Matlock (1986–1995): Season 4, Episode 5 - The Ex - full transcript
Ben goes to Baltimore to help Julie defend her best friend's husband only to find that the prosecutor is Julie's ex-husband.
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Move "Is Pollution Causing
Deafness in Our Children?"
to page 22 and "Senator
Cortin Love Nest" to page one.
Abe, you're burying an
important environmental story
in favor of this love nest crap?
Scaring parents about
their kids won't sell papers.
This jerkwater politician
and his bimbo will.
You're turning the
Journal into a tabloid.
In the 30 years I've known
you, I can't believe you want this.
I do.
More importantly,
our new publisher does.
We've got to tuck
our bleeding hearts
back up our sleeves, Marty.
It's the '90s and MBAs
are running the world.
Ah, the new religion, the
church of the bottom line.
Since you brought it up,
we're going to start deducting
your legal fees
from your salary.
Abe, I'm getting
incredible response
to McBride's series
on Block Chemical...
Phone calls, telegrams...
Excuse me.
And... we still have
two parts to run.
Abe, can we...?
Forester!
You're not going to get
away with this, Forester.
We printed a
retraction, Mr. Gabriel.
- Call security.
- Retraction?!
Oh, you mean those three
crummy lines on page 56?!
The article accusing
me of insider trading
was on page one.
You proved your innocence
and we ran a retraction.
What more do you want?
You ruined my business,
you ruined my life, and you
think that three crummy lines
on page 56 is going to
make everything okay!
You want damages?
Go back to court.
With what?!
I'm busted, broke!
Show Mr. Gabriel the way out.
No. Come on, pal.
You can't ruin a person
and then just throw
'em out of your office.
Things have a way
of turning around,
and you're going to get yours,
Mr. Forester, you'll get yours!
Come on, easy, easy...
This meeting is over.
I want to see everything
we ran on Steven Gabriel.
That story was
an honest mistake.
Malign a man on page one
and you'd damn well better
exonerate him on page one.
Get me the file!
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Security, this is Editorial.
I need someone up here fast.
♪ ♪
Ben. Oh, hi.
Oh, hi.
You'll never guess.
Uh... I'm taking a leave
from the D.A.'s office
and I'm going home to Baltimore
and I'm going to defend a
client on a murder charge.
Oh, well, uh, uh, h...
When did this a-all happen?
Well, I got a call
today from an old friend
from high school...
Penny Gabriel.
She was my very best friend,
and her brother
has been arrested
on a murder charge,
but he didn't do it.
He couldn't have done it because
he was always a real sweet kid,
so I told her I would come.
Well, is there a shortage
of lawyers in Baltimore?
Ben, Penny is my friend
and Stevie's her brother.
Oh, so you-you're,
you're going to defend him.
Well, you don't think she'd
hire me to prosecute him.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
You don't think I
can do it, do you?
Oh, I-I didn't say that.
Ben, Ben...
I think... I can handle
a murder one case
blindfolded.
In fact, seeing as
how the burden of proof
lies with the prosecution
and not with the defense,
I'm going to have a much
easier job for a change.
Well,
uh, defending someone isn't
any harder or easier
than prosecuting someone.
It's just... it's different,
and, and you'll be great at it.
Thank you.
A-Are we still on
for dinner tonight?
Oh, can we make
it when I get back?
I really better work tonight.
Called me around 5:00
and told me to come
to his office at 8:30.
He didn't say why.
I got there promptly at
8:30, I walked in the office,
and I found him dead.
Did you see anybody in or around
the office before you went in?
I passed some people
working at their desks.
That's all.
Why do you ask?
Because the Baltimore
Journal uses an air tube system
to deliver their memos
and their dummy pages,
and at exactly 8:27 last night,
the mailroom received
a memo from Forester
typed on his manual typewriter.
Now, that means that
at 8:27, he was still alive.
I must have missed
the killer by seconds.
Oh, Steve.
The jury is going to
find that hard to believe.
I mean, if Forester
was alive at 8:27
and dead at 8:30, they're
going to think you killed him.
Now, there are a dozen people
who heard you threaten Forester
the day of the murder,
two people who can place
you at the scene of the crime,
and a piece of evidence that
places you in Forester's office
only minutes before
he was murdered.
Now, that is a good, solid case.
You sound just like
the guy who booked me.
No, no, no, what,
what I meant to say
is that we have to...
to focus all our efforts
on finding the real killer.
No problem.
Ben Matlock.
Hi.
Oh, hi, Julie, how's it going?
Well, I've talked to my client
and I've got a bail hearing
set for this afternoon
and everything is
moving right along.
Oh.
Uh-huh.
You know, Ben,
uh, you were right.
This is, this is very different.
Uh, I'm used to having
the police at my disposal
for everything...
You know, legwork...
And all I have to do
is pick up the phone.
Here I am, trying to
do three things at once.
Well, I can't do it all either.
That's why I have
an investigator.
An investigator... oh,
Ben, that's just what I need.
Is Conrad busy?
I ca... I can ask him.
Oh, I'd appreciate that, Ben.
Now, now, now,
you don't worry...
Look, I've got to go, Ben, bye.
Okay.
I'm sorry, but the car
rental place was jammed.
I'm so s...
Julie.
You're prosecuting this case?
You're defending it?
Now that counsel
is finally present,
we will proceed to the
matter of Mr. Gabriel's bail.
Does the state have
any recommendations?
Yes, Your Honor.
We do, Your Honor.
Julie.
It's nice to see
you again, Donald.
You look great. Oh, thank...
Ben?
Hi.
Conrad's busy,
but I'm not and I'm
a pretty good investigator.
Oh, I di... this is...
That I didn't... This
is such a surprise.
Julie. Oh, I'm sorry.
Ben Matlock,
this is the prosecuting attorney
Donald March.
Pleased to meet you. - Hi.
Uh, March.
Are you related?
Not anymore.
We used to be married.
Hey, watch it, pops.
Excuse me.
Oh.
I got... I...
Hi. Hi.
Some... well, anyway,
what do you want me to do first?
Well, I think one
of us should go
to the scene of the crime.
Okay, scene of the crime.
Abe Forester's office.
Uh-huh. I'll... I'll go.
Good. Now, we need
to find out who knew
that Steve was going
to be there that night.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Right.
Where will you be?
At the courthouse.
Oh, yes... Forester
had a secretary
named Katherine Ellery.
Uh, at, uh... at, uh,
the courthouse, then,
you-you'll see, uh...
Donald. Yeah.
He's the prosecutor.
Oh, of course. Yeah.
Ben?
It was a long time ago,
and I was very young.
Would you like to
know what happened?
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Now-now, this,
uh, K-Katherine...
Ellery.
Uh, uh, uh, she's, uh...
Abe Forester's
secretary. That's it.
And she was very reluctant
to talk to me over the phone.
Oh, well, uh, we'll
see what, uh...
what, uh... what happens.
Uh, will... will you be...
will you be coming
back here for, uh, dinner?
I hope so.
Are you asking me if I'm
having dinner with Donald?
Oh, no, no, no, no.
No, it's just... it...
you see, if-if I
find out something,
I'll want to tell you, and
I wouldn't, you know...
Actually, I do have dinner plans...
- 00,
here... with you.
