Matlock (1986–1995): Season 8, Episode 2 - The Fatal Seduction: Part 1 - full transcript

Oh, you could take a
week and go to Lake Louise.

- Oh.
- Oh, look at that scenery.

Snow-capped
mountains, pristine lakes.

Does it say how much it is?

That's not important.

The Greek islands. Oh,
Dad, you could take a cruise.

Oh.

- Oh, would you look at the water?
- Oh, yeah.

Beautiful blue.

There's a price on the back.

Dad, life's expensive,
then you die.



You can't take it with you.

I could try.

I could do like Rochester

said Jack Benny on
the radio was gonna do.

And what, pray tell, was that?

Sew it to my shroud.

Hello, Ben.

You could knock.

LEANNE: Billy,
are you all right?

Lucy's dead.

Lucy's dead?

Lucy's dead.

Died last night in her sleep

in that beach house she
had up in North Carolina.



Some kid who's renting
a room from her found her

and called me about an hour ago.

Oh, Billy, I'm so sorry.

Lucy's dead.

Lucy's dead.

My dear, beloved sister.

Why is it you're never
grateful for what you've got

until you don't
have it any more?

Hit me driving over here.

I took her for granted, Ben.

I don't even remember
what color her eyes were.

MATLOCK: They were brown.

How would you know?

I went with her all
through high school.

And then you dumped her.

I didn't dump her.

You dumped her.

She wound up living
with me for 35 years

because you dumped
her and broke her heart.

Now neither of us know
the color of her eyes.

They were brown.

Funeral's day after tomorrow.

Lucy's dead.

Sooner we leave for
North Carolina, the better.

MATLOCK: Yeah. It'll
be a long drive for you.

You're gonna drive.

What?

- You're gonna drive. Your car.
- Why?

Well, I can't take my pickup.

The boy's car would never
make it out of the state.

Why are you looking
at me like that?

You were going
anyway, weren't you?

I mean, if you got time to go
on some kind of fancy cruise,

you surely got time to see to it

that the girl who spent half
her life pining away for you

gets a proper send-off.

It's all right, Dad. I'll take
care of everything right here.

No.

I can't pick out a burial
dress or arrange flowers

or do a get-together
after the funeral.

You're coming too.

We should almost be there.

Oh.

This is where Lucy
spent her last days.

Some rundown shack on the beach.

It's all my fault.

Would you stop beating
up on yourself, Pop?

She's the one who sold the
farm out from underneath you

and ran off with half the money.

She made you
miserable. You know it.

Yeah. She had it tough.

Good Lord didn't exactly endow
her with looks and brains, you know.

About the only fellow who
looked at her twice was Ben.

Tells you something right there.

You gonna eat that pickle?

Here's the driveway, Pop.
Right here. Turn here. Turn here.

This is Lucy's house?

I guess so.

How long did she own this place?

Uh, about two years, I think.

- What was your name, again?
- Clyde. Clyde Eller.

I knew her from the
surfboard shop where I work.

What was Lucy doing
in a surfboard shop?

She hung out there all the time.

I was paying for my room
by teaching her how to paddle.

Aunt Lucy was
learning how to surf?

- Yeah. BILLY: Are
you sure we're talking

about the same Lucy Lewis?

About this fella's age,
about yay tall and yay wide.

Well, you tell me.

Here's her picture.

- That's her, all right.
- No, it's not.

Yes, it is. Look, brown eyes.

She got orange in her air.

- What's she wearing on her feet?
- That looks like Rollerblades.

Yeah, she was something.

Game for anything. Loved
having young people around.

Door was always open.

Fridge always stocked.

She was on drugs, wasn't she?

No way. Wouldn't allow
booze in the house either.

Nope. She was just out
to have a good, clean time.

Well, listen, I'm gonna take
a swim before I go to work.

There's two bedrooms on
this level and three above

and one below, not including
mine, so you all have a good time.

- Okay?
- Thanks. We will.

See you.

One good thing. We don't
have to pay for a motel.

