Matlock (1986–1995): Season 8, Episode 20 - The Idol - full transcript

[CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]

Heh, anyway, she said her name
was Beth Jones and took her seat.

Before the DA could start his cross,
the judge looked at her and said:

"Wait a minute. I knew
a Beth Jones once."

She says, "No, sir, Your Honor.
You knew me at least twice."

[ALL LAUGH]

Wait, wait, wait,

but did you hear about what
happened to Judge Kingsley.

I heard he's getting a divorce.

- But did you hear why?
- No.

You know that little blond clerk
over in Judge Chang's court?



Oh, yeah, she came in Monday
morning with a whole new body.

That's the one. That's the one.

- He called her into his
quarters. LEANNE: Oh, oh,

excuse us, Perry. You
two guys gotta see this.

But Perry's just
telling us a good story.

Well, it'll have to wait. Sorry.

Come on, come on.

It's about Judge Kingsley.

Judge Kingsley having that
girl come into his chambers.

Well, uh, I'll just...

MAN: Objection, Your Honor.

JUDGE: Sustained.

Mr. Haskins.

HASKINS: You and the decedent
were lovers. Is that correct?



MISS MORGAN: Yes, we were.

[WHISPERS] Watch this guy.

Where were you the night
that he was murdered?

I went to see a movie by
myself. Jay had already seen it.

SAM: And which movie was it?
- In the Line of Fire.

HASKINS: And when did
it start? Do you remember?

MISS MORGAN: Seven o'clock.

HASKINS: And, uh,
which theater did you go to?

- What are we doing here?
- Just keep watching.

HASKINS: So on the night of the
murder and at the time of the murder,

you were at the Kelly Square Cinema,
watching a Clint Eastwood movie.

Right.

See, the problem is, as you
can see from this newspaper,

they had a sneak
preview that night.

In the Line of Fire
wasn't playing.

So where were you
really, Miss Morgan?

You were off murdering
your lover, weren't you?

Objection, Your Honor.

- Just let her answer the
question. MAN: It wasn't a question.

- It was wild speculation.
- Sustained.

- But if you would just let her
answer... JUDGE: I said, sustained.

- But I'm just saying, if you would just...
- Are you deaf, Mr. Haskins?

But she's lying
and I can prove it.

Then do so. Quickly.

[WHISPERING]
Remind you of anybody?

- Yes.
- No. Should it?

HASKINS: When was the last time
you saw the decedent, Miss Morgan?

That morning. I left
for work around 7.

That's pretty early, isn't it?

Especially for an unemployed
housepainter like Jay.

- Was he up?
- No. He was still in bed.

Mr. Haskins.

These yours?

Yes, they are.

HASKINS: Mind explaining how they
wound up sitting on his bed that night,

not five feet away from
where the body was?

You can see them right
here in this photograph.

Police picture. There they are.

MISS MORGAN: I left
them there that morning.

But you said, when you left,
the decedent was still in bed.

Yet, according to these
pictures, the bed was made,

which means that you
must have come back later,

after he had gotten
up and made the bed.

I left them on his dresser.
He obviously moved them.

HASKINS: Oh, come on
now, if he had moved them,

he would've left his fingerprints
on them, now, wouldn't he?

But, you see, when
the police checked,

the only fingerprints they
found on them were yours.

You didn't go to that movie.

You went over to his place,
and you confronted him

about the way that he'd
been sponging off of you,

and when he laughed
at you, you killed him.

Then you arranged the scene to
make it look like my client had done it.

Fortunately, by that
time, it was dark out.

See, if it'd still been daytime,
then maybe, just maybe,

you wouldn't have forgotten
these darn sunglasses.

HASKINS: Excuse me.

Pardon me. Excuse me.
Mr. Matlock. Excuse me. Sorry.

- I'll see you all later.
MATLOCK: Okay.

I, uh, saw you
back there in court.

I can't tell you how honored I felt
just knowing you were watching.

I'm Sam Haskins.

Leanne, hi, Sam Haskins.

- Hello.
- You did a fine job in there.

- You think so?
MATLOCK: Oh, yeah.

The way you had the DA
sounding like he was whining,

toying with the judge.

Then you sucker
punched that witness.

Couldn't have done
a better job myself.

Heh, at least, not much better.

Whoo, well, you
just made my day.

Heck, maybe even my whole life.

Would you by any chance please
let me buy you both a hot dog?

Well, I...

I don't see a thing in
the world wrong with that.

[ALL CHUCKLE]

I moved here. I'm
originally from, uh, Arkansas,

tiny town near Little
Rock called Ridge View.

I'm from a small town myself.

Oh, I know. I know. Mount Harlan.
Twelve hundred and seven people.

Can I get two hot dogs
and one turkey dog?

- And you don't use ketchup.
- Coming right up.

Oh, listen, I just discovered
this place up on Pike Street,

foot-long hot dogs,
79 cents apiece.

- Get out of town.
- Cross my heart.

How is it that you
know so much about us?

Well, the fact is, your dad
here has been a hero of mine

for a good ten years. Ever
since I read the transcripts

of Benedict v. State of Georgia
when I was in law school.

That was one of your
best cases, Mr. Matlock.

It takes my breath away
just thinking about it.

Mine too.

And when I found out that
you came from a dirt-poor family

in some small
rural town like I did,

well, I read everything about
you I could get my hands on.

I figured, if you could
go from being nothing

to being one of the best
criminal lawyers in the country,

- well, by golly, maybe I could too.
- Huh.

Then I got a hold of a videotape
somebody made of that Schuler trial.

LEANNE: Hmm.

Been playing that day
in and day out since.

I study it like a book.

[ALL CHUCKLE]

You know, I couldn't help but notice
how similar your courtroom style is

- to my dad's. HASKINS: Mm-hm.

Darn. Listen, I gotta
get back to the office.

Well, you know, now that we've
met, and I figured we would eventually,

uh, and if you guys
have some time,

maybe you could
come over for dinner.

- We'd love to. HASKINS: Okay.

Oh, listen, I'm leaving
with my girlfriend

for a long weekend
in the Caribbean.

But as soon as we get back,
I will give you all a call. Okay?

- Oh, yeah, okay.
- Bye-bye.

The Schuler trial.

What was the Schuler trial?

Dad, this hero-worship stuff
kind of gives me the creeps.

I don't like it.

Why?

Well, there's a lot
of weirdos out there.

Anything could happen.

You've been watching
too much Geraldo.

Yeah. Watch. We go
over there for dinner,

and he serves me
as the main course,

and you get packed up
in some big old pickle jar.

Way too much Geraldo.

[ALL CHATTERING]

- Can you drink the water here?
- Sure.

It's much more fun to
drink the cocktails, heh.

Sam, relax.

You're gonna love it here.

What I am gonna love is having
you all to myself for four whole days.

Yes.

WOMAN 1: five,
six, seven, eight.

JUDY: Okay. Here are your
coupon books, everyone.

These are good for discounts

in a lot of the shops
and restaurants in town.

- One per person,
please. MAN: Thank you.

And for all of you
shop-till-you-droppers,

the Talk of the Town tour bus will
be leaving in exactly 45 minutes.

Just go out front
and climb aboard.

Oh, honey, listen,
I'll go get our stuff.

- Okay.
- Move along. Here we go.

That's it. Great.

- Never been here before, have you?
- No. I haven't.

It's showing.

