Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man (2001) - full transcript
Jessica Fletcher discovers a shocking old family secret leading her on a journey to the deep South to bring to light the mysterious details surrounding the death of a slave owned by one of her long-dead ancestors in the mid-1800s.
JESSICA: So there's no age
limit on reinventing yourself.
Sometimes it just
takes us a while
to discover what it is
that we're good at.
It doesn't matter
if you decide to take up writing
at the age of 20, 40, 60, whatever.
I mean, what matters is
the quality of your writing
and the quiet determination
of your most secret heart.
And striving for quality
will not always come easy.
You may throw out half of
what you write. That's okay.
The idea is to keep going,
keep writing.
It will take a great deal of
energy, but it'll be worth it.
In the end, it all comes
down to four things.
Patience, direction,
determination and strength.
Thank you so much for coming.
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
Mrs. Fletcher, I have
been a literary assistant
with Speakers Incorporated
for years,
but I have never seen a crowd react
to a speaker the way they do to you.
Well, thank you.
Are you writing something new?
As a matter of fact, I am.
I've just started a new mystery
set in the television industry.
Oh! Yes. Well, we'd better get
you to the hotel to pack your things.
Your flight to Los Angeles
is leaving on schedule.
You know, this upcoming event,
it's the first time all the speakers in
the agency will be together in one place.
It's going to be
a huge PR event.
Did you know
that for the first time,
Yuri Malenkovich is coming in
all the way from Russia?
No, | didn't.
Yes.
Well, I'm ready.
Great. Let's go.
(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)
Be careful with this
case. It's my typewriter.
Yes, sir.
I'm sure you've heard
of a typewriter.
It's kind of like
a word processor,
but you don't
have to plug it in.
You're hungry, aren't you?
You usually wait until at
least 6:00 to get this cranky.
I am not cranky. I am the
very soul of refined manners.
(LAUGHS)
A damned soul, perhaps.
That's no way
to talk to your mentor.
Warren, with you,
it's the only way.
Where's the elevator?
No, there has been a mistake.
When the reservations were
made, I said smoking room.
I cannot have
a non-smoking room.
I'm sorry, Mr. Malenkovich. I'm sure
we have something available for you.
Let me just check the computer.
(STAMMERING IN FRUSTRATION)
This is typical.
Americans export
tobacco all over the world!
Now we all smoke. Russia,
France, England, everybody smokes!
Now you change the rules
so we cannot do it here.
Now where is the fairness
in that? Hmm? Hmm?
I'm afraid that's not
my department, sir.
Enough of this. Have my bags
taken up to my room immediately.
(IN RUSSIAN ACCENT)
He has it.
What if he says no?
Then we will convince him.
Message for you,
Mr. Cole.
Hi, I'm William Batsby. I'm
one of the motivational speakers.
Didn't I see you
on a cereal box once?
It's altogether possible.
So how do you do that?
Get on a cereal box, I mean.
You train all your life.
Ten hours a day,
seven days a week,
until you get this
little gold medal
that says you're the best
in the world at what you do.
And then what?
Just try to hang on.
Oh, thanks.
I'll see you later.
Hi, the name is Penny Ryan.
I think you have a room...
All ready to go, Miss Ryan.
(KNOCK AT DOOR)
Mrs. Fletcher? John Mendoza,
an intern with the agency.
I've been assigned
to be your gopher.
If there's anything that I can
do, any errands, just say the word.
Well, thank you.
Come in.
Actually, there is something.
I was planning on
wearing this jacket
at the closing dinner
on Sunday night,
but I'm afraid it came out of
my luggage worse than it went in.
I know it's the weekend, but...
No problem. I'll have it ready
for you first thing in the morning.
That would be wonderful,
thank you.
It's my pleasure.
That's why I signed up.
And as soon as I heard that
you were going to be here,
I called and asked
to be assigned to you.
I figure it's the least
I can do.
You see, my mom, she
was a big fan of yours,
and she passed away
about six months ago.
Oh, I'm sorry.
No, don't be,
because you kept her going.
I used to come to the hospital
and read to her from your last book.
We'd finish one chapter and then
she'd have me start the next one.
It was like Shahrazad.
It gave her something she
knew she would have to finish.
Your mom must've been
quite a woman.
I'm sure you loved her
very much.
I did.
Anyway, you helped her get
her mind off of her treatments,
and for that, I owe you.
Thank you, John.
WOMAN: Could I have
a bellman to the front desk?
Bellman, to the front desk,
please.
That was Penny Ryan!
Yeah.
I can't believe it. She hasn't been
seen in public in, what, over three years?
Well, if I lost my last
chance at a gold medal
in one of the worst showings in
Olympics' history, I'd go into hiding, too.
Still, it doesn't
change the fact
that she was one of the
best skaters in the business.
I do believe you're
rather taken with her.
Well, I was a big fan.
Well, then go talk to her.
No. I can't. Not now.
Maybe later.
J, you can't hope to
motivate other people
if you can't motivate
yourself first.
Rule one, remember?
Yes, I remember.
So, any sign of
Jessica Fletcher?
No.
Knowing her, she got here
early, she's already settled in.
I have no idea how she
does it. It makes me crazy.
Does what?
Perfection.
Did you know she charges less for
her lectures than any of the other clients?
Says she wants to make sure
that anybody who wants to
be a writer can afford to get in.
Some days, I think
she does it deliberately
just to make the
rest of us look bad.
Come on, she's the last
person who'd do that sort of thing.
Yeah. But if you
read her books,
then you know that the person we think
is least likely to do that sort of thing
is almost always the one
who turns out to be the most
likely to do exactly that sort of thing.
(KNOCK AT DOOR)
Jessica, you must
join us for dinner.
Otherwise, we'll have to
share our table
with one of those dreary
colleagues of ours downstairs.
And frankly, I would rather hurl
myself off the roof to my untimely death.
I would leave you
with all kinds of guilt,
which I would never do
to an old friend.
So, there you are.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
Hey, how are you?
You look wonderful!
Thank you, Warren.
And who is this?
I'm Patricia Williams. I've
been studying with Warren.
She's my protege. I'm
teaching her everything I know.
Warren, I have a good idea.
Why don't we continue
this over dinner?
Splendid. Splendid idea!
(PATRICIA LAUGHING)
PATRICIA: And I met
Warren about a year ago
at a writing workshop
in Seattle.
Mmm. The first time I read
her stuff, I knew she had it.
JESSICA: Uh-huh.
Just needs a little seasoning.
Oh!
So, how long have you two
known each other?
Oh, ages.
We both had our first novels
published in the same year.
Which put us in contention
for the same awards.
So we attended the same
receptions, the same awards banquets,
and somehow we became friends.
A miracle of somewhat
biblical proportions.
This may surprise you, but
it's not easy being my friend.
Oh! I'm shocked.
Shocked, I tell you.
I've heard it said that I'm cranky,
impatient, judgmental, short-tempered...
Tempestuous.
Volatile.
Well, we noticed that you
were going alphabetically,
so we thought
we would just help you out.
(CHUCKLES)
Well, despite all that, we've
managed to remain friends.
Because we've always had a
mutual respect for each other.
Jessica is the real deal.
Look around you.
Half the people in this room
won't even be here next year.
They're flavors of the month,
with about as much depth of
character as a piece of cardboard.
And speaking of
our esteemed comrades,
I believe this is the latest
addition to our ranks.
JESSICA: Yes. I heard.
He was the former head
of the KGB.
You don't sound too happy
about that.
Well, many unfortunate things
were done by the KGB
before the fall
of the Soviet Union.
Yuri.
I know you.
Mack Rollins.
The political connotator.
It's commentator.
No, connotator.
I've read your columns.
You engage in connotation,
implication, innuendo,
but very little real news.
How are you still able
to earn a living, I wonder?
I do just fine.
