Matlock (1986–1995): Season 2, Episode 11 - The Gift - full transcript

Ben defends a man who is accused of murdering his ex-wife after having sneaked into her house to visit their daughter.

( upbeat jazz theme playing)

( "We Wish You a Merry
Christmas" playing on stereo)

♪ We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas ♪

♪ We wish you a Merry
Christmas And a happy New Year ♪

♪ We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas ♪

♪ We wish you a Merry
Christmas And a Happy New Year ♪

♪ Good tidings to you
Wherever you are ♪

♪ Good tidings for Christmas
And a happy New Year ♪

♪ Oh, bring us a figgy pudding
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding ♪

♪ Oh, bring us a figgy pudding
Now, get some right here ♪

♪ We won't go until we get some
We won't go until we get some ♪



♪ We won't go until we get
some So bring some right here ♪

(people chattering)

GIRL: Merry
Christmas, everybody.

♪ We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas ♪

♪ We wish you A
Merry Christmas ♪

♪ And a happy New Year ♪

Okay.

Now, I want you
to go find Peter.

And don't spill anything
on this, all right?

Look at you. Marry Christmas.

Hi.

Hi. Hi.

Peter.

When are you gonna
open the restaurant, Peter?



I haven't settled
on a location yet.

GIRL: Peter. Level
with me, sport.

Uh, does Maggie give
you an allowance or what?

Why don't you
have another drink?

I don't think you've
had nearly enough.

GIRL: Peter.

What is it?

Could I please have some eggnog?

Did Mommy say it was okay?

Yes.

One eggnog, no alcohol.

Ho, ho, ho.

Hi, Dr. Lord.

Now, have you
been a good little girl?

I think so.

Yeah, you haven't
done anything bad?

GIRL: Well... LORD: Oh.

What have you done, Wendy?

Nothing.

Uh, we don't believe you.

Oh, leave her alone.

You'd better tell.
Or I'll tell Maggie.

Oh, no. Don't, please.

Stop it, Jim.

What is it, Wendy?

Promise you won't tell?

Ah. Mwah. Santa's honor.

My daddy's coming.

He's coming here?

Mm-hm. To bring me
my Christmas present.

But Maggie said that he
couldn't come to this house.

He's gonna make believe
he's Santa Claus and sneak in,

and nobody will
know it's him but me.

Yes, I see. He'll
blend right in.

He'll be here at
10:00 in my room.

It's almost 9:40 now.

Peter. There's someone
I'd like you to meet.

Wendy, I think you
should go to your room.

Yeah, that's an excellent idea.

Uh, Maggie, you'll never
guess what Wendy told me.

Dr. Lord... She said
that she didn't believe

that I was Santa Claus. Ha.

(laughs)

(whispering): Run
along. It's getting late.

Coming, Peter? Yes, of course.

Christmas is really for
kids. Don't you think, Santa?

It sure isn't for me.

♪ Jingle bells, jingle
bells Jingle all the way ♪

♪ Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh ♪

♪ Jingle bells, jingle
bells Jingle all the way ♪

♪ Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh ♪

♪ Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh ♪

♪ O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way ♪

♪ Bells on bobtails ring
Making spirits bright ♪

♪ What fun it is
to ride and sing ♪

♪ A sleighing song tonight ♪

♪ Jingle bells, jingle
bells Jingle all the way ♪

♪ Oh, what fun it is to ride in
a one-horse open sleigh... ♪

Daddy Claus. Daddy!

Hi, baby. Daddy.

Oh. Come here.

(kissing noises)

I missed you.

Oh, I missed you too.

Look what I got.

Oh, gosh. I'm so excited.

Ta-da.

What is it?

What is it? It's
a present, silly.

Come on, open it up.

Well, it's not Christmas yet.

Oh. Well...

You see, this is our
Christmas now, honey, okay?

Come on, come on, come on.

Yeah.

Get that ribbon out. Ha.

Oh, she's so beautiful.

Do you love her? I mean,
do you really love her?

I love her, Daddy. Oh, good.

Her name is Emily Amelia.

Emily Amelia?

Merry Christmas, honey.

Merry Christmas.
And thank you, Daddy.

Oh, I love you.

I've got your present.

