Matlock (1986–1995): Season 2, Episode 7 - The Gambler - full transcript
Ben defends an Atlanta police lieutenant who is accused of murdering his girlfriend after learning of her true identity.
( upbeat jazz theme playing)
( "Luck be a Lady"
instrumental playing)
( sedate theme playing)
Morning, Ben. Hello, Harry.
JIM: Charlie, I need to know.
All right, you call me back.
Why are you harassing my client?
Because your client
violated his probation.
To wit, he was associating
with a known criminal.
His mother? She has a record.
Her only record is breaking
the dog leash law in 1975.
Now, damn it, Jim, release
my client this instant.
Come on, Ben. Your
client is safer in jail
than he is on the street.
That's not your decision
to make. That's right.
Judge Cook's said he's gonna
decide that in the morning.
Be on time. You got
a lot to answer for.
6:00. What time's
the reservation?
7:30.
Ha-ha. The thing... The
thing I don't understand...
The thing I don't understand
is why you let this
desperate character
take you out to start with?
Well, he managed to
capture my good graces
by saying that we'd be
having dinner with you.
Oh.
Obviously, I was desperate.
Well, the pleasure's
been all mine,
and you even surpassed
Jim's advertising.
Oh. Well, Jim is a little
over-complimentary at times,
but I've got to
admit, I don't object.
WOMAN: Excuse me.
Miss Norwood? Yes?
There's a telephone
call for you.
I can't imagine... Excuse me.
(both chuckle)
W-what is wrong with us, Ben?
It looks like two of us can't
keep one woman at this table.
Ha-ha-ha. I'll tell
you one thing, though.
Your Laura is really
something special.
I mean, she's pretty,
she's smart as a whip,
great personality.
(sniffs)
Only one thing bothers me.
What's that?
What's she doing with you?
Ha-ha-ha. It was just a joke.
No, no, that's okay.
Ah.
Family emergency.
My sister in Baltimore...
You have a sister in Baltimore?
Oh, yeah, yeah. Nothing serious.
It's just that she would feel
a lot better if I were there,
so, uh, I'll have to fly
out first thing tomorrow.
Okay. Well, I'll drive
you to the airport.
Oh, no, no, no. I'll take a cab.
No, no. I'll drive
you to the airport.
No, no, no. That's very sweet
but you've got crime
to fight. All right.
I hate to cut this short, but
I should go home and pack.
Okay. I apologize.
It was very nice meeting you.
It was very nice meeting you.
Good night. Good night.
Can we settle this check?
Not a chance. You can pay
for the whole thing tomorrow.
(both laugh)
No, I don't know what airline.
I do know it was
a morning flight.
No, no, no, no. You're positive?
Do one more thing for me, okay?
Check the computer for
any airline that booked a flight
this morning for a
Ms. Victoria Rollins.
Lieutenant, we may have
a break in the Chaney case.
There is.
What time is that flight?
All right.
Thanks a lot.
We questioned Chaney's
father. You know, about the gun?
Turns out it was the
kid's. Brief Lieutenant Mills.
He's gonna be handling
my cases for a couple days.
He is? Yeah.
Something came up
I've gotta take care of.
Where are you going? Las Vegas.
♪ You might refuse to stay ♪
♪ And so the best
That I can do is ♪
♪ Pray ♪
♪ Oh, luck be a lady tonight
Oh, luck be a lady tonight ♪
♪ Luck if you've ever
been A lady to begin with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady tonight ♪
♪ A lady doesn't
Leave her escort ♪
♪ It isn't fair It isn't nice ♪
♪ A lady doesn't wander
All over the room ♪
♪ And blow on some
Other guy's dice ♪
♪ So let's keep the party polite
And never get out of my sight ♪
♪ Stick with me, baby ♪
♪ I'm the fellow
You came in with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady
Luck be a lady ♪
♪ Luck be a lady ♪
♪ Tonight ♪
(applause)
CROUPIER: Red 14?
Fourteen red the winner.
All bets down, please.
(applause and cheering)
(bell ringing)
Like you to tell me
what's going on, Laura?
You must be mistaken.
That's not my name.
I followed you
here from Atlanta.
You heard the lady.
You made a mistake.
Now, get lost. I think
I deserve some...
Get lost, I said. Don't do that!
All right.
That's enough.
You stay here and
take care of these chips.
I'll be right back.
(bell ringing)
Just couldn't stop being a cop?
I wanna know what's going
on. It has nothing to do with you.
Just how many lies do you
want me to ignore, Laura?
That time you said you
were going to Tampa?
I went to Tampa.
I called the hotel!
Now, I did, just to talk
to you. I missed you.
They'd never heard of you.
All that traveling you
supposedly do as a sales rep.
You always come to
Las Vegas, don't you?
Look, just stay out of it.
Just stay out of it! Why?
Is it because of your husband?
My husband died
in a car accident...
He died in prison.
Clarence Rollins was
stabbed to death in a fight
that maybe had
something to do with the fact
that he was a
runner for the Mob.
I don't know. Which
name do you prefer:
Laura Norwood
or Victoria Rollins?
I never expected you
to check up on me.
Why couldn't you
just stay out of it...?
Just tell me what's going on.
Did the Mob set you up with
some kind of a pension plan?
Is that it?
And this entertainer,
Bobby Freemont.
Is he part of your deal,
or is it more like
you're part of his deal?
I mean, what's...
WOMAN: I-I came to turn
down the bed. I'm very sorry.
I knocked, but...
That's all right.
(door closes)
I'm leaving.
Jim.
♪ They call you Lady Luck ♪
♪ But there is room for doubt ♪
♪ You might forget
Your manners ♪
♪ You might refuse to stay ♪
♪ And so the best
that I can do is ♪
♪ Pray ♪
♪ Oh, luck be a lady tonight ♪
♪ Luck by a lady tonight ♪
♪ Luck if you've ever
been A lady to begin with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady tonight ♪
I hope your stay was a
pleasant one, Mr. Manning.
I'll never forget it.
(gasps)
(ringing)
All right.
JIM (on phone): Ben, it's Jim.
Yeah.
Ben, it's Jim Manning.
Yeah, Jim.
Ben, listen to me.
I'm in Las Vegas
and I'm under arrest.
Laura's dead.
And they think I killed her.
( "Luck Be A Lady"
instrumental playing)
Does the hotel pick up
all its guests like this?
Oh, no, sir. Mr. Devlin
reserves this for super VIPs.
Oh, super VIPs. Yes, sir.
Let me get the door.
(bell ringing,
people chattering)
How much to play?
The minimum is $1.
There you go, sir. Good luck.
( suspicious theme playing)
Hey, puddin'. Uh-uh.
Uh-uh.
Uh-uh.
Which one?
Play double zero.
All bets are in.
Double zero is the winner.
How much?