What's showing?

Your Virgin Islands virginity.

[CHUCKLES]

I'd be happy to show you
everything there is to see.

Actually, uh, I'm here with my
girlfriend and, uh, we're with a tour.

So we're all taken care of when
it comes to seeing everything.

All right. Well, you know, if you
change your mind, let me know.

I'll be around.

Oh.

[PARROT TALKS]

[ALL CHATTERING]

[PLAYING CALYPSO MUSIC]

Look at this.

This Compass Rose
Imports, 50 percent off.

We've got to go
in there. Come on.

Hey, look at this.

- Hi, may I help you?
- No, no, thank you.

Well, you're obviously
looking for something.

Let me help.

If you want to get a gift
for the folks back home,

the figurines are very popular.

No. Thanks, anyway.

Uh, yeah. I'll
take this one here.

Oh, one of my favorites.

- Cash?
- Yes.

If you give me the name of
your hotel, I can have it delivered,

so you don't have
to carry it around.

Well, thank you.
I'm at The Breakers.

Hey, kind of reminds of a fish
I caught in Cabo San Lucas.

JOANNE: You should get it.

No way. Not even half the
price. That is way too much.

Sam, if you like
it, let's buy it.

Well, I don't like it that much.

Come on, let's go
someplace else.

No. You go on. I wanna look
around here some more. Okay?

I'll meet you outside
in five minutes.

- Okay.
- Bye.

- May I help you?
- Uh, yes. I'd like to get this.

Oh, one of my favorites.

- Cash or charge?
- Charge.

We meet again.

How do you like
St. Thomas so far?

Oh, it's nice. It's
very nice. Yeah.

You look thirsty, heh.

You know, I know a bar where
the piña coladas are to die for.

Really? Uh, well, maybe my
girlfriend and I will stop in sometime.

Where is it?

YOLANDA: The Wayward
Inn. Over on Seaside.

- I'm sorry. What was?
- The Wayward Inn. Over on Seaside.

HASKINS: Oh, the
Wayward Inn on Seaside.

I just... I was saying
the Wayward Inn on...

Seaside. Okay. Thanks a lot.

Joanne, I told you. I don't
even know the girl's name.

- Do you wish you did?
- No.

Sam, you must be doing
something that's leading her on,

or she wouldn't be throwing
herself at you every time...

I swear to you that I've
not said one word to her

that could possibly be
construed as a come-on.

Now, you gotta
stop this, Joanne.

There never has been
and there never will be

a reason for you to be jealous.

As far as I'm concerned,

you are the sexiest, most
gorgeous woman in the world.

I'm sorry.

My therapist tells me that
my tendency to overreact

is because I just can't believe
that someone would want me

and not just my money.

[CHUCKLES]

Hon, that money of yours
can take a flying leap.

I love you.

I love you too.

Ooh, well, looks
like dinner's here.

Oh, Sam, heh.

Like I said, I love you, Joanne.

I think it's time that we stopped
living like husband and wife

and started being
husband and wife.

So will you marry me?

Yes.

[MAN CLEARS THROAT]

Well, did everything
go all right, Mr. Haskins?

[JOANNE CHUCKLES]

Well, she accepted, if
that's what you mean.

- Paul Cox, owner of
the hotel. HASKINS: Hi.

My maître d' told me what was
going on. I'd like to say congratulations

and offer you a complimentary
bottle of champagne.

- Shall I open it?
- Please.

PAUL: Tell me, now,
folks, where are you from?

HASKINS: Uh, Atlanta.

PAUL: Oh, really? I get
up there quite often myself.

- Is that right?
- Yes. My mother lives there now.

As a matter of fact, I was there
last week for her birthday. Voilà.

[ALL CHUCKLE]

MATLOCK [SINGING]:
Yes, sir, that's my baby

No, sir, I don't mean maybe

Yes, sir, that's my
baby now Want a beer?

[SINGING] No,
thanks, we got trouble

Your Aunt Ellen, your Aunt Ellen

She died?

[IN NORMAL VOICE] No.

She's coming for a visit.

[SINGING] Coming for
a visit, coming for a visit

Coming for a visit now

[IN NORMAL VOICE] I tried
to talk her out of it but she's...

[SINGING] Very
insistent, very insistent

[IN NORMAL VOICE]
And when she comes,

[SINGING] She's
staying for a week

Staying for a week
Stay a week, stay a week

Stay a week, stay a week Oh, no.

She is so negative.

Doesn't have a nice thing to
say about anything or anybody.

Nothing like Mom.

Bet they weren't even sisters.

[IN NORMAL VOICE] She always liked
this song, so I thought I'd warm it up.

[SINGING] Yes,
sir, that's my baby

- No, sir, I don't mean maybe -
We'll have to get the carpet cleaned.

Yes, sir, that's my
baby now LEANNE: Dad.

- Dad.
- [IN NORMAL VOICE] What?

Dad, we have to... You
know, I can't talk to you

- when you're playing on that.
- What?

We have to get the
carpeting cleaned.

Carpeting cleaned.

- Oh, maybe the drapes too, I guess.
- Mm-hm.

Did you see this?

Oh, yeah. We'd
better get that fixed.

You know what?

We could do all
this stuff ourselves.

- No, we can't.
- Yeah, we could. It would be simple.

And just think how impressed
your Aunt Ellen would be.

To say nothing of
the money you'd save.

Oh, well, yeah, heh.

[SINGING] Yes,
sir, that's my baby

No, sir, I don't mean maybe

MAN: Whoo!

YOLANDA: Hey.

- Morning.
- It's a great day for a run, huh?

I kind of like to
run alone. Okay?

[CHUCKLES]

I'm sorry. Are you all right?

Just get off of me. All right?

I wanna make sure you're okay.

Get off of me.

I don't know what your problem
is, but I've had it, all right?

Just leave me alone.

Hey! Hey, stop!

Stop! Hey!

Hey, stop!

I told you. Come here.

[GRUNTS]

Give me the camera!

Hey, they're with our group.

[GRUNTS]

- Do something.
- What do you want me to do, referee?

[PANTING]

HASKINS: Mr. Matlock.

Hi. Sam Haskins.
We, uh, met last week.

Oh, yeah, yeah. How
was the Caribbean?

Oh, it was great. I got engaged.

- Well, congratulations.
- Thank you very much, sir.

But a, uh, weird thing happened
to me when I was down there,

and I wondered if you
could give me some advice.

I can try.

Well, there was this,
uh, beautiful woman.

She was a total stranger
and she kept, um...

She kept kind of throwing herself at
me like she was trying to seduce me.

And finally, I caught this
guy taking pictures of us,

and, well, he kind of got me
in this compromising position.

Oh, so you figure
it was a setup?

Well, that's all I
can figure, yeah.

And, actually, the guy disappeared
soon as I made him after he decked me.

But he was with the
same tour group as me.

So I got his name and his
address from the travel agent.

Turns out he's a
private investigator.

- That's how you got, ooh...
- Yeah.

You figure maybe somebody's
paying him to set you up?

Right. Right. So I checked to
see if he had deposited any check

from any one particular
person lately. But he hadn't.

Uh, how did you get a
look at his bank account?

Well, I did what you did
in the Macmillan case.

The Macmillan case?

- Well, you devil.
- Yeah, right.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

Anyway, the guy's
name is Richard Pep.

- Now, do you know him?
- Richard Pep?