I had to hide it. Oh, okay.

Now, you sit right
there, Emily Amelia.

I had help wrapping it.

Merry Christmas, Daddy.

Thank you, baby.

Help me open it.

It's you, Daddy.

It's beautiful.

I love you.

I love you too.

I have to go now. Oh, thank you.

I have to go.

(knocking on door)

I've got a court
order against you.

For God's sakes, Maggie.

The restraining order says

you shall not come
within 500 feet of my home

until visitation, which
doesn't start until next week.

Maggie, please. No!

You are also
disturbing the peace,

which is what I'm
going to tell the police.

Maggie, I was trying to give
her her Christmas present.

It's one minute past 10, Brian.

The local 911 number takes
approximately three minutes

to reply, which is
exactly how long you have

to vacate the premises.

And as for you, young lady,

you'd better stay
right here till I get back!

Oh, honey.

I didn't tell her,
Daddy. I know, I know.

It's okay. I didn't tell.

I know you didn't.

Everything's gonna
be okay, all right?

I promise you.

("Hark, The Herald Angels
Sing" playing on stereo)

( ringing)

DISPATCHER (on
phone): Police emergency.

This is Dr. Maggie
Crowley at 135 Elmview.

I have an intruder
on the premises.

Could you send someone
over right away, please?

Brian, what are you doing?

Put that down.
What are you doing?

(shrieking): He's gonna kill me!

(thump, body thuds)

Dr. Crowley? Hello, doctor?

♪ Hark! the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn king ♪

♪ Peace on earth
and mercy mild..." ♪

Maggie, she's very upset.

For her sake... Maggie?

♪ Joyful all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies ♪

♪ With angelic Host proclaim ♪

(barking)

♪ "Christ is born
In Bethlehem" ♪

Brian.

♪ Hark! the herald angels sing ♪

♪ Glory to the newborn king ♪

Look, Mr. Matlock,
I didn't do it.

I didn't kill Maggie.

Well, I... I guess you
know about the evidence.

And why did you sneak in
the house that way anyhow?

Because it was the only
way I could get to see Wendy.

She wouldn't... She
wouldn't even let you see

your own daughter
at Christmastime?

That's Maggie.

Excuse me. Uh...

w-why did you marry this woman?

I was in love with her.

She was bright and beautiful...

and so determined
to become a doctor.

So I put aside my
postgraduate studies,

used the rest of my trust fund,

and I put her through
medical school.

Heh.

By the time I realized
what Maggie was all about,

Wendy was born, most
of my money was gone.

She was sleeping with a doctor

who had a plastic surgery clinic

she wanted to join.

And then she filed for divorce.

You did fight for custody.

For all the good it did me.

And she even got a
court order against me...

said I was harassing her,

when all I was trying to do
was to see my own daughter.

Mr. Matlock... I don't
have much money.

Well...

I don't always take
cases for money.

( slow, festive music playing)

And it is almost Christmas.

Your Honor, the defendant has

no strong ties to the community,

no permanent
employment, no family,

except for a small daughter
whom he could easily take,

should he choose to
flee this jurisdiction.

The people believe
that is a real possibility,

and recommend
that bail be denied.

Your Honor, there are
special circumstances here.

The defendant is the
father and now sole support

of a minor female child.

He will not flee the community.

He will remain to take
care of his daughter

if the court allows him.

I beg you not to compound
the emotional damage

this child has already
suffered and sentence her

to spend Christmas in
some dreary institution.

Bail is set at $250,000.

Your Honor, that's excessive.
My client can't afford that.

Mr. Matlock, my ruling stands.

Your Honor, may I
approach the bench?

Mr. Matlock?

This wouldn't have
anything to do with my appeal

of Georgia v. Williams
last year, would it?

Are you accusing me
of prejudice, counselor?

Oh, no. Ever since His Honor
was reversed in that case,

he hasn't said a
civil word to me.

If you don't retract that
immediately, I warn you,

I'm instituting proceed...

Your Honor, I'm sure
what counsel meant to say...

What I meant to say is if
you can't find it in your heart

at this time of year to let
that little girl be with her father

instead of some institution,
then you really are

what the boys in the
old South used to say...

