Matlock (1986–1995): Season 2, Episode 20 - The Genius - full transcript
Dr. Redding.
I didn't expect to see
you for another two weeks.
How was Rio?
Door open.
Certainly, Dr. Redding.
Door open.
♪ And many more ♪
Happy Birthday, Vanessa.
Door open, override,
clearance one.
Oh, Vincent, darling.
You're back.
Just in time to join us.
Do you realize what would
happen to this institute
if one of the clients paying
for your alleged genius
came in here and
saw you behaving
like emotional adolescents?
Actually, your wife's
birthday gave us an excuse
to sample something made with my
biovidasucranouse
flower substitute.
I want to see the reports
on the current status
of each of your projects
on my desk in two hours.
Door open.
Certainly, Dr. Redding.
Ah! Don't hurt me.
Irwin.
Dr. Redding.
What the hell are
you doing here?
I'm retrieving this .38
caliber firing mechanism
for the velocity
test I'm conducting.
Uh, what are you
doing here, sir?
Someone let a man
in through that door.
I followed him in here.
So that's what that was.
I thought something
suspicious was going on.
You saw them?
I saw a man I didn't recognize.
Why didn't you challenge him?
It seemed potentially dangerous.
Irwin, you had a gun.
Oh, that's right.
Only one of you
four senior people
could have opened that door.
No one else has the combination.
Vincent, surely you don't
think one of us is responsible?
Oh, yes. He does.
This is insulting.
I am changing the
combination to that door.
No one will have
access to it but me.
I suggest you get
back to your work,
and having read
your status reports,
I mean that sincerely.
Door open.
Don't forget: dinner
tonight with the Jarvicks.
Irwin.
Yes, sir?
When did I tell you your
project report was due?
Uh, when you came back from Rio.
Well, I'm back, and I
want it on my desk by 5:30.
Door closed.
Door closes.
But he came back early.
I can't get two weeks
of work done in one day.
Irwin, I think he knows that.
In fact, he's counting on it.
He's just looking for an
excuse to fire me, isn't he?
Brilliant deduction.
He can't do this to me.
What can you do about it?
Dr. Redding.
My project report,
sir, on your de...
Huh.
Phone.
Dial.
Uh, 555-9930.
Ben Matlock's office.
Yes, hello.
I have to speak
with Ben Matlock.
It's urgent.
Tell him it's his nephew.
Ben Matlock for Irwin Bruckner.
Just a moment.
Uh, that's doctor.
Dr. Irwin Bruckner.
He's my nephew.
Okay, and you are?
Ben Matlock.
Uh, th... There's no doctor
or anything, just Ben Matlock.
I am a lawyer.
Okay.
Wear this at all times.
Go to the door.
Face it.
Say your name.
Ben Matlock.
All right, you're in
the computer memory.
Everything here
is voice activated.
First address the object, then
tell it what you want it to do.
Door open.
And it will open? Yes.
All I have to do is say
that and it will open?
Yes.
Well, why didn't it
open when you said it?
I have a different
voice command.
So all I do... Just
say, door open.
Door open.
Welcome to the Mansbridge
Institute, Mr. Matlock.
Dr. Bruckner is expecting you.
Now proceed to the
third door on your left.
Irwin!
Door open.
Override clearance six.
Irwin?
Oh, thank God you're here.
Are you in some kind of trouble?
It's Vincent Redding.
He runs... He ran this place.
I came in here to give
him my project report.
This is how I found him.
Are the police on the way?
No.
You didn't call the police?
Uncle Ben, no one
can get in this office
unless someone on
the inside admits them.
And he was dead?
And no one else in the room.
Irwin, we have
to call the police.
Okay.
Phone, dial security.
Security.
This is Dr. Bruckner.
Dr. Redding has been shot.
He appears to be dead.
You better call the police.
Okay, right away.
Everybody is gonna
think there's just no way
I could have gotten in here
unless Redding
was alive to let me in.
Well, I got in.
I was able to command
the door to open
by overriding the system.
Maybe the killer
overrode the system.
I've been over every
inch of this room.
Nobody hiding.
Nobody going out the window.
Nobody's voice
on a tape recorder
that could have
activated the door.
Nothing.
Well, uh, somebody
had to have opened
that door for you
by remote control.
That just isn't possible.
Only the computer
can open the door.
And only someone on
the inside of an office
can order the computer.
If I didn't know better,
I'd assume I shot him too.
Oh. At least your fingerprints
aren't all over the
murder weapon.
You're kidding.
I'm almost positive
that's the gun
I was using last night in
my velocity experiments.
Somebody must have
retrieved it from the supply room.
Well, it's still not
an airtight case.
You didn't have a motive.
You're kidding.
I think he was just
about to fire me.
You must have killed him.
No, I didn't.
I swear to you,
Uncle Ben, I didn't.
Police. Open up.
Uh, door open,
override clearance six.
Uh, come... Come
right in, gentlemen.
That's Dr. Redding.
I believe he's dead.
You'll note, uh, two bullet
holes in his chest, and, uh...
You'd better let
me do the talking.
Maybe it was suicide.
Maybe Dr. Redding shot himself,
and then, with his dying breath,
commanded the door
to open to admit Irwin.
I'd sure hate to have to explain
how he shot himself twice.
Somebody had to figure out
some way to fool
the computer system.
That's all there is to it.
Yeah.
Irwin.
What?
Any idea how somebody
could have figured out
a way to fool the
computer system?
Uh, no, not really.
Uh, okay. All right.
We agree it was
a frame, don't we?
Yeah.
Oh.
Uh, there are three people
who could have set up the frame.
All three knew that Dr. Redding
was expecting Irwin
in his office that night,
and all three were
coworkers of Irwin's.
Well, the institute was
just like any other business
out to make a profit.
What about competitors
or business rivals?
Hey, Irwin.
Huh? Uh,
who were Mansbridge's
business rivals?
Business rivals.
Uh, none of any real importance.
