Matlock (1986–1995): Season 7, Episode 6 - The Mark - full transcript
BILLY [SINGING]: I'm digging
up bones I'm digging up bones
WOMAN: Go, Billy!
Exhuming things
That's better left alone
I'm resurrecting memories
Of a love that's dead and gone
Yeah, tonight, I'm sitting
alone Digging up bones
I'm digging up bones
Exhuming things
That's better left alone
I'm resurrecting memories
Of a love that's dead and gone
Yeah, tonight I'm sitting
alone Digging up bones
MAN: Yeah.
[CROWD CHEERING]
Thank you all very much.
I pay you to work
here, Billy boy.
I thought you said I could
sit in when we weren't busy.
See all these people
here? Guess what?
I get off around 1.
I don't know, Billy. I have
to be at work in the morning.
Billy, turn that TV on. Quick.
Oh, wait. The
lottery's coming on.
MAN 1 [ON TV]: Here
are the winning numbers
for this week's
Golden Peach Lottery
with a jackpot worth $3 million.
The winning numbers are:
- Fourteen, 24, 39, 56...
- Come on, baby.
- Come to papa.
- Sixty-seven and 6.
Yes!
ALL: What?
MAN 2: Billy's got it!
[CROWD CHEERING]
Wallpaper's peeling
in the dining room.
Yeah, I know. I'll get some...
I'll get some paste and patch it.
We could use new wallpaper.
Then the paint
would look shabby.
A new paint job
wouldn't hurt, either.
Well, then I'd
have to fix the floors
and get new rugs, new furniture.
Next thing you know,
I'd spend a fortune.
Might as well buy a new house.
Wallpaper paste is just 3.95.
I could mix you up some
flour and water for 13 cents.
You could?
[CAR HORN TOOTING]
What is that?
[CAR HORN TOOTING]
Hey, remember me?
MATLOCK: Why, Billy, I say I do.
Leanne, this is Billy Wheeler.
My daughter, Leanne.
- Hi, Billy. BILLY: Hi.
MATLOCK: Oh, my goodness.
[MATLOCK LAUGHS]
You talk about the old house.
Billy gave it a paint job.
What was it, about a year ago?
Yeah. I'm not a real painter.
- Oh, but he's a fine singer.
- Well...
BILLY: Hey, I got
something for you.
Sixty-seven dollars
and 12 cents.
Remember? You bought
the bus ticket home for me.
Yeah. The only thing you used to
own was a guitar. Where'd you get that?
Well, I won the lottery.
Can you believe it?
- No! BILLY: Yeah.
A bunch of other people
did too, but I won $250,000.
Two-hundred and fifty thou...
- Well, that's how you
got that. BILLY: Yeah.
Oh. Well, what are
you gonna do now?
Well, I'm gonna ride around for a
while in my new truck, see the country,
visit some friends. And
you were my first stop.
MATLOCK: Aw. Aw.
Well, while you're here...
[BILLY & MATLOCK CHUCKLING]
- All right.
- Do "River Train"?
Yeah. That's a
good one. Let's see.
One, two, three.
[SINGING] Riding
on that new river train
Riding on that new river train
That same old train
That brought me here
Is gonna carry me home again
Darling, you can't love two
Darling, you can't love two
You can't love two And
your little heart be true
Darling, you can't love two
BOTH [SINGING]: Riding
on that new river train
Riding on that new river train
That same old train
That brought me here
Gonna carry me home again
LEANNE: Whoo!
You know, I was a slow painter,
but I did a pretty good job, didn't I?
- Yeah.
- Do you do wallpapering?
Hey, Billy, over here.
Hey, Don.
- How you doing, man?
- Good.
Hey, give my friend
the biggest soda you got.
BILLY: Thanks.
Hey, listen, we're going
on in about half an hour.
You wanna sit in with us?
Yeah. I'd love to.
I heard about you.
Nobody deserved it more.
Well, nobody needed it more.
- To the lottery.
- I'll drink to that.
- Oh. Excuse me.
- I'll catch you.
BILLY: Ooh! JUDY: Unh! Oh!
I'm so sorry. Are you okay?
- Yeah. I think so.
- You're soaking wet. I'm really sorry.
- That's okay.
- Here. Let me have it cleaned for you.
Or buy you a new one.
- It's really all right.
- But it's my fault.
And, look, I knocked
your watch on the floor.
JUDY: Oh.
- Is it still running?
- No. It stopped.
- Well, I'll have it fixed for you.
No, you don't have to do that.
Here. You must be freezing.
Let me put this on you. I'm sorry.
[LAUGHS]
You really are
sorry, aren't you?
I'm very sorry.
And your watch...
I'll take it to a jeweler, and
I'll bring it back brand-new.
All right.
I'm Judy Wilson. And I'll give you
my address and my phone number.
And you are?
I'm Billy Wheeler. I'm
kind of from out of town.
But I'm gonna stay here in
Atlanta until I bring you your watch.
- I'm real sorry.
- And how do I get ahold of you?
Oh. Um...
I'll tell you what, I'll go
rent a place right now
and then I'll call you
with my phone number.
Or, if you'll have dinner
with me, I'll give it to you then.
I'd love to. But I can't.
I have a business
meeting, after I change.
So you'll call me, and you'll
let me know where you are?
You bet.
- Bye-bye.
- Bye.
Hi.
Hi.
- They couldn't fix your watch.
- Oh.
- So I got one to replace it.
- Oh.
Oh, Billy.
"To Judy Wilson
from Billy Wheeler."
I can't take this.
Well, I can't take it back.
JUDY: Ooh.
Does that mean you'll
have lunch with me?
I'm sorry. I can't. I have
another business meeting.
What do you do?
Three other people and I are
trying to get a nightclub going.
Country-western place.
- Live music, dancing, beer, you know.
- Yeah.
Thinking of calling it The
Country Club. What do you think?
Can I see it?
[CAR HORN BEEPING]
JUDY: Hello, Jack.
We got a meeting.
Thought we'd go together.
Billy Wheeler, Jack Howard.
Jack, good to meet you.
- Come on. Let's go.
- We're just business partners, Jack.
It's over between
us. I told you that.
- Come on. Let's go.
- No, let go of me.
