Matlock (1986–1995): Season 4, Episode 14 - The Witness - full transcript

Because Ben is going out of town Michelle is trying her first solo case involving an alcoholic client accused of murdering another bar patron. The chief witness is a former law school friend of Michelle's who is hiding a secret.

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Detective Bristol...

I have here a diagram

of the neighborhood as
described in your statement.

Will you look at it, please,

and tell us whether
this is correct.

Yeah, that's it.



Now, using the diagram,

will you trace for us the
pursuit of your suspect.

Uh, he came out of the liquor
store here, turned and ran

west on Market Street to
the corner of First Street here,

and then he turned
the corner here,

and by the time I got to the
corner he had already crossed

First Street here

and was cutting across
the vacant lot here.

That's exactly what you
said in your statement.

Once again, is that
exactly what you observed?

Yes, exactly.

Very detailed,
Detective Bristol.

Except for one thing.

This isn't a vacant lot.



It's a parking garage
erected by the city

one month before
the murder took place.

You haven't walked
in this neighborhood

for a very long time,
Detective Bristol.

You can't identify the
defendant Ethan Summers.

You didn't see the crime.

No further questions,
Your Honor.

The jury finds the defendant
Ethan Summers not guilty.

The defendant, having
been found not guilty,

this court is adjourned.

Nice work, John.

Thanks.

But yours was better.

Sandra!

I'll buy you lunch.

Sorry, have to get
back to the office.

Well, dinner then.

I'd like to, but I have...

I know, I know, work.

You know, one of these
days, I'm gonna stop asking.

You talked me into
it. I'll buy you lunch.

Great. Dominic's.

Renoir's.

Hey, Rick, I want
another drink down here.

I've been asking you for
ten minutes now... come on!

I just want one more.

Hey, guys, come on, come on.

You're done. Now get lost.

What's the matter with you?

What, my money's no
good here anymore?

No, your money's good here.
What's the matter with you?

Get out of here!

Rick, take it easy,
man. Take it... come on.

What are you doing?

Take your hands off me!

Hey, you'll break it!

Let go of me! Stay the hell out!

Go on, get out!

I'm going to get
you for this, Rick.

You're pathetic.

Just dumping the trash.

How's my baby?

Thirsty.

Mike.

Scotch rocks, double.

What's the matter, baby?

You mad at me?

How can I be mad at you, Rick?

We're the same breed of cat.

Are we ever.

We do what we
want, when we want,

with whomever we want.

Nobody pins us down, right?

What are you getting at, Sandra?

It's over, Rick.

You brushing me off?

I know all of your tricks,
you know all of mine.

We're beginning
to bore each other.

I'm moving on.

You're not moving
on until I say so.

Let go of me.

See, I know who you
are, Miss Townsend...

Senior counsel.

Drexel, Harris and Townsend.

Smart, baby. I'm very impressed.

Do your very important
colleagues know

that you're a tramp?

Why don't you tell them, Rick.

They'd believe a wild story
from a class act like you.

They'll believe these.

Remember the night I took 'em?

Oh, you put on some show.

And you loved it.

Scum.

Whew...

Well, I can't wait to get in.

I give up, Rick.

I tried to walk
out, but I can't.

No, I'm not mad.

I want to see you.

Meet me on the corner
after the bar closes?

We'll go to my place.

Well, maybe you
don't know all my tricks.

I promise you won't be bored.

Look at you.

♪ ♪

Rick?

Hey, hey, who is that?

Police emergency.
Sergeant Raskin.

Yes, this is Sandra Townsend.

I'm an attorney.

Ms. Townsend, how
may we help you?

I've just witnessed a murder.

Where are you calling from?

I'm calling from my car.

If you can give us
an exact location,

I'll send a car right out.

All right... Wait a minute...
I'm coming, I'm coming.

Yeah?

Remember me, Ben?

Donald Newton.

My son Jimmy used
to be your paperboy.

Oh, yeah, come on in.

Let's keep a little
heat in the house.

Yeah, I remember
Jimmy. How is Jimmy?

He's been arrested for murder.

