Murder, She Wrote s07e09 Episode Script

Bobby, the song's a dinosaur.
I'm getting a little sick of your tone.
It's Bobby.
He's said a few times that he thinks he'd be better off dead.
I've been waiting on you for an hour and a half.
You'll wrinkle my blouse if you hold on to me like that, Mr.
Diamond.
- You killed your daddy.
- I didn't.
According to Preston, you inherit everything.
You disgust me, Mark.
On behalf of the Captain and the flight crew, welcome to Nashville.
The country music capital of the world.
Flight 102, now boarding for New Haven, Gate 4.
Flight 102, now boarding for New Haven, Gate 4.
Jessica! - Hi.
- Patti Sue.
How wonderful to see you.
I feel such a perfect fool.
I didn't recognize you at first.
Because I've changed my hair more times than my dress.
How long has it been? 10 years? Longer than a bill goat's menu.
Or whatever they say here to mean an extended interval.
- You remember Billy Ray Parker? - Of course.
I still play that album you sent me and it's still terrific.
My picking used to be just about as dandy as your writing is.
Thank you for those kind words.
We best get your luggage or I'll start fishing for compliments myself.
- So, how's Bobby? - Ornery as ever.
Mark, I'm telling you, "After the tide goes out" will be a perfect song for Brittany's debut.
I had a big hit on that thing in the 50's.
I know you did, Bobby.
You keep reminding me.
Look.
Maybe it's the way you have her singing it.
It's too slow.
It's a ballad, for god sake.
What do you want, her singing it like she's going down the road 90 miles an hour? Maybe you've forgotten how many hits I produced for you last year? I'd like more respect for my ability to mold an act.
Bobby, the song is a dinosaur.
But the arrangement is about as fresh as an "I like Ike" button.
I'm getting a bit sick of your tone around me.
Patti, this place is perfect.
It hasn't changed a bit.
Ten years ago, I remember coming down that stairs.
Mark Berringer.
I'd like you to meet my good friend Jessica Fletcher.
Mark runs Blue Lady Records for us.
Well, you've certainly made some wonderful records.
I'd make more if they let me.
Do us all a favor, Patti Sue, tell your stubborn husband that the 50's went out with poodle skirts.
He can't seem to get it through his thick skull.
Nice meeting you, ma'am.
Why don't you run up and make yourself at home? You know where your room is.
- I'll look in on Bobby.
- All right.
I've had it with Mark Berringer and his complaints.
He's trying to tell me how to run my business.
He apparently forgot how many hit songs I've had.
Take it easy, darling.
You're going to have a coronary.
I ought to fire that disrespectful son of a gun.
My god! 238 published songs, He wouldn't know a hit song from a moose call.
Hello.
He's busy right now, can it wait? Don't you use that tone of voice with me, Alice.
It's your daughter.
Is this my little princess? I'm fine now that I hear your voice.
I've been waiting to hear from you.
How did the meeting with Mark go? Fantastic.
He's threatening to take all the clients and leave the company again.
He can't do that.
I've got him in an air-tight contract.
All right.
Calm down.
Let me handle this thing.
I'll be by the house later.
Love you, bye bye.
Mark Berringer threatening mutiny again? We do have him in an air-tight contract, don't we? Considering what we pay your firm, I'm entitled to more than a shrug when I need an answer to a simple legal question.
Is that what they taught you at those fancy boarding schools, Alice? You know there's no such thing as a simple legal question.
Your father's been robbing Conrad Booker for years on a technicality.
We're not talking about Conrad.
What about Mark Berringer? Mr.
Berringer is in a vice.
Tied hand and foot in a maze of undecipherable clauses.
Yes, my dear Alice.
He's yours for as long as you want him.
Isn't it a little early to be drinking? Maybe you're right.
God bless us.
To early for drinking, but never too early for guzzling.
What am I going to do with you? Here's a thought.
Patti, your plants look so healthy.
Tell me, from one gardener to another, what's your secret? - Milk.
- Milk? A cup of cow's milk for a week.
Don't ask me why, but it works.
Lord only knows what would happen if I tried buttermilk.
Buttercup? It is so nice to have somebody to giggle with.