Oh, well, I think
I can handle that.
I'll see you later.
Bye.
Yeah. Bye.
Yeah, I'll see you.
Now, let's see.
The coroner says that
Mr. Forester was sitting here,
and somebody slipped
up behind him and...
Please, Mr. Matlock. What?
I don't want to hear this.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Mr. Forester deserved
better than this.
He was a fine man.
That Steven Gabriel did it.
Walked in here, picked
up the statue and...
He said he'd get
poor Mr. Forester.
I thought what he said
was, "You'll get yours."
Same thing.
And I thought it was
Mr. Forester's idea
that Steven come
up here that night.
Mr. Matlock. What?
You're standing
on Mr. Forester. Oh.
I'm sorry.
Well, wasn't it his idea
that Steven come
up here that night?
It was.
I placed the call for him.
Well, you would
think that Steven
would at least have
given him a chance
to explain why he
wanted to see him.
Do you know why
he wanted to see him?
No.
Mr. Landers thinks
Mr. Forester felt sorry for him
and wanted to
help clear his name.
Who's Mr. Landers?
Martin Landers.
The-the City editor.
And he knew that Steven
was coming up here?
He was right there
when I placed the call.
Mr. Landers and
Mr. Forester started here
as copy boys the
same year I started.
Oh.
Well, you must know everything
that goes on here
and all the people.
Well, after 31 years...
Yeah.
You know...
you know, you've
been so helpful.
How about letting me
buy you a cup of coffee?
Oh, come on.
Just a cup of coffee.
Julie.
Thanks for the
investigation reports.
You were certainly
as thorough as ever.
Now, uh...
if I were in your shoes...
And I usually am...
I would expect me to
come in here and, uh...
and, uh, plea-bargain.
But I want to tell you
straight-out, Donald,
that I... I...
Stop that. Stop what?
You know what.
No, tell me.
Staring at me like that.
I can't help it.
You're beautiful.
You were the best
ten years of my life.
Oh, well, you didn't
think so at the time.
We all make mistakes.
I made a big one, and
I've regretted it ever since.
Listen.
Why don't you
have dinner with me?
Julio's.
Julio's is still there?
Oh. Oh, my.
Veal Marengo
and...
polenta...
I... I'm sorry.
I have a dinner date.
Excuse me, Donald.
Tomorrow?
Call me.
Uh, M-Mr. Landers, could...
could I speak with...
with you for a minute?
I'm, uh... Ben Matlock.
You're here to
defend Steven Gabriel.
Oh, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no.
Uh, Julie March is defending.
I'm just helping out.
You're very high-priced
help, Mr. Matlock,
and very impressive.
I covered the Lucy Sutton trial
for City Magazine.
Oh, that was a long time ago.
For both of us.
I suppose you know, um...
Abe Forester was one of
my oldest and dearest friends.
Uh, was he thinking of retiring?
Next September.
I hear he was, uh,
going after some
hotshot from Chicago
to take over his job.
That's possible.
Well, that's water
under the bridge.
You're the editor in chief now.
That was the
publisher's decision.
Well, not if
Mr. Forester had lived.
Are you suggesting
that I killed Abe?
Well...
you did know that Steven Gabriel
was going to show up
at his office that night.
So did John Brady, Paul McBride
and Katherine Ellery.
Oh, wait, wait, wait.
Wait, wait, wait, wait,
wait. I told McBride
and Brady myself. Wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Yeah. Uh, Br-Brady...
John Brady.
J-John... Brady, John.
He's a columnist.
Columnist. Right, and, uh...
Paul McBride...
McBride, McBride.
Is an investigative reporter.
Investigate...
investigative reporter.
Thank you. I... I
appreciate this.
Anything to get off the hook.
Yeah. Get off the...
Um, wh-where
were... were you, uh...
I, uh, was at home.
With your wife.
Mmm... I'm a widower.
And, uh...
my children are grown.
Oh, Mr. Landers, well,
you're not quite off the hook.
But, uh, thank you for this.
Where did you hear that?
Oh. Somebody who
talked to somebody who, uh,
knows everything that
goes on around here.
Okay.
Yeah, Abe and I
had a few arguments.
He was like a father to me.
Fathers and sons argue.
Yes, that's true, but, uh,
didn't these arguments
start about the same time
your exposé on Block
Chemical was running?
So what?
So, maybe,
he was getting some
heat from Block Chemical,
and maybe he was
asking you to back off.
No.
Abe would never
give in to pressure.
Then, what happened between you?
Nothing.
I'm sorry.
I have work to do.
Excuse me,
Mr. McBride, but
what were you doing
on the night Forester
was murdered?
I don't believe this!
The man hired me.
He took me under his wing.
He turned me into one
of the best
reporters in this city.
You think I killed him?
I was at the Coronet Theater
watching Linda Tyler
in Home Before Dark.
I don't suppose you
saved your ticket stub.
Well, um...
have a nice day anyway.
Hi, Mr. Brady. Ben Matlock.
I don't talk to lawyers.
My lawyers talk to lawyers.
I just want to ask you
a couple of questions.
Sorry. It's lunchtime.
I'm out of here.
Uh, well, how... how
about if I go with you?
Have lunch with a lawyer?
No, I don't think so.
My stomach isn't
what it used to be.
Ben, there you are.
Come on. Oh.
I, uh... I didn't get
much out of John Brady.
Forget him.
Paul McBride said
he was at the theater
watching Linda Tyler the
night Forester was killed.
And he wasn't?
No, he couldn't have been.
Linda Tyler was sick that night,
and her understudy went on.
Oh...
Now we're onto something.
Huh?
Don't you think
we're onto something?
Yeah. Sure.
Hi. Mind if I sit down?
Ah.
Yeah.
How's the food?
How about the beer?
The food stinks,
and the beer is warm.
You got a question to ask?
Okay.
Was Abe Forester
about to fire you?
Now, where did you hear that?
Then, it's true.
No!
But one of your columns,
uh, had provoked a libel suit,
and Mr. Forester was, uh,
kind of unhappy about that.
Well, yeah. Yeah.
You've been sued
a lot, haven't you?
Controversy sells newspapers.
I'm good at it.
Well, maybe, uh...
maybe Mr. Forester figured
he had all the controversy
he could handle.
My column is sold in 127
newspapers across the country.
One more or less doesn't matter.
Yeah, but the
Journal's a... a pretty...
pretty important paper,
and if he fired you,
then other papers
might follow suit.
You know, kind
of a domino effect.
Let's talk a little bit
about, uh, Thursday night.
Well, I mean, where
were you about 8:30?
Oh.
Thursday? Yep.
I was in a meeting
in my office with Skip
Howard and Danny Lloyd.
It started at 8:00,
ended at 9:30.
Now, you can not only ask them,
you can hear the meeting.
Danny tapes everything...
Ideas, meetings.
He can't think, but, God bless
him, he certainly can tape.
Now, go see him.
Okay, okay.
Ew, that is warm.
Hey, waiter!
The memo Mr. Forrester
sent came in just like this.
It was from Harold Williams.
He's the new publisher.
A copy boy delivered it
to his house immediately.
And you recorded the time
it came in in your notebook
just like you're doing now?
The clerk that was on duty did.
How long does it take
for a message to get here
from Forrester's office?
Six or seven seconds.
