Matlock (1986–1995): Season 2, Episode 21 - The Magician - full transcript
Oh, how'd he do that?
I've never seen
anything like it.
I never have either.
Daniel Fontaine,
ladies and gentlemen.
One of Vegas' most
popular performers.
Star of his own
television special.
Without a doubt
the Magic Castle's
most illustrious alumnus.
Daniel Fontaine and his
lovely assistant, Sandy Farrell.
Sounds like Danny's got 'em
all warmed up for you, eh, Rod?
Yeah. Just like old times.
And now ladies and
gentlemen, please bear with us
for five minutes while
we prepare the stage
for our next act, the Castle's
current feature performer:
Rod Greenwood.
Timing is still off in the spin.
I thought it was okay.
It's okay for here, not for TV.
We need to rehearse.
Nine o'clock tomorrow all right?
Hm. Sorry, Dan. I'm busy.
At 9 in the morning?
That's it?
No explanation?
I said I can't make it.
And I say you'll be
here at 9:00 tomorrow,
and you'll stay until
the illusion is perfect.
I'm going to Miami
tonight with a friend.
I'll be back by showtime.
Promise.
Who is he?
None of your business.
I said who is he?
Hello, there.
What do you want?
Your gentleman is here.
Tell him I'll be right there.
Great show tonight, Daniel.
Ladies and gentlemen,
watch the balloon closely.
One, two, three.
Now, the card you merely
thought of is inside the deck.
I'm gonna drop
it inside the hat.
Your chosen card, the
one you're thinking of,
is going to rise
out of the deck.
Are you ready? Here we go.
Did you see it?
That was great.
He... He is pretty good.
Here's one, here's one.
You see that?
Uh... More, more.
Oh.
Oh, would you look
at that. That's fabulous.
Oh, oh. Whoa!
Wait, here. Here.
Here. Yeah.
Oh. Oh!
Excuse me. I'm sorry.
Excuse us, excuse us.
It's dark. A person
could use a little light.
Oh, look.
And who do we have now, Inez?
A very handsome couple.
And what are your names?
Uh, Julie March.
And you? Ben Matlock.
Inez. Would you kindly hold up
something from either of them?
Something personal,
from either of you.
All I've got is my wallet.
Uh... Uh, ha, let's see.
Oh. Oh, oh.
Yeah. Mm-hm.
He'll never get that. Mm-mm.
Mr. Martel, I have an object
that comes from Ms. March.
I can't see it clearly.
He's not gonna get it. Mm-mm.
I will close my eyes and
concentrate on the item.
You too.
He'll never get it. No. Mm-mm.
Wait!
It's coming through.
And somewhere there's
a bird looking for it.
It's a feather!
Both: Oh!
That was great.
I thought we had
him, didn't you?
I thought we had him too.
Feather, huh?
Sandy, come on over, okay?
Sandy?
Sandy?
Sandy, look, I
want to apologi...
You've actually
done it, haven't you?
Thank you. This was a
good idea. That was special.
Oh, yeah... Uh, Mr. Matlock.
Huh? Dan Fontaine
would like to see you.
Yeah?
Come this way, please.
Oh.
We enjoyed your show.
Oh, morning, Bob.
Oh, Ben.
Find anything?
Just the usual.
I'm almost done, if you wanna
go ahead have a look around...
Okay. Over there, if you like.
You ever seen
one of these shows?
No.
I always wanted to.
Just never, uh, took the time.
Hm. It's fun.
It's a club.
You have to be a member.
I got an invitation.
It's a good time.
Yeah. I know.
My contact's been
strictly professional.
How's that?
A string of burglaries
of members' homes.
Oh. Catch anybody?
Uh, we think a small
timer named Jimmy Collier.
Only he'd need a
contact inside the club.
So far we've come
up dry on that.
Hm?
How you do that?
Oh, I used to fool around
with this stuff when I was a kid.
Ha. Well, hey.
Uh. Well...
Wait. No. Wait.
This... Well... Hi.
Hi.
Uh... I got the call.
Oh, you've been...?
Assigned to the case.
Oh. Oh, well you know anything?
Well, a little. Mm.
Now, Ben, you remember
we agreed to disagree.
Oh, oh. I agree that, uh...
We can disagree.
Yeah, if it falls that way.
Well, it might very well.
I, um, have an eyewitness.
Who will testify that Daniel
Fontaine was the only person
who came into Sandy Farrell's
dressing room last night.
Oh, yeah, and he
was seen leaning
over the body.
And she was killed
with one of his knives. And
they had an ugly argument earlier.
- And she was seeing...
- Somebody else.
Yeah. Hm. Wait.
Oh. So, anyway who's,
um...? Who's your eyewitness?
One of the magicians. Calls
himself the Amazing Zeigler.
Uh-huh.
What do you mean, "uh-huh"?
Danny told me.
Danny?
Daniel Fontaine.
Well, I figure if I'm working
for him, I'd call him Danny.
Oh, so you're going
to take the case?
Ah, I'm thinking about it.
Um, you... You know
about, um, Sandy Farrell?
I know she's dead.
Well, she was, oh,
what they used to
call in the old days,
"everybody's girl."
What does that mean?
Well, she moved around a lot.
Who told you that?
Danny. MICHELLE: Hi.
Hi. Hi.
Hi. This is an
interesting place, isn't it?
Yes, it is.
Yeah. We were just...
talking about the
case, Sandy Farrell.
Oh, yeah. I found
out a couple of things.
There were three
men here in the club.
That she? MICHELLE: Yeah.
Arthur Wolfe.
The manager?
Mm-hm. He put her on
as a cocktail waitress.
And were they,
um...? That's the word.
Hm. Then Rod Greenwood,
his assistant for a while.
Oh, and... And
they...? I suppose.
H-how about, uh,
the, um, Amazing...
Zeigler. Zeigler?
Yeah, I don't know if
they had anything going.
That's... That's
what Danny said.
And then he was last. Danny.
But the night she was killed...
she was gonna go
off with another fella.
And I'm not being chauvinistic.
