Matlock (1986–1995): Season 4, Episode 17 - The Victim - full transcript

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Okay, picture this.

We're close on an alarm clock...
- 15 a.m.

Goes off, we pull back,
see a young woman...

Yuppie, attractive,
hit the deck running.

Then it quick cuts, we see

an aerobics class,
business meetings,

high-level confabs
with guys in suits.

After work, racquetball,
dinner with friends.



Then, back to her
setting the alarm clock

while we hear a voice-over say,

"Uniwear Bras: for
the active life you live."

Tell me he's kidding.

This campaign is geared
toward female boomers,

women who never stop running.

Thanks.

Now I get it.

We are telling women we
have a bra they can sweat in?

Where's the sex?

I deliberately focused
away from the sex.

Women want to know
how this product...

Women want men.

They want to find them,
catch them and keep them.



They want to be pert
and perky for men,

because men are
their real business.

Where did you get this idiot?

Will you excuse us
for a minute, Edward?

I would be glad to
rethink this, Mr. Howell.

Give me a break. Look,

I was in the top 10% of my
class at Vanderbilt, Mr. Gordon.

Well, you just flunked
out in the real world, pal.

That is fine.

Very nice.

You think these
people don't talk?

It's all over the business.

How are we going to get good,

creative talent in here

if you treat people like that?

By overpaying, the
way you do now.

Yes?

Get my wife, please.

You're hurting business, Alex.

It's got to stop.

Buy me out.

You'll lose the only
clown in this circus

who knows how to write
a decent line of ad copy.

Hi, honey.

Hi.

How's your day?

Oh, lousy.

We've got nothing for the
Uniwear meeting tomorrow,

and I'm going to
be working all night.

Are you staying in town?

Yeah.

I'll be staying at the motel.

Okay.

Good luck.

Thanks.

Pulling your fat out of
the fire again, buddy.

Okay.

Okay, if you want
to be a martyr.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Martyr.

Either I come up with something

for the Uniwear meeting

or we go in with nothing
but our nervous smiles.

Where is that report?

You were in with Mr. Howell.

I asked you to
type it an hour ago.

I did. I didn't want
to disturb you.

Bring it. Bring it.

Okay. I'll see you in
five minutes, all right?

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Anything else you
need, Mr. Gordon?

A good night's sleep.

Give me a wake-up call

at 7:00 a.m., will
you, John? Sure thing.

Hold your calls till then?

Except for my wife.

You got it.

Sleep well, Mr. Gordon.

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Come!

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Alex?

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I told you... no interruptions.

I'm sorry, sir, but
the police are here,

and they say it's important.

The police?

I'm sorry to disturb
you, Mr. Gordon.

Lieutenant Brooks, Atlanta PD.

What can I do for you?

Well, there was a
problem at your house,

and, uh, we'd like for you
to come with us if you can.

What happened?

I'm sorry to have
to tell you like this,

but your wife...

When the maid
came this morning...

Your wife is dead, sir.

It appears she was
murdered last night.

Now, we...

we're trying to find
out all that we can.

Murdered?

Who?

Oh, dear God.

Ca-Cathy?

Somebody killed Cathy?

We're hoping that you
can help us find out.

A burgundy Jaguar was seen
near your house last night.

Do you know anyone
with a car like that?

No.

Burgundy. My-my partner's...

What's his name?

Bret Howell, but...

he wouldn't have been
anywhere near there last night.

I'm sorry.

I must go home.

Of course. Uh, we'll
take you there right away.

I didn't plan to fall
in love with Cathy,

nor she with me.

For a long time,
we were just friends.

She was so beautiful,

so intelligent.

Who'd want to kill her?

Well, the police think you did.

And you were seen going
into the house last night.

Alex was staying in town.

Cathy and I knew we'd
have some time together.

When I left, she was fine.

And what time was that?

About 11:45.

I...

If I would have stayed,
she'd still be alive.

Um, any idea how
the murder weapon

got in the trunk of your car?

No.

Anybody else have a key?

Spare? In the office.

Maybe at home, too.

I, uh...

I'm going to be honest
with you, Mr. Howell.

The district attorney
has a very strong case.

I didn't do it, Mr. Matlock.

I loved her.

You believe me, don't you?

I have to go under
that assumption.

But I-I-I...

I don't have a clue

how I'm going to
convince the jury

that a man who's
sleeping with a woman...

And not just any woman...
His partner's wife...

And in his partner's house...

Is a person of, uh,
high moral standards.