Uh, something strange did
happen the day before the murder.
I went down to the storage
room to get that gun,
and one of my colleagues
snuck an unauthorized person
into the building.
Oh.
Oh.
Who? I don't know.
I only saw him for a moment.
Oh.
Well, give Cassie the
best description you can.
We'll get Tyler in on this.
Okay.
Okay. Go ahead.
Uh, are you sure I'm
not disturbing you?
I assure you you're
not disturbing me at all.
Although, uh, I must warn
you, it's almost time for my nap.
Oh, I think grabbing a few winks
during the day is a great idea.
I take five naps a day
at regularly
scheduled intervals.
The alarm goes
off, I fall asleep.
Ten minutes later, it
goes off again. I wake up.
Alert, refreshed,
and capable of working
virtually around the clock.
What happens if
the alarm goes off
and you don't feel
like going to asleep?
My mind and body do what they've
been trained to do, Mr. Matlock.
It's just a matter
of conditioning.
But... I digress.
What did you want to ask me?
Any idea who killed
Vincent Redding?
Heh. Well, it all boils down to
one simple fact, Mr. Matlock.
Irwin could not have
entered that office
unless Dr. Redding
was alive to admit him.
I-Is...? Is there n-no way
somebody could
sidestep the system?
Absolutely not.
I mean, you're
all geniuses here.
In other words,
who else would have wanted
to kill Vincent Redding?
Yeah.
All of us.
All of us hated him.
Myself, Vanessa, Paul Loo.
Now that Vincent's dead,
Paul Loo could very
well wind up with his job.
Oh.
Oh.
Do you know if Paul
Loo was in Vincent's office
between 4:30 and 5:30
the day of the murder?
No. I'm afraid I was
in my office, working.
I didn't see anyone.
Well...
Uh... Uh...
He does that.
He's done it to me
dozens of times.
Just dozes off in
mid-sentence and he snores.
I'm sorry.
Here. Try some.
Well, thanks.
Uh, I'm kind of hoping
that you can help me and
my client out here, Dr. Loo.
Wish I could. I like Irwin.
But I'm afraid I was in here
working when Vincent was killed.
I'm no help at all.
Hm, taste good.
Made them myself.
The ultimate junk food.
No salt, no fat, no sugar,
no calories and no food value.
What's in 'em?
Not much.
Hm.
Tastes good.
If the Food and
Drug Administration
weren't so hysterical
for possible health risks,
I would have had them
on the market years ago.
Here, have some more.
Mm.
If...
If it were possible to
circumvent the system,
and if somebody besides
Irwin killed Dr. Redding,
any likely suspects
come to mind?
Any one of us.
We all hated him.
Dr. Barnes, myself,
his wife, Vanessa.
He treated her no different
than he treated everyone else.
Like dirt?
Actually, he
treated dirt better.
Mm-hm.
Somebody said
she's so grief-stricken
she can't talk on the
phone or work or anything.
Hm.
Yes, who is it?
Michelle Thomas.
I'm an attorney
for Irwin Bruckner.
I'd like to speak
to Dr. Segwick.
I'm Dr. Segwick.
I trust this won't take long.
I'm so sorry to bother you.
I know your husband's death
came as a terrible blow.
My exercise physiologist.
Please, just get to the point.
Of course.
I found your husband's passport
when I went through his effects,
and I wondered, if he'd
just gotten back from Brazil,
why hadn't it been stamped?
Oh, really.
Wouldn't it be more logical
to ask the customs
authorities that question?
Well, it's just that you're
here and customs is there.
I have no notion
why they didn't
stamp his passport.
Perhaps they ran out of ink.
Your office is
like Dr. Redding's.
Do you know of any
quirks or malfunctions
that could explain how...
Your client murdered my
husband, Miss Thomas.
Vincent was alive when
Dr. Bruckner entered his office.
I heard him admit him.
You what?
I was on the phone with Vincent.
He commanded the door to
open, said, "Hello, Dr. Bruckner,"
and told me he'd call me back.
He never did.
Why didn't you tell
anybody this before?
Because, quite
frankly, I assumed Irwin
would hire himself
a competent attorney
who would, in time, find out
about it and plead him guilty.
We don't believe
Dr. Bruckner is guilty.
We think it was someone
else at the institute
who killed your husband.
Really?
Perhaps Dr. Barnes.
He was being considered
for a higher-paying job
at the Raleigh Foundation.
Vincent got wind of it,
said the wrong things
to the right people,
and put the kibosh on it.
When Jeremy heard
about it, he was livid.
Well, you'll have to excuse me.
My heart rate
is falling rapidly,
my patience is wearing thin
and I am in mourning.
That's him, huh?
That's as close
as we're gonna get.
That is amazing.
What is?
Irwin. He accessed
the police mainframe
and used their
composite sketch software
to get a picture of the
guy in the storage room.
No kidding?
Hot off the press.
Oh, that's great.
Call Tyler.
Tell him to go
down to the institute,
take this with him,
keep his eyes open.
Dr. Redding never changed
the combination on that door.
Maybe that guy
will show up again.
Do it.
What's next for me?
You never did figure
out just how somebody
opened Dr. Redding's
door for you?
I still don't see
how it's possible.
I'll keep working on it.
Yeah. Yeah.
That's right.
Uh, any...? Any, uh, messages?
Just one from Michelle.
She's following up on a
lead she got from Dr. Segwick.
Good.
He's kind of cute, isn't he?
Who?
Irwin. Irwin?
Uh, I know he's a
genius and everything,
but he's like a kid.
He's kind of cute.
I'm sorry, babe.
Virgin Mary, please.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Hi.
Hi.
How's it going?
I think I'm making
some progress.
You see, what I've done
is I've written a program
which allows me to recalculate
the response to each allophone
using simple mathematics.
For instance, in this equation,
each of the gamma of ends
represents the allophone
speech sequence.
We transform it
into a predictive code
for the security program.