That's all?
Uh, does...
Mr. Forrester have a
drop chute in his office?
Well, there are three
or four on each floor.
The closest one to
Mr. Forrester's office
is in the reception area
near his secretary's desk.
Is there any way to tell
where in the building
a memo comes from?
Well, no, there isn't.
Excuse me.
What? Uh...
Well, uh...
the police think that
Mr. Forrester was alive
when Steven entered the building
because his memo,
Mr. Forrester's,
got here at 8:27, but what,
what if he was already dead
and somebody else sent the memo?
Yes.
Somebody killed him,
waited till almost 8:30,
sent the memo, framed Steve.
Right.
Now all we have
to do is prove it.
Well, hell, that
ought to be simple.
You testified that
the defendant burst
into the editorial room
in the middle of your meeting.
Yes, and began screaming
accusations at Abe.
What kind of accusations?
That Abe was responsible
for the loss of his
business and his reputation.
Was Mr. Forrester responsible?
Of course not.
Last year the Journal ran
a piece on insider trading.
Mr. Gabriel's name
was inaccurately mentioned.
However, we later printed
a retraction saying that
Mr. Gabriel was
in no way involved.
But he decided to sue anyway.
He lost and he was not happy.
After Mr. Gabriel made these
accusations, what happened?
He was escorted out of the
room by two security guards.
He was yelling
that he was ruined
and he threatened Abe.
He threatened
Mr. Forrester? Yes, he did.
What exactly did he say?
"You'll get yours."
Thank you, Mr. Landers.
Does the defense wish to cross?
Mr. Landers, did you
know that Abe Forrester
had asked Steven
Gabriel to come to his office
that night at 8:30? Yes.
And you knew what the
meeting was about, didn't you?
Abe didn't tell me.
But you had your
suspicions, didn't you?
Objection. Relevance.
Overruled. I'd like
to hear the answer.
And you mentioned
them to his secretary.
Shall I call her to the stand?
I know Abe.
Knew Abe.
He felt sorry for the guy
and was going to do
something to help him out.
Something to help him out.
Doesn't give my client much
of a motive then, does it?
No further questions.
Uh, redirect, Your Honor?
Proceed.
Mr. Forrester never
actually told you
that he intended to do anything
about Mr. Gabriel, did he?
Well, no.
And in all the years that
you knew Mr. Forrester,
did you ever know him to
help or give restitution to anyone
who was suing the Journal?
No, never.
So, off-hand
remarks to secretaries
aside,
you really had no
idea whatsoever
why Mr. Forrester
called the meeting
at 8:30 with the
defendant, did you?
Objection. No
relevancy whatsoever.
Overruled.
You opened the
door to this, Counsel.
Answer the question, please.
No.
I don't know what
Abe had in mind.
Thank you, Mr. Landers.
Donald hasn't changed a bit.
He always had to
have the last word.
Julie. Fred
Langley, is that you?!
Hi!
You'll never guess...
She can't go two steps
without running into
somebody she knows.
Well, Julie knows everyone here.
We all miss her.
Nice to see you.
I'm sorry.
You wanted to see me?
Yeah, Julie, I don't know
how this happened but there's a
a witness' statement
that you haven't seen.
A security guard at the Journal.
It's in my office
if you have time.
I better go.
Oh, of course.
Hotel lobby at 6:00.
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Come on, Clayton!
Clayton!
Open the damn door!
Look, I'll get you the money,
but you gotta leave town now!
Hi, I'm Ben Matlock.
I'm looking for Paul McBride.
He's not here. Of course he is.
I saw him come in.
Hey, get out of here!
There you are.
Hey, I know you, too.
You're that Hood fellow.
That Clayton Hood.
You're the one Paul here
interviewed for his exposé
on the Block Chemical Company.
You don't look sick.
Aren't you supposed to
be in a hospice somewhere
barely clinging on to life?
I'm in remission.
Damn.
It was a fake.
The whole thing was a fraud.
No! There are serious health
hazards over at Block Chemical
and because of me,
they're being cleaned up.
You led the public to believe
that innocent workers
were dying of cancer.
They are, I just couldn't get
any of them to come forward.
So you hired a
perfectly healthy man
to pretend he was
terminally ill? Why?!
A Pulitzer prize, money, fame?
Abe Forrester
found out, didn't he?
He must've been disappointed.
What was he gonna do?
He told me if I
didn't write an article
confessing what I'd done,
he'd write one for me.
So, to save your
character and your career
from oblivion, you killed him!
No! You were not
at the theater
the night he died.
Linda Tyler was sick.
Her understudy
went on. All right!
I was here trying to convince
this idiot to leave town.
Hey, you promised me $10,000.
I'm not going
anywhere until I get it.
Yeah, well, now you're
not gonna get one red cent.
How do you like that, Einstein?
Was he here?
Yeah, I was starting
to watch television
and this guy waltzes in
right in the middle
of my favorite movie.
Made me miss
practically the whole thing.
Godzilla, the original.
Godzilla?
Yeah, it's one of
my all-time favorites.
I did not kill Abe Forrester.
I know.
And you couldn't
use him for an alibi
because everybody would
know your series was a fraud,
but there's one good thing.
Abe Forrester knew
and he ordered you
to print that retraction,
but, once he was
dead, you elected not to.
Kind of a double-double deal.
Well, now, everybody will know.
It'll be a long time before you
work on a newspaper again.
Maybe you're not too
old to learn another trade.
Oh...
This thing's impossible.
That thing belonged
to H.L. Menken.
And Mr. Forrester
prized it highly.
What are you typing?
The memo that Mr. Forrester
was supposed to have sent
to the mailroom the
night he was killed.
It's called "Retracing
the Killer's Steps."
Let's see...
Oh, daggone!
Have you got any Wite-Out?
Not in this office.
Mr. Forrester never
made any mistakes.
Never?
Nope, he was so used to
typing on that machine...
He didn't make mistakes?
That's what I said.
Ben? Ben, wait.
Where have you been?
Oh, it's a long story.
I'm really sorry.
Oh, well, uh...
Uh, I talked with Paul McBride
and, uh, he's not the killer.
He's not?
No, he's not. Godzilla
was on that night.
Godzilla?
Well, that's a long story, too.
You tell me yours first
and I'll tell you mine.
Good morning.
Julie, you, uh, you
left this at my place.
Oh, oh, Ben, I...
I owe you an explanation.
No, no, no, no.
You don't owe me an explanation.
I mean, you're a grown
woman and it's, it's just...
I mean, I know you were
married to him at one time
and you don't owe
me any explanation.
Donald is driving me crazy.
He is? Yes.
It's, well,
it's a terrible
situation and this...
I... Well, uh...
Well, come, come
on, let me tell you
some interesting
things I found out.
Mr. Brady, do you
make a lot of money
from your syndicated column?
I do all right.
What is all right these days?
Five figures, six, seven?
Six. Objection.
Relevance.
I intend to show
relevance, Your Honor.
Overruled. Proceed.
Mr. Brady, do you
own your own home?
Yes. Is it a nice house?
Yes. Six figures?
Seven.
Your Honor, relevance.
Asked and answered.
What's the point of all this?
If you'll give me a
moment, I'll get to it.
Please do. Overruled.
