Matlock (1986–1995): Season 8, Episode 9 - The Conspiracy - full transcript
WOMAN: Hello, how are you?
MAN: I'm fine. How about you? Good?
WOMAN: Here it is. MAN:
Thank you very much.
So Judge Hamner calls me
and Hogan into his chambers.
- What, out of the blue?
- Right after he adjourns court.
Dick, my head was spinning. I
had no idea what this was about.
- What happens?
- Soon as we closed the door,
Hamner turns to Hogan,
points his finger at Hogan
and says, "Counselor, it is
your God-given and legal right
to object in my
courtroom. But so help me,
if you utter another
groundless objection,
I am going to
turn to your client
and strongly recommend
that he discharge you
and then hold you while
he decks you. Got it?
Ha, ha, ha. That's
priceless. Ha, ha, ha.
HOWARD: Hello, Brad.
Sorry. Settlement conference,
ran longer than I thought.
- How did it go?
- Lousy.
HOWARD: What did
the homeowners ask for?
Twenty million.
Who are they kidding?
Andros Chemical dumped toxic
waste all over that development, boys.
- The area is contaminated.
- We realize people got sick, Brad.
They got cancer, Dick,
six times the national rate.
Personally, I think
the jury is gonna award
that homeowners group
upwards of 50 million.
I recommended to
Andros that they settle.
I'm not sure that
was wise, Brad.
I'm surprised they
didn't fire us on the spot.
I worked my hide four
months on this case.
If you think you can
do better, be my guest.
- Brad, we're not second-guessing you.
- Like hell.
Something else. I want that associate
you saddled me with off the case.
Brad, you're one of the people
who hired Todd McCormick.
So I made a mistake.
And I'm not talking about his linen
suit or the stereo system in his office.
- He's unconventional.
- He's worthless.
Brad, I think
you're overreacting.
Now, come on.
Let's give him another chance.
And over the
course of this trial,
you'll be presented
with irrefutable evidence,
indicating that high, lethal levels
of TriOxin, a deadly contaminant,
were and still
continues to be present
in the soil in this community.
A chemical recklessly
and cavalierly dumped
by Andros Chemical Corporation.
These people, they
have no conscience.
There's only one way to get
the attention of toxic polluters
like Andros Chemical,
and that's to punish them.
Punish them with the highest possible
monetary judgment against them.
Thank you.
And while counsel for the
plaintiff will try to paint the picture
of Andros Chemical as a
group of evil, negligent polluters,
evidence will prove
quite to the contrary.
The truth is at the time the
disposal of TriOxin occurred,
Andros Chemical was operating
well within safety standards
required by law. No
one, not Andros Chemical,
not even the Environmental
Protection Agency knew at the time
that the health and the safety
of the people of this community
was being jeopardized.
Andros Chemical abided by
the law set by your legislators.
Is it not then patently
unfair to punish someone
who adheres to the
laws that govern them?
JUDGE: The hour is late.
This court will stand in recess
until 10:00 tomorrow morning.
I'll call you this evening.
Nice going, Brad.
Well, thanks, Todd, but
we're gonna get buried.
Listen, I'm still researching other
areas of TriOxin contamination
where the incidents report the
facts in cancer are lower than this.
Well, you plan on getting me
this information for this trial?
It's not easy, Brad.
Look, I don't wanna
hear your bellyaching.
Just get me the information.
- Hi.
- The car is down the block.
How's your hangover?
Trial is pretty interesting.
Well, obviously,
you're still mad.
Yeah, I'm still mad.
They're my best friends, Janet.
I'm aware of that, Gary. You spend
four nights a week drinking with them.
You know, their wives
don't get on their case
every time they
stay out late with me.
Don't pretend you don't
know what this is about.
How many of your buddies come
home smelling like a French whorehouse?
They also smelled
like cigarettes.
Why don't you
accuse me of smoking?
Because cigarettes were
never one of your weaknesses.