The guy Irwin saw
showed up at the institute.
What was he doing there?
Just as I was about
to go in, he came out,
so I follow him to
Fenwick's Tavern,
where he met with a man
wearing a very expensive suit
and he gave him some papers.
Who was the man in the suit?
He left before I could find out.
Who was the other guy?
Uh, he left before
I could find out.
They both left before
you could find out?
Yeah. You lost 'em.
Yeah. You said
you had good news.
The guy Irwin saw drives
a very expensive sports car,
and there's only three
places in this town
that does body
work on cars like that.
And guess who gave
it a great big dent?
I called him from my
office to remind him
that we had a dinner
engagement that night,
and while we were talking,
he said, "Door open,"
and, uh, "Hello, Dr. Bruckner."
Which led you to conclude what?
That he had just admitted
Irwin Bruckner to his office.
Thank you, Dr. Segwick.
Nothing further.
Your witness.
Thank you. Uh, Dr. Segwick,
your husband had just
returned from a trip to where?
Brazil.
Rio de Janeiro.
And he left on the 8th
and was supposed to, uh,
come back on the 29th.
Is that right?
Yes, but he came
back early on the 14th.
He must have missed you.
More likely he missed his work.
Well... Did you drive
him to the airport?
He drove his car
and left it there.
Dr. Segwick,
this is a gasoline
credit-card receipt
dated the 13th,
from the Richmond Center
gas station up in Richmond.
Do you recognize your
husband's signature?
Yes, that's his signature,
but it must be misdated.
Well, I suppose
that could happen.
Uh, this is an official
United States passport
issued to Dr. Vincent Redding.
You recognize it?
Yes, that's Vincent's.
There is no passport
stamp whatsoever
for the period between the
8th and the 14th, is there?
No.
That's because Vincent
Redding was not in Rio de Janeiro.
He was at the Jimmy
Nash Clinic in Richmond,
being treated for acute
depression, wasn't he?
Yes.
If it's ruled
that your husband
was not killed,
but rather, committed suicide,
there will be no
insurance proceeds.
You'll not be able to collect
on your husband's
$1-million insurance policy,
because suicide was
specifically excluded
in that policy, wasn't it?
I suppose so, but...
You made up that story
about the phone call
to further incriminate
Irwin Bruckner,
in an attempt to make
sure no one would suspect
your husband committed
suicide, didn't you?
He didn't commit suicide.
Maybe not. Maybe.
You did make up
that story, perjury,
trying to eliminate
the slightest chance
that your husband's death
could be ruled suicide,
didn't you?
Yes.
No further questions.
Uncle Ben...
Uncle Ben, I did it.
I did it.
I-I was gonna take
a walk, you know,
just to try and clear my head,
and just as I was
going out the door,
Cassie says, "I-It looks like
rain, you'd better take this."
And then it hit me.
The umbrella?
The operative theory.
When it rains,
everything gets wet,
but when it rains
and you stand under an
umbrella, you don't get wet.
I-It's raining, yet
it's not raining.
The operations
program was functioning,
yet it was not functioning,
because another program,
for the most part
identical to the original,
was in simultaneous operation,
acting, uh, kind
of like an umbrella,
and at predetermined points,
it would take over
the original program.
Incredible.
This program will
show that it was possible
for someone besides
Dr. Redding to open that door?
Absolutely.
I-It will when and,
uh, if I can access it.
You know it's in the computer
at the institute.
You just don't know where?
Right.
Maybe I can explain
your theory to the judge.
We have to have proof, Irwin.
Uh, okay.
Um, well, maybe I could, uh,
access the mainframe
at the institute from here,
uh, bring in a few
more terminals,
uh, get a couple of buddies,
work around the clock...
But the odds of coming across
that access code are slim.
How slim?
Roughly 4,185,000-to-1.
Maybe you'll get lucky.
Ben Matlock's office.
It's Tyler. He's
at the body shop.
Says he just got lucky.
May I help you?
Yes. I'm looking
for Douglas Harding.
I have it on good
authority he works here.
Douglas Harding.
I'm kind of new here.
I'll have to check.
Just a minute.
Excuse me, sir.
There's someone out here
asking for Douglas Harding?
Uh, Ben Matlock.
Is that Mr. Drake?
He says his name
is Ben Matlock, sir.
I see. Thank you.
Apparently, uh, Douglas
Harding did work here,
but he quit a year ago.
Oh.
This the way to
Mr. Drake's office?
You can't go in there.
Come in, Mr. Matlock.
Mr. Harding.
Mr. Drake.
How can we help you?
Everything okay, Mr. Drake?
Thank you, John,
everything's fine.
Anything else?
Uh, an employee of mine
saw Mr. Harding here,
uh, hand you an envelope,
uh, some sort of papers,
at Fenwick's Tavern.
But what I wanna know
is why your employee,
Mr. Harding,
was seen sneaking in and
out of Mansbridge Institute?
Well, you'd have to ask him.
Mr. Harding?
I believe you have me confused
with someone else.
Your company has
defense contracts, doesn't it?
Yes. And testing done at places
such as Mansbridge Institute
could affect your
business greatly?
Of course.
Now, what's your
point, Mr. Matlock?
Uh, my point is that I'm not
mistaken about Mr. Harding.
He was seen sneaking
into Mansbridge Institute.
And it doesn't take
a genius to figure out
that maybe some
money changed hands,
and maybe some test results
were falsified to benefit you.
But that's not what
this is all about.
Vincent Redding
has been murdered,
so we're not talking about
money or defense contracts.
It's very possible,
if Dr. Redding's death
has anything to do
with Mr. Harding here,
the two of you might wind up
doing quite a bit
of time for murder.
So that's what
I'm talking about.
And I would strongly
urge you to tell me
who you're dealing
with down at the institute.
I guess I don't have to ask
if Irwin's figured
out the program.
No. I've never seen
anything like this.
Oh, neither have
I. It's beyond me.
Yes.