He didn't do it, Ben.

I'm sure he didn't.

Arrested for murder?!

Says he was drunk.

Out cold, doesn't
remember a thing.

Jimmy was drunk?

He's an alcoholic,
Ben, like his mother,

and his grandfather.

I don't understand it.

They found the murder
weapon on him, Ben.

I guess I'm half asleep.

I still think of him
as ten years old.

What is he, 22, 23?

27.27.

Mm... Drunk, huh?

Well, I'll...

I'll go upstairs, throw
some water on my face

and put on some clothes.

Can't thank you enough, Ben.

Well, I'll go downtown
and talk to him.

But talking to
him is all I can do.

'Cause I got till tomorrow.

I got to go to California.

I'm defending a
big case out there.

But my associate, Michelle
Thomas, will take care of him.

Ben, he doesn't stand
a chance without you.

She's an associate,
she's a lawyer...

Michelle Thomas.

And if I was in his fix,

I'd want Michelle
to take care of me.

Now, I'll be right back.

You just... sit
down, if you want to.

Ms. Townsend. Detective Brooks.

I've seen you in
court many times.

Of course. Nice to meet you.

Well, if you'll come this way,
we can take your statement.

Well, Jimmy, I...

I'm sorrier than I can tell you
about what happened to you.

We'll do what we can to help.

Tell us what happened tonight.

I... I'll tell you what
I can remember.

I had a few drinks
at the Revolution.

That's a bar across town.

And all I can remember is...

I was on my way
home from a seminar.

I got off the expressway at
Hoover to cut across town.

At the corner of
Grand and Fairmont,

I stopped for a red light.

Two men on the
corner were arguing.

One of them...

And the next thing I know,

some cop is shoving
a nightstick in my ribs

and telling me I'm
under arrest for murder.

Your prints were on
the gun... Do you own it?

I've never even held a gun.

The gun was a revolver.

The shorter man...
He was wearing a cap,

looked like a bum...
Pulled it and shot

the taller man.

What did you do then?

The shooter was
waving the gun around,

weaving, drunk, maybe stoned.

Anyway, I didn't feel
safe, so I drove on.

You did the right thing.

You didn't know either
the shooter or the victim?

That was Rick Allen, the
bartender at the Revolution,

the bar where I'd been drinking.

Did you ever have trouble

with him?

Yeah.

Yeah... but, you...
drinking trouble.

You know, I'd get loud, he'd
throw me out... it was his job.

Was... Was there

anybody else there,

uh, maybe somebody
you drank with,

who could fill in
the missing pieces.

No.

No one.

No, Detective Brooks,

there was no one else
in the area at the time.

I'll be happy to diagram
the scene, if you'd like.

More witnesses like you,
and my job would be easy.

Mr. Matlock,

I'm not a killer.

Drunk or sober, I
could never kill anybody.

This is a tough one.

This is really tough.

You argue with a dead man,
and you don't remember it.

This is really tough.

But our office will
do the best we can.

We don't have

a lot to go on, but, uh, we...

Uh... uh, I've got another job,

so Miss Thomas will be

your attorney.

Will you excuse
us for just a minute?

Uh, yeah.

Ben! What?

Well... Oh, that.

You can handle that.

That's... And-And you're
due, you're overdue,

and-and we can
talk on the phone.

The-The courtroom?

Michelle, you're a fine lawyer.

You're always better
prepared than I am.

You have everything it takes,

and more than that.

Oh, good luck.

But...

Have a nice trip.

Michelle Thomas.

Sandra Townsend!

Hi!

How have you been?

Great. Busy.

Well, you must be...
I haven't seen you

since Drexel, Harris
made you a partner.

I got your notes... I've
been meaning to call.

I know how it is.

But I miss our lunches.

So do I.

How about Tuesday? Renoir's?

Perfect.

Oh, our class
reunion's coming up.

Let's drive up together.

You think there's anyone from
our law school I'd care to see?

Let them see you.

You're successful, lovely...

What are you up to?

Well, I'm associate
to Ben Matlock.

Matlock?

He's the best.