(KNOCKING ON PODIUM)
BRENNAN: Excuse me, if I
can have your attention, please.
For those of you
I haven't met yet,
I'm Joseph Brennan,
president of Speakers Inc.
Thank you. Thank you.
In the last 10 years,
we have become one of the most popular speakers'
bureaus in the United States and Britain.
Our clients include
writers, actors, athletes,
politicians, scientists
and others.
But now I would like to
introduce our newest clients.
Penny Ryan. Four-time international
gold medalist in figure skating.
Mack Rollins,
syndicated columnist,
author of a half a dozen of
the most inflammatory books
written about American
politics in the '70s.
As my late, lamented writing
partner used to say at these occasions,
I'm bombed to meet you.
And finally, I would like to introduce
to you Yuri Ivanov Malenkovich.
Previously head of military
intelligence for the former Soviet Union,
educated at Eton in England.
Well, I am pleased to announce
that he has just completed
a new non-fiction book,
a history of his tenure
as head of the KGB.
And it has just been sold sight
unseen to Hafner Loebs Publishing.
It should cause quite a stir
in both our countries.
Names are named, there
are scandals, secrets...
My former comrades offered me
$1 million not to sell the manuscript,
just to turn it over to them.
I told them
I had a better offer.
To wrap things up on Monday,
Yuri will hand over the
manuscript for the very first time
at a press conference in
return for a check for $2 million.
(AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING)
$2 million?
I'd kill for a deal like that.
Well, if he's right about what's in
that manuscript, you're not the only one.
Excuse me.
Mr. Rollins, a moment
of your time, please.
Excuse us.
Sure. Sure.
My time is your time.
Good, then stop wasting it.
What the hell was that
all about back there?
What are you talking...
We had an agreement,
me and your publisher,
while we're on tour,
there's no drinking.
This is not the tour. That
doesn't happen till next week.
But this is to promote the tour.
This place is
lousy with reporters,
and we have an image
to maintain here.
(LAUGHING) Please!
Look, look.
When you came to us with
this little dog-and-pony show,
we were supportive.
Now, despite some serious
misgivings on my part,
your publisher and I invested a significant
amount of money in this project.
I'd rather not lose my shirt.
You won't.
I'm just being colorful,
that's all. People like colorful.
Surely you've heard about it?
It's been in all the papers.
Fine. Okay.
Okay, fine.
Do what you want.
But if you screw up, I'm
pulling out and it's over.
Hey, I didn't notice you getting
that heavy-handed with Yuri
for saying a lot more
and a lot worse than I did.
Kind of makes me think you want to
swing this deal over more in his direction.
But after all, (SHOUTING)
he's the bigger ticket, right?
Those are your words, Mack,
not mine!
But not exactly
inaccurate, either.
Hey, I didn't like what
you said to me back there.
We had an understanding.
There's a line you don't cross.
Mr. Rollins.
At this moment, you need
me more than I need you.
Do you wish to end our little
agreement? Do you? Hmm?
No.
Good boy.
You're a real piece of
work, Yuri, you know that?
My wife said I was
signing a deal with the devil,
but, mister, next to you,
he's a piker.
Go have a drink, Rollie.
Tomorrow we begin
the Cold War all over again.
(PLAYING JAZZ MUSIC)
Mrs. Fletcher.
William Batsby.
Motivational ideologies.
This is my associate,
Everett Jang.
Oh, hello.
We're big fans of yours.
Oh! Well, thank you.
That said, can I ask you
atactless question?
Well, that depends
on the question.
Do you feel that
solving real-life murders
has helped raise your visibility
in terms of book sales,
appearances, PR?
I don't know. I must confess,
I've never really thought about it.
(YURI CHUCKLING)
I think you're being slightly
disingenuous, Mrs. Fletcher.
Even in my country,
yourwork is well known.
Why, you're not
a law enforcement officer,
and yet you take great risks
every time you get involved in a
murder investigation, huh? (CHUCKLING)
Why else do it
if not for the publicity?
If you bring something special
to a situation that may be of help,
and if the circumstances
merit your intrusion,
don't you think it's the
responsibility of every citizen
to become involved if a
crime has been committed?
YURI: But I did not
come here to argue.
I thought we could begin fresh.
Let the past stay in the past.
I believe that all things work
out for the best in the end, huh?
So do I.
I sleep well at night,
comforted by that thought.
You, perhaps, should not.
(GRUNTS DISMISSIVELY)
(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)
Pretty night.
Yes. Yes, it is.
I couldn't take much more
of that crowd in there.
My capacity for superficial
chatter only goes so far.
Where's Patricia?
Inside. Dancing the
night away, I imagine.
I can't keep up with her.
Oh, I know what you're thinking.
I didn't know
I was thinking anything.
Now, there is nothing more between Patricia
and myself than student and mentor.
I never thought there was.
Not that she's not
important to me, Jess.
I'm very fond of her.
You know, when I look at
her, I see myself at that age.
Full of energy, idealistic
as hell and very bright.
All she needs is that one big
break and she's on her way.
I just hope I don't pack it in
before she gets her chance.
Well, it's a little premature
to be talking about the end.
You've still got a lot
of years ahead of you.
You know, Jess, there
are times when I think
I can no longer bear the
weight of my own existence.
You said the same thing
when your son Brent died.
(SOFTLY) Yeah.
If it was true then,
why is it not true now?
It was a hard thing,
losing a son.
It made you question everything.
You had to get on with
the job of living again.
Yeah. You're right.
(CHUCKLES)
Tell me something, Jess.
How is it that you and I
never got together?
Oh, because I am completely busy
and you are
completely disagreeable.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
Yeah, I thought it was
something like that.
Oh.
(LAUGHING)
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
(DOOR OPENING)
You, boy, I need
to copy something.
A manuscript. Can you tell
me where I might do that?
No.
And first off,
I'm not your "boy."
And second, I'm here
for Mrs. Fletcher, not you.
You are an intern
of this agency, yes?
(SCOFFS) Sorry.
Insolent little...
Come back here!
(DOOR SLAMMING SHUT)
(CHIMING)
(THUNDER CRACKING)
(UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING)
(INAUDIBLE)
(THUNDER CRACKING)
$2 million for one book.
(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)
(CHIMING)
(KNOCKING AT DOOR)
(THUNDER CRACKING)
(CHIMING)
(TIRES SCREECHING)
Housekeeping.
(SCREAMING)
(THUNDER CRACKING)
(CHATTER ON POLICE RADIO)
OFFICER 1:
No idea. We just got here.
(SIREN WAILING)
OFFICER 2: Sir.
OFFICER 3: Yeah.
Just take it around the back.
Jessica Fletcher is here and there's
been a murder. What're the odds?
Excuse me.
EMT: Excuse me.
Coming through.
It's Yuri. I heard it from
one of the cleaning staff.
She found his body when
they went in to clean his room.
They said he was shot,
but no one heard a gun.
Oh, dear.
So?
What?
Well, aren't you
going to investigate?
I thought you'd be
discovering clues by now.
Oh!
I'm quite sure that the local
authorities have everything well in hand.
I'm not gonna get in their way.
Excuse me.
I can't believe it.
I just saw him last night.
We were supposed
to have breakfast.
I had the staff bring in
caviar, onions, sardines...
For breakfast?
You ask me, whoever
killed him didn't have to do it.
With a diet like that,
just wait a few weeks, huh?
Hello, Jessica.
Oh, Joseph.
Are you all right? ls
there anything you need?
No, thank you, Jessica.
Jessica Fletcher?
That's right.
Lieutenant Detective
Bob Mankowsky.
It's an honor to meet you.
I've read all of your
books. Well, most of them.
I would've read all of them,
but who's got that kind of time?
I assume you've
heard the details.
Well, actually, I...