Whoosh.
Irwin's smart.
I had no idea.
I mean, smart... on some things,
and on others, he's really dumb.
He's a kid.
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
It's funny, isn't it,
who a person will
be attractive to.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I've seen you looking at
him, and you said he was cute.
Well, he is. He's cute.
Yeah, his mother used
to say that all the time.
She'd say, "Irwin's cute."
He's very bright.
He's strange, but he's cute.
He is.
Which one?
All of them.
Strange.
Strange.
Uncle Ben!
I got it!
Dr. Segwick,
uh, is it fair to say
that you're an
expert in physics?
Yes, I think that would be fair.
This was subpoenaed
from the physics lab
at Mansbridge Institute
just this morning.
Please tell the
court what it is.
It's a sensor.
It's used to measure
microfracture formation rates.
And you use this
device in your research
at the institute, don't you?
Yes. I've been working
with it for several months.
This device will be used
in the courtroom today,
and what I'd like,
uh, for you to do
is just compare it with this one
that was loaned to us
from the physics department
at the university.
It's the same sensor.
In every way?
Except...
the bias resistor
has been replaced.
The value's all wrong.
That throws off the
calibration by a factor of ten.
You seem alarmed.
Of course I'm alarmed.
This sensor is
from the institute.
It means that the
results of any tests
that I ran using it
are totally invalid.
Say someone were
testing an alloy.
If that person were
using this device,
would those tests
be invalid also?
Of course they would.
Thank you, doctor.
I'd have to check my records
to be absolutely certain,
but yes, this could very well
be the sensor I've been using.
Okay.
Now, correct me if I'm wrong,
but that would make
the alloy you're testing
appear to be ten times
stronger than it actually is.
Unfortunately, yes.
Who paid you to do these tests?
Uh, Drake Industries.
Drake Industries. That's...
That's the company that
developed the alloy, right?
That's right.
Yeah. Uh, in an
attempt to, uh, obtain
a very important contract
with the Pentagon.
Yes.
That would be a
very lucrative contract
for Drake Industries,
wouldn't it?
I suppose so.
And that may be why
Drake Industries paid you
to alter this measuring device
and falsify those test results
to be sure they got
that contract, right?
Objection.
Speculation, Your Honor.
There's no
foundation whatsoever.
Sustained.
Mr. Matlock, in my courtroom
we first present the evidence
and then we draw
the conclusions.
Do I make myself clear?
Your Honor, I just asked
the man a question.
Yes, and it called
for a conclusion.
Yes, ma'am.
Dr. Barnes, uh, you would just
forward your test results
straight to the Pentagon,
uh, before Dr. Redding
returned from his trip
on the 29th, right?
Yes.
So he never would
have seen them?
There's nothing out of
the ordinary about that.
But he came back early.
Did he ask to see your report?
Objection.
Your Honor, where are
we going with all of this?
Mr. Matlock...
Well, Your Honor, at this time
I'd like to make a
somewhat unusual request.
I'm sure it's safe to say
that you have
written and installed
more than a few
computer programs
in the course of
your career, isn't it?
Hundreds of them.
And I'm sure that when
you write a program
it can do almost anything,
including tell a program
that's already in operation
to let another program take over
under certain circumstances,
and no one would be the wiser?
I told you, Mr. Matlock,
the systems program
here is tamperproof.
I didn't say it was
tampered with, doctor.
I said someone simply
shoved another program
into the computer,
one that could
take over the system
if called upon to do so.
I-It can't be done.
You know it can, don't you?
Then where is it, Mr. Matlock?
Where is this ingenious
program of yours?
I'd like to see it.
Well, that's a problem.
Anyone smart enough
to create such a program
has got to be smart
enough to make sure
that no one else ever finds it.
That's your theory.
And I think it's a good one.
I'll tell you what I believe.
I believe that no matter
how smart a person is,
or thinks he is, there's
always someone who's smarter.
Now, the prosecution contends
the only way my client
could have entered
Dr. Redding's office
is for Dr. Redding to have
opened the door for him,
and he contends that
Dr. Redding was alive
when my client
entered his office.
Therefore, my client,
Dr. Bruckner, must
have killed him.
I intend to demonstrate
that this is not true.
Dr. Barnes, would you kindly
open your office door for us?
Door open.
My associate...
has been instructed
how to access
this other program,
the one Dr. Barnes
says doesn't exist,
by using the computer
terminal in Dr. Barnes' office.
Meanwhile, Dr. Bruckner
will do exactly as he
did the day of the murder.
He'll cross the foyer
and announce himself:
Dr. Redding?
What the prosecution said
could not happen has happened.
The door opened
with no one inside.
No one alive, that is.
The computer did three
things it was not supposed to do.
It allowed Miss Thomas to know
that Dr. Bruckner was
outside Dr. Redding's door,
and it allowed her to
open Dr. Redding's door
from Dr. Barnes' office.
This all happened
because of a program
you said did not exist.
It's not possible.
How did you find it?
How did you do it?
You couldn't have accessed it.
This isn't mine.
I didn't say we
accessed your program.
Actually, we
accessed his program.
It never occurred to you that
someone might be smart enough
to create a program that
approximated yours, did it?
Him?
He wrote this?
Well, of course he wrote it.
What do you think?
He's my nephew.
My stuff's all packed.
I just came in to say
goodbye and thanks.
It's been a pleasure.
I've always liked you, Irwin.
Hey, before you go,
take a look at this.
All right. It's a
pencil sharpener.
Yeah, it doesn't work.
Uh, it's mechanical.
I don't even know where to begin
to look at something
that doesn't have circuitry.
Oh.
Oh.
Speaking of circuitry,
what do you think of Cassie?
Cassie?
Yeah.
She's a girl.
You're a boy.
Here's a 10 spot.
Take her someplace.
Get her a cup of coffee
or a bowl of ice cream.
Talk to her about... things.
Uh, Cassie?
Uh, how'd you like
to go out to dinner?
