Matlock (1986–1995): Season 7, Episode 5 - The Singer - full transcript

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

MAN: Got it.

This was the last
stop on our tour.

She was so happy to be home.

How did this happen?

[CLEARS THROAT]

- How long were you her manager?
- For as long as she had a career.

I discovered her.

- When was that?
- Four years ago.

She was singing
in a bar downtown.

It was amateur night.



[SINGING] Oh, oh

STEVE: I gotta tell you,
from the first time I saw her,

I knew she was no amateur.

K.C. [SINGING]: Tell
what I'm thinking of

It's a perfect tonic for my love

I think I'm gonna
Spend the night alone

MAN: Let's hear it for Kathy.

K.C.: And Steve and the boys.

We got another performer
coming up, Mr. Barry Bay.

STEVE: Kathy, you were incredible.
- Thank you.

No. Excuse me. I really mean it.

You're too good to be playing
joints like this. For what, 50 bucks?

- Well, yeah, if I win, heh.
- Oh, you're gonna win.

I guarantee you, kiddo.



I'm Steve. Fisher.

- Are you one of the judges?
- No.

I'm just somebody who not
only knows talent when he sees it,

but knows what to do with it.

You got anything against
becoming rich and famous?

- Uh-uh.
- Well, that's good.

Here. I'm an artists' manager.

I gotta run now.
But you call me.

You got a real future.

STEVE: Her name was Kathy
back then. Kathy Westfall.

And within six months, she
was playing clubs and fairs

under the name of K. C. West.

In less than a year, she
recorded her first album.

Two years later, she
went out on her first tour.

Last year, her third
album went platinum.

Tsk.

[SIGHS]

Now she's dead.

- Were you at the concert tonight?
- Yeah. Of course.

I attended all her performances.

Was anything, uh,
unusual about this one?

No.

Well, I had a guest
with me, a lawyer.

I was trying to get him to represent
a client of mine in a civil matter.

I figured, if I gave him a
little taste of show business,

maybe he would take the case.

K.C. [SINGING]: And
though I think of nothing else

I know someday I'll be okay

It's better this way

Yeah, it's better this
way Better this way

[CROWD CHEERING AND APPLAUDING]

[CROWD WHISTLING]

Kiddo, you were a sensation.

Who are you trying
to snow tonight?

K.C., meet Ben Matlock, a
friend of mine, great fan of yours.

I really enjoyed
your performance.

Thank you.

- We got to talk. STEVE: Okay.

Why don't you meet Ben and I after
the show for a drink? We'll talk then.

Goodbye, Ben.

CROWD [CHANTING]:
K. C., K. C., K. C.!

[CROWD CHEERING]

She's been on tour for
the last three months.

- She's really tired.
- Hmm.

We'll do drinks another time.

Oh, sure.

Sorry, Ben.

STEVE: He left right after that,
not saying one way or the other

whether he'd represent
Jimmy Ray's case.

Naturally, I was a
little ticked off with K. C.

I guess you heard about
what happened next.

You're firing me?

For God's sake, Steve, I've
been with you for four years.

My marriage didn't
even last half that long.

- What more do you want?
- Give me a reason. Why?

Steve, you've done all you
can for me. It's time to move on.

- Who put you up to this?
- Nobody.

I'm capable of making
my own decisions.

[LAUGHS]

That is a laugh.

[GRUNTS]

RUTLEDGE: She hit you?
- Yeah.

Did you hit her back?

No. Of course not.

What'd you do?

Well, I threatened to sue
her for breach of contract.

And then she pointed out the
buyout clause in our original contract.

Said she was gonna exercise
it and went outside to her trailer.

You follow her?

No.

- Were you in her trailer at all tonight?
- No. I wasn't in her trailer all day.

What you got there
on your sleeve there?

I don't know. Stain.

Probably ink from a pen.

Okay, Mr. Fisher. I
appreciate your time.

You finished with me?

Unless there's something
else you wanna tell me.

Nothing I can think of.

Okay, well, if we need
you, we'll give you a call.

Okay.

MAN 1: Yeah, no, there's
still one more trap case.

MAN 2: Got it. MAN
1: Yeah, one trap case.

MAN 2: Got it.

Stow it away in the corner.

- Mr. Page? PAGE: Yeah.

