Murder, She Wrote s06e09 Episode Script

Someone is trying to kill me.
Who? One of them.
My greedy heirs.
Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
By time the old man dies and leaves us the money, I will be too old to enjoy it.
I'm marrying you, not your family.
A check made out to J.
B.
Fletcher for a million dollars.
And what kind of services did you perform to earn this kind of check, Jessica? Do you pay him, or does he just work on spec? "I leave all my estate to Jessica Beatrice Fletcher"? Excuse me, but how much farther to Reynard's island.
A ways.
You're the last.
What? You're the last.
Brought the son in yesterday.
Him and his wife.
Thought that was the last of them till the old man called me about you.
Must be something special going on.
Look at him.
Lord of the manor.
One phone call, and he expects the whole family to come and kiss the ring.
My father usually has a good reason for everything he does, darling.
Reason? Oh, yes.
We come and grovel, and he gives us a peek at the money.
Well, we really don't see that much of him.
One weekend isn't a lot to ask.
When the call came from Dr.
Dabney, I thought the old man had done us the ultimate favor.
Instead, he turned his old friend into a social secretary.
Look, he's not well.
We all know that.
Oh, for God's sakes, you've been saying that for years.
The truth is, by time the old man dies and leaves us the money, I will be too old to enjoy it.
That is, if there is any money.
Oh, now what sort of stupid remark is that? Of course there's money.
Bales of it.
I mean for you.
You're not exactly the son your father always dreamed of, darling.
In fact, there's only one person I can think of that hasn't disappointed him.
At least not yet.
Pres, what do you think about bridesmaid's gowns? Oh, I think lavender would be very nice.
I couldn't care less, Kim.
I won't see anyone but you.
Oh, God, I wish.
Wish what? That mother would come in now and see this.
You know, she gave up on me years ago.
No.
Oh, absolutely.
She thought I was hopeless.
I don't know.
Maybe I was, then.
You know, speaking of your mother, she can't seem to come up with a convenient date for the ceremony.
Now, what did she suggest last night? Next spring? I don't want to wait that long.
Oh, neither do I.
But, Pres, I haven't met your family yet.
Are you ashamed of me? Don't be silly.
I mean, not me.
I mean, you know all those awful things they say about Grandfather in the paper.
And your family's so So So proper and stuffy? Kim, I thought we discussed this.
I mean, so my great-great-great-whoever came over on the Mayflower.
So what? I mean, so your grandfather comes out of the Washington logging forests? "So what" to that, too.
I'm marrying you, not your family.
Kimberly.
Mother! Alice! We were just talking about you.
Really, Preston? How nice.
Oh, well, actually we were discussing the trousseau.
Yes, Kim and I do have to get onto that.
Don't Where did you get that dress? I didn't pick it out for you.
Oh, I actually found it in a little catalog.
Oh I told you, never ever buy anything out of the catalog.
Go slip into something else, will you, darling? Preston and I have to have a little chat.
Darling, oh, do something about your hair.
You know how your grandfather just hates that look.
So, what does the old man think of the engagement? Well, that's why we've all been invited here.
He'd like to look you over.
How do I measure up? Oh, Preston, do you always have to be so damned obvious? It might work with Kimberly, but it certainly isn't gonna cut any ice with my father.
Sorry.
Just being myself.
Yes, I know.
That's what bothers me.
Our final guest.
Jessica.
Hello.
I was getting a little worried.
How was the flight? Well, very rapid.
I was afraid maybe you'd changed your mind about my invitation.
Oh, the conditions were far too intriguing, Mr.
Reynard.
Now, now, now, let's put a stop to that right now, please? It's Henry and Jessica.
Just the way we left it at that book award meeting in Chicago last month.
You do remember our chats? Oh, yes.
But mostly I remember that our conversation was about publishing and dividends, and that you did most of the talking.
Oh, I bored you? I thought I was impressing you.
Well, I am certainly impressed now.
An airline ticket, a helicopter waiting to whisk me away to your own private island.
