessica.]
Captain, I am out of patience, and I am not going to be shined on.
Comstock is having a crime wave, and you people are just sitting here.
Are you finished? No, I have lots more to say on the subject.
Uh, ma'am, may I break in for a minute? In the first place, Harry Stevens was a friend of mine.
I knew him all my life.
He was my track coach when I was a kid.
Turned me into a pretty good miler.
That old man was something else.
So don't tell me I'm looking the other way when it comes to Harry.
Now, as far as this illegal gambling goes, I'd give a year's salary to lead a mop-up operation.
Twice I've led raids in conjunction with Sheriff Yates.
You know what we found in that hardware company warehouse? Lawn mowers, chain saws and pickle jar openers.
That's all you're going to find, as long as Yates is running things.
Ma'am, I know the score.
I have a separate file cabinet full of complaints from suckers who got trimmed at that warehouse and not by a lawn mower.
But if I want to raid the place, I'm required to tell Yates.
And as soon as I tell him, I know what I'm going to find there.
Nevertheless, I've still got to go through the motions.
Something to do with political jurisdiction? Yes.
And if I want to make a move on my own, I've got to have hard evidence connecting Yates with that gambling club.
Well, surelyJim Stevens supplied some information.
Yes, we worked together on it.
Once, when Yates was in Reno at a sheriff's convention, we pulled a surprise raid.
We had no more luck then than we did the other two times.
When was that? Two nights beforeJim's car crash.
I have my suspicions about that too.
You know, Harry wanted to see you last night.
He thought something we found in Jim's wallet might lead you to that hard evidence that you're looking for.
- What's it mean? - I was hoping you could tell me.
Reminds me of something- something you might find on a library card.
Sorry I can't help you.
You may have already.
Wendell? George McDaniels.
Fine.
I'm here with David and thought it'd be a good idea to touch base with you about- [Typing.]
Pardon me, I'm looking for Mrs.
Stevens.
Hello, Mrs.
Fletcher.
She's inside.
I'm Cindy March.
I was Mayor Stevens's secretary.
By the way, he just loved that inscribed book you sent him.
It's still on his desk.
His desk? Well, his office is just the way he left it.
I'll show you right in.
Mrs.
Stevens, Mrs.
Fletcher is here.
Oh, Jessica.
I thought you'd gotten lost.
[Jessica.]
Oh, no.
Yes, I can seeJim in here.
Can you see Orville Yates? I won't even try.
David thought it would be better to remain in his office during the interim period, and Cindy has been busy getting the files in order for the next occupant.
And you couldn't find it in your heart to clear outJim's personal possessions.
They were a lot alike.
Yes.
Strong, honest, muleheaded.
I've been talking to Captain Lenko, Linda, and he feels as I do- that Harry was killed by the same person who killed Jim.
[Slamming Desk.]
Why do you keep saying that? Jim wasn't murdered.
Look, what happened to Harry was horrible, but it had nothing to do with Jim.
Linda, you know that isn't true.
It is.
It must be true.
Please, Jessica, I don't want to discuss it, especially not now.
I've been here stuffing campaign material and trying to erase that image of the morgue.
I can't handle anything else.
Jessica, I didn't know you were one of my volunteers.
Well, I'm not.
You caught me just as I was about to make my escape.
Oh, good.
I have to leave too.
You want a lift? Yes, thank you.
Linda, you want to come? What, and miss out on all this? No, thanks.
I'm developing a rhythm.
I'll stay and finish up.
Well, I'll be back in a little while.
I'm just going to stop at the library.
I'll be here.
Before we go to the library, I'd like to see where he died.
Harry? Jim.
Let me get my keys, I'll tell my secretary to make up some new telephone excuses till I get back.
Right.
[David.]
Since they built the interstate, not many people drive these old country roads.
Jim would have preferred the solitude, you know, the country feeling.
We're not far from where he went off the road- about a mile or so.
Is something wrong? That truck behind us.
Oh, my goodness.
He's going awfully fast.
Too fast.
I haven't been able to shake him.
He was probably lying in wait on one of those side roads we passed.
Aren't you letting your-your imagination run away with you.
Am I? [Jessica.]