- Let's go get the
luggage. MATLOCK: Okay.

Damn.

MAN: Hey, wait for me!

MAN: Where'd she go?

GIRL: See you later!

- How's this?
- Good.

[CAR ENGINE ROARING]

- New kid on the block.
WOMAN: I'm over here!

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO]

Nice car.

Nice everything.

- Things are looking up.
- Ha, ha.

Hey, Carrie.

Things were looking up.

KID: Oh, no!

Hey, Ashley. This yours?

Yeah. How'd you get it?

Somebody found it over
by the volleyball court.

I remember seeing you wear it.

Mm.

Thanks.

Hey, how you doing?

- Tim, right? TIM: Right.

- How's the new board working out?
- Oh. First chance I had to try it.

Well, be careful. Undertow's
pretty heavy today.

Flag's not up.

Yeah, well, I, uh...

I guess our fearless lifeguard
has other things on his mind.

I'll catch you later.

To the right.

Hey, Mike.

Look, I don't mean to tell
you your job or anything,

but the undertow's
getting pretty bad out there.

You might wanna do
something with this.

Oh, you mean, like,
uh, stick it someplace?

Yeah, that's
exactly what I mean.

All right. How about...?

- There. How's that? Huh?
- Hey.

[CHUCKLES]

Hey.

Jerk.

[CHUCKLING]

Why don't you leave
Clyde alone for a change?

Mr. Lewis.

I'm so sorry to have
kept you waiting.

It's all right, Reverend.

This is a friend of
mine, Ben Matlock.

Virgil Atkinson. Nice to
meet you, Mr. Matlock.

Lord knows Billy
needs a friend right now.

I knew Lucy too.

Kind, generous,
happy-go-lucky Lucy.

Another reason I wanted
to see you, Mr. Lewis,

is that I was hoping that you could
give me some stories about Lucy

that I could use at
the funeral service.

- Stories.
- You know, anecdotes.

Perhaps something
she did as a little girl

that was particularly memorable

or indicative of the
kind of person she was.

Well, you tell me
when to stop, Reverend,

because there was no
one this side of the Jordan

that did more good
works than my sister.

Like the time she found
a nest of thrush eggs

in a hayfield our pa just mowed.

GIRL: Get out of there!

You all right?

Wave knocked me
down. I banged my knee.

You need some help?

Thanks.

Agh.

- Thanks a lot. You're a sweetheart.
- No problem.

- What's your name?
- Carrie.

- I'm Tim.
- Hi.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

And this is our
top-of-the-line model.

Polished cherry
wood, silk lining.

Nylon padding,
solid brass fittings.

Very luxurious.

How much?

Well, the first one we
looked at runs around 1,500.

This one goes for 3,000.

And the other three we looked
at, 1,900, 2,000 and 2,500.

Three thousand dollars for something
you're gonna stick in the ground

and throw dirt on?

Most people want the best for
their loved ones, Mr. Matlock.

As a final gesture of respect.

It's for dear, sweet Lucy, Ben.

Well, Billy, she'll never
know the difference.

It's your money.

The one for 3,000.

You, uh, take a check?

MAN: Not from an
out-of-state bank, I'm afraid.

[SIGHS]

Pay him.

Me?

Use one of those fancy credit
cards you're always flashing.

- Billy...
- I want Lucy to have the best.

Like the time
when, as a little girl,

she found a nest of eggs on the
ground in a newly-mowed field,

and she watched and
waited for the mother bird.

But when it became apparent

that she had abandoned
her fallen nest,

Lucy took it home

and tried day and night
to keep the eggs warm,

in hopes that they
would hatch. That was...

- No, she didn't.
- Shh.

She scrambled them up
and ate them for breakfast.

Lucy had a mean streak.

Billy's acting like she's the
second coming of Mother Teresa.

It's his way of
dealing with his grief.

ATKINSON: This whole time
she lived in our little community,

- she filled our minds - Sure.

ATKINSON: with richness
and humor, personality and love.

Lucy Lewis has undoubtedly
left us for a better place.