Yuri was shot sometime last
night around midnight in his room,
possibly with a silencer,
since nobody heard anything.
And only one thing was taken from
the room, the manuscript of Yuri's book.
So isn't this where you tell
me what you think happened?
Don't worry, Officer Mankowsky,
I am not going to interfere
with your investigation.
What, you think I don't
want you getting involved?
Well, uh, it's usually
the case. (CHUCKLES)
Well, not me. Like
I said, I'm a big fan.
So as far as I'm concerned, you
get involved to your heart's content.
Well, thank you,
I'll remember that.
Now what're you
gonna do, Joseph?
I mean, in terms
of the conference?
Well, Officer Mankowsky thinks
we should continue and I agree.
I mean, we've arranged
this gathering
for our clients to showcase
their individual presentations.
We've got free lectures
all weekend, tons of press.
I can'tjustify closing
down that opportunity
for our clients to generate
some valuable attention.
Besides, the odds are
somebody here pulled the trigger.
So you think Jessica
Fletcher's working on the case?
Come on, she said she
wasn't gonna get into it.
Yeah, but what if she does?
You know, between the two of us,
we could beat her at her
own game, solve it first.
Oh, come on! Can you
imagine the publicity?
Can you imagine the attention?
Can you imagine the book sales?
You're not thinking what I
think you're thinking, are you?
Yeah. Listen, I'll
catch up with you later.
I want to get on this before
anybody else figures it out.
Patricia? You up?
Hey.
Nothing personal,
but you look like hell.
(sums)
Thanks a lot. I couldn't
sleep. Had nightmares all night.
Hmm.
Point of logic.
How could you have nightmares
if you couldn't sleep?
(sum-nus)
Warren.
Never mind. Come on.
You okay?
Fine.
You want something to drink?
Before breakfast?
That's not like you.
(SIGHING) Well, I guess a lot of people
think I'm somebody else these days.
I'm going to take a shower.
Do you want to get
something for breakfast?
Mmm.Yeah.
(SHOWER RUNNING)
Yeah, I'll, uh...
I'll meet you downstairs.
And that's why sometimes you
have to sacrifice a little privacy
for peace of mind.
Frankly, I'm not at all
concerned about the liberal left.
Organized crime,
there is a real threat.
Worst thing a liberal can do
is talk you to death.
(SCATTERED LAUGHTER)
Next question, please.
Ah, a fellow speaker and
member of the liberal press.
What, did you come here to
learn a few things? (LAUGHING)
What's your question?
Well, I was just wondering where
you were last night around midnight.
That's none of your business,
but I'm gonna tell you anyway.
I was in my room preparing
for this little lecture.
Can you prove that?
If I have to.
What the hell are you, pal,
a cop? If you are, say so.
I'm just an interested
member of the audience
and I think you've got
something to hide.
And what might that be?
You tell me. You and the
murdered man had some words.
That was a friendly exchange.
Now, look, pal, I'm not on
trial here and you're not ajudge.
Next question.
(DOOR OPENING)
(GROANING SOFTLY)
Hello, Patricia.
Oh, hello.
Are you all right?
Yes, I'm fine. I'm just a little
tired, didn't get much sleep.
Oh, sure.
I know the feeling.
May I ask you something?
Of course.
How badly did you
want to be a writer?
Well, I think it was always
in the back of my mind.
But I didn't start writing seriously
until after my husband died.
Why do you ask?
Well, I'm afraid it's becoming
a bit of an obsession with me.
You see, Warren has given
me so much of his time,
and I appreciate that so much,
and I just want to
make him proud.
And I know I'm going to
have to work very hard
if I want to gain any
recognition at all as a writer, so...
Well, it's a very
competitive world.
But don't worry, a little
obsession never hurt anyone.
Thank you.
How you doing?
We're looking for
the hotel manager.
We understand
someone's been murdered.
Right. Well, he isn't
talking to anyone.
FBI, genius.
Upstairs, to the left, sir.
(KNOCK AT DOOR)
JESSICA: Come in.
Good morning, John.
Good morning.
I got it for you
just like I promised.
Oh, thank you.
Set it right down there.
Are you leaving?
Oh, no, no, no. I'm just gonna
work outside for a few hours.
Why don't you
take the afternoon off?
Well, some friends
of mine asked me
to go to Santa Monica
for a birthday party, but...
No buts. You go and have a
good time, I can take care of myself.
I guess you heard
about last night?
Yes, very unfortunate.
Yeah, well, I'm not gonna
shed any tears for him.
He shouldn't have talked to you.
He shouldn't have talked
to people the way he did.
John, rudeness is
hardly grounds for murder.
If it was, half the planet
would be gone tomorrow.
All right, Mrs. Fletcher.
Have a good day.
Thanks. You, too.
(DOOR CLOSING)
Here's your drink, Miss Ryan.
WILLIAM: So let's
go over the evidence.
JANG: We don't have
any evidence.
J, we're motivators.
Think positive, be
positive, act positive.
Now, one, Yuri was murdered.
Two, his manuscript was missing.
Therefore, three, Yuri was
killed for the manuscript.
Unless whoever did it
took the manuscript
to make it look like
that's why he killed him,
when, in fact, the manuscript
had nothing to do with it.
Are you trying to make this
more difficult? What else is there?
A murder needs motive.
Now I was talking to
some of the company people,
and Yuri was apparently
a recluse.
This was his first time outside of
Russia since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Sounds like a sore loser.
The point is that whatever
he might've done in Russia,
he was killed here in America.
But he hadn't done anything yet.
He just got here, he was
practically just off the boat.
He had a book
published last year.
It was a novel, fiction.
Come on, J. Let's
get on the same page.
Okay, it was a novel.
Book got slammed
by the reviewers.
Maybe that had
something to do with it.
Oh, if people got murdered
for writing bad books,
somebody would've taken out
Judith Krantz a long time ago.
Okay, I'll give you that one.
Well, maybe he slandered
somebody in the novel.
That's why God made lawyers.
No.
Yuri said his non-fiction book was
filled with secrets from the Cold War.
So that's why he was murdered.
Ah, maybe it was someone who wanted
to cash in on the information in the book.
Or maybe it
was a political killing
by somebody from the old country
who didn't want those secrets to get out.
There's probably a copy
on his computer back home,
but it's probably coded,
triple encrypted,
booby-trapped and Trojan horsed.
What do you think,
Mrs. Fletcher?
Hmm?
Do you think
that's a likely scenario?
Uh... Well, I mean, there are
always many likely scenarios.
The trick is finding the one true
scenario among all the likely ones.
I mean, for instance,
in my experience,
the person who's being the most
helpful in trying to solve the murder
is often the one
who committed the crime.
I mean, he does it in
order to discredit real clues
and create
misleading information.
Oh, yes, too much eagerness
to solve the crime
is all too often a sign
of the killer himself.
Don't look at me like that.
Well, you said yourself,
the killer could be anybody.
Anybody means
you, me, Jessica...
Exactly. Or even...
those guys.
Hey, you ask me, those
guys look pretty suspicious.
Well, they're FBI.
How do you know?
Earpiece visible
behind the left ear,
slight bulge in the right sleeve
where the mike for the
walkie-talkie is located.
Second bulge
just under their jackets,
looks about the right size
for a 9mm semi-automatic,
standard FBI issue.
Suspects.
Good going, Sherlock.
(JANG LAUGHS)
Come on, let's give
the pro some room to work.
WILLIAM: J, she may be
right about the FBI,
but I still think there's
something going on here.
ROLLINS: Let's get real,
shall we?
They call it the Russian Republic
now and not the Soviet Union,
but it's the same old
players, the same old game.
And they want
the past to stay dead.
And if Yuri's dead
along with it,
then that's business as usual.
Now, I think...
I think we should let the people
who know what they're talking about
try to figure out what happened.
At last, the voice
of common sense.