What's he doing? David, pull over and let him pass.
[David.]
I don't think he wants to pass.
Hang on! How many fingers am I holding up? Two.
I don't have concussion.
I wasn't hit on the head.
Now what we need is a ride back to town.
Yeah.
[Siren Blaring.]
We can take you as far as the hospital.
Tell me that isn't who I think it is.
Sheriff Yates.
Well, that ain't no way to treat a nice car like that, Mr.
Carroll.
You oughta be more careful, boy.
Looks like you folks ran into some trouble.
Ran into a ditch is more like it.
Sheriff, isn't there some law about keeping him on a leash? Easy now.
Wayne, go and help them direct traffic.
I'll take care of this.
Yeah, right.
Well, now, Mrs.
Fletcher, you seem to be right on the scene here.
Like to tell me what happened? A truck forced us off the road.
Did you see this truck, ma'am? Yes, I saw it clearly.
It was a black one.
What make was it? Well, l- I don't know one make from another.
Dark black cab.
Did you see who was driving it? Was he fat, skinny, white, black, hairy, bald? I couldn't see him because of the mud splattered on the windshield.
Maybe you can give me the license number.
It was smeared with mud too.
I couldn't read it.
We are talkin' about the same truck, aren't we, ma'am? The one you saw very clearly? Yes, I saw it.
And I also felt it bump into the rear of David's car.
- And then it pushed you off the road? - No.
I turned off the road to get away from it.
So you drove it into the ditch under your own power.
Is that the way it was? - No, that is not the way it was.
- Jessica, he's not gonna listen to us.
Where do you think you're going? To the hospital.
[Groans.]
I feel as though that truck ran over me a few times.
And I thought soaking in a hot tub would help take away some of the pain from your bruises.
[Groans.]
You were in the tub for an hour.
Well, I soaked for ten minutes.
But it took me the rest of the time to get in and out.
Oh.
David said you both could have been killed.
Yes, I think the driver could have killed us if he'd wanted to.
But somehow I don't think that was his intention.
Don't be too sure.
They killed Harry.
But notJim? Linda, whatever it is you've got bottled up, let it go.
He was happy as a lawyer, defending the poor, fighting for justice.
It was so bleak.
Without any kind of future.
I talked Jim into running for office.
I told him of all the good he could do operating from a power base.
But all the time, I was selfishly thinking about the exciting lives we would lead in the state capitol or even in Washington.
And now Jimmy has no life.
Lfhe died because he was trying to do his job- I can't live with that.
Listen to me.
Jimmy was murdered, and it's not your fault.
- It is! - It is not your fault.
Now Jimmy and his father were one of a kind- bullheaded, stubborn.
Neither one of them would do something unless they wanted to do it.
Now you know that.
Serving the people, serving the town- That was Jim's decision, not yours.
I couldn't face it if it was politics, if Yates killed him.
Yates? Oh, I wonder.
Your sheriff is a crafty fox.
But if he was responsible, why would he go to all the trouble of making Jim's death look like an accident, and then turn around and leave poor Harry's beaten body out in the middle of nowhere, so obviously a murder? - Jessica.
- Oh.
Ow.
Oh, I'm sorry.
It's all right.
I forgot myself.
I'm going to make you some hot soup.
Now hop into bed.
[Groans.]
Hop.
Oh.
The state police barracks, please.
Captain Lenko.
[Linda.]
Jessica, are you in bed? Yes! Captain Lenko? This is Jessica Fletcher.
How did you know I'd be here this late? Well, I had a hunch.
I was going to call you.
I thought you'd be in bed.
What happened this afternoon? Well, somebody tried to scare me, and they did a darn good job of it.
That's what I figured.
Of course, that's not what it says in the sheriff's report.
Captain, I had a thought on Harry.
In your experience, who goes around stealing shoes? Nobody these days, unless you're flat broke and need them.
Oh, I see what you mean.
Somebody may have come along and robbed Harry's body.
A vagrant, a hitchhiker, something like that.
I'll check it out.
Anything else? Yes.
You mentioned a third raid on Stokes's warehouse, one thatJim arranged while Sheriff Yates was out of town.
That's right.
And like the other two times, it didn't come off.