- Janet, come on.
- I don't wanna talk about it.
- I'm sorry.
- Forget it.
I'm an idiot. I think we've
established that by now, haven't we?
[GARY SIGHS]
I'm not fooling around.
You better not be.
[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING
OVER SPEAKERS]
Where are those studies?
Turn that damn thing off!
[MUSIC STOPS]
Where are those
studies you promised me?
Uh, I'm sorry, Brad, I'm
not having much luck.
Look, this is the telephone number
for the president of Andros Chemical.
I want you to call him up
and I want you to tell him
that the luck upon which we
have based our entire defense
seems to be eluding us.
Look, Brad, I know you think
I've just been sitting here...
You have given me no reason...
Wait, wait, wait. Brad, look,
look, look. Here. Feast your eyes.
Twelve cases of TriOxin contamination
over three different continents.
The levels of toxicity are
almost identical to our case.
The incidence of cancer is the
same, infant mortality is the same.
We do not pay you to
prove our opposition's case.
The evidence you're
looking for doesn't exist, Brad.
Andros Chemical broke the
law. Don't blame me for that.
You haven't been around long
enough to get a severance package.
Just clean out your desk and don't
show your face around here again.
[DOOR BANGS]
Ha, ha, sweet. Yes!
Maybe I should
give up my day job.
Wait a minute. Don't you have
to get a day job to give it up?
- Oh, yeah, you're right.
- Double or nothing, what do you say?
- No. No.
- Come on. Come on.
- No way.
- Come on.
It's always double or
nothing with you. Pay up.
- A bet is a bet.
- That's right, pay the piper.
Put up or shut up, huh?
You've never shot that well before
in your entire life. Heh, heh, heh.
That's why we couldn't play again.
I didn't have any more of that in me.
Hey, Gary. Stool number five can't
take her eyes off you, man. Take a look.
So why you? You're
not that good-looking.
- Yeah, I am. ALL:
Heh, heh, heh.
MAN 1: Well, gentlemen, the
party was fun while it lasted.
Oh, no, no, no. I'm in enough
trouble with Janet as it is.
MAN 2: Gary, this isn't
like you. GARY: Yeah, well...
Hey, you get her phone number,
I'm buying beers
the rest of the week.
Excuse me. Did you
say "rest of the week"?
- Rest of the week. GARY: Ah.
- Well?
- I'm getting thirsty.
- Oh, yeah.
- I'm thirsty.
- Oh, he's unbelievable.
- He's doing it.
Hi.
How you doing?
Fine.
It's this kind of
scintillating conversation
that's become my trademark. Heh.
You're very good.
Obviously, my
reputation precedes me.
At darts.
Oh.
[CHUCKLES]
- Oh, look at that.
- Look at that.
I hope you got a
raise recently, pal.
- Well, I will certainly call you.
- Okay.
Bye.
MAN 1: Gary, come over.
[DOOR BELL RINGS]
Coming, coming, coming.
[DOOR BELL RINGS]
Hey, Nellie.
[HUMMING]
Hi, Mr. Matlock.
- Well, as I live and breathe.
- It's Todd McCormick.
I applied for a job with
you here years ago.
- I remember.
- You do?
Yeah. You're the
only lawyer that I know,
looking for a job, ever asked me
where my season tickets for
the Hawks and the Braves were.
[TODD CHUCKLES]
- Mind if...? Can I come in?
- Come on in.
Thank you. Nice to see you.
- What is that? Crepe paper?
- It's linen.
- It must wrinkle a ton.
- Yeah.
So where did you wind up?
Want a bottle of pop or something?
No, thanks. Over
at Gavin $ Howard.
- It's a good firm.
- Yeah. Just left them, actually.
Oh, yeah?
I went to law school
because I wanted
to defend the
wrongly-accused, the little guy.
Who do I end up defending?
- Toxic polluters.
- Oh.
You got fired.