It's just that she'd
left a trail of them.
Uh... I'll tell you...
I'll tell you what
I really think.
I think that this illusion...
You know, the one that
we saw with sword...?
Yes.
I think that illusion has to
be central to this whole thing.
Danny told me that
when he first met Sandy,
she had the plans
for this new illusion.
She said she had bought them.
Danny told me he was looking
for a new finish for his act,
and so here's Sandy...
But he knew she hadn't
really bought the plans.
Yeah.
But he looked the other way?
Well, um... yeah.
Yeah, but... But look...
L-look at it this way.
Danny's already a headliner.
Sandy has this illusion.
She's looking out for
her own best interest.
She sees that she can go farther
by letting Danny have the plans.
And that's how she
became his assistant?
Yeah.
And Danny, uh...
got involved,
like all the others?
Well, that's what he said.
Hm.
Looking good.
Prosecution's case
is looking good.
And you're right, it is
an interesting place.
I'll see you, Michelle.
Well, good news.
Judge Cooksey was a little
long-winded this morning,
but he was easy on bail.
Well, that's good.
Did you call Tyler?
Yeah.
You used to fool around with
that stuff when you were a kid.
How did you know?
I'm a mind reader.
Pretty fancy.
What was your card?
King of diamonds.
Ha, ha, that's great.
You should be performing here.
The manager
perform. I don't think so.
The owners wouldn't have that.
I bet they loved having
Daniel Fontaine work here.
Oh, yes. Daniel could
call, the owners would yank
whoever was scheduled
without batting an eye,
and we'd sell out every night.
Hm. How often did he come here?
Couple of times a year.
Practice a new act,
try out an illusion.
You gave Sandy her
start here, didn't you?
I employed her initially
as a cocktail waitress.
Were you upset when
she broke up with you?
I don't know where
you get your information.
If it's from your client, I
think you should be careful
about accepting
it at face value.
Nothing around here
is quite what it seems.
Mr. Zeigler?
Mr. Zeigler?
I am the Amazing Zeigler.
Something I can do for you?
Sandy was genuinely
fond of our profession.
Couldn't fault her on that.
Uh, well, uh...
Uh, what, uh, could
you fault her on?
Her taste... in friends.
Oh. So there was no love lost
between you and Daniel Fontaine?
None.
Because he stole
a trick from you?
Not just a trick.
An illusion.
A great illusion.
Oh, the one where the
sword went through...
You saw it.
Yeah. That one...
put him on the map didn't it?
Yes, it did.
Daniel claims Sandy stole that.
And you believed him, naturally.
What were you doing in
her dressing room that night?
I was worried about her.
I was standing just
off-stage, preparing to go on.
Going through my act,
step by step, in my head.
I had a clear view
of the hallways
to the dressing
room the whole time.
Daniel Fontaine
was the only person
who went into
Sandy's dressing room.
Are you sure?
I'm positive.
All right.
Well. It was nice doing
business with you.
Your dance card full, pal?
Well, who's asking?
Ben Franklin. Eight ball.
Rack 'em up.
You think so? MAN 2: No.
Gonna play? Talk
or play? Come on.
Fifteen, side pocket.
Nice.
Nice. Nice.
Okay, okay, okay.
I'll buy. I'll buy.
Eight ball. Right here.
Pay me, Jimmy.
How did you know my name?
I make it a point to
know my competition.
And I'm not talking about pool.
What are you talking about?
Your little gig with
the Magic Castle.
Well, I'm sorry, you lost me.
Come on, use your brains, Jimmy.
If I know about your scam,
how far off the trail do
you think the cops are?
Now you wanna throw
'em a curve, I'm your man.
Subcontract a few of the
jobs to me, we'll split the take.
I need the bread.
You need the alibi.
Let me make a phone call,
and maybe we can get something
on for later on this week.
"We?"
Uh-uh. I work alone, pal.
Hey, look. I don't even
know your name, pal,
let alone how good you are.
First, we work together.
If I like what I
see, you got a deal.
I think we were over
there somewhere.
Right there. Yeah.
This is some place, isn't it?
Yes. Heh.
My grandmother had
an old trunk like that.
What was in it?
I don't know. I was
too scared to look.
Ha-ha.
What do you
suppose is in this one?
Do you mind?
I'm sorry. We didn't know
anybody was in there.
Just... Just close the
lid, would you please.
I'm trying to rehearse.
Of course.
Ex... Excuse us.
We're sorry.
I'm sure glad I didn't open
my grandmother's trunk.
Yeah.
Uh... Uh...
You go ahead. I'm gonna...
hang around a while.
Okay?
Hi.
How'd it go?
How'd what go?
Rehearsal?
The stage area is
closed to visitors.
Oh, I... I'm not a visitor.
I'm Daniel Fontaine's lawyer.
Oh. What is it you want?
Well, I'd like to ask you some
questions about Sandy Farrell.
I understand that she
was your assistant.
That's right.
Well, when she...?
When she quit you to
be Danny's assistant,
how did you take that?
Look, I didn't have
any reason to kill her,
if that's what
you're getting at.
Well, when she and
Daniel hit the big time,
how did you feel?
I felt fine.
I won't lie. I'm sure that
everybody wants to be in,
as you say, "the big time."
Yeah. How about
when Daniel would just,
out of the blue,
show up to try...
Try out a new illusion.
Would your act ever get bumped?
Look, the fact is that
when Sandy came off-stage
that night, I went on.
And I didn't come off
until after she was murdered.
Was your...? This trunk
part of your act that night?
It's part of my act every night.
Look, I'm sorry, but I've
really gotta get going.
Oh. Oh.
All right. Okay.
Uh, thanks. Mm-hm.
Okay.
Any luck?
Not so far.
Hey, Danny, take
a look at this trunk.
Is there any way that
he could have gotten out
of this during his act?
No. Definitely not.
It's solid. Huh.
Well, that leaves the
manager and Mr. Zeigler.
Hm.
What do you think?
Well... I guess
we're back to the old
needing a rabbit out
of the hat, aren't we?