Double zero pays 35 to 1.
Mr. Matlock? Lewis Devlin.
Welcome to the Maxim Hotel.
It's good to be here.
Is that your limousine?
Well, this is my hotel.
The limo, the
Presidential Suite,
is yours for as
long as you stay.
Complimentary, of course.
No kidding. Sure.
Why?
Because you're a VIP,
and making you happy
is good for business.
Uh, because unfortunately
that poor girl's murder
was not good for business.
Oh, so one kind of
levels out the other.
Something like that, yes.
If you need
anything, dial 2-0-5.
Thank you. Thank
you for your kindness.
Where's Julian?
Drunk. Been away
since 7:00 this morning.
Well, then find somebody else,
because I want to know
who that lawyer talks to,
and where and why and when.
Got it.
Why didn't you tell anybody?
JIM: Because up until yesterday,
I honestly believed I was wrong.
After 20 years of being a cop,
I thought somehow
I made a mistake.
I wanted to believe
her more than anything.
I was saying things to myself
like, just because her husband
had Mob connections,
doesn't mean she did.
What was she doing here?
How did she get to
be such a high roller?
How'd she travel that kind
of first class all the way.
The clothes, the jewelry?
Ben, she never told me anything.
And Bobby Freemont.
I mean, how the hell
do you explain that?
I don't know.
Right now, I'm more
concerned about explaining
how she was strangled with
a belt from your bathrobe.
It's not my bathrobe!
It's a hotel bathrobe
that's in my room.
And the maid who saw you
having a violent argument
with her last night in her room.
It wasn't violent.
Laura slapped me.
That's violent.
Well, I probably deserved it.
I can tell you one thing.
Whoever framed you
did a damn good job.
If I hadn't have followed
her here, she'd still be alive.
That's an assumption.
Well, you prove I'm wrong.
Mr. Matlock, the Clark
County courts are pleased
to permit your limited
appearance in this case.
Thank you, Your Honor.
JUDGE: This
preliminary hearing will be
in this courtroom 9
a.m., 23rd of this month.
Now, this is a capital case.
However, the bench has
taken into consideration
the fact that the
defendant is a police officer
with a, uh, impeccable record.
Bail is thereby set at $250,000.
Court is adjourned until 2 p.m.
(bangs gavel)
Where am I supposed
to get 10 percent of that?
I'll put it up.
You'll what?
You're a friend of
mine. I'll put it up.
You know, in this town,
$250,000 is chicken feed.
Whoo.
At least I don't have to sit
around on my thumbs anymore.
Ha-ha. Yeah.
What's that mean?
What do you think I mean?
Ben, I'm an investigator.
Well, yeah.
You're kind of
emotionally involved in this.
Besides, I'm not
exactly Cobb salad.
Find something out?
Yeah. What Laura
was doing here. What?
You're not gonna like it.
Tell me.
Well, according
to a friend of mine
on the federal level,
who's big on racketeering,
she was laundering money.
Whenever the Mob had a
million or so ill-gotten cash
laying around,
they'd send for her.
She'd gamble it away.
They'd either skim it,
or if they wanted to make
themselves look good,
declare it taxable income.
Either way, they
came out way ahead.
Feds were onto her?
Senator James is in town
holding some closed-door hearings.
Uh-huh. So when a certain
police lieutenant from Atlanta
showed up, her partners
panicked and killed her.
Or maybe it had
nothing to do with you.
Maybe they felt she
was a real threat to them
with the closed-door
hearings in town,
and they had to get rid of her.
In which case, we're dealing
with some very bad people,
so I wouldn't be going
off on the deep end...
Ben, it's okay.
I'm gonna be good.
I'm not going to do
anything that you wouldn't do.
( jazzy theme playing)
I hear you been
drinking a lot lately.
I do my best. Yeah.
Like that ninth-round swan dive
you took against Mike
Canzini a few years ago.
Boy, that cost
me a lot of money.
All right. If you
don't get out of here,
you're gonna lose a
lot more than money.
Is that how you got
involved with the Mob,
throwing fights for 'em?
Huh?
How about Victoria Rollins?
What'd they tell you to do,
keep an eye on the money
she was laundering
whenever she was in town?
She was my friend. Oh, I see.
Is that why you're
drinking like this,
because she was murdered,
or because you know who did it?
Get out of here!
Were they afraid she was
gonna testify at the hearings?
Is that why they
sent you up there?
To take care of your friend?
You did it.
Don't you understand
that? You might as well have
put that thing around
her neck and pulled.
They own you, boy.
Is there anything you
wouldn't do for them?
You either killed her
or you know who did.
MATLOCK: Now, I understand that
Ms. Rollins caught his show
the night she was killed. Yes,
I saw the same show myself.
And that's when the coroner
said that she was murdered?
I think so.
Hm.
Nice. Bathroom?
Yeah. It belongs
to the bathroom.
She didn't unpack it.
(sniffs)
Mm. Smells good.
Ah, well, it ought to. That
retails for $300 an ounce.
You see, anybody that
stays in the Princess Suite
gets that bottle complimentary.
Um, I don't suppose since
you're giving it away anyway that...
Do you want that? Would
you like to have that?
You can have it with
my compliments. Thanks.
Anything else I can do for you?
Well, yeah.
Uh, did Laura bring the money
she was supposed to launder
with her from Atlanta or did
you supply it after she got here?
Mr. Matlock, you surprise me.
I swear, you surprise me.
Are you gonna be one of
these people that just think
that organized crime is
synonymous with Las Vegas?
I-I-I know, but what
I don't understand
is how this woman, who
was a sales representative
for sporting equipment,
could afford all this?
I wish I could help you.
Well, actually, you can.
This is what's known as
a subpoena duces tecum.
You're hereby ordered
by the court to provide me
with all data, every
scrap of paper
on Laura Norwood,
alias Victoria Rollins.
You could've just asked.
You could've just refused.
Uh, and another thing,
that tail you've got on me.
Get it off.
And thank you.
( suspenseful theme playing)
("Luck Be A Lady"
playing in distance)
♪ Stick with me, baby ♪
♪ I'm the fella
You came in with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady ♪
♪ Luck be a lady ♪
♪ Luck be a lady ♪
♪ Tonight ♪
Hello!
♪ They call you Lady luck ♪
(bangs on door)
Hello!
♪ You might forget
Your manners ♪
♪ You might refuse to stay... ♪
Hello!
Hello, Mr. Freemont?
Hello, Mr. Freemont!
What are you doing here?
I'm looking for Bobby Freemont.
Who are you? I'm a lawyer.
Oh, no. You're out of
here. Wait, wait, wait, wait.
I just want to talk to him
about Victoria Rollins.
I represent Jim Manning.
Take the door.
Follow me.