- No.
- Oh, darn it.

I knew you knew a lot of PIs.

- I thought you'd worked with him.
- No.

Oh, well, thank you,
anyway, Mr. Matlock.

And as soon as I get
this thing squared away,

I'm gonna have you and
Leanne over. That is a promise.

- Okay. And call me Ben.
- Okay.

- Ben. Okay. Bye.
- Okay. Bye.

Macmillan case?

[MAN SPEAKING
INDISTINCTLY ON TV]

Oh, boys, come on.

[GROANS]

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

Huh?

[SIGHS]

What the hell are
you doing here?

I told you to stay in
St. Thomas and lay low

- until I got in touch with you.
- Chill out, Dick.

Happens I'm doing you a favor.

- Who's winning?
- Who's winning?

Look, something funky's going
on in that hotel down in St. Thomas.

Wanna speak English?
What do you mean, funky?

[CAR DOOR SLAMS]

Come here, quick.

- What are you doing?
- Come here.

It's that Haskins guy.

Now listen, I want you
to go in the bathroom.

- Shut the door. And be quiet. Go.
- What?

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

- Hi. Remember me?
- No.

- Who hired you to take pictures?
- What pictures?

Give them to me.

- Maybe you better get out of here.
- Not without those pictures.

Where is she, huh?

Well, if it isn't Miss Body
Beautiful. Come here.

You're out of here.

- Come on.
- All right, all right.

RICHARD: You're
trespassing, pal.

I could shoot you now. Nobody
would bat an eye. Now, beat it.

Don't come back.

So, what's so
funky at the hotel?

[TELEPHONE RINGS]

She needs your signature
here, here, and on that.

LOWERY: Shelly,
where's my orange juice?

SHELLY: In the
microwave defrosting.

LOWERY: Hurry.

Hello. Good to see
you again. Richard Pep.

Hi, uh...

I'm sorry you had to leave
St. Thomas so abruptly.

Oh, well, I was a little embarrassed
by that event at the beach.

Huh.

- What was that all about?
- That's a long story.

Could I ask a question?

- Certainly. Sit down.
- Thank you.

LOWERY: Shelly, orange
juice. SHELLY: Okay. Okay.

So, what can we do for you?

Well, I was just wondering
how you do it, that's all.

[CHUCKLES]

JUDY: Do what?
RICHARD: Well, you charge

so little for those long weekends
in St. Thomas. I mean, phew, heh...

Well, we give the, uh, airlines and
hotels down there a lot of business.

They give us price breaks,

which we, in turn, pass
on to our customers.

Well, you both live in such
beautiful homes down by the river.

I don't see how
you can afford it

when you're practically
giving these trips away.

LOWERY: Thank you, Shelly.

- Would you like some orange juice?
- No, thank you.

Business was particularly
good in the '80s, Mr. Pep,

and Brian and I
are particularly good

with saving our money.

That's how we afford
such lovely homes.

So, what's this
all about really?

Well, I'm just curious.

- Thank you for your
time. JUDY: Sure.

Mm-hm, take care.

So you think they're involved?

Oh, yeah.

[WATER SLOSHING]

[MATLOCK HUMMING]

Sure you wanna do this?

Mm-hm, it's either we do it ourselves
or pay somebody else to do it.

Want my vote?

I had a wallpaper man out here.

- He gave me a bid, $650 plus tax.
- Sounds fair to me.

The nice thing about it,

while he was giving me the bid,
he told me exactly what I had to do.

Come over here. I'll show you.

All you have to do is wet the
paper down real good with this stuff.

See. Here. Hold that.

You have to wet it
down real good. See.

Get it real wet.
Wet down real good.

Then you make sure that your plaster
and your wiring underneath is good.

Then all you have to do
is to pull the paper loose.

[SINGING] Yes,
sir, that's my baby

No, sir, I don't mean maybe

Yes, sir, that's my baby now

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

WALTERS: Come on in.

Never stayed here. Nice place.

It'll do.

Oh-ho-ho.

These are very good.

Yeah. Well, unfortunately,
Haskins saw me take them.

- He knows he's being set up.
- Does he know about me?

Nope.

No harm done then.

Thank you, Mr. Pep.

I hope you don't mind cash.

Not at all.

So how much do
you think it's worth?

Well, I'm no expert.

- But, uh, heh, 30,000?
- Heh.

Wait, you are splitting
this with me, right?

I mean, you never would have
known any of this stuff was going on

- if it weren't for me. Right?
- Hmm.

Sixty-forty, sweetheart,

and the same thing
applies for whatever else

we can shake out of those
bozos when we go back down.

Heh, I wanna see it.

Well, ahem, why don't
you, uh, just wait here?

Hey, what the hell are
you doing here, man?

[GUNSHOT]

[GASP]

Richard?

Somebody, open the door!

WOMAN: What happened?
- Let me in. Someone's shot.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[RICHARD GRUNTING]

[GROANS]

Oh.

But did the state prove
beyond a shadow of a doubt,

- my client...
- My client stabbed Mr. Ralt to death?

I think not.

Were his fingerprints
on the murder weapon?

No, they were not.

Think back, Your Honor.

You're gonna wear that tape out.

- That's okay. I made copies.
- Ha, ha.

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

Oh, honey, I'll get it.

Would you put this
back over there, please?

Lieutenant Ed
Bronson, Atlanta P.D.

- Warrant? BRONSON:
Gives us right

to search your residence and your
car. Where is your car, by the way?

Well, it's in the garage.
It should be unlocked.

What the heck is going on here?

Well, a private detective
by the name of Richard Pep

was found shot
to death last night.

JOANNE: Sam,
what are they doing?

Lieutenant Ed Bronson,
Atlanta P.D., ma'am.

We got a warrant to
search the premises.

So you live here too?

Yes. We're engaged.

You are, huh? I understand
you knew this Mr. Pep.

I met him. I won't
say that I know him.

How come we found your
fingerprints all over his house?

Well, because I
dropped by the other day

to see if he wanted to
do some work for me.

He didn't, and that was that.

BRONSON: Sure you didn't
drop by to discuss these?

HASKINS: Oh, jeez.

BRONSON: We printed those
from negatives at Pep's house.

One of my men recognized you.

So if you're engaged
to her, who's the babe?

That was a setup, Joanne.

That girl, she kept
throwing herself at me,

so this Richard Pep guy
could take those pictures.

I didn't tell you
because I figured

some guy was trying
to get back at me,

I didn't want to scare you.

You expect me to believe that?

Hon, you've got
to. It's the truth.

BRONSON: This guy blackmailing you?
- No.

Joanne, please,
nothing happened.

I don't even know that woman.

Please, don't be upset.

You know, when we found the
negatives at Mr. Pep's house,

we kind of wondered why there
weren't any prints with them.

Now we know.

Just found these in
the trunk of your car.

Your fingerprints
were all over his house.

In his hall, bathroom,

on the knob, door
jamb to his bedroom.

- What in the world were you doing?
- When I found out that girl was there,

I went tearing through
the place looking for her.

What were you gonna do
with her if you found her?

I don't know.

I wasn't thinking straight.

Joanne, my fiancée,
she gets real jealous.

I mean, real jealous.
She gets nuts.

And I guess thinking about
her seeing those pictures

made me kind of nuts.

What would you have done?

Followed Richard Pep, maybe.