Her spirit, however,
will remain here.

[SNORES]

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON SPEAKERS]

[PEOPLE SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

So you come here every summer?

Yeah, just about.

My aunt has a place here.

Where are you staying?

In my car.

[LAUGHS]

They do have hotels around here.

I came here to surf.
I don't need a room.

Ah.

MAN: What do you want?

Although I may end up staying
a little longer than I thought.

- Want another pitcher?
- Mm.

I'm getting tired of this place.

You wanna go someplace else?

My place?

Your aunt won't mind?

My aunt is in Europe
for the summer.

And my roommate's
having dinner downtown.

Tim, don't.

Please.

Why?

Tim, no.

Please, stop.

Tim, don't.

Damn it! I said, stop it!

- What is wrong with
you? TIM: Take it easy.

- Don't touch me!
- What's going on?

- I told him to stop, but he
wouldn't. TIM: Hey, hey. What's...?

Get away!

I didn't do anything.

I said, leave.

Uh...

Hi.

In case Carrie didn't
mention it, my name's Ashley.

You got one crazy
roommate, Ashley.

I thought it only
fair to warn you.

Last night, after you
left, she called the police.

She wanted to know what
constitutes attempted rape.

She didn't tell them your name,

but she's thinking of
having you arrested.

I didn't try to rape her.

She says you did. And, frankly,

from what I saw, if anybody
asked, I'd have to agree.

Oh, man.

I don't believe this.

- Look, Carrie's got a few problems.
- Yeah, tell me about it.

Pressing charges will
only screw her up more.

I'm gonna suggest something
that may seem a little crass at first,

but hear me out, okay?

Carrie's deeply in
debt. She needs money.

What are you saying?

You're saying that I
should pay her off?

I'm saying that if you were
to do something to show her

that you're not such a bad guy,

that you're honestly
sorry for what happened,

and then just quietly left town,

she'd probably be willing
to drop the whole thing.

It's just a suggestion.

Carrie.

CARRIE: Did you find
him? ASHLEY: Yup.

[LAUGHS]

How much?

Three grand.

[LAUGHS]

Yes.

Thanks.

[ALL SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

All the way.

- Cookie, anyone?
- Oh, yeah.

- Oh, no, thanks.
- Oh, go ahead, you'll swim it off.

Oh, no, I'm diabetic.
I can't have sugar.

C.J.: Hey, Clyde.
- Hey, C.J. How you doing?

- Uh, excuse me.
- Mm-hm.

I can't get over how many
young people are here

and how they were
all so fond of Lucy.

She must have gone back to
being the girl I knew in high school.

Tell me the truth,
Dad, did you love her?

Well... Yeah, I guess.

So how come you
didn't marry her?

Well, she was two
years older than me,

and I could see down
the road, you know.

Where you going, Pop?

Outside.

You all right, Pop?

I got a lot on my mind, Cliff.

Oh, it's weird, you know.
It's just you and me now.

[BILLY SIGHS]

Come on, Pop, talk to me.

Open up.

Okay.

I got a question for you, son.

Anything.

Who do you think
she left this house to?

[GIRLS LAUGHING]

ASHLEY: So then he says,
"You mean, I should pay her off?"

CARRIE: Wow.

ASHLEY: I mean, he got
this pathetic look on his face.

Like a puppy that somebody
just kicked across the room.

And then three
seconds later, he says:

- "How much?"
- Oh, God.

ASHLEY: I mean, usually, they
stomp around all indignant and mad.

This one, instant cave.

CARRIE: Should've asked for
more. ASHLEY: I don't think he had it.

[LAUGHS]

Mm.

What kind of fish is this?

CLYDE: Sea bass.
- It's good.

I'm beginning to
like it here, Leanne.

That's great.

Maybe I'll take surfing lessons.

BARTENDER: How you
doing? TIM: Give me a beer.

- Whatever's on tap.
BARTENDER: You got it.

CLYDE: Hey, Tim. How's it going?

Don't ask.