Hey, Jack.
You all right? I didn't
mean to hit you like that.
JUDY: I told you, Jack.
Now are you satisfied?
I'm sorry.
You'll be sorry.
You'll be sorry.
MAN 1: Count of three. One...
MAN 2: How's this? This level?
MAN 3: It's level. We gotta
straighten it out. Make it taut.
MAN 2: Like that?
MAN 3: That's good.
KENT: You can't do
that. We've got a deal.
Well, look, you at least
have to give us a chance to...
No, wait. Please. Let me...
How could he do this to us?
So this is it. I found these
lamps at an estate sale.
This is the longest
bar in the southeast.
The polished brass
is from Ireland.
Hi, guys. I'd like you to meet
a friend of mine, Billy Wheeler.
Billy, these are two of my
partners. Larry Boone. Kent Franklin.
KENT: Billy.
- Hello.
What's wrong?
- If you'll excuse us for
a minute. BILLY: Sure.
I just got off the
phone with Jack.
Guess what. He's pulling out.
- What do you mean?
- He's been to the bank.
He has withdrawn his investment.
Why would he do such a thing?
We're only a week away from opening.
Oh, my God. It's my fault.
It is?
JUDY: Well, I just dumped
him. He said I'd be sorry.
I had no idea he'd
do anything like this.
KENT: Here, call
him. JUDY: What?
LARRY: Tell him you're
sorry. Tell him anything.
Without Jack's money, we
can't open. And if we don't open,
our money goes
right down the toilet.
Excuse me. I overheard
your conversation,
and if you need another partner,
I wouldn't mind investing
in a place like this.
- Oh, really?
- This may be a little over your head.
We'll find another
way to raise the money.
JUDY: In time to pay
everyone and open the club?
KENT: Yeah, that's a
problem. A big problem.
Well, I might go in with you.
We're talking
serious money here.
Is 200,000 serious enough?
You have $200,000?
Yeah. I won the
lottery last month.
You never told me that.
Well, you never asked me.
Billy, are you sure
you wanna do this?
If I go in with you all,
would you mind if once or twice
a week I sit in with the band?
Well, Billy, for $200,000...
- you own the band.
- Yeah!
[JUDY LAUGHS]
Yay, Billy.
[INDISTINCT DIALOGUE
ON POLICE RADIO]
MAN 1: Get somebody
on this fold-up table.
- Are they all full on the truck?
MAN 2: Yeah, so leave this for last.
MAN 3: Take the carpet facedown.
MAN 4: You want
the chairs first?
MAN 3: Yeah, chairs then tables.
What's going on?
Our contractor got a
court order to shut us down.
- What?
- He hasn't been paid.
- Why not?
- Because Judy conned him,
- just like she conned us. BILLY:
What are you talking about?
She never paid him
or any of our suppliers.
She just strung him
along and lied to him.
Just like she lied to us.
- Judy wouldn't do that.
- She would and she did, cowboy.
All the money we gave
her? Gone. And so is she.
No, no. No, she's not gone.
There's been a mistake.
Judy!
Judy!
Judy!
Judy.
Oh, no.
[POLICE SIREN WAILING]
Place your hands on the
steering wheel, please.
Maybe you'd better step
outside. Nice and slow, please.
BILLY [SINGING]:
Send me a letter
Send it by mail
Send it in care of
The Birmingham jail
[HUMMING]
Send it in care of
The Birmingham jail
Well, there you are.
BILLY: Oh, Lord.
Mr. Matlock, she lied to me.
MATLOCK: Well, I know.
- But she seemed so sweet and...
MATLOCK: Sweet and honest?
Yeah, well, that sweet-and-honest
had a rap sheet as long as your arm.
Her specialty was romancing young
fellas like you out of their money.
But when I met her, she
didn't know I had money.
The lottery, Billy. The lottery.
[MAN COUGHING]
Excuse us.
[GRUNTS]
Your name was in the
papers. Your picture too.
It just seems so
hard to believe.
She was a con artist.
And the prosecution is gonna
claim that when you found out,
you got madder than
hell and shot her to death.
I didn't shoot her. I've
never even owned a gun.
- Your fingerprints were on that gun.
- Yeah, but...
And on the walls of the hall,
on the floor, by the victim's body.
And you were seen leaving the
scene of the crime in a powerful hurry.
And Judy's blood was on your
clothes when they picked you up.
I was coming to your house.
A neighbor called the
cops. I wish you had.
I wasn't thinking right after
seeing Judy dead like that.
Yeah.
I didn't kill her.
- I know.
- I couldn't.
I know.
[CHUCKLES]
All you can do is pick and sing.
You think I have a chance?
Uh, well...
You have a chance.
Guard.
I'll see you at
the bail hearing.
Okay.
Boy, she rented this house?
Two months. Paid cash.
She told me she owned it.
Yeah, part of the con.
And causing you to spill that
soda on her was part of the con too.
MATLOCK: Yeah. You
got the key? LEANNE: Yeah.
Now, the door was
unlocked when you got here?
BILLY: It was open.
Well, you have to tell
us everything you did.
I don't wanna go in there.
You have to. All right.
BILLY: There
weren't any lights on.
So I felt my way along the
wall until I found the switch.
Yeah. Where was the gun?
Well, it was beside Judy,
and I pushed it out of the way
- when I knelt down by her.
- Oh.
Well, the...
Look at this.
That probably belonged
to Jack, her ex-boyfriend.
Why don't I go see Judy's partners
and I'll meet you at the gym in an hour.
- Okay.
- See you later.
MATLOCK: Okay. Yeah.
That's, uh...
LEANNE: So that's
hard to believe.
Judy was making cash
withdrawals to herself,
instead of writing checks to your
suppliers, and you had no idea.
KENT: None. She kept the books.
Whenever we looked at
them, they always looked fine.
I know who did it.
So you didn't know
anything was wrong
until you came
here opening night
and found the sheriff
taking the place apart.
- Not a clue.
- Well, somebody did.
Somebody knew something
was wrong and killed Judy
- before they came here that night.
- Yeah. I know who that was.
- Hi, Leanne. I saw your car out fr...
- Hey, I want my money.
- I don't have your money.
- Come on!
The money you stole from
Judy when you killed her.