Uncle Ben gave me a 10 spot.
I didn't expect to see
you for another two weeks.
How was Rio?
Door open.
Certainly, Dr. Redding.
Door open.
♪ And many more ♪
Happy Birthday, Vanessa.
Door open, override,
clearance one.
Oh, Vincent, darling.
You're back.
Just in time to join us.
Do you realize what would
happen to this institute
if one of the clients paying
for your alleged genius
came in here and
saw you behaving
like emotional adolescents?
Actually, your wife's
birthday gave us an excuse
to sample something made with my
biovidasucranouse
flower substitute.
I want to see the reports
on the current status
of each of your projects
on my desk in two hours.
Door open.
Certainly, Dr. Redding.
Ah! Don't hurt me.
Irwin.
Dr. Redding.
What the hell are
you doing here?
I'm retrieving this .38
caliber firing mechanism
for the velocity
test I'm conducting.
Uh, what are you
doing here, sir?
Someone let a man
in through that door.
I followed him in here.
So that's what that was.
I thought something
suspicious was going on.
You saw them?
I saw a man I didn't recognize.
Why didn't you challenge him?
It seemed potentially dangerous.
Irwin, you had a gun.
Oh, that's right.
Only one of you
four senior people
could have opened that door.
No one else has the combination.
Vincent, surely you don't
think one of us is responsible?
Oh, yes. He does.
This is insulting.
I am changing the
combination to that door.
No one will have
access to it but me.
I suggest you get
back to your work,
and having read
your status reports,
I mean that sincerely.
Door open.
Don't forget: dinner
tonight with the Jarvicks.
Irwin.
Yes, sir?
When did I tell you your
project report was due?
Uh, when you came back from Rio.
Well, I'm back, and I
want it on my desk by 5:30.
Door closed.
Door closes.
But he came back early.
I can't get two weeks
of work done in one day.
Irwin, I think he knows that.
In fact, he's counting on it.
He's just looking for an
excuse to fire me, isn't he?
Brilliant deduction.
He can't do this to me.
What can you do about it?
Dr. Redding.
My project report,
sir, on your de...
Huh.
Phone.
Dial.
Uh, 555-9930.
Ben Matlock's office.
Yes, hello.
I have to speak
with Ben Matlock.
It's urgent.
Tell him it's his nephew.
Ben Matlock for Irwin Bruckner.
Just a moment.
Uh, that's doctor.
Dr. Irwin Bruckner.
He's my nephew.
Okay, and you are?
Ben Matlock.
Uh, th... There's no doctor
or anything, just Ben Matlock.
I am a lawyer.
Okay.
Wear this at all times.
Go to the door.
Face it.
Say your name.
Ben Matlock.
All right, you're in
the computer memory.
Everything here
is voice activated.
First address the object, then
tell it what you want it to do.
Door open.
And it will open? Yes.
All I have to do is say
that and it will open?
Yes.
Well, why didn't it
open when you said it?
I have a different
voice command.
So all I do... Just
say, door open.
Door open.
Welcome to the Mansbridge
Institute, Mr. Matlock.
Dr. Bruckner is expecting you.
Now proceed to the
third door on your left.
Irwin!
Door open.
Override clearance six.
Irwin?
Oh, thank God you're here.
Are you in some kind of trouble?
It's Vincent Redding.
He runs... He ran this place.
I came in here to give
him my project report.
This is how I found him.
Are the police on the way?
No.
You didn't call the police?
Uncle Ben, no one
can get in this office
unless someone on
the inside admits them.
And he was dead?
And no one else in the room.
Irwin, we have
to call the police.
Okay.
Phone, dial security.
Security.
This is Dr. Bruckner.
Dr. Redding has been shot.
He appears to be dead.
You better call the police.
Okay, right away.
Everybody is gonna
think there's just no way
I could have gotten in here
unless Redding
was alive to let me in.
Well, I got in.
I was able to command
the door to open
by overriding the system.
Maybe the killer
overrode the system.
I've been over every
inch of this room.
Nobody hiding.
Nobody going out the window.
Nobody's voice
on a tape recorder
that could have
activated the door.
Nothing.
Well, uh, somebody
had to have opened
that door for you
by remote control.
That just isn't possible.
Only the computer
can open the door.
And only someone on
the inside of an office
can order the computer.
If I didn't know better,
I'd assume I shot him too.
Oh. At least your fingerprints
aren't all over the
murder weapon.
You're kidding.
I'm almost positive
that's the gun
I was using last night in
my velocity experiments.
Somebody must have
retrieved it from the supply room.
Well, it's still not
an airtight case.
You didn't have a motive.
You're kidding.
I think he was just
about to fire me.
You must have killed him.
No, I didn't.
I swear to you,
Uncle Ben, I didn't.
Police. Open up.
Uh, door open,
override clearance six.
Uh, come... Come
right in, gentlemen.
That's Dr. Redding.
I believe he's dead.
You'll note, uh, two bullet
holes in his chest, and, uh...
You'd better let
me do the talking.
Maybe it was suicide.
Maybe Dr. Redding shot himself,
and then, with his dying breath,
commanded the door
to open to admit Irwin.
I'd sure hate to have to explain
how he shot himself twice.
Somebody had to figure out
some way to fool
the computer system.
That's all there is to it.
Yeah.
Irwin.
What?
Any idea how somebody
could have figured out
a way to fool the
computer system?
Uh, no, not really.
Uh, okay. All right.
We agree it was
a frame, don't we?
Yeah.
Oh.
Uh, there are three people
who could have set up the frame.
All three knew that Dr. Redding
was expecting Irwin
in his office that night,
and all three were
coworkers of Irwin's.
Well, the institute was
just like any other business
out to make a profit.
What about competitors
or business rivals?
Hey, Irwin.
Huh? Uh,
who were Mansbridge's
business rivals?
Business rivals.
Uh, none of any real importance.
Uh, something strange did
happen the day before the murder.