♪ Just how nice A
dame you can be ♪
♪ I know the way you treated
Other guys you've been with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady with me ♪
♪ A lady doesn't
leave Her escort ♪
♪ It isn't fair
It isn't nice... ♪
You're representing the
guy who killed Vickie?
MATLOCK: Allegedly killed.
Well, if you want any help
from me, forget it, okay?
Can I ask you a
couple of questions?
Can I stop you?
No, uh. Vickie was
a friend of yours.
How did you meet her?
Well, I met her
about six months ago.
A friend of mine
introduced me to her
after the show and
we became friends.
Good friends.
You don't have a lot of
luck with women, do you?
What do you mean?
Well, I remember reading
a piece in the paper
about you and some
woman from Texas.
Yeah. Well, every single charge
she brought against
me was dropped.
Was dropped or she was paid off?
I mean, her picture
was in the paper.
Somebody beat her up.
Look, celebrities get
accused of all kinds of things
all the time, especially
when you're touring.
I mean, you meet all kinds
of nuts out there on the road.
You, uh, haven't heard
anything about me
since I settled here, have you?
No. No, I haven't.
Of course, this is
a company town.
Look, if you're done, I'd
like to get back to work.
Um, is it true you
had dinner with Laura,
or Vickie, between your
shows the night she was killed?
Like I said, we were friends.
In fact, she even told me
about some guy back in Atlanta
that, uh, she was in love
with, and she was gonna
leave town that night
so she could be with him.
What'd you say
to her about that?
That I was very happy for her.
How was I supposed to
know he'd wind up killing her?
(on stereo): ♪ Stick
with me, baby ♪
♪ I'm the fellow
You came in with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady
Luck be a lady ♪
♪ Luck be a la... ♪
DESK CLERK: Mr. Matlock.
Oh, do you have those
files for me from Mr. Devlin?
What files? He was
supposed to give me all
the hotel's information
on Victoria Rollins.
I don't know about that,
but Mr. Devlin did tell me
you'll have to move.
He's very sorry, but we'll be
needing the Presidential Suite
for a visiting dignitary. I see.
He's arranged another
room for you, of course,
508, although it is
considerably smaller
and rather close
to the ice machine.
Mr. Devlin seemed to think
the noise wouldn't bother you.
Or at least he said
you'd understand.
Right.
CROUPIER: Place
your bets, please.
Please place your bets.
Hey, bud.
Uh-uh.
Uh-uh.
Which one?
Double zero.
Again?
All bets down.
Double zero.
Winner. Double zero.
Oh, my. How much?
35 to 1.
You just won $1225.
So it's a little after midnight,
and I'm down in the
casino waiting for her
to come back like she says,
but then I get paged.
And when I go to the
phone, it's Mr. Devlin,
and he tells me,
go to Victoria's suite
and clean up the mess in there.
That's what he calls it, a mess.
When I get there,
she's lying on the
floor in her bedroom,
this belt from a bathrobe
knotted around her neck.
She's dead.
So I do what Mr. Devlin told me.
I wrapped her in a blanket,
and I carried her down
the hall to Room 644.
What about the belt
from the bathrobe?
Mr. Devlin told me to
take the belt from the robe
in Room 644 and bring
it back to Victoria's room
to replace the one
that was missing.
She was the only
person in this whole town
that ever treated me decent.
Julian, you've got to
tell all this to the police.
You don't understand.
If I roll over on
Mr. Devlin, that's it for me.
She was your
friend. Do it for her.
I can't.
I can't.
You know, this
Lewis Devlin fools you.
He comes on with
a big grin on his face
like he's the president of
the chamber of commerce
and if they had a good
guy award, he'd win it.
And guys like Julian
are terrified of him. Yeah.
Mr. Devlin's slick.
He never responded to
my subpoena, you know.
He's in on this money
laundering and the murder.
What are we gonna do?
We're gonna nail him.
No, I don't believe
I've ever met the lady.
MATLOCK: But according to one of
your employees, a Miss Hernandez,
housekeeper on the sixth floor,
Victoria Rollins has
been a guest of your hotel
almost 40 times in
the last three years,
and each time she stayed
in the Princess Suite for free.
You sure you never
met her, Mr. Devlin?
Positive.
I don't pretend to remember
even a fraction of
the repeat guests,
and what room they were in
or whether or not
they were comped.
That's left totally
up to the discretion
of the night manager.
Isn't it true that I gave you
a subpoena ordering you
to supply me with all
your hotel's records
on Victoria
Rollins? Is that true?
Yes, it is.
Did you respond
to that subpoena?
I think my people
are still trying
to collect that information. Ah.
Well, fortunately, the IRS
and the Gaming Commission
is a little more
organized than your hotel.
They gave me the
information I wanted from you.
Now, it is true, isn't it,
that you are required to
submit records to them
on who wins what
in your casino? Yes.
Okay. Okay.
Now, we'll call this...
Defendant's Exhibit K.
This is a copy of
your submissions
to them for the past
three years, is it not?
I believe so.
Examine it very closely
and tell the court
how many times
you had to report
Victoria Rollins' winnings
in the last three years.
None.
None? In 40 visits?
Well, perhaps she didn't gamble.
But we know that she was seen
placing several large
bets on the casino floor.
Wonder why she never won.
I guess the odds are
in favor of the house.
Come on. She didn't win because
she wasn't supposed to, was she?
PROSECUTOR: Objection.
She was laundering
dirty money, wasn't she?
PROSECUTOR: I object.
No relevance,
calls for speculation,
lack of foundation,
and I move to strike.
Sustained and granted.
Mr. Matlock's last remarks
will be stricken
from the record.
Mr. Matlock, you have
not established foundation.
You would be well advised
to pursue a different
line of questioning.
Founded on fact, not
innuendo and conjecture.
Of course, Your Honor.
Um... the time of death
has been established to
be between 10:30 and 12:30
the evening of the 19th.
Where were you at that time?
I was in the showroom watching
Bobby Freemont perform.
Any one of a number
of people saw me there.
You know, I caught that
show myself last night.
Um, it's pretty dark
in there. Pretty dark.
I-If a person wanted
to leave the showroom,
it'd be pretty hard for
people to see you leave.
Are you sure you didn't
leave the showroom?
Yes.
Okay.
Ms. Chandler, would
you please stand?
Do you recognize Ms. Chandler
as being a waitress
at your hotel?
Yes.
She is prepared to testify
that she saw you
leave the showroom
at around 11:00 the
night of the murder alone.
She is prepared to testify
that she saw you
enter a service elevator.
Did you do that?
Yes.
What floor did you get off?
I don't remember.
Isn't it true that you
got off on the sixth floor
and went to the Princess Suite?
No.
And you confronted
Victoria Rollins
because you found out
that she was romantically
involved with a policeman?
No. And you murdered her
in an attempt to keep
my client from finding out
that she had worked
for you for three years?