- Cut it out. LEANNE: Hey.
I don't give a damn about you killing
her, but I want my 150 grand back!
- So, let's go! Come on!
LEANNE: Hey, hey! Hey, buddy!
- Hey!
- Ow! Okay, okay, okay!
I didn't kill Judy, and I
don't have your money.
Yeah, right. I'm gonna get
my money back, cowboy.
Hey!
One way or the other.
- Thanks.
- You're more than welcome.
- Let's go find Jack.
- All right.
Whoo.
[SINGING ALONG TO RADIO]
Riding down old Two Mile Hill
Tennis shoes up
on the handle bars
Paying no mind to passing cars
No doubts, no fears
Just like when you are here
You sound just like that guy.
As a matter of fact,
you're a little better.
Have you ever thought
of singing for a living?
Oh, I don't know. I guess I'm
afraid if I tried and didn't make it,
I wouldn't have anything
left to dream about.
[BOTH LAUGH]
Oh, come on. If that hillbilly
can make it, you can too.
There he is.
LEANNE: Let's go.
Hello, Jack.
You're the guy that killed Judy.
They think I killed Judy.
I wanna apologize for
taking a swing at you that day.
You do?
Hell, if I hadn't got ticked
off with Judy that day,
I'd have lost my shirt,
just like you guys.
Hi, I'm Leanne Mclntyre.
I'm one of Billy's attorneys.
- Ma'am.
- If you don't mind me asking,
what do you do that you
would have $100,000 to invest?
Work construction,
save my money.
Never date women that
can't pay their own way.
When was the last
time you saw Judy?
Day Billy decked me.
Now, don't take this the wrong
way, but she needs to know
where you were from about 4 to
6 on the day Judy was murdered.
I was at the movies.
LEANNE: By yourself?
- With a girl.
LEANNE: What was her name?
- Shirley Hutchinson.
- She work for a living?
- She works at Rowdy's bar.
- What movie did you see?
- Last of the Mohicans.
- Well, it was nice to talk to you.
- Yes, ma'am.
- See you around.
- Nice talking to you.
- Should we go? Bye.
- All right.
Thanks for the lift.
- See you tomorrow.
- All right.
Excuse me, ma'am. I have
some business with your boss.
BILLY: Mr. Boone?
LARRY: What do you
want, you son of a...?
- Why'd you bust my guitar?
- Cut it out.
You broke into my room
looking for that money.
- No.
- You broke in the room
and smashed my guitar.
You better get out of here,
cowboy. The police are coming.
Let them come.
[LARRY GRUNTING]
Billy, I just hate bailing clients
out of jail in the middle of the night.
Why'd they arrest me? Why
didn't they arrest Larry Boone?
Because he wasn't trespassing.
He was in his house and you
were beating the hell out of him.
Well, he broke into my room.
No, he didn't.
How do you know?
Because I had him followed
since he beat you up earlier today.
He was in his office,
then he went home,
and he was nowhere
near your room.
Well, whoever did, broke my
guitar. Broke it all to pieces.
Well, come on.
LEANNE: Mr. Franklin.
Mr. Franklin.
Hi.
You got a minute?
KENT: Barely. What is it?
Well, Billy Wheeler's
room was ransacked. Um...
It was ransacked sometime
yesterday afternoon.
I thought you might know
something about that.
Now, why would you think that?
Well, whoever did it was
probably looking for the money
that Judy withdrew from the
bank before she was killed.
That money belonged to you.
- It also belonged to Larry Boone.
- Yes.
But he doesn't have sap
from that big old oak tree
outside of Billy's boarding
house all over the hood of his car.
You'll have to excuse
me. I have a meeting.
You know, I wouldn't
worry about it if I were you.
I mean, if you did
break into Billy's room,
and you were looking for that money,
that means you don't have the money,
and if you don't have the money,
that means you didn't kill Judy.
Well, I wouldn't know
anything about that.
Besides, there are oak
trees all over this city.
Oh, by the way, I heard
Billy's guitar was all busted up.
Tell him no harm was meant.
Shirley Hutchinson.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Can I sit here?
Well, there's a clean
one right over there.
Well, I kind of like this one.
Suit yourself, then.
What can I get you?
- Oh, club soda would be fine.
- All right.
You know, the real reason
I wanted to sit here was
so you'd be my waitress.
I think you're real pretty.
My name's Shirley. Whenever
you need anything, you just holler.
I'm Billy. How about
going to a movie with me?
Excuse me?
Last of the Mohicans.
Supposed to be a good one.
I don't think so.
- You've already seen it?
- No.
You mind taking
your hand off my arm?
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
MATLOCK: Yeah. Yeah.
- Jack Howard lied.
- Oh.
Yeah. He said he took this waitress
to see The Last of the Mohicans,
and I just talked to her and
she said she hadn't seen it.
So he lied. He must be
the one who killed Judy.
Yeah. Yeah, you know, it
always kind of bothered me
that you didn't put
your money into the club
till he took his money out.
You think he and Judy
were working together?
It's altogether possible.
- I wish I'd have hit him harder, then.
- Yeah. Yeah.
Let's see where we are.
- We know you were conned.
- Yeah.
We only think that Jack
may have been part of it.
BILLY: Yeah.
And we have a pretty good
idea who busted up your guitar.
- We do?
- Yeah.
And we know what
to do about that.
- You do?
- Yeah.
MATLOCK: Yeah.
This is an old one of
mine, but a good one.
I had it restrung for you.
BILLY: You mean...?
- Yeah.
Play something.
[SINGING] I'm getting out of
this High-rise penthouse suite
Where we pretend
Life's rosy and sweet
I'm going back to the
folks That I used to know
Where everyone Is
what they seem to be
I'm going back To a
better class of losers
This uptown living's
Really got me down
I need friends who don't pay
their bills On home computers
And they buy their coffee
beans Already ground
And you think it's disgraceful
That they drink $3 wine
But a better class
of loser Suits me fine
Yes, a better class of
losers Just suits me fine
Wait, wait. He's leaving.
That's all right.
We'll follow him.
I know where we are.
That's Larry Boone's house.
LEANNE: Who do
you think that is?
BILLY: I don't
know. I can't tell.