I went down to the storage
room to get that gun,
and one of my colleagues
snuck an unauthorized person
into the building.
Oh.
Oh.
Who? I don't know.
I only saw him for a moment.
Oh.
Well, give Cassie the
best description you can.
We'll get Tyler in on this.
Okay.
Okay. Go ahead.
Uh, are you sure I'm
not disturbing you?
I assure you you're
not disturbing me at all.
Although, uh, I must warn
you, it's almost time for my nap.
Oh, I think grabbing a few winks
during the day is a great idea.
I take five naps a day
at regularly
scheduled intervals.
The alarm goes
off, I fall asleep.
Ten minutes later, it
goes off again. I wake up.
Alert, refreshed,
and capable of working
virtually around the clock.
What happens if
the alarm goes off
and you don't feel
like going to asleep?
My mind and body do what they've
been trained to do, Mr. Matlock.
It's just a matter
of conditioning.
But... I digress.
What did you want to ask me?
Any idea who killed
Vincent Redding?
Heh. Well, it all boils down to
one simple fact, Mr. Matlock.
Irwin could not have
entered that office
unless Dr. Redding
was alive to admit him.
I-Is...? Is there n-no way
somebody could
sidestep the system?
Absolutely not.
I mean, you're
all geniuses here.
In other words,
who else would have wanted
to kill Vincent Redding?
Yeah.
All of us.
All of us hated him.
Myself, Vanessa, Paul Loo.
Now that Vincent's dead,
Paul Loo could very
well wind up with his job.
Oh.
Oh.
Do you know if Paul
Loo was in Vincent's office
between 4:30 and 5:30
the day of the murder?
No. I'm afraid I was
in my office, working.
I didn't see anyone.
Well...
Uh... Uh...
He does that.
He's done it to me
dozens of times.
Just dozes off in
mid-sentence and he snores.
I'm sorry.
Here. Try some.
Well, thanks.
Uh, I'm kind of hoping
that you can help me and
my client out here, Dr. Loo.
Wish I could. I like Irwin.
But I'm afraid I was in here
working when Vincent was killed.
I'm no help at all.
Hm, taste good.
Made them myself.
The ultimate junk food.
No salt, no fat, no sugar,
no calories and no food value.
What's in 'em?
Not much.
Hm.
Tastes good.
If the Food and
Drug Administration
weren't so hysterical
for possible health risks,
I would have had them
on the market years ago.
Here, have some more.
Mm.
If...
If it were possible to
circumvent the system,
and if somebody besides
Irwin killed Dr. Redding,
any likely suspects
come to mind?
Any one of us.
We all hated him.
Dr. Barnes, myself,
his wife, Vanessa.
He treated her no different
than he treated everyone else.
Like dirt?
Actually, he
treated dirt better.
Mm-hm.
Somebody said
she's so grief-stricken
she can't talk on the
phone or work or anything.
Hm.
Yes, who is it?
Michelle Thomas.
I'm an attorney
for Irwin Bruckner.
I'd like to speak
to Dr. Segwick.
I'm Dr. Segwick.
I trust this won't take long.
I'm so sorry to bother you.
I know your husband's death
came as a terrible blow.
My exercise physiologist.
Please, just get to the point.
Of course.
I found your husband's passport
when I went through his effects,
and I wondered, if he'd
just gotten back from Brazil,
why hadn't it been stamped?
Oh, really.
Wouldn't it be more logical
to ask the customs
authorities that question?
Well, it's just that you're
here and customs is there.
I have no notion
why they didn't
stamp his passport.
Perhaps they ran out of ink.
Your office is
like Dr. Redding's.
Do you know of any
quirks or malfunctions
that could explain how...
Your client murdered my
husband, Miss Thomas.
Vincent was alive when
Dr. Bruckner entered his office.
I heard him admit him.
You what?
I was on the phone with Vincent.
He commanded the door to
open, said, "Hello, Dr. Bruckner,"
and told me he'd call me back.
He never did.
Why didn't you tell
anybody this before?
Because, quite
frankly, I assumed Irwin
would hire himself
a competent attorney
who would, in time, find out
about it and plead him guilty.
We don't believe
Dr. Bruckner is guilty.
We think it was someone
else at the institute
who killed your husband.
Really?
Perhaps Dr. Barnes.
He was being considered
for a higher-paying job
at the Raleigh Foundation.
Vincent got wind of it,
said the wrong things
to the right people,
and put the kibosh on it.
When Jeremy heard
about it, he was livid.
Well, you'll have to excuse me.
My heart rate
is falling rapidly,
my patience is wearing thin
and I am in mourning.
That's him, huh?
That's as close
as we're gonna get.
That is amazing.
What is?
Irwin. He accessed
the police mainframe
and used their
composite sketch software
to get a picture of the
guy in the storage room.
No kidding?
Hot off the press.
Oh, that's great.
Call Tyler.
Tell him to go
down to the institute,
take this with him,
keep his eyes open.
Dr. Redding never changed
the combination on that door.
Maybe that guy
will show up again.
Do it.
What's next for me?
You never did figure
out just how somebody
opened Dr. Redding's
door for you?
I still don't see
how it's possible.
I'll keep working on it.
Yeah. Yeah.
That's right.
Uh, any...? Any, uh, messages?
Just one from Michelle.
She's following up on a
lead she got from Dr. Segwick.
Good.
He's kind of cute, isn't he?
Who?
Irwin. Irwin?
Uh, I know he's a
genius and everything,
but he's like a kid.
He's kind of cute.
I'm sorry, babe.
Virgin Mary, please.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Hi.
Hi.
How's it going?
I think I'm making
some progress.
You see, what I've done
is I've written a program
which allows me to recalculate
the response to each allophone
using simple mathematics.
For instance, in this equation,
each of the gamma of ends
represents the allophone
speech sequence.
We transform it
into a predictive code
for the security program.
The guy Irwin saw
showed up at the institute.
What was he doing there?