CLYDE: Tim, come over.

Uh, Leanne Mclntyre,
Cliff Lewis, this is Tim...

- McDaniels.
- Hey.

LEANNE: Hi.

CLYDE: Leanne
and Cliff are lawyers.

Came up from Atlanta
for Lucy Lewis' funeral.

Did you know her too?

No. Um... What kind of lawyers?

Criminal, mostly.

Do you mind if I ask you
a hypothetical question?

LEANNE: Go ahead.

Okay. Look.

Say I have a friend, and
say he meets this girl,

buys her a few beers, they hit it off,
and he ends up at her place, okay?

- Okay. TIM:
Well, say, they're...

They're, uh... They're
fooling around.

But before anything
serious starts to happen,

she starts screaming the
guy's trying to rape her.

I mean, he isn't,
but she claims he is,

and she's making noise,
like she's gonna call the cops.

Well, at this point, the guy
figures that she's a little cracked.

So to smooth
things over, he, uh...

He pays her off.

Only then he discovers that
she and her roommate set him up.

The whole thing was a scam.

They extort money from guys
like him, as a matter of course.

CLIFF: Nice girls.

Well, my question is:
What can he do about it?

Unless you can prove the
whole thing was a scam,

there isn't much you can do.

How does he prove it?

Well, he could try to track
down some of their other victims,

see if any of them are
willing to press charges.

Or he could wait till they try it
again and catch them in the act.

As it were.

Yeah.

Okay.

[DOORBELL RINGS]

- Mr. Lewis?
- You Lucy's lawyer?

Yes. My name is Phil...

- Oh, I thought I heard the doorbell.
- Lucy's lawyer.

- Hi, I'm Phil Trenton.
- Ben Matlock. Want a soda?

You don't have to treat him
like a guest, Ben, he's a lawyer.

Where's the will?

I have a copy of it right here.

Who'd, uh, she
leave this house to?

Well, let's see.

Ah.

To a Mr. Clyde Eller.

Clyde Eller?

Ha, ha, Clyde Eller? Ha-ha-ha.

She can't do that. Ben,
tell him she can't do that.

She bought this
house with my money.

She can't turn around and leave
it to someone who's not even kin.

How could she do this?

She can't do this.

There's no justice.

I loved her better
than life itself.

- It's not fair.
- Billy.

It's your fault. If you'd married
her the way you were supposed to,

she wouldn't have moved down here,
left this house to some snot-nosed kid.

I listened to her
whine all those years.

Year after year after year,

complaining about
backaches and bellyaches

and toe aches.

I had to go out to the barn to
sneak a little drink of whiskey.

I had to keep my head to the
side so she couldn't smell it.

I put up with that old
hag for 35 years. Damn!

- It's got to be my
house. MATLOCK: Billy.

Keep out of this.

TRENTON: She did
have other assets.

Who gets those?

TRENTON: Well, uh, she
left her Bible, some letters,

some photos, and
several scrapbooks to, uh...

Oh, and I quote,
"The man I loved

back when I didn't
have a brain in my head.

Ben Matlock."

What about me?

Well, it appears that as
her closest surviving relative,

- you get everything else.
- Like what?

- Her clothes.
- Her clothes?

I believe she had a car.

Piece of junk.
What about jewels?

I don't believe she had any.

Stocks, bonds, mutual funds.

When it came to
money, Mr. Lewis,

your sister wasn't
much of a player.

She was more the type who
believed the safest place for her money

was under her mattress.

Excuse me.

[STOMPING]

[DANCE MUSIC
PLAYING ON SPEAKERS]

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

They always crank
it up this loud?

They think you
tourists like it that way.

Not when we meet
people we wanna talk to.

I know a place.

- Can we dance there?
- You bet.

Lead the way.

ASHLEY: What the
hell are you doing?

- Give me that.
- No way.

ASHLEY: Give me that. Carrie!

- Game's over, Ashley.
- Carrie! Call the police.

- Hey, what's going on? TIM:
They're setting you up, man.