He certainly is.

And I'm, um, trying a
really interesting case.

Well, the witness says she
came off at the Hoover Street exit.

Slow down.

There it is right here.

Okay.

Well, just squeegee
that this way.

Huh.

Watch it there.

Hey, how you doing?

That's quite a
mess you got here.

What happened?

Well, some guy in a semi

came barreling down the
off-ramp, never made the turn.

Mm. Spilled gas and
oil all over the place.

This morning?

No, this was last
night, just before 9:00.

You sure about that time?

Buddy, I been working
here for 12 hours,

since they called me in at 9:15.

These hours are not
worth the overtime.

Thanks. Yeah, thanks a lot.

Okay.

Sandra's statement said
she came off this ramp

just after 1:00 this morning.

I thought you said this
lady never makes mistakes.

Yeah.

Miss Eberhardt, you've stated

that on the night
of the alleged rape,

you went to a movie alone,

after which you
stopped alone at a bar.

It was a restaurant, a
neighborhood restaurant.

Where they serve
liquor, yes or no?

Yes.

On that night

in that bar, how
were you dressed?

I was wearing a
blouse and a skirt.

And how short was that skirt?

Objection!

The length of Miss
Eberhardt's skirt has absolutely

no relevance.

Yes it does, Your Honor.

I'm attempting to
prove, and will prove,

that the witness was provocative

in her dress and
behavior, and not only

invited my client's advances,
A.D.A. HUNTER: Objection! Objection!

But solicited and welcomed them!

I did not! I did not! Objection!

He raped me! JUDGE
COOKSEY: All right, all right.

- Counsel is giving summation.
- All right, that's enough

from all of you!

Ms. Townsend, you know better.

Miss Eberhardt,
can you continue?

Y-Your Honor, may
I request a recess?

You certainly may.

Court will reconvene
at 2:00 p.m.

So I won't get the
Feminist of the Year award.

This is my job.

And you're very good at it.

What's up?

I need your help.

Let's talk in my office.

So, you've been
handed a bad case.

But that doesn't mean
you have to look bad.

I'll help whenever I can.

If you get stuck,
if you get crazy.

Thanks.

I'll probably get stuck.

Thank the Lord
I don't get crazy.

No.

You never did.

You were always so steady.

And so nice.

And so pretty.

Right now, I'd rather
be as smart as you.

There you go again,
selling yourself short.

Stop that right now.

Okay. Okay.

Well, I've taken up
enough of your day.

My day's under control.

But I know you
have things to do.

I'll see you Tuesday?

Oh.

I almost forgot.

You said in your statement you
took the Hoover Street off-ramp

after 1:00 this morning.

That ramp's been closed,

due to an accident,
since 9:00 last night.

That's right.

I took Grant because
Hoover was closed.

But I did say Hoover
in my statement.

Stupid of me.

Don't worry about it.

I get streets mixed
up all the time.

All that really matters is
your description of the crime,

and that's certainly accurate.

Unfortunately,
for your client, it is.

Listen,

if you need any help...

Thanks.

You're a real friend, Sandra.

There you go, boss.

Hello. Hello.

You're Michael?

Maybe.

Who are you?

Um...

Um, Michelle Thomas.

I'm the attorney who's
representing Jimmy Newton.

How'd a guy like that
find a lady like you?

Long story.

You knew Rick Allen?

Yeah, we were
partners in this dump.

Were you friends?

We'd party together
once in a while,

but mostly he went
his way, I went mine.

Did you know his friends?

Rick's friends?

Rick's friends tended to fade.

You see, he scammed most
of them, one way or the other.

Well, was there anyone at all?

Maybe a girlfriend.

Oh, oh, yeah, there was a girl.

There was one girl.

Um, she was a hot tamale.

She had Rick running
around in circles.

What was her name?

Ah, he never
introduced us properly.

Ah, maybe he didn't like
the way I looked at her.

Hell, the whole place
looked at her like that, though.

You know where she lives?

Somewhere in the neighborhood.

When Rick went to
her place, he'd walk.

Hmm.