If I were you,
I'd skip the silver,
head straight for the bedroom.
Word is they're both
heavily into jewelry.
You're sure there's nobody home?
Positive. Well,
you sound nervous.
We got all night working off
of secondhand information.
Now, whoever this contact
of yours is at the Magic Castle,
the next time I'll talk to
him in person, you got that?
Hey, you haven't
proved to me yet
there's even gonna
be a next time.
Give me about... seven minutes.
This is the police.
Stop where you are.
Put your hands in the air.
Whoa! All right, all right.
Wait! All right.
In this case, as in
any other murder case,
the burden of proof
lies with the prosecution.
We must prove beyond
a reasonable doubt
that Daniel Fontaine
is guilty of the crime
of which he stands accused.
We must prove that, and we will.
Because the evidence in
this case is so overwhelming,
it is so compelling, that we
will establish Daniel Fontaine's
guilt beyond any doubt.
Thank you.
Mr. Matlock.
Members of the jury,
the defense is
under no obligation
to make an opening
statement, and ordinarily I do not.
But the events of this case
has given the prosecution
a murder weapon,
fingerprints, a motive.
And under the circumstances
that evidence would lead us
to an ordinary conclusion.
But Sandy Farrell was
murdered in a house of magic,
where virtually
nothing is as it seems.
Women appear to float in midair.
Men appear to be
cut in half with saws,
mentalists... appear
to read one's mind.
And this man
appears to be guilty,
when in fact he's not.
And did you discover
the defendant
standing over the victim's body?
That's right.
What were you doing
standing in the wings
on the night of the murder?
The same thing I do
every night before going on:
preparing.
Thinking about what I'm going
to say and do once on-stage.
Mr. Zeigler, did you have
a clear view of the door
to Sandy Farrell's dressing
room from 9 until 9:30?
From the time she
came off the stage
until the time she
was found murdered?
Yes, I did.
And Daniel Fontaine was the
only person who entered the room
during that time.
No further question.
Mr. Matlock.
I got this guy.
Maybe you left for a
second or turned your back?
That did not happen.
I know what I saw.
No one else went
through the door.
Not one person? No.
Uh, Your Honor,
pursuant to subpoena,
uh, the defense
has received various
pharmaceutical receipts,
including one dated April 23rd
made out to Sandra Farrell.
And I'd like that identified
as Defense Exhibit A.
I have no objection, Your Honor.
So marked.
Okay.
Sir, showing you
Defense Exhibit A,
April 23rd was the day
of the murder, was it not?
You know it was.
I'll take that as
a yes response.
Now, this delivery receipt to
Miss Farrell's dressing room
shows a time at the bottom.
Please tell us what time it was.
9:08.
Say again.
9:08.
So you didn't see everyone
who went into that room, did you?
I guess not.
If you missed one,
you could have
missed another, couldn't you?
I suppose.
Like the real murderer.
Objection! Withdraw the
question. Nothing further.
Hey, here you go, Jimmy.
Enjoy.
Wait a minute. You
can't put me in here.
Look, P.D. will be
down in about an hour.
Look, I didn't do anything.
The cops are just rousting me.
You can't do this.
Watch me.
It's a small world, huh, Jimmy?
Hey now, just wait a minute.
You set me up.
It wasn't my idea.
Then whose idea was it?!
Hey, take it easy.
And you just back off!
A name, Jimmy!
Look, let him go.
A name, Jimmy!
I said, I want a name.
Ah!
Ugh.
Guard. Guard!
Your contact at the
Magic Castle set me up.
Uh-huh.
And I want a name, Jimmy.
Arthur Wolfe is
who told me to do it.
Get me out of here.
Drop it.
Hey. He attacked me.
It was self-defense.
Look, you put him in the tank,
and you get a doctor
up here right away.
How'd I do? You were great.
I got everything I need.
Uh, Mr. Wolfe, uh...
I wonder if you could help me
with a little demonstration?
Now, you're the manager
of the Magic Castle.
Have you got a credit card
we could use for a minute?
Sure. Thank you.
Oh, that should do
fine. That should do fine.
Just put it in my hand
there. Put it right there.
All right. Okay.
All right, now, let's see here.
Okay. You can have it back.
All right.
Now... there is no way
that I could have seen...
the 10-digit number
on that card, is there?
Uh, not that I could tell, no.
Okay.
All right. Now, let's see.
It's, uh, 037...
2326.
Is that right?
That's right.
Objection, Your Honor.
This alleged demonstration
is nothing more than a sideshow,
the sole purpose of which
is to confuse and mislead
the members of the jury.
Your Honor, I'm using
this demonstration
to establish motive.
Overruled.
Now, how'd I do that, Mr. Wolfe?
Tell the court. I won't mind.
To be honest, I don't know.
I-I've seen scores of mentalists
perform similar tricks,
but, uh, they almost
always had assistants.
Ah. And Sandy Farrell...
was once the assistant
to Martel the Mentalist.
Wasn't she? Yeah.
And would you explain to
the court what the duties are
of a mentalist's assistant?
She holds up personal items
belonging to members of the
audience. And the mentalist,
even though he's blindfolded,
identifies the items correctly
because of the code word
she uses when she addresses him.
As for your trick,
you've got me stumped.
Well... I did it the
same way Sandy did it
when she was
Mr. Martel's assistant,
and the same way the
current assistant does it.
Well, you lost me there. Uh-huh.
Putty.
It's putty.
See?
I have a perfect imprint...
of that credit card number.
See that?
Only... Sandy...
didn't use credit
cards, did she?
She used... keys.
Didn't she? I don't
know what you mean.
At lease once a performance,
Sandy would hold up
somebody's set of keys,
and when nobody was looking,
she'd make a perfect imprint
of one of those keys in putty.
A house key.
Then later, she'd take the
mold and have a real key made
to somebody's house.
Didn't she?
How would I know?
And even if that's so, she
was the one doing it. Not me.
Heh.
You're the manager
of the Magic Castle.
You know all the members.
Where their houses are.
