Matlock (1986–1995): Season 3, Episode 3 - The Ambassador: Part 2 - full transcript

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Somebody tried to run you over?

Yeah.

I have no idea who.

How is he?



Fine.

Just a little doped
up, that's all.

They just want

to keep him under
observation for a while.

Any leads on Shelby?

I lost her.

Oh.

She was so close,
and I lost her.

Hmm.

She's not gonna show
up at the trial, is she?

Not looking like it.

It's all my fault.

We could have
had a case, but I...

I let her disappear.



If she just hadn't
been a witness

at the preliminary, but she was.

So her testimony can, must

and will be
introduced at the trial,

and we can't even challenge it.

If I could have just
asked her a few questions

at the preliminary...
We can object

that the district attorney
hasn't really tried to find her,

but he has to be
looking for her.

He'd be a fool not to be.

Diplomatic immunity
may be the only way

out of this for him.

I'd sooner that
car had killed me.

Say No To Sweets.

Sugar-Free Cooking.

Hmm.

Looks like Shelby Russell
was concerned about her figure.

Autopsy said her
husband was a diabetic.

There's lots of books
on antiques, too.

Oh, wait a minute.
Hold the phone.

What is it?

A monthly statement.

Bills for somebody

staying at Miles-Carson
Convalescent Home.

Elizabeth Farrell.
Now, who's this?

Shelby's mother?

I'm going over there.

What should I do?

Find Tyler.

Right.

Tyler?

Find her?

Nada.

Nothing. No lead, no trail.

The police have nothing.

Where's Ben?

He went to visit her mother.

Her mother, huh?

Can I ask you a question?

Why do you think Mike
Russell was murdered?

That I don't know,
but those three guys...

Baldwin, Kramer, Clark.

Those three did it, or
at least one of them did.

A business deal
gone sour, right?

See, now, that's
what I think, too.

You know, we got to get inside
the pharmaceutical company.

I can't get in there.

All three of the
partners have seen me.

They haven't seen me.

You mean, you want to go in?

Yeah. What do you think?

Nah.

Yo, taxi!

Two blocks over!

Where you think you're going?

I'm expected.

Wait here.

Right.

Sit down. What'll you have?

I thought this was going to be
a meeting with all three of you.

Please, sit.

Pasquale, bring
him the manicotti.

Is that okay with you,
Mister, uh... David Long?

Yeah, that'd-that'd be fine,
Pasquale. That... Great.

Thank you.

Shouldn't we wait
for your partners?

I speak for all of us.

Now, what is this, uh,
proposition of yours?

Well, as-as...

As I said to you over the phone,

I used to be Michael
Russell's accountant.

I know all about the
pharmaceutical company,

the silent partnership,

and I-I know just how
profitable your partnership is.

What's your point?

Well...

Michael's dead.

C'est la vie.

Why don't you let
me take his place?

I-I know bookkeeping, I know
sales, I know management,

and I know that things

at the pharmaceutical
company weren't exactly kosher,

if you know what I mean.

Yeah, I know what
you're saying, Mr... Long.

In fact, we have been
looking for a replacement

for Michael, and in
view of our situation,

I think you'll do just fine.

Good.

Good. I mean, great.

That's great. That's
just... That's wonderful.

Glad you approve. Yeah.

Well, I think the first thing,
uh, you'll need to do is

take a first-hand
look at our operation,

so, shall we?

Well, you know, I have
been having a hankering

for manicotti lately.

Why don't I...? We'll
keep it warm for you,

Mr. Long.

Who is it?

Mrs. Farrell?

Uh, my name is Ben Matlock.

I'm an attorney.

Well, for crying out
loud, it's about time.

I called you four weeks ago.

You did?

Look, are you gonna help me
sue the phone company or not?

Uh, you want to sue
the phone company?

They keep connecting
me with wrong numbers.

I mean, they-they send me
bills that I can't understand.

Oh, well,

modern life can be
frustrating, I know,

but we can't sue for
everyday aggravations.

What about what
they're doing to my brain?

Uh... uh... What would, uh...

What would that be?

They're tapping in.

They keep...

They keep stealing my thoughts.

Oh.

Wouldn't you want to sue?

Oh, yeah... Oh, yes, I think...

I think I probably...
probably would.

Miss-Miss Farrell, in

cases like this,
it's often beneficial

if the attorney
can get statements

from, uh, the next of kin.