The minute you touch
her, she's gonna cry rape.

Listen... Hey, hey!

No! Give me that.

No!

- Hey!
- Get out of here!

TIM: Get used to this face.

It just gonna be in
yours from now on.

What did he mean?
What is he talking about?

CARRIE: Nothing.
He's a nut case.

I went out with him once, and
he's been harassing me ever since.

JERRY: You should call the police.
- No.

I don't want them involved.

- But if the guy really is a nut case.
- Look, Jerry, ugh,

it's sweet of you to be concerned,
but he's basically harmless.

So just don't worry
about it, all right?

Why don't we call it a night?

- You sure you'll be okay?
- I'll be fine.

Where are you staying?

Beach Side Inn. Room 211.

I'll call you, okay?

Good night.

Good night.

- What are you doing?
- Getting that geek off our backs.

What do you think?

Hi, it's Carrie.

Yeah. Listen, remember that
favor I did for you last summer?

Yeah, well, it's payback time.

WOMAN: What is wrong?

WOMAN: What...? Who is it...?

[TIM GASPS]

What are you doing?

- You're drowning.
- I am?

MAN 1: Let's help
him. MAN 2: Let's go.

MAN 3: Is he all right?

MAN 1: Keep his head up.
MAN 3: Gotta get an ambulance.

There's a phone
under my chair, call 911.

WOMAN: Is he okay?

WOMAN: Come on. MAN 1: Come on.

WOMAN: Come on.

It's no use. He's dead.

Okay, everybody back.
Please, stand back.

Oh, my God, that's Tim.

You know him?

Yeah, Tim McDaniels.

He bought a board from
me a couple of days ago.

Hey, Mike, what happened?

Oh, man, he cramped
up or something.

I could see he was in trouble,
but he was so far out, man.

By the time I got to
him, it was too late.

- He wasn't on his board?
- No.

Well, why not?

What am I, psychic?
How do I know?

He went for a swim.

All right, people, back
up. Excuse me. Back up.

Let them through.

POLICEWOMAN: Excuse me, folks.

POLICEMAN: Please,
everybody, just keep back.

I don't get it. I saw
him here the other day.

The guy could swim like a fish.

There are guys
out there on boards.

Why didn't he call
for someone for help?

It doesn't make sense.

[HUMMING]

- Hi.
- Hi, Pop, where's Clyde?

I left him on the beach.

He's going swimming or running
or mountain climbing or something.

I swear, for somebody
who doesn't eat sugar,

he's got more energy
than anybody I ever saw.

- Did you hear somebody drowned?
- Yeah. Clyde told me.

He'd just sold him a board.

Tim something.

- Tim McDaniels?
- Yeah.

- We met him.
- Yeah. Clyde just introduced us.

Oh, we had a really weird
conversation with him.

- Huh?
- Yeah. It seems some, quote-unquote

"friend of his" was falsely accused
of date rape by some woman.

The guy figured he'd better pay her
off so she wouldn't go to the police.

He wanted to know what
legal recourse his friend had.

And we figured he was
talking about himself.

Of course he was
talking about himself.

[MUTTERING]

LEANNE: Dad, where are you going?
- Library.

Read a little.

[MATLOCK HUMMING]

Hi.

Leanne Mclntyre.

Mike Rydell.

Guess you've had a pretty
difficult day, haven't you?

Yeah.

I'm just staying down the
beach at Lucy Lewis' place.

- I heard she passed away.
- Did you know her?

I had to rescue her
a couple of times.

First time was legit.

She fell off her board,
couldn't get back in.

But the other times... I think
she just liked the first time a lot.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

- Was she a relative of yours?
- No.

My dad and I just
came in for the funeral.

Oh, yeah, the lawyers. Right?

I heard about you guys.

Well, listen, I gotta go.

So, what happened today, anyway?

Well, some guy got himself
into trouble and drowned.

Did you know him?

I'd seen him around.
Not personally, no.

Heard he was a good swimmer.

Yeah. Most surfers are. He
cramped up or something.