Yes, it's so nice for me to be here.
I can't tell how happy it made me when I opened up the mail and there was that envelope with the guitar in the corner.
Especially, when it was an invitation to one of your concerts.
- Mrs.
Fletcher.
It's been ages.
- Alice? I'm in a time warp and you're still 17.
I like things better the way they are now.
- Daddy says he's making cocktails.
- Thank you, Alice.
We'll be moseying in by and by.
Patti Sue, could you do me a favor? For tonight, could you not use those phony southern expressions you use whenever company's here? - I've had a long day.
- Why certainly, Alice.
If you'll agree not to fawn over your father like someone looking for a pocket to pick.
Defective genes, she got them from her momma.
Come on Jess, let's go get a drink.
My mouth's as dry as a cotton ball in a - I'll finish it for you later.
- Yes.
I think I'll find it difficult to survive one day on god's good earth without a sip of this.
And this is what makes the South the South.
Bourbon.
- You're in good spirits.
- Indeed.
I think because Bobby's back to writing songs.
It's got him acting like a kid again.
Sometimes I think I'd be happier if the kid would take up something like model airplanes.
Yeah? I always thought that Bobby wrote a very good song.
- See? I got one fan! - He does! But actually, ma'am, I write the songs.
He can't read a lick of music, so he sets out in the farmhouse pounds on that old guitar, hollers into that tape-recorder and I'm the one who has to transcribe everything he sings.
So I write the songs, and he gets the money.
And we all love you for it, Billy Ray.
- Thank you.
- You sweet thing.
Hi, I just wanted to say goodbye.
- Very nice to see you again.
- Thank you, Alice.
- Have a drink with us.
- Something's come up at work.
- Let it be, come on! - No, I really must be going.
Talk to you tomorrow.
Bye bye.
Isn't she the sweetest thing you ever laid eyes on? Yes.
Come in here, Brittany.
You made it! I've been waiting on you for over an hour! You'll wrinkle my blouse if you hug me like that, Mr.
Diamond.
And you'll make me feel like an old man if you keep up that mister stuff.
I'm Bobby.
Come on.
Well, what are you doing, Bobby? I'm writing a song.
For you.
You know something? You're going to love it.
- You want to hear it? - Sure do.
Come on.
Are you ready? All right.
Nobody is dancing tonight.
I'm standing here all alone thinking of you in these cold city lights.
And it's time for me to go home.
You must be kidding! I never pulled Dorothy Anderson's pony tails.
You've mistaken me with somebody else.
You did too, Jess.
Don't you remember? She hid that Nancy Drew mystery that you were reading.
Maybe you're right and I pulled it.
But I'm sure she deserved it.
Camp was so special, wasn't it? Thinking back on it now, it seems like I was never happy.
I guess the best thing that ever came out of it was I got you for a friend.
I declare I fixed enough ice-cream for General Lee's army.
I practically turned into a disposal when my nerves act up.
I guess it's this concert tomorrow night.
You didn't ask me here just to hear your concert, did you? I should have known I couldn't fool you.
You want to talk about it? You know me, I'm a great listener.
It's Bobby.
He's just not himself.
He's been so down lately.
I mean really down.
But he seemed so cheerful tonight.
That's only because you're here.
He's just been pressuring himself so much as work.
He doesn't feel useful anymore.
Like his time has passed him by.
He's even said a few times he thinks he'd be better off dead.
- Do you think he's serious? - I do.
Perhaps you should look into some professional help.
I'm probably over-reacting.
You know I need to worry like some people need to breathe.
How come you didn't make it to the bedroom? God, Garth, you scared the hell out of me.
- Yeah.
- How did you get here? I knew you and Bobby were meeting here tonight, I just stopped by to keep an eye on things.
My truck's parked down the way.
Has the good old boy listened to my tunes? Not yet, the timing has to be right.
Well, maybe if you hop in the sack with him, the timing might speed up.
Garth, you're supposed to be in love with me.
You want me to sleep with that old creep? Come on, babe, I was just kidding.
This ain't nothing but out and out robbery, Bobby, and you know it.
It's nothing of the kind.
Besides it's out of my hands.
What do you mean? It don't have to be.