I believe you have a daughter.

Maybe I do, and maybe I don't.

What you get me if I do?

Oh, uh...

Uh, help in your
suit against, uh,

the phone company, Mrs. Farrell.

After all, your daughter
would know better

than anyone else how
valuable your thoughts are.

Valuable?

Oh, yes.

Somebody tried to
steal your thoughts...

They could owe you a fortune.

Her name is Shelby Russell.

She's a wonderful
girl. She-She calls me

practically every day.

Oh!

Oh, thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hmm.

This is Bruno.

You and he'll have
a nice little chat,

and you'll tell him

exactly what the
hell you're doing here.

Alex.

Your driver's license, Alex.

Your credit cards, Alex.

Your American Bar
Association card, Alex.

Your wallet, Alex.

Oh, Bruno, say hello to Alex.

Now, think back.

Didn't anybody ever
call her on the phone,

or leave messages on her door?

Or postcards?

Everybody gets postcards.

Uh... How 'bout vacations?

Somewhere she liked to go.

Oh, well, I...

Well, somebody somewhere
has got to know where she is.

Hello?

Stay away from my mother.

Shelby?

She has nothing to
do with any of this.

We have to talk.

Forget it.

Shelby, either you talk to me

or your mother talks to me.

Leave her alone, she's ill!

Couldn't you see that?

Clear as day.

Washington Square,
under the arch.

Be there in an hour.

We're running slightly
behind schedule, Mr. Bunabi.

The penicillin is only
now being transferred

to the loading dock. Fine.

It'll give me a chance
to examine your facilities.

This is our quality control.

What's the rate of dilution?

It's 66% saline.

Next shipment, make it 70.

Hello?

You're alone.

That's good.

Where are you?

We'll meet at Bethesda
Fountain in Central Park.

If you're not there in 25
minutes, I won't be either.

Let's go, speed it up!

Do it!

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You all right?

Huh.

I had 'em fooled for
about two minutes.

I still don't know what
they're doing here.

Well, they're diluting
drugs for shipment

to Third World nations.

Tripling their profits.

And if we don't get to a
phone in the next ten minutes,

all our proof is gonna
be heading for Zaire.

Come on.

A phone.

We need a phone.

Only one I've
seen is over there.

What do you want from me?

Why did you lie to that jury?

Money.

But I don't care
about money now.

My mother's sick and I don't
want anyone bothering her.

Who paid you?

I can't tell you.

Edward Kramer?

Thomas Baldwin?

Douglas Clark?

I know lots of
things, Mrs. Russell.

I know you're not Mrs. Russell.

There's no record of
your marriage anywhere.

Michael and I live together.

Our affair started
out as a convenience.

Wealthy men often
like the companionship

of a woman they
like to feel they own.

And you were
rewarded by being...

"Kept" is the word you're
looking for, Mr. Matlock.

Well kept.

Why pretend marriage?

Because Michael wanted to
move in international circles

where casual liaisons
are understood,

but carefully hidden.

As Anthony carefully hid ours.

Michael was possessive

and we felt it was
best that he didn't know.

Shelby...

who paid you to lie
and then disappear?

Who are you protecting?

The meeting's over, Mr. Matlock.

Unless you tell the truth,

Anthony Stewart
will be destroyed.

But if he invokes immunity...

It'll be the end of his career.

If he goes through the trial,

he might very well
be found guilty.

In either case, it'll be
nobody's fault but yours.

I held up my end of the deal.

Now you stay away
from my mother.

Consider this...

the man who paid
you is a murderer.

He already killed Michael.

He tried to kill me.

He came very
near killing Anthony.

You disappear again,

it might very well be forever.

$1 million.

American, as you requested.

Fine.

The party's breaking up,
we gotta do something.

As soon as they're all
looking the other way,

you head for the phone.

Mr. Bunabi.

Hey!

Get him!

I need the police.

There is a crime in progress

in the warehouse
at the end of pier 12.

Hello?

Hello?

Oh.

Bruno.

Whoa!

Oh!

Move.

In the headlines this morning,
three prominent New Yorkers...

Edward Kramer, Thomas
Baldwin and Dr. Douglas Clark...

Were arrested yesterday on
charges of conspiracy and fraud

for selling mislabeled
and diluted antibiotics.