I wonder what they're up to.
No good, if you ask me.
[POLICE SIREN WAILING]
COP 1: All right, freeze!
COP 2: Hands above the head!
COP 3: Police.
Put your hands
on top of your head.
So, what did they say?
They were Judy's partners.
Their original mark was Larry
Boone. You were an afterthought.
They broke into his place for the
same reason they broke into yours.
They were looking for that $350,000
they were gonna split with Judy.
So neither of them killed her.
They were in the lounge of
the River View Inn, celebrating,
when she was killed.
The bartender remembers them
vividly. They tipped him a hundred bucks.
If they don't have the money,
and Larry Boone was
ready to punch me out
because he doesn't
have the money,
and I know I don't
have the money...
Billy, somebody's got the money.
MATLOCK: Yeah. Yeah.
Here's the gun.
Pictures of scene of the crime.
- Stuff that was in her purse.
- Go through that.
Yeah, see if there's anything
in there that looks odd to you.
And this is the suitcase
she was gonna take with her.
Okay.
Yeah.
BILLY: What?
It's just clothes.
MATLOCK: Well...
Mr. Boone.
Your Honor, Mr. Prosecutor,
I wonder if I might have a
few moments of supposition.
Objection.
MATLOCK: Your Honor, I
have to start somewhere.
PROSECUTOR: Objection.
MATLOCK: Your Honor,
it'll just be a few moments,
and then I'll just
move right along.
Mr. Matlock, proceed.
But if I find down the road that
you've been messing with me...
Your Honor, I've done a lot
of foolish things in my time,
but I would never, I say
never, mess with you.
Proceed.
Mr. Boone, we... That
is, we, the defense.
Started this investigation
with the belief
that Judy Wilson might have
been killed by one of three men:
Mr. Franklin,
Mr. Howard, or you.
Not me.
Well, the other two have
ironclad alibis. You do not.
I was home all afternoon
that day, watching TV.
- You can ask my housekeeper.
- I did.
She said she heard the TV, but
she never saw you. So no alibi.
- Well, I was there.
- Heh, heh.
Well...
this is a picture of Judy Wilson
taken the night
before she was killed.
- Did you know her?
- Of course.
She was Kent Franklin's partner.
Yeah. They took you for $150,000,
didn't they? How'd you feel about that?
- Not too happy.
- Yeah. Heh, heh, heh.
So, what first made
you suspicious?
It was opening night.
Sheriff's deputies came
in and closed us down.
And you believed, at that time,
that she had made off
with your money, didn't you?
And my client's
and Mr. Franklin's?
LARRY: Yes. MATLOCK: Yeah.
Mr. Boone, did you
know any of the workmen
before they started on the club?
No.
How about Orville Hogan? Did
you know him? He's a carpenter.
He says that he did some
work on your house earlier.
Fortunately for us, he's here.
Maybe you'll remember
him if he stands up.
Mr. Hogan, could you stand?
LARRY: Oh, yeah.
- Yeah.
I remember. Of course.
I know Mr. Hogan.
MATLOCK: Yeah.
Thank you, Mr. Hogan.
It took some doing
to find Mr. Hogan.
But he's prepared to testify
that he called you around 1:00
the day Ms. Wilson was killed
and told you that he
had never been paid
and none of the other
workmen had ever been paid.
Did Mr. Hogan call
you and tell you that?
Yes.
What difference does it make?
I told you, I was home
all day watching TV.
- Yeah, I know you said that.
- I was watching a football game.
Yeah. And your housekeeper
heard the TV but she didn't see you.
All she had to do was
come into the TV room.
Sure. Sure.
After Mr. Hogan called you,
you left your house, didn't you?
No.
Bailiff.
Thank you.
This suitcase belonged
to Judy Wilson.
It was all packed and ready
to go when she was killed.
Did you ever see it before?
No.
This suitcase
contained only clothes.
Did you ever travel with
a woman, Mr. Boone?
- Well, yeah. Now and then.
- Yeah? Heh, heh, heh.
Then you know that,
usually, when women travel,
they take more
than just clothes.
They take hair curlers and cosmetics,
shoes and hairspray and earrings.
This is only clothes.
It only took me a
minute to figure out
that she had packed
more than one suitcase.
Where was her other suitcase?
I searched all through her
house, her garage, her car.
Not as much as a shoe bag.
So where do you suppose
that other suitcase was?
How should I know?
The killer had it.
Yeah. Because along with
the hair curlers, cosmetics,
shoes and hairspray
and earrings...
she packed the
money in that suitcase.
And so, heh, heh, we went
to your house this morning,
along with the police. Yeah.
Guess what we found.
- Nothing.
- Well, not quite.
Not quite.
We didn't find the suitcase
and we didn't find the money.
But...
we did find this watch.
It's solid gold.
And inscribed on the back is: "To
Judy Wilson from Billy Wheeler."
The defendant, Billy Wheeler,
gave this to Judy Wilson.
She was wearing it the
night before she was killed.
Yet, this morning, it was
found in your bedroom.
How do you suppose it got there?
I'll tell you how I
think it got there.
I think after Mr. Hogan called
you, you drove over to Judy's house,
killed her, took the
suitcase with the money,
then got rid of any
incriminating evidence,
or hid it.
Got rid of everything
except this watch.
Now, why you kept
the watch, I don't know.
[CHUCKLING]
But I'm kind of glad you did,
because this watch is gonna
get Billy Wheeler back his money.
And it's gonna
put you in prison.
Your Honor, thank you for
those few moments of supposition.
[SINGING] Way down
in Columbus, Georgia
I wanna be back in Tennessee
Way down at Columbus stockade
Friends have turned
their backs On me
Go and leave me if you wish to
Never let me cross your mind
In your heart, you love...
What do you think?
Not bad. Not
bad at all, partner.
Think he's as good at picking
and singing as pushing beer?
- Better.
- You gonna keep him up there?
- Yep. For as long as I can. Heh, heh.
- Heh, heh, heh.
BILLY [CONTINUES
SINGING]: As I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms
As I awoke, I was mistaken
Because I was peeping
Through those bars
Go and leave me if you wish to
Never let me cross your mind
In your heart, if
you love another
Go and leave me,
little darling, I don't mind
Go and leave me,
little darling, I don't mind
up bones I'm digging up bones
WOMAN: Go, Billy!
