Matlock (1986–1995): Season 3, Episode 20 - The Priest - full transcript

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Forgive me, Father,
for I have sinned.

It's been three weeks
since my last confession.

♪ ♪

Will you come back here? No!

You're worse than he is!

My two boys were born
here at St. Ignatius Hospital.

I never forgot
that, or this church.



Anyway... I got a
lot to be grateful for,

and that's why I'm
donating this brand-new wing

to St. Ignatius.

So I could sort of pay back
everybody I owe, all at once.

The City of Atlanta,
the people of Atlanta,

and, of course, the
good Lord above.

He doesn't want it!

The Almighty Father has no use

for something that was
built in the spirit of deceit.

Father Fitzgerald... Oh,
God knows who you are,

what you are and what
you're doing here, Mr. Carlino!

Father... He doesn't want any
false acts of charity from you.

Father, don't. Now,
everybody, please, go home.

There'll be no ceremony here.



What the hell's going on here?

You know very well. Father...

You should be ashamed!

Of what? Why is
he doing this to me?

Go home, Father.
Hey, wait a minute.

He can't just walk away.

I don't know what
he's talking about.

I'm talking about corruption,

I'm talking about graft,

I'm talking about the way
your construction company

built this wing of our hospital!

Not here, Father, please!

I don't care if
you are a priest,

you better be
able to back it up.

Oh, I'm so sorry,
Your Excellency.

I shouldn't have made
those accusations public...

You're right.

Well, there'll be a full report
on your desk in the morning.

Thank you.

Good-bye.

I know who made the phone call

to the archbishop about
the incident this morning.

You do?

Don't play the
innocent with me, Paul.

It doesn't suit you.

Father, you don't
seriously... Please,

don't insult my intelligence.

If you don't mind,
I'd like to be alone.

Father Fitzgerald?

What happened?

I don't know.

Someone must have come in here,

tore it off the wall and
deliberately destroyed it.

Who would've done that?

That's a sacrilege.

Yes, it is.

Night, Mrs. Curtis.

Oh, night, Mr. Bell.

You're working late yourself.

It doesn't get any
easier around here.

What in the world was that?

Stay here.

He's dead.

What did he say?

What, are you crazy?

I didn't kill this priest.

Funny, that's not what he said.

I don't care what he
said... I didn't do it.

Mr. Carlino, we've got a
statement from a dying man,

and the dying man
happens to be a priest.

Well, either he was a
liar or he was mistaken

or he is nuts.

I did not do it.

You sure you can't prove where
you were between 9:00 and 10:00?

I already told you.

I was home... Yeah.

Alone.

Mm-hmm.

Eh, what's that?

It's a time and
labor-saving device.

We call it a confession.

I want my attorney.

I'm not signing this.

I shouldn't even
be talking to you.

Let me save you some legal fees.

We just got a statement
from an eyewitness

that you saw running
away from the house.

What kind of a frame is this?

I wouldn't say anything
else, Mr. Carlino.

Who are you?

I'm Alex Winthrop.

I'm your attorney.

You're my attorney?

Yes.

I'd like to speak to
my client privately.

Sure.

Let's go.

Lieutenant... you
can take this with you.

I don't think we'll
be needing it.

Well, I'll keep it
handy, just in case.

I'm sorry I'm late.

I, uh, I got the first
flight out of New York,

and then the airline
lost my luggage.

And, uh, I couldn't get a cab.

You know how that goes.

Look, Al, uh... Alex.

I'm in serious trouble here.

Yes.

I know.

I spoke to the
arresting officer.

My family pays, uh, Benson,
Reese, Cline and Dunhill

a small fortune each
year in legal fees.

I was hoping they'd send
me a top defense attorney.

I don't know how to say this...

A guy with some
gray in his hair.

I'm only here to make a
preliminary assessment.

I'm gonna get you a top
man as my co-counsel.

Yeah?

Who's that?

Hey, Ray Weid!
Nice-looking suit.

Hey.

Man must be colorblind. Hey!

Ben. Huh?

Hey! Alex!

Hey! God!

How are ya?

I feel great!

You look great, too.

Well, I guess we're both great.

Yeah! Were you in the courtroom?

Yeah, oh, yeah.

I love watching
you play the jury.