And unless your manners improve,

I'm gonna cite you for contempt.

You got that?

( dramatic theme playing)

What's the matter with him?

What's wrong?

Um... everything's all right.

We'll work out something.

Daddy?

(sighs)

Sweetheart... your
daddy can't be here...

right now.

My name is Ben.

I used to have a
little girl just like you.

I want my daddy.

I want my daddy.

My daddy.

I know.

(grumbling)

(dog barking outside)

(sighs)

What are you doing?

Can't sleep.

You want some milk?

No. But if you read
to me, I'll fall asleep.

Okay.

(clears throat)

I don't have any
real bedtime story.

Well, here's a...
Trader Ed catalog.

Doesn't matter what it is.

Okay.

(grunting)

Okay.

Okay, Trader Ed. Trader
Ed, Trader Ed, Trader Ed.

There's different
stuff, you see. Yeah.

Here's a traveler's
raincoat special.

They've got a special
on rain gear this quarter.

This raincoat is 100 percent
polyurethane, detachable hood.

Comes in five colors: blue,
brown, green, yellow and red.

One size fits all.

Only $50.50 plus tax,
shipping and handling charges.

Wait a minute.

They don't guarantee
you'll get the color you order,

so you have to give
'em a second choice. Hm.

I don't like that.
What do you think?

Okay.

There's a...

wheelbarrow you put
together yourself. What?

I've never been
able to handle that...

Trader Ed, oh, kind of stuff.

Now, here's something.

( lighthearted theme playing)

What are you doing?

I'm making you breakfast. Hm.

(clears throat)

What do you usually
have for breakfast?

Cereal.

There's your cereal. Mm.

(sighs)

Mm. Sleep all right?

Yes, thank you. Did you?

Um... eventually.

Is my daddy coming for me today?

I'm... I'm afraid not.

When is he coming?

Uh, well, uh...
we're not... sure yet.

Where are they keeping him?

Ahem. Wendy... um...
do you, um, understand

what happened to your mother?

Yes.

Well, the police think your
daddy might've done that.

Oh, no, he wouldn't.

Oh, I-I know he wouldn't.
I know he wouldn't,

but I have to show...

other people that he didn't,

so they'll let him go.

That's my job.

You understand?

Yes.

Good.

CASSIE: Uh, Ben?
Uh, in here, Cassie.

You wanted to see me? Ah, yeah.

Wendy, this is Cassie.

She's gonna look after
you while I go to work.

I wanna go with you.

No. Cassie'll bring you
down to the office later.

( slow, dramatic theme playing)

Okay, now turn
it nice and slowly,

and listen for the click.

Hi.

What's going on?
Um... Where's Cassie?

Cassie had to go
file some papers

down at the
county clerk's office.

I told her I'd keep the kid
amused till she got back.

You keep the kid amused
by teaching her to pick locks?

Ben, that, uh, file
cabinet hasn't been locked

since I've known you.

No. I don't have a key.

I locked it.

Oh, good.

Hm. So I was trying to open it.

And I'm gonna help.

Oh, good.

Oh.

Hey. Hi, everybody.

Oh. How you doing, Wendy?

You must be Michelle.

Ha-ha. Oh, isn't she sweet.

What did they say down
at the police station?

Uh, come on... Come in here.

(clears throat)

(door opens)

There. (door closes)

Nice and slow.

Here's a copy of the tape
Lieutenant Daniels gave me.

Margaret Crowley...

got a threatening phone call

on her answering machine
the afternoon of her party.

Listen to this.

MAGGIE (on recorder):
This is Dr. Crowley.

Leave your name and
number or call back.

( beep)

MAN: Tonight's the night you
get what you've been asking for.

(clicks off)

Does that sound like
our client? Not at all.

Do you suppose
there's any connection

between Brian being there
that night and the murder?

There sure could be.

We did it! We did it!

The cabinet's open!

Oh, good. Good.
Sweetheart, sit down here.

I want to ask you a
couple of questions.

Um, did you tell anybody

your father was
coming to the party?

Who?

Santa Claus.

Which one?

It's very important.

I told Peter.

There were two
other Santas with him.

Do you know who they were?

One was Dr. Lord.

But I can't remember
who the other one was.