Tried to get the girl off by
herself, bluff something out of her.

Anything but what you did.

HASKINS: Ouch.

I'm sure you
don't have an alibi.

No. I can see now the only
way I'm gonna get out of this thing

is to find the guy
who really did it.

It has to be someone who
knew that I had a motive.

It's either that girl, or whoever hired
Richard Pep to take those pictures.

Or maybe somebody
who saw him deck you

on the beach at St.
Thomas that day.

- Yeah. That too.
- Yeah.

Well...

You keep thinking on it.

I'll see you at bail hearing.

Well, evidently,
he... Excuse me.

Evidently, he didn't,
uh, die right away.

Police figure he took
the bullet over here, right?

And he was on his
way to the phone,

made it as far as the dresser,
and then he keeled over dead.

What's all this business?

Oh, well, the police figure that
he knocked this off the dresser

when he was trying to
pull himself up to his feet.

What's that?

Ticket stub for his
tour. Got his blood on it.

Yeah, it was in his hand.

Telephone's all
the way over there.

Why did he go by the dresser?

I don't know. He was dying.

He probably didn't
know what he was doing.

Did you speak to the Talk
of the Town Tours people?

No. Not yet.

JUDY: That's the fourth big client
we've gotten from that one ad.

I wanna make sure that we
keep running that. We need...

Oh, oh, oh, hi. I'm Ben Matlock.

I represent Sam Haskins.

- Judy Poole.
- Hi. I'm Brian Lowery.

Hi. I wonder if we could
have a minute to...?

Oh, certainly. Um, here.

Come down here
where we can sit down.

MATLOCK: All right. Thank you.

I, uh, take it Shelly's offered
you something to drink.

MATLOCK: Yes, I'm
fine. Thanks. JUDY: Good.

Well, it seems that Mr. Haskins
is in one heck of a lot of trouble.

Oh.

Maybe it'd have been better if
he'd stayed down in St. Thomas,

or Mr. Pep had stayed, heh.

I understand, uh, he came
over to your office the other day.

- Who?
- Richard Pep.

Oh, uh, yes. He was.
He had wanted to come in

and apologize to us in person.

You know, for that
fight he'd gotten into

with Mr. Haskins in front of
our clients down on the island.

LOWERY: Uh, just
as a matter of curiosity,

how did you happen to
find out, uh, he was here?

[CLEARS THROAT]

I went over to his house,
went through his stuff,

files and everything.

I'm pretty nosy, heh.

Course, he's pretty nosey too.

He's a private investigator.
Did you know that?

LOWERY: No. Well, yeah.

I mean, after I read about his
murder in the paper. I did. Yeah.

Maybe that's how he found out
about those big houses of yours.

I still don't know why he found
out about those big houses.

You don't suppose he
was investigating you?

Well, if he was, I
have no idea why.

MATLOCK: Well, I'll
go then, JUDY: Okay.

Oh, could I have of
those little brochures

- on that, uh, St. Thomas trip?
- Certainly. Excuse me.

I hear it's a real good deal
and I really like good deals, heh.

Well, here you go.
I'm giving you two.

It's our most popular tour.

Hey, we're going down this weekend,
and I think we still have some room.

- You should join us. Good.
- Maybe I will.

Good, heh.

JUDY: Okay. MATLOCK: Shelly.

SHELLY: Bye, Ben.

Join us? Are you
out of your mind?

Please. Like the man's
really gonna go off

gallivanting in the islands while he's
in the middle of a big case? Get a grip.

[HAMMER BANGING]

- Hello, Pop. MATLOCK: Hi.

Dinner's in the oven.
I've already eaten.

I thought you were gonna
call somebody to do that.

I did.

He told me what he was gonna
do, and I said, "Heck, I can do that."

So I got rid of all the old plaster
and I'm putting up this wallboard.

What if the plaster is rotten
underneath the rest of the paper?

Well, we'll just get
rid of that too, heh.

This is fun.

- Not for me.
- Yeah.

[HUMMING]

LEANNE [SINGING]: Oh,
baby, yes, sir, that's my baby

No, sir, I don't mean maybe

Yes, sir, that's my baby now

The happiest moment of my life

was when I walked
into that bail hearing,

and there you were.

I tried to leave
you but I couldn't.

- I love you.
- I love you.

- Where's the remote?
- Oh, just leave it on.

We're wasting electricity.

- Sam.
- Supposed to be right here, though.

- Wait a minute.
- Oh, here.

- Here you are.
- Heh.

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

I'll get it.

Daddy, heh, what
are you doing here?

- Oh. WALTERS: Hmm.

- I had to come, sweetheart.
- Oh.

Come on in.

Hello, Sam.

Joanne called me this morning
and told me the whole story.

Would you excuse Sam and
me for just a moment, sweetheart?

- Sure.
- Okay. Thanks.

Joanne tells me that,
uh, you're being framed.

That's right.

She also says that in spite of
some rather lurid photographs,

she still loves you

and intends to marry you
once this whole mess is over.

Well, you got that right too.

I don't like you, Sam.

I don't like the way you talk.

I don't like the way you act.

And I hate the way
you look at my daughter.

Still, I never intended for
anything like this to happen.

What do you mean?

I'm the one who hired Richard
Pep to take those photographs.

He was gonna send them
to Joanne anonymously.

After what happened last year,

I was hoping that this
would be the final straw

that would drive you
out of her life for good.

I don't believe this.

Even though you have many
less than desirable qualities,

I know you're not a murderer.

And because it's more or less my
fault that the police think you are,

I came here to apologize,

to offer you whatever
financial assistance you need

to beat this thing.

Joanne.

Joanne, come in here.

I want you to hear
what your father did.

What?

He offered to pay all
my legal expenses.

[CHUCKLES]

That's wonderful.

Ben Matlock's defending
him. Did he tell you that?

- No.
- He's always been Sam's idol.

He's not cheap
but he's the best.

Oh, thank you.

Well, maybe Sam deserves it.

[CHUCKLES]

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

Hi. Do you mind?

No. Sure. Sure. I thought
you were the bellboy.

Oh, no. He's, uh, on his way up.

I was, uh, under the impression

you were gonna be
with us for another week.

May I ask why you're
checking out so soon?

Well, my plans changed and
I've gotta get back to the States.

There might be a problem
with accommodations.

Oh, no, this place
has been great.

Good.

Hey. What are you doing?

Stop it!

[GRUNTING]

[SCREAMING]

HASKINS: Well, that's her.

That's the woman who
helped Richard Pep set me up.

Yolanda Burke.

Does this mean you
know where she is?

BRONSON: Know
exactly where she is.

The morgue down in St. Thomas.

She's dead?

Jumped off a fourth-floor hotel
balcony yesterday afternoon.

- Apparent suicide.
- Oh, no.

Came in off the wire
about an hour ago.

Just called you down here
because she matched the description

you gave us of Pep's accomplice,

and also the hotel she bailed out
of is the one you and Pep stayed at.

- The Breakers?
- Yeah.

Anyway, that's all I got.

Just thought you
might be interested.

Well, thanks,
Ed, I appreciate it.

Buy you a beer sometime.

Sure you will.

HASKINS: I would like to
know where those people

who own that travel agency
were yesterday afternoon.

Think they took a
quick trip to St. Thomas,

gave Yolanda a little
shove off that balcony?

Well, Richard Pep did go see
them right before he was murdered.