PROSECUTOR: Objection.
I took the service elevator
to attend a secret meeting
with United States
Senator Peter James.
PROSECUTOR: Withdraw my
objection. Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Devlin.
He had the
congressional committee
that was in town
gathering information on,
coincidentally, money
laundering operations,
and I cooperated with him
fully. And you can ask anyone.
And I was also sworn to secrecy.
But unfortunately, Mr. Matlock,
you have forced my hand.
( slow, dramatic theme playing)
No further questions.
Cross, Mr. Hopkins?
No, Your Honor. The
prosecution is satisfied
that everything that needed
to be said has been said.
Very well.
Court is recessed
until Monday at 9 a.m.
(bangs gavel)
MATLOCK: Well, I
thought we had him.
I really thought we had him.
Well, I thought for
sure it was Devlin.
I thought we had
everything all wrapped up.
I'll tell you the truth, Ben.
I'm starting to get
a little concerned.
Well...
Maybe Devlin hired a hit man.
No. A hit man would never have
had somebody else move the body.
We're dealing with
somebody too inexperienced
or too squeamish
to do it himself.
Oh.
I found this, uh, when I was
going through Laura's room.
It's a free bottle of
perfume from the hotel.
What am I gonna do with this?
Well, I-I found it in her train
case, and I just thought...
Thank you.
You know... You
know, it seems to me
the first thing most
people unpack
when they get to a hotel...
Bobby Freemont
said that she said...
You know what? What?
She never went back to that
casino after you confronted her.
She was packing.
She was gonna leave.
She was gonna meet
you at the airport.
You'd gotten to her,
and she was gonna...
She was gonna give
up all the diamonds
and the limousines
and the fur coats.
Well, I-I'll be damned.
She was leaving Las Vegas.
You didn't know it the
last time you saw her.
She hadn't decided yet.
What's wrong?
♪ A lady doesn't
leave Her escort ♪
♪ It isn't fair It isn't nice ♪
♪ A lady doesn't wander
All over the room ♪
♪ And blow on Some
other guy's dice ♪
♪ So let's keep
The party polite ♪
♪ And never get
out Of my sight ♪
♪ Stick with me, baby ♪
♪ I'm the fellow
You came in with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady tonight ♪
♪ A lady doesn't
flirt With strangers ♪
♪ She's got a heart
She's got a soul ♪
♪ A lady doesn't make
Little snake eyes at me ♪
♪ While I've got
my life On this roll ♪
♪ Let's keep the party polite ♪
♪ And never get
out Of my sight ♪
♪ Stick with me, baby ♪
♪ I'm the fellow
You came in with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady ♪
♪ Luck be a lady ♪
Uh, you think it was
Bobby Freemont?
I know it was Bobby Freemont.
If I don't go into
that courtroom
with incontrovertible proof,
that judge is gonna
have me for lunch.
This where you
found that perfume?
Yeah.
I know I looked
through this before,
but I wasn't desperate then.
Too bad you can't leave
fingerprints on terrycloth.
Yeah.
(grunts)
Maybe Mr. Freemont left
something else on that belt.
Like what?
You remember that
smudge the Forensics people
was talking about being makeup?
Sure. That's Laura's.
The belt was knotted
around her throat.
Look in here and tell
me what you don't see.
Do you like to gamble?
No more than most people.
Mm-hm.
You really think most people
amass gambling
debts of $1,842,720?
That is what you owe
Mr. Devlin's casino, isn't it,
according to the records
he so readily made available?
I suppose it is, yes.
So... each time you sing
a song in his showroom,
he knocks off a
couple of thousand.
Is that the way it works?
Yes.
So I guess you wouldn't
be too valuable to him
if you were convicted of
Victoria Rollins' murder.
That's why he helped
you cover up your crime
and set up Jim Manning.
Objection. No foundation.
Assumes facts not in evidence.
This is pure
speculation, Your Honor.
Sustained. The remarks will
be stricken from the record.
Mr. Matlock, I don't
like to repeat myself.
I apologize, Your Honor.
I was hoping my remarks
would save us a lot of time
by encouraging the witness
to tell us the whole truth,
but I see he isn't
ready to do that yet.
Where were you
between 10:30 and 12:30
the night of the murder?
Well, I was onstage
in the showroom
singing in front of 1500 people.
Do you sing "Luck Be A
Lady Tonight" in that show?
I sing it in every show.
I like that song.
(on recorder as Matlock lip-syncs):
♪ Luck be a lady tonight ♪
♪ Luck be a lady tonight ♪
♪ Luck if you've ever
been A lady to begin with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady tonight ♪
(music stops)
I went down to your
recording studio, and I got that.
Bobby Freemont.
People don't hear you sing
that song anymore, do they?
They hear a tape because
your voice is almost shot.
I lip-sync a couple of
songs each night in the show.
What does that prove?
By itself, nothing.
But when I saw your show,
and you were doing that number,
at a certain point in the
song, the light went off you.
You were all in the dark,
and the light was on
these beautiful showgirls
dancing up and down these ramps.
The light was off you.
You were in the dark for a long
time. Maybe five, ten minutes.
Well, nobody's
complained yet. I bet.
I enjoyed it myself.
There's nothing like a
bunch of beautiful girls
dancing around not wearing
much, but it occurred to me
while the light was off
you with the tape rolling
and everybody
looking at those girls,
it was a perfect opportunity
for you to leave the stage,
go up to Victoria Rollins' room,
kill her, come back down to
the stage, nobody the wiser.
Wrong again.
Would you tell the
court... what this is?
It's a belt from a bathrobe.
It's the murder weapon.
What I was
actually referring to.
Tell the court what
this is. This smudge.
How should I know? It's makeup.
But it's not Victoria's makeup.
Her beauty was natural.
It's your makeup.
Stage makeup that you
put on seven nights a week.
Mr. Freemont, in the
back of the courtroom
are two laboratory analysts
retained by the defense
to examine and
compare this smudge
with your stage
makeup, and guess what?
They're ready to
testify it's a match.
Well, that doesn't
prove I did it.
No. No, it doesn't.
But it sure does
cast reasonable doubt
that Jim Manning
committed this crime.
(door opens)
You know, the other day
when I was over your
house and we were talking,
and I said, "You don't have a
lot of luck with women, do you?"
I mean, woman trouble in Texas,
woman trouble
over in Los Angeles,
and I said, "I hear not too
many people say no to you."
I'll tell you
something else I hear.
I hear not too many
people walk out on you.
( chilling theme playing)
Thank you for your testimony.
Hey, buddy.
Double zero?
Uh-huh.
How much is 35 times $1225?
Forty-two thousand,
eight hundred
and seventy-five potatoes.
Forty-two thousand?
CROUPIER: Place
your bets, please.
Place your bets.
Four black. It's the winner.
I didn't know you
were a gambler.