Is that bad for my daddy?

Don't worry, sweetheart.
We're gonna find him.

In fact, we're gonna
start right now.

Yeah.

Let's go over to the Crowley
house and look around.

And what about me?

Ah, Wendy, Michelle
is gonna stay with you

for awhile, okay? Just
till Cassie gets back.

Is that okay with you?

'Course it is.

Yeah, we're gonna
have a really good time.

(dog barking)

No, no. Get off my leg!

Get off! Get! Get off!

Get... Get off!

G-get... Get off my leg!

My... (grunts)

Leg!

Dog.

Me too.

I found it in her desk:

a list of all the
guests at the party.

Oh, good. Thank you,
Mr. Bono. (dog barking)

(snarling)

(yelling indistinctly)

(exhales)

Heh.

That dog doesn't like me.

Pl... Don't take it personally.
He's that way around everybody.

I understand there was
a... A threatening phone call

to Maggie the day of the murder.

Yes. There'd been
a series of them

over the last two months.

We notified the phone
company and then the police.

I-I heard him once
myself on the extension.

He sounded very odd, but,
uh, I-I didn't recognize the voice.

You have no idea
who was making them?

None whatever.

Well, that's something
we'll have to try to find out.

Ah. You and Maggie were gonna

open a restaurant, I hear.

PETER: Oh, quite
right, Mr. Matlock.

I studied haute
cuisine in, uh, Zurich.

Oh. You were gonna be the cook.

Little bit more than that.

Ah. Well, what was, uh,
Maggie's part gonna be?

She was gonna supply the money.

Oh?

Why not? It was
a good investment.

Well...

Um. Ahem. Wendy
said that, uh, she told you

that her father was coming
here to see her that night.

That's right.

And Wendy said that
when she told you,

you were standing
with, uh, Dr. Lord

and, uh, some other
man that she didn't know.

I... I-I don't know who he was.

Oh. Oh, that's...

something else we
have to try to find out.

You ready, Tyler?

Yeah, we're all done here.

Thanks for the information.

( ominous theme playing)

You know, maybe that third
Santa wasn't on the guest list at all.

Maybe he crashed the party.

Just snuck in, like our client.

I'm gonna check with
the valet parking service.

Sometimes they write the license
plate numbers on the tickets.

And we can check
that, the owners' names,

against the guest list.

So anyone that was
parked there that night

that's not on that guest
list could be our third Santa.

(barking)

Oh. Get in the
car. Get in the car.

( whimsical theme playing)

( slow, dramatic them playing)

Yes, Peter's right.

There was another
fellow there with us,

but I don't know who he was.

Mm. Well, that's too bad.

Who did your nose? Brockmeister?

No, I was born with it.

What about your eyes?

I recognize Stanley's work.

No, they're my eyes, Dr. Lord.

Now, I'd really like to
hear about your relationship

with Maggie Crowley.

Oh. She was my partner.

I heard you were
very close at one time.

Now, Maggie could
be very seductive.

I heard it cost
you your marriage.

My marriage was already over.

How did you feel when
she took up with Peter Bono?

Miss Thomas,

Maggie was the
powerhouse of this operation.

With her gone, our
business is bound to decline,

so why would I want her dead?

You didn't answer my question.

How did you feel when she
took up with another man?

The truth? I was furious.

But why would I kill the person
who was making me rich?

Oh, I can make a
case for it, Dr. Lord.

Maggie apparently had the
habit of getting rid of people

who were no longer
of any use to her.

Maybe she was
planning to get rid of you.

With her out of the
way, why, you'd be boss,

and half a loaf is
better than none.

( suspenseful theme playing)

Good afternoon.

Are you Phillip Tracy?

Yeah.

Do you drive a blue Pontiac,
license plate number MSO874?

Yeah. So what?

Did you attend a costume
party at Dr. Maggie Crowley's?

I don't know
anybody by that name.

Hm. You know, the
Sunrise Valet Parking people

parked that car at
Dr. Maggie Crowley's house

on the night of her
Santa Claus party.

You were there.

I told you, I never
heard of her.

That's odd... because
her home phone number

shows up six times on
your last month's phone bill.

You get out of here,
or I'll call the cops.