Mr. Brady, do you
own your own home
free and clear or is
there a large mortgage?
Well, it's mortgaged.
Your Honor, for the record,
may I restate my objection
to this entire line
of questioning?
So noted.
What kind of a car do you drive?
Jaguar.
Do you own your car free
and clear? Your Honor.
Objection. Relevance. Donald!
Will you let this woman finish
what she's trying to say!
Mr. Matlock,
you're out of order!
Well, how can she
conduct her examination
to this witness if he won't
let her complete a thought?!
If you don't sit down,
I'll hold you in contempt!
What I am trying to determine
is whether you own your
Jaguar free and clear.
Your Honor... You
write a lot of checks
to the bank every month
don't you, Mr. Brady?
Big checks!
Your column must be doing
very well. DONALD: Objection.
This is still not relevant.
Yes, it is!
Are you going anywhere
with this, Miss March?
Well, of course she is.
You think she
came in here for fun?
You're very near contempt.
Your Honor...
Your Honor, may I
have a moment, please?
Your Honor, with
the court's permission,
I think it would be in the
best interest of my client
if my co-counsel, Mr. Matlock,
would conclude the
examination of this witness.
Mr. March?
Well, why change
horses in midstream?
I said, it would be
in the best interest
of my client.
Mr. March.
No objection.
Mr. Matlock.
Yes, sir.
Uh, a moment, Your Honor.
You rattled this woman.
And you did it on purpose,
because you want
to win this case.
More importantly,
you want her to lose.
But if you try it on me,
I'll put this table
on top of you.
Mr. Matlock...
Yes, sir.
Now, the questions
my associate was asking
about your house, your car,
the big checks you're writing...
Were meant to show that you'd be
in pretty desperate
financial shape if the Journal
dropped your
column, wouldn't you?
If they drop me another
newspaper would pick me up.
But you can't be absolutely
sure of that, can you?
Well, no, but after
all these years...
Abe Forester had decided
that your talent wasn't worth
the lawsuits you provoked,
and was about to drop
your column, wasn't he?
No. Didn't he say he was?
Well, he didn't mean that.
He'd-he'd used to say it at
meetings just to sound tough.
I-I suppose that would explain
why he didn't
mention it in the memo
he sent to his publisher
the night he died.
Objection, Your Honor.
Again, relevance.
Mr. Matlock!
Oh, yes, sir.
I was just admiring the wood
on this table.
This memo was
entered into evidence
to prove that the decedent
was alive just moments
before Steven Gabriel
entered the building that night.
That is simply not the case.
We intend to prove that by
the time Steven Gabriel arrived
Abe Forester had
been dead almost
half an hour.
Proceed.
Now, this is the
antique typewriter
that Abe Forester
used in his office.
Sergeant Cryder
here will testify
that it is, but you
recognize it, don't you?
Oh, yeah. Abe
loved that typewriter.
Typed everything on
it, didn't he? Everything.
Are you a pretty
good typist, Mr. Brady?
Fair. No, don't be modest.
I've seen you. I bet you type...
60, 65 words a minute.
More like 80. Oh, how
about a demonstration?
Objection, Your Honor.
This is all very interesting
but I fail to see the
relevance to this trial.
I'm gettin' to it!
I'm gettin' to it!
Your Honor, if you and Mr. March
will bear with
me, I'm gettin' to it!
Overruled. For now.
Thank you.
Have a seat.
What do you want me to type?
Well, how about this memo?
I'm used to an electric.
Just do the best that you
can as-as fast as you can.
Uh... thank you.
Uh, you may
go back to the stand.
Ooh, lot of typos.
Did Abe Forester
make a lot of typos?
I'm used to an electric.
He was used to that... thing.
In fact, Abe Forester
was famous at the Journal
for never making a mistake
on that machine, wasn't he?
That's right.
You know,
there are typos on this
original memo, aren't there?
I, uh, I don't, uh...
Oh, of course you
do. Of course you do.
But you have to look closely,
because somebody covered
them with correction fluid.
How about right there?
Oh, yeah, I can see that.
And can you make out
what letter was whited out?
I... can't tell.
It's the three-quarter fraction.
Whited out
and a question mark put over it.
In-in the memo you just typed,
the three-quarter fraction
is in the same place
the question mark should be.
Here and there.
And there, down there.
It-it looks like
that whoever typed
this memo made the same
mistakes that you just made.
It's tempting to believe
that you typed this memo.
That's a coincidence.
Anyone who is not used
to that machine is gonna
make the same mistake.
You were in the
building that night.
Three floors up in my office
in a meeting with Skip
Howard and Danny Lloyd.
Started at 8:00, ended at 9:30.
What about before 8:00?
Just before 8:00,
you entered
Mr. Forester's office,
picked up that statue
and killed him, didn't you?
I did no such thing!
I think you did! I
think you killed him!
Then you sat down
at the typewriter
that Abe Forester always used
and typed this memo,
and sent it to the
mailroom knowing
the police would think
that Abe Forester was alive
a few minutes
before Steven Gabriel
entered the building.
I could not have sent it.
I was in the meeting.
That's right.
With Skip Howard
and Danny Lloyd.
Right!
Skip told me that he
was at the meeting,
Danny was at the meeting
and you were at the meeting.
But, at some point
during the meeting,
you left the room
to get a folder or something.
Were you aware that Danny
was taping that whole meeting?
Danny always had a
tape recorder going.
It's his way of
keeping notes. Ah!
Danny, uh, Danny also wore
one of those wristwatches
that beeps every
half hour, didn't he?
Yeah. It drives me crazy.
Keeps-keeps excellent
time, though.
And it's right in sync with
the clock in the mailroom.
I checked.
And if you listen to that tape,
you can hear Danny's
watch beep right at 8:30.
And you know what?
Your voice is not on that tape
for several minutes before 8:30.
And you know what else?
Skip and Danny remember
that you left the meeting
a few minutes before 8:30.
You know what that means?
I have no idea.
8:27.
At 8:27, you went
over to the mail chute
for interoffice correspondence.
Put this memo in a cylinder,
sent it down to the mailroom.
And that's when
the clerk received it.
8:27.
What do you think, Mr. Brady?
I refuse to answer
any further questions
until such time as my
attorney can be present.
All right.
That's a good idea.
We find the defendant...
not guilty.
Thank you, ladies and
gentlemen of the jury.
Court is adjourned.
Thank you.
Brilliant. Just brilliant.
Thank you.
Oh, this is nice.
Congratulations, both of you.
Thank you.
We need to talk
about last night.
We need to talk about
what you did in court.
Well, that was just business.
Oh, really?
And was it just business
making Ben think we
spent the night together?
We did. Oh, Donald, please.
You said 20 minutes.
And you had me out
there without a car.
And I was hungry
so I had dinner,
and then we had an argument,
and then I cried and
then I did the dishes.
No wonder I don't miss
being married to you.
Julie, I love you.
I told you that last night.
I've always loved you.
I know you love me, Donald.
And you also love
Sheila your law clerk,
and my best friend Marjorie,
and her friend Dori,
and the soprano
in the church choir.
I never knew her name.
Stay. I'll make it up to you.
It hurt when I left, didn't it?
Yes.
There's the door.
This time, you can leave.
Julie...
Say good-bye, Donald.