What took you so long?
Caught in traffic
outside of D.C.
Common sense hasn't been
able to get into that place in years.
I'm sorry, where are my manners?
Penny Ryan, Everett Jang.
Everett, this is...
Oh, I know, believe me.
I saw you skate in Sarajevo,
Paris, Chicago...
Chicago?
That was my first
real competition.
Nobody saw me in Chicago.
I did.
I'm glad to hear
you're on the comeback trail.
Thank you.
It's getting a little thick
in here, isn't it?
Yes?
PHILIPS: Mack Rollins?
Mason Philips, Paul Neely, FBI.
Could you come with us, please?
Excuse me.
Anyway, I say follow the book.
You find that manuscript,
you'll find the killer.
You sound pretty sure
about that.
It's hard to believe
it's so simple.
Well, when you've been around for
awhile, perhaps you'll observe more.
(LAUGHS) Maybe.
But from what I've seen now,
it seems pretty inconclusive.
I mean, don't you need
a motive anymore
or do people just go
around getting arrested?
Oh, there is a motive all right.
Rollins had
plenty of reasons to kill...
Well, that's none of
our business, now, is it?
Well... Well, no. But I
just thought I would...
Don't. Leave the
thinking to the FBI.
Excuse me.
I'm sure you
understand, Mr. Rollins,
the murder of Yuri Malenkovich
has sent off alarms all
over the State Department.
Not to mention
we've received some rather sharply-worded
faxes from the Russian consulate.
And what's that
got to do with me?
Well, during the '70s, while
you were overseas on book tours,
you did some freelance work
for the American
intelligence community,
covering the activities of
campus radicals here and abroad.
It would pose a
considerable embarrassment
if the unfortunate events
of last night
were to come knocking
at your door.
This is insane.
According to reports, the two of you
exchanged words the night he was murdered.
Something about a deal.
Would you care to
explain, Mr. Rollins?
He and I had the same publisher.
Six weeks ago, we signed
a deal to do a tour together.
Sixteen cities,
little dog-and-pony show,
like the G. Gordon
LiddylTimothy Leary tour.
East versus West in the
final shootout of the Cold War.
And then what was that little
exchange about during dinner?
Well, that was just
part of the show.
I figured I'd warm up
the act a little.
Warm?
I hear it got pretty hot.
Well, I lost my temper,
that's all.
We had an agreement not
to make the debates personal,
to stick to the issues.
Right out of the gate, he
starts taking personal shots.
Yuri Malenkovich wasn't
big on keeping promises.
Knowing your feelings toward anyone
involved with the former Soviet Union,
I'm surprised you
went along with this.
My publisher thought it
would help move my books.
Sales have been soft since
the Berlin Wall came down.
I guess nobody's building
things to last anymore!
Do you ever talk?
We will of course
review this material.
It's in the best interest
of the agency
and everyone involved here to make
this go away as quickly as possible.
Why? It's not like he was
dearly loved, you know.
Perhaps not, but there is
still a manuscript missing,
which may or may not contain
politically sensitive information.
Ah, I see you decided to get away
from that feeding frenzy in there.
Pack of vultures, picking at
someone else's misfortune.
Tell me, Jess,
do you ever stop working?
Well, it's so easy.
You see, it's one of the
benefits of a notebook computer.
Well, I wouldn't know.
This I made myself.
(DINGS)
Works like a dream.
(CLASSICAL MUSIC
PLAYING ON LAPTOP)
(HUMMING OFF-KEY)
WOMAN:
See ya later, John.
Keep walking.
Open it.
Look, man, if this
is a carjacking,
you can just take the car, okay?
Open it.
All right.
You are going to
give me the manuscript.
What?
You have Yuri's manuscript.
I don't believe it! This is a mystery
novel. This is my novel, okay?
I've been working on it
for the past two years.
I was hoping to give it to Jessica
Fletcher after the conference.
Freeze! FBI.
Drop your weapon.
So the real question is whatever
happened to common courtesy?
Little things like, "Thank
you," "You're welcome,"
"I'm sorry,"
"No, after you."
You know, it's gotten
to the point now
where you can't even
go to the movies
without worrying about
creating an international incident
just by asking somebody
to be quiet.
I've been threatened
just for going "Shh."
Sol made this little
gadget, about so big,
with a spring
and a little latch on it,
perfectly harmless,
but it sounded
like a gun being cocked.
(ALL LAUGHING)
Now, if you could just tell me
who you saw in the hallway.
I need more money.
This is not enough.
This better be worth it.
So when I'm in the movies and
when I heard somebody talking,
I'd give them a "Shh."
If they didn't
pay any attention,
I would take out the
little gadget and I would...
(MIMICKING GUN COCKING)
(ALL LAUGHING)
and suddenly it got very quiet.
Till one night I went to
the movies in Chicago,
and there was a guy behind
me and he kept talking,
so I reached into my pocket and
I took out the little gadget and...
(MIMICKING GUN COCKING)
I confidently waited
for the silence.
(INAUDIBLE)
A couple of seconds later,
from behind me, I heard another...
(MIMICKING GUN COCKING)
(ALL LAUGHING)
So I thought to myself,
"What're the odds
"that this guy has a little
gadget just like mine?
"Or what are the odds
"that he's got a real gun
pointed at the back of my head?"
I dropped the little gadget
in the trash bin
and I have never, ever
tried that again.
Excuse me. I don't think
we've met. I'm Patricia Williams.
Hi, I'm Penny Ryan.
Oh, yes.
Of course. I know.
I was lucky enough
to see you in the Olympics.
So what happened there?
What do you mean?
Well, I mean, you went
into that competition
ranking number one in
the world and finished fifth
and stopped skating.
Well, we were all under a lot
of pressure and I had a bad day.
If you don't mind me asking,
was there more to it
than the pressure?
I think you said...
You know, I don't really
care what you think.
I know what I went through, and it's
actually just none of your business.
Well, actually,
it is my business.
You see, I'm a writer
and I look for stories.
You mean fabricating stories?
No, I gather facts
and I have them published.
Well, there's nothing here
for publication.
Guess I hit a nerve.
I'm sorry.
No, you're not.
Look, there is no story here.
Leave me alone.
JESSICA: Yes, of course,
I'll be right there.
No, it's not a problem.
John, don't be silly. It's not as if I
haven't done this sort of thing before.
I'll be right there.
Oh!
I was just about to knock.
Are you going out?
Well, yes. I just got a call
from my intern, John Mendoza.
He was picked up by the FBI.
He needs someone
to go to bat for him.
Oh, sorry.
Well, could you spare
a minute before you go?
Oh, of course.
Come in.
Jessica, I was wondering
if you would be willing
to look into this
whole murder situation.
As a personal favor to me.
May I ask why?
A little while ago, you were
complaining about this feeding frenzy
and everyone trying to capitalize
on somebody else's misfortune
by trying to figure out
who did it.
That's true.
Well, what happened
to change your mind?
Well, nothing.
They're still vultures.
But the hysteria we've got
out there, it's dangerous.
I think we're in desperate
need of some panic control.
That'd be you.
Warren, if I get into this,
I have to follow the truth,
wherever it leads.
I understand.
All right, I'm in.
Walk with me?
After you.
Hello, John.
I am so sorry to have to
drag you all the way out here.
Oh, that's quite all right.
How long were you planning
on holding him, Lieutenant?
Well, if it was up to me, I
would've cut him loose an hour ago,
but the Feds want to hold
him as a material witness.
But I didn't see anything.
Some guy tried to rob me.
Who tried to rob you?
A Russian.
The Feds think maybe it's the
same guy who capped Malenkovich.
He thought I had
the stolen manuscript.
And I thought for sure
that he was gonna kill me.
They're questioning him in
another room. Want to see?
Yes. Perhaps I should.