Henry, your invitation mentioned a million-dollar donation to charity.
We'd better talk about that before you meet the rest of the family.
Good morning.
Forest, take Mrs.
Fletcher's bag to the blue suite.
Very well, sir.
Henry! Jessica, this old reprobate is Hub Dabney.
Dr.
Hubbard Dabney.
Jessica Fletcher.
How do you do? J.
B.
Fletcher.
Oh, it's a real pleasure to meet you, Mrs.
Fletcher.
I wish I'd brought one of your books along for you to sign.
Has Henry been buying your publisher? Oh, not that I know of.
You better be careful of him, or he'll have your appendix out before you've unpacked.
I've known Henry since we were in school together.
He still thinks a pediatrician is a surgeon who specializes in feet.
See here, now.
Oh, dear, I hope this isn't going to be a shooting weekend.
No, no.
I'm out to decimate a few clay pigeons.
Would you care to join me? Oh, no thank you, very much.
No, I prefer to keep guns at a safe distance.
Besides, Jessica and I have some business to discuss.
Try not to shoot yourself in the foot.
I'll see you at dinner, Jessica.
Yes.
This way.
Would you like a brandy? Oh, no, no, thank you.
But I would like to know more about this invitation.
Yes.
One million dollars to the charity of your choice, if you agreed to visit me here this weekend.
No strings attached.
That's what intrigues me.
You see, you have a certain reputation, Henry, and it does not include philanthropy.
Well, we mustn't believe what we read in the papers, Jessica.
Oh, I don't, so I checked with some mutual friends.
I doubt it.
Outside of Hub Dabney, I don't have any friends, only acquaintances.
Business rivals.
What did they say about me? Actually, they didn't seem surprised by your offer.
As one of them put it, "Henry Reynard will pay almost anything to get what he wants.
" The question is, what do you want? I am a wealthy man, Jessica.
Very wealthy.
But money brings with it certain dangers, and not always from the obvious places.
Simply put, someone is trying to kill me.
I hope this isn't your idea of a joke.
You be the judge.
I found this under my pillow.
A couple of weeks ago, there was a mysterious gas leak in my suite.
Two days later, a fire broke out in a wastebasket while I was asleep.
Three days after that, I discovered some strange pills in a vial in which I keep my blood pressure medicine.
I had them analyzed.
It was a powerful muscle relaxant.
It would have stopped my heart.
And what do the police say? No, I I never reported it to the police.
Jessica, you are an intelligent woman.
The slightest whisper of this to the press, and those financial sharks will be all over me within hours.
Besides, I know who's behind it.
Who? One of them.
My greedy heirs.
Oh, they just can't wait to get their hands on my money.
That's where you come in.
Yeah.
With me, they're always on guard, but they'd never suspect you.
I want you to find out which one of them is trying to get me.
Absolutely not.
This is for the authorities.
Yes.
But this is a check for $1 million.
I don't expect evidence that would stand up in court, just enough to set my mind at ease.
No, I'm sorry.
Oh? Is there something wrong with my money? I worked hard for it, you know, honestly.
My enemies would give me that.
Even those Eastern snobs in Ivy League ties.
But that's not the point.
I'm not a trained investigator.
If those accidents were really deliberate, you could be in a great deal of danger.
Look, this check is made out to you personally, in your name.
I don't care if you give the money to some charity or put it in your pocket.
I don't want your money, Henry.
Well You think about it over the weekend.
After you've met my family, my loving family, who knows, maybe you'll change your mind.
Mrs.
Fletcher? I hope you don't mind, but I just heard you were here, and I wanted so much to meet you.
I'm Kimberly, Henry's granddaughter.
Oh, hello, Kimberly.
Please, come inside.
We all knew Grandfather was expecting a special guest, but we didn't know who.
And when I found out it was J.
B.
Fletcher Am I disturbing you? Oh, not at all.
We can chat while I unpack.
I'm really not much of a talker.
I mean, I really don't have a lot to say.