Exhuming things
That's better left alone
I'm resurrecting memories
Of a love that's dead and gone
Yeah, tonight, I'm sitting
alone Digging up bones
I'm digging up bones
Exhuming things
That's better left alone
I'm resurrecting memories
Of a love that's dead and gone
Yeah, tonight I'm sitting
alone Digging up bones
MAN: Yeah.
[CROWD CHEERING]
Thank you all very much.
I pay you to work
here, Billy boy.
I thought you said I could
sit in when we weren't busy.
See all these people
here? Guess what?
I get off around 1.
I don't know, Billy. I have
to be at work in the morning.
Billy, turn that TV on. Quick.
Oh, wait. The
lottery's coming on.
MAN 1 [ON TV]: Here
are the winning numbers
for this week's
Golden Peach Lottery
with a jackpot worth $3 million.
The winning numbers are:
- Fourteen, 24, 39, 56...
- Come on, baby.
- Come to papa.
- Sixty-seven and 6.
Yes!
ALL: What?
MAN 2: Billy's got it!
[CROWD CHEERING]
Wallpaper's peeling
in the dining room.
Yeah, I know. I'll get some...
I'll get some paste and patch it.
We could use new wallpaper.
Then the paint
would look shabby.
A new paint job
wouldn't hurt, either.
Well, then I'd
have to fix the floors
and get new rugs, new furniture.
Next thing you know,
I'd spend a fortune.
Might as well buy a new house.
Wallpaper paste is just 3.95.
I could mix you up some
flour and water for 13 cents.
You could?
[CAR HORN TOOTING]
What is that?
[CAR HORN TOOTING]
Hey, remember me?
MATLOCK: Why, Billy, I say I do.
Leanne, this is Billy Wheeler.
My daughter, Leanne.
- Hi, Billy. BILLY: Hi.
MATLOCK: Oh, my goodness.
[MATLOCK LAUGHS]
You talk about the old house.
Billy gave it a paint job.
What was it, about a year ago?
Yeah. I'm not a real painter.
- Oh, but he's a fine singer.
- Well...
BILLY: Hey, I got
something for you.
Sixty-seven dollars
and 12 cents.
Remember? You bought
the bus ticket home for me.
Yeah. The only thing you used to
own was a guitar. Where'd you get that?
Well, I won the lottery.
Can you believe it?
- No! BILLY: Yeah.
A bunch of other people
did too, but I won $250,000.
Two-hundred and fifty thou...
- Well, that's how you
got that. BILLY: Yeah.
Oh. Well, what are
you gonna do now?
Well, I'm gonna ride around for a
while in my new truck, see the country,
visit some friends. And
you were my first stop.
MATLOCK: Aw. Aw.
Well, while you're here...
[BILLY & MATLOCK CHUCKLING]
- All right.
- Do "River Train"?
Yeah. That's a
good one. Let's see.
One, two, three.
[SINGING] Riding
on that new river train
Riding on that new river train
That same old train
That brought me here
Is gonna carry me home again
Darling, you can't love two
Darling, you can't love two
You can't love two And
your little heart be true
Darling, you can't love two
BOTH [SINGING]: Riding
on that new river train
Riding on that new river train
That same old train
That brought me here
Gonna carry me home again
LEANNE: Whoo!
You know, I was a slow painter,
but I did a pretty good job, didn't I?
- Yeah.
- Do you do wallpapering?
Hey, Billy, over here.
Hey, Don.
- How you doing, man?
- Good.
Hey, give my friend
the biggest soda you got.
BILLY: Thanks.
Hey, listen, we're going
on in about half an hour.
You wanna sit in with us?
Yeah. I'd love to.
I heard about you.
Nobody deserved it more.
Well, nobody needed it more.
- To the lottery.
- I'll drink to that.
- Oh. Excuse me.
- I'll catch you.
BILLY: Ooh! JUDY: Unh! Oh!
I'm so sorry. Are you okay?
- Yeah. I think so.
- You're soaking wet. I'm really sorry.
- That's okay.
- Here. Let me have it cleaned for you.
Or buy you a new one.
- It's really all right.
- But it's my fault.
And, look, I knocked
your watch on the floor.
JUDY: Oh.
- Is it still running?
- No. It stopped.
- Well, I'll have it fixed for you.
No, you don't have to do that.
Here. You must be freezing.
Let me put this on you. I'm sorry.
[LAUGHS]
You really are
sorry, aren't you?
I'm very sorry.
And your watch...
I'll take it to a jeweler, and
I'll bring it back brand-new.
All right.
I'm Judy Wilson. And I'll give you
my address and my phone number.
And you are?
I'm Billy Wheeler. I'm
kind of from out of town.
But I'm gonna stay here in
Atlanta until I bring you your watch.
- I'm real sorry.
- And how do I get ahold of you?
Oh. Um...
I'll tell you what, I'll go
rent a place right now
and then I'll call you
with my phone number.
Or, if you'll have dinner
with me, I'll give it to you then.
I'd love to. But I can't.
I have a business
meeting, after I change.
So you'll call me, and you'll
let me know where you are?
You bet.
- Bye-bye.
- Bye.
Hi.
Hi.
- They couldn't fix your watch.
- Oh.
- So I got one to replace it.
- Oh.
Oh, Billy.
"To Judy Wilson
from Billy Wheeler."
I can't take this.
Well, I can't take it back.
JUDY: Ooh.
Does that mean you'll
have lunch with me?
I'm sorry. I can't. I have
another business meeting.
What do you do?
Three other people and I are
trying to get a nightclub going.
Country-western place.
- Live music, dancing, beer, you know.
- Yeah.
Thinking of calling it The
Country Club. What do you think?
Can I see it?
[CAR HORN BEEPING]
JUDY: Hello, Jack.
We got a meeting.
Thought we'd go together.
Billy Wheeler, Jack Howard.
Jack, good to meet you.
- Come on. Let's go.
- We're just business partners, Jack.
It's over between
us. I told you that.
- Come on. Let's go.
- No, let go of me.
Hey, Jack.
You all right? I didn't
mean to hit you like that.