In an interesting sidelight,

all three men were
subpoenaed to appear

in English Ambassador
Anthony Stewart's

sensational murder trial,
now entering its third day.

That's right... I was
working my usual shift:

4:00 P.M. to midnight.

Do you recall admitting anyone

to the building at around
10:30 that evening?

I let Mr. Stewart in.

I remember it very well,

because I assumed
that he was going

to see Mrs. Russell,
which I thought was odd,

because I knew
Mr. Russell was up there, too.

You knew about the affair

Mr. Stewart was having
with the decedent's wife?

Being a doorman, seeing
them coming and going,

I had a good idea
something was going on.

Yes.

Did anyone else

visit the Russells'
penthouse that night?

Not that I saw.

You're positive?

I lock the front
door of that building

every night at 8:00.

After that, nobody
can get into the building

unless they have a key
or unless I let them in.

You can get out by going
down the back stairs,

but you can't get in.

But what if they had a key?

What if someone found one or...

borrowed one from a
tenant or had a copy made?

Isn't it possible that someone
other than Mr. Stewart

came into the building,

went up to the
Russells' penthouse

and murdered Michael Russell?

Hey, anything's possible,

but it's my job to
stand at that door

from 4:00 in the
afternoon until midnight.

And if anybody else come in,

especially someone with
a key who wasn't a tenant,

I would have noticed it.

That's all, Mr. Gillespie.

Wish to cross, Mr. Matlock?

Uh... yes.

Uh, you know...
being a... a visitor here,

I can't get over how
much things cost.

I mean, $1.75 for a hot dog,

$12 for a taxi cab ride,

$1,500 for a little
tiny apartment.

You live in Manhattan?

Yes, sir.

Well, it must
be pretty difficult

to make ends meet
on a doorman's salary.

Oh, I manage to get
extra work here and there.

Little construction,
some plumbing.

Odd jobs, you
know. Oh, oh, oh, oh.

Oh, do... do you
do any work for...

for anyone in the
apartment building?

Oh, yeah, now and then.

Mm-hmm.

How about the Rothbergs in 12D?

You ever do anything for them?

What was that, sir?

I say the Rothbergs in 12D.

I've probably done something

for everybody in the building
at one time or another.

Uh, uh, Mr. Gillespie,

uh, I... I think, in
all the excitement,

uh, you're overlooking
something unusual

that happened the night

Michael Russell was murdered.

Did, uh,

Mrs. Rothberg ask you
to take her dog for a walk?

Yes, yes, she did, yes. Uh-huh.

And did you take
her dog for a walk?

That's right.

So many other things
happened that night,

I forgot about it.
Oh, sure, sure.

It's not as if you
did it every night.

At what time would
that have been?

About 10:15.

Mm-hmm.

And how long were you gone?

Ten, 15 minutes.

Mm-hmm.

So, it is possible someone

could have entered the
building without your seeing them.

I'm afraid so.

Thank you.

No further questions.

Redirect?

No, Your Honor.

Mr. Gillespie, you're excused.

Due to the lateness of the hour,

court is adjourned

until 10:00 A.M.
tomorrow morning.

What was all that about?

He walks that dog
every night at 9:30.

He was lying to save his job.

You protected him.

I just made it easier
for him to tell the truth.

Thanks for the note.

Does this mean you'll testify?

I can't.

I'm scared.

Everything you said
is true, Mr. Matlock.

He'll eventually
get rid of me, too.

It's just a matter of time.

Who?

A deal first.

You give me immunity;
I give you the killer.

I can't give immunity.

That's up to the
district attorney.

But I promise I'll talk to him,

get him to go as
easy as possible.

Just tell me who the killer is.

I shouldn't have come.

Edward Kramer.

There's a ditch behind
his home in the country.

That's where you'll
find the murder weapon.

How do you know?

I heard him say that's
where he dumped it.

Hey, hey, what
are you doing here?

I have a search warrant
for you, Mr. Kramer.

For what?

Hey, Lieutenant?

Lieutenant!

Another week or two, this
area would be flooded out

and we never
would have found it.

How stupid do you think I am?

Well, what happened?

Everything matches.

The blood on the
candlestick holder

matches Michael Russell's blood.

The size and shape

of his wound matched
the size and shape

of the candlestick.

The candlestick matches the one

that's still in the penthouse.

Then, it's over.

It appears to be.

It appears to be?

I'm going to call the embassy.