All you have to do is give me back the publishing right to my songs.
Conrad, it's just business.
- It's nothing personal.
- It's just business? Listen, I bought this little company 15 years ago and they got all the publishing rights to your songs.
We used to be good friends! Why can't you do what's right? There's nothing I can do.
Yes.
You give me back the rights to my songs in 24 hours - or I swear to god - Come on.
I'll plain and simply kill you.
Conrad, listen.
I'll ask you friendly let him go or I'll put this iron up side your head.
I mean what I say, Bobby.
I didn't know I would go and break your heart.
I tried tonight to drive us apart.
Well, look in my eyes You know I'm still your friend.
The last thing I want is for this to be the end.
Give me one more goodnight before it's goodbye.
I tell you, that was some song.
I remember when I wrote that thing, out at the farmhouse.
All I had was the clothes on my back, but after that I couldn't do anything wrong.
Everything was a hit.
It's a classic, daddy.
before it's goodbye if we had one more good night, it could be forever.
I'll tell you something else that step mother of yours still has a voice sweeter than honey.
If we have one more good night.
Thank you.
If you keep that up I'll have to give a concert every year.
Thank you so much.
Well, that's enough of me for now.
Let's bring on the future.
Give a big Nashville welcome to a little girl who's about to take the music world by storm.
Here she is, Miss Brittany Brown.
Hi, Nashville.
You ready for some hooting and hollering? Loving you, just loving you you know my heartache just can My god.
I forgot how much all this takes it out of you.
- How am I doing? - You're better than ever.
- Get dressed for your next number.
- All right.
living in memories why can't you leave me alone.
What the hell is that? - What, daddy? - That's not my song.
What the? Maybe she's warming up with one of hers and then she'll do yours.
The hell with that.
She's only scheduled to do one song.
It's better to forget the bad times, babe and we must move on.
But loving you is contagious for me and it's driving me mad.
Loving you is like that last drink, baby, that I should never have had.
If my memory would just forget you I know the pain would start.
But you don't think I really want you because I'll still be by your side.
Daddy.
It's a pretty good tune.
She'll probably go a long way.
I think I'll skip that hotel party and go out to the farm house.
Daddy, it'll be all right.
Don't try to make me stay, why can't you see.
Because our love was crazy baby But please, don't make me stay.
Close your eyes and it was as if the concert was 25 years ago.
You have to come down more often, you make me feel so good.
A very accomplished performance, Patti Sue.
Those were your people and they loved you.
Thank you, Alice.
How kind of you to notice.
- Patti Sue! - Mirabelle! Darling, there's only one thing that would've kept me from this hoe-down and that's Elvis coming back from the hereafter.
Come on, I want you to meet my fifth husband.
- No.
- Can you believe it? He thought you were dead! I said no, "You must be thinking about Patsy Cline.
" Mirebelle - Happy, isn't she, Mrs.
Fletcher? - Yes, and call me Jessica.
- Where's your father? - He decided to skip the party.
But this is such a happy occasion.
Well, daddy hasn't really been himself lately.
I gathered that from Patti Sue.
- She tell you about the letter? - Letter? No.
I hope I'm not talking out of school here, but daddy wrote Patti Sue a couple days ago about how miserable he is.
I think that's the first time he's ever written her.
Isn't it strange he'd write instead of trying to talk it out? Yes, it does seem odd.
Alice, your father might need professional help.
Daddy? Admitting he needs help? Never.
- Jess, what time is it? - About 10:30.
Bobby must have unplugged the phone.
He does that sometimes when he's writing.
Who knows? Maybe he's writing me another hit.
At that point my granddaddy figured if he could talk a jack rabbit out of a carrot maybe he should take up the law.
And a rich family position at the bar was thus begun.
God bless us.
Speaking of bar, would you care for some liquid refreshment? No, thank you.
I've had my limit.
Not me.
With so much excitement, my head's clanging like a fire bell.
- Matter of fact.
I'll mosey home.
- I'll go with you.
Wait ladies.
It's only 11:30.
Leaving a party this early in Nashville is sacrilegious.
He's right.
You stay put.
- No, I - No, I insist, Jessica.