It was a mutual thing. Gavin $
Howard is a pretty conservative firm,
especially Bradford Wilcox.
Yeah, I know Brad.
Then, you know he's nothing
like you. He's really... He's rigid.
Didn't like, heh, the crepe
paper or anything else about me.
Uh-huh. You're looking for work.
Mr. Matlock, I'm an even better
lawyer than I was two years ago
and I joined a tennis club. You
and I could go out on the weekends,
hit the ball around,
a little cardiovascular.
[MATLOCK CHUCKLING]
Yeah, I'm not much for tennis.
And I've got my
daughter working for me.
We've got a young man
and he's already complaining
he doesn't have enough to do.
Yeah, I understand.
And for what it's worth,
I still don't have tickets to
the Braves and the Hawks.
Brad.
Brad, over here.
What the...?
JUDGE: Mr. McCormick,
as a member of the state bar,
I know you are aware of the
severity of these charges against you.
Will you please
approach the bench?
- Sir.
- While you are within your right
to represent yourself
against these charges,
I feel I would be remiss in my
duties if I did not strongly advise you
to seek more experienced
counsel for your defense.
Thank you, Your Honor.
I take it that means you intend
to remain your own attorney.
I don't see as I have
much choice, Your Honor.
To be perfectly candid with you,
I've overextended myself a little bit.
I'm not in a financial position
to hire one of the top firms,
and I have more
confidence in myself
than a court-appointed attorney.
All right.
Then on to the subject of bail.
[SIGHS]
- Turkey dog.
- Thank you.
You're welcome.
- How can you eat that?
- Eat what?
- Turkey hot dog.
- Tastes just like yours.
Turkey. Does not.
Yes, it does. And it
has less than half the fat.
I don't care what you
call it. That's not a hot dog.
Roast beef made with
turkey is not roast beef.
I'll remember that, Pop.
TODD: Ben? Mr. Matlock?
I take it you heard the news.
Hard to miss. Meet my daughter,
Leanne. Todd McCormick.
- Hello, Tom.
- Hi.
Come on
I hear they found
explosives in your garage.
Ben, somebody is setting me up.
I don't know the difference
between a firecracker and a grenade.
Papers say he was caught
running from the motel.
- I read that.
- You bet. Once Brad's car went up,
it took me all of five seconds
to realize I'm being framed.
Yeah.
That morning, I went to
clean out my desk at the office.
I found a message
supposedly written from Brad,
asking me to meet him
at the Roadside Motel.
It felt weird right
from the beginning.
I never liked Brad, but
he's a straight-up guy.
A cryptic note like
that, not his style.
- Still got the note?
- Gone.
You know, the judge suggested
that representing
myself isn't a great idea.
MATLOCK: Mm-hm.
But I told him I couldn't
afford a good attorney.
MATLOCK: Hm.
Would...? Does begging help?
MAN: Maybe we should
check in first. WOMAN: Fine.
MAN: You don't think
we should check in?
No. This was Mr. Wilcox's
first time at the Roadside Motel.
Sure about that?
- Well, we don't get a lot of suits here.
- Hmm.
[MATLOCK HUMMING]
No Bible.
BERT: Well, we don't get
a lot of readers here either.
Mr. Wilcox paid you in cash?
Yep. He said he wanted the
room for a couple of hours.
Yeah?
No, he didn't do that.
- Didn't do what?
- What you're thinking.
How do you know
what I'm thinking?
BERT: Well, because
there would be...
How shall I put this?
Telltale signs of things I'm
sure you don't wanna hear.
Like what?
Like a bed used, a shower used.
Use your imagination.
You mean, Mr. Wilcox
was in here by himself?
Hey, come on. Do
I look like a spy?
Privacy is our watchword
here at the Roadside.
It's what made our reputation.
I'm sure it isn't the furniture.
[MATLOCK HUMMING]
Was Brad at all troubled
before his death?
- You ever meet Brad, Miss Mclntyre?