JUDY: I told you, Jack.
Now are you satisfied?
I'm sorry.
You'll be sorry.
You'll be sorry.
MAN 1: Count of three. One...
MAN 2: How's this? This level?
MAN 3: It's level. We gotta
straighten it out. Make it taut.
MAN 2: Like that?
MAN 3: That's good.
KENT: You can't do
that. We've got a deal.
Well, look, you at least
have to give us a chance to...
No, wait. Please. Let me...
How could he do this to us?
So this is it. I found these
lamps at an estate sale.
This is the longest
bar in the southeast.
The polished brass
is from Ireland.
Hi, guys. I'd like you to meet
a friend of mine, Billy Wheeler.
Billy, these are two of my
partners. Larry Boone. Kent Franklin.
KENT: Billy.
- Hello.
What's wrong?
- If you'll excuse us for
a minute. BILLY: Sure.
I just got off the
phone with Jack.
Guess what. He's pulling out.
- What do you mean?
- He's been to the bank.
He has withdrawn his investment.
Why would he do such a thing?
We're only a week away from opening.
Oh, my God. It's my fault.
It is?
JUDY: Well, I just dumped
him. He said I'd be sorry.
I had no idea he'd
do anything like this.
KENT: Here, call
him. JUDY: What?
LARRY: Tell him you're
sorry. Tell him anything.
Without Jack's money, we
can't open. And if we don't open,
our money goes
right down the toilet.
Excuse me. I overheard
your conversation,
and if you need another partner,
I wouldn't mind investing
in a place like this.
- Oh, really?
- This may be a little over your head.
We'll find another
way to raise the money.
JUDY: In time to pay
everyone and open the club?
KENT: Yeah, that's a
problem. A big problem.
Well, I might go in with you.
We're talking
serious money here.
Is 200,000 serious enough?
You have $200,000?
Yeah. I won the
lottery last month.
You never told me that.
Well, you never asked me.
Billy, are you sure
you wanna do this?
If I go in with you all,
would you mind if once or twice
a week I sit in with the band?
Well, Billy, for $200,000...
- you own the band.
- Yeah!
[JUDY LAUGHS]
Yay, Billy.
[INDISTINCT DIALOGUE
ON POLICE RADIO]
MAN 1: Get somebody
on this fold-up table.
- Are they all full on the truck?
MAN 2: Yeah, so leave this for last.
MAN 3: Take the carpet facedown.
MAN 4: You want
the chairs first?
MAN 3: Yeah, chairs then tables.
What's going on?
Our contractor got a
court order to shut us down.
- What?
- He hasn't been paid.
- Why not?
- Because Judy conned him,
- just like she conned us. BILLY:
What are you talking about?
She never paid him
or any of our suppliers.
She just strung him
along and lied to him.
Just like she lied to us.
- Judy wouldn't do that.
- She would and she did, cowboy.
All the money we gave
her? Gone. And so is she.
No, no. No, she's not gone.
There's been a mistake.
Judy!
Judy!
Judy!
Judy.
Oh, no.
[POLICE SIREN WAILING]
Place your hands on the
steering wheel, please.
Maybe you'd better step
outside. Nice and slow, please.
BILLY [SINGING]:
Send me a letter
Send it by mail
Send it in care of
The Birmingham jail
[HUMMING]
Send it in care of
The Birmingham jail
Well, there you are.
BILLY: Oh, Lord.
Mr. Matlock, she lied to me.
MATLOCK: Well, I know.
- But she seemed so sweet and...
MATLOCK: Sweet and honest?
Yeah, well, that sweet-and-honest
had a rap sheet as long as your arm.
Her specialty was romancing young
fellas like you out of their money.
But when I met her, she
didn't know I had money.
The lottery, Billy. The lottery.
[MAN COUGHING]
Excuse us.
[GRUNTS]
Your name was in the
papers. Your picture too.
It just seems so
hard to believe.
She was a con artist.
And the prosecution is gonna
claim that when you found out,
you got madder than
hell and shot her to death.
I didn't shoot her. I've
never even owned a gun.
- Your fingerprints were on that gun.
- Yeah, but...
And on the walls of the hall,
on the floor, by the victim's body.
And you were seen leaving the
scene of the crime in a powerful hurry.
And Judy's blood was on your
clothes when they picked you up.
I was coming to your house.
A neighbor called the
cops. I wish you had.
I wasn't thinking right after
seeing Judy dead like that.
Yeah.
I didn't kill her.
- I know.
- I couldn't.
I know.
[CHUCKLES]
All you can do is pick and sing.
You think I have a chance?
Uh, well...
You have a chance.
Guard.
I'll see you at
the bail hearing.
Okay.
Boy, she rented this house?
Two months. Paid cash.
She told me she owned it.
Yeah, part of the con.
And causing you to spill that
soda on her was part of the con too.
MATLOCK: Yeah. You
got the key? LEANNE: Yeah.
Now, the door was
unlocked when you got here?
BILLY: It was open.
Well, you have to tell
us everything you did.
I don't wanna go in there.
You have to. All right.
BILLY: There
weren't any lights on.
So I felt my way along the
wall until I found the switch.
Yeah. Where was the gun?
Well, it was beside Judy,
and I pushed it out of the way
- when I knelt down by her.
- Oh.
Well, the...
Look at this.
That probably belonged
to Jack, her ex-boyfriend.
Why don't I go see Judy's partners
and I'll meet you at the gym in an hour.
- Okay.
- See you later.
MATLOCK: Okay. Yeah.
That's, uh...
LEANNE: So that's
hard to believe.
Judy was making cash
withdrawals to herself,
instead of writing checks to your
suppliers, and you had no idea.
KENT: None. She kept the books.
Whenever we looked at
them, they always looked fine.
I know who did it.
So you didn't know
anything was wrong
until you came
here opening night
and found the sheriff
taking the place apart.
- Not a clue.
- Well, somebody did.
Somebody knew something
was wrong and killed Judy
- before they came here that night.
- Yeah. I know who that was.
- Hi, Leanne. I saw your car out fr...
- Hey, I want my money.
- I don't have your money.
- Come on!
The money you stole from
Judy when you killed her.
- Cut it out. LEANNE: Hey.