I'm completely exhausted, I'll go right to be anyways.
You stay here and enjoy all the excitement.
I must say this is different from Cabot Cove.
Our idea of excitement is the day they test the foghorns.
Good.
I'm sure Alice will run you home later.
- Thanks.
- See you in the morning.
Good night, Preston.
- Don't treat me this way.
I'm no fool.
- No, you're a clown.
I am tired of your act.
I thought we were here to have a good time.
- Why don't we? - Preston, I've had it with you.
Your drinking, and your stupidity.
You stay away from me.
Mrs.
Fletcher - Hello.
- I've been watching you.
- You're not having any fun.
- I'm a little distracted.
Patti Sue said Alice would drive me back to the Diamond Ranch.
But she disappeared an hour ago.
Don't fret none.
We'll be glad to give you a lift.
That's very kind, but I don't want to tear you away from the party.
No.
Looks like your ride came back after all.
Thank you, excuse me.
I'm so sorry.
I didn't mean to run out like that.
I was worried about you, Alice.
Are you all right? Fine.
Just needed a drive to clear my head and I lost track of time.
- Forgive me.
- Of course.
- I'm ready to go if you are.
- Wonderful idea.
For the life of me, I can't find Patti Sue anywhere.
She left early.
The excitement wore her out.
I guess she took the car, the little rascal.
- You can come with us.
- The best offer I've had tonight.
Jessica, did daddy ever show up at the party? I didn't see him.
I'm a little worried.
Would you mind if we stopped off at the farmhouse and check? Good idea.
He must still be here.
There's his car.
Why are the lights out? Something's wrong.
Look at the window.
My god! Daddy! Daddy.
Billy Ray, call an ambulance! Better hurry.
That blue tint on his nails looks like poison.
There's been an accident.
Send an ambulance Bobby Diamond's place.
It's on River Road.
Make it fast! Daddy! Alice, I'm so sorry.
- Perhaps you better sit down.
- No.
I'm all right.
I want to stay with daddy.
- Somebody has to tell Patti Sue.
- I will if Billy Ray'll drive me.
Conrad, what the hell is happening here? It's Patti Sue, somebody's poisoned her.
Dr.
Kincaid to ICU stat.
- She's a very sick woman.
- What are you saying? - Is she going to live? - It's lucky she ate ice-cream.
It lined her stomach and probably saved her life.
To bad her husband wasn't so lucky.
Nobody can touch Bobby and Patti Sue Diamond back in the days.
We appreciate people coming in and paying their respects, - but now ain't the time.
- I guess you're right.
- Parker.
- I apologize for busting in.
The name's Jackson.
Lieutenant Jackson, Nashville P.
D.
I saw the sun setting on her tearful little face, waiting for the bus to come and take her from this place.
Please, excuse me, I have patients to attend to.
I'll check on Patti Sue.
Mr.
Rose to admitting, please.
I'm a friend of the family.
Jessica Fletcher.
Pleased to meet you, ma'am.
- What did he say his name was? - Billy Ray Parker.
Not The Billy Ray Parker.
Of course it was.
He paralyzed his right hand touring with the Diamonds in '71.
Bobby was at the wheel.
And to think I didn't even ask for an autograph.
I'm sure Mr.
Parker would be delighted to give you his autograph - at a more appropriate time.
- That would be right kind of him.
I guess I best be on my way.
Places to go, people to see.
Live don't mean a damn when it's only just me.
Lieutenant, what have you found out about Bobby's death? We analyzed the bottle of Bourbon found at the scene for poison.
Strychnine.
Dr.
Burn to Pediatrics.
- How did you know that? - His hands were close to his head and his nails were blue and back arched in a manner which usually indicates strychnine.
The medical examiner established the probable time of death.
Yes, around 10.
Maybe 10:30.
- Ma'am - Just a calculated guess, based on the probable temperature of Bobby's body when we found him.
- What was it you said you did? - I'm a writer.
No kidding! What do you write? I've just finished, "The Lover's Revenge.
" I can't say as I know that one.
Who recorded it? No, Lieutenant.
I write books, not songs.
- Mystery books.
- Books? Too bad.
Gal as bright as you ought to be writing lyrics.