But it should have come off with Yates gone, unless someone else was on the payroll.
A mole in Jim's office? That's possible.
What made you think of it? The truck that ran us off the road was lying in wait.
I mean the driver knew that we would be coming that way.
Which means the mole is still there.
Watch yourself.
You could get hurt.
Oh, Jessica.
Can you come in here a minute, please? Will it take long? I don't think so.
Ernie Lenko called me last night, and I started asking questions this morning.
I found your mole.
Rita, nobody's angry with you.
We just want the truth.
I'm sorry, Mr.
Carroll.
I guess I should have said something sooner.
Well, I know.
A conflict of loyalties.
Now, Rita, I want you to tell Mrs.
Fletcher exactly what you told us.
Look.
I sure hate sayin' things about somebody I work with, but I told Cindy I didn't like what she was doin.
Cindy? Where is Cindy anyway? She hasn't come in yet.
You won't tell her that I told you? Rita, please, what has Cindy done? Now, Mrs.
Fletcher, don't you misunderstand.
I'm not accusing her of anything, except maybe bad judgment.
I just don't think it's right for her to be running around with a married man.
Rita, skip the moral issue.
Tell her the man's name.
His name is Wayne.
Wayne Beeler.
No.
Wayne.
I have to go.
What is the matter with you this morning? I woke up a couple of times last night, thinking about what you told me.
About you and that truck.
Oh, you keep your mouth shut about that.
What if you'd killed them? Didn't you think about that? I wasn't supposed to kill 'em.
I done just like I was told.
There's one thing I know how to do is follow orders.
A trained dog can do that.
I ain't nobody's dog.
And when I'm sheriff, I'm gonna be givin' the orders.
I'll make this old county jump.
You just see if I don't.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hey, where do you think you're going? To work.
I'm late as it is.
You'll go when I say you can go.
Wayne.
You just remember who you're workin' for, darlin'.
[Door Opening.]
[Jessica.]
You overheard my conversation in the outside office with Mr.
Carroll and told Deputy Beeler that we were driving on the county road.
No.
Oh, Cindy, for heaven's sakes.
I swear, Mrs.
Fletcher.
I didn't even talk to Wayne until afterwards.
If I'd have known he was gonna pull a stunt like that, I would've tried to stop him.
Haven't you been giving him information ever since you came to work at city hall? Now, Cindy, don't lie to me.
Two people have been murdered.
Don't make things worse for yourself.
All right.
Yeah, sometimes I had to.
I was afraid of him.
When Wayne doesn't get his own way, he can be real mean.
Well-Well, why didn't you stop seeing him? I can't.
I love him.
He loves me too.
Oh, Cindy.
It's true.
He's gonna ask his wife for a divorce just as soon as she has her baby.
I know how awful that sounds.
Other people are happy.
Oh, God, why is all of this happening to me? Cindy, sit down.
Now, I need your help.
I want you to be totally honest with me, and I'll do everything I can to help you.
Now, when you were Mayor Stevens's secretary, did you tell this deputy that the mayor had arranged for the state police to raid the illegal gambling club while the sheriff was out of town? No.
I didn't even know about it.
You're sure? I swear.
Well, there's something else.
This morning, I talked to the public librarian about something that Mayor Stevens had been carrying around with him on a slip of paper.
She said that it wasn't a card catalog number.
However, she suggested it might be a legal reference.
When he wanted me to look up something in his law books, this is how he'd write it.
Actually, this has two different references with a lot of different parts.
Would you like me to find them for you? Oh, please.
You see, I was puzzled by the six at the beginning.
That's not a six.
That's an "S" for state and "IX" for Volume 9.
Here it is.
Let me see.
Page 560.
"D" for Docket 584.
Here it is.
People versus Pawley, 1979.
[Lenko.]
You found this in a law book? WhereJim kept it from prying eyes.
His files were too accessible.
It's a signed statement from an electrician who had to make some emergency repairs at Stokes's warehouse on a Saturday night.
He says that Sheriff Yates was present while people were gambling.
Sworn to and notarized.
This is reason enough not to let him in on the next raid.
It was tucked into a book next to a case about a local official who accepted bribes in the form of political support.
Fits Yates like a glove.