Don't worry, I'll be right back.
We'll get you out of here
in just a few minutes.
PHILIPS ON SPEAKER: Okay. Once
more. And this time, give me the facts.
I have already told you!
That's the guy.
Tell me again. I just
love being lied to.
It reminds me
of my last marriage.
(sums)
Boris, what were you doing
at the hotel?
I came to speak with Yuri
Malenkovich about his book.
Do you always bring
a gun and a silencer
to talk to somebody
about his book?
Or are the Russians just harder
on their writers than I thought?
It was for protection
in case Yuri made a problem.
We knew he had been offered
$2 million by his publisher.
I was sent to make a
counteroffer of equal value
if he would not sell it
to anyone else.
We would also arrange
for certain favors to be done
for members of his family
still in Russia,
whose living conditions
have been rather hard
since the fall of
the communist party.
Of course, it would've been
much simpler to just kill him,
take the book and keep the
money for yourself, I think.
It's not that simple!
Thank you.
He didn't kill Yuri.
Well, you sound
awfully sure of that.
Look, if he had done the job,
he would have had
the manuscript,
he wouldn't have gone after
John thinking that he had it.
Well, he could've killed him and then
found the book was already missing.
Oh, no. Yuri wasn't
the sort of person
who would lose track of
something that important.
If that manuscript had been
stolen before he was killed,
he would've caused a commotion
that you would've heard
all the way back to Moscow.
So the killing is related
to the manuscript?
No. I didn't
say that.
In a situation like this,
there's what we think, what
we know and what we can prove.
I mean, Yuri is dead,
the manuscript is missing.
But how do those facts
relate to one another?
I mean, we don't know.
(sum-nus)
Tell your people
to keep looking.
MANKOWSKY:
What? What do you mean?
Forensics report says
the gun we found on this guy
didn't fire the bullet
that killed Yuri.
I'll get into it.
Well, if you're going to,
you'd better do it quickly.
What do you mean we'd better...
What're... What is
she doing in here?
She is my guest.
She has no official role in this
investigation. She has no business...
What do you mean
we should do it quickly?
Well, this man here is a
Russian citizen, isn't he?
That's right. Why?
(PHONE RINGING)
Well, if I was in his situation,
I'd have orders to check in
with my handler every few hours.
And if I didn't...
Yeah?
My handler might think
that I had been arrested,
in which case he would immediately
arrange for the kind of assistance
that only he could get as a
diplomat of another country.
Diplomatic immunity.
Mr. Philips, there's
a guy on the line
from the Russian
Consulate in New York.
He'd like a word with you.
I'll take that in the other office.
Then I want her out of here.
Just one other thing,
Mr. Philips.
If that call
is what I think it is,
and if our guest is about to
receive diplomatic immunity,
then you have
no case against him.
That's right.
Well, then how can you hold
John Mendoza as a material witness
in a case that no longer exists?
Kick him loose.
That was a thing of beauty,
Mrs. Fletcher.
I mean, the look on his face was
perfect... (INTERCOM BEEPS)
MAN ON INTERCOM: Someone's
here to see you, Detective.
Yeah, send them on back.
I'm gonna put through
the paperwork on your friend
and we'll have him out
of here in a little bit.
Oh, thank you.
That'|| be wonderful.
Oh, sorry. I didn't
know you were here.
Oh, that's all right.
I can leave if you like.
Oh, no. That's okay.
You'll want to hear this.
I think I know who killed Yuri.
Hi, mind if I bother
you for a minute?
(CHUCKLES) Please.
Thanks. After we met, I asked around
about you, and from what I gather,
when it comes to motivational
speaking, you are the one to talk to.
Even more than your
partner, William.
Well, I don't know
if I'm any better than...
I also heard that
you were very modest.
That is a rare trait these days.
So what can I do for you?
You mentioned
the comeback trail.
Well, I am ready to find it, all right, but
I'm not really sure which trail to take.
I've tried writing, but so far
nothing's really worked out.
You could consult on ice skating,
but not unless you really want to coach,
and I'm not really
ready for that.
Sol have a name, a little worn
out, maybe, but still a name.
Just not a lot of options
on how to use it.
So I was thinking, maybe motivational
speaking might be the best way to go.
I think that's a great idea.
You see, the harder
your life has been,
the more it means if you can pull yourself
out of it and make something of yourself.
And from what I know about
you, you've had a pretty hard life.
You've worked yourself out of
poverty, you've educated yourself,
you've trained yourself.
You've got a pretty
interesting story to tell,
and I think people
will want to hear it.
Do you really think so? I mean, |wouldn't
need, like, some kind of gimmick or...
No, just be yourself.
(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)
Patricia Williams?
Yes?
Lieutenant Detective
Bob Mankowsky.
Is there something wrong?
Miss Williams,
you told our officers
that you went straight
to your room after dinner,
but we now have a witness
who has placed you leaving
Yuri Malenkovich's room at
roughly the time of the murder.
You were crying, you looked as
though you'd been in a struggle,
and you were seen leaving
with a thick manila envelope.
Would you come with me, please?
You're sure this won't
get you into any trouble?
Oh, it probably will,
but I can handle it.
I don't buy any of this. Where'd
this so-called witness come from?
And if they saw something, why
didn't they come forward earlier?
It's all too convenient for me.
The witness works the
4:00 p.m. to midnight shift.
She didn't hear of the murder until
she got back to work this afternoon.
(SCOFFS)
Miss Williams, do you understand the
penalty for lying to an agent of the FBI
in the course of a
homicide investigation?
I'm not lying.
No?
Interesting.
I still don't understand why
Patricia didn't want an attorney.
Hmm.
She was afraid it would be
an admission of guilt.
It was naive, stupid. We
couldn't talk her out of it.
So let me see
if I understand this.
You say you were never
in Yuri Malenkovich's room.
That's right.
So the maid that saw you?
She's confused or lying.
So you were never there?
No.
Well, that's interesting.
Let me show you something.
On the left are fingerprints we
took when we brought you in here.
The fingerprints on
the right were taken
from a broken wineglass
we found in Yuri's room.
They're the same.
100% absolute match.
Is there anything you want to change
in your story now, Miss Williams?
After the reception, I did call him to
see if I could speak to him privately.
He agreed.
We set a time.
What time?
A little before 11:00.
PHILIPS: Didn't itstrike you odd to be
seeing someone so late in the evening?
PATRICIA: I figured he was
still on Russian time.
What were you seeing him about?
I thought if I could interview
him about his years with the KGB
and his new book, I could sell
the article to a major magazine.
I felt that this
could be my big break.
My first big sale.
(THUNDER CRACKING)
I brought my clips, so I could
show him what I'd done previously.
Mostly some articles and a few short
stories I'd published over the years,
just so he would know
that I was a writer.
But as it turned out, he
wasn't interested in my work.
We struggled,
but! didn't kill him.
(CLOTH RIPPING)
He was very much alive
when I left that room.
That was the last time
I saw him.
That's a fine story,
Miss Williams.
It's what happened.
Look, from what I've heard,
it sounds like he was shot.
I don't even own a gun.
But it is entirely possible that you
saw his manuscript as the big break.
Or maybe you just wanted
to sell it to the Russians.
No.
On the other hand, maybe
he did try to assault you,
and in the course of the struggle,
you grabbed his gun, fired. Self-defense.
I'm sure ajury will find
that story more sympathetic.
I can hold you for 24 hours before
I have to charge you with anything.
Until then, you're the person
closest to the center of the storm,
and I'm keeping you here.
(sums)
WARREN: She didn't do it. She
couldn't have. I just won't accept it.
Well, I'll give you that
she's wild in some ways,
but it's because she's so
passionate about things.
Her life, her work, her career,
but something like this? No. Never.
You know, Warren, when
you asked me to look into this,
I sensed that there was a lot
more than what you were saying.