Good idea. Anonymous telephone
threats are against the law.

And I would like to
see how you handle it.

Are you threatening me?

No, I'm just pointing out to you

the advantages of
cooperating with me.

Look, I don't want any trouble.

I was there.

Just let me lock up.

I'll tell you what
you want to know.

Fine.

(click)

( ominous theme playing)

(grunts)

( slow, dramatic theme playing)

Hi.

Hi. Want a hot dog? No.

Doughnut? No.

Peanut brittle? No, thank you.

Licorice? No.

Cup of coffee? Black.

Black coffee. Please.

So, how's your new roommate?

Oh, she's fine.

They've got her
down at the office.

I can't get over Judge Franklin

talking like that. You'd
think he would have forgotten

Georgia v. Hilton by now.

Mm-mm. I don't think that's it.

I think his children
are spending Christmas

with his ex-wife in Miami.

That would do it.

Why don't you invite him to
your office Christmas party?

Sort of a gesture of goodwill.

He used up all my goodwill.

Oh, come on, Scrooge.
Where's your Christmas spirit?

What if he accepts?

Well, it was merely
a suggestion.

Mm.

I've got to run.
Thanks for the coffee.

Well...

Well, he'd frown
all over my office.

( suspenseful theme playing)

(dog barking)

Don't hurt me.
I'm sorry, really.

You've got to believe me.
I've been... I wasn't myself.

I've been under a lot of
emotional stress lately.

Yeah? So tell me about it, pal.

It was my wife.

She walked out on
me after seven years.

I loved her, and she left me.

What the hell has this got
to do with Maggie Crowley?

Maggie Crowley
was a plastic surgeon.

Supposed to be
the best in Atlanta.

Miriam wanted the best.

Maggie Crowley
operated on my wife,

a complete facial
reconstruction.

Here, look at this.

That's how she looked before.

Maggie Crowley ruined
her forever, the butcher.

Oh, that bad, huh?

It was a disaster.

My marriage is over.

My life is over.

What am I gonna do?

Hey, hey. Hey.

You know, sometimes...
Sometimes it helps

when you talk these things
over with somebody, you know?

(knocking on door)

Come in.

Ah. You got a
minute, Your Honor?

What for?

Well... Well, I...
I just wanted to

wish you a Merry Christmas,

and see how you're feeling.

Why?

You're not exactly brimming
over with Christmas spirit,

are you, Elliot?

Why should I be?

We're having a little
Christmas party at the office,

and I wanted to invite you.

I'll ignore this attempt

to influence the
outcome of a trial.

Now, would you please
leave? I have work to do.

I'm not trying to
influence anything.

I know your children aren't
coming to visit this Christmas

and I know you're disappointed.

Didn't you hear me, Matlock?

I said I'm busy.

I guess I was just so full
of Christmas spirit myself,

it got away from me. How
about Happy Bah Humbug?

( slow, dramatic theme playing)

(sighs)

Merry Christmas.

(door closes)

So you made those
calls to Maggie Crowley

because of what
she did to your wife.

Oh, yeah.

I went to the party that
night to have it out with her.

I was so crazy, I
might've killed her myself,

but somebody beat me to it.

I saw the guy.

You saw who did it?

I came up the back
stairs. So I took a peek

down the hallway to
make sure it was empty.

I saw somebody coming
out of Maggie's bedroom,

so I ducked into a room, and I
got a look at him as he went by.

Did you recognize him?

Looked like everybody
else. Like Santa Claus.

Well, did this Santa Claus
have any distinctive features?

What's the difference? They
arrested the guy, didn't they?

Maybe they arrested
the wrong man.

Look, I don't know
anything about that,

and I don't want to either.

Leave me out of it, okay?

I got my own problem.

Hey, listen. Phil.

I got a client who's gonna
spend Christmas in jail,

and if I don't
find the real killer,

he may not get to spend
another Christmas at all.

And there's more.

There's a kid involved.

A little brown-eyed,
blond-haired

hyperactive little girl who
absolutely adores her daddy.

So you see, it does matter.

I didn't see anything,
and I don't know anything.

Is that clear enough for you?

Oh, it's clear.

It's clear that you
know something,

but you're saying nothing.