It's like Itzhak Perlman
with Stradivarius.

Well, talk like that'll
get you a free hot dog.

Come on. I'm game. I'm game.

What are you doing in town?

Well, Ben, I've got
my first real case.

Well, congratulations!

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Actually, I'm, uh,

I'm a little nervous about it.

Nervous, huh?

Hey, Charlie, two dogs.

Two dogs.

So, um, you're pretty busy.

Yeah, pretty busy.

Pretty busy.

Here. I-I got... I'll get it.

I'll get it. I'll get it. Oh.

Keep it.

All right.

Hey.

Hey, you're a
pretty big spender.

Well... hell, I like you.

I mean, a man of your
stature deserves the very best.

You gave him $20.

Yeah, like I said,
you deserve the best.

You can get a hot
dog with everything,

including bacon and
avocado, for $3.20.

And if you want a whole plate
of French fries and pickles,

some places, that's
$1.50, $2.00 tops.

So now you're up
to $5.20 apiece.

And if you want a bottle of pop,

a cup of coffee...
Stretch it 75 cents.

So now-now-now
you're at, uh, $5.95.

You gave him a 20 spot.

Yeah, well, I...

I guess it was kind of dumb.

Yeah.

Can I ask you something?

Man buys me a $20 hot
dog... Ask me anything.

This case that I have
that I'm nervous about...

Yeah?

Will you be my co-counsel?

Co-counsel?

You'd be very well paid.

Police report.

Criminal case?

Murder.

Oh, Alex.

You got trouble.

Yeah, I know.

You better buy me
another $20 hot dog.

Bail is set at $250,000.

Court will take a
15 minute recess.

Mr. Matlock, I can't tell you
how glad I am you're on my case.

I've read a lot about you.

I've read a lot about you, too.

Don't confuse me with
the rest of my family.

I run a totally legitimate
operation here.

How about that
one in New Jersey,

where you were arrested
for trying to bribe a city official

for criminal negligence?

Yeah, but I walked.

Getting off on a mistrial is
not the same as acquittal.

Look, I never said I didn't
make a few mistakes.

I was young, kind of
hotheaded, you know.

But I was always smart
enough to get a good lawyer.

So when Alex here said
he was gonna get you,

I knew I was in good hands.

Let me get something
straight here.

The only reason I'm on this case

is because of my
friendship with Mr. Winthrop.

To tell you the truth,
I-I don't hold out

a hell of a lot of hope for you.

We'll give it our best shot.

After you're released, I want
you to go home, stay there,

keep your mouth shut.

Don't get even as
much as a traffic ticket

till this trial is over.

You got that?

Yeah, I got that.

I'll be home if you need me.

I been a Catholic all my life.

There's no way
I'd kill a priest.

Hm.

So you told him you'd get me.

Well, yeah.

I thought you might, if I, um...

Traded on our relationship?

Well, yes.

Well, that's one way to do it.

Alex, you may have a
place in this business.

So do you think he did it?

Beats me.

I'm not Catholic.

But from what I've heard,

it would be real hard for
one of them to kill a priest.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well... never know.

You know?

So, uh, you were
the one who, uh,

found Father
Fitzgerald that night.

That's right.

Heard a bang, knew it
was a gunshot right away.

Went running upstairs,
and there he was.

There were other
people here that night?

Father Burke, Sister
Katherine and Father Richards.

They all came running
in just after I did.

So you were present
when Father Fitzgerald,

uh, spoke to Father
Richards, just before he died?

Oh, yeah.

Did you hear what he said?

No.

He whispered in
Father Richards' ear.

Oh.

Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

Well, did you, did you see
or hear anything unusual?

I thought I heard
somebody running,

but never saw who it was.

No.

Uh, anything else
out of the ordinary?

Father Fitzgerald
was in the sanctuary

about an hour or so
before he was shot.

Somebody had taken
a crucifix off the wall

and just smashed it
to pieces on the floor.

And he was staring
down at what was left of it.

Anyway, when I asked him
who did it, he just looked at me,

turned around and marched off.

It was like he knew who did it
and was gonna go after them.

Did he say who it was?

No.

Just wrote it down in
that black notebook of his.

What black notebook?

Last couple of months,
he took to carrying

this black notebook around.