At least that's what mother thinks.
Really, I'm just a little bit shy, that's all.
But I do find it a lot easier to write what I feel.
Oh.
You're a writer, then? Oh, not a real writer like you.
I've written two or three short stories.
I've just never had the courage to show them to anyone.
Well, maybe you should break the ice by letting me read them.
Would you? Oh, they're probably not very good.
Are you sure you don't mind? No, I'd like to.
Oh, the best one's about Preston.
But I don't know how it ends yet.
Preston? My fiancé.
That's why the family's here, to meet Preston.
Oh, I see.
Well, I'll be looking forward to meeting him, too.
You'll like him.
And don't be put off if he flirts with you.
That's just the way he is.
I'll bring you my stories after dinner.
All right.
Eight ball in the corner pocket.
Good try, Jason.
No, forget the coffee, Forest.
Bring me a brandy.
Father.
Preston was just telling me he's heard from his parents.
They're taking the railroad across India in their own private car.
Hmm.
I wouldn't be caught dead on a railroad.
I always fly.
How about you, son? I guess you do a lot of flying in the family business.
Yes, sir.
Overseas, mostly.
The family portfolio includes a lot of foreign investments, and I try to keep an eye on them.
But you don't actually work, do you? I mean, like going downriver with a couple of hundred logs, trying to meet a contract deadline, 'cause you know if you don't, the bank's liable to take your house away.
No, sir, I've never had that sort of challenge.
And I doubt if I ever will.
It's too bad.
What I do is really boring.
Yeah.
So, what do you think of Preston? I think he's totally charming.
A lot of people say he's shallow, but that's all surface.
Underneath, he's really a sensitive man.
Mmm-hmm.
Oh, wait till you read my story.
It's about how we met.
Oh, autobiographical? Well, that's not a bad way to start.
Jessica, I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to get into a little family business before we settle down for the evening.
News of interest to the family, Henry? How exciting.
Yes.
I thought you'd all like to know that I've had my will redrawn.
And here it is.
How wise, Father.
Yes, especially in view of the fact that our family will be growing.
I assume, Father, that you've taken into account Kimberly's plans.
Yes, Alice.
Kimberly's engagement did have something to do with the changes I've made.
Forest! The lightning.
There must be a short.
Is there a flashlight somewhere? I have one upstairs in my room.
I think there's an emergency lantern in the cellar.
Forest! Where is that fool? Here.
Kim, here.
Jessica, you take this.
Oh, thank you.
And you stay.
Stay with Kimberly.
Yes.
I'll have a look for myself.
Very well.
Don't be alarmed, Mrs.
Fletcher.
It happens every time there's a storm.
It's probably a fuse or something.
Mmm-hmm.
You know, when I was a girl, I used to love thunderstorms.
I'd pull the covers over my head and read Edgar Allan Poe With a flashlight.
That wasn't thunder.
Damn lights! Where the hell is Forest? I'm sorry, sir.
There you are.
What happened to the generator? Grandfather! Stand back, everyone! Is he okay? He's dead.
My God.
Oh, no.
Dead? A bullet right through the temple.
But who? How? Oh, my God.
Kimberly, for heaven's sake, stop sniveling.
Everybody, try to calm down.
Alice, why don't you take Kimberly into the library? So what happened? Did he shoot himself? Preston, I don't think that you should touch anything.
Oh, sure.
I'm sorry, but I need a drink.
Excuse me, but I'm going to try and keep my husband from getting loaded.
Preston, why don't you go and see what you can do for Kimberly? Dr.
Dabney, did you notice that there were powder marks around the wound? Yes, of course.
Well, that means that he was shot at close range.
Shot? But I thought the proximity of the gun I thought he shot himself.
Oh, but Henry was right-handed.
The bullet entered the temple on the left side.
I see what you mean.
And the revolver.
That was in his desk when he took out the will.
Someone must've got it when the lights went out.
Yes.
Then we better put that back in the desk right away.
Then we better phone the authorities on the mainland.