You were afraid of this,
weren't you?
Yes, I was.
Philips is so desperate to pin
this on somebody, he'll try anything.
I know.
It's the hardest thing
to see someone innocent
being blamed for something
that they didn't do.
I don't want anything
to happen to Patricia.
Yeah, I lost my son.
I just don't want to go
through anything like that again.
You know, Warren, you've
never really talked about him.
I mean, I knew that Brent was a reporter,
that he had been killed in Afghanistan,
but that's all.
He loved to write, even as a
little boy, he just loved to write.
So he decided he wanted
to become ajournalist.
He was covering the activities of
the Afghani rebels when he was killed.
That was the worst thing that ever
happened to me in my life, Jess.
I just... I can't go through
anything like that again.
(SIGHS) I'm going to do
everything I can, Warren. I swear.
Thanks.
WARREN: So what's
our next step?
Well, the killer
is still out there.
So ourjob is to find him
or at least produce evidence
that eliminates Patricia from
the list of possible suspects.
Hmm. So we don't necessarily
have to show who did it,
as long as we can prove
that she didn't do it.
Right. What we need to do
right now is to prove
that the real killer
is still at large.
And how do we do that?
I've got an idea or two.
Hmm.
(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)
Hi.
Hi, you made it.
Are you kidding? |wouldn't
miss this for the world.
You know, I'm surprised you're
at this conference by yourself.
Well, I'm kind of
on my own these days.
My husband and I separated
about six months ago.
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
Ah, it's okay.
He was a skater for
the East-German team.
And I've spoken
to Lieutenant Mankowsky
and he has agreed to attend the
press conference on Monday morning.
Hmm. And that's when you'll
make your announcement?
I should think so.
I don't know how
you do it, Jess.
|would've never
have seen those clues,
and they were right
there in front of me.
Well, it's just a matter of knowing what
you're looking for, how to recognize it
and how to organize
the information.
I mean, once you've done that, everything
else invariably falls into place.
Hmm.
By Monday morning, we should
have the last two pieces of information
to nail down the case and then we
can all get back to our respective lives.
(WARREN GRUNTS IN
AGREEMENT) Excuse me.
WARREN: You think
he bought it, Jess?
JESSICA: Oh, yes.
I'd like a lager.
Lager? Sounds good.
Two lagers, please.
Where is he now?
Uh, back in Germany.
He had some kind of run-in
with the authorities there.
He dropped out of sight
completely about a week ago.
I suspect he's in
some kind of trouble...
J, I've been looking everywhere
for you. Did you hear?
I'm kind of busy here, Bill.
Hi. Fletcher's
on the case.
You're kidding.
No. I heard her talking with
that friend of hers, Warren.
She figures to have this whole thing
completely wrapped up by Monday.
That gives us just 24 hours
to crack this thing.
Why? If she knows who the killer is
and justice gets served, that's great.
Great for her maybe,
not so good for me.
All right.
I'll see you later.
I've got something I gotta do.
Excuse me, Mr. Brennan,
can I have a minute?
What is it?
Well, I've got some ideas
about Yuri's murder
and I've got nobody
to bounce them off of.
Why don't you just bounce
them off your buddy, Jang?
Well, he's... He's got his
hands full with other things.
No, I just thought that
if I could, sort of,
test my theory out on you that
there might be, I don't know,
some interest in a book or something
somewhere down the line, or perhaps, um...
Look, Batsby, I'm president of a company
that represents people who write books.
I'm not a publisher.
Oh, I know, I know, but I
thought that if I told you my ideas
and you thought they had merit,
that you might direct me to
somebody who could help me.
Put in a good word, you know?
All right, all right,
let's hear it.
(CLEARS THROAT) Well, um... The
way I see it, we need to find a connection
between Yuri and somebody
at this conference.
Somebody who needed that
manuscript bad enough to kill for it.
Correct. Yes.
Now, who would that be?
I don't know, yet, but I will.
One thing I do know, it's not going
to be obvious. The killer, I mean.
So, um, if you thought
it might be worth a shot,
sorry, no pun intended, I
might be able to nose around,
see what I could find out.
Well, do some sleuthing
if you like and we'll see.
If you come up with something,
maybe we'll talk.
But I'm gonna
tell you something.
I don't wanna get led
on a wild-goose chase,
and before you come back to me,
make sure you know
what you're talking about.
Oh, yes, sir,
you can bet I will.
Now I want you to stay right
here and don't answer the door.
I'm going to pick up a few things
and I'll be back before you know it.
I beg your pardon?
Oh, this couch looks
very comfortable.
Warren, you're not staying here.
Of course I am.
We as much as told the world
that you know who the killer is.
And the killer will obviously consider
that a threat, which should bring him out.
That's a good thing.
It's a bad thing if he decides to
eliminate the threat by eliminating you.
So you will stay in the bedroom,
I will sleep here on the couch.
No one'|| get past me,
I guarantee it.
You don't have
to do this, Warren.
No. if I did,
I probably wouldn't.
Since I don't, I am and I will.
I'm gonna go to my room
and get my pillow
because I've broken
it in quite nicely.
(KNOCK AT DOOR)
Yes?
MAN: Room service.
Good evening, ma'am.
Oh, over there, please.
I always have a cup of
chamomile tea every evening.
Oh, good idea. I think
I'd like some myself.
Back in five.
Tea for two, ma'am?
So it would seem.
Thank you very much.
Oh, thank you, ma'am.
Good night.
Good night.
(WARREN SNORING)
(DOOR OPENING)
WARREN: It doesn't
prove anything.
We have no proof this
even came from the killer.
It could have come from any
one of those other people out there
who are trying
to solve the murder.
Well, unless the neighbors
heard you snoring,
what would "Stop now or die"
refer to other than our investigation?
Yeah, well, it's possible. What?
What do you mean, my snoring?
I don't snore.
I have never snored.
Warren, you're a dear man
and a good friend,
either you snore or there was
a bear in here last night
and one of us should
inform the management.
Look, I'll grant it's not
much, but it's a start.
It means that
we've been noticed.
Now we have to turn it
over to the police.
The more we can create
a legitimate paper trail,
the better Patricia's
chances of being cleared.
Give me just a minute
to put myself together.
(WINDOW SHATTERING)
(THUD)
Warren? Are you all right?
Jess...
Warren, what's wrong?
I've been shot.
Oh, my God.
Don't move, it'll only
make it bleed more.
See? I told you
you were in danger.
Oh, there are simpler ways of
proving it than by dying, Warren!
(SIREN WAILING)
(WOMAN CHATTERING ON PA)
JESSICA: You really should stay
here and let them keep an eye on you.
Jessica, it's just
a flesh wound.
The doctor said
nothing vital was hit.
I can sit here or I can sit at the
hotel, what difference does it make?
Look, Warren,
someone tried to kill you.
Yes, and whoever tried it may
probably come after you next.
I'm not going to stay here
and let that happen.
You know, lthought you might want to know
that we've tested that bullet that grazed you,
and the double striations on the bullet match
the one that we pulled out of Yuri's body.
Double striations?
Yes. Indicating that the bullet was
fired from a gun equipped with a silencer,
which is why no one heard it
the night Yuri was murdered.
That's interesting.
What?
Well, a silencer indicates a certain
degree of premeditation, doesn't it?
I mean, most people who own
guns don't own silencers.
They're very expensive
and hard to find.
Well, see,
that's the other thing.
The lines caused by the silencer don't
match anything else we have in the file.
A silencer certainly
mitigates against
the murder being a spontaneous
act of rage or passion.
Well, that clears Patricia.
If she was in a cell
across town,
she couldn't possibly
have been outside the hotel
this morning with a gun,
now could she?
No, she couldn't have.
Agent Philips is not
gonna be happy about this.
Would he have been happier
if I had been killed?