That's where the real money is.
How'd you like to go for a ride? How are you boys doing in here? A lot of prints.
Mostly his.
Lieutenant, the tape is missing.
- What tape? - Bobby recorded everything he wrote.
He had to, because he didn't read music.
Why would he come out here to work on some songs, which is obviously what he did as the tape recorder is all set up, and then not put a tape into the recorder? He must have been recording something when someone broke in a poisoned him.
After the murder, the killer realized the tape was still running and probably contained incriminating evidence so he took it with him.
This is beginning to look nasty.
I'm truly devastated, Alice.
I always thought of Bobby like a father.
Someone I could turn to when there was no one else.
Save it, Mark.
You despised my daddy.
Now that you mentioned it, I expect things'll be different around here what with him gone.
I don't see why anything has to change.
Sure it does, Alice.
With you understanding business.
And me having a feel for the artistic side of things.
We could run the whole damn town if we set our mind to it.
That is, once your step-mother follows him to the grave.
According to Preston, you inherit everything.
You disgust me, Mark.
Patti Sue is still very much alive! Excuse me, Alice.
I didn't know you were tied up.
I'll come back.
No, please.
Mr.
Berringer was just leaving.
Work beckons.
I'm surprised to see business as usual so soon after his death.
The only sentimentality you'll find around here, Mrs.
Fletcher, - is in Bobby Diamond's lyrics.
- Apparently so.
- Have you spoken to the police yet? - Why would the police talk to Mark? It seems that they're questioning everyone.
If the police consider me a suspect, I'll wait to hear it from them.
Excuse me ladies.
- Anything from the hospital? - She's still unconscious.
I feel terrible about Patti Sue.
It's no secret that we don't always see eye to eye.
But now with daddy gone, she's all I have left, really.
There's so much I want to tell her.
I'm not sure what it is I'm trying to say.
That's all right, Alice.
You're doing fine.
Hello, Lieutenant.
- I hope I'm not interrupting.
- No, ma'am, I was just working on a little ditty inspired by this here case.
Listen here, I never knew what you were thinking, I never knew what I was drinking.
That's why I'm singing from the grave.
Doggone it.
I broke another one of these strings.
These suckers cost me $1.
50 apiece.
That's too bad.
Now, about the case According to the medics, looks like Patti Sue took Strychnine at midnight.
- You say she took strychnine? - I think she left the party went to the farmhouse, spiked Bobby's drink and headed home.
Catching a serious case of the guilts along the way, Once it sunk in, what's she done? She tried to take her own life.
- Something wrong there? - Everything.
I've known Patti Sue for 40 years.
She's not the type who would try to commit suicide.
- She's too much of a survivor.
- That's your opinion.
- You have anything stronger than that? - Yes.
Bobby was poisoned at 10 o'clock.
She was at the party until 11:30.
There were lots of witnesses including me.
That's pretty strong, all right.
Doggone it.
Hold it! Hold it! Hold it right there! All right, that's it.
I don't know what came over me.
You'll have plenty of time to figure that out.
If I know the D.
A.
, he'll be charging you with attempted murder.
You should also know that you're the prime suspect in the murder of your father.
- I did not kill my father.
- All right, Alice.
Calm down.
It'll be better if you tell us the truth of what happened.
- I have, Jessica.
- No, I don't think so.
You're the one who poisoned Patti Sue, aren't you? I saw you leave the party after Patti Sue left.
About an hour later you came back.
Where were you during that time? I didn't intend for it to happen.
I was upset and confused.
It all started after my fight with Preston.
I had to clear my head so I went for a drive.
A drive that took me to the farmhouse to see daddy.
He always know how to make me feel everything was right with the world.
The door was open.
I had a funny feeling when I walked in, things didn't seem right.
Then I saw him on the floor I knew he was dead as soon as I touched him.
I noticed a piece of paper.
It was a suicide note.
He said he was sorry but he just couldn't go on.
Then I saw the bottle of poison.
I realized immediately what it meant.
With daddy gone Patti Sue would inherit the business.
All of it.
And I'd be left with nothing.
I couldn't stand the thought of that.
Then it hit me all at once.