I'm sorry, ma'am, you can't do that.
The radio phones are disabled.
The power pack has been removed.
Dr.
Dabney, there must be some way that the police can be contacted.
Well, there's the motor launch.
But it would be madness to try it at night and in this storm.
If it clears by morning, I'll try to get to the mainland.
Right.
Better keep this locked till the police get here.
Did Henry tell you about the attempts on his life? You mean the mix-up on his medication? Yes, he came to me when he discovered it.
I had it analyzed.
It turned out to be some fairly harmless tranquilizer, very widely prescribed.
But he said it might've killed him.
Killed him? No.
There was no danger at all.
I'm sure you misunderstood him.
Ah.
At least we won't be groping around in the dark.
My missus got the generator going again.
Good work, Forest.
She said there was nothing wrong with it.
Somebody had simply turned it off.
Oh, for God's sakes.
Jason, you can at least show a little respect, please! Respect? What sort of respect did he ever show us? Alice, the man is dead.
You can cut the pretense now.
We all can.
Don't tell me you're not interested in the money.
Why else are we here? Why else would we ever put up with him all these years? Not that it matters, darling, but that is a genuine antique you just splintered! I'll buy you another one out of my share.
What's this? Well, isn't this interesting.
Look at this, sister.
A check made out to J.
B.
Fletcher for a million dollars.
Really? And what kind of services did you perform to earn this kind of check, Jessica? It was a donation to charity.
Then why is it made out to you personally? Look, it's a very long involved story.
Yes, I'll bet it is.
Let's find out where the real money goes.
Oh, this is interesting.
"To my weak and lazy son, Jason, "and his greedy and arrogant wife, Valerie, "I leave exactly what they deserve, my contempt.
" "And to my vain and ungrateful daughter, Alice, "and my silly, bumbling granddaughter, Kimberly, "I leave my sympathy.
" "And since my boyhood chum, Hubbard Dabney, "has already squandered the money his family left him, "I see no point in leaving him any of mine.
" How nice of him to remember me.
"And to my faithful servant Forest, "and his grumbling wife, "they have already stolen enough from me to retire comfortably.
" My God, he's left everything to some charity or something.
Wait, wait, wait.
Here it is.
I don't believe this.
What? "I leave all my estate, property, cash "and holdings of any value, to Jessica Beatrice Fletcher "of Cabot Cove, Maine.
"She may keep whatever she likes, "donate whatever she sees fit to charity, "or, if she wishes, she may distribute "some portion of my worldly goods to my worthless heirs.
"The decision is entirely hers.
" Well, Mrs.
Fletcher, now I understand why you're here this weekend.
Oh, now, just a moment Oh, that little business trip you made to Chicago some months ago with my father was a little more than business, obviously! No, you're wrong.
We were judges on a book panel, and later we had lunch together.
Oh, and on the strength of your scintillating small talk, Henry Reynard decided to leave you an estate worth $50 million? Please, Mrs.
Fletcher.
We will break the will, I promise you.
You won't have to break anything, Valerie.
Now, listen to me.
I knew nothing about the terms of this will, and I don't want the money.
The fact is, we have a far greater problem to deal with.
A man was murdered here tonight, by someone in this house.
Murdered? What? That's crazy.
He shot himself.
I'm afraid he didn't, Jason.
If this storm clears by morning, I'll get the launch and get the police over here.
In the meantime, I suggest we all get some rest.
Fine.
Then let's all turn in and forget about the whole thing, and leave it up to the authorities.
And the attorneys.
Who in the hell did he think we were, some strangers who dropped in for the weekend? Never mind the rest of them, you are his son.
I told you His only son! I told you, Val, I'm getting a lawyer.
Good, because I did not invest in this marriage to come out of it with a hole in my purse! Well, I'm sorry, darling, but you've hardly been shortchanged over the past 15 years.
No? Generosity has never been one of your virtues.
At least not for me.
Maybe for some of the playmates that you have strewn across the city.
I'm not alone when it comes to warm flesh sharing the bed.