Well, so does the case in the other law book, election fraud.
A candidate for office used the cemetery vote to insure his victory at the polls.
Oddly enough, there was no evidence tucked into that one.
MaybeJim was still working on it.
I got something for you too.
You were right about Harry's shoes.
The police in Castorville picked up a wino trying to buy muscatel with, uh, Harry's credit card.
Is it possible that he killed Harry? Oh, no, no, no.
On the night of the murder, he was in the country drunk tank.
They let him go just before dawn, so they wouldn't have to feed him breakfast.
He was walking out of town.
He must have run into Harry's body.
And took Harry's boots.
Took Harry's everything, his wallet, his keys.
Two sets of keys? Only one.
That's strange.
I saw Harry pick upJim's keys from the desk before he left the house.
That's strange.
I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to interrupt your train of thought.
Oh, no, that's about it.
Wallet, keys, uh, wristwatch and a ring.
Ring? Yeah.
Harry's gold ring.
I don't know why the guy didn't pawn it.
The ring.
Of course, of course.
That explains everything.
Would you mind explaining it to me? Oh, I will, as soon as you set up the raid on the warehouse.
I have a feeling that this time you'll find more than lawn furniture there.
[Beeler.]
Come on back, come on back.
Okay, baby, give me a little six puff on 'em.
Come on, puff'em- Six! Yeah! Whoo-hoo! Yeah, come on back, come on back.
[Chattering.]
Kate, how's it goin' tonight? It's still early.
The high rollers can't get away from their wives till after midnight.
Here, Orville.
Try your luck.
Go ahead.
It's on the house.
Not for me, thanks.
Orville's not a big gambler like his deputy.
Yeah, Wayne ain't exactly cautious.
He's willing to take chances to better himself.
That's how you play the game.
What game is that, Kate? There's only one game.
It has different names.
You talking about politics? That's one name.
Another is "Gettin' Rich.
" In case you hadn't noticed, I play to win.
That why you told Wayne Beeler to run Carroll and the Fletcher woman off the road yesterday? Shh! Not so loud.
What makes you say that? [Sighs.]
It wasn't me.
I see Wayne actin' like he owns the place.
You givin' him testimonials.
What am I supposed to think? You should've been a detective, Orville.
If I was, maybe I'd have known who killed Jim and Harry Stevens.
Are you crazy? Hold it down.
You think it was Wayne? It come to me.
Wayne's a good boy.
He does what he's told.
I think he'd make a good sheriff.
We agreed the mayor would have a say in that.
The mayor will.
[Door Opens, Closes.]
[Jessica.]
Hello? David? Is that you? Oh, I was beginning to think you weren't coming.
Well, I nearly didn't.
After I got off the phone with you, I wasn't sure I had the time correctly.
I mean, nobody meets at city hall at this hour.
Forgive me.
I'm a writer.
We work at all hours.
But I did think that this was important.
Well, I've burned the midnight oil myself on occasion.
You mentioned a piece of evidence thatJim left in one of his law books? Yes.
His instructions indicated two law books, but only one of them contained a paper- a letter- placing Sheriff Yates at the scene of illegal gambling.
That's great.
Then Jim was able to get something on Yates.
I only wish he'd had a chance to pass it on to Captain Lenko himself, but I gave it to him today.
And tonight, he's leading a raid on the gambling club.
Fantastic.
What time? Oh, in a couple of hours.
Oh, for heaven's sakes.
Linda's supposed to be picking me up, and I've got her keys.
I was supposed to meet her out at the front door.
Would you excuse me? I'll go if you like.
Oh, no, no, no.
I kept her waiting, and I'll make the apologies.
Get me Kate Gunnerson.
It's urgent.
What do you mean she's not available? You find her quick, and you give her this message.
You tell her that the state troopers are gonna hit the place in two hours.
You got that? Yes, Mr.
Carroll.
We've got your warning on tape.
No, I'm sorry, uh, Kate can't come to the phonejust now, but you can speak to me.
This is Captain Lenko of the state police.
You can't do this to me.
I'm gonna be the next sheriff.
Let go of me! I'll shove that badge down your throats! Now what was that you were saying about a raid, Mr.
Carroll.