Well, he's a Fed.
You never know.
Shall we?
Bobby, Mrs. Fletcher is
moving to the Siesta suite.
Take care of her
luggage, please.
Henry's already up there.
He'll help you. Thank you.
(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)
I can manage those.
Thank you.
Oh, yes, with one arm.
I'll go along with him.
I'll just be a moment.
No, Clem, listen. We know she
was in Sarajevo. I need more.
Any connection
with Yuri Malenkovich,
anything between them or
even someone they both knew.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. You said yourself,
this woman is not even a police suspect.
I don't care. Come on, call
your sources, pull in some favors.
I've told you who's here. See if you
can connect any of them with Yuri.
Bats, Jessica Fletcher
knows what she's doing.
Leave it to her
and go motivate somebody.
You know,
she isn't always right.
And if I could crack this, it would mean a
lot more dough than I'm getting right now.
All right, I'll do what I can,
but don't expect any big
secrets to be uncovered.
Yeah, thanks, Clem.
I'll be in my room.
Call me with anything.
Uh, excuse me.
I wonder, did you
by any chance see a man
standing around here
around 9:00 a.m.?
Funny you should
mention that, but, yeah.
Why funny?
Well, I've seen him around the
hotel a few times the past couple days,
but, uh, I don't think
he's a guest here.
Why not?
Well, he orders a drink
once in awhile,
but he always pays cash,
never puts it on a room account.
Anyway, I saw him this morning
and he was standing there,
looking up, and all of a
sudden, he just took off.
Haven't seen him since.
I see. Do you think
you could describe him for me?
Sure. He's about 5'6",
maybe 5'7".
Always wearing a black jacket.
Oh, yeah, and he had one of
those small leather shoulder bags.
Carried it with him like it was the
most important thing in the world.
Oh, interesting. Well, you've
been very helpful. Thank you.
J, I got it.
I worked it out.
Ah, Mr. Holmes,
so good to see you again.
Yeah. Laugh all you want, but
I think I know who the killer is,
and I'm ready to go with it.
You know why your pal,
the athlete, got divorced?
Penny? No, she just said
that she and her husband
split up sometime after
he got back from Germany.
East Germany,
that's what you said.
Well, I called in a few favors
from some reporter friends of mine.
It turns out that she was
involved with somebody
on the East-German team
while she was married.
That same year, she turns in the
worst performance of her career
and we lose the gold. That's
too much of a coincidence.
Maybe the Russians were holding her
husband hostage and it was blackmail.
Maybe she got paid to throw the
competition, maybe she did it out of love.
Maybe she was upset because
her marriage was falling apart.
J, she's the only one here with a
direct connection to the old Soviet Union.
She knew Yuri had a book coming out and
maybe she was afraid that she was in it.
If she did throw the competition and
it came out, it could ruin her career.
She'd lose her endorsements, there'd
be a scandal, she'd lose everything.
So you're saying she did it.
I'm saying that either she did it or
she hired somebody to do it for her.
To kill Yuri and anybody else
who gets too close to the truth.
(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)
(KNOCK AT DOOR)
Agent Philips and Neely,
what a pleasant surprise.
What can I do for you?
The night Yuri Malenkovich was
murdered, you spoke with him, correct?
We had a few words, yes.
What kind of words?
Oh, the usual, nouns, verbs,
adjectives to round things out.
Any heated words on that
list? Any rash words?
Not that I can
remember. No.
Please, come in.
Thank you.
Have a seat.
I'm told that you were
upset by the idea
that someone who
repressed writers and artists
during the Soviet days
might profit from his actions.
Uh, upset? No.
Annoyed? Yes.
I mean, the morality
of this is rather dubious.
Mrs. Fletcher,
do you recognize this?
Well, yes, of course.
It's the note that I took from
under my door this morning.
And what did you do
with it upon finding it?
Well, I gave it to
the police straightaway.
Well, when we went over the
paper, we found traces of handwriting.
To be precise, we found
the impression of a signature.
Now the signature is under the ink
spelling out the words "Stop now or die."
Meaning that the impression was
made before the warning was written.
Well, that's good. That means
the writing belongs to the killer
or someone involved
in the murder.
Exactly.
So you'll understand my surprise
when our experts checked out
the indented signature
and determined that the handwriting
and the signature on the note
is yours, Mrs. Fletcher.
Now think about it, is there
something you're not telling me?
Yes. Yes, there is.
And would you care
to enlighten me?
At this precise moment, no.
What do you mean, no,
Mrs. Fletcher?
Do you or do you not want the
person responsible for Yuri's death?
Of course I do.
Then give me a little
more time. I need 24 hours.
I have one last lead
to check out.
No, forget it, not a chance.
Look, all you have is a series
of clues that don't add up.
Now, you can pressure me
to tell you what I know,
and being a good citizen,
I probably will.
But you still won't be
able to prove anything.
The conference will be over tomorrow and
everybody will have gone their separate ways
and this case will have
slipped through your fingers.
Give me those 24 hours,
and I will give you the person
responsible for Yuri's murder.
A man has been murdered,
Mrs. Fletcher.
I am not about to...
NEELY: Let her go.
What?
You heard me, I said let
her go. Give her the 24 hours.
Why?
Because I trust her.
I know her work
and I know her rep.
And I trust her.
You got a problem with that?
Hello.
I think the lady
wants to talk to you.
What do you want?
Well, I'd like to know
what you're doing here.
I believe that you were in the garden
this morning standing under my window.
No, I...
Please.
I have a witness.
All right. Fine.
I was there. So what?
I was also told that you
left in quite a hurry. Why?
Well, I was standing there,
minding my own business,
when all of a sudden,
there was this big whack
from the tree right next to me,
like something hit it real hard.
And I didn't know if somebody
was throwing something at me,
or if there was some
kind of an animal in there,
but I wasn't gonna
stick around to find out.
What kind of a sound was that?
Well, like I said, it was a sharp
whack right next to my head.
So, if you don't mind...
Oh, one other thing, what were you
doing standing there in the first place?
I'm a collector.
I was hoping for an autograph.
I've been waiting two days just
to get five minutes alone, but...
An autograph?
For heaven sake's.
Let me find a pen.
Oh, no, no, not yours.
His. Warren Pierce.
Oh, Joseph,
if your face was any lower,
I'd have to dig a hole in
the floor to accommodate it.
I'm sorry, I'm just tired.
It's been a long day.
I know.
What can I do for you?
You know, everything about Yuri's
murder screams premeditation,
yet relatively few people
knew about his new book.
It was a non-fiction memoir
of his years in the KGB.
So if the Russians aren't
responsible for his death,
then the murder had nothing
to do with his memoirs.
And this is where
I need your help, Joseph.
About a year ago,
Yuri published another book.
It was a novel, based
loosely on his experiences.
Would you by any chance
have a copy of that book?
Sure. I was going to have it out
for the press conference on Monday.
Why?
I need to see it.
YURI: The recent insurrection
against civil authority
brought this warrior
to a barren battlefield.
Death and destruction abound, but even here
he would seek out pleasures of the flesh.
Colonel Boris Yetlnoff was a
man of healthy sexual appetites.
Loved by women,
feared by his enemies.
When she entered
the room and he saw her,
he knew that he had seen
his true opposite number.
As he looked into her eyes, he knew their
paths were locked from this day forward.
I didn't know you'd be here.
I had to come. I had to come
and see what sort of man you were.
(DISTANT EXPLOSION)
What do you think?
I think that my life
has just changed forever.
Warren, I was afraid I was
never gonna get out of that jail.
Hmm! And now, we are going to celebrate your
liberation from unjustified incarceration,
and I'm buying.
Then we do live
in miraculous times.
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
Mmm. I'm gonna
call Jessica.
I know she'd want
to be in on this.
(RINGING)
YURI: Boris had no choice
but to shoot his way out.