Oh, incidentally, about Preston, do you pay him, or does he just sort of work on spec? You're despicable.
Well, you're wasting your time with him, anyway.
He's an impostor.
What are you talking about? I found this in the desk.
The old man hired a detective agency to check out our aristocratic nephew-to-be.
Preston Howard, hmm.
His blue-blooded family in Boston's never heard of him.
It can't be.
Oh, but it is.
Oh, dear Val, you look upset.
I do hope you haven't lent him any money.
Oh, I realize it's late, Jessica, but I did want to have a word with you.
I was about to get ready for bed.
Well, wasn't that the most despicable display that Jason and Valerie made over the will? Kimberly and I were absolutely horrified.
How is Kimberly? Oh, weepy, I'm afraid.
Yes, Kimberly seems to be the only member of the family who was genuinely touched by Henry's death.
Oh, they were very devoted to each other.
I can't imagine what Father was even thinking when he wrote that dreadful will.
Well, I certainly don't know what he was planning.
You do realize, Jessica, that this puts Kimberly in a very embarrassing position, in view of the engagement.
Oh, yes.
And since you seem to have such wide powers under Father's will, I was hoping that you would find your way to ensuring Kimberly's happiness in marriage by arranging for her to get her fair share of Father's estate as soon as possible.
Well, I'd like to help Kimberly, of course, but I really have no intention of getting drawn into the legal quagmire created by Henry's will.
I plan to consult my own attorney.
I see.
Don't think you're going to get away with anything, Mrs.
Fletcher.
We have lawyers, too, you know.
And, oh, yes, I think the authorities might be very interested in the fact that Henry's death occurred on the very night you arrived.
It seems to me that you and the other family members were the ones who expected to inherit.
If you are implying that I had anything to do with my father's death, I was upstairs in the bedroom with Kimberly at the time my father was shot.
No, Alice, Kimberly was in the library with me when the shot was fired.
You may find, Miss Fletcher, that when it comes to family business, blood is thicker than water.
Oh, Jessica, there you are.
We've got a problem.
The powerboat's been disabled.
Someone has tampered with the engine.
Somebody wants to keep us on this island, away from the police.
Dr.
Dabney, something very odd happened last night.
Just before I went to bed, there was a light on in Henry's room.
I saw it under the door.
Now, that's strange.
Well, it must have been switched on before the generator failed, and then went on again when the lights returned.
No, no, because I tried the door and it was locked.
And then the light went out.
Now, someone was in there.
Jessica, it must have been me.
I looked in on Henry just before retiring, to pay my last respects.
The pool house! He's dead, all right.
The bullet penetrated the heart.
At close range, judging from the powder burns.
How long do you think he's been dead? Several hours, at least.
Well, that would put it in the middle of the night.
With the storm raging outside, we probably wouldn't have heard the shot in the house.
Somehow, we've got to notify the police immediately.
Preston has been murdered.
Murdered? What? He was shot to death in the pool house.
Mrs.
Forest found the body.
Does Kimberly know this? How could she? Well, I'd better go right to her.
What the hell's going on around here? You think I know? Yes, darling, the thought did cross my mind.
You were out last night, and I can guess with whom.
I don't know any more about his death than you do, Jason.
But our first concern right now should be mutual protection.
When the police start asking questions, we were together last night.
All night.
Oh, no, no, no.
I'm not gonna lie about this.
Oh, yes, you are.
Because if I had been missing, that leaves you alone with no one to vouch for your whereabouts.
Right? Kimberly? It's Jessica.
Oh, Alice.
I just wanted to see if Kimberly was all right.
Well, she's upset, obviously.
I've just given her a sedative.
Is there something else? Hmm? Oh, no, no.
Well, I'll give her your sympathies.
I should have followed my own instincts.
Shut up, they'll hear you! They're not gonna hear Dr.
Dabney? Are you in there? Good morning, Jessica.
Won't you come in? Well, I had a different idea in mind to break the news, but as you can see, the reports of my death are premature.