Do you think you
could describe her?

Maybe.

To a police sketch artist?

Yeah, why not?

The landlord
identified the sketch?

He says it looks just
like one of his tenants.

And what's more, he's willing

to let us in her apartment.

He is?

Why would he do that?

I slipped him a $50.

Oh.

Now, you're sure
this is the woman?

Yeah, yeah, that's her.

When was the last
time you saw her?

Last week, this week, who knows?

She comes and she goes.

If she's a hooker, she
ain't workin' steady.

There, it's open.

Have a ball.

50 bucks?

Yeah, 50 bucks.

Well, I guess it could
belong to a working girl.

Maybe.

You take the kitchen,
I'll check the bedroom.

Right.

Oh, boy.

Dear Senator Howard,

My sincere thanks
for your invitation

to the National Capitol Dinner.

However, a pressing schedule
precludes my attending...

Sandra, you'll never
guess what happened.

Michelle, is this Tuesday?

This is too good.

I couldn't wait.

Oh, you're doing something.

I was.

Susan, we'll finish this later.

Oh, gosh.

Now, Michelle, what is it?

Who's getting
married, having a baby,

a red-hot affair, divorce?

Nothing like that.

I uncovered some
information in the case,

but I have no idea what it means

and less what to do with it.

Tell me.

Maybe we can piece it together.

Rick Allen had a girlfriend.

A girlfriend?

That's it?

Michelle, most
guys have girlfriends.

But the last time
anyone saw this girl,

she was having a major
argument with Rick.

That makes her a
prime suspect, right?

I don't know.

It's a long way from a
lover's spat to murder.

But you should
certainly question her.

That's a problem.

See, she lives in
the neighborhood.

How do you know that?

Rick's partner
Michael Caliguire said

that whenever Rick
went to her place,

he walked.

So I was wondering

if the night you
witnessed the murder

you might have seen her.

No.

I only saw Jimmy
Newton and Rick Allen.

But if I had seen a
woman, how would I know

she was Rick's girlfriend?

I'm sorry.

I should have
shown you this first.

You recognize her?

No.

That's serious makeup.

She a hooker?

I don't know.

She's disappeared.

Nobody's seen her
since the murder.

Probably went somewhere
to get her hair lubed.

Did you ever see so much mousse?

It's awful, isn't it?

Well, I've taken up
enough of your time.

No problem.

But next time, call.

Sure.

I'll see you Tuesday.

Looking forward to it.

Bye.

Oh...

there was one
more strange thing.

Yes?

When I was going
through her apartment...

You found her apartment?

Well, sure.

You know the drill.

You flash the sketch
around the neighborhood.

Standard operating...

procedure. Yeah.

Anyway, I was going
through her closet,

and I found, besides
what you'd expect...

Spandex and leather and...

there was this one dress,

black fishnet with
these little rips all over...

That's what'd I'd
expect. What else?

A navy blue suit.

Expensive.

Like the ones we wear.

Isn't that odd?

What do you make of that?

Well...

I'd say that this woman
probably had parents in town,

and when she goes to see
them, she dresses conservatively.

You and I have both
defended women

who've done things
we wouldn't dream of,

but still play little angel
with mommy and daddy.

That's true.

But you're the one
who thought of it.

You would have...

sooner or later.

Probably later.

I can't thank you enough.

Glad to be of help.

See you Tuesday.

Looking forward to it.

Bye.

Want a drink?

Thanks, no.

Just the answers to
a few more questions.

Figures.

Do, uh...

do you recognize the
woman in this picture?

You know her?

No, afraid not.

Who is she?

She's a very important lawyer.

Name's Sandra Townsend.

Are you sure you haven't seen
her, maybe in here, with Rick?

With Rick?

This lady?

No way.

Just take one more look.

Now picture her with
red hair, a lot of makeup,

wearing maybe a leather jacket.

That do anything for you?

Uh, afraid it doesn't, no.

Got any more pictures
of pretty ladies?

I think you know more
than you're saying.

Lady...

I told you I don't
know a damn thing.

I do.

I know a lot about
you, Mr. Caliguire.