You'll never have with
anybody else what we had.
I hope not.
Well?
Yep.
Let's go home.
You bet.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Move "Is Pollution Causing
Deafness in Our Children?"
to page 22 and "Senator
Cortin Love Nest" to page one.
Abe, you're burying an
important environmental story
in favor of this love nest crap?
Scaring parents about
their kids won't sell papers.
This jerkwater politician
and his bimbo will.
You're turning the
Journal into a tabloid.
In the 30 years I've known
you, I can't believe you want this.
I do.
More importantly,
our new publisher does.
We've got to tuck
our bleeding hearts
back up our sleeves, Marty.
It's the '90s and MBAs
are running the world.
Ah, the new religion, the
church of the bottom line.
Since you brought it up,
we're going to start deducting
your legal fees
from your salary.
Abe, I'm getting
incredible response
to McBride's series
on Block Chemical...
Phone calls, telegrams...
Excuse me.
And... we still have
two parts to run.
Abe, can we...?
Forester!
You're not going to get
away with this, Forester.
We printed a
retraction, Mr. Gabriel.
- Call security.
- Retraction?!
Oh, you mean those three
crummy lines on page 56?!
The article accusing
me of insider trading
was on page one.
You proved your innocence
and we ran a retraction.
What more do you want?
You ruined my business,
you ruined my life, and you
think that three crummy lines
on page 56 is going to
make everything okay!
You want damages?
Go back to court.
With what?!
I'm busted, broke!
Show Mr. Gabriel the way out.
No. Come on, pal.
You can't ruin a person
and then just throw
'em out of your office.
Things have a way
of turning around,
and you're going to get yours,
Mr. Forester, you'll get yours!
Come on, easy, easy...
This meeting is over.
I want to see everything
we ran on Steven Gabriel.
That story was
an honest mistake.
Malign a man on page one
and you'd damn well better
exonerate him on page one.
Get me the file!
♪ ♪
Security, this is Editorial.
I need someone up here fast.
♪ ♪
Ben. Oh, hi.
Oh, hi.
You'll never guess.
Uh... I'm taking a leave
from the D.A.'s office
and I'm going home to Baltimore
and I'm going to defend a
client on a murder charge.
Oh, well, uh, uh, h...
When did this a-all happen?
Well, I got a call
today from an old friend
from high school...
Penny Gabriel.
She was my very best friend,
and her brother
has been arrested
on a murder charge,
but he didn't do it.
He couldn't have done it because
he was always a real sweet kid,
so I told her I would come.
Well, is there a shortage
of lawyers in Baltimore?
Ben, Penny is my friend
and Stevie's her brother.
Oh, so you-you're,
you're going to defend him.
Well, you don't think she'd
hire me to prosecute him.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
You don't think I
can do it, do you?
Oh, I-I didn't say that.
Ben, Ben...
I think... I can handle
a murder one case
blindfolded.
In fact, seeing as
how the burden of proof
lies with the prosecution
and not with the defense,
I'm going to have a much
easier job for a change.
Well,
uh, defending someone isn't
any harder or easier
than prosecuting someone.
It's just... it's different,
and, and you'll be great at it.
Thank you.
A-Are we still on
for dinner tonight?
Oh, can we make
it when I get back?
I really better work tonight.
Called me around 5:00
and told me to come
to his office at 8:30.
He didn't say why.
I got there promptly at
8:30, I walked in the office,
and I found him dead.
Did you see anybody in or around
the office before you went in?
I passed some people
working at their desks.
That's all.
Why do you ask?
Because the Baltimore
Journal uses an air tube system
to deliver their memos
and their dummy pages,
and at exactly 8:27 last night,
the mailroom received
a memo from Forester
typed on his manual typewriter.
Now, that means that
at 8:27, he was still alive.
I must have missed
the killer by seconds.
Oh, Steve.
The jury is going to
find that hard to believe.
I mean, if Forester
was alive at 8:27
and dead at 8:30, they're
going to think you killed him.
Now, there are a dozen people
who heard you threaten Forester
the day of the murder,
two people who can place
you at the scene of the crime,
and a piece of evidence that
places you in Forester's office
only minutes before
he was murdered.
Now, that is a good, solid case.
You sound just like
the guy who booked me.
No, no, no, what,
what I meant to say
is that we have to...
to focus all our efforts
on finding the real killer.
No problem.
Ben Matlock.
Hi.
Oh, hi, Julie, how's it going?
Well, I've talked to my client
and I've got a bail hearing
set for this afternoon
and everything is
moving right along.
Oh.
Uh-huh.
You know, Ben,
uh, you were right.
This is, this is very different.
Uh, I'm used to having
the police at my disposal
for everything...
You know, legwork...
And all I have to do
is pick up the phone.
Here I am, trying to
do three things at once.
Well, I can't do it all either.
That's why I have
an investigator.
An investigator... oh,
Ben, that's just what I need.
Is Conrad busy?
I ca... I can ask him.
Oh, I'd appreciate that, Ben.
Now, now, now,
you don't worry...
Look, I've got to go, Ben, bye.
Okay.
I'm sorry, but the car
rental place was jammed.
I'm so s...
Julie.
You're prosecuting this case?
You're defending it?
Now that counsel
is finally present,
we will proceed to the
matter of Mr. Gabriel's bail.
Does the state have
any recommendations?
Yes, Your Honor.
We do, Your Honor.
Julie.
It's nice to see
you again, Donald.
You look great. Oh, thank...
Ben?
Hi.
Conrad's busy,
but I'm not and I'm
a pretty good investigator.
Oh, I di... this is...
That I didn't... This
is such a surprise.
Julie. Oh, I'm sorry.
Ben Matlock,
this is the prosecuting attorney
Donald March.
Pleased to meet you. - Hi.
Uh, March.
Are you related?
Not anymore.
We used to be married.
Hey, watch it, pops.
Excuse me.
Oh.
I got... I...
Hi. Hi.
Some... well, anyway,
what do you want me to do first?
Well, I think one
of us should go
to the scene of the crime.
Okay, scene of the crime.
Abe Forester's office.
Uh-huh. I'll... I'll go.
Good. Now, we need
to find out who knew
that Steve was going
to be there that night.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Right.
Where will you be?
At the courthouse.
Oh, yes... Forester
had a secretary
named Katherine Ellery.
Uh, at, uh... at, uh,
the courthouse, then,
you-you'll see, uh...
Donald. Yeah.
He's the prosecutor.
Oh, of course. Yeah.
Ben?
It was a long time ago,
and I was very young.
Would you like to
know what happened?
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Now-now, this,
uh, K-Katherine...
Ellery.
Uh, uh, uh, she's, uh...
Abe Forester's
secretary. That's it.
And she was very reluctant
to talk to me over the phone.
Oh, well, uh, we'll
see what, uh...
what, uh... what happens.
Uh, will... will you be...
will you be coming
back here for, uh, dinner?
I hope so.
Are you asking me if I'm
having dinner with Donald?
Oh, no, no, no, no.
No, it's just... it...
you see, if-if I
find out something,
I'll want to tell you, and
I wouldn't, you know...
Actually, I do have dinner plans...
- 00,
here... with you.
Oh, well, I think
I can handle that.
I'll see you later.
Bye.
Yeah. Bye.