Well, the maid
walked in this morning

and nearly had a coronary.

I guess.

She have a key?

Yep, and the alarm code.

The alarm was on?

No, it was off.

That's how the maid
knew something was wrong.

Cathy Gordon
always set the alarm

just before she went to sleep.

She couldn't last night
when your client left.

She was dead.

Why do you say
"when your client left"?

Well, it must have been him.

Anyone else
coming in after he left

would have set off the alarm.

What about her husband?

Well, I guess you're not
quite up to speed on this.

He, uh, has an alibi
at a downtown motel.

Stayed the night.

But even without the alibi,
he couldn't have done it.

Let's hear it.

Come on, I'll show you.

See the contraption on
the stairs on your way up?

Yeah. Yeah. It's broken.

Six months. CONRAD: Yeah?

Well, it's the only
way Mr. Gordon

can get up and down the stairs.

He's a paraplegic.

I didn't know that.

Uh, anything else?

There's a lot of blood.

Yeah. Did you find any
clothes the killer was wearing?

No. Anything taken?

Nothing so far.

They got a good case.

Yeah, they do.

We're best friends
of the family.

Mr. Gordon's expecting us.

It's okay, Officer.

Thank you.

Alex.

We're so sorry.

I can't believe it.

I just saw Cathy on Tuesday.

Are you okay?

I honestly don't know

what I'm going to
do without her, Grant.

I'll miss her.

Cathy deserved better.

I'd like to offer
our condolences.

I'm Michelle Thomas,
Ben Matlock's associate.

This is Conrad McMasters.

We represent Mr. Howell.

Thank you, Miss Thomas.

I understand Mrs. Gordon
was a lovely woman.

More than lovely, Mr...

McMasters.

She was the finest
woman I've ever known.

Excuse me.

I need a glass of water.

My wife and Cathy
were very close.

I'm Grant Estes.

Glad to meet you.
How do you do? Hello.

Alex?

I know I shouldn't have
come here, but please,

you've got to believe me.

I didn't kill Cathy.

Believe you?

You two-faced bastard.

Alex... Sleeping with my wife,

pretending to be my best friend.

Get the hell out of my house!

Nice outfit.

Hey.

Very impressive.

Great stress release.

Three times a
week, no matter what.

Oh.

I... I've got some
dumbbells in my den.

Christmas present.

I guess somebody's
trying to tell me something.

Yep.

Yeah.

Yeah, I...

I try sometimes,

but I'll do... I'll do better.

But, boy, your upper body...

My upper body's all I've got.

Um, uh...

I, uh... I-I-I
promised I'd do this.

Uh... um...

why I'm here is, um,
my client would-would...

would like to
come to the funeral.

He's out of his mind.

Keep him away from me.

I'm... I'm sorry I
interrupted your workout.

That's okay.

Um, Bret... Bret
said that he kept

an extra set of car
keys in his, uh...

uh, desk in his office.

You didn't happen
to see anybody...

No, I didn't.

So, you-you think the
dumbbells would help, huh?

It's a start.

You could lose some weight, too.

You think so?

Well, you carry all that
stuff around with you,

you probably don't
feel like exercising.

Oh, well, I'll-I'll...
I'll do better.

You know what they
say: we are what we eat.

On you, it shows.

Well, uh...

So, what can I do for
you, Miss Thomas?

You and Cathy Gordon
were friends for quite a while.

Since high school.

Did you and your husband spend
a lot of time with the Gordons?

I spent a lot of
time with Cathy.

And Alex?

No, I avoided Alex
as much as I could.

Oh?

Life's too short to be
around nasty people.

He made Cathy miserable.

Well, yesterday, he sounded
like he loved her very much.

It's an act.

Well, did Cathy love him?

She tried to be very loyal.

Was there any...

Well, I mean, could... could he?

Yes, he could.

And he wouldn't.

Why wouldn't he?

Uh... anger.

Anger, I guess.

How did it happen?

One night, Cathy was driving
them home from a party.

She got cut off, lost
control of the car, it rolled.

Alex was thrown clear,
but Cathy got trapped.

The car caught fire.

Somehow, Alex
managed to pull her out,

but the car lurched,

and Alex suffered a
serious spinal injury.

It put stress on a marriage
that wasn't good to begin with.

Miss Thomas,

this is only me talking.

Before the accident, Alex
Gordon was not a nice person.

Being paralyzed did not
improve his personality.

He used Cathy's guilt,

and he would never
ask for a divorce.

Why wouldn't he?