When they're in town,
when they're out of town.
On trips.
You're the one who
told the break-in man
when and where
to go, didn't you?
And Sandy was the one
who gave him the key,
wasn't she?
That's outrageous.
I wonder what Jimmy
Collier would say
if I put him on the stand.
What do you think he'd say?
None of this means I killed her.
I tell you what I think.
I think that even though
Sandy had moved on...
and was now Danny
Fontaine's assistant,
she still wanted her cut
of your break-in money.
And after a while you
couldn't take that...
so you got rid of
her, didn't you?
I didn't kill her.
You had motive and opportunity.
I was on-stage when Sandy was...
Rod Greenwood was on-stage.
Not in the main
theater, in the bar.
Remember, Mr. Matlock.
My assistant stopped
you, remember?
Wait, it's coming through,
and somewhere there's
a bird looking for it.
It's a feather.
Oh, come on.
That's right, me. No one knew.
The owner, the other
performers. No one.
I'm your Mr. Martel.
I was on-stage when
Sandy was murdered,
and I have a terrific
alibi, Mr. Matlock.
You.
No further questions.
Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm.
Hm.
Ah. M-Mr. Greenwood.
Your act at the Magic Castle
involves your climbing into
a trunk with handcuffs on,
and your popping
out a few minutes later
with handcuffs
off, is that right?
That's right. Only my
feet are shackled too,
and I change my clothes...
in under two minutes.
Ooh. Hm. That's some trick.
You... You mind telling
me how you do it?
Yes, in fact I do.
You're under oath.
Keeping such things a secret
is essential to my livelihood.
Surely you don't
expect me to sit here
and destroy my own career?
Hm.
Uh, Your Honor, I
think I have a solution.
If you'll allow
me to conjecture.
And if I'm wrong...
Mr. Greenwood's secret
can remain just that: a secret.
All right. Proceed.
Uh, but, Your Honor,
I have a problem.
I can't do it. Heh.
At least not here.
Now, Mr. Greenwood,
is...? Is this your trunk?
The one you used in your act
the night Sandy
Farrell was murdered?
Yes, it is.
Well, what exactly
goes on during your act,
from the audience's
point of view,
I'm not asking you
to reveal any secrets.
I pick up a volunteer
from the audience.
Um, he or she comes
up on the stage,
chains my hands and feet,
then closes me in the trunk.
Okay. Tyler?
We're gonna...
We're gonna
reconstruct things here.
Only this time I'll
be the volunteer,
and Tyler Hudson here is
gonna play you, Mr. Greenwood.
Now, let's... Let's pretend
that I've got Tyler all chained up.
Now what happens?
The volunteer opens the
lid, and I climb in the trunk.
Okay.
Tyler?
Okay.
Now what?
Now the volunteer
closes the lid.
Uh, then the volunteer
turns over the hourglass.
The music plays,
the audience waits,
and I extricate myself
by the time the sand runs out.
And all that time you're
wiggling out of those chains?
And changing my clothes.
All right, let's assume
the sand has run out.
Then what?
Then the volunteer opens
the lid, and I step out.
Okay.
Okay.
Oh, I'll be "daggoned."
How can you stand
up if you're not there?
Tyler's gone.
Tyler.
Mr. Matlock, what's
going on here?
The same thing that went on
the night of the
murder, Your Honor.
You have two trunks,
don't you, Mr. Greenwood?
One that you rehearse in
and leave standing
around on the stage.
The other you keep
squirreled away downstairs.
The one you use in your act.
The one with the secret panel.
This one. No,
this isn't my trunk.
Mr. Greenwood, didn't you,
the night of the murder,
get into this trunk,
open the panel...
slip through the trap
door on the stage,
go to Sandy Farrell's
dressing room...
No, of course not.
Kill her with one of
Daniel Fontaine's knives?
No. After you were finished,
rush back to the trap
door, up into the trunk,
just in time to come
out for your bow?
That's impossible.
For an accomplished
magician like yourself,
you probably had time to spare.
I was chained.
Mr. Greenwood...
are these the chains
you use in your act?
Take a good look.
I think so. Uh...
All right. This time
you be the volunteer,
and I'll get in the trunk.
Put the cuffs on me.
There you go.
Okay, I'll step inside.
Now put the chains on my feet.
Okay. Now, I'll get down.
And close the lid.
And don't forget the hourglass.
Ow. Ooh, ow.
Ow. Wait, wait. Wait a minute.
Wait. Wait a minute.
Oh, wait. Wait.
Maybe this wasn't
such a good idea.
How'd I do that?
The same way you did
the night of the murder.
With this.
Now, that isn't my key.
Mr. Greenwood, those are
your chains and your locks.
This must be your key.
'Cause I found it right
where you dropped it.
Let me show you something.
Looks like something you'd
take up collection with, doesn't it?
This is a magic bag.
Look at that.
Where'd it go?
It's got a secret compartment.
See that.
It was on the floor by
Sandy Farrell's body.
I found your key...
in the secret compartment.
I gotta figure the night
you murdered her,
this compartment
was partly open, and
during the struggle...
somehow,
thousand chances to one...
A thousand changes to one
when you dropped it, it fell
in the secret compartment.
You didn't have a lot
of time to look for it.
You didn't know anyone
would find it, or if they did,
wouldn't appreciate
its significance.
Maybe you didn't
know you lost it.
That doesn't prove
anything. I have lots of keys.
Then why did you
go to the locksmith
the very next morning...
and have another key made?
One that would fit those locks.
You did go to the locksmith.
Didn't you?
We find the defendant,
Daniel Fontaine, not guilty.
The jury having found
the defendant not guilty,
this court is adjourned.
Congratulations.
Well, uh, thank you.
Uh, there you go.
Thank you.
Mr. Fontaine, over here, please.
Sir, can I get one
shot over here.
Thank you.
Miss, may I get a picture?
You all right?
I'm always all right.
Well, you put on a fine fight.
Well, that's show business.
Oh.
So in celebration of
yet another victory,
I'm gonna take you to dinner.