Every time you looked, he
was writing something down in it.

Yeah? Did you see what
he was writing down?

Never let anybody near it.

That book wasn't
in the police report.

It might still be around
here somewhere.

Yeah, bet I know where it is.

Daggone.

Father Fitzgerald had me
fix the light in here once.

Asked me to keep
this place secret.

He wouldn't mind me telling
about it now, do you think?

Oh, no, no.

I think you may have

just done him a big favor.

I-I didn't mean to startle you.

Well, you certainly did.

You must be Doris Curtis.

You're right; I have no choice.

Who must you be?

I'm Alex Winthrop.

I'm Nathan Carlino's lawyer.

Get out of my kitchen.

I have to talk to
you, Mrs. Curtis.

I already told the police.

I don't have to tell you.

Actually, you do.

If not here, then in court.

You're not gonna trick
me into changing my story.

I saw what I saw.

You're sure it was Nathan
Carlino you saw running away?

That's right.

This window?

No, that window.

Sure looks bad
for Nathan Carlino.

I guess it must have
come as quite a shock

that he would do such a thing.

No shock to me.

I know his type.

We dealt with a lot of his
people back where I come from.

I could tell you plenty.

I bet you could.

No, thank you. Uh, I'll just...

take one for later.

I-I'll take one for
my-my partner Ben.

Thank you.

Thank you.

No, Kathy, please, trust
my judgment this time.

It's not what you said.

We can't do it now, after what
just happened to Father, no!

Why? Why not... No!

The timing is horrible!

No! It's 4:00. We're late.

We're not late.

We have to wait.
The timing is...

Sorry.

You might try knocking first.

Uh, yes, well, I was,
uh, going to do that,

but, uh, I, um... I'm
looking for somebody.

I'm Alex Winthrop.

Um, I'm representing
Nathan Carlino.

We have nothing to say to you.

Yeah, well, that seems
to be the general idea.

Uh, you are...?

This is Sister Katherine,

and I'm Father Burke.

Hi.

Uh, you wouldn't mind
answering a couple of...

Absolutely not.

Not without a subpoena.

Of course.

Um... thanks, anyway.

Good-bye.

Well, I can't thank you
enough for your help, Mr. Bell.

Morning, Father Richards.

Morning.

You startled me.

I-I didn't think...

anybody would be in here.

Father Paul Richards?

Hi. Uh, I'm Ben Matlock,

one of Nathan Carlino's lawyers.

I wonder if I might... I'm...

afraid I'm a little
busy right now.

Things are chaotic around
here, as you can imagine.

Oh, sure.

Excuse me.

If-If... If you want to...

uh, uh, do anything
in here, we're done.

No. That's all right.

I just remembered,
uh, what I was after

Father Fitzgerald
kept someplace else.

Okay.

Mr. Bell.

How are we doing?

I'm not sure.

How about that?

Are you at the
bottom of the page?

Not yet.

Criminy.

Yeah.

Boy, there was a lot going on

out at St. Ignatius.

Do you think all
this stuff is true?

The man was a priest.

You know, I think

Father Fitzgerald was
right about one thing.

Sister Katherine and Father
Burke are hiding something.

Hmm.

Maybe Tyler will
find out what it is.

Hmm.

Hey, man!

Hey!

Hey... that guy was playin' us!

Why are you following me?

I'm not following you!

I mean... I was following you,

but only because I thought
you were David Burke.

Father David Burke.

I am Father Burke.

You can't be Father Burke.

Why not?

Because you're strangling me.

Sorry.

It's a tough neighborhood.

Yeah.

People get hurt
around here all the time.

Yeah.

Practically every day.

Yeah.

He was like a father
to me, Mr. Matlock.

He was also
devoted to this parish.

I don't know how
we'll replace him.

Evidently, he thought
you'd like to try.

He was wrong about that.

Well, you did take over.

Only temporarily, until the
archbishop makes a decision.

Look, I know Father Fitzgerald
thought I was ambitious.

He said it to my face.

It's simply not true.

Uh... that's not the
half of it, Father.

What do you mean?

Well, in his notes

in his little black book,

Father Fitzgerald said that...

you probably wanted his job

to make it easier for you to...

dip into church funds.

He thought I was stealing.

Yes, and investing
in the stock market.