He made six figures.

She inherited $6 million.

That's the difference
between comfort and luxury.

Did Alex know
about Cathy's affair?

I didn't think so.

Cathy told me.

She... she felt so guilty.

Miss Thomas,

whatever happiness Cathy
had, she had with Bret Howell.

She loved him, and
he loved her very much.

Come on, Ben,
there's just no way

a paraplegic could have
committed that murder.

I didn't say he did.

I just want to find
out more about him

and about the motel
where he stayed that night.

Eh... unless the man is cured
and nobody knows about it,

I... think you're barking
up the wrong tree.

You want to just
find out something

about the motel where
he stayed that night?

I'll find out about the motel.

Barking up the wrong tree.

Man, you scared
the devil out of me.

Here, let me give you a hand

with that. No, no.

Thanks.

Okay.

I have plenty to do.

Lunch.

What do you got?

Ooh... I got two
hamburgers jumbo,

two hot dogs all the way.

I got fries, onion
rings, rice pudding,

and two milkshakes... vanilla...
And one extra just in case.

What's the matter?

Nothing.

You like hot dogs.

Yeah.

Well, what's the matter?

Well... somebody said

maybe I ought to
lose a little weight.

What do you think?

You're plump.

Pleasingly plump?

Just plump.

Well... diet then.

I can't be losing my figure.

That used to be one
of my best things.

You know that motel
you told me to look into?

Yeah.

Well, Alex Gordon always
stays in the same room

because it has easy
wheelchair access.

Yeah.

I don't know what this means,
but the night of the murder,

he said he wanted a quiet
room because he was real tired,

even though the
access was more difficult.

They saw him check in,
they saw him check out.

But in between, he could
have gone anywhere.

Like I said, I don't
know what that means

because I found out this.

Man makes a good living, right?

But his wife is the
one with all the money.

Well, that's reason
enough to kill her right there.

Yeah, but except for
token maintenance,

Alex Gordon is
not in his wife's will.

He's not?

How'd you find out?

Connections.

Does he know?

Contact says yes.

Huh.

Well, the only way he could
get any of her money was

if she was alive.

Doesn't make any sense.

Nope.

I think you're barking
up the wrong tree.

Wrong tree, huh?

I want you to follow
him everywhere.

Okay, got my
stuff, got my radio.

You gonna eat those hot dogs?

Yes.

Both of 'em?

Yes. When?

While I'm working,
following Alex Gordon.

Well, what are you gonna
do with all that other stuff?

I'm gonna eat it.

I knew it was 8:30

because that's when I
walk Jerome every night.

Jerome is my dog.

Anyway, I noticed this burgundy
Jaguar parked near my house.

When I looked around
to see who it belonged to,

I noticed someone going
into the Gordons' house.

And what exactly did you see?

Well, Mrs. Gordon sort
of pulled this man inside.

Do you see the
person who was pulled

into the Gordons'
house here today?

Sure, I've seen
him there before.

The defendant

Mr. Howell.

In all of the years I've
worked for the Gordons,

the alarm was always
on when I went to work.

Mrs. Gordon simply
never would go to sleep

without turning it on.

Never?

Not even if she was sick or
injured or just plain forgot?

No, never.

So, if Mrs. Gordon had been
alive when the defendant left,

she would have
turned the alarm on,

and therefore no one
could enter the house

without setting it off?

No one.

Thank you very much.

No questions.

Mr. Matlock.

No questions.

You may step down.

Court will recess

45 minutes for lunch.

Uh, M-Mr. Gordon?

Yeah?

Uh, uh, this...
this may, uh, uh,

be a little awkward,

but I'll just go ahead with it.

Bret said that, uh,
you stayed in town

the night of the
murder and worked

on the Uniwear campaign,
and, uh, the meeting's next week,

and if you have the
campaign, he'd like to present it.

Tell Bret to stick it.

Okay.

Uh, why didn't you stay

in your regular room
at the motel that night?

The front room is noisy.

I need quiet to work and sleep.

I see, hmm,

I see.

You think I'm a suspect?

Well, I'll take that
as a compliment.

You think I snuck out
and murdered my wife

in my wheelchair?

Mr. Matlock.

Numerous places

in the victim's bedroom and
the entire house were dusted.

And what did you find?

We found the fingerprints
of the defendant, Mr. Howell,

throughout the house

and in particular, in
the victim's bedroom.

Thank you.

Nothing further.

Mr. Matlock. Yes, sir.