Yeah? Yeah.
Then I'm gonna
make you disappear.
I've never seen
anything like it.
I never have either.
Daniel Fontaine,
ladies and gentlemen.
One of Vegas' most
popular performers.
Star of his own
television special.
Without a doubt
the Magic Castle's
most illustrious alumnus.
Daniel Fontaine and his
lovely assistant, Sandy Farrell.
Sounds like Danny's got 'em
all warmed up for you, eh, Rod?
Yeah. Just like old times.
And now ladies and
gentlemen, please bear with us
for five minutes while
we prepare the stage
for our next act, the Castle's
current feature performer:
Rod Greenwood.
Timing is still off in the spin.
I thought it was okay.
It's okay for here, not for TV.
We need to rehearse.
Nine o'clock tomorrow all right?
Hm. Sorry, Dan. I'm busy.
At 9 in the morning?
That's it?
No explanation?
I said I can't make it.
And I say you'll be
here at 9:00 tomorrow,
and you'll stay until
the illusion is perfect.
I'm going to Miami
tonight with a friend.
I'll be back by showtime.
Promise.
Who is he?
None of your business.
I said who is he?
Hello, there.
What do you want?
Your gentleman is here.
Tell him I'll be right there.
Great show tonight, Daniel.
Ladies and gentlemen,
watch the balloon closely.
One, two, three.
Now, the card you merely
thought of is inside the deck.
I'm gonna drop
it inside the hat.
Your chosen card, the
one you're thinking of,
is going to rise
out of the deck.
Are you ready? Here we go.
Did you see it?
That was great.
He... He is pretty good.
Here's one, here's one.
You see that?
Uh... More, more.
Oh.
Oh, would you look
at that. That's fabulous.
Oh, oh. Whoa!
Wait, here. Here.
Here. Yeah.
Oh. Oh!
Excuse me. I'm sorry.
Excuse us, excuse us.
It's dark. A person
could use a little light.
Oh, look.
And who do we have now, Inez?
A very handsome couple.
And what are your names?
Uh, Julie March.
And you? Ben Matlock.
Inez. Would you kindly hold up
something from either of them?
Something personal,
from either of you.
All I've got is my wallet.
Uh... Uh, ha, let's see.
Oh. Oh, oh.
Yeah. Mm-hm.
He'll never get that. Mm-mm.
Mr. Martel, I have an object
that comes from Ms. March.
I can't see it clearly.
He's not gonna get it. Mm-mm.
I will close my eyes and
concentrate on the item.
You too.
He'll never get it. No. Mm-mm.
Wait!
It's coming through.
And somewhere there's
a bird looking for it.
It's a feather!
Both: Oh!
That was great.
I thought we had
him, didn't you?
I thought we had him too.
Feather, huh?
Sandy, come on over, okay?
Sandy?
Sandy?
Sandy, look, I
want to apologi...
You've actually
done it, haven't you?
Thank you. This was a
good idea. That was special.
Oh, yeah... Uh, Mr. Matlock.
Huh? Dan Fontaine
would like to see you.
Yeah?
Come this way, please.
Oh.
We enjoyed your show.
Oh, morning, Bob.
Oh, Ben.
Find anything?
Just the usual.
I'm almost done, if you wanna
go ahead have a look around...
Okay. Over there, if you like.
You ever seen
one of these shows?
No.
I always wanted to.
Just never, uh, took the time.
Hm. It's fun.
It's a club.
You have to be a member.
I got an invitation.
It's a good time.
Yeah. I know.
My contact's been
strictly professional.
How's that?
A string of burglaries
of members' homes.
Oh. Catch anybody?
Uh, we think a small
timer named Jimmy Collier.
Only he'd need a
contact inside the club.
So far we've come
up dry on that.
Hm?
How you do that?
Oh, I used to fool around
with this stuff when I was a kid.
Ha. Well, hey.
Uh. Well...
Wait. No. Wait.
This... Well... Hi.
Hi.
Uh... I got the call.
Oh, you've been...?
Assigned to the case.
Oh. Oh, well you know anything?
Well, a little. Mm.
Now, Ben, you remember
we agreed to disagree.
Oh, oh. I agree that, uh...
We can disagree.
Yeah, if it falls that way.
Well, it might very well.
I, um, have an eyewitness.
Who will testify that Daniel
Fontaine was the only person
who came into Sandy Farrell's
dressing room last night.
Oh, yeah, and he
was seen leaning
over the body.
And she was killed
with one of his knives. And
they had an ugly argument earlier.
- And she was seeing...
- Somebody else.
Yeah. Hm. Wait.
Oh. So, anyway who's,
um...? Who's your eyewitness?
One of the magicians. Calls
himself the Amazing Zeigler.
Uh-huh.
What do you mean, "uh-huh"?
Danny told me.
Danny?
Daniel Fontaine.
Well, I figure if I'm working
for him, I'd call him Danny.
Oh, so you're going
to take the case?
Ah, I'm thinking about it.
Um, you... You know
about, um, Sandy Farrell?
I know she's dead.
Well, she was, oh,
what they used to
call in the old days,
"everybody's girl."
What does that mean?
Well, she moved around a lot.
Who told you that?
Danny. MICHELLE: Hi.
Hi. Hi.
Hi. This is an
interesting place, isn't it?
Yes, it is.
Yeah. We were just...
talking about the
case, Sandy Farrell.
Oh, yeah. I found
out a couple of things.
There were three
men here in the club.
That she? MICHELLE: Yeah.
Arthur Wolfe.
The manager?
Mm-hm. He put her on
as a cocktail waitress.
And were they,
um...? That's the word.
Hm. Then Rod Greenwood,
his assistant for a while.
Oh, and... And
they...? I suppose.
H-how about, uh,
the, um, Amazing...
Zeigler. Zeigler?
Yeah, I don't know if
they had anything going.
That's... That's
what Danny said.
And then he was last. Danny.
But the night she was killed...
she was gonna go
off with another fella.
And I'm not being chauvinistic.
It's just that she'd
left a trail of them.