Well, that's not exactly the word that leaps to mind.
I better get the phone working again.
Excuse me.
Oh, yes.
Of course.
Things are beginning to make sense now.
The shot fired into the ceiling in the dark, the fake dab of blood on the temple, the doctor conveniently standing by ready to pronounce you dead, and in the flickering light of the candle, no one able to look too closely.
It was merely a harmless game.
A game? Is that what you call it? Never mind about me, now.
How could you do such an unfeeling thing to your family? Well, that's the point, don't you see? I wanted to know how they'd feel, really feel when they thought I was gone, with all that money to fight over.
And that idea of the new will, well, that was a nice touch.
I wanted to observe how they'd react.
Observe? Well, yes, I had the surveillance system fixed so that I could watch it all on a TV monitor.
I even recorded some of it.
You had hidden TV cameras spying on everyone? Oh, no, no, no.
Not in your room, Jessica.
And none of the bedrooms.
And what right did you have to use me Oh, you mean the will? Yes.
Well, that was necessary.
Yes, very necessary.
You know, Jessica, you disappointed me.
I was sure there'd be a little bit of greed even in you.
Then all those stories about the attempts on your life, those were all lies, too? Yes, of course, they were.
No, I just had to think of some way to keep you in the game.
You keep calling this a game, even though someone has paid very dearly because of your fun.
Well, I seriously doubt that the police will find anything to laugh about.
Now, let me see if I've got this right.
After you faked your own death, and cut everybody out of your will, Mr.
Reynard, you locked yourself in your room and spied on your guests with TV cameras.
Correct, Sheriff Brademus.
But keep in mind that I never left my room until well after Preston Howard's body was found.
You've got a strange way of amusing yourself, Mr.
Reynard.
The last time I checked, there's no law against having security cameras in my own house.
And what I put into my will is nobody's damn business but mine! Sheriff, one small detail that Mr.
Reynard forgot to mention.
He tape-recorded some events following his own fake death.
Is that so? Sergeant Stokley, take charge of those tapes.
Yes, sir.
There was no camera in the pool house.
It's a waste of time.
Is everything here the way you found it? Oh, yes.
Of course, the housekeeper discovered the body.
We came as soon as we heard the scream.
You figure he died when, Doc? Mmm, sometime after midnight.
Two shots fired? Yes, it's the same revolver that Henry Reynard used to fake his death.
It was returned to the desk, and then taken again.
Powder burns.
Possibly he was struggling with his assailant for the gun? In which case, you might find traces of nitrate on the victim's hands.
Well, ma'am, we'll know a whole lot more when the lab boys give us a report.
Now, was this fellow one of the heirs? No, not directly.
He was engaged to Mr.
Reynard's granddaughter.
Look, Sheriff, I'm sure this has nothing to do with your homicide, but I think you should know.
Mr.
Reynard had a detective agency check out Preston Howard.
Is that so? The results were not very flattering.
In fact, he lied about his family connections, and his social status and just about everything else.
Oh, dear.
Who knew about this? Henry did, of course.
And he told me, in confidence.
But the report from the detective agency was right there in the library desk.
Either of you recognize this earring? Oh, yes, it's one of a pair that Valerie was wearing last night.
That's Mr.
Reynard's daughter-in-law.
Sheriff, you should know this.
Last night, before we all went up to bed, I saw Preston pass a note to Valerie.
It certainly looks like one of mine.
You mind telling me how it got in the victim's pocket? Of course, now I remember.
When the lights went out, during Henry's bizarre charade, I went into the kitchen looking for candles.
The earring fell off.
It was dark.
I didn't bother to go look for it, but I mentioned it to Preston.
He said he would go and look for it.
Well, obviously, Preston found it after the lights went back on.
Were you in the pool house last night, Mrs.
Reynard? Certainly not.
My husband and I were in bed together.
I can vouch for that, Sheriff.
Neither of us left the room until this morning.
That was very naughty of you, Father.
Giving us such a fright.