Maybe they're all involved in some
scheme that went sour or something.

You know, it happens
they got a secretary

that likes me and likes to talk.

Think I'll go home
and give her a jingle.

JUDY: How could you
do something like that?

So what?

Look, I don't wanna go
over this on the telephone.

Where are you?

We'll be there.

[TELEPHONE RINGS]

- We've got a problem.
- What?

Come on. I'll tell
you in the car.

Shelly, Brian and I are going
out. We'll be back in about an hour.

SHELLY: Okay.

[TELEPHONE RINGS]

[CLEARS THROAT]

Talk of the Town
Tours. Shelly speaking.

Well, hi, Mr. Matlock.
How are you?

[ALL CHATTERING]

WOMAN: Table for two?
- Oh, no, thanks. We're with him.

Bloody Mary anyone?

[CHUCKLES]

Are you out of your mind?

I thought you
liked Bloody Marys.

What did you have
to kill that girl for?

Wait, wait,

you were the one that said
you saw her in Richard Pep's car

when he left your agency
the other day. No, no.

Don't we have to assume that
he told her everything he knew?

I, for one, don't
like loose ends.

I'd like a mineral water
with, uh, lime, no ice, please.

LOWERY: Let me have
an orange juice, a big one.

Couldn't you at least
have discussed it with us?

We are discussing it.

That's why I came to Atlanta.

- That's another stupid thing.
- Why?

My mother lives here.

I visit her quite often.

When's the last time you
visited your mother, Brian?

Hey, don't, all right?

Look, somebody dies at your hotel
and the very next day you leave town.

Don't you think that the police
are gonna think that's just strange?

I spoke to the police at
length, and I told them,

if they had more
questions for me,

they could find me
here, so calm down.

You know, you look terrible.

I feel terrible.

I got low blood sugar,
but I'm gonna be...

Orange juice. I need
some orange juice.

I'm gonna be fine.

HASKINS: So I followed
them into the hotel restaurant,

- and guess who they
met with. JOANNE: Um...

The owner of The Breakers Hotel
down in St. Thomas, Paul Cox.

JOANNE: Hmm.

I couldn't hear what they were saying,
but seeing as how Ben just found out

that both Judy and
Brian were here in Atlanta

- when Yolanda died...
- Paul Cox is a prime suspect.

- Oh, I love it when you talk legal.
- Mm-hm.

What about the guy
who hired Richard Pep

to take those photos?
Is he still a suspect?

No, no, that turned
out to be a dead end.

So, what do you want for lunch?

- Sam?
- Somebody's been in here.

What do you mean?

Uh, I always close these blinds
before we leave, you know,

so the furniture won't fade.

Well, nothing
seems to be missing.

You'd better check the bedroom.

Okay.

My jewelry's still here,
and so is your watch.

Did you move this fish you
bought me down in St. Thomas?

- No.
- Somebody did.

What do you
mean? It's right there.

I always line it up at
the end of the table.

Now, look, it was all crooked.

Oh, come on, Sam.

I am telling you, Joanne.

You know me, I
can't sleep at night

unless I know everything
is in its proper place.

I would not have
left it like that.

Somebody's been here.

Mr. Cox?

- Yes?
- Hi, Ben Matlock.

- Please.
- I appreciate you meeting me like this.

I was afraid I was gonna have
to fly down to the Virgin Islands.

But, uh, surprise, you're
right here in Atlanta.

Well, my mother lives here now.

So I visit quite a lot.

[CLEARS THROAT]

I represent Sam Haskins,

the young man who's been
accused of killing Richard Pep.

And, uh, the two of them
stayed at that hotel of yours

in St. Thomas recently.

Yes. I heard about that.

Who told you, Judy and Brian?

- As a matter of fact, they did.
- Hmm.

You talk to them a lot?

Oh, they bring me an awful
lot of business, Mr. Matlock.

So you can bet that I talk to them
as often and as nicely as I can.

[MATLOCK CHUCKLES]

Yeah. Yeah. I read their brochure
on that St. Thomas tour they have,

and what I don't understand is
how you can make any money

when you give all their clients
such big discounts on their rooms.

Well, I make up for it
with the money I make

on the food, the drink,
the parasailing rental,

equipment rental,
that sort of thing.

I mean, believe me, all I need to
make a profit down there is volume.

Phew.

Mm-mm.

How long you been in town?

I arrived this morning.

Oh, so you were in St.
Thomas when that young lady...

[COX SIGHS]

- It was a terrible tragedy.
- Yeah.

And, uh, you were in Atlanta
when Richard Pep died?

I was visiting my mother.

And, no, I was not in Dallas
when President Kennedy died.

[BEN CHUCKLES]

Well, I'll be going. I got to
go to the hardware store.

My, uh, my little daughter and
I are redecorating the house,

putting up some wallpaper
in the dining room.

- Handy, huh?
- Fair.

[BEN SIGHS]

Golden Village
Retirement Community.

- Hannacocks.
- Hannacocks. Yeah. Okay.

Thank you. Okay. Okay.

[MATLOCK HUMMING]

MATLOCK: I talked
with the man at the store.

He told me exactly what to do.
This has all been pre-cut, measured.

Put the paste on.
Put it up on the wall.

- You're putting on too much paste.
- No.

- You need a lot of paste.
- Dad.

Lot of paste. Lot
of paste. Come on.

- Bring it right along. Don't let it curl.
- All right.

Okay. Bring it along. Come on.

There you go. Coming along.

- Dad, it's dripping right over there.
- No.

- Turn it loose.
- You can't turn it.

Dad! Ugh.

[SINGING] Yes,
sir, that's my baby

No, sir, I don't mean maybe

[DOOR OPENS]

- Hi, Ben.
- Ah!

[SIGHS]

I didn't hear you.

How did you get in here?

I wanted to take a look around.

I figured the police would
never allow that, so...

Sam, a person accused of murder

shouldn't be sneaking
around the scene of the crime.

I had to follow my instincts, Ben. I
mean, isn't that what you're doing?

Next time, call me, we'll
carpool to save us some gas.

What is in your hair?

Wallpaper paste.

Come here. I gotta
show you something.

Somebody broke into my house

and did something to a figurine

that Joanne had bought
me down in St. Thomas.

And when I came over
to see Richard Pep,

I saw that he
had a figurine too.

He paid money for that thing?

Well, he got it for half price.

This is what's
really interesting.

He was planning on going
back down to St. Thomas.

These plane tickets
were ordered by phone

and were delivered to his house
just hours before he was murdered.

This time he was planning on
staying at the Hotel Sans Souci.

He stayed at The
Breakers last time.

I don't get it.

What's some butt-ugly figurine
and some airplane tickets

got to do with his murder?

I don't know. But I do know
that he, a private investigator,

was going to the
Caribbean and he dies,

and Yolanda, his partner, was
in the Caribbean, and she dies.

Something's going on down there.

Wallpaper paste?

WOMAN [ON PA]:
Final boarding call.

Pan-Atlantic Flight
6171 to St. Thomas

now boarding Gate 6A.

CLIFF: Wait. Wait for me.

- Mr. Jenkins?
- Yes.

Judy Poole from Talk
of the Town Tours.

- Nice to meet you.
- We almost left without you.

The story of my life.

WOMAN [ON PA]: Final boarding
call. Pan-Atlantic Flight 6171...