What's the matter?

That fellow, Kramer,

seem to be particularly
stupid to you?

No.

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We might as well
have a little fun.

Yeah.

Ladies and gentlemen,

it means a great deal to me

not only to celebrate
this moment,

but to do so with friends.

And one of my best friends

is my attorney, Mr. Ben Matlock.

Where are you, Ben?

Come up here and
say a few words.

Don't be shy.

Hear! Hear!

Well, I, uh,

um, I really don't
have a lot to say.

I, I haven't done very much.

It's, it's almost as
if everything was

handed to me, uh,

on a silver platter as they say.

Um... well, we still
have court tomorrow.

No time for speeches.

Have fun. Have fun.

Thank you.

Here, is this what you wanted?

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, thanks.

Thanks.

Hey, Mac, what are you doing?

That's evidence
you're defacing there.

What's the matter with you?

Thanks.

He's going to make
the motion to dismiss.

But... I don't want
him to dismiss.

What?

If he makes the motion
and he dismisses,

you'll have a cloud

over your head
the rest of your life.

You don't want that, do you?

All rise! The Court of
the state of New York

for the county of New
York is now in session.

The Honorable
Raymond Kawai presiding.

Be seated.

I understand the prosecution
would like to make a motion.

Your Honor?

Before any motions are made,

our commitment to justice
compels me to ask the court

to permit the defense to
call one additional witness.

Counsel?

No objection. Call your
witness, Mr. Matlock.

Defense calls Dr. Douglas Clark.

Dr. Clark, you were a partner

in the Russell
Pharmaceutical Company,

is that right? Yes, I was.

And who were the other partners?

Thomas Baldwin
and Edward Kramer.

And of course, the
late Michael Russell.

He ran the whole thing.

Uh, is there any truth

to the allegation
that your company

was peddling
watered-down antibiotics

to unsuspecting
Third World nations?

On the advice of counsel,

I invoke my Fifth
Amendment rights

and, uh, refuse to
answer that question.

You know, the fact
that you won't say

whether you were selling

watered-down antibiotics
suggests that you were.

Mr. Matlock, your question

is irrelevant, argumentative,

improper and unconstitutional.

In fact, it's not
even a question.

The court is sustaining

it's own objections,
and admonishing you

to limit this examination

to the issues in this trial.

Yes, sir, Your
Honor, I apologize.

I was just trying to get
the truth any way I can.

Uh, withdrawn.

Uh, was, uh, the Russell
Pharmaceutical Company, uh...

uh, profitable?

Yes, it was.

That's why I invested in it.

But you have a lot of
money problems, don't you?

No, I don't.

Are you kidding? You're up

to your ears in debt.

You owe $2 million

on your Park Avenue co-op,

$800,000 on your
Fifth Avenue offices,

and about that same amount

on the East Hampton
summer house.

Those figures sound about right?

I don't know. I would have
to check with my accountant.

I don't know what you call

being $3 1/2 million in debt,

but myself and anybody I know

would call "that
turning the page

on Chapter 11,"
wouldn't you, Carl?

Excuse me, is this
entirely necessary?

Uh, you, uh, you're from
New York, aren't you?

Yes.

Any, uh, other relatives?

My mother. And
she resides at the...

Miles Carson Convalescent Home,

because of some mental problems.

And her name is Elizabeth...?

Farrell. "Farrell."

She changed her name from
Clark when she remarried.

Yeah, yeah.

You know, I went to see
your mother last night.

And it just... It took forever

for her to admit
that you're her son.

She has a paranoia where she,

uh, she believes the
telephone company

plugged in to her mind and
they can read her thoughts.

And you told her

that if she told anybody
you were her son,

the phone company'd
find out about it.

Why didn't you want
anybody to know?

Well, it's, uh, what you said.

She has these mental problems,
and I'm trying to protect her.

I don't think so.

I don't think the connection
between you and your mother

is what you don't want
people to find out about.

I think it's the
connection between you

and your sister.

Your sister is Shelby
Russell, isn't she?

Yes.

Now!

Now, we're coming
to the good part.

This whole crooked
pharmaceutical scheme

was your idea, wasn't it?

I object. Allegedly crooked.

Allegedly crooked. Huh?

You needed money.

You have connections
with legitimate

drug manufacturers;
all you needed

was your scheme and a front man.

Someone to run the business

and to keep your
involvement quiet.