Just as I was about
to go in, he came out,
so I follow him to
Fenwick's Tavern,
where he met with a man
wearing a very expensive suit
and he gave him some papers.
Who was the man in the suit?
He left before I could find out.
Who was the other guy?
Uh, he left before
I could find out.
They both left before
you could find out?
Yeah. You lost 'em.
Yeah. You said
you had good news.
The guy Irwin saw drives
a very expensive sports car,
and there's only three
places in this town
that does body
work on cars like that.
And guess who gave
it a great big dent?
I called him from my
office to remind him
that we had a dinner
engagement that night,
and while we were talking,
he said, "Door open,"
and, uh, "Hello, Dr. Bruckner."
Which led you to conclude what?
That he had just admitted
Irwin Bruckner to his office.
Thank you, Dr. Segwick.
Nothing further.
Your witness.
Thank you. Uh, Dr. Segwick,
your husband had just
returned from a trip to where?
Brazil.
Rio de Janeiro.
And he left on the 8th
and was supposed to, uh,
come back on the 29th.
Is that right?
Yes, but he came
back early on the 14th.
He must have missed you.
More likely he missed his work.
Well... Did you drive
him to the airport?
He drove his car
and left it there.
Dr. Segwick,
this is a gasoline
credit-card receipt
dated the 13th,
from the Richmond Center
gas station up in Richmond.
Do you recognize your
husband's signature?
Yes, that's his signature,
but it must be misdated.
Well, I suppose
that could happen.
Uh, this is an official
United States passport
issued to Dr. Vincent Redding.
You recognize it?
Yes, that's Vincent's.
There is no passport
stamp whatsoever
for the period between the
8th and the 14th, is there?
No.
That's because Vincent
Redding was not in Rio de Janeiro.
He was at the Jimmy
Nash Clinic in Richmond,
being treated for acute
depression, wasn't he?
Yes.
If it's ruled
that your husband
was not killed,
but rather, committed suicide,
there will be no
insurance proceeds.
You'll not be able to collect
on your husband's
$1-million insurance policy,
because suicide was
specifically excluded
in that policy, wasn't it?
I suppose so, but...
You made up that story
about the phone call
to further incriminate
Irwin Bruckner,
in an attempt to make
sure no one would suspect
your husband committed
suicide, didn't you?
He didn't commit suicide.
Maybe not. Maybe.
You did make up
that story, perjury,
trying to eliminate
the slightest chance
that your husband's death
could be ruled suicide,
didn't you?
Yes.
No further questions.
Uncle Ben...
Uncle Ben, I did it.
I did it.
I-I was gonna take
a walk, you know,
just to try and clear my head,
and just as I was
going out the door,
Cassie says, "I-It looks like
rain, you'd better take this."
And then it hit me.
The umbrella?
The operative theory.
When it rains,
everything gets wet,
but when it rains
and you stand under an
umbrella, you don't get wet.
I-It's raining, yet
it's not raining.
The operations
program was functioning,
yet it was not functioning,
because another program,
for the most part
identical to the original,
was in simultaneous operation,
acting, uh, kind
of like an umbrella,
and at predetermined points,
it would take over
the original program.
Incredible.
This program will
show that it was possible
for someone besides
Dr. Redding to open that door?
Absolutely.
I-It will when and,
uh, if I can access it.
You know it's in the computer
at the institute.
You just don't know where?
Right.
Maybe I can explain
your theory to the judge.
We have to have proof, Irwin.
Uh, okay.
Um, well, maybe I could, uh,
access the mainframe
at the institute from here,
uh, bring in a few
more terminals,
uh, get a couple of buddies,
work around the clock...
But the odds of coming across
that access code are slim.
How slim?
Roughly 4,185,000-to-1.
Maybe you'll get lucky.
Ben Matlock's office.
It's Tyler. He's
at the body shop.
Says he just got lucky.
May I help you?
Yes. I'm looking
for Douglas Harding.
I have it on good
authority he works here.
Douglas Harding.
I'm kind of new here.
I'll have to check.
Just a minute.
Excuse me, sir.
There's someone out here
asking for Douglas Harding?
Uh, Ben Matlock.
Is that Mr. Drake?
He says his name
is Ben Matlock, sir.
I see. Thank you.
Apparently, uh, Douglas
Harding did work here,
but he quit a year ago.
Oh.
This the way to
Mr. Drake's office?
You can't go in there.
Come in, Mr. Matlock.
Mr. Harding.
Mr. Drake.
How can we help you?
Everything okay, Mr. Drake?
Thank you, John,
everything's fine.
Anything else?
Uh, an employee of mine
saw Mr. Harding here,
uh, hand you an envelope,
uh, some sort of papers,
at Fenwick's Tavern.
But what I wanna know
is why your employee,
Mr. Harding,
was seen sneaking in and
out of Mansbridge Institute?
Well, you'd have to ask him.
Mr. Harding?
I believe you have me confused
with someone else.
Your company has
defense contracts, doesn't it?
Yes. And testing done at places
such as Mansbridge Institute
could affect your
business greatly?
Of course.
Now, what's your
point, Mr. Matlock?
Uh, my point is that I'm not
mistaken about Mr. Harding.
He was seen sneaking
into Mansbridge Institute.
And it doesn't take
a genius to figure out
that maybe some
money changed hands,
and maybe some test results
were falsified to benefit you.
But that's not what
this is all about.
Vincent Redding
has been murdered,
so we're not talking about
money or defense contracts.
It's very possible,
if Dr. Redding's death
has anything to do
with Mr. Harding here,
the two of you might wind up
doing quite a bit
of time for murder.
So that's what
I'm talking about.
And I would strongly
urge you to tell me
who you're dealing
with down at the institute.
I guess I don't have to ask
if Irwin's figured
out the program.
No. I've never seen
anything like this.
Oh, neither have
I. It's beyond me.
Yes.
Whoosh.
Irwin's smart.
I had no idea.