JUDY: And for all of you who can't wait
to get into town and use these coupons,

the Talk of the Town tour bus will
be leaving in exactly 45 minutes.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

- I'll be back in a minute.
- Okay.

- Oh, I'm sorry. Heh.
- I'm sorry.

Did you happen to notice if that
man was wearing a wedding ring?

Mr. Lowery?

No, I... No, I didn't
no... I didn't notice.

Thank you.

Welcome.

[BAND PLAYING CALYPSO MUSIC]

WOMAN: Good morning. Welcome.

CLIFF: Thank you. Thank you.

Lieutenant Bronson, did you take
a duly authorized search warrant

to the defendant,
Samuel Haskins', home?

BRONSON: Sir, I
did. MAN: At the time,

did you ask the defendant

if he knew the
deceased, Richard Pep?

BRONSON: Yes, I did.
- What did he say?

Defendant claimed to have
gone to the deceased's home

with the intention of hiring
him as a private investigator.

Did he mention that he had
previously had a fist fight with Mr. Pep

- in the Caribbean?
BRONSON: No, he did not.

MAN: What brought you
to Mr. Haskins' house?

We found compromising negatives
of Mr. Haskins with a woman

at the scene of the crime.

Now, as a detective with
the Atlanta Police Force

for over 15 years,

did you have some sense of
what these pictures were for?

In my estimation, they
were pictures for blackmail.

MAN: I see.

And in the course of searching
Mr. Haskins' house and his car,

what did you find?

Hidden in his trunk were,
uh, a set of photographs

of Mr. Haskins with a woman

that corresponded with the negatives
we found at the scene of the crime.

Was there anything
on these pictures?

Blood that was later
identified as Richard Pep's.

Nothing further.

Take care of the rooms on the
third floor, everything should be fine.

My name is Joanne Walters.
I live in Atlanta, Georgia.

I'd like to remind the court

that Miss Walters
lives with the defendant

and should, therefore, be
considered a hostile witness.

Proceed.

How long have you and Mr. Haskins
lived together, Miss Walters?

Since we moved to Atlanta
about two months ago.

MAN: And how long
have you known him?

- Almost a year.
- You are in love with him, aren't you?

Yes.

We're going to get married
as soon as this is all over.

So when it comes
to Mr. Haskins, you...

You tend to get jealous
very easily, don't you?

[CHUCKLES]

Well, I get jealous. I don't
know about the "easily" part.

Well, for instance,
approximately six months ago,

Mr. Haskins had lunch
with a former girlfriend,

and you had quite a
reaction, didn't you?

- Objection. Relevancy.
MAN: I'm establishing motive.

She is, again, a hostile witness. I
have to have a little latitude here.

Overruled. Please,
answer the question.

Well, naturally,
I was a little hurt.

A little hurt. You broke
up with him, didn't you?

- Well, I didn't...
- For weeks you wouldn't talk to him

either in person or on
the phone. Isn't that right?

- Yes. MAN: All
because he had lunch.

Not dinner, not a little drink,

just lunch with a former
girlfriend. Isn't that right?

Yes.

Most people would call that
getting jealous easily, Miss Walters.

[WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

We should be getting
the gift baskets about 4.

Would you like us to
put them in your room?

COX: Bring them in
as soon as they arrive.

I wanna look them
over before they go out.

[SIGHS]

Mom? Got your message.
How are you feeling?

Did you talk to Dr. Rosen today?

What did he say?

[CLIFF SIGHS]

MAN: You were with the defendant
in your house when he was arrested

for Richard Pep's
murder, were you not?

Yes, I was.

And the photos that led the police
to Mr. Haskins in the first place,

ones developed from the negatives
that were found at Mr. Pep's house,

you saw those photos, right?

JOANNE: Yes.

Who were those photos of?

Sam and some woman.

And what were Sam and some
woman doing in those photos?

They were together.

That's all I really remember.

Are these the photos?

Yes.

COX: Mom.

I gotta go. I'll see
you tomorrow.

I love you. Bye.

[DOOR CLOSES]

MAN: How did you feel when
you first saw these pictures?

Surprised.

MAN: Confused?

Angry?

Jealous?

Not only are you under oath,

but I can recall Lieutenant
Bronson to the stand.

Now, please answer the question.

Did these pictures
make you jealous?

Yes.

Now, you were also present
when the police found this

duplicate set of the same photos in
the trunk of Sam's car, weren't you?

Yes.

Now, Miss Walters, be honest.

When you saw these photos
stained with Richard Pep's blood,

didn't it flash through
your mind that maybe,

just maybe, Sam
Haskins had killed him

in order to keep you from
ever seeing these pictures?

- Objection. MAN: He knew

that if you ever saw these pictures,
you would walk out on him for good,

you'd be so jealous. Right?

Your Honor, that's
not a question, it's...

Hell, it's not even an answer.

I don't know what it is.

Withdrawn.

Nothing further.

[DOORBELL RINGS]

- Hello. How you doing?
- Hi.

Okay.

[SIGHS]

Thanks for coming.

Well, I came as
soon as you called.

Tsk.

I'm sorry that you had trouble
in court today, sweetheart.

Oh, it couldn't have
been any worse.

Well, you told the
truth, didn't you?

Dad, I made Sam look guilty.

It sounded like you'd stick
with Sam through thick and thin.

I would.

Well, if the jury got that, then
Sam has nothing to worry about.

[SIGHS]

You're trying to
make me feel better.

No.

I never was a big fan of Sam's.

Heh, I know.

I suppose I always wanted you to
be involved with someone like us.

Someone with culture
and sophistication.

I just wasn't ready
for someone like Sam.

Sam is a wonderful person.

Yeah, I know.

No, Dad, you don't know.

The day I came here to
offer Sam financial support...

That's very kind of you.

No, it was not.

I owed it to him.

I came here that day to tell Sam

that I was the one
that hired Richard Pep

to take those pictures
of him and that woman.

What?

I know. I'm sorry.

You were so hell-bent
on marrying him,

I didn't know what else to do.

How could you do that?

I don't know, uh, uh...

But when I told Sam,
he was furious. He...

He wanted to tell you
right away, but then...

I don't know. He
changed his mind.

I think he realized how
much pain there was there,

and he didn't
wanna do that to you.

He's a good man, Joanne.

And he loves you very much.

He would never tell you this.

I just couldn't live
with it anymore.

I just hope you'll find
a way to forgive me.

[SIGHS]

I am really sorry.

- Hi.
- Hi.

So is he?

I beg your pardon?

Uh, Brian Lowery, is he married?

Oh. Oh. Ha-ha-ha.

Um, divorced twice.
Not a good sign.

No. No, not at all, heh.

If I ask you to do
something for me,

do you think you could view it
as a simple act of human kindness

and not a come-on
meant to tease, titillate

or otherwise manipulate
you emotionally?

Uh, oh, you've
completely lost me.

Would you put
sunscreen on my back?

Oh, yes. Oh, of course.
Of course I can do that.

- Okay.
- Of course I can do...

I can do that for you.

You know, I don't know why I
bother coming to the tropics anymore.

I spend the whole time
putting sunscreen on.

But you gotta go
where the guys are.

Men don't care much what
happens to their skin, do they?

I mean, if you get lines or wrinkles,
it means you've got character.

If women get them,
it means they got old.

Do you think you could
do my other shoulder now?

[BOTH GRUNT]

Oh, no. Oh, no.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Let me help you out.