Uh, Lt. Rutledge, Homicide.

I understand you were married
to the victim once. That right?

Yeah. For two years.

Uh, she took a quick trip
to Haiti, and that was that.

RUTLEDGE: What were you
doing at the concert tonight?

I was recording it.
I'm still her producer.

We were, uh,
cutting a live album.

So, uh, things between
you were amicable?

When she was sober.

- She sober tonight?
- Fair.

I mean, she always drank
when she was doing a gig.

Rum and diet cola.

You, uh, talk to her
after the show tonight?

No. The only time I talked to
her was during sound check.

- Talk to anybody after the show?
- Yeah.

I talked to, you know,
my crew and my engineer,

and, um, K.C.'s
manager, Steve Fisher.

K. C. asked for a
rough mix of the show.

So I was sitting at the
console, mixing some tracks,

and he came storming by.

- Steve, what's wrong?
- She fired me.

- Oh, man, are you kidding me?
- No. I'm history.

- What did you do?
- What did I do?

I made her a star, that's all, right
up there with Tanya and Wynonna.

And how does she
repay me? She dumps me.

[SIGHS]

Some agency in L.A. put a lot
of talk about specials and movies

and commercials in her head.
She signed with them this morning.

So, what are you gonna do?

I don't know yet.

RUTLEDGE: Where'd
he go after that?

I have no idea.

Where did you go after that?

Well, I sat there for about 20
minutes, mixing those tracks,

and, um, then I went to take
the tape to K. C. in the trailer,

[MUSIC PLAYING
INDISTINCTLY OVER SPEAKERS]

and the lights were on and
there was music coming out,

so I, uh, knocked on the
door, and then I went in.

So I, um, went back in
inside, and I just started yelling.

I guess I kind of
lost it a little bit.

Was there anybody else out
back when you went by the trailer?

No, I don't think so.

Do you happen to remember, uh,
when you were talking to Mr. Fisher

whether or not he had a, uh, mark
or a stain on the sleeve of his shirt?

No. I don't think so.

Okay, Mr. Page.

Uh, if I have any more
questions, I'll give you a call.

[CAR ENGINE REVS]

MATLOCK: "To Steve,
your pal, Randy Travis."

- You know Randy Travis.
- Heh.

Come on, Ben. Of
course. I know everybody.

MATLOCK: Hmm.

- Why? Are you a fan of his?
- Yeah, heh.

How'd you like to
have dinner with him?

You can fix it so I'd have
dinner with Randy Travis?

Hey, you take on
Jimmy Ray's case,

and I'll see to it that you have
dinner with a different star every week.

Sort of like belonging to
one of those record clubs.

I don't know.

I mean, I don't know
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

- much about entertainment law.
- One minute, heh.

Hello, again, Mr. Fisher.
Pat Rutledge, Atlanta P.D.

- We spoke last night.
- Yeah.

You got a minute?

Well, as a matter of
fact, I've got company.

This won't take long. I just
want you to roll up your sleeve.

- The right one.
- What for?

Medical examiner found
skin tissue and dried blood

beneath a couple of
Ms. West's fingernails.

Figured, uh, she may have
scratched whoever killed her,

and, well, since there was
something red on your sleeve last night,

you can understand why we'd wanna
take a look, can't you, Mr. Fisher?

What if I don't wanna do it?

Well, we can do it here,
we can do it downtown,

we can do it after we
get a search warrant,

but, uh, we're gonna
look at that arm.

Oh, yeah?

Well, maybe we should just see
what my attorney says about it.

- What?
- Come on, Ben. You gotta help me.

Oh, no, heh. I ju...

Just name your fee.

Hundred and fifty thousand.

- Up front?
- Yep.

And expenses.

And dinner with, you
know, Randy Travis.

Done.

Show him your arm.

Ben, I can't.

You have to. He
has probable cause.

I think you'd better
come with us, Mr. Fisher.

MATLOCK: Excuse
me, ha, ha. Excuse me.

Sorry. Got in your way
here with the picture there.

- Hi, Lieutenant.
- Hi, Mr. Matlock.

Yeah. There's not a lot of
room in these things, is there?

No. Uh...

Say, Mr. Matlock, listen, I know
you have the right to be in here,

but, uh, my men are trying
to find the murder weapon.