(GUNFIRE)
(GROANS)
(cousmus)
Come, Boris, we must hurry.
Where are we going?
To a place of great
danger to our people.
Where a man of your talent is needed
to deal with insurgents and spies.
What better place to show the world
what you are made of than Afghanistan.
Come.
(KNOCKING CONTINUES)
YURI: At last he was
back in uniform.
Now he could discard the pretense of
being anyone other than who he was,
a loyal servant
of the Soviet Party.
(SOLDIERS CHATTERING
IN RUSSIAN)
(GRUNTING)
General Yetinoff, we found these
men in the rebel Afghani camp.
We're reporters.
Be quiet.
Do they have any identification?
No, and you know
damn well we don't.
Your goons here confiscated
our papers and our passports,
and you know we're not the CIA.
No? Perhaps. Perhaps so.
It is not my fault
that your own government
has compromised all of
its journalists everywhere.
When you know that one
reporter is actually a spy,
then any of them can be a spy.
If you'd just let me
call my newspaper...
There are no telephones here. There is just
you and me and all those soldiers outside.
YURI: Boris looked
at the two intruders.
He could not afford
to take chances.
(GROANS)
No!
Jessica?
I had one of
the staff let me in.
We've been together so much,
they didn't seem to question it.
Terrible lapse in security.
(CHUCKLES)
So, I came by
your room last night.
I called you a couple of
times, but there was no answer.
No, around midnight
I turned off the phone.
Ah. Writing again?
No, I was up reading.
Mmm, I see.
It's funny, the more
important an emotion,
the fewer words are
needed to express it.
"I am your friend."
Four words.
"| love you."
Three words.
"Marry me." "I'm
sorry." Two words.
You are my friend. That puts you just
three words from the center of my heart.
Over the years,
I've lost so many people.
Sometimes I felt that there was
no one left for me to play with
and then I met you again,
and everything changed.
Warren, you are my friend.
I would do anything for you.
Except...
Except betray what I believe in,
and pretend that I don't know
what this book has told me.
After I finished reading it,
I came in here
and took the liberty
of going through your bags.
You seemed so protective of them
when they were being carried
by the staff out of my room.
I suspected that the gun
might be hidden in one of them.
I didn't find it.
But I did find this.
How did you know?
It came to me in pieces. Oh, it must
be very hard to kill a man, Warren.
Even if you think
it's justified.
That's why you were so
depressed the night of the murder.
It didn't mean much
to me at the time,
not even when Yuri was discovered
dead the following morning.
I knew you were good
at making your own gadgets,
but I didn't put it together
with what Lieutenant Mankowsky
said about the silencer
being handmade.
And then there was that business
of the note on the hotel stationery.
The night before you were shot,
I ordered in some room service.
I'd put out some of the hotel stationery
earlier while sorting through a few things.
And as I signed the bill, my handwriting
left an impression on the paper.
During the night, you took
one of those sheets of paper,
then you wrote the warning
note and put it under the door,
so that I'd find it
in the morning.
No one else had access
to my room or that paper.
You then put the handmade
silencer on the gun, pulled the trigger
and wounded yourself.
Hoping, I suppose, to take
suspicion away from Patricia.
You were very good
at covering your tracks.
I might never have
given it a thought
if you hadn't asked me
to investigate her arrest.
It was a calculated risk.
I couldn't let Patricia take the
blame for something that I'd done.
See, I didn't know that she'd gone
to see Yuri until the next morning.
The timing was too close.
I had to clear her name.
I knew you were the one
person who could do that.
I was hoping that we could
clear it without going any further,
and then you told me
the most important thing
was to prove that the killer
was still on the loose.
Then I knew what I had to do.
And that's where
you made your mistake.
After you were shot,
I went out to examine the area
where the shooter
would have been standing.
On inspection, Hound
a bullet hole in a tree
that was on a direct line
to my window.
Meaning, a bullet had not been
fired in from the garden,
it had been fired out
from the room.
Then when the police found
the bullet in the wall of my room
and it matched the one
that killed Yuri, I knew.
I was hoping that somehow,
someway, it wasn't you,
that perhaps I'd misread the clues or
you were being set up to take the blame.
One thing finally changed that,
and I feel confident that when Forensics
checks the powder burns on your shirt,
they'll realize only you
could have fired that gun.
Everything about the murder
pointed to premeditation,
which meant that the murder
must have had something to do
with the contents
of his previous novel.
Yuri killed your son, didn't he?
Jess, do you know what
it's like to go through life
wondering why your son
was murdered?
Who killed him?
And then, one day,
I open a book, this book.
My publisher sent it to me.
He wanted me to review it.
It was Yuri's book.
Can you believe it?
As I read it, bit by bit,
I realized I was...
I was reading the intimate
details of my own son's murder,
information that no one else could
have known, but the man who did it.
The man who killed him.
Yuri must have thought
nobody'd put it together.
He must've thought he was
immune from prosecution.
But it's all here, Jess. It's
all in the book. All the facts.
I wasn't gonna let him
get away with it.
Yuri Malenkovich killed my son.
He shot him.
He shot him and he
dumped his body in a ditch
and he just left it there.
For as long as I've known you,
I've felt that a part of you
has been in terrible pain.
Now I know why,
and I am so sorry, Warren.
Itruly am.
(sum-nus)
Are you sorry enough?
Do you understand enough
not to go to the police?
Warren...
What else did you tell them?
Well, nothing significant. I
didn't name you. I didn't need to.
Why not?
Because you are going to
turn yourself in to the police,
and you are going to confess and
you will tell your story in front of ajury.
Jessica, you're the only one
who knows I'm involved in this.
What's to keep me
from killing you?
Because I still believe that
you're an honorable man.
I've already killed once.
That was because you believed
you were avenging your son's death.
There's a big difference
between that and this.
You could have let Patricia
take the blame for the murder,
and you could've gotten away before
any of this unraveled, but you didn't,
and that proves that you
can't hurt an innocent.
Or a friend.
You'll always be my friend.
WOMAN: Excuse me,
Mrs. Fletcher.
I don't understand
how you could do it.
I mean, you said yourself,
he was your friend.
The guy he murdered was
probably a killer several times over,
a lot worse than your friend.
So why do it?
Yes. Well, it was the hardest
thing that I've ever done.
But popular culture
notwithstanding,
there is such a thing
as right and wrong.
The taking of a human life
for any reason is wrong.
I mean, you can never nudge the
moral compass far from its true north
without losing something vital.
A compass is essential for
everyone, writers in particular.
Yuri Malenkovich asked
why I investigate murders.
He said that I had
to have a personal agenda.
Well, he was quite right.
It's important to me to
pursue those who cross the line
and take another human life.
In my investigating murders, I
have seen some terrible things.
So many of them that it would
take the wind out of anybody's sails.
Go ahead.
You ready?
Officially, for the record,
I'm giving you this confession.
But Patricia here has first
rights of publication to the story.
I told you I'd get you
that one big break.
I always keep my promises.
I'm surprised Mrs. Fletcher
doesn't want to tell this story.
I mean, she has every right to.
I think she understands.
Well, here we go.
My son, Brent, was a correspondent
for the Washington Sentinel...
JESSICA: But because
I am a romantic,
I still believe that
we have the potential
to be nobler than we know
and better than we think.
That the darkness I've seen is only a
shadow on the potential of the human heart.
Warren, in his own way,
was a romantic,
made hard by the world around him,
until he finally made a tragic mistake.
He walked away from
his own moral compass.
So I urge you to keep your heart's
compass on the true north of your dreams.
Be free to be romantics,
to reject cynicism,
to believe that good will prevail and
that those who do wrong will be punished,
because when the hour
of the wolf comes,
as it comes to all of us
sooner or later,
those are the things
that sustain us.
Thank you and good night.