Oh! I suppose a close brush with poverty can inspire real fear, Alice.
But, of course, I forgive you.
Kim does, too.
Actually, you did her an enormous favor, putting that detective on that impostor.
I mean, in time to save us all from a humiliating marriage.
Excuse me, ma'am.
When did you learn about that report? Jason showed it to me last night.
I found it in father's desk.
I thought Alice should know.
Seems like just about everybody knew.
Except Mrs.
Fletcher here.
Oh, Kimberly, I'm so very sorry about Preston.
Kim, honey, I'm sorry about the boy's death, and I'm sorry that you got hurt.
But you're better off without him.
Am I? Are you so sure about that? I was protecting you.
From what? You think I didn't know what he was? Maybe I didn't care.
But you, you never cared about anything! Darling, I don't think Keep out of this, Mother! Don't you see what's so very clear to me? He killed Preston, and I will never forgive him for that.
Ever! They only confirmed what I've already known.
All except Kim.
She actually cried for me, you know.
The only one.
You might have thought of her before you concocted your cruel hoax.
I couldn't get much out of her.
She's very upset.
But I think that young lady knows something to make that accusation.
You're talking about the incoherent ravings of a lovesick child, Brademus.
You'd better be very careful how you proceed with me.
I haven't made any charges yet.
But if you and your granddaughter were so close, I think you'd be very upset about her marrying some fortune hunter.
I did not kill him.
When my forensic team gets here, we're going to do a little test on your hands for nitrate traces.
Excuse me, Sheriff, but that test won't be conclusive.
Oh? Well, if Henry fired a shot at the ceiling when he staged his own death, there'd be powder traces on his hand.
She's right.
That test of yours wouldn't prove a damn thing.
Sheriff.
What is it, Stokley? Well, you mentioned powder traces.
Well, I found a pair of gloves in Dr.
Dabney's room, and they smell of gunpowder.
I tagged and bagged 'em.
Same problem, Sheriff.
Dr.
Dabney was shooting clay pigeons yesterday, and I remember he was wearing gloves.
Is there something else you'd like to bring up, ma'am? I mean, something that we've overlooked? Well, as a matter of fact, there is one other thing.
I'm sure you've thought of it, too.
The videotapes? I went through the tapes, sir.
There's not much there.
Mostly shots of empty rooms.
I told you that, Brademus.
The whole thing was a bust.
There were several cameras, but only one TV monitor and one tape machine.
After the big commotion, when they found the will, hardly anything else happened.
Well, something must have happened.
Well, there are a couple of things that you might want to check, Sheriff.
That was about Jason may have gone to see Alice about the detective's report.
He went back to his room, and then this.
That was a few minutes later.
A little after 1:00.
Alice went to tell Kimberly what she'd learned about Preston.
A few minutes after that, the mother goes back to her room, and then a little while later, we got this.
The victim, leaving his room.
What time was that? Oh, that had to be around 2:00.
Okay, so we know he was still alive at 2:00.
Then the tape just switches around to empty rooms for a while.
Now we're getting someplace.
First the victim slips out of his room, now she slips out.
My guess is they met at the pool house.
I'm sorry, Kim.
You don't have to watch this, you know.
No, no.
I'm all right.
Then this tape just switches all over the place.
You got nothing but empty rooms.
Nothing else happened.
It was somewhere around here that I got bored and fell asleep.
Is there anything else on there? Yes, sir.
I think you'll find this interesting.
She came back without him.
Look, look.
She's only wearing one earring.
Very perceptive, young lady.
You're right.
She had both of them when she went out.
Good work, Stokley.
Just a moment.
I must have slept through this part, too.
Get a load of Forest.
He was stealing from me.
Must've been checking to see if I have any evidence.
Even if the hired help did have his fingers in the cookie jar, Mr.
Reynard, the murder had already gone down.
Stokley, I want to see Mrs.
Valerie Reynard downstairs.
Sheriff.
Sheriff Brademus.
Yes, Mrs.