Do you mind stepping
outside till they're through?

- Uh, well... You go with me?
- Okay.

[MATLOCK CHUCKLES]

Excuse me again, ha, ha.

[CLEARS THROAT THEN GRUNTS]

Ahem, you know
what you're looking for?

Knife with a 6-inch
serrated blade.

- Hunting knife.
- Probably.

In fact, we think it
belonged to the victim.

A couple of people remember
seeing it on a shelf in there.

Think she got it as a
souvenir or something.

It sure would save
us a lot of time

if your client would just
tell us what he did with it.

All you've got on my client is a
couple of scratches on his arm.

Scratches he lied about.

Lieutenant, we just found
this in the dumpster over there.

RUTLEDGE: "K.C."

Looks like one of Ms.
West's handkerchiefs.

MATLOCK [SINGING]:
Don't care what you say

On my way Better this way

How does he explain
those scratches on his arm?

Well, he said he and K.C.
had an argument backstage,

and she slapped him,
and he grabbed her,

and she scratched his
arm, and he turned her loose,

and she went stomping
out to her trailer.

Better this way

- Did he go after her?
- Said he didn't.

And you believe him because
he paid you $150,000 up front.

That, and he knows Randy Travis.

[DOORBELL RINGS]

[SINGING] Better this
way [LEANNE CHUCKLES]

I'm on my way
It's better this way

[HUMS]

Hi, Benjamin.

- Hello, Bunny.
- Bunny?

Ms. DuBois.

- Bunny. And you're...?
- Leanne Mclntyre.

- Benjamin's daughter.
DUBOIS: Heh.

- Benjamin and I are very...
- Old acquaintances.

Watch who you're calling old.

Benjamin, aren't you
gonna invite me in?

Oh, sure, Bunny. I'm sorry.

- Won't you, uh, come in?
- Thank you.

[MATLOCK CLEARS THROAT]

DUBOIS: Well, you look good.
- Thank you, Bunny.

You, uh... You look good, too.

[MATLOCK CLEARS THROAT]

What can I do for you?

DUBOIS: Twenty-five
years in the business,

without as much as a
parking ticket, and now this.

- Now what?
- You're the lawyer, Benjamin.

You explain it to her.

Actually, I'm a
lawyer too. You mind?

I can... Twenty-five
years, and there I was,

being handcuffed and hauled
downtown and fingerprinted.

It was mortifying.

- Solicitation.
DUBOIS: Entrapment.

And, believe me, this is something
I'm not going to take lying down.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

Hi, Steve.

Listen, I don't think I should answer
any questions without my lawyer.

No questions.

I've a duly authorized
warrant to search your condo

for the murder weapon.

You can call your lawyer,
if you want. Go ahead.

OFFICER: How
about I go upstairs?

Ugh, I didn't kill her.

Maybe you blocked it
out. It happens sometimes.

Why don't you look at these?
Maybe you'll remember something.

You know what, Steve?

We catch a lot of
killers. You know why?

They make mistakes.

You know what? You're sick.

We'll be done in a
couple of minutes.

The knife's not here.

Uh, we're just dotting
the I's, crossing the T's.

We don't really need it.

K.C. [SINGING ON RECORDING]:
I know someday I'll be okay

It's better this way Uh...

Yeah The, um...

The bass is still too hot,
especially on the verses, and, um...

No, I changed my mind.

I don't like those, uh, fills on
the turnaround. We're gonna have

- to work something out. Um...
- I'll take care of it.

- What's up?
- So, what are you working on?

K.C.'s last album.

It's a rush job,
live and in concert.

The, uh, record company is
trying to cash in on the publicity.

Oh, well...

- What can I do for you?
- Oh, well, uh,

somebody saw you backstage,
uh, the night of the concert

and said you and K.C. had
an argument before the show.

Oh, that wasn't an argument. That
was, heh... That was a discussion.

That was, you know,
an exchange of ideas

between two fairly
vocal people. That's all.

I am not dropping
the keyboard bit.

It's practically the best number
in the show. The audience loves it.

I cannot mike it properly, K.C.

I am trying to record
an album here.

Well, that is your problem.

Seeing that these people
get their 30 bucks worth,

which means that me and
Dusty are doing that duet.