- Let me help you
out. COX: All right.

Okay. Let me just...

Let me just get that for you.

Look, I'm fine. I'm
fine. Thank you.

Thank you.

MAN [OVER PHONE]: Operator.
- Yes. Hello.

Yes. I need to call the
U.S.A. Atlanta, Georgia.

MAN [OVER PHONE]: One moment.
- Right.

CLIFF [ON RECORDING]: Well, uh,
I'll bet they were made by fingernails.

Why else would he be wearing
makeup to try to hide them?

MATLOCK: Okay, call the police down
there and see if they've found any skin

underneath Yolanda
Burke's fingernails.

Then catch the next plane home.

Tell the police they can
reach you at this number.

Okay.

Ben, I did good, didn't I?

MATLOCK: Real
good. Now, hang up.

This call must be
costing a fortune.

Thank you, Bo.

Don't let any more of Mr. Jenkins'
calls through for a while, okay?

MAN [OVER INTERCOM]: Yes, sir.

[SIGHS]

MAN [OVER PHONE]:
Operator. How may I help you?

Could you try the
police again for me?

MAN [OVER PHONE]: Yes.
- Thank you.

[LINE DISCONNECTS]

COX: Mr. Jenkins?

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

Mr. Jenkins?

Mr. Jenkins?

[LEAVES RUSTLING]

Mr. Jenkins? What are you doing?

[SIGHS]

[CLIFF YELLS]

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

CLIFF: How you doing? Howdy.

MAN: Mr. Cox?
- Yes?

Mind opening your shirt?

Opening my shirt?

Well, yeah, I do mind.

Do it anyway, please.

Got a cat or something, Mr. Cox?

I'd like to call my lawyer.

Sure. You can as soon
as we get to the station.

MAN: Where do you
want to interview him?

[PHONE RINGS]

Well, they're interrogating him
now, but he hasn't copped to anything.

I think his lawyer's gonna
make it very difficult for us

to get a tissue sample.

It's gonna be days before we
can tell whether that was his skin

under Yolanda's fingernails.

MATLOCK [OVER PHONE]:
Well, um, even if he did

push her off that balcony,

we still don't know why.

CLIFF [OVER PHONE]: Oh, I
forgot to tell you about the figurines.

- What figurines?
CLIFF: These, um...

These wooden fish.

Remember, you told me
to check out the curio shop.

I did. And it turns out

that they're only open when Talk
of the Town tour groups are here.

They give you these 50
percent off coupon books

to buy these wooden figurines.

I found a whole, uh, stack of
these things in Paul Cox's office.

- Is that right?
CLIFF: Yes, yes.

You know, I also
found these lists

of everyone who bought
the figurines this weekend

and the weekend that Sam
and Richard Pep were here.

Well, good. Bring it
by when you get home.

[CLEARS THROAT]

Oh, good. This is
working out real good.

Joanne.

Hi, honey. Where have you been?

Well, I stopped off
at Ben's after court.

His investigator just got
back from St. Thomas.

Here. Hold this.

Is everything okay?

Everything is fine, honey.

Stop worrying.

If everything is fine, why am I
standing here holding a garbage bag?

Why are you making like your
hands are tuna sandwiches?

Come here and I'll show you.

Ben is asking everyone who
bought a fish like this on that tour

that we went on to bring
them over to his house tonight.

- Why?
- I don't know.

But we're not supposed to
touch them more than necessary.

You open that bag.

I think he's checking
for fingerprints.

Fingerprints?

MAN: And this is the
last one I'll need from you.

Now, folks, we're not sure

who, why, or what or
when or for, uh, what reason,

but we believe that these items

have something to do
with Richard Pep's murder.

So if you'll just sit tight
while the police do their things

well, Mr. Haskins here
and I will appreciate it.

And, uh, I think you'll find the
cookies are quite good, heh.

And the pickles.

[ALL SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

[CLEARS THROAT]

[CHUCKLES AND CLEARS THROAT]

I think these people are
getting a little restless.

[WHISPERS] I don't
know what to do then.

I've got an idea.

Hmm.

[MATLOCK CLEARS THROAT]

Play something.

Play what?

That song you played at
the church picnic last week.

- Play.
- Oh, folks.

[MATLOCK CHUCKLES]

While we're waiting for the
police to finish doing their thing,

why don't we have a
little sing-a-along? Heh.

This is a beautiful little
song called "In The Pines."

You sing the verse.

[SINGING] In the
pines, in the pines

Where the sun never shines

- Gonna shiver when cold wind
blows ALL: When the cold wind blows

If I had listen To
what my mama said

Well, I would not
been here today

You know I've been sleeping
On a goose-feather bed

Instead of on the
cold, cold ground

In the pines

ALL: In the pines, in the pines

Where the sun never shines

Gonna shiver When
the cold wind blows

MATLOCK [IN NORMAL
VOICE]: The longest train.

ALL [SINGING]: The
longest train I ever saw

Was on that...

And we'll hitch old
Dobbin To the shay

Through the field of
clover We will ride to Dover

On our golden wedding day

- Put on your old grey bonnet
BRONSON: Mr. Matlock.

- Mr. Matlock.
- [IN NORMAL VOICE]: What?

Oh, yes, yes. Here. Excuse me.

Yes?

Okay.

Two things.

First, Richard Pep's has
been hollowed out. See?

- Uh-huh.
- Somebody split it open.

These other ones are solid.

Second thing.

- It's got his fingerprints all over
it. MATLOCK: Well, it was his.

Means you think
that these other ones

would have these
people's on them.

Wrong. None of them do.

They're all clean,
except for Sam's.

And even his only has
a couple of fingerprints.

Well, that's weird. Everyone
here would have taken these home.

They would have taken
them out of the box,

looked at them, put
them on the shelf.

I don't know why they wouldn't
have their fingerprints on them. Sorry.

Maybe after they were
placed on the shelves,

somebody came in with
gloves on and switched them.

Except they didn't bother to switch
Richard Pep's because he was dead.

But his was empty.

Hi, Mr. Cox.

I, uh, just wanted to drop by
and see how you were holding up.

Oh, it's very nice of you.

[JUDY CLEARS THROAT]

I heard they took
a tissue sample.

My lawyer couldn't
hold them off any longer.

- Damn it.
- The only thing it proves

is Yolanda scratched
me before she died.

My lawyer said unless
and until they show motive,

they don't have a solid case.

Which means that
it's in your best interest

not to mention
anything about Brian.

So far.

Oh, by the way,

four of those figurines
are on their way to Atlanta.

- What?
- Well, couldn't be helped.

They were all ready to go in
my office when I got arrested.

People who bought them picked
them up when I was being questioned.

Sorry.

[DOGS BARKING]

[ENGINE REVS]

BRONSON: All right, hold it.

Put the pack down.

Put your hands behind
your head. Move.

All right, we're clear.

WOMAN: Mr. Lowery?

Huh. No wonder he's been
divorced so many times.

We've been following
you, Mr. Lowery.

Saw you casing the place today.

Thought we'd arrange a reception
for you. Take him to the car.

Let's take a look at this thing.

You got a knife?

Oh, Ben always tells
me to be prepared.

Look at that.

Hang on for a second.

They hollowed it out
just like Richard Pep's.

Gold.

[CHUCKLES]

How long do you think this
gold smuggling's been going on?

I don't know.