Fletcher, you've been very helpful.
And if you'd like to sit in, I have no objection.
Thank you.
Me, kill Preston? What a stupid idea.
Mrs.
Fletcher saw him hand you a note earlier in the evening.
Oh, Mrs.
Fletcher, of course.
But it was your lie about the earrings that tripped you up.
The tape recorder showed you had both earrings when you slipped out to meet the victim, but only one when you came back.
I didn't kill him.
You also didn't lose that earring in the kitchen.
You did meet Preston in the pool house, didn't you, Valerie? I don't have to answer that.
You found out he was penniless.
Being an intelligent lady, you realized you were open to blackmail.
As soon as Preston realized he wasn't getting any money from Kimberly, he came to me.
Said he needed a loan.
Well, I knew what he meant, so I told him I'd try and get the money.
On our way back to the house, I realized I had dropped an earring out there.
Preston said he'd go and try to find it.
That was the last time I saw him, and he was alive.
Sorry, Mrs.
Reynard, but I don't believe a jury is gonna buy that.
But that was a terrible thing you said to your grandfather.
You should apologize to him immediately.
No, Mother, I won't do that.
But it was just plain foolish! We need him.
Mrs.
Fletcher, if you don't mind, I would really like to talk to Kim in private.
Yes, so would I.
Well, I don't mean to be rude Mother, I will not apologize to Grandfather! I've nothing to say to him! Now, please just leave me alone! Then I will have to make your apologies for you.
I never had a chance to tell you how sorry I am.
I'll survive.
After all, Preston was a bastard.
He never loved me.
I know this sounds dreadful, Mrs.
Fletcher, but I'm glad Valerie shot him.
I'm not sure that Valerie did.
Of course she did.
The earring Valerie lost was in Preston's pocket.
They were having an affair.
It serves them both right.
There's one problem with that theory.
The gun that killed Preston was still in the desk when Valerie came back to the house.
I saw it on the tape when Forest was going through the desk.
Oh.
Well, then Valerie took it later.
No.
I think that you took the gun later.
Kimberly, when we were looking at the tape, you pointed out that Valerie had lost an earring.
That's the sort of detail that no one would have noticed.
Not unless they knew what it meant.
And just now, you said that the earring was in Preston's pocket.
How did you know that? I can't believe that you're guilty of cold-blooded murder, but you're going to have to tell the police exactly what happened.
First it was the awful things that Grandfather said about me in his will.
I'd always loved Grandfather.
And then I realized without the money that Preston would never marry me.
Yes, I knew he was vain and self-centered, but I didn't care.
And then mother came in, and she said he was an impostor, and that he was using me.
So I decided to kill myself.
So I went down and I got the gun out of Grandfather's desk and I decided to do it in the pool house, because it was always just a very special place to me.
I didn't mean to kill him.
I didn't mean it.
I know.
You know, considering the circumstances, I doubt that they'd even press charges.
No, I don't think they will, either.
Poor kid.
She's the best of the bunch, you know.
The only one I really care about.
You have a very strange way of showing your affection, Henry.
Hmm.
Oh, the check.
Oh, no, thank you.
No, no, you earned it.
Please.
You know, Henry, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to tear this up into tiny pieces, and toast you with the confetti.
But a million dollars will mean a great deal to the children's hospital.
Thank you, on their behalf.
Kimberly.
Kimberly, where are you going? I'm leaving, Grandfather.
For good.
Leaving? You just can't leave.
I mean, first you have to deal with the authorities.
You know that, don't you? Oh, I'm going back with Sheriff Brademus.
I think I can handle this one without you.
Don't be foolish.
You need help and support, and I want to give you that.
I've got it, thanks.
Jessica's coming with me.
Kimberly, you're not leaving.
There's the matter of your inheritance.
I've given that a great deal of thought.
Grandfather, you can take my inheritance and stuff it in your mattress.
Although most of it's probably there already.
Kimberly, come back here! You You, Jessica, you did this.
No, Henry, you did.