Don't put words in my mouth.

So leave me out of it, okay?

Sure. But I'll see
you around, Phil.

( mysterious theme playing)

It's vital that I
contact Mrs. Tracy.

Now, you must have
the current address.

Patient's records
are confidential.

And as I'm sure you're aware,

they cannot be
subpoenaed by an attorney.

But you can be. And
Ben Matlock is just the guy

to open you up on the stand.

Why would he want
to do that to me?

To prove reasonable doubt.

You see, our investigation
has shown that Maggie Crowley

contacted a real estate broker
about a new office for herself,

which means she really
was gonna dump you.

You had motive.

You were dressed as a
Santa Claus at that party.

You heard Wendy say
her daddy would be there.

Your family life and
your professional life

had been decimated
by Maggie Crowley.

Ben Matlock's going to wonder
why you will not cooperate

in an investigation
into her murder.

You can't threaten me.

Boy, I love your spirit.

Are you gonna be here
for the rest of the afternoon?

Because I'm sure we're
gonna have to subpoena you,

and I just want to make sure

where to send
the process server.

Wait.

(tears off sheet of paper)

Well, thank you, doctor. I
appreciate your cooperation.

Don't mention it.

Mr. Hudson...

wouldn't you like to see
what she looks like now?

Well, since I'm here, why not?

Maggie Crowley did this to her?

(knocking on door)

What the hell do you want?

I thought you were supposed
to say Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Now, go away.

Uh, uh, uh. I brought
you a present.

(sighs)

Why did you come here?

He said you still love me.

But you left me.

You sent me away.

I thought you didn't
want me anymore.

I thought you didn't
want me anymore.

You're so beautiful.

You could have
any man in the world.

You're the man I want.

( romantic theme playing)

Well, Phil. Looks like
you and your lovely wife

are gonna have a
Merry Christmas after all.

(giggles)

We owe you a lot.

Oh, exactly. And a
little more information

about Santa Claus is what
I want underneath my tree.

( suspenseful theme playing)

(dog barking)

Toto. Toto, heel.
No, no. Get off.

Get off, get off.
Toto, heel. Heel.

Good boy.

How did you get in here?

The butler let me in.

Is this a new development?

Yeah. I have an eyewitness.

Oh?

Yeah.

The guy was hiding
back here behind the door,

and he saw the real
killer leave the room

just before Brian went in.

The killer walked right by.

He got a good look at him.

But everyone was
dressed as Santa.

How can your eyewitness
get a positive identification?

It was a dimly-lit hallway
in the middle of the night

at a party where
at least 20 people

were dressed in
Santa suits. Uh, really.

It's kind of thin.

Mm, very.

You... You mind if I
go in the bedroom?

Go ahead.

(dog snarling)

(dog barking)

Let's see.

Let's see.

He went in here.

Now, this is where
Dr. Crowley was found.

Yes.

Oh.

You know, he... He
came in, um, right here.

And then... (makes
thumping sound)

And then, down.

Yeah.

Why do I get the feeling
that you think I killed Maggie?

Oh, heh-heh. Must
be a guilty conscience.

(laughing, dog barking)

Down. No. Hey, Toto.
Toto. Toto. Toto, heel.

Toto, heel. (whimpering)

Sorry about that.

( slow, mysterious
theme playing)

(whimpering)

I'll see you in court.

All right. Mr. Bono...

when Maggie Crowley...
placed that call...

to the emergency number...

both the call and the time it
was received were recorded.

The time was four
minutes past 10.

And that's when she was killed.

Sir, where were
you at that time?

In the living room.

Can anyone substantiate
that you were there?

Probably not.

All the guests were
dressed as Santa Claus,

and, uh, beards and wigs,

and, heh, couldn't tell who
was standing next to whom.

I see. Uh...

I'm gonna hand
you a copy of a letter.

We'll make this letter
Defense Exhibit G.

Do you recognize it?

Yes. It's the letter
from Clark and Lyons.

What's it say?

It acknowledges
Maggie's instructions

to stop all work on Pietro.

Uh, and w-what's Pietro?

It's the name of the restaurant
that we were gonna open.

"We?"

Maggie and I.

But this letter
from the architects

is addressed only to her.