Uh... I'll tell you...
I'll tell you what
I really think.
I think that this illusion...
You know, the one that
we saw with sword...?
Yes.
I think that illusion has to
be central to this whole thing.
Danny told me that
when he first met Sandy,
she had the plans
for this new illusion.
She said she had bought them.
Danny told me he was looking
for a new finish for his act,
and so here's Sandy...
But he knew she hadn't
really bought the plans.
Yeah.
But he looked the other way?
Well, um... yeah.
Yeah, but... But look...
L-look at it this way.
Danny's already a headliner.
Sandy has this illusion.
She's looking out for
her own best interest.
She sees that she can go farther
by letting Danny have the plans.
And that's how she
became his assistant?
Yeah.
And Danny, uh...
got involved,
like all the others?
Well, that's what he said.
Hm.
Looking good.
Prosecution's case
is looking good.
And you're right, it is
an interesting place.
I'll see you, Michelle.
Well, good news.
Judge Cooksey was a little
long-winded this morning,
but he was easy on bail.
Well, that's good.
Did you call Tyler?
Yeah.
You used to fool around with
that stuff when you were a kid.
How did you know?
I'm a mind reader.
Pretty fancy.
What was your card?
King of diamonds.
Ha, ha, that's great.
You should be performing here.
The manager
perform. I don't think so.
The owners wouldn't have that.
I bet they loved having
Daniel Fontaine work here.
Oh, yes. Daniel could
call, the owners would yank
whoever was scheduled
without batting an eye,
and we'd sell out every night.
Hm. How often did he come here?
Couple of times a year.
Practice a new act,
try out an illusion.
You gave Sandy her
start here, didn't you?
I employed her initially
as a cocktail waitress.
Were you upset when
she broke up with you?
I don't know where
you get your information.
If it's from your client, I
think you should be careful
about accepting
it at face value.
Nothing around here
is quite what it seems.
Mr. Zeigler?
Mr. Zeigler?
I am the Amazing Zeigler.
Something I can do for you?
Sandy was genuinely
fond of our profession.
Couldn't fault her on that.
Uh, well, uh...
Uh, what, uh, could
you fault her on?
Her taste... in friends.
Oh. So there was no love lost
between you and Daniel Fontaine?
None.
Because he stole
a trick from you?
Not just a trick.
An illusion.
A great illusion.
Oh, the one where the
sword went through...
You saw it.
Yeah. That one...
put him on the map didn't it?
Yes, it did.
Daniel claims Sandy stole that.
And you believed him, naturally.
What were you doing in
her dressing room that night?
I was worried about her.
I was standing just
off-stage, preparing to go on.
Going through my act,
step by step, in my head.
I had a clear view
of the hallways
to the dressing
room the whole time.
Daniel Fontaine
was the only person
who went into
Sandy's dressing room.
Are you sure?
I'm positive.
All right.
Well. It was nice doing
business with you.
Your dance card full, pal?
Well, who's asking?
Ben Franklin. Eight ball.
Rack 'em up.
You think so? MAN 2: No.
Gonna play? Talk
or play? Come on.
Fifteen, side pocket.
Nice.
Nice. Nice.
Okay, okay, okay.
I'll buy. I'll buy.
Eight ball. Right here.
Pay me, Jimmy.
How did you know my name?
I make it a point to
know my competition.
And I'm not talking about pool.
What are you talking about?
Your little gig with
the Magic Castle.
Well, I'm sorry, you lost me.
Come on, use your brains, Jimmy.
If I know about your scam,
how far off the trail do
you think the cops are?
Now you wanna throw
'em a curve, I'm your man.
Subcontract a few of the
jobs to me, we'll split the take.
I need the bread.
You need the alibi.
Let me make a phone call,
and maybe we can get something
on for later on this week.
"We?"
Uh-uh. I work alone, pal.
Hey, look. I don't even
know your name, pal,
let alone how good you are.
First, we work together.
If I like what I
see, you got a deal.
I think we were over
there somewhere.
Right there. Yeah.
This is some place, isn't it?
Yes. Heh.
My grandmother had
an old trunk like that.
What was in it?
I don't know. I was
too scared to look.
Ha-ha.
What do you
suppose is in this one?
Do you mind?
I'm sorry. We didn't know
anybody was in there.
Just... Just close the
lid, would you please.
I'm trying to rehearse.
Of course.
Ex... Excuse us.
We're sorry.
I'm sure glad I didn't open
my grandmother's trunk.
Yeah.
Uh... Uh...
You go ahead. I'm gonna...
hang around a while.
Okay?
Hi.
How'd it go?
How'd what go?
Rehearsal?
The stage area is
closed to visitors.
Oh, I... I'm not a visitor.
I'm Daniel Fontaine's lawyer.
Oh. What is it you want?
Well, I'd like to ask you some
questions about Sandy Farrell.
I understand that she
was your assistant.
That's right.
Well, when she...?
When she quit you to
be Danny's assistant,
how did you take that?
Look, I didn't have
any reason to kill her,
if that's what
you're getting at.
Well, when she and
Daniel hit the big time,
how did you feel?
I felt fine.
I won't lie. I'm sure that
everybody wants to be in,
as you say, "the big time."
Yeah. How about
when Daniel would just,
out of the blue,
show up to try...
Try out a new illusion.
Would your act ever get bumped?
Look, the fact is that
when Sandy came off-stage
that night, I went on.
And I didn't come off
until after she was murdered.
Was your...? This trunk
part of your act that night?
It's part of my act every night.
Look, I'm sorry, but I've
really gotta get going.
Oh. Oh.
All right. Okay.
Uh, thanks. Mm-hm.
Okay.
Any luck?
Not so far.
Hey, Danny, take
a look at this trunk.
Is there any way that
he could have gotten out
of this during his act?
No. Definitely not.
It's solid. Huh.
Well, that leaves the
manager and Mr. Zeigler.
Hm.
What do you think?
Well... I guess
we're back to the old
needing a rabbit out
of the hat, aren't we?
If I were you,
I'd skip the silver,
head straight for the bedroom.