I decided to cover up daddy's suicide by making it look like he'd been poisoned by someone else.
I wanted the police to think someone had broken in It all seemed to come together so nicely in the car I'd make it look like Patti Sue killed daddy.
And then killed herself out of remorse.
And the business which I deserved would pass to me.
Back at the house I started a fight with Patti Sue.
That was easy.
She really lost it.
As soon as she walked away from her coffee, I filled it with poison.
Once she passed out, I wiped my fingerprints from the bottle, and placed her fingerprints on it.
Then I returned to the party.
I couldn't believe she'd survived the poison.
She wouldn't have if she hadn't eaten all that ice-cream.
And if Conrad hadn't gone to the house looking for Bobby.
One piece of good news.
Patti Sue's awake, - she's even talking.
- Thank god.
Miss Diamond, it's a pretty good tale you've just spun.
But that's all it is.
I still believe you killed your daddy.
I didn't.
I swear it.
And I can prove it.
I hid the suicide note right here.
"I can't lead this torn existence anymore.
It no longer makes any sense to go on, please try to understand.
I hope I'm forgiven, Bobby.
" It's beautiful.
Is that Bobby's handwriting? Yeah, he spelled as bad as me.
Is something wrong? The doctor just told me that he's sending you home tomorrow.
Praise the lord.
- Hello, Jess.
- You look like a new person.
That's because I'm full of whatever they give you here and vinegar.
Lieutenant Jackson said that he came by to see you.
He told me about Bobby.
And poor Alice.
I'm still in shock.
I didn't know she hated me that much.
But I know she loved her daddy, and I can't believe she'd kill him.
No.
I can't believe it either.
You know Jess, you're one of my best friends in the whole world.
That's why you have to tell the truth.
Alice told me that you'd received a letter from Bobby a few days ago The police believe that that was the suicide note.
But in reality, this is the second page of that letter, isn't it? Bobby always marked the page numbers up in the right hand corner.
But you cut the number off and Bobby's guitar trademark.
Jessica, you must be joking.
I wish I were.
You must be carrying a terrible burden.
Don't you think perhaps you should get rid of it now? That letter Bobby wrote, said our marriage was over.
That he'd found some girl that made him feel young again.
He didn't have the guts to tell me to my face.
I couldn't believe it.
I kept reading that letter over and over.
And then I realized that the second page was like one of Bobby's cornball song Lyrics.
And a perfect suicide note.
Damn it Jessica.
I'd given too many years to that ornery man.
I would let him throw me away like yesterdays newspaper.
And that's when you decided to kill him.
Bobby had to have his nightly glass of "what made the South the South".
No matter where he was.
So I loaded up a bottle of bourbon with some strychnine.
I took it out to the farmhouse that morning.
I knew he'd stop by later like he did everyday.
I guess it was their place.
When he poured himself a drink that night, it was loaded with poison.
I called him to make sure he hadn't forgotten to have his drink.
When he didn't answer, I knew he was already dead.
I even asked you the time to make sure I'd have a good alibi.
Then we went back to the party.
And I went home at 11:30.
Only I made one stop on the way, at the farmhouse.
To put everything in order.
I put the bottle of poison on the table beside the bourbon.
And the suicide note next to the poison.
I was about to leave when I noticed his tape recorder was still on.
I didn't want his death agony to be his last recording.
So I took the tape and tossed it in the creek on the way home.
I was sure I'd done a good job of making it look like suicide.
Along came Alice and made it look like murder again.
It's almost funny, ain't it? I am so sorry.
Cut that out.
Singing the blues is my thing and I do it real good.
I forgot that you do your thing real good, too.
I've made a terrible mess of things, didn't I? It's amazing the way you cracked this case.
It was just lucky I noticed that stationary.
No, you had your eyes open for it.
But I was right about the rest, the part about Bobby being killed.
I was wrong about the way it happened.
That's true.
But you had it right.
- Wait a minute.
- What? Tell me what you think of this.
I had it right, but I got it wrong.
I knew in my true heart all along.
Just listen up while I sing my song.
I had it right, but I got it wrong.
It's just the beginning.
What do you think? I think that you're a wonderful policeman, Lieutenant.