- No.
Oh. The reason I ask is that Brad
was, by nature, a serious person.
He didn't socialize much.
He didn't have much
of a sense of humor.
So it would have been difficult to
tell if anything was bothering him.
Well, I spent the last
few weeks with Brad
and he seemed like
his same old self to me.
So why do you think he
was resigning from the firm?
What?
Oh, my... Oh, you
didn't know about that?
- No. LEANNE: Well, yes.
The police found a
letter of resignation
on Brad's desk at his house.
I can't believe this.
Of course, a handwriting
expert will have to determine
whether he actually wrote it.
I guess we didn't know
Brad as well as we thought.
- Wow, this is so weird.
- What's that?
Well, I mean, why would
Brad resign from this firm
when he's in the middle of one
of the biggest cases he'd ever tried
and not tell his
partners about it?
CHRISTY: I'm exhausted.
- Mm.
Just another six or seven
hours and I'll let you go.
CHRISTY: Mm. Heh, heh, heh.
The whole idea
makes no sense to me.
Gavin $ Howard will
never hire me as a lawyer.
- I promise they will. You got any fours?
- Go fish.
CLIFF: Ben, I went to
law school in Mount Harlan.
It took me forever to
pass the bar. Remember?
MATLOCK: Not a problem.
- What do you mean?
Got any kings?
I asked you a minute
ago if you had any kings.
I didn't have any
kings a minute ago.
Ooh! Hoo-hoo-hoo.
- What's this?
- Read.
CLIFF: Read.
Criminy.
A letter of recommendation
from Cosgrove $ O'Malley.
They're the top
firm in New York.
You were their
favorite associate.
Ben, I've been to New York City
a total of two days in my entire
life for my Aunt Bessie's funeral.
Why are they
recommending me for this job?
- I asked.
- Oh.
Russ Cosgrove is one of
my oldest and dearest friends.
I promised him you
wouldn't embarrass them.
Got any sevens?
When did you start
getting sevens?
DICK: We're not gonna play games
with you, Cliff. That's not who we are.
But we'd be lying
to you if we said
we didn't want you as
a member of this firm.
I'm, uh... I'm very
flattered. Thank you.
I think you'll find our offer
more than competitive.
I expect you're
speaking with other firms.
Um... Yes. Only the major ones,
though. It's a very exhausting process.
- Heh, heh, heh. I'll bet.
- Clifford, take whatever time you need.
But know this. We want you.
Mr. Howard, given your
associate's untimely death,
I assumed you'd
ask for a mistrial.
Your Honor, it is my
clients' understanding
that a mistrial would only
increase their legal costs
and prolong this
action unnecessarily.
- We're prepared to continue this trial.
- I see.
Have you any
objection, Mr. Canon?
Your Honor, I've discussed
this at some length with counsel
and I have no objection.
Then this court will
reconvene tomorrow 10 a.m.
[GAVEL BANGS]
I'm going to send that judge a
present for adjourning us early.
[CHRISTY CHUCKLES]
- It's good to see you.
- I ordered for you.
GARY: Thank you.
- So how's the case going?
- Who cares?
No, really, I'm interested.
You know I'm not supposed
to talk about the case.
CHRISTY: Heh, heh, heh.
- Like you're gonna tell someone.
Well, I remember, you told
me about it the other day.
So have you decided
how you're gonna vote?
I'm not supposed to make up
my mind until all the evidence is in.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Heh, heh, heh.
[GARY SIGHS]
These fat cats from Andros
Chemical are so guilty, it's disgusting.
I mean, their chemicals
are killing all these people.
They're not even
copping to it. I...
I hope we put them
out of business.
Well, I hear that Andros Chemical
is a very powerful company.
Well, that ain't gonna
save them this time.
Yeah. Yeah. But companies
like Andros can play pretty dirty.
And how do you know so
much about Andros Chemical?
- What, do you own stock?
- Heh, heh, heh.