Yes. Why?

Hm, her name was on the papers.

Well, why is that?

It was her money.

Objection. Relevancy.

Your Honor, if the court
would just bear with me,

the relevancy of this
line of questioning

will become apparent.

Are you asking this court

to take your word
for it, Mr. Matlock?

Yeah.

Just for a few more questions.

A few? Few.

All right. Proceed. Thank you.

(clears throat)

Now, Mr. Bono...

you knew that Maggie
Crowley had decided to cancel

her contract with the architects

and terminate the
restaurant project, didn't you?

Yes, I did.

Well, you want to
tell us about that?

There's nothing to tell.

She, uh... She changed
her mind, that's all.

No reason?

No.

Hm.

Well, ahem. H-how
did you feel about that?

Upset or angry?

Disappointed. Mm.

Did her decision not to go
ahead with the restaurant

change your relationship
with Dr. Crowley?

Your Honor, I fail to
see where this is going.

Straight to the
truth, Your Honor.

All right. Okay.

But soon.

Soon. Soon.

Uh, you own a...

You own a little dog
named, uh, Toto, don't you?

Yes, I do.

And it's a cockapoo?

That's right, he is.

A little bitty dog, right?

Not what you'd
call guard dog type?

(scoffs)

Oh, not in the sense that
he could harm an attacker,

but, uh, he's pretty excitable,
not bad at sounding an alarm.

Ha-ha. Barks at everything
and everybody, doesn't he?

That's right.

Except... what about
you and Maggie?

Oh, no, no, no. He never...
He never barked at us.

Now, the night of the murder,
the dog was upstairs, wasn't he?

Yes. We put him in our bedroom.

In the same room
where Maggie Crowley

was later murdered, right?

Yes.

Okay.

Now, I want you to listen

to this police
emergency tape again.

You want to replay that tape?

Yes.

Your Honor, I do.

Yep.

(clicks on)

DISPATCHER (on
tape): Police emergency.

MAGGIE: This is Dr. Maggie
Crowley at 135 Elmview.

I have an intruder
on the premises.

Could you send someone
over right away, please?

Brian, what are you doing?

Put that down.
What are you doing?

He's gonna kill me!

( thump, body falls)

DISPATCHER: Dr. Crowley?

(clicks off)

Now... (clears throat)

do you notice anything
peculiar about this tape?

No.

Where's Toto?

We don't hear Toto barking
his head off like he always does.

Why isn't he barking?

I wouldn't know.

You've told us the
dog was in the room,

and you've told us that
he barks at everybody

but you and Maggie Crowley.

Why didn't he bark at the person

who killed her, Mr. Bono?

I'll tell you what I think.

I think that Maggie
Crowley, just for an instant,

thought it was Brian Emerson,

the defendant, who
entered the room.

She expected him.

He was wearing the costume.

She made a mistake.
She assumed it was him.

But the dog knew better.

The dog never made a sound.
He never opened his mouth.

No barking...

because there were
no strangers in the room.

Only two people
that he knew so well:

his mistress...

and the person who
killed her, his master.

( mysterious theme playing)

You.

Your Honor, under
the circumstances,

the people see fit to
move for a dismissal.

Very well.

Case is dismissed.

This court is adjourned.

Ah. Thank you. And thank you.

MATLOCK: W-we're having a
little Christmas party at the office.

I didn't want to invite you
till I knew you could come.

I'll be there.

Thanks.

Thanks. Where's Wendy?

Daddy. Daddy.

BRIAN: Come here, honey.

Daddy. Come here.

Come here.

Oh.

Daddy, is it okay?

Oh, it's fine, baby.

It's gonna to be even
better from now on, huh?

(kisses)

( festive theme playing)

( instrumental We Wish You
a Merry Christmas" playing)

(clears throat)

JUDGE: I, uh... I don't
have a lot of use for this.

I thought you might
like it for your party.

MATLOCK: Oh,
ho, ho. Well, judge.

( instrumental
"Jingle Bells" playing)

You know what they say.

You can't have too
many Christmas trees.

Have some eggnog. Thank you.

Thank you.

Merry Christmas.

ALL: Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

BOTH: Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.

And to all a good night.

( upbeat jazz theme playing)