- Then it won't be on the album.
- Come on, John.

Figure something out.

- You always do.
- Not this time, I can't.

But it's my favorite number.

[SIGHS]

Then do it. Just leave the
routine with Dusty out. That's all.

I've been doing the number
the same way for three months.

I can't just do it different
and then screw up.

I can't change horses
midstream like that.

Oh, sure, you can, honey.

You dumped me, didn't you?

[GROANS]

You can do it, Kase.

All right, sweetheart?

MATLOCK: So, uh,
why did she dump you?

Now, that's a long story.

Because, uh, you
like to play the ponies?

I suppose that was
probably part of it.

That, uh, $100,000
insurance policy

you took out on her
about six months ago,

was that because you
like to play the ponies too?

- What do you mean?
- Well,

a fella that does
as much business

with bookies and
loan sharks as you do,

a hundred thousand
dollars come in handy.

PAGE: That would just be a
drop in the bucket, Mr. Matlock.

This. This is how I keep
those guys off my back.

It's the music of K.C. West.

This is a multimillion-dollar
gravy train.

And I'd be the last guy on
earth to derail it, believe me.

- Could I...? Could I look at...?
- Yeah, sure.

Hmm...

I don't, uh...

Ugh, I don't have this
one. I bet it's pretty.

- Be my guest.
- Prob...

Oh.

Oh, thank you.

[SINGING] It's better
that way That's what I say

Better that way

- John.
- Hey, Steve, how you doing?

- I was, uh, just talking to your lawyer.
- Yeah, I know.

Hey, look, man, I got a
favor to ask. A big favor.

Sure.

I need you to get something
out of K.C.'s trailer for me.

A pen. It's a fountain pen.

I can't let the police find it. If they
do, they could use it against me.

Fountain pen? What's a
fountain pen gonna prove?

That afternoon, I signed
a contract with Brian Levy.

- You know him.
- Yeah.

- The, uh, record promoter.
- Right.

Anyway, he gives me the pen that
I use to sign the contract as a gift.

- It's got his name on it.
- Oh.

Anyway, that pen somehow
found its way into K.C.'s trailer,

and if the police find the
pen, they talk to Brian Levy,

they're gonna know that I'd
just gotten the damn thing.

And they're gonna say that the only
way that it could have gotten in there

is if I dropped it that night in
K.C.'s trailer when I was killing her.

How did it get in there?

I don't know. I swear to God.

Why don't you
go get it yourself?

Because the police
taped the trailer shut.

If they catch me
sneaking around there,

things are gonna
really look bad for me.

I don't want them to catch me
sneaking around in there, either.

- Come on, John.
- No.

I won't do it. That would be
breaking and entering. I won't do it.

It would be doing me a big favor
that I would never ever forget.

Come on. I can get you a key.

[GASPS]

Is this the pen you tried to remove
from the decedent's trailer that night,

- Mr. Page?
- Yes, it is.

Why did you try to remove it?

Steve Fisher asked me to.

PROSECUTOR: Did he
tell you why he wanted it?

Oh, come on now, Mr. Page.

You had to break through a
police seal to get into that trailer.

You knew you were breaking
the law. But you did it, anyway.

Now, why?

Steve thought that if the
cops found the pen in there,

they'd say that that
proved he killed her.

Which he didn't do. I have
known Steve for a long time.

- He wouldn't kill anybody.
- That's all. Thank you, Mr. Page.

[CROWD MURMURS THEN GAVEL BANGS]

[DOOR CLOSES]

Come on, Ben, say something.

You don't wanna hear it.

Hey, you don't think I'm guilty.

I think you're a bona fide, card-carrying
jackass who ought to be jailed,

if for no other reason, to
keep you from reproducing.

Why didn't you come to
me about that fountain pen?

- You would have stolen it for me?
- No.

I have to know the facts, all
the facts, if I'm gonna defend you.

Is there something
else you haven't told me?

Oh, man, you gonna get mad.

I did go to her
trailer that night.

- Oh, great.
- Ugh.

Let's hear it.

After we had our little altercation,
I went up the aisle into the lobby.

I hit the front door and
I just started walking.

Only, the longer I
walked, the madder I got,

until, finally, I just turned
around and I came back.

[MUSIC PLAYING INSIDE]

K.C.