Word is they're both
heavily into jewelry.
You're sure there's nobody home?
Positive. Well,
you sound nervous.
We got all night working off
of secondhand information.
Now, whoever this contact
of yours is at the Magic Castle,
the next time I'll talk to
him in person, you got that?
Hey, you haven't
proved to me yet
there's even gonna
be a next time.
Give me about... seven minutes.
This is the police.
Stop where you are.
Put your hands in the air.
Whoa! All right, all right.
Wait! All right.
In this case, as in
any other murder case,
the burden of proof
lies with the prosecution.
We must prove beyond
a reasonable doubt
that Daniel Fontaine
is guilty of the crime
of which he stands accused.
We must prove that, and we will.
Because the evidence in
this case is so overwhelming,
it is so compelling, that we
will establish Daniel Fontaine's
guilt beyond any doubt.
Thank you.
Mr. Matlock.
Members of the jury,
the defense is
under no obligation
to make an opening
statement, and ordinarily I do not.
But the events of this case
has given the prosecution
a murder weapon,
fingerprints, a motive.
And under the circumstances
that evidence would lead us
to an ordinary conclusion.
But Sandy Farrell was
murdered in a house of magic,
where virtually
nothing is as it seems.
Women appear to float in midair.
Men appear to be
cut in half with saws,
mentalists... appear
to read one's mind.
And this man
appears to be guilty,
when in fact he's not.
And did you discover
the defendant
standing over the victim's body?
That's right.
What were you doing
standing in the wings
on the night of the murder?
The same thing I do
every night before going on:
preparing.
Thinking about what I'm going
to say and do once on-stage.
Mr. Zeigler, did you have
a clear view of the door
to Sandy Farrell's dressing
room from 9 until 9:30?
From the time she
came off the stage
until the time she
was found murdered?
Yes, I did.
And Daniel Fontaine was the
only person who entered the room
during that time.
No further question.
Mr. Matlock.
I got this guy.
Maybe you left for a
second or turned your back?
That did not happen.
I know what I saw.
No one else went
through the door.
Not one person? No.
Uh, Your Honor,
pursuant to subpoena,
uh, the defense
has received various
pharmaceutical receipts,
including one dated April 23rd
made out to Sandra Farrell.
And I'd like that identified
as Defense Exhibit A.
I have no objection, Your Honor.
So marked.
Okay.
Sir, showing you
Defense Exhibit A,
April 23rd was the day
of the murder, was it not?
You know it was.
I'll take that as
a yes response.
Now, this delivery receipt to
Miss Farrell's dressing room
shows a time at the bottom.
Please tell us what time it was.
9:08.
Say again.
9:08.
So you didn't see everyone
who went into that room, did you?
I guess not.
If you missed one,
you could have
missed another, couldn't you?
I suppose.
Like the real murderer.
Objection! Withdraw the
question. Nothing further.
Hey, here you go, Jimmy.
Enjoy.
Wait a minute. You
can't put me in here.
Look, P.D. will be
down in about an hour.
Look, I didn't do anything.
The cops are just rousting me.
You can't do this.
Watch me.
It's a small world, huh, Jimmy?
Hey now, just wait a minute.
You set me up.
It wasn't my idea.
Then whose idea was it?!
Hey, take it easy.
And you just back off!
A name, Jimmy!
Look, let him go.
A name, Jimmy!
I said, I want a name.
Ah!
Ugh.
Guard. Guard!
Your contact at the
Magic Castle set me up.
Uh-huh.
And I want a name, Jimmy.
Arthur Wolfe is
who told me to do it.
Get me out of here.
Drop it.
Hey. He attacked me.
It was self-defense.
Look, you put him in the tank,
and you get a doctor
up here right away.
How'd I do? You were great.
I got everything I need.
Uh, Mr. Wolfe, uh...
I wonder if you could help me
with a little demonstration?
Now, you're the manager
of the Magic Castle.
Have you got a credit card
we could use for a minute?
Sure. Thank you.
Oh, that should do
fine. That should do fine.
Just put it in my hand
there. Put it right there.
All right. Okay.
All right, now, let's see here.
Okay. You can have it back.
All right.
Now... there is no way
that I could have seen...
the 10-digit number
on that card, is there?
Uh, not that I could tell, no.
Okay.
All right. Now, let's see.
It's, uh, 037...
2326.
Is that right?
That's right.
Objection, Your Honor.
This alleged demonstration
is nothing more than a sideshow,
the sole purpose of which
is to confuse and mislead
the members of the jury.
Your Honor, I'm using
this demonstration
to establish motive.
Overruled.
Now, how'd I do that, Mr. Wolfe?
Tell the court. I won't mind.
To be honest, I don't know.
I-I've seen scores of mentalists
perform similar tricks,
but, uh, they almost
always had assistants.
Ah. And Sandy Farrell...
was once the assistant
to Martel the Mentalist.
Wasn't she? Yeah.
And would you explain to
the court what the duties are
of a mentalist's assistant?
She holds up personal items
belonging to members of the
audience. And the mentalist,
even though he's blindfolded,
identifies the items correctly
because of the code word
she uses when she addresses him.
As for your trick,
you've got me stumped.
Well... I did it the
same way Sandy did it
when she was
Mr. Martel's assistant,
and the same way the
current assistant does it.
Well, you lost me there. Uh-huh.
Putty.
It's putty.
See?
I have a perfect imprint...
of that credit card number.
See that?
Only... Sandy...
didn't use credit
cards, did she?
She used... keys.
Didn't she? I don't
know what you mean.
At lease once a performance,
Sandy would hold up
somebody's set of keys,
and when nobody was looking,
she'd make a perfect imprint
of one of those keys in putty.
A house key.
Then later, she'd take the
mold and have a real key made
to somebody's house.
Didn't she?
How would I know?
And even if that's so, she
was the one doing it. Not me.
Heh.
You're the manager
of the Magic Castle.
You know all the members.
Where their houses are.
When they're in town,
when they're out of town.
On trips.