Was he unconscious
when you got to him?

Just about.

Someone on the beach

told the police it looked like
you were struggling with him.

Look, I don't care what some
turkey standing 100 yards away

thinks he saw in
the surf. I was there.

The guy was blue and starting to sink
when I got to him, and he grabbed me,

pulled me under and was unconscious
by the time I got him out. Okay?

And how do you know what
somebody told the cops?

I had heard that the guy that
drowned was having personal problems.

Now he's dead.

That's strange. And I'm curious.

Yeah.

Well, it has been
a long, rotten day,

and I don't feel like
talking about it anymore.

Damn it!

[MIKE SIGHS]

Excuse me.

So she asked you some
questions. What's the big deal?

Look, I don't care if she's
related to J. Edgar Hoover.

Neither she nor anybody else is
ever gonna be able to prove a thing.

Mike, chill out.

Everything is fine.

No. Just go have a
beer, watch some tube.

Get some sleep, and I'll
talk to you tomorrow, okay?

Attaboy. Sweet dreams.

What was that all about?

Some lawyer's been asking
Mike questions about the drowning.

Why would some lawyer
be asking questions?

Who cares? Nobody's gonna
be able to prove anything.

We're home free.
Why can't he see that?

Because he's got
the IQ of a grape.

I should have never
asked him to do it.

Can I ask you a question?

Why did he say yes?

He owed me.

Helped him duck a possession
with intent to sell charge last year

by lying to the cops.

Thought he could
handle something like this.

Think he's gonna cave?

I don't know.

French braid my hair, okay?

- Now?
- Yeah.

I do my best thinking when
I'm getting my hair done.

Hi.

Hi.

Feeling better?

No. Not really.

- I shouldn't have done it.
- Yes.

You should have done it.
You owe me, remember?

Look, I told you last night. Nobody's
gonna be able to prove anything.

Oh, that's easy for you to say.

Mike, the guy drowned.
Just like you said.

There's no evidence
for anything else.

Carrie, I got Ben Matlock's daughter
asking me questions, talking to police.

I'm sure when they talk,
that don't get ignored.

- Look, this isn't the place.
- Hey, you brought it up, okay?

Look.

I'll come over tonight, okay?

We can talk about it.

Fine.

Mike, one hand
washes the other one.

You want some money?

You want to split?
I'll make it right.

Anything you want, okay?

I'll take care of it.

All right.

I mean it.

Well, I guess we can all feel
safe, knowing you're on the job.

- Get lost. All right?
- Hey, Mike, I got an idea.

Why don't you try watching the
water instead of the girls, huh?

- Hey, you got a problem?
- Yeah. Maybe that way

the tourists wouldn't have a bad
habit of coming out of the water dead.

[GRUNTS]

- Stop it.
- On my beach, what I say goes,

and I say get lost. Now move it.

You're not worth it, Rydell.

WOMAN: How about eggs?

Yup. We got eggs.

- There you go.
- Thanks.

You know, I feel so silly. I
thought borrowing a cup of sugar

was something people
only did in the movies.

[WOMAN CHUCKLES]

Carrie and I just got the
urge to bake something.

That ever happen to you?

Oh, yes. I used to love to bake.

Of course, that was back
in the '70s, in the old days,

when the main ingredient was...

[PHONE RINGING]

Carrie, would you get that?

Carrie?

[PHONE RINGING]

CARRIE [ON MACHINE]:
We're not here right now.

If you leave your
name and number,

we'll get back to you
as soon as we can.

She got it.

Well, I gotta get
going, thanks a lot.

Yeah.

I just don't know.

Feels to me like you
could use a back rub.

- Come on.
- Okay.

I'm ready.

Mm.

Oh.

Feels great.

That's great.

Agh.

[GRUNTING]

[LINE RINGING]

- Hello? CARRIE: It's over.

So am I enjoying dinner?

ASHLEY: We're eating
barbecue chicken.

Your favorite. We're about to have the
marble cake we just made for dessert.

Perfect.