Michael Russell.

The business was Michael's idea.

He approached us with it.

I'll bet if we could
speak to Michael

in the Great Unknown,

he would tell us
it was your idea!

I object. I object myself.
That was very corny.

Let's, let's change the subject.

You didn't really get along
with Michael, did you?

You didn't trust him.

To the point that
your sister, Shelby,

moved in with him

and actually
pretended to be his wife.

All to look after your
interests, isn't that right?

That's absolutely absurd.

She lived with him because
she loved him. "Loved him"?

"Loved him"?

Well, if, if she loved him,

why did she have the hot
affair with Anthony Stewart?

If Mr. Matlock is
making a point,

I'd wish he get to it.

I wouldn't mind that myself.

Oh, I'm getting
to it, Your Honor.

I'm getting to it.

Something went wrong

between you and Michael.

You got too greedy.

He got too greedy...

Anyway, you went
up there that night.

Mr. Gillespie was walking
Mrs. Rothberg's dog.

He didn't see you
enter the building.

You had a key.

Shelby's.

You let yourself in,
went up to the penthouse.

Confronted Michael.

Argued with him.

Fought with him.

Took the candlestick

from the mantelpiece
and killed him.

How am I doing?

You're dead wrong!

Now, comes your
most imaginative idea.

The most imaginative.

Michael's dead.

Now, what do you do?

You and your
sister frame the man

she's been having
the affair with,

the ambassador.

He'll claim diplomatic immunity

and go to England.

It's all over.

The only problem:

Anthony is an honorable man.

He wants to go to trial.

He wants to be found innocent.

Now, what do you do?

Well... well, hell!

You just find
somebody else to frame.

The original murder
weapon is gone,

probably somewhere
in the East River.

You find a duplicate.

Smear it as it were
with Michael's blood.

Plant it on
Mr. Kramer's property.

Have your sister notify
the proper person,

me.

Your Honor, this
is all conjecture.

Your Honor, a
moment more, please.

I can prove. I have proof.

Very well, but you'd better.

Now... according to
the coroner's report,

Michael Russell was a diabetic.

What does that mean
to you as a doctor?

Well, it can mean
many things. What?

Well, he'd have to
have insulin, for one.

Every day? Yes.

Would that mean
he'd need syringes?

Bottles of insulin

for his daily injections?

Pharmaceutical bottles

with labels with his name
and the doctor's name?

You were the
doctor, weren't you?

No.

Mr. Matlock, is this
going any further?

Is there proof?

Yes, sir, Your Honor.

I'm showing the witness
People's Exhibit 15.

The alleged murder weapon.

Ask you to look on the
bottom there. What do you see?

Looks like a scratch.

It is a scratch.

I made it myself last night.

Scratched it right
down to the bare metal

what this is made of: brass.

This isn't silver.

This is silver-plate.

The one up in
Michael's apartment

is solid silver.

This is not.

You know what that means?

This is not the murder weapon.

The police found
that candlestick.

And when they did, it
was completely covered

with Michael's
blood. That's right!

And you had removed
all the syringes,

all the insulin from
Michael's apartment,

so that no one would
ever see your name.

But sooner or later, someone
was bound to stumble...

onto this.

Would you tell the
court what this is?

That's a receipt
for a blood bank.

This is where the sample

of Michael Russell's
blood was kept,

20 ccs... of type
O negative blood.

That was removed on
October 19, two days ago.

You can tell it's
signed by a doctor.

You can't read the signature.

Now, we can have
an expert tell us.

But since you're
sitting right here,

want to take a
shot at telling us

who's signature that is?

It's mine.

That's right.

It's yours.

Well, that's about it.

Your Honor,

I believe there is
reasonable doubt

that my client is
guilty of any crime.

I believe the court,

the district attorney and I

have fulfilled our
commitment to justice.

And I now ask that
this case be dismissed.

Case dismissed.

Compliments of
the British Embassy.

Nothing like traveling
home in style.

Well, now, if you ever
get back to New York,

you know where I am.
You really like it here,

don't you? Oh, yeah.

It's the Big Apple, Ben.

Anything that happens
in the whole world,

happens here first.

Don't you fell the energy?!

No.

Take care. Well...
listen, if you ever

feel like unplugging
yourself from all this energy,

stop by Atlanta sometime.

Okay, thank you. I will. Okay.