I'm not.
How much you lose?
A dollar.
( upbeat jazz theme playing)
( "Luck be a Lady"
instrumental playing)
( sedate theme playing)
Morning, Ben. Hello, Harry.
JIM: Charlie, I need to know.
All right, you call me back.
Why are you harassing my client?
Because your client
violated his probation.
To wit, he was associating
with a known criminal.
His mother? She has a record.
Her only record is breaking
the dog leash law in 1975.
Now, damn it, Jim, release
my client this instant.
Come on, Ben. Your
client is safer in jail
than he is on the street.
That's not your decision
to make. That's right.
Judge Cook's said he's gonna
decide that in the morning.
Be on time. You got
a lot to answer for.
6:00. What time's
the reservation?
7:30.
Ha-ha. The thing... The
thing I don't understand...
The thing I don't understand
is why you let this
desperate character
take you out to start with?
Well, he managed to
capture my good graces
by saying that we'd be
having dinner with you.
Oh.
Obviously, I was desperate.
Well, the pleasure's
been all mine,
and you even surpassed
Jim's advertising.
Oh. Well, Jim is a little
over-complimentary at times,
but I've got to
admit, I don't object.
WOMAN: Excuse me.
Miss Norwood? Yes?
There's a telephone
call for you.
I can't imagine... Excuse me.
(both chuckle)
W-what is wrong with us, Ben?
It looks like two of us can't
keep one woman at this table.
Ha-ha-ha. I'll tell
you one thing, though.
Your Laura is really
something special.
I mean, she's pretty,
she's smart as a whip,
great personality.
(sniffs)
Only one thing bothers me.
What's that?
What's she doing with you?
Ha-ha-ha. It was just a joke.
No, no, that's okay.
Ah.
Family emergency.
My sister in Baltimore...
You have a sister in Baltimore?
Oh, yeah, yeah. Nothing serious.
It's just that she would feel
a lot better if I were there,
so, uh, I'll have to fly
out first thing tomorrow.
Okay. Well, I'll drive
you to the airport.
Oh, no, no, no. I'll take a cab.
No, no. I'll drive
you to the airport.
No, no, no. That's very sweet
but you've got crime
to fight. All right.
I hate to cut this short, but
I should go home and pack.
Okay. I apologize.
It was very nice meeting you.
It was very nice meeting you.
Good night. Good night.
Can we settle this check?
Not a chance. You can pay
for the whole thing tomorrow.
(both laugh)
No, I don't know what airline.
I do know it was
a morning flight.
No, no, no, no. You're positive?
Do one more thing for me, okay?
Check the computer for
any airline that booked a flight
this morning for a
Ms. Victoria Rollins.
Lieutenant, we may have
a break in the Chaney case.
There is.
What time is that flight?
All right.
Thanks a lot.
We questioned Chaney's
father. You know, about the gun?
Turns out it was the
kid's. Brief Lieutenant Mills.
He's gonna be handling
my cases for a couple days.
He is? Yeah.
Something came up
I've gotta take care of.
Where are you going? Las Vegas.
♪ You might refuse to stay ♪
♪ And so the best
That I can do is ♪
♪ Pray ♪
♪ Oh, luck be a lady tonight
Oh, luck be a lady tonight ♪
♪ Luck if you've ever
been A lady to begin with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady tonight ♪
♪ A lady doesn't
Leave her escort ♪
♪ It isn't fair It isn't nice ♪
♪ A lady doesn't wander
All over the room ♪
♪ And blow on some
Other guy's dice ♪
♪ So let's keep the party polite
And never get out of my sight ♪
♪ Stick with me, baby ♪
♪ I'm the fellow
You came in with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady
Luck be a lady ♪
♪ Luck be a lady ♪
♪ Tonight ♪
(applause)
CROUPIER: Red 14?
Fourteen red the winner.
All bets down, please.
(applause and cheering)
(bell ringing)
Like you to tell me
what's going on, Laura?
You must be mistaken.
That's not my name.
I followed you
here from Atlanta.
You heard the lady.
You made a mistake.
Now, get lost. I think
I deserve some...
Get lost, I said. Don't do that!
All right.
That's enough.
You stay here and
take care of these chips.
I'll be right back.
(bell ringing)
Just couldn't stop being a cop?
I wanna know what's going
on. It has nothing to do with you.
Just how many lies do you
want me to ignore, Laura?
That time you said you
were going to Tampa?
I went to Tampa.
I called the hotel!
Now, I did, just to talk
to you. I missed you.
They'd never heard of you.
All that traveling you
supposedly do as a sales rep.
You always come to
Las Vegas, don't you?
Look, just stay out of it.
Just stay out of it! Why?
Is it because of your husband?
My husband died
in a car accident...
He died in prison.
Clarence Rollins was
stabbed to death in a fight
that maybe had
something to do with the fact
that he was a
runner for the Mob.
I don't know. Which
name do you prefer:
Laura Norwood
or Victoria Rollins?
I never expected you
to check up on me.
Why couldn't you
just stay out of it...?
Just tell me what's going on.
Did the Mob set you up with
some kind of a pension plan?
Is that it?
And this entertainer,
Bobby Freemont.
Is he part of your deal,
or is it more like
you're part of his deal?
I mean, what's...
WOMAN: I-I came to turn
down the bed. I'm very sorry.
I knocked, but...
That's all right.
(door closes)
I'm leaving.
Jim.
♪ They call you Lady Luck ♪
♪ But there is room for doubt ♪
♪ You might forget
Your manners ♪
♪ You might refuse to stay ♪
♪ And so the best
that I can do is ♪
♪ Pray ♪
♪ Oh, luck be a lady tonight ♪
♪ Luck by a lady tonight ♪
♪ Luck if you've ever
been A lady to begin with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady tonight ♪
I hope your stay was a
pleasant one, Mr. Manning.
I'll never forget it.
(gasps)
(ringing)
All right.
JIM (on phone): Ben, it's Jim.
Yeah.
Ben, it's Jim Manning.
Yeah, Jim.
Ben, listen to me.
I'm in Las Vegas
and I'm under arrest.
Laura's dead.
And they think I killed her.
( "Luck Be A Lady"
instrumental playing)
Does the hotel pick up
all its guests like this?
Oh, no, sir. Mr. Devlin
reserves this for super VIPs.
Oh, super VIPs. Yes, sir.
Let me get the door.
(bell ringing,
people chattering)
How much to play?
The minimum is $1.
There you go, sir. Good luck.
( suspicious theme playing)
Hey, puddin'. Uh-uh.
Uh-uh.
Uh-uh.
Which one?
Play double zero.
All bets are in.
Double zero is the winner.
How much?
Double zero pays 35 to 1.
Mr. Matlock? Lewis Devlin.
Welcome to the Maxim Hotel.