I don't give a damn about you killing
her, but I want my 150 grand back!
- So, let's go! Come on!
LEANNE: Hey, hey! Hey, buddy!
- Hey!
- Ow! Okay, okay, okay!
I didn't kill Judy, and I
don't have your money.
Yeah, right. I'm gonna get
my money back, cowboy.
Hey!
One way or the other.
- Thanks.
- You're more than welcome.
- Let's go find Jack.
- All right.
Whoo.
[SINGING ALONG TO RADIO]
Riding down old Two Mile Hill
Tennis shoes up
on the handle bars
Paying no mind to passing cars
No doubts, no fears
Just like when you are here
You sound just like that guy.
As a matter of fact,
you're a little better.
Have you ever thought
of singing for a living?
Oh, I don't know. I guess I'm
afraid if I tried and didn't make it,
I wouldn't have anything
left to dream about.
[BOTH LAUGH]
Oh, come on. If that hillbilly
can make it, you can too.
There he is.
LEANNE: Let's go.
Hello, Jack.
You're the guy that killed Judy.
They think I killed Judy.
I wanna apologize for
taking a swing at you that day.
You do?
Hell, if I hadn't got ticked
off with Judy that day,
I'd have lost my shirt,
just like you guys.
Hi, I'm Leanne Mclntyre.
I'm one of Billy's attorneys.
- Ma'am.
- If you don't mind me asking,
what do you do that you
would have $100,000 to invest?
Work construction,
save my money.
Never date women that
can't pay their own way.
When was the last
time you saw Judy?
Day Billy decked me.
Now, don't take this the wrong
way, but she needs to know
where you were from about 4 to
6 on the day Judy was murdered.
I was at the movies.
LEANNE: By yourself?
- With a girl.
LEANNE: What was her name?
- Shirley Hutchinson.
- She work for a living?
- She works at Rowdy's bar.
- What movie did you see?
- Last of the Mohicans.
- Well, it was nice to talk to you.
- Yes, ma'am.
- See you around.
- Nice talking to you.
- Should we go? Bye.
- All right.
Thanks for the lift.
- See you tomorrow.
- All right.
Excuse me, ma'am. I have
some business with your boss.
BILLY: Mr. Boone?
LARRY: What do you
want, you son of a...?
- Why'd you bust my guitar?
- Cut it out.
You broke into my room
looking for that money.
- No.
- You broke in the room
and smashed my guitar.
You better get out of here,
cowboy. The police are coming.
Let them come.
[LARRY GRUNTING]
Billy, I just hate bailing clients
out of jail in the middle of the night.
Why'd they arrest me? Why
didn't they arrest Larry Boone?
Because he wasn't trespassing.
He was in his house and you
were beating the hell out of him.
Well, he broke into my room.
No, he didn't.
How do you know?
Because I had him followed
since he beat you up earlier today.
He was in his office,
then he went home,
and he was nowhere
near your room.
Well, whoever did, broke my
guitar. Broke it all to pieces.
Well, come on.
LEANNE: Mr. Franklin.
Mr. Franklin.
Hi.
You got a minute?
KENT: Barely. What is it?
Well, Billy Wheeler's
room was ransacked. Um...
It was ransacked sometime
yesterday afternoon.
I thought you might know
something about that.
Now, why would you think that?
Well, whoever did it was
probably looking for the money
that Judy withdrew from the
bank before she was killed.
That money belonged to you.
- It also belonged to Larry Boone.
- Yes.
But he doesn't have sap
from that big old oak tree
outside of Billy's boarding
house all over the hood of his car.
You'll have to excuse
me. I have a meeting.
You know, I wouldn't
worry about it if I were you.
I mean, if you did
break into Billy's room,
and you were looking for that money,
that means you don't have the money,
and if you don't have the money,
that means you didn't kill Judy.
Well, I wouldn't know
anything about that.
Besides, there are oak
trees all over this city.
Oh, by the way, I heard
Billy's guitar was all busted up.
Tell him no harm was meant.
Shirley Hutchinson.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Can I sit here?
Well, there's a clean
one right over there.
Well, I kind of like this one.
Suit yourself, then.
What can I get you?
- Oh, club soda would be fine.
- All right.
You know, the real reason
I wanted to sit here was
so you'd be my waitress.
I think you're real pretty.
My name's Shirley. Whenever
you need anything, you just holler.
I'm Billy. How about
going to a movie with me?
Excuse me?
Last of the Mohicans.
Supposed to be a good one.
I don't think so.
- You've already seen it?
- No.
You mind taking
your hand off my arm?
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
MATLOCK: Yeah. Yeah.
- Jack Howard lied.
- Oh.
Yeah. He said he took this waitress
to see The Last of the Mohicans,
and I just talked to her and
she said she hadn't seen it.
So he lied. He must be
the one who killed Judy.
Yeah. Yeah, you know, it
always kind of bothered me
that you didn't put
your money into the club
till he took his money out.
You think he and Judy
were working together?
It's altogether possible.
- I wish I'd have hit him harder, then.
- Yeah. Yeah.
Let's see where we are.
- We know you were conned.
- Yeah.
We only think that Jack
may have been part of it.
BILLY: Yeah.
And we have a pretty good
idea who busted up your guitar.
- We do?
- Yeah.
And we know what
to do about that.
- You do?
- Yeah.
MATLOCK: Yeah.
This is an old one of
mine, but a good one.
I had it restrung for you.
BILLY: You mean...?
- Yeah.
Play something.
[SINGING] I'm getting out of
this High-rise penthouse suite
Where we pretend
Life's rosy and sweet
I'm going back to the
folks That I used to know
Where everyone Is
what they seem to be
I'm going back To a
better class of losers
This uptown living's
Really got me down
I need friends who don't pay
their bills On home computers
And they buy their coffee
beans Already ground
And you think it's disgraceful
That they drink $3 wine
But a better class
of loser Suits me fine
Yes, a better class of
losers Just suits me fine
Wait, wait. He's leaving.
That's all right.
We'll follow him.
I know where we are.
That's Larry Boone's house.
LEANNE: Who do
you think that is?
BILLY: I don't
know. I can't tell.
I wonder what they're up to.
No good, if you ask me.