You're the one who
told the break-in man
when and where
to go, didn't you?
And Sandy was the one
who gave him the key,
wasn't she?
That's outrageous.
I wonder what Jimmy
Collier would say
if I put him on the stand.
What do you think he'd say?
None of this means I killed her.
I tell you what I think.
I think that even though
Sandy had moved on...
and was now Danny
Fontaine's assistant,
she still wanted her cut
of your break-in money.
And after a while you
couldn't take that...
so you got rid of
her, didn't you?
I didn't kill her.
You had motive and opportunity.
I was on-stage when Sandy was...
Rod Greenwood was on-stage.
Not in the main
theater, in the bar.
Remember, Mr. Matlock.
My assistant stopped
you, remember?
Wait, it's coming through,
and somewhere there's
a bird looking for it.
It's a feather.
Oh, come on.
That's right, me. No one knew.
The owner, the other
performers. No one.
I'm your Mr. Martel.
I was on-stage when
Sandy was murdered,
and I have a terrific
alibi, Mr. Matlock.
You.
No further questions.
Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm.
Hm.
Ah. M-Mr. Greenwood.
Your act at the Magic Castle
involves your climbing into
a trunk with handcuffs on,
and your popping
out a few minutes later
with handcuffs
off, is that right?
That's right. Only my
feet are shackled too,
and I change my clothes...
in under two minutes.
Ooh. Hm. That's some trick.
You... You mind telling
me how you do it?
Yes, in fact I do.
You're under oath.
Keeping such things a secret
is essential to my livelihood.
Surely you don't
expect me to sit here
and destroy my own career?
Hm.
Uh, Your Honor, I
think I have a solution.
If you'll allow
me to conjecture.
And if I'm wrong...
Mr. Greenwood's secret
can remain just that: a secret.
All right. Proceed.
Uh, but, Your Honor,
I have a problem.
I can't do it. Heh.
At least not here.
Now, Mr. Greenwood,
is...? Is this your trunk?
The one you used in your act
the night Sandy
Farrell was murdered?
Yes, it is.
Well, what exactly
goes on during your act,
from the audience's
point of view,
I'm not asking you
to reveal any secrets.
I pick up a volunteer
from the audience.
Um, he or she comes
up on the stage,
chains my hands and feet,
then closes me in the trunk.
Okay. Tyler?
We're gonna...
We're gonna
reconstruct things here.
Only this time I'll
be the volunteer,
and Tyler Hudson here is
gonna play you, Mr. Greenwood.
Now, let's... Let's pretend
that I've got Tyler all chained up.
Now what happens?
The volunteer opens the
lid, and I climb in the trunk.
Okay.
Tyler?
Okay.
Now what?
Now the volunteer
closes the lid.
Uh, then the volunteer
turns over the hourglass.
The music plays,
the audience waits,
and I extricate myself
by the time the sand runs out.
And all that time you're
wiggling out of those chains?
And changing my clothes.
All right, let's assume
the sand has run out.
Then what?
Then the volunteer opens
the lid, and I step out.
Okay.
Okay.
Oh, I'll be "daggoned."
How can you stand
up if you're not there?
Tyler's gone.
Tyler.
Mr. Matlock, what's
going on here?
The same thing that went on
the night of the
murder, Your Honor.
You have two trunks,
don't you, Mr. Greenwood?
One that you rehearse in
and leave standing
around on the stage.
The other you keep
squirreled away downstairs.
The one you use in your act.
The one with the secret panel.
This one. No,
this isn't my trunk.
Mr. Greenwood, didn't you,
the night of the murder,
get into this trunk,
open the panel...
slip through the trap
door on the stage,
go to Sandy Farrell's
dressing room...
No, of course not.
Kill her with one of
Daniel Fontaine's knives?
No. After you were finished,
rush back to the trap
door, up into the trunk,
just in time to come
out for your bow?
That's impossible.
For an accomplished
magician like yourself,
you probably had time to spare.
I was chained.
Mr. Greenwood...
are these the chains
you use in your act?
Take a good look.
I think so. Uh...
All right. This time
you be the volunteer,
and I'll get in the trunk.
Put the cuffs on me.
There you go.
Okay, I'll step inside.
Now put the chains on my feet.
Okay. Now, I'll get down.
And close the lid.
And don't forget the hourglass.
Ow. Ooh, ow.
Ow. Wait, wait. Wait a minute.
Wait. Wait a minute.
Oh, wait. Wait.
Maybe this wasn't
such a good idea.
How'd I do that?
The same way you did
the night of the murder.
With this.
Now, that isn't my key.
Mr. Greenwood, those are
your chains and your locks.
This must be your key.
'Cause I found it right
where you dropped it.
Let me show you something.
Looks like something you'd
take up collection with, doesn't it?
This is a magic bag.
Look at that.
Where'd it go?
It's got a secret compartment.
See that.
It was on the floor by
Sandy Farrell's body.
I found your key...
in the secret compartment.
I gotta figure the night
you murdered her,
this compartment
was partly open, and
during the struggle...
somehow,
thousand chances to one...
A thousand changes to one
when you dropped it, it fell
in the secret compartment.
You didn't have a lot
of time to look for it.
You didn't know anyone
would find it, or if they did,
wouldn't appreciate
its significance.
Maybe you didn't
know you lost it.
That doesn't prove
anything. I have lots of keys.
Then why did you
go to the locksmith
the very next morning...
and have another key made?
One that would fit those locks.
You did go to the locksmith.
Didn't you?
We find the defendant,
Daniel Fontaine, not guilty.
The jury having found
the defendant not guilty,
this court is adjourned.
Congratulations.
Well, uh, thank you.
Uh, there you go.
Thank you.
Mr. Fontaine, over here, please.
Sir, can I get one
shot over here.
Thank you.
Miss, may I get a picture?
You all right?
I'm always all right.
Well, you put on a fine fight.
Well, that's show business.
Oh.
So in celebration of
yet another victory,
I'm gonna take you to dinner.
Yeah? Yeah.
Then I'm gonna
make you disappear.