It's good to be here.
Is that your limousine?
Well, this is my hotel.
The limo, the
Presidential Suite,
is yours for as
long as you stay.
Complimentary, of course.
No kidding. Sure.
Why?
Because you're a VIP,
and making you happy
is good for business.
Uh, because unfortunately
that poor girl's murder
was not good for business.
Oh, so one kind of
levels out the other.
Something like that, yes.
If you need
anything, dial 2-0-5.
Thank you. Thank
you for your kindness.
Where's Julian?
Drunk. Been away
since 7:00 this morning.
Well, then find somebody else,
because I want to know
who that lawyer talks to,
and where and why and when.
Got it.
Why didn't you tell anybody?
JIM: Because up until yesterday,
I honestly believed I was wrong.
After 20 years of being a cop,
I thought somehow
I made a mistake.
I wanted to believe
her more than anything.
I was saying things to myself
like, just because her husband
had Mob connections,
doesn't mean she did.
What was she doing here?
How did she get to
be such a high roller?
How'd she travel that kind
of first class all the way.
The clothes, the jewelry?
Ben, she never told me anything.
And Bobby Freemont.
I mean, how the hell
do you explain that?
I don't know.
Right now, I'm more
concerned about explaining
how she was strangled with
a belt from your bathrobe.
It's not my bathrobe!
It's a hotel bathrobe
that's in my room.
And the maid who saw you
having a violent argument
with her last night in her room.
It wasn't violent.
Laura slapped me.
That's violent.
Well, I probably deserved it.
I can tell you one thing.
Whoever framed you
did a damn good job.
If I hadn't have followed
her here, she'd still be alive.
That's an assumption.
Well, you prove I'm wrong.
Mr. Matlock, the Clark
County courts are pleased
to permit your limited
appearance in this case.
Thank you, Your Honor.
JUDGE: This
preliminary hearing will be
in this courtroom 9
a.m., 23rd of this month.
Now, this is a capital case.
However, the bench has
taken into consideration
the fact that the
defendant is a police officer
with a, uh, impeccable record.
Bail is thereby set at $250,000.
Court is adjourned until 2 p.m.
(bangs gavel)
Where am I supposed
to get 10 percent of that?
I'll put it up.
You'll what?
You're a friend of
mine. I'll put it up.
You know, in this town,
$250,000 is chicken feed.
Whoo.
At least I don't have to sit
around on my thumbs anymore.
Ha-ha. Yeah.
What's that mean?
What do you think I mean?
Ben, I'm an investigator.
Well, yeah.
You're kind of
emotionally involved in this.
Besides, I'm not
exactly Cobb salad.
Find something out?
Yeah. What Laura
was doing here. What?
You're not gonna like it.
Tell me.
Well, according
to a friend of mine
on the federal level,
who's big on racketeering,
she was laundering money.
Whenever the Mob had a
million or so ill-gotten cash
laying around,
they'd send for her.
She'd gamble it away.
They'd either skim it,
or if they wanted to make
themselves look good,
declare it taxable income.
Either way, they
came out way ahead.
Feds were onto her?
Senator James is in town
holding some closed-door hearings.
Uh-huh. So when a certain
police lieutenant from Atlanta
showed up, her partners
panicked and killed her.
Or maybe it had
nothing to do with you.
Maybe they felt she
was a real threat to them
with the closed-door
hearings in town,
and they had to get rid of her.
In which case, we're dealing
with some very bad people,
so I wouldn't be going
off on the deep end...
Ben, it's okay.
I'm gonna be good.
I'm not going to do
anything that you wouldn't do.
( jazzy theme playing)
I hear you been
drinking a lot lately.
I do my best. Yeah.
Like that ninth-round swan dive
you took against Mike
Canzini a few years ago.
Boy, that cost
me a lot of money.
All right. If you
don't get out of here,
you're gonna lose a
lot more than money.
Is that how you got
involved with the Mob,
throwing fights for 'em?
Huh?
How about Victoria Rollins?
What'd they tell you to do,
keep an eye on the money
she was laundering
whenever she was in town?
She was my friend. Oh, I see.
Is that why you're
drinking like this,
because she was murdered,
or because you know who did it?
Get out of here!
Were they afraid she was
gonna testify at the hearings?
Is that why they
sent you up there?
To take care of your friend?
You did it.
Don't you understand
that? You might as well have
put that thing around
her neck and pulled.
They own you, boy.
Is there anything you
wouldn't do for them?
You either killed her
or you know who did.
MATLOCK: Now, I understand that
Ms. Rollins caught his show
the night she was killed. Yes,
I saw the same show myself.
And that's when the coroner
said that she was murdered?
I think so.
Hm.
Nice. Bathroom?
Yeah. It belongs
to the bathroom.
She didn't unpack it.
(sniffs)
Mm. Smells good.
Ah, well, it ought to. That
retails for $300 an ounce.
You see, anybody that
stays in the Princess Suite
gets that bottle complimentary.
Um, I don't suppose since
you're giving it away anyway that...
Do you want that? Would
you like to have that?
You can have it with
my compliments. Thanks.
Anything else I can do for you?
Well, yeah.
Uh, did Laura bring the money
she was supposed to launder
with her from Atlanta or did
you supply it after she got here?
Mr. Matlock, you surprise me.
I swear, you surprise me.
Are you gonna be one of
these people that just think
that organized crime is
synonymous with Las Vegas?
I-I-I know, but what
I don't understand
is how this woman, who
was a sales representative
for sporting equipment,
could afford all this?
I wish I could help you.
Well, actually, you can.
This is what's known as
a subpoena duces tecum.
You're hereby ordered
by the court to provide me
with all data, every
scrap of paper
on Laura Norwood,
alias Victoria Rollins.
You could've just asked.
You could've just refused.
Uh, and another thing,
that tail you've got on me.
Get it off.
And thank you.
( suspenseful theme playing)
("Luck Be A Lady"
playing in distance)
♪ Stick with me, baby ♪
♪ I'm the fella
You came in with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady ♪
♪ Luck be a lady ♪
♪ Luck be a lady ♪
♪ Tonight ♪
Hello!
♪ They call you Lady luck ♪
(bangs on door)
Hello!
♪ You might forget
Your manners ♪
♪ You might refuse to stay... ♪
Hello!
Hello, Mr. Freemont?
Hello, Mr. Freemont!
What are you doing here?
I'm looking for Bobby Freemont.
Who are you? I'm a lawyer.
Oh, no. You're out of
here. Wait, wait, wait, wait.
I just want to talk to him
about Victoria Rollins.
I represent Jim Manning.
Take the door.
Follow me.
♪ Just how nice A
dame you can be ♪
♪ I know the way you treated
Other guys you've been with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady with me ♪
♪ A lady doesn't
leave Her escort ♪
♪ It isn't fair
It isn't nice... ♪
You're representing the
guy who killed Vickie?