Yeah, I'll see you.
Now, let's see.
The coroner says that
Mr. Forester was sitting here,
and somebody slipped
up behind him and...
Please, Mr. Matlock. What?
I don't want to hear this.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Mr. Forester deserved
better than this.
He was a fine man.
That Steven Gabriel did it.
Walked in here, picked
up the statue and...
He said he'd get
poor Mr. Forester.
I thought what he said
was, "You'll get yours."
Same thing.
And I thought it was
Mr. Forester's idea
that Steven come
up here that night.
Mr. Matlock. What?
You're standing
on Mr. Forester. Oh.
I'm sorry.
Well, wasn't it his idea
that Steven come
up here that night?
It was.
I placed the call for him.
Well, you would
think that Steven
would at least have
given him a chance
to explain why he
wanted to see him.
Do you know why
he wanted to see him?
No.
Mr. Landers thinks
Mr. Forester felt sorry for him
and wanted to
help clear his name.
Who's Mr. Landers?
Martin Landers.
The-the City editor.
And he knew that Steven
was coming up here?
He was right there
when I placed the call.
Mr. Landers and
Mr. Forester started here
as copy boys the
same year I started.
Oh.
Well, you must know everything
that goes on here
and all the people.
Well, after 31 years...
Yeah.
You know...
you know, you've
been so helpful.
How about letting me
buy you a cup of coffee?
Oh, come on.
Just a cup of coffee.
Julie.
Thanks for the
investigation reports.
You were certainly
as thorough as ever.
Now, uh...
if I were in your shoes...
And I usually am...
I would expect me to
come in here and, uh...
and, uh, plea-bargain.
But I want to tell you
straight-out, Donald,
that I... I...
Stop that. Stop what?
You know what.
No, tell me.
Staring at me like that.
I can't help it.
You're beautiful.
You were the best
ten years of my life.
Oh, well, you didn't
think so at the time.
We all make mistakes.
I made a big one, and
I've regretted it ever since.
Listen.
Why don't you
have dinner with me?
Julio's.
Julio's is still there?
Oh. Oh, my.
Veal Marengo
and...
polenta...
I... I'm sorry.
I have a dinner date.
Excuse me, Donald.
Tomorrow?
Call me.
Uh, M-Mr. Landers, could...
could I speak with...
with you for a minute?
I'm, uh... Ben Matlock.
You're here to
defend Steven Gabriel.
Oh, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no.
Uh, Julie March is defending.
I'm just helping out.
You're very high-priced
help, Mr. Matlock,
and very impressive.
I covered the Lucy Sutton trial
for City Magazine.
Oh, that was a long time ago.
For both of us.
I suppose you know, um...
Abe Forester was one of
my oldest and dearest friends.
Uh, was he thinking of retiring?
Next September.
I hear he was, uh,
going after some
hotshot from Chicago
to take over his job.
That's possible.
Well, that's water
under the bridge.
You're the editor in chief now.
That was the
publisher's decision.
Well, not if
Mr. Forester had lived.
Are you suggesting
that I killed Abe?
Well...
you did know that Steven Gabriel
was going to show up
at his office that night.
So did John Brady, Paul McBride
and Katherine Ellery.
Oh, wait, wait, wait.
Wait, wait, wait, wait,
wait. I told McBride
and Brady myself. Wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Yeah. Uh, Br-Brady...
John Brady.
J-John... Brady, John.
He's a columnist.
Columnist. Right, and, uh...
Paul McBride...
McBride, McBride.
Is an investigative reporter.
Investigate...
investigative reporter.
Thank you. I... I
appreciate this.
Anything to get off the hook.
Yeah. Get off the...
Um, wh-where
were... were you, uh...
I, uh, was at home.
With your wife.
Mmm... I'm a widower.
And, uh...
my children are grown.
Oh, Mr. Landers, well,
you're not quite off the hook.
But, uh, thank you for this.
Where did you hear that?
Oh. Somebody who
talked to somebody who, uh,
knows everything that
goes on around here.
Okay.
Yeah, Abe and I
had a few arguments.
He was like a father to me.
Fathers and sons argue.
Yes, that's true, but, uh,
didn't these arguments
start about the same time
your exposé on Block
Chemical was running?
So what?
So, maybe,
he was getting some
heat from Block Chemical,
and maybe he was
asking you to back off.
No.
Abe would never
give in to pressure.
Then, what happened between you?
Nothing.
I'm sorry.
I have work to do.
Excuse me,
Mr. McBride, but
what were you doing
on the night Forester
was murdered?
I don't believe this!
The man hired me.
He took me under his wing.
He turned me into one
of the best
reporters in this city.
You think I killed him?
I was at the Coronet Theater
watching Linda Tyler
in Home Before Dark.
I don't suppose you
saved your ticket stub.
Well, um...
have a nice day anyway.
Hi, Mr. Brady. Ben Matlock.
I don't talk to lawyers.
My lawyers talk to lawyers.
I just want to ask you
a couple of questions.
Sorry. It's lunchtime.
I'm out of here.
Uh, well, how... how
about if I go with you?
Have lunch with a lawyer?
No, I don't think so.
My stomach isn't
what it used to be.
Ben, there you are.
Come on. Oh.
I, uh... I didn't get
much out of John Brady.
Forget him.
Paul McBride said
he was at the theater
watching Linda Tyler the
night Forester was killed.
And he wasn't?
No, he couldn't have been.
Linda Tyler was sick that night,
and her understudy went on.
Oh...
Now we're onto something.
Huh?
Don't you think
we're onto something?
Yeah. Sure.
Hi. Mind if I sit down?
Ah.
Yeah.
How's the food?
How about the beer?
The food stinks,
and the beer is warm.
You got a question to ask?
Okay.
Was Abe Forester
about to fire you?
Now, where did you hear that?
Then, it's true.
No!
But one of your columns,
uh, had provoked a libel suit,
and Mr. Forester was, uh,
kind of unhappy about that.
Well, yeah. Yeah.
You've been sued
a lot, haven't you?
Controversy sells newspapers.
I'm good at it.
Well, maybe, uh...
maybe Mr. Forester figured
he had all the controversy
he could handle.
My column is sold in 127
newspapers across the country.
One more or less doesn't matter.
Yeah, but the
Journal's a... a pretty...
pretty important paper,
and if he fired you,
then other papers
might follow suit.
You know, kind
of a domino effect.
Let's talk a little bit
about, uh, Thursday night.
Well, I mean, where
were you about 8:30?
Oh.
Thursday? Yep.
I was in a meeting
in my office with Skip
Howard and Danny Lloyd.
It started at 8:00,
ended at 9:30.
Now, you can not only ask them,
you can hear the meeting.
Danny tapes everything...
Ideas, meetings.
He can't think, but, God bless
him, he certainly can tape.
Now, go see him.
Okay, okay.
Ew, that is warm.
Hey, waiter!
The memo Mr. Forrester
sent came in just like this.
It was from Harold Williams.
He's the new publisher.
A copy boy delivered it
to his house immediately.
And you recorded the time
it came in in your notebook
just like you're doing now?
The clerk that was on duty did.
How long does it take
for a message to get here
from Forrester's office?
Six or seven seconds.
That's all?
Uh, does...
Mr. Forrester have a
drop chute in his office?