It's not true.

Why'd he write it down?

Look, Sister Katherine
does the books.

Ask her if anything's missing.

She should be in around 9:00.

No, nothing unusual about
anything so far, Mr. Winthrop.

You're a whiz.

Now, where did you
learn accounting?

Oh, I took

some courses over
at community college.

Father Fitzgerald's idea.

He needed a bookkeeper,
and my order volunteered me.

I didn't know a
credit from a debit,

but Father Fitzgerald
had faith I'd learn.

I, um, I understand you were
here the night he was murdered.

Uh, I was getting
everything in order

for our annual diocesan audit.

Want some coffee, Kat...?

Good to see you again.

That's some handshake.

Tyler told me you were strong.

Tyler...

Oh, you mean the gentleman
who's been following me.

He's an associate of mine.

Why follow me, of all people?

Well, because of what
Father Fitzgerald wrote in this.

"Ignoring the parish,
his duties, and the church

"to carry on in a sinful and
scandalous manner with...

Sister Katherine."

That's a lie.

Father...

Don't.

The only scandal at
St. Ignatius existed

in Father Fitzgerald's mind.

There are no irregularities
in our books, Mr. Winthrop.

If you'll excuse me, I'd
like to get back to work.

Okay.

So what's the plan?

Well, uh, first court
and then lunch.

I don't mean the
plan for your day.

I mean the plan for my case.

Oh, I... I hope to
prove you're innocent.

How are you going to do it?

You got suspects?

We're working on it.

Well, come on, shoot.

Who are they?

I don't think this is
the time to talk about it.

How come you're,
uh, holding out on me?

Who are these people?

I have people of my own
who could help check 'em out.

No.

A maniac priest killer
is on the loose out there;

a maniac who could
prove me innocent.

Who are these damn suspects?

Two priests and a nun.

Two priests and a nun?

Yeah.

I'm a dead man.

And the next thing
I hear is Mr. Bell,

hollering from the other
room, for me to call the police.

So I go to the phone,
and that's when I saw him.

Who did you see, Mrs. Curtis?

Him.

Nathan Carlino, him.

I know it was him 'cause I
saw his picture in the paper.

Let the record show

that the witness pointed to
the defendant Nathan Carlino.

Now, Mrs. Curtis, could
you see Mr. Carlino clearly?

He wasn't more than
ten feet from the window

when he ran past.

But it was 11:00 at night.

Ho-How could you see his face?

They keep a big light on
in the yard, all night long,

near the window.

I saw his face
clearly, believe me.

Oh, I do, Mrs. Curtis.

No more questions, Your Honor.

Cross-examine, Mr. Matlock?

Uh, Mrs. Curtis, uh,

how long have you
worked at the rectory

out at St. Ignatius?

33 years.

Well, that's a long time.

And how long had you
known Father Fitzgerald?

He was the one that hired me.

Oh... 33 years.

So I guess you were
pretty fond of him.

Oh, that man was a saint.

How can you not
be fond of a saint?

About, about how far do
you live from the rectory?

Oh, about a 20-minute drive.

Oh, you drive to work?

Well, I'd have to transfer
twice if I took the bus.

Besides, I need my
car to buy groceries.

Oh... oh, oh.

So part of your job
is grocery shopping?

Do you ever see a
priest in a checkout line?

What I'm getting at is that
if you were unable to drive,

uh, you might lose
your job, mightn't you?

Probably.

Well, Mrs. Curtis, have,
uh, have you gotten

any traffic tickets
for moving violations

in the last, oh, year or so?

Yes.

How many?

Well, I don't remember.
Let me see if I can

help you out on that.

Um... see here...

you received one
for running a stop sign

and one for not
stopping at a crosswalk

when someone was in it,

and one for a
minor fender bender.

Now, that's so many
that you get another,

they'll suspend your license.

Is that correct?

Yes.

Why have you gotten so
many traffic tickets lately?

I don't know.

Um, the newspaper

that you saw
Mr. Carlino's picture in...

Is it the Atlanta Examiner?

Yes.

You subscribe to
that paper? Yes.

And you get the large
print edition, don't you?

Yes.

Why, why do you
get the large print

instead of the regular edition?

Because... You don't see

so good anymore, do you?