MATLOCK: Allegedly killed.
Well, if you want any help
from me, forget it, okay?
Can I ask you a
couple of questions?
Can I stop you?
No, uh. Vickie was
a friend of yours.
How did you meet her?
Well, I met her
about six months ago.
A friend of mine
introduced me to her
after the show and
we became friends.
Good friends.
You don't have a lot of
luck with women, do you?
What do you mean?
Well, I remember reading
a piece in the paper
about you and some
woman from Texas.
Yeah. Well, every single charge
she brought against
me was dropped.
Was dropped or she was paid off?
I mean, her picture
was in the paper.
Somebody beat her up.
Look, celebrities get
accused of all kinds of things
all the time, especially
when you're touring.
I mean, you meet all kinds
of nuts out there on the road.
You, uh, haven't heard
anything about me
since I settled here, have you?
No. No, I haven't.
Of course, this is
a company town.
Look, if you're done, I'd
like to get back to work.
Um, is it true you
had dinner with Laura,
or Vickie, between your
shows the night she was killed?
Like I said, we were friends.
In fact, she even told me
about some guy back in Atlanta
that, uh, she was in love
with, and she was gonna
leave town that night
so she could be with him.
What'd you say
to her about that?
That I was very happy for her.
How was I supposed to
know he'd wind up killing her?
(on stereo): ♪ Stick
with me, baby ♪
♪ I'm the fellow
You came in with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady
Luck be a lady ♪
♪ Luck be a la... ♪
DESK CLERK: Mr. Matlock.
Oh, do you have those
files for me from Mr. Devlin?
What files? He was
supposed to give me all
the hotel's information
on Victoria Rollins.
I don't know about that,
but Mr. Devlin did tell me
you'll have to move.
He's very sorry, but we'll be
needing the Presidential Suite
for a visiting dignitary. I see.
He's arranged another
room for you, of course,
508, although it is
considerably smaller
and rather close
to the ice machine.
Mr. Devlin seemed to think
the noise wouldn't bother you.
Or at least he said
you'd understand.
Right.
CROUPIER: Place
your bets, please.
Please place your bets.
Hey, bud.
Uh-uh.
Uh-uh.
Which one?
Double zero.
Again?
All bets down.
Double zero.
Winner. Double zero.
Oh, my. How much?
35 to 1.
You just won $1225.
So it's a little after midnight,
and I'm down in the
casino waiting for her
to come back like she says,
but then I get paged.
And when I go to the
phone, it's Mr. Devlin,
and he tells me,
go to Victoria's suite
and clean up the mess in there.
That's what he calls it, a mess.
When I get there,
she's lying on the
floor in her bedroom,
this belt from a bathrobe
knotted around her neck.
She's dead.
So I do what Mr. Devlin told me.
I wrapped her in a blanket,
and I carried her down
the hall to Room 644.
What about the belt
from the bathrobe?
Mr. Devlin told me to
take the belt from the robe
in Room 644 and bring
it back to Victoria's room
to replace the one
that was missing.
She was the only
person in this whole town
that ever treated me decent.
Julian, you've got to
tell all this to the police.
You don't understand.
If I roll over on
Mr. Devlin, that's it for me.
She was your
friend. Do it for her.
I can't.
I can't.
You know, this
Lewis Devlin fools you.
He comes on with
a big grin on his face
like he's the president of
the chamber of commerce
and if they had a good
guy award, he'd win it.
And guys like Julian
are terrified of him. Yeah.
Mr. Devlin's slick.
He never responded to
my subpoena, you know.
He's in on this money
laundering and the murder.
What are we gonna do?
We're gonna nail him.
No, I don't believe
I've ever met the lady.
MATLOCK: But according to one of
your employees, a Miss Hernandez,
housekeeper on the sixth floor,
Victoria Rollins has
been a guest of your hotel
almost 40 times in
the last three years,
and each time she stayed
in the Princess Suite for free.
You sure you never
met her, Mr. Devlin?
Positive.
I don't pretend to remember
even a fraction of
the repeat guests,
and what room they were in
or whether or not
they were comped.
That's left totally
up to the discretion
of the night manager.
Isn't it true that I gave you
a subpoena ordering you
to supply me with all
your hotel's records
on Victoria
Rollins? Is that true?
Yes, it is.
Did you respond
to that subpoena?
I think my people
are still trying
to collect that information. Ah.
Well, fortunately, the IRS
and the Gaming Commission
is a little more
organized than your hotel.
They gave me the
information I wanted from you.
Now, it is true, isn't it,
that you are required to
submit records to them
on who wins what
in your casino? Yes.
Okay. Okay.
Now, we'll call this...
Defendant's Exhibit K.
This is a copy of
your submissions
to them for the past
three years, is it not?
I believe so.
Examine it very closely
and tell the court
how many times
you had to report
Victoria Rollins' winnings
in the last three years.
None.
None? In 40 visits?
Well, perhaps she didn't gamble.
But we know that she was seen
placing several large
bets on the casino floor.
Wonder why she never won.
I guess the odds are
in favor of the house.
Come on. She didn't win because
she wasn't supposed to, was she?
PROSECUTOR: Objection.
She was laundering
dirty money, wasn't she?
PROSECUTOR: I object.
No relevance,
calls for speculation,
lack of foundation,
and I move to strike.
Sustained and granted.
Mr. Matlock's last remarks
will be stricken
from the record.
Mr. Matlock, you have
not established foundation.
You would be well advised
to pursue a different
line of questioning.
Founded on fact, not
innuendo and conjecture.
Of course, Your Honor.
Um... the time of death
has been established to
be between 10:30 and 12:30
the evening of the 19th.
Where were you at that time?
I was in the showroom watching
Bobby Freemont perform.
Any one of a number
of people saw me there.
You know, I caught that
show myself last night.
Um, it's pretty dark
in there. Pretty dark.
I-If a person wanted
to leave the showroom,
it'd be pretty hard for
people to see you leave.
Are you sure you didn't
leave the showroom?
Yes.
Okay.
Ms. Chandler, would
you please stand?
Do you recognize Ms. Chandler
as being a waitress
at your hotel?
Yes.
She is prepared to testify
that she saw you
leave the showroom
at around 11:00 the
night of the murder alone.
She is prepared to testify
that she saw you
enter a service elevator.
Did you do that?
Yes.
What floor did you get off?
I don't remember.
Isn't it true that you
got off on the sixth floor
and went to the Princess Suite?
No.
And you confronted
Victoria Rollins
because you found out
that she was romantically
involved with a policeman?
No. And you murdered her
in an attempt to keep
my client from finding out
that she had worked
for you for three years?
PROSECUTOR: Objection.
I took the service elevator
to attend a secret meeting
with United States
Senator Peter James.