They know about
you and me, Gary.
What...?
Oh, my God.
You work for them.
They know your wife doesn't
like you fooling around.
- Christy, please. Please don't do this.
- It's not up to me, Gary.
GARY: Christy.
Janet will divorce me if
she sees those pictures.
Then I suggest you
convince your 11 friends
that Andros Chemical
pay very little damages.
MATLOCK: Aw, it's a
beautiful day. A beautiful day.
[MATLOCK SINGING OPERA]
Dad, Dad, Dad. Come on,
everybody's looking at you.
They think you're nuts.
Hello, young gentleman. How's
the wife, especially your mother?
Dad. Dad, come on.
Now, we have to be back at
the judge's chambers at 2:30.
What do you want? Chinese?
I don't know. Chinese
is always giving me...
How about Chinese?
Well, I'll be...
[CAR HORN HONKS]
- Whose car?
- Mine. They gave it to me.
They let me pick
out my own color.
Wow, it's beautiful.
Oh, and they gave me
my own expense account.
I never had an expense account.
Those big firms, they do
stuff like that all the time.
And they gave me a
corporate credit card.
Tomorrow we'll do
lunch. I'll pick you up.
Do all the associates get a car?
Oh, I don't know. I've...
I think they really wanted me.
Because he isn't
who they think he is.
Well, you know, they think he's
from some big firm. Remember?
I bet that they pay the associates
more than you pay Leanne.
They do?
Everything is not about money.
- How much do they pay you?
- Hoo. Heh.
I'm going to lunch.
CLIFF: They pay for
my car insurance too.
Yeah.
HOWARD: You'll be assisting
me on the Andros Chemical case.
These are the original
deposition of the homeowners,
medical reports of
the cancer victims,
chemical analysis of the
down plant subsoil and water.
Your predecessor was collecting
similar geological samples,
so we can compare
cancer incidences.
- Geology's not really my thing.
- Make it your thing.
I'll need your conclusions for
court on Monday. Any questions?
Ahem, yes. As a matter of
fact, I do have a question.
I've been following this
case in the newspaper.
I was wondering why
you didn't ask for a mistrial
when Bradford Wilcox died.
Brad did a great job choosing
the jury. I didn't wanna lose them.
My office is right down
the hall if you need me.
Good luck.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Excuse me.
- Hey. Hey, you must be Cliff Lewis.
- Yeah.
Yeah, Rob Norris.
I've heard about you.
Hi. Look, do me a favor. Give
me a call and we'll go to lunch.
I'll give you the skinny
on everyone here, okay?
[TONGUE CLICKS]
[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]
MAN: Thank you, sir.
See you this afternoon.
Hi. How you doing?
[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]
Hello, Cliff.
- Hello.
- Burning the midnight oil already, huh?
Yes, actually, I'm almost
done. Can I help you?
Oh, no, no, no. I like
to do my own research.
That way I've got it all right up here
when I go into the courtroom. Heh, heh.
Well, how's it going?
Pretty good. Pretty good.
I'm, uh, a little slow out of the
starting gate, but I'm picking up speed.
Good. Good. I like to hear that.
Well, have a nice night.
Heh, heh. I'll try.
Hi, don't you ever
go home? It's late.
No, no, I like to do
my own research.
That way when I go
into court, it's right here.
- I'm Linda Maxwell.
- Oh, Cliff Lewis.
I know. I saw you when
you were interviewing.
I thought you're
very attractive.
But it seemed premature
to say something then.
Oh. Oh, ooh. Yeah, I'm
trying to get some work done.
Could we discuss this tomorrow?
Am I making you nervous?
Oh, no. No, not at all.
Well, I thought now that
you've joined the firm,
maybe we could have dinner.
Oh, yeah, that would
be great. Um... Uh...
I'll check my calendar.
How about next week?
- Am I being too forward?
- No.
I don't believe in standing
on ceremony, do you?