And that might explain

why you've gotten
so many traffic tickets.

It might explain why
you never allow anyone

at the rectory to
see your newspaper.

You don't want
anyone at St. Ignatius

to know you're
losing your eyesight

and in danger of losing
your driver's license,

'cause that could mean
the loss of your job.

Couldn't it?

Yes.

You were so very fond
of Father Fitzgerald,

you wanted to see
his killer punished,

and so you told the police

that that night you
saw Nathan Carlino.

Did you, in fact, see
Nathan Carlino that night?

No.

Did you see anyone running away

from the rectory that night?

No.

Thank you for your honesty.

I happen to know

that Father Fitzgerald
was very fond of you, too.

You're the only one he
had good things to say about

in the last days of his life.

It was probably the cookies.

No further questions.

Father Burke.

I need to talk to you.

I'm hearing confession
in five minutes.

I'm trying to find
Sister Katherine.

I haven't seen her.

That's the problem.

Nobody has.

I tried her convent,
I tried the hospital.

No one knows where she is.

Sister Katherine might
be here later today.

Is this urgent?

Father, Sister
Katherine was involved

in the Carlino case after all.

That's absurd.

I need to find her.

Do you have any
idea where she is?

I'm sorry, no.

Thanks for your time.

If you hear from her,
have her give me a call.

Got another sexy girl for
you in about 15 minutes!

Yeah, he's bringing
her around back!

See that man following
me real close back there?

Make sure he
doesn't get too far.

James Brown. Okay?

Yeah. All right, man.

Yeah, that's right, Jack.

What's goin' on,
brother? I like your shoes.

So do I. Excuse me.

Check out them socks, homie.

Hey, I'm warning you.

How do you think those
pants'd look on me, C.J.?

I will get even
with you for this!

Get off of me!

♪ ♪

Mr. Winthrop.

I've been expecting you.

Come in.

Thank you.

You tricked me.

That's right, I did.

I... I thought that
you could lead me

to Sister Katherine
and that I...

I'd catch you two
doing something... uh...

uh... incriminating.

What are you doing?

None of your business.

David, please.

He has no right
spying on you, Katie.

He's only trying to find out
who killed Father Fitzgerald.

Whose apartment is this? Mine.

Don't nuns usually
live in convents?

Yes, they do.

I'm going to tell him, David.

I'm on leave from the convent.

I've applied for
release from my vows.

In a few weeks, I'll
no longer be a nun.

That's serious.

Did Father Fitzgerald
know about that?

No.

I kept it from him.

Not because I
wanted to deceive him,

but to spare his feelings.

Father Fitzgerald thought
of me as a daughter

and would have wanted
to change my mind.

Besides, my decision to leave

involves another person,
and I couldn't reveal that.

You're the other person.

I love Katie.

I'm leaving the priesthood.

So Father Fitzgerald was right

about you two. No!

He accused us of
breaking our vows.

We haven't done that.

Well... what would have happened

if he told your superiors that
you were having an affair?

We haven't broken our vows.

Ours is a moral dilemma
between ourselves.

We simply love each other.

It's not a motive

for murdering dear
Father Fitzgerald.

Looks like Father
Fitzgerald was wrong again.

I'm really sorry
that I bothered you.

I'll see you later.

Good luck.

Sister Katherine
and Father Burke

don't have a motive.

Neither does our client.

Neither does Father Richards.

Father Fitzgerald was
wrong about all of them.

I don't get it.

What was going on with him?

Why did he think all those
people were up to no good?

I don't know.

You know... as
far as I can tell,

no one had a motive
to commit this murder.

You're right.

No one had a motive.

Father Richards, how
would you describe

your relationship
with Father Fitzgerald?

He was my teacher.

My mentor.

My friend.

And those are
terms of affection.

I admired and respected
Father Fitzgerald

like I have no
other human being.

Was that admiration
and respect mutual?

I like to think that it was.

Uh, Father Richards, uh,

are you aware that
Father Fitzgerald

carried a little black
book around with him

in which he wrote, oh,

various thoughts
and facts and...?

Everybody knew that. Uh-huh.

Well...

in his book... he
characterized you

as "a selfish,
status-seeking manipulator."

Were you aware of that?

I haven't seen his book, but...

he said worse
than that to my face.