PROSECUTOR: Withdraw my
objection. Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Devlin.
He had the
congressional committee
that was in town
gathering information on,
coincidentally, money
laundering operations,
and I cooperated with him
fully. And you can ask anyone.
And I was also sworn to secrecy.
But unfortunately, Mr. Matlock,
you have forced my hand.
( slow, dramatic theme playing)
No further questions.
Cross, Mr. Hopkins?
No, Your Honor. The
prosecution is satisfied
that everything that needed
to be said has been said.
Very well.
Court is recessed
until Monday at 9 a.m.
(bangs gavel)
MATLOCK: Well, I
thought we had him.
I really thought we had him.
Well, I thought for
sure it was Devlin.
I thought we had
everything all wrapped up.
I'll tell you the truth, Ben.
I'm starting to get
a little concerned.
Well...
Maybe Devlin hired a hit man.
No. A hit man would never have
had somebody else move the body.
We're dealing with
somebody too inexperienced
or too squeamish
to do it himself.
Oh.
I found this, uh, when I was
going through Laura's room.
It's a free bottle of
perfume from the hotel.
What am I gonna do with this?
Well, I-I found it in her train
case, and I just thought...
Thank you.
You know... You
know, it seems to me
the first thing most
people unpack
when they get to a hotel...
Bobby Freemont
said that she said...
You know what? What?
She never went back to that
casino after you confronted her.
She was packing.
She was gonna leave.
She was gonna meet
you at the airport.
You'd gotten to her,
and she was gonna...
She was gonna give
up all the diamonds
and the limousines
and the fur coats.
Well, I-I'll be damned.
She was leaving Las Vegas.
You didn't know it the
last time you saw her.
She hadn't decided yet.
What's wrong?
♪ A lady doesn't
leave Her escort ♪
♪ It isn't fair It isn't nice ♪
♪ A lady doesn't wander
All over the room ♪
♪ And blow on Some
other guy's dice ♪
♪ So let's keep
The party polite ♪
♪ And never get
out Of my sight ♪
♪ Stick with me, baby ♪
♪ I'm the fellow
You came in with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady tonight ♪
♪ A lady doesn't
flirt With strangers ♪
♪ She's got a heart
She's got a soul ♪
♪ A lady doesn't make
Little snake eyes at me ♪
♪ While I've got
my life On this roll ♪
♪ Let's keep the party polite ♪
♪ And never get
out Of my sight ♪
♪ Stick with me, baby ♪
♪ I'm the fellow
You came in with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady ♪
♪ Luck be a lady ♪
Uh, you think it was
Bobby Freemont?
I know it was Bobby Freemont.
If I don't go into
that courtroom
with incontrovertible proof,
that judge is gonna
have me for lunch.
This where you
found that perfume?
Yeah.
I know I looked
through this before,
but I wasn't desperate then.
Too bad you can't leave
fingerprints on terrycloth.
Yeah.
(grunts)
Maybe Mr. Freemont left
something else on that belt.
Like what?
You remember that
smudge the Forensics people
was talking about being makeup?
Sure. That's Laura's.
The belt was knotted
around her throat.
Look in here and tell
me what you don't see.
Do you like to gamble?
No more than most people.
Mm-hm.
You really think most people
amass gambling
debts of $1,842,720?
That is what you owe
Mr. Devlin's casino, isn't it,
according to the records
he so readily made available?
I suppose it is, yes.
So... each time you sing
a song in his showroom,
he knocks off a
couple of thousand.
Is that the way it works?
Yes.
So I guess you wouldn't
be too valuable to him
if you were convicted of
Victoria Rollins' murder.
That's why he helped
you cover up your crime
and set up Jim Manning.
Objection. No foundation.
Assumes facts not in evidence.
This is pure
speculation, Your Honor.
Sustained. The remarks will
be stricken from the record.
Mr. Matlock, I don't
like to repeat myself.
I apologize, Your Honor.
I was hoping my remarks
would save us a lot of time
by encouraging the witness
to tell us the whole truth,
but I see he isn't
ready to do that yet.
Where were you
between 10:30 and 12:30
the night of the murder?
Well, I was onstage
in the showroom
singing in front of 1500 people.
Do you sing "Luck Be A
Lady Tonight" in that show?
I sing it in every show.
I like that song.
(on recorder as Matlock lip-syncs):
♪ Luck be a lady tonight ♪
♪ Luck be a lady tonight ♪
♪ Luck if you've ever
been A lady to begin with ♪
♪ Luck be a lady tonight ♪
(music stops)
I went down to your
recording studio, and I got that.
Bobby Freemont.
People don't hear you sing
that song anymore, do they?
They hear a tape because
your voice is almost shot.
I lip-sync a couple of
songs each night in the show.
What does that prove?
By itself, nothing.
But when I saw your show,
and you were doing that number,
at a certain point in the
song, the light went off you.
You were all in the dark,
and the light was on
these beautiful showgirls
dancing up and down these ramps.
The light was off you.
You were in the dark for a long
time. Maybe five, ten minutes.
Well, nobody's
complained yet. I bet.
I enjoyed it myself.
There's nothing like a
bunch of beautiful girls
dancing around not wearing
much, but it occurred to me
while the light was off
you with the tape rolling
and everybody
looking at those girls,
it was a perfect opportunity
for you to leave the stage,
go up to Victoria Rollins' room,
kill her, come back down to
the stage, nobody the wiser.
Wrong again.
Would you tell the
court... what this is?
It's a belt from a bathrobe.
It's the murder weapon.
What I was
actually referring to.
Tell the court what
this is. This smudge.
How should I know? It's makeup.
But it's not Victoria's makeup.
Her beauty was natural.
It's your makeup.
Stage makeup that you
put on seven nights a week.
Mr. Freemont, in the
back of the courtroom
are two laboratory analysts
retained by the defense
to examine and
compare this smudge
with your stage
makeup, and guess what?
They're ready to
testify it's a match.
Well, that doesn't
prove I did it.
No. No, it doesn't.
But it sure does
cast reasonable doubt
that Jim Manning
committed this crime.
(door opens)
You know, the other day
when I was over your
house and we were talking,
and I said, "You don't have a
lot of luck with women, do you?"
I mean, woman trouble in Texas,
woman trouble
over in Los Angeles,
and I said, "I hear not too
many people say no to you."
I'll tell you
something else I hear.
I hear not too many
people walk out on you.
( chilling theme playing)
Thank you for your testimony.
Hey, buddy.
Double zero?
Uh-huh.
How much is 35 times $1225?
Forty-two thousand,
eight hundred
and seventy-five potatoes.
Forty-two thousand?
CROUPIER: Place
your bets, please.
Place your bets.
Four black. It's the winner.
I didn't know you
were a gambler.
I'm not.
How much you lose?
A dollar.
( upbeat jazz theme playing)