Listen, I didn't tell the police

for the same reason as I didn't
tell you about the fountain pen.

I was afraid of
how it would look.

I was there. But
I didn't kill her.

And I couldn't have
dropped that fountain pen.

I wasn't there long enough.

Ben?

- You saw the knife?
- Yeah.

It was lying right
there next to her body.

- Police couldn't find it.
- I know.

Kind of bothered me
when I heard about that,

but I was in no
position to say anything.

Well, if you saw the knife,

and it wasn't there when
the police arrived, where is it?

[DOOR CLOSES]

[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]

Ms. DuBois.

- So where is the silver fox?
- Uh, he'll be here.

- Miss DuBois.
- Bunny.

Bunny. I was wondering.

How well do you know my father?

- And how do you know my father?
- Heh.

Well, uh... Oh.

Hi. I'm sorry I'm
late. I miss anything?

BAILIFF: Case Number 1047B3.

The State of Georgia
v. Beverly DuBois.

I guess not. Come on.

Mr. Matlock, has the state provided
you with the information you requested

in your pre-trial motions?

Yes, sir.

Then I shall begin hearing
arguments at 10 a.m.

on the 29th in this courtroom.

Is that okay with everyone?

MATLOCK: Yes, sir. Ten
a.m., 29th, in this courtroom.

[MATLOCK HUMS]

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

Ugh, what?

I just found this in my car.

I swear to you, Ben, I have
no idea how it got there.

- Steve.
- Yeah.

Close the door.

It was jammed under the
backrest of the passenger seat.

Somebody must have broke
into my car and put it there.

- Did you call the police?
- Of course not.

MATLOCK: Hmm.

- Who are you calling?
- The police.

No. You can't do that.

- This could be the murder weapon.
- It is the murder weapon. Believe me.

- It was lying right next to K.C.'s body.
- I can't withhold evidence.

Why not? I'm paying you a hundred
and fifty grand, for crying out loud.

Get your finger off my phone.

I should have just tossed
the damn thing off a bridge.

I'm surprised you didn't.

I figured the way my luck was
running, it would have floated.

It's a frame, Ben.

First, the pen, now this.

Somebody's not only trying to get
away with murder, they're trying to get me.

WOMAN [OVER PHONE]:
Atlanta Police Department.

Hello? Atlanta
Police Department.

Uh, Lieutenant, would you, uh,
identify these pictures for us, please?

They're the pictures the police
photographer took of the crime scene.

Mm-hm. And what
purpose do they serve?

They record the position
and condition of the corpse,

as well as the exact location of
any objects in the immediate vicinity

which may or may not prove
relevant to our investigation.

This pen here, the picture of the
pen, uh, proved real relevant, didn't it?

Yes, sir, it did.

[MATLOCK CHUCKLES]

You know what's interesting,

is this pen only appears
in one of these pictures.

Why is that?

Well, I guess it
was only visible

- from that one angle.
- Yeah. Yeah.

And more interesting, the police
photographer who took these pictures

says that the negative for
this picture, and this one only,

is missing from his
files. Why is that?

I have no idea.

And what's even more interesting

is that all of these negatives

are in sequence from
one to 31. See that?

The rest of the roll
was never exposed.

See? Thirty-two to 36.

Blank.

So where did this
picture come from?

- I don't know.
- Is it possible

that someone could have taken this
picture, using a different roll of film,

maybe even a different camera?

No. The area was
cordoned off and sealed.

Is it possible that someone
simply shuffled a copy of this picture

in with the other 10 sets that
were made and distributed?

No.

No? Why not?

Only someone in the
department could have done that,

- and, I assure you, that's not the case.
- No?

Suppose I told you that
someone within the department

not only was at K.C.
West's concert that night,

but was the first
one at the scene.

Not only spearheaded
the investigation,

but was responsible for the
distribution of these pictures.

What would you say to
that, Lieutenant Rutledge?

[MATLOCK CHUCKLES]

Not much, because you were
that someone, weren't you?

In the course of your
preliminary interviews,

you found out that someone
gave my client a pen that afternoon.

So you stole it, put it in
K.C.'s trailer, took a picture of it.

That's ridiculous.

Then you waved it in
front of my client's face

in hopes he'd do something
dumb to further incriminate himself.

Which he did.