Oh?

Uh, were you aware

that he told the
archbishop the same?

No, I was not.

Well, why would he say
such things about you?

I don't know.

Well, you... you
and Father Fitzgerald

had known one
another for many years.

He was your friend, your mentor.

Didn't this name-calling seem
a bizarre behavior for him?

I suppose.

And he accused you

of stealing money
from the church,

an accusation that we both
know is totally unfounded.

Didn't that seem a bit bizarre?

Yes.

And when he... when
he jumped up at the...

the ribbon-cutting ceremony
at-at St. Ignatius and...

and disrupted the
whole ceremony,

didn't that seem
a... a bit bizarre?

Yes. So, in...

in spite of these
false accusations

and bizarre behavior,
you still remained friends?

Yes, we did.

Father Richards, um...

could that be because...

you had a suspicion of why
he was acting so strangely?

I can't answer that.

Oh, I... I understand.

Uh, who served as Father
Fitzgerald's confessor?

I did.

And you are bound

by the confidentialities
of confession,

even after his
death, aren't you?

Yes, I am.

And that's why you can't
answer my questions?

Yes.

Uh, that being the
case, Your Honor,

as stipulated in chambers,

I would like to
introduce into evidence

Father Fitzgerald's
medical record

from his physician.

It states

that Father Fitzgerald
was suffering

from a malignant brain tumor,

which was suspected to disrupt

normal intellectual reasoning

and alter personality behavior.

The autopsy didn't show it

because of the
location of the wound.

Objection, Your Honor.

Mr. Matlock is testifying.

Sustained.

I beg your pardon, Your Honor.

Um... Father
Richards, did you, uh...

or were you surprised

when Father Fitzgerald

jumped up and disrupted
the ribbon-cutting ceremony?

No.

Not particularly.

You know what that means to me?

That means that you knew

of Father Fitzgerald's
medical condition.

Oh, okay.

Okay, I'm sorry.

Where did Father
Fitzgerald go to college?

Notre Dame.

And he was pretty proud

of that, too, wasn't
he? Yes, he was.

And one of his
prized possessions

was his Notre Dame
graduation ring, wasn't it?

Yes.

Okay, I want to show you

a blowup of a photograph

taken at the now famous
ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Here.

Uh, this is a blowup

of a photograph of
Father Richards' hand

on Father Fitzgerald's shoulder.

You see that?

Oh, see that?

See, now... will
you tell us, please:

what is that ring
on your finger?

Right there.

It's a, um...

it's a Notre Dame
graduation ring.

What are you doing with it?

Father Fitzgerald gave it to me.

Father Fitzgerald gave you one
of his most prized possessions

because he loved you

and he wanted you to have it

in case anything
happened to him,

didn't he?

I really can't
answer that question.

It's a confidence.

Well, what about this, then?

There's another
blowup of a hand.

If Father Fitzgerald
gave you that ring,

what is it doing on his finger

after he was shot
to death in his office?

Father, what do most
Catholics consider

the worst sin, the
one unforgivable sin?

Suicide.

Suicide.

The moment you heard that
shot, you knew what had happened.

Isn't it true you ran down

to Father Fitzgerald's
office and did two things?

You put the gun in your pocket,

and you put the ring
back on his finger,

so that no one would ever
know he had given it to you,

because he had been thinking

about doing exactly
what he did do:

taking his own life.

It was suicide, wasn't it?

Yes.

Yes.

And you slipped out of the room,

disposed of the gun...

which is why everyone
thought it was murder...

and you came back into
the room after Mr. Bell,

Sister Katherine and
Father Burke had arrived.

Yes, I did.

And Father Fitzgerald

never accused Nathan Carlino.

You did that...

to spare your beloved friend

the stigma of suicide.

He gave up his seat in Heaven

because he didn't want
to inflict any more damage

on the church and the people
he spent his whole life serving.

I couldn't let him
die in disgrace.

It just wasn't right.

Your Honor, in light
of these revelations,

I move the charges against
my client be dismissed.

Any objections?

No, Your Honor.

Case dismissed.

This court is adjourned.

Congratulations.

This worked out all right.

I wasn't co-counsel on this.

I was counsel.

Want a $20 hot dog?

I want a case of 'em.