Uh, Lieutenant... do
you from time to time, uh,

visit with friends and
business associates

at, uh, their various homes?

Yes. Well,

when you take
leave of one another,

uh, do you take care

to wipe your fingerprints
off everything...

Uh, uh, tableware, tables
and the walls and stuff like that?

No.

Yes.

Now, you've testified

that this knife is
the murder weapon

and that it was found in
the trunk of Mr. Howell's car?

Yes, sir.

Well, why are there
no fingerprints on it?

Well... LLOYD: Objection.

- Calls for speculation.
- Sustained.

It doesn't make sense
that-that... Mr. Matlock.

That the defendant
would leave his fingerprints

Mr. Matlock. all over
the walls of the house

and wipe 'em off
the knife Mr. Matlock.

Before he threw it
in the trunk of his car.

Sustained. LLOYD:
Objection. It's argumentative.

Sustained. Well, why-why
didn't he just leave the knife

at the scene of the
crime? Mr. Matlock.

You'll have to ask your
client. Or whoever committed

this horrible
murder. Mr. Matlock.

Withdraw the question.

Nothing further.

We'll adjourn till 10:00
tomorrow morning.

Uh, Your Honor,

Your Honor, Your Honor,

could counsel and I meet
with you in chambers briefly?

Mr. Burgess?

That's fine, yes, sir.

And-and could we ask

Mr. Alex Gordon

to meet with us?

Your Honor, this is a receipt
for a $50,000 diamond bracelet

that my client gave the deceased
the day before she was murdered.

What's the point? Well,

the bracelet hasn't shown up

anywhere in Mrs.
Gordon's possessions,

and I'd like to search the safes

up in her bedroom
to see if it's there.

For what purpose?

Y-You said that

no robbery was
involved in this murder,

and if the bracelet isn't
there, it proves that there was.

Mr. Matlock, if you're
introducing evidence,

you must do so in a
courtroom, and if you're asking

for a warrant to search
the Gordon house,

then ask right now.

Well, um...

I have no problem with
your going into the safe.

Come by first
thing in the morning.

You can look
around all you want.

This it?

Hmm.

It sure looks like it.

Yeah, that's got

to be it.

Well, it looks like you missed
this one, doesn't it, Ben?

Oh. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Nice try, Ben.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's right.

You find what you
were looking for?

Uh, yes. I-I'll be right
with you, be right there.

Yes, we did.

Uh...

Mr. Gordon, um...

how are you doing?

I miss my wife...

more than I can
say, but I'm all right.

I trained myself early
to be self-sufficient.

I-I didn't want to be
a burden to Cathy.

I'm moved by your
internal strength.

Paralyzed when you
saved your wife's life,

and now to find out...

I'm a practical
man, Mr. Matlock.

I understood my wife's needs.

I couldn't fulfill all of
them... most but not all.

That's more than practical.

I'll be honest with
you, Mr. Matlock.

At first I felt
rage, bitterness.

Life isn't fair, I know it,

but I also know that if the
situation had been reversed,

Cathy would have
pulled me out of that car

and eventually I might
have had an affair.

Well...

I wish life had turned
out differently for you.

Thank you.

Yes.

It's-it's a very nice house.

Yes, it is.

I may keep it, I don't know.

Expensive to keep up.

Well...

Uh...

Um...

What?

There's, uh, there's something

you probably don't know about.

Your wife gave Mr. Howell

the combination to
your upstairs safe,

and so the other
day I took a little look.

I might get in trouble,
I don't know, but...

funny thing... The
bracelet wasn't there.

I'm certain of it.

And then remember in chambers

we asked if we could...
we could take a look

and you said fine, remember,
and we just did, we just looked,

and... the bracelet is there.

It's there.

And, uh...

I don't understand.

Well... I'll go.

May I have your order, please?

Hi. Give me a chocolate
shake and a hamburger.

Ben Matlock.

Ben, I'm at a drive-through
on East Magnolia.

He lost me.

Mr. Gordon,

I know this will
be difficult for you,

but I'd like to talk about

your relationship
with your wife.

Uh, was there intimacy?

That was impossible.

I have been told
just the opposite.

That it's very possible.

Were you happy?

Happier than most marriages.

Well, you know that your
wife was in love with my client?

An affair is not
love, Mr. Matlock.

My wife and I understood
each other's needs,

and we accepted them.

That was one of the
strengths of our marriage.

Well, Mrs. Gordon was planning
to divorce you, wasn't she?