You're an ex-con

still on parole.

So what?

So you're not supposed
to be selling liquor.

And what about that
gun you've got stashed

behind the bar?

Are you threatening me?

No, I'm just giving you
something to think about.

Hello?

Hello, Sandra Townsend?

Yes. Who's this?

This is Michael
Caliguire... Rick's partner;

good buddy.

I haven't seen
you in here lately.

I was just wondering
how you're doing.

I don't know you.

Sure, you do.

And I know you.

I just thought maybe we
could get better acquainted.

I'm hanging up.

Don't. You'll be sorry.

Your little game's over.

I don't know what
you're talking about.

A friend of yours, a
certain lady lawyer,

came in here with
a picture of you.

A nice proper newspaper picture.

You told her you knew me?

I didn't cop to anything.

Though who wouldn't want to know

a sexy lady lawyer
and wonder why

she was searching
through Rick's car

the night he was murdered?

What do you want, Caliguire?

Enough to get out of town,
stay out of town a long time.

In return, you get the
pictures you didn't find

in Rick's car.

What pictures?

Come off it, lady.

I saw you and Rick
fighting over them.

He even showed 'em to me.

Very entertaining.

How much?

$20,000 should do it.

Where and when?

Tonight.

The bar.

We're just about to close.

All right, where
are the pictures?

He doesn't have them.

Now I know you killed Rick.

I just have to prove it.

You, pretty lady?

I don't think so.

I do.

Unfortunately, you
made one mistake.

Sandra, wait.

What happened?

You don't want to know.

But I do.

We're friends.

You have everything:
reputation, respect, money.

Why this?

You mean my double life?

You wouldn't
understand, Michelle.

You're a nice girl
from a nice family.

And so very straight.

So are you...

Very nice, very straight.

And very boring.

For a while, work was exciting.

In case you're wondering,

I didn't sleep my
way to the top,

just worked harder
than anyone else.

And when I got there...

I was alone.

If this is about loneliness,
you had friends, you had me.

You're great to have
dinner with, Michelle,

but at 3:00 in the morning,
I need... something else.

So I set about getting it...

from out-of-town lawyers,

out-of-town clients...

guys who

called me baby at
3:00 in the morning,

then went home to their wives.

Don't you love having
men call you baby?

I never have.

I do.

The first man who
called me baby...

got me.

I'm shocking you! Good!

Then those guys got boring.

So I started
thinking about men...

What they do, how they do it.

And I thought, "Why not me?"

Why not just walk into a bar,

pick the man I want,
take him somewhere,

get what I want and get out?

Men do that.

I feel sorry for you, Sandra.

You don't.

You envy me.

I do things you
only dream about.

And you do dream about
them, don't you, Michelle?

About wearing clothes like this,

picking up strange men.

No, I don't.

If only I'd known
you needed help.

What for?

I never felt better!

Control is the key, honey.

Total control.

I'm tougher than
you are, Michelle.

And smarter.

Don't think you'll beat me.

So then I cut my hand on
the broken window of the car,

and, well, you can see my coat.

Just like a woman

to lock her keys in the car and
then break a window to get them.

Silly of me, wasn't it?

So you think you
can get the stain out?

Sure.

Take some doing though.

Come back tomorrow.

Mr. Morgan, you're a darling.

Ms. Townsend, you've testified

that on the night Rick
Allen was murdered,

you exited the expressway
at Hoover Street.

No, that was a mistake.

The shock of witnessing
a murder, I guess.

The Hoover off-ramp was
closed; I exited at Grant.

I see.

And where were you going?

Home.

You mean the Bedford
Towers Apartments

on Peachtree Boulevard?

That is where I live.

So you live clear across town

from the scene of the
crime you witnessed.

Why were you there?

The expressway was crowded,

I decided to cut across town.

So you're familiar
with that neighborhood?

No.

I can read a map, Ms. Thomas.

I never get lost.

I'm sure you don't,
Ms. Townsend.

So you were driving across town

through the neighborhood
around Fairmount and Grant.

Do you do this often?