But whoever was doing
it didn't want it to end.

When Richard Pep started
looking around, they killed him.

Hmm.

Hey, do you think
it was a team effort?

Well, Paul Cox
was with his mother.

I asked some people out
at the retirement home.

Oh.

Well, that just leaves, "Hi. Brian
and Judy from Talk of the Town Tours."

[SIGHS]

Let's look in here.

[MATLOCK HUMMING]

CLIFF: Do you always look for
clues in people's refrigerators?

Sometimes, when I'm hungry.

He's pretty sloppy.

I give up.

Oh, come on, now.

You'll feel better after
lunch, especially if I pay.

[CHUCKLES]

Richard Pep was into recycling.

A PI with a social conscience.

[CHUCKLES]

I understand that you're the
co-owner of a travel agency.

Yes, uh, Judy Poole and I run
the, uh, Talk of the Town Tours.

MATLOCK: Ah.

Business must be booming.

I hear that last year you
bought a house on the river

that's worth more
than a million dollars.

- Yes. It's a beautiful
home. MATLOCK: Yeah.

I, uh, I read your
St. Thomas package.

That's, uh, one of
our most popular tours.

Oh, yeah, four
nights in a nice hotel.

Air fare.

Discount shopping.

All for $700.

How can you make
money like that?

Well, actually,
the key is volume.

We send, uh, a lot
of people down there.

MATLOCK: Actually, you
make, uh, the bulk of your money

on what people bring back
into the United States, don't you?

[CHUCKLES]

You broke into one
of your client's house

named, uh, Mrs. Patty Locke
the other day, didn't you?

Under the Fifth Amendment, I
refuse to answer that question.

When the police caught you

you were carrying this.

- I refuse to answer that question.
MATLOCK: You wanna read the tag?

Okay, I'll...

"Confiscated from backpack
worn by Brian Lowery at scene.

ID'd as belonging
to Patty Locke.

Removed from scene
21:38 hours, 2/17/94.

Signed Atlanta Police
Lieutenant Ed Bronson."

- Is that what it says?
- Yes.

Now...

This one here.

You wanna read this?

Do you? No? Okay,
I'll read what it says.

"Left on table in Locke's
home by Brian Lowery.

Removed from scene
21:40 hours, 2/17/94.

Signed, Lieutenant Ed Bronson."

- Is that what it says?
- Yes.

In other words, you were caught

having broken into
Patty Locke's house,

switching this fish,

which she bought in St.
Thomas on one of your tours,

with this one. Is that right?

Under Fifth Amendment, I
refuse to answer that question.

Which one of them is heavier?

Can you answer that question?

Answer the question.

- That one.
- This one.

That's because this one

contains a very large

hunk of exceptionally pure gold.

Patty Locke bought this figurine
in St. Thomas on one of your tours

in a curio shop that
happens to be owned by you,

Judy Poole and Paul Cox.

Paul Cox has been indicted for
murder in St. Thomas. Did you know that?

No.

Anyway,

she had this wrapped
and delivered to her hotel

so she wouldn't have
to carry it around all day.

In fact, she didn't have to
touch it until she got it home.

See, she didn't know that
that fish was filled with gold.

So, what she did,
without knowing it,

was she smuggled over $30,000
worth of gold into the United States.

Miss Locke wasn't the only
one, was she, Mr. Lowery?

Uh, a lot of your customers
bought these, uh, figurines

and you used them as mules.

They involuntarily smuggled
gold into the United States for you.

The hard part, then,

was breaking into the
houses and switching the fish,

so you could get the gold.

You broke into every
one of those houses

and switched these fish.

What happened when you
broke into Richard Pep's house

to switch his?

Ha, ha. I'm sorry. I have absolutely
no idea what you're talking about.

Well, he bought one of
these in your store, didn't he?

I don't know. How should I know?

Well, the police removed this
fish from Richard Pep's house.

See? It had been hollowed out.

Just like Miss Locke's has.

He was smuggling gold
for you too, wasn't he?

Only he found it.

And when you went to
his house to switch the fish,

you knew that he knew.

And you knew that he
would either go to the police,

or try to blackmail
you, or maybe both.

So you decided to
kill him, didn't you?

- No, I didn't. MATLOCK:
Oh, yeah, you did.

You went over there.

You looked around.
You found the gold.

And you sat in his house and
waited for him to come home.

- I never set foot in that
house. MAN: Objection.

This has gone far enough.

Especially since Mr. Matlock has
yet to present one iota of actual proof.

Right here.

This is more than
just one little bitty iota.

Get on with it, counselor.

Yes, sir.

It's a well-known fact
around your travel agency

that you suffer
from hypoglycemia.

Yes.

Apparently, your blood
sugar gets very low

unless you have some form of
sugar every couple of hours, right?

- Yes, that's right.
- You get all shaky and nervous.

It's not that big
of a deal, really.

MATLOCK: Yeah. Well,
not if you're prepared.

But what if something
unexpected happens,

like when you went
to Richard Pep's house

and found that he
had found the gold,

and you realized
you had to kill him.

Why, you had to
wait there for hours.

And you finally
got really shaky.

I never set foot in that house
that night or any other night.

Oh, yes, you were.

You got real shaky.

You went to the refrigerator and
you found this can of soda pop

and you drank it down.

After you were finished with it,

you wiped your
fingerprints off the can

and threw it into
the trash compactor.

This can, the police removed it

from Richard Pep's
house yesterday afternoon.

He was... He was
pretty big on recycling.

So when I saw this can
in his trash compactor,

I knew that somebody
else had used it.

Probably the killer.

And as it turns out,

that was you, wasn't it?

I wasn't there.

Yes, you were.

And I can prove it
with a fingerprint.

You said there weren't
any fingerprints on that.

MATLOCK: Not on the
outside of the can. No.

You have a habit.

You've probably done it so
long, you don't even notice it.

When you open a can of pop,
you take your pinky, little finger,

and push that tab
all the way down.

Or maybe you did
it just that one time.

Well, the important thing is

the police found your fingerprint
on the inside of this can.

That means you were
at Richard Pep's house.

And the only reason I can
figure you keep lying about it

is you killed him.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

Yes, sir, Your Honor.

We find the defendant,
Samuel Haskins, not guilty.

- There you have it.
- Thank you, sir.

Congratulations.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

MATLOCK: You're still here?
- He's just finishing up.

Oh, your aunt's airplane
came in 35 minutes ago.

She'll be here any second.

- Why didn't you pick her up?
- She don't like the way I drive.

- I could have driven.
- She likes that less.

Oh, Dad.

Isn't it gorgeous?

- How much did it cost?
- Let's just say,

it would have been a lot
cheaper if we'd hired him first.

ELLEN: Yoo-hoo!

Ben.

Ben, pay the cab, would you?

Putting on a few pounds?

Uh, ahem, I'm here, uh, Ellen.

Oh, cataracts.

Here. Pay the cab,
will you? Thank you.

Hello, Ellen.

You're breaking.

Know what that means?

You're looking older.

Well, you know. You
remember Leanne?

Hello, Aunt Ellen.

You look good.

Could use some padding.

I need to be excused.

MATLOCK: To the left.

I remember.

That wallpaper is awful.

While I'm here, we
can put up some new.

ELLEN [SINGING]:
Yes, sir, that's my baby

No, sir, I don't mean maybe

Yes, sir, she's my baby now