[POLICE SIREN WAILING]
COP 1: All right, freeze!
COP 2: Hands above the head!
COP 3: Police.
Put your hands
on top of your head.
So, what did they say?
They were Judy's partners.
Their original mark was Larry
Boone. You were an afterthought.
They broke into his place for the
same reason they broke into yours.
They were looking for that $350,000
they were gonna split with Judy.
So neither of them killed her.
They were in the lounge of
the River View Inn, celebrating,
when she was killed.
The bartender remembers them
vividly. They tipped him a hundred bucks.
If they don't have the money,
and Larry Boone was
ready to punch me out
because he doesn't
have the money,
and I know I don't
have the money...
Billy, somebody's got the money.
MATLOCK: Yeah. Yeah.
Here's the gun.
Pictures of scene of the crime.
- Stuff that was in her purse.
- Go through that.
Yeah, see if there's anything
in there that looks odd to you.
And this is the suitcase
she was gonna take with her.
Okay.
Yeah.
BILLY: What?
It's just clothes.
MATLOCK: Well...
Mr. Boone.
Your Honor, Mr. Prosecutor,
I wonder if I might have a
few moments of supposition.
Objection.
MATLOCK: Your Honor, I
have to start somewhere.
PROSECUTOR: Objection.
MATLOCK: Your Honor,
it'll just be a few moments,
and then I'll just
move right along.
Mr. Matlock, proceed.
But if I find down the road that
you've been messing with me...
Your Honor, I've done a lot
of foolish things in my time,
but I would never, I say
never, mess with you.
Proceed.
Mr. Boone, we... That
is, we, the defense.
Started this investigation
with the belief
that Judy Wilson might have
been killed by one of three men:
Mr. Franklin,
Mr. Howard, or you.
Not me.
Well, the other two have
ironclad alibis. You do not.
I was home all afternoon
that day, watching TV.
- You can ask my housekeeper.
- I did.
She said she heard the TV, but
she never saw you. So no alibi.
- Well, I was there.
- Heh, heh.
Well...
this is a picture of Judy Wilson
taken the night
before she was killed.
- Did you know her?
- Of course.
She was Kent Franklin's partner.
Yeah. They took you for $150,000,
didn't they? How'd you feel about that?
- Not too happy.
- Yeah. Heh, heh, heh.
So, what first made
you suspicious?
It was opening night.
Sheriff's deputies came
in and closed us down.
And you believed, at that time,
that she had made off
with your money, didn't you?
And my client's
and Mr. Franklin's?
LARRY: Yes. MATLOCK: Yeah.
Mr. Boone, did you
know any of the workmen
before they started on the club?
No.
How about Orville Hogan? Did
you know him? He's a carpenter.
He says that he did some
work on your house earlier.
Fortunately for us, he's here.
Maybe you'll remember
him if he stands up.
Mr. Hogan, could you stand?
LARRY: Oh, yeah.
- Yeah.
I remember. Of course.
I know Mr. Hogan.
MATLOCK: Yeah.
Thank you, Mr. Hogan.
It took some doing
to find Mr. Hogan.
But he's prepared to testify
that he called you around 1:00
the day Ms. Wilson was killed
and told you that he
had never been paid
and none of the other
workmen had ever been paid.
Did Mr. Hogan call
you and tell you that?
Yes.
What difference does it make?
I told you, I was home
all day watching TV.
- Yeah, I know you said that.
- I was watching a football game.
Yeah. And your housekeeper
heard the TV but she didn't see you.
All she had to do was
come into the TV room.
Sure. Sure.
After Mr. Hogan called you,
you left your house, didn't you?
No.
Bailiff.
Thank you.
This suitcase belonged
to Judy Wilson.
It was all packed and ready
to go when she was killed.
Did you ever see it before?
No.
This suitcase
contained only clothes.
Did you ever travel with
a woman, Mr. Boone?
- Well, yeah. Now and then.
- Yeah? Heh, heh, heh.
Then you know that,
usually, when women travel,
they take more
than just clothes.
They take hair curlers and cosmetics,
shoes and hairspray and earrings.
This is only clothes.
It only took me a
minute to figure out
that she had packed
more than one suitcase.
Where was her other suitcase?
I searched all through her
house, her garage, her car.
Not as much as a shoe bag.
So where do you suppose
that other suitcase was?
How should I know?
The killer had it.
Yeah. Because along with
the hair curlers, cosmetics,
shoes and hairspray
and earrings...
she packed the
money in that suitcase.
And so, heh, heh, we went
to your house this morning,
along with the police. Yeah.
Guess what we found.
- Nothing.
- Well, not quite.
Not quite.
We didn't find the suitcase
and we didn't find the money.
But...
we did find this watch.
It's solid gold.
And inscribed on the back is: "To
Judy Wilson from Billy Wheeler."
The defendant, Billy Wheeler,
gave this to Judy Wilson.
She was wearing it the
night before she was killed.
Yet, this morning, it was
found in your bedroom.
How do you suppose it got there?
I'll tell you how I
think it got there.
I think after Mr. Hogan called
you, you drove over to Judy's house,
killed her, took the
suitcase with the money,
then got rid of any
incriminating evidence,
or hid it.
Got rid of everything
except this watch.
Now, why you kept
the watch, I don't know.
[CHUCKLING]
But I'm kind of glad you did,
because this watch is gonna
get Billy Wheeler back his money.
And it's gonna
put you in prison.
Your Honor, thank you for
those few moments of supposition.
[SINGING] Way down
in Columbus, Georgia
I wanna be back in Tennessee
Way down at Columbus stockade
Friends have turned
their backs On me
Go and leave me if you wish to
Never let me cross your mind
In your heart, you love...
What do you think?
Not bad. Not
bad at all, partner.
Think he's as good at picking
and singing as pushing beer?
- Better.
- You gonna keep him up there?
- Yep. For as long as I can. Heh, heh.
- Heh, heh, heh.
BILLY [CONTINUES
SINGING]: As I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms
As I awoke, I was mistaken
Because I was peeping
Through those bars
Go and leave me if you wish to
Never let me cross your mind
In your heart, if
you love another
Go and leave me,
little darling, I don't mind
Go and leave me,
little darling, I don't mind