No. In fact, that
was the first time

I'd taken that shortcut.

And the first time you've
been in that neighborhood?

Yes.

Huh.

Well, um...

Uh...

Is, uh, is this your
signature, Ms. Townsend?

You've already determined
that, haven't you?

Yes, it is.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

These credit card slips
are for purchases made

in the neighborhood
around Fairmount and Grant.

There's a market, a
pharmacy, a shoe store.

I'll ask you again.

Are you familiar with
this neighborhood?

Yes.

Yes.

You should be, Ms. Townsend.

You rent an apartment there,

don't you? I do not.

The landlord will identify you
as the tenant in apartment 13-D

at 628 Fairmount Street.

You are, aren't you?

So I have an apartment
there. So what?

Isn't it true that
for some time now

you've been
living a double life?

Part of it as one of this city's
most prominent attorneys,

and the other part as what
some might call a less than

respectable woman.

Objection!

Ms. Townsend's personal life

has absolutely no
relevance in this case.

Allow me to continue, Your
Honor, and I'll prove relevance.

Objection overruled.

Please proceed.

Ms. Townsend,
you've testified that,

on the night of the murder,
you were stopped at red light

in your car, when you
saw two men arguing.

That's right.

And you saw that one of
those two men was my client

and that he shot and
killed the other man.

Correct.

And prior to that evening,

you had never seen either
one of these two men?

No, never.

Isn't it true that you not only
knew the deceased Rick Allen,

but you were his lover?

No.

Isn't it true that on the
night he was murdered,

you went to the bar
known as the Revolution

and you quarreled with Rick
Allen about intimate photographs

of you that he had taken?

No.

The bartender, Michael
Caliguire, will identify you

and testify that he observed
you and Rick Allen arguing.

After the argument, here's
what I think happened.

You went home, to
your uptown apartment,

and you called Rick Allen.

You asked him to meet you,

he agreed, and you
shot him to death.

Then you found a likely
fall guy, Jimmy Newton,

passed out in his car.

So you planted the
gun on the defendant,

you got into your car,
then you called the police

from your car phone,
and you reported the crime

with yourself as eyewitness.

Now, isn't that true?

I didn't know you had so
much imagination, Michelle.

What were you wearing
the night of the murder?

A gray plaid suit
and a silk blouse.

No coat?

I don't remember.

Well, it was cold that night.

It was 47 degrees.

Weren't you wearing a coat?

Yes. I do remember.

I was wearing my fur coat.

But when I saw you
later, at the police station,

you weren't wearing a coat.

Where was it?

I left it in the car.

Why would you do that?

I didn't need it indoors.

So you left a valuable
fur coat in your car?

Isn't that a
strange thing to do?

I was at a police station; there
were dozens of police around.

Exactly.

And one of them observed
you get out of your car

and toss your fur
coat into the trunk.

Why were you hiding your
fur coat, Ms. Townsend?

I wasn't.

Oh, I think you were.

You see, I think that in the
process of murdering Rick Allen,

you somehow managed to
get his blood on your coat.

I don't know, maybe you
were going through his pockets,

looking for those
explicit pictures.

Maybe you were looking for
something else, I don't know.

But you got his blood on your
coat, and you had to hide it.

This is ridiculous.

My coat's at home in my closet.

You can check it.

Oh, there's a coat in
your closet, all right,

but it's not yours.

You see, my
associate, Tyler Hudson,

followed you to the furrier.

Your coat's right here.

See?

The coat you picked
up from Morgan's Furs

is identical to your coat

in every respect but one.

This coat, your coat,

the coat you were wearing
when you killed Rick Allen...

is stained with his blood.

I'm sorry, Sandra.

I'm truly sorry.

I can only guess that
he was blackmailing you,

threatening you with exposure.

He wanted to control you,
and you couldn't allow that.

Control, that control,
that total control

that you always wanted.

When you killed
him, you lost it.

There's nothing further.

In view of the evidence

just introduced...

the People move for
dismissal of the charges

against Jimmy Newton.

Motion granted.

Case is dismissed.

Court is adjourned.