Well, there are three
or four on each floor.
The closest one to
Mr. Forrester's office
is in the reception area
near his secretary's desk.
Is there any way to tell
where in the building
a memo comes from?
Well, no, there isn't.
Excuse me.
What? Uh...
Well, uh...
the police think that
Mr. Forrester was alive
when Steven entered the building
because his memo,
Mr. Forrester's,
got here at 8:27, but what,
what if he was already dead
and somebody else sent the memo?
Yes.
Somebody killed him,
waited till almost 8:30,
sent the memo, framed Steve.
Right.
Now all we have
to do is prove it.
Well, hell, that
ought to be simple.
You testified that
the defendant burst
into the editorial room
in the middle of your meeting.
Yes, and began screaming
accusations at Abe.
What kind of accusations?
That Abe was responsible
for the loss of his
business and his reputation.
Was Mr. Forrester responsible?
Of course not.
Last year the Journal ran
a piece on insider trading.
Mr. Gabriel's name
was inaccurately mentioned.
However, we later printed
a retraction saying that
Mr. Gabriel was
in no way involved.
But he decided to sue anyway.
He lost and he was not happy.
After Mr. Gabriel made these
accusations, what happened?
He was escorted out of the
room by two security guards.
He was yelling
that he was ruined
and he threatened Abe.
He threatened
Mr. Forrester? Yes, he did.
What exactly did he say?
"You'll get yours."
Thank you, Mr. Landers.
Does the defense wish to cross?
Mr. Landers, did you
know that Abe Forrester
had asked Steven
Gabriel to come to his office
that night at 8:30? Yes.
And you knew what the
meeting was about, didn't you?
Abe didn't tell me.
But you had your
suspicions, didn't you?
Objection. Relevance.
Overruled. I'd like
to hear the answer.
And you mentioned
them to his secretary.
Shall I call her to the stand?
I know Abe.
Knew Abe.
He felt sorry for the guy
and was going to do
something to help him out.
Something to help him out.
Doesn't give my client much
of a motive then, does it?
No further questions.
Uh, redirect, Your Honor?
Proceed.
Mr. Forrester never
actually told you
that he intended to do anything
about Mr. Gabriel, did he?
Well, no.
And in all the years that
you knew Mr. Forrester,
did you ever know him to
help or give restitution to anyone
who was suing the Journal?
No, never.
So, off-hand
remarks to secretaries
aside,
you really had no
idea whatsoever
why Mr. Forrester
called the meeting
at 8:30 with the
defendant, did you?
Objection. No
relevancy whatsoever.
Overruled.
You opened the
door to this, Counsel.
Answer the question, please.
No.
I don't know what
Abe had in mind.
Thank you, Mr. Landers.
Donald hasn't changed a bit.
He always had to
have the last word.
Julie. Fred
Langley, is that you?!
Hi!
You'll never guess...
She can't go two steps
without running into
somebody she knows.
Well, Julie knows everyone here.
We all miss her.
Nice to see you.
I'm sorry.
You wanted to see me?
Yeah, Julie, I don't know
how this happened but there's a
a witness' statement
that you haven't seen.
A security guard at the Journal.
It's in my office
if you have time.
I better go.
Oh, of course.
Hotel lobby at 6:00.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Come on, Clayton!
Clayton!
Open the damn door!
Look, I'll get you the money,
but you gotta leave town now!
Hi, I'm Ben Matlock.
I'm looking for Paul McBride.
He's not here. Of course he is.
I saw him come in.
Hey, get out of here!
There you are.
Hey, I know you, too.
You're that Hood fellow.
That Clayton Hood.
You're the one Paul here
interviewed for his exposé
on the Block Chemical Company.
You don't look sick.
Aren't you supposed to
be in a hospice somewhere
barely clinging on to life?
I'm in remission.
Damn.
It was a fake.
The whole thing was a fraud.
No! There are serious health
hazards over at Block Chemical
and because of me,
they're being cleaned up.
You led the public to believe
that innocent workers
were dying of cancer.
They are, I just couldn't get
any of them to come forward.
So you hired a
perfectly healthy man
to pretend he was
terminally ill? Why?!
A Pulitzer prize, money, fame?
Abe Forrester
found out, didn't he?
He must've been disappointed.
What was he gonna do?
He told me if I
didn't write an article
confessing what I'd done,
he'd write one for me.
So, to save your
character and your career
from oblivion, you killed him!
No! You were not
at the theater
the night he died.
Linda Tyler was sick.
Her understudy
went on. All right!
I was here trying to convince
this idiot to leave town.
Hey, you promised me $10,000.
I'm not going
anywhere until I get it.
Yeah, well, now you're
not gonna get one red cent.
How do you like that, Einstein?
Was he here?
Yeah, I was starting
to watch television
and this guy waltzes in
right in the middle
of my favorite movie.
Made me miss
practically the whole thing.
Godzilla, the original.
Godzilla?
Yeah, it's one of
my all-time favorites.
I did not kill Abe Forrester.
I know.
And you couldn't
use him for an alibi
because everybody would
know your series was a fraud,
but there's one good thing.
Abe Forrester knew
and he ordered you
to print that retraction,
but, once he was
dead, you elected not to.
Kind of a double-double deal.
Well, now, everybody will know.
It'll be a long time before you
work on a newspaper again.
Maybe you're not too
old to learn another trade.
Oh...
This thing's impossible.
That thing belonged
to H.L. Menken.
And Mr. Forrester
prized it highly.
What are you typing?
The memo that Mr. Forrester
was supposed to have sent
to the mailroom the
night he was killed.
It's called "Retracing
the Killer's Steps."
Let's see...
Oh, daggone!
Have you got any Wite-Out?
Not in this office.
Mr. Forrester never
made any mistakes.
Never?
Nope, he was so used to
typing on that machine...
He didn't make mistakes?
That's what I said.
Ben? Ben, wait.
Where have you been?
Oh, it's a long story.
I'm really sorry.
Oh, well, uh...
Uh, I talked with Paul McBride
and, uh, he's not the killer.
He's not?
No, he's not. Godzilla
was on that night.
Godzilla?
Well, that's a long story, too.
You tell me yours first
and I'll tell you mine.
Good morning.
Julie, you, uh, you
left this at my place.
Oh, oh, Ben, I...
I owe you an explanation.
No, no, no, no.
You don't owe me an explanation.
I mean, you're a grown
woman and it's, it's just...
I mean, I know you were
married to him at one time
and you don't owe
me any explanation.
Donald is driving me crazy.
He is? Yes.
It's, well,
it's a terrible
situation and this...
I... Well, uh...
Well, come, come
on, let me tell you
some interesting
things I found out.
Mr. Brady, do you
make a lot of money
from your syndicated column?
I do all right.
What is all right these days?
Five figures, six, seven?
Six. Objection.
Relevance.
I intend to show
relevance, Your Honor.
Overruled. Proceed.
Mr. Brady, do you
own your own home?
Yes. Is it a nice house?
Yes. Six figures?
Seven.
Your Honor, relevance.
Asked and answered.
What's the point of all this?
If you'll give me a
moment, I'll get to it.
Please do. Overruled.
Mr. Brady, do you
own your own home
free and clear or is
there a large mortgage?
Well, it's mortgaged.