Then you planted the
murder weapon in his car

- for even more evidence against him.
- No. No. Absolutely not.

The only question that
remains is: Why'd you kill her?

I didn't kill her. It was him.

He killed her.

He started controlling
her four years ago

and slowly, day-by-day, inch-by-inch,
show-by-show he destroyed her.

You got a real future.

WOMAN: Way to go, Barry.

[COUNTRY MUSIC
PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS]

RUTLEDGE: What'd that guy want?

- Uh, he's an artists' manager.
- Uh-huh.

He's got an office in
Nashville. He liked me.

Yeah. Why wouldn't he?

Well, I mean, this could be it.

Remember, that's a business card,
it's not a contract. Words are cheap.

Come on.

Are all officers so damn
suspicious of everybody?

Mostly just me.

WOMAN: Whoo!

I loved her.

And he changed her.

Her name, her hair, her clothes.

And that's nothing compared
to what he did to her inside.

Made her mean and selfish.

Turned her into a drunk so she'd
forget about everybody but herself.

I remember how she was.

He may have changed her,

- but you killed her.
- No.

You went into her
trailer that night,

confronted her with four
years of hurt and anger,

then you stabbed her to death.

I couldn't have
killed her. I loved her.

I've always loved her.

- Then you planted the evidence.
- I wanted to see him punished.

MATLOCK: Lieutenant,

the officers who
answered the 911 call

reported that you were already
at the scene when they arrived.

How do you explain that?

After the concert, I went to the
bar across the street, had a beer.

Around 11:00,

one of the stagehands came in
and said, uh, K.C. West was dead.

I rushed over.

- Anybody see you at the bar?
- Lots of people.

Place was packed. I was there,
Mr. Matlock, you ask anybody.

No further questions.

[GAVEL BANGS]

JUDGE: Bailiff, remove
this man from my courtroom.

In the meantime, this court is in
recess till 9 a.m. tomorrow morning,

at which time I will
entertain any and all motions.

[GAVEL BANGS]

What's going on, Ben?

What does this all mean?

K.C. [SINGING ON
RECORDING]: This way

Yeah It's better this
way [MUSIC STOPS]

Well, sometimes it
doesn't pay to get up.

Pat Rutledge had an alibi, heh.

So what? He tampered
with the evidence.

You're bound to get a mistrial.

Might even get
the case dismissed.

Well, I was sure he had done it.

- Is that your tape in there or mine?
- Um...

- You like K.C. West?
- Well, I do now.

You played her so
much, she grew on me.

Had to go out and buy my own.

Oh.

- Mine was free.
- Figures.

Yeah.

Not to worry. Dad, some
murder cases never get solved.

- I'll see you later.
- Uh-huh.

Yeah. Some don't. Some do.

This court is now in
session. Be seated.

Mr. Matlock, let's hear it.

Your Honor, I know that
you and everybody else here

kind of expects me
to move for a mistrial.

But, first, I'd like to
call one last witness.

Why?

So justice can be
served, Your Honor.

I believe the people who
loved K.C. West's music

deserve to know why it ended.

JUDGE: Proceed.

Defense calls John Page.

Uh, we've all heard of
piracy in the music business.

Now, how does that work?

Say, uh, piracy in
the cassette business.

- Could you tell us about that?
- Sure.

Um, somebody gets a hold
of the master of an album

and, uh, they
make an illicit copy

and then they, uh,
dub it onto cassettes

using these high-speed
machines called slaves,

and then they, uh,
sell them to retailers

who may or may not know
that they're buying bootleg tapes.

Yeah. Yeah, well, these
cassettes have distinctive covers.

Uh... Do they make
illicit copies of those too?

Well, they could. But usually they,
uh, have somebody copy them by hand

and then they, uh, run
fakes from the copy.

You see, with cassettes, the
things is that they're so small,

it's difficult to see any
detail in the artwork.

It's, uh, quite hard to tell the
real stuff from the bogus stuff.

Oh, yeah, I can see that.

But you seem to
know a lot about this.

I've been a record
producer for seven years,

and I was a sound engineer
for seven years before that.

I've seen just about everything
the music business has to offer.

- Good and bad.
- Good and bad. Yeah.

Uh, do you remember the cassette
you gave me of that K.C. West album?