Like any couple that's been
married longer than two weeks,

we'd occasionally
discuss divorce

in the heat of an argument.

Uh-huh.

Do you know a man
named Mr. Martin Sedgwick?

Yes, I do. He's an attorney.

In fact, he is the
attorney your wife retained

to file for divorce
in her behalf.

Isn't that right?

She hired him, yes,

but she never would
have gone through with it.

Because she loved you?

Yes.

Cathy was hot-tempered

and certainly had a
flair for the dramatic.

Instead of saying, "I'm angry,"

she'd file for divorce.

But that was one of the
things I loved about her.

I'm easily bored, Mr. Matlock,

and Cathy was never boring.

You miss her.

Yes. Very much.

Your wife's family inheritance

allowed a lifestyle

that, uh, your salary
alone could never support.

Isn't that right?

That's insulting.

Objection! Relevancy.

Mr. Matlock, this man
is not on trial here.

Your client is.

Your Honor... I'm sustaining

the objection, Mr. Matlock.

Move on.

The night

your wife was murdered,

you stayed in town
in a motel, didn't you?

Yes.

And you always stay in the
same motel in the same room

because it has
wheelchair access.

But this night, you stayed in
a different room, didn't you?

I was tired.

My regular room is
right next to the office.

Can be quite noisy sometimes.

I told you that
already, remember?

The room you stayed in
was way in back of the motel.

The manager helped you
check in, helped you check out.

But in the meantime,

given the location of the room,

you could have gone
somewhere, come back,

never been seen, couldn't you?

I stayed in that room all night.

Mr. Gordon,

you have

tremendous upper
body strength, don't you?

Yes.

You would, too, if
you had to drag around

half a body of dead weight.

You lift weights? Yes.

Could you climb up a rope?

I've never tried.

I'd have to say no.

Feet are part of the power.

But given the tremendous
upper body strength you have,

wouldn't it be
fairly easy for you?

Nothing is easy for a
paraplegic, Mr. Matlock.

Let me tell you a story.

There was a man

who was filled with rage.

And he was victim of an accident

that left him paralyzed.

A terrible loss.

And his rage built more rage.

Maybe even pathological.

Many, many people,

disabled just like he,

work their way
through their loss,

and live their lives.

Productive.

But rage had always
been a part of this man,

and now it was his
constant companion.

So one night,

he called his wife

and told her he was
gonna stay in town,

knowing that his
business partner

would take that
opportunity to see her.

An affair.

An affair, perhaps brought on

by the numerous
rejections of the husband.

And he knew that his
neighbor would walk his dog

at the same time every night

and see his partner's car

parked out in
front of the house.

You are saying

that I deliberately
set up an opportunity

for Bret to meet Cathy?

Just a story. LLOYD: Objection!

Your Honor, this is crucial

to the completion of this case.

Careful, Mr. Matlock.

Be very careful.

Overruled.

Once you had
established your alibi

at the motel,

you drove to your house,

waited for your partner,
my client, to leave,

and your wife to go to sleep.

Then you turned off the
alarm, went in the house.

You knew

you could go up those stairs

by using your hands.

But your legs would
drag behind you,

leaving a-a trail
of particle evidence

that anybody could find.

So you threw a rope
over the upstairs banister.

And that's how you climbed

to the second
floor of your house,

something no one would
think a paraplegic could do.

Then

you stabbed your wife to death

while she slept.

How dare you.

I don't climb ropes.

How dare you!

Let me show you something.

Let me show you something.

Let me show you this.

Recognize this bag?

This is the rope you used

to climb to the second
floor of your house.

This is the bloody
jacket you wore...

while you stabbed
your wife to death.

These are the gloves

that you wiped off.

You knew that my
associate, Conrad McMasters,

was following you last
night, so you lost him.

We meant for you to do that.

Do you recognize this gentleman?

He's a private investigator.

I hired him to follow you,

and he saw you go up an alley

and throw this bag
and the contents

in a Dumpster.

I'm sure forensics
testing will prove

the blood on this jacket
and in places on this rope

is your wife's blood.

Millions of people
have been disabled

like you, and have found a way

to live fulfilling,
productive lives.

I'm sorry for your accident,

and I'm sorry that you
had to live in that chair.

I'm sorry most of all

that you allowed your rage

to cause all of this tragedy.

But there can be no excuse
for what you have done.

Your Honor,

defense moves that all charges

against my client be dropped.

In light of the evidence, Your
Honor, the people concur.

As does the court.

Case dismissed.

This court is adjourned.