Your Honor, for the record,
may I restate my objection
to this entire line
of questioning?
So noted.
What kind of a car do you drive?
Jaguar.
Do you own your car free
and clear? Your Honor.
Objection. Relevance. Donald!
Will you let this woman finish
what she's trying to say!
Mr. Matlock,
you're out of order!
Well, how can she
conduct her examination
to this witness if he won't
let her complete a thought?!
If you don't sit down,
I'll hold you in contempt!
What I am trying to determine
is whether you own your
Jaguar free and clear.
Your Honor... You
write a lot of checks
to the bank every month
don't you, Mr. Brady?
Big checks!
Your column must be doing
very well. DONALD: Objection.
This is still not relevant.
Yes, it is!
Are you going anywhere
with this, Miss March?
Well, of course she is.
You think she
came in here for fun?
You're very near contempt.
Your Honor...
Your Honor, may I
have a moment, please?
Your Honor, with
the court's permission,
I think it would be in the
best interest of my client
if my co-counsel, Mr. Matlock,
would conclude the
examination of this witness.
Mr. March?
Well, why change
horses in midstream?
I said, it would be
in the best interest
of my client.
Mr. March.
No objection.
Mr. Matlock.
Yes, sir.
Uh, a moment, Your Honor.
You rattled this woman.
And you did it on purpose,
because you want
to win this case.
More importantly,
you want her to lose.
But if you try it on me,
I'll put this table
on top of you.
Mr. Matlock...
Yes, sir.
Now, the questions
my associate was asking
about your house, your car,
the big checks you're writing...
Were meant to show that you'd be
in pretty desperate
financial shape if the Journal
dropped your
column, wouldn't you?
If they drop me another
newspaper would pick me up.
But you can't be absolutely
sure of that, can you?
Well, no, but after
all these years...
Abe Forester had decided
that your talent wasn't worth
the lawsuits you provoked,
and was about to drop
your column, wasn't he?
No. Didn't he say he was?
Well, he didn't mean that.
He'd-he'd used to say it at
meetings just to sound tough.
I-I suppose that would explain
why he didn't
mention it in the memo
he sent to his publisher
the night he died.
Objection, Your Honor.
Again, relevance.
Mr. Matlock!
Oh, yes, sir.
I was just admiring the wood
on this table.
This memo was
entered into evidence
to prove that the decedent
was alive just moments
before Steven Gabriel
entered the building that night.
That is simply not the case.
We intend to prove that by
the time Steven Gabriel arrived
Abe Forester had
been dead almost
half an hour.
Proceed.
Now, this is the
antique typewriter
that Abe Forester
used in his office.
Sergeant Cryder
here will testify
that it is, but you
recognize it, don't you?
Oh, yeah. Abe
loved that typewriter.
Typed everything on
it, didn't he? Everything.
Are you a pretty
good typist, Mr. Brady?
Fair. No, don't be modest.
I've seen you. I bet you type...
60, 65 words a minute.
More like 80. Oh, how
about a demonstration?
Objection, Your Honor.
This is all very interesting
but I fail to see the
relevance to this trial.
I'm gettin' to it!
I'm gettin' to it!
Your Honor, if you and Mr. March
will bear with
me, I'm gettin' to it!
Overruled. For now.
Thank you.
Have a seat.
What do you want me to type?
Well, how about this memo?
I'm used to an electric.
Just do the best that you
can as-as fast as you can.
Uh... thank you.
Uh, you may
go back to the stand.
Ooh, lot of typos.
Did Abe Forester
make a lot of typos?
I'm used to an electric.
He was used to that... thing.
In fact, Abe Forester
was famous at the Journal
for never making a mistake
on that machine, wasn't he?
That's right.
You know,
there are typos on this
original memo, aren't there?
I, uh, I don't, uh...
Oh, of course you
do. Of course you do.
But you have to look closely,
because somebody covered
them with correction fluid.
How about right there?
Oh, yeah, I can see that.
And can you make out
what letter was whited out?
I... can't tell.
It's the three-quarter fraction.
Whited out
and a question mark put over it.
In-in the memo you just typed,
the three-quarter fraction
is in the same place
the question mark should be.
Here and there.
And there, down there.
It-it looks like
that whoever typed
this memo made the same
mistakes that you just made.
It's tempting to believe
that you typed this memo.
That's a coincidence.
Anyone who is not used
to that machine is gonna
make the same mistake.
You were in the
building that night.
Three floors up in my office
in a meeting with Skip
Howard and Danny Lloyd.
Started at 8:00, ended at 9:30.
What about before 8:00?
Just before 8:00,
you entered
Mr. Forester's office,
picked up that statue
and killed him, didn't you?
I did no such thing!
I think you did! I
think you killed him!
Then you sat down
at the typewriter
that Abe Forester always used
and typed this memo,
and sent it to the
mailroom knowing
the police would think
that Abe Forester was alive
a few minutes
before Steven Gabriel
entered the building.
I could not have sent it.
I was in the meeting.
That's right.
With Skip Howard
and Danny Lloyd.
Right!
Skip told me that he
was at the meeting,
Danny was at the meeting
and you were at the meeting.
But, at some point
during the meeting,
you left the room
to get a folder or something.
Were you aware that Danny
was taping that whole meeting?
Danny always had a
tape recorder going.
It's his way of
keeping notes. Ah!
Danny, uh, Danny also wore
one of those wristwatches
that beeps every
half hour, didn't he?
Yeah. It drives me crazy.
Keeps-keeps excellent
time, though.
And it's right in sync with
the clock in the mailroom.
I checked.
And if you listen to that tape,
you can hear Danny's
watch beep right at 8:30.
And you know what?
Your voice is not on that tape
for several minutes before 8:30.
And you know what else?
Skip and Danny remember
that you left the meeting
a few minutes before 8:30.
You know what that means?
I have no idea.
8:27.
At 8:27, you went
over to the mail chute
for interoffice correspondence.
Put this memo in a cylinder,
sent it down to the mailroom.
And that's when
the clerk received it.
8:27.
What do you think, Mr. Brady?
I refuse to answer
any further questions
until such time as my
attorney can be present.
All right.
That's a good idea.
We find the defendant...
not guilty.
Thank you, ladies and
gentlemen of the jury.
Court is adjourned.
Thank you.
Brilliant. Just brilliant.
Thank you.
Oh, this is nice.
Congratulations, both of you.
Thank you.
We need to talk
about last night.
We need to talk about
what you did in court.
Well, that was just business.
Oh, really?
And was it just business
making Ben think we
spent the night together?
We did. Oh, Donald, please.
You said 20 minutes.
And you had me out
there without a car.
And I was hungry
so I had dinner,
and then we had an argument,
and then I cried and
then I did the dishes.
No wonder I don't miss
being married to you.
Julie, I love you.
I told you that last night.
I've always loved you.
I know you love me, Donald.
And you also love
Sheila your law clerk,
and my best friend Marjorie,
and her friend Dori,
and the soprano
in the church choir.
I never knew her name.
Stay. I'll make it up to you.
It hurt when I left, didn't it?
Yes.
There's the door.
This time, you can leave.
Julie...
Say good-bye, Donald.
You'll never have with
anybody else what we had.
I hope not.
Well?
Yep.
Let's go home.
You bet.