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

You know, on the surface,

it looks identical to the one my
daughter bought in a record store.

See?

But it's not.

The store-bought one

ahem, has the address of the
official K.C. West fan club on it.

And the one you gave me doesn't.

Why is that?

I don't know. Maybe, you know,
they changed the packaging.

No. No, no. I
called the printer,

and she said the
fan club information

was added to the
artwork at the last minute.

But she guaranteed me

that fan club information was
on every cover they printed.

You know what that means?

The cassette you
gave me is pirated.

- Where'd you get it?
- I don't know.

Sure you do, heh.

You made it.
Secretly. Illegally.

- And at great profit. Didn't you?
- No.

And K.C. found out about it.

So when you went
into her trailer that night,

she confronted you with it.

Unfortunately, she didn't
know how much money

you owed the loan sharks,

how desperate
you were for money.

She didn't know she was
leaving you only one choice.

You had to kill her. Didn't you?

I didn't kill her.

Now, I can't prove that
you're in the piracy business,

but I can prove
you killed K.C. West.

The day after the murder,

the police found this in the
dumpster behind the concert hall.

It's one of K.C.'s
handkerchiefs.

There were bunches of
them all over her trailer.

This one has blood on it.

What was, uh, K.C.'s handkerchief
doing in that trash bin, Mr. Page?

I have no idea.

Think back to that
night. Just think back.

Your fingerprints were all
over the handle of that knife.

So you took one of her
handkerchiefs and you wiped it clean,

getting blood on the
handkerchief as a result.

So you placed the knife on the floor
by the body, rushed out of the trailer,

threw the handkerchief
in the dumpster

on the way back
to the concert hall.

And then, in a little while,
you went back to the trailer

as if nothing had happened
and discovered the body.

- Right?
- No.

That never happened.

The police found these pants,

removed them from your closet this
morning. With a warrant, of course.

These are your
jeans, aren't they?

- I guess so.
- Hmm.

Uh, would you...? Would
you please, uh, pull out

the, uh, right-hand
front pocket?

[PAGE CLEARS THROAT]

MATLOCK: Oh.

Hmm...

Lab tests prove that's blood.

B-negative, same as K.C. West's.

How'd this blood
get in the pocket?

[CHUCKLES]

You couldn't take a chance
of walking into that parking lot,

running into somebody out there.

You couldn't be seen waving a
bloody handkerchief over your head.

So you put it in your pocket,

and that's how this
blood, K.C.'s blood,

got in your pocket.

Thanks to a policeman

who tried to frame
the wrong man,

and thanks to my client,

who, out of the blue, asked you of
all people to steal that pen for him,

thanks to them,

you almost got away
with it, Mr. Page.

Almost.

- Hi. How'd it go?
- Oh.

- Acquittal.
- Good.

- Is, uh, Bunny here?
- Yeah, she's inside.

Relax, Dad. Judge
Edwards isn't even here yet.

I'm not really prepared on this
case. I don't feel good about it at all.

I wouldn't worry about it.

In fact, uh, 20 bucks says Judge
Edwards dismisses the case.

Leanne, not a chance in hell.

And since this is such a
clear-cut case of entrapment,

I see no reason to waste

anymore of anybody's
time with it. Case dismissed.

[GAVEL BANGS]

Thanks, Benjamin. Ahem.

I think I owe you one.

Actually, I think I owe you two.

[GIGGLES]

You knew.

What does she owe you for?

EDWARDS: Court will now
be in recess for 20 minutes.

Well, it's, uh...

- It's a long story.
- It's a long walk to the car.

Well, I met her
about five years ago.

She was with, ahem,
Marshall Conley.

- The Supreme Court justice?
- Yeah.

Apparently, they
were having a thing,

and he wanted out, and he
asked me to take her out on a date.

- And did you?
- Yeah.

- Dancing?
- Yeah.

- She like it?
- Yeah.

What'd she say?

She said she liked my suit.

Did you, uh, go
back to her place?

Yeah.

- Music?
- Yeah.

White wine?

Yeah.

Then what?

I ate a hot dog.

Then what?

Well, it was after midnight,

and with all the dancing
and the white wine

and the hot dog with sauerkraut,
I didn't feel good, so I went home.

And that's why she
says she owes you one?

Who knows?