I mean, smart... on some things,
and on others, he's really dumb.
He's a kid.
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
It's funny, isn't it,
who a person will
be attractive to.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I've seen you looking at
him, and you said he was cute.
Well, he is. He's cute.
Yeah, his mother used
to say that all the time.
She'd say, "Irwin's cute."
He's very bright.
He's strange, but he's cute.
He is.
Which one?
All of them.
Strange.
Strange.
Uncle Ben!
I got it!
Dr. Segwick,
uh, is it fair to say
that you're an
expert in physics?
Yes, I think that would be fair.
This was subpoenaed
from the physics lab
at Mansbridge Institute
just this morning.
Please tell the
court what it is.
It's a sensor.
It's used to measure
microfracture formation rates.
And you use this
device in your research
at the institute, don't you?
Yes. I've been working
with it for several months.
This device will be used
in the courtroom today,
and what I'd like,
uh, for you to do
is just compare it with this one
that was loaned to us
from the physics department
at the university.
It's the same sensor.
In every way?
Except...
the bias resistor
has been replaced.
The value's all wrong.
That throws off the
calibration by a factor of ten.
You seem alarmed.
Of course I'm alarmed.
This sensor is
from the institute.
It means that the
results of any tests
that I ran using it
are totally invalid.
Say someone were
testing an alloy.
If that person were
using this device,
would those tests
be invalid also?
Of course they would.
Thank you, doctor.
I'd have to check my records
to be absolutely certain,
but yes, this could very well
be the sensor I've been using.
Okay.
Now, correct me if I'm wrong,
but that would make
the alloy you're testing
appear to be ten times
stronger than it actually is.
Unfortunately, yes.
Who paid you to do these tests?
Uh, Drake Industries.
Drake Industries. That's...
That's the company that
developed the alloy, right?
That's right.
Yeah. Uh, in an
attempt to, uh, obtain
a very important contract
with the Pentagon.
Yes.
That would be a
very lucrative contract
for Drake Industries,
wouldn't it?
I suppose so.
And that may be why
Drake Industries paid you
to alter this measuring device
and falsify those test results
to be sure they got
that contract, right?
Objection.
Speculation, Your Honor.
There's no
foundation whatsoever.
Sustained.
Mr. Matlock, in my courtroom
we first present the evidence
and then we draw
the conclusions.
Do I make myself clear?
Your Honor, I just asked
the man a question.
Yes, and it called
for a conclusion.
Yes, ma'am.
Dr. Barnes, uh, you would just
forward your test results
straight to the Pentagon,
uh, before Dr. Redding
returned from his trip
on the 29th, right?
Yes.
So he never would
have seen them?
There's nothing out of
the ordinary about that.
But he came back early.
Did he ask to see your report?
Objection.
Your Honor, where are
we going with all of this?
Mr. Matlock...
Well, Your Honor, at this time
I'd like to make a
somewhat unusual request.
I'm sure it's safe to say
that you have
written and installed
more than a few
computer programs
in the course of
your career, isn't it?
Hundreds of them.
And I'm sure that when
you write a program
it can do almost anything,
including tell a program
that's already in operation
to let another program take over
under certain circumstances,
and no one would be the wiser?
I told you, Mr. Matlock,
the systems program
here is tamperproof.
I didn't say it was
tampered with, doctor.
I said someone simply
shoved another program
into the computer,
one that could
take over the system
if called upon to do so.
I-It can't be done.
You know it can, don't you?
Then where is it, Mr. Matlock?
Where is this ingenious
program of yours?
I'd like to see it.
Well, that's a problem.
Anyone smart enough
to create such a program
has got to be smart
enough to make sure
that no one else ever finds it.
That's your theory.
And I think it's a good one.
I'll tell you what I believe.
I believe that no matter
how smart a person is,
or thinks he is, there's
always someone who's smarter.
Now, the prosecution contends
the only way my client
could have entered
Dr. Redding's office
is for Dr. Redding to have
opened the door for him,
and he contends that
Dr. Redding was alive
when my client
entered his office.
Therefore, my client,
Dr. Bruckner, must
have killed him.
I intend to demonstrate
that this is not true.
Dr. Barnes, would you kindly
open your office door for us?
Door open.
My associate...
has been instructed
how to access
this other program,
the one Dr. Barnes
says doesn't exist,
by using the computer
terminal in Dr. Barnes' office.
Meanwhile, Dr. Bruckner
will do exactly as he
did the day of the murder.
He'll cross the foyer
and announce himself:
Dr. Redding?
What the prosecution said
could not happen has happened.
The door opened
with no one inside.
No one alive, that is.
The computer did three
things it was not supposed to do.
It allowed Miss Thomas to know
that Dr. Bruckner was
outside Dr. Redding's door,
and it allowed her to
open Dr. Redding's door
from Dr. Barnes' office.
This all happened
because of a program
you said did not exist.
It's not possible.
How did you find it?
How did you do it?
You couldn't have accessed it.
This isn't mine.
I didn't say we
accessed your program.
Actually, we
accessed his program.
It never occurred to you that
someone might be smart enough
to create a program that
approximated yours, did it?
Him?
He wrote this?
Well, of course he wrote it.
What do you think?
He's my nephew.
My stuff's all packed.
I just came in to say
goodbye and thanks.
It's been a pleasure.
I've always liked you, Irwin.
Hey, before you go,
take a look at this.
All right. It's a
pencil sharpener.
Yeah, it doesn't work.
Uh, it's mechanical.
I don't even know where to begin
to look at something
that doesn't have circuitry.
Oh.
Oh.
Speaking of circuitry,
what do you think of Cassie?
Cassie?
Yeah.
She's a girl.
You're a boy.
Here's a 10 spot.
Take her someplace.
Get her a cup of coffee
or a bowl of ice cream.
Talk to her about... things.
Uh, Cassie?
Uh, how'd you like
to go out to dinner?
Uncle Ben gave me a 10 spot.