Sorry.
I must have been wrong about the time.
[Sighs.]
You set me up.
Yes.
A small part of me hoped that I was wrong, but I knew that I wasn't.
What a pity.
You had all the tools, David.
Looks, charm, intelligence.
All right, so I was working both sides.
Kate Gunnerson and her friends carry a lot of weight in this town.
I convinced them that I could be reasonable.
A lot more reasonable than Yates.
I see.
Look, I'd be no good to anyone unless I got elected.
Now my relationship with the gambling crowd is nothing more than temporary expedience.
Oh, no, David, it was a great deal more.
You were willing to do anything, consort with anyone, to launch your political career.
You were even willing to commit murder.
Whoa! Oh, no.
Oh, I'm afraid so.
Now, look, l-I was with you in the car when we were nearly killed.
Were we? I don't think so.
Cindy swore she never warned her boyfriend, the deputy.
So it must have been you who set up that phony, near-miss accident.
You made an excuse to stop in your office before we left.
That's when you made the call to Kate Gunnerson, and she notified Wayne Beeler.
Why would I have risked my own neck? To remove yourself as a suspect.
I think thatJim Stevens discovered you were the one who tipped off the gambling club owners about the raid he'd planned.
He would have given you a chance to deny it, because that was his way.
And you responded by tampering with his car.
That's your way.
Jessica, you are a spellbinder.
It's amazing how you can weave a story out of the flimsiest of material, without any evidence whatsoever.
It's true I can't prove that you killed Jim.
- But I know that you killed Harry.
- I told you I didn't even see Harry the night he was killed.
No? Remember in the sheriff's office when you asked for the return of Harry's personal effects? His watch, his wallet, his ring, key to his pickup.
If you didn't see Harry that night, how did you know that he was wearing a ring? He told me he hadn't worn one in years.
The fact is, he only put that ring on shortly before he left the house.
Linda told me of course.
No, David.
I couldn't have told you.
I wasn't in the room when Harry put the ring on.
I didn't even know about it untilJessica told me on the way over here tonight.
This isn't really solid evidence, is it? Linda, what keys were on Jim's key ring? The car keys, the house keys, the key to city hall, and the key to this office.
[Jessica.]
Harry took Jim's keys when he left the house- the keys that he needed to get into this building and into this office.
It must have been one of those nights when you were burning the midnight oil, David.
So what? [Jessica.]
Harry came to city hall to check Jim's law books.
But he must have heard or seen something that stopped him.
Something that led him to you.
I'm only guessing but he probably overheard you on the phone, talking to who- Kate Gunnerson? He confronted you, and you responded to the father as you had to the son.
You struck him down.
Then you took the keys and paper with the references from his pocket.
After you got rid of Harry's body, you came back and searched through Jim's law books.
There were two case references, both of which could apply to the sheriff.
But the case in volume nine about malfeasance in office could have equally applied to the deputy mayor.
That's whereJim probably kept his documentation of your betrayal.
You must have destroyed it.
When you found the damaging letter about Sheriff Yates in volume four, you switched it to volume nine.
Anyone who found it would assume thatJim had placed it there to point out the sheriff's malfeasance.
Oh, come on now, Jessica.
You can't make a case out of the absence of incriminating evidence.
Someone took the office keys from Harry and the piece of paper that indicated the books.
Well, it could have been Yates.
But wouldn't the sheriff have removed the letter that incriminated him? I'd love to stay here and debate with you, Jessica, but I really am much too busy.
Funny- I can't think of a thing you have to do except wait for the state police.
Get out of my way, George.
They'll be here before you get to the front door.
But if you want to try, I'd sure love to knock your block off.
I really wish I could stay, Linda.
I'm sorry but I can't.
Now don't worry about me, Jess.
I'm going to be fine.
Sure? Positive.
You know, you were right.
Jim was his own person, right or wrong.
What happened, it's part of living.
And have you decided what you're going to do now? Well, George McDaniels and some of the others, they want me to run for mayor.
Oh, my goodness.
Yes, and with Kate Gunnerson and Yates and the rest of that crowd under indictment, they say I won't have any trouble winning.
Are you going to do it? I'm a Stevens, aren't I?