No, no, no. I don't mind if
women wanna ask me out.
Actually, I kind of like it.
Does it happen that often?
No. No. What I meant was
that I would love to
talk to you about dinner.
Why don't we... Why
don't we do that tomorrow?
- Deal.
- Deal.
Tomorrow.
HOWARD: Richard?
Richard?
MATLOCK: Who is that woman?
CLIFF: I don't know. I
don't know who he is either.
Well, why would they
shred a picture like that?
Blackmail.
Yeah. Maybe.
You see that table? I'd
recognize that table anywhere.
MATLOCK: Oh, say,
Bert, how you doing?
What the hell do you want?
Who's the girl?
How should I know?
I figured this picture's got to have
been made in one of your rooms.
Nobody who's ever seen
these tables will ever forget them,
especially the one with the
Indian on it. What's her name?
Girls like that don't pay.
I never got her name.
What about the guy?
One of them paid.
I don't remember.
I figure this picture had to have
been made from another room.
Maybe as a set-up for
blackmail or something like that.
Hey, wait a minute. Wait. I resent
that immensely. Like I told you before...
Privacy is your birthmark.
No, no, my watchword.
Now, why don't you
get the hell out of here.
I bet when people check in,
they park right here in front.
I said get lost.
And I bet that that camera is
there to video cars and people,
so that you can identify them if
they give you the wrong name.
- You're very smart.
- Yeah.
You know, I could
subpoena those tapes.
But you don't want to
have cops around here.
So why don't you
just give them to me.
LEANNE: Hard to believe Cliff's
making more money than me.
MATLOCK: Yeah, it's hard
to believe. It's astounding.
He has a car.
- You have a car.
- That I paid for.
I mean, I've been a lawyer at
least 10 years longer than Cliff.
Well, Leanne, you wouldn't
like it in one of those big firms.
Here. It's coming up.
I don't have an expense account.
Oh, I take you to
lunch all the time.
See. It's that guy there
with the chain on his glasses.
He's the one in the picture.
Dad, I'd like a raise.
You just got one.
Dad, come on. I
mean, I should at least
be making as much money
as they're paying Cliff.
Leanne, I can't afford that.
Yes, you can afford it.
Leanne. I can't afford that.
I do the books. I know
what you can afford.
- I'm not made of money.
- Dad.
What if people quit hiring us?
Well, you'll fire me.
I can't fire my own daughter.
I'm taking a raise.
- Can we get back to the case?
- I'm taking a raise.
Okay. Well, you can't see the
license plate on that man's car.
I know. I took the tape
and I had it enlarged
so we could see it
better. Here it comes.
It's... There, there.
It's a blue Chevy with a
dent on the front fender.
Pause the tape. Pause the tape.
There's something
on the windshield.
That's from the county
court's parking lot.
Let's go.
I guess I earned my raise.
Jaguar, Oldsmobile.
MAN: Yeah.
Ford, Ford. Ford.
Chevy.
Leanne.
He's here.
- Let's go.
- Where we going?
This has got to have something to
do with the Andros Chemical case.
First place to go and look.
Okay. All right. If we don't find
him, I'll run a make on the plates
- and see who owns the car.
- Okay.
- Don't see him.
- Mm.
- What are you doing here?
- Get away.
- What?
- Get away from us.
BAILIFF: All rise.
JUDGE: Mr. Howard, Mr. Canon,
I will see you in my
chambers this minute.
It appears we have a
case of jury tampering here.
Now, Mr. Adler, who
is juror number nine,
has admitted to me that
he's being blackmailed
to ask for the lowest
possible damages in the case.
- Have you seen this picture before?
- No, of course not.
Your Honor, if those pictures
come out, my marriage is over
and I love my wife.
Then you shouldn't
have had an affair.
I don't think they'll be
showing the pictures again.
James, do you know
anything about this?
Your Honor, I already said no.
Very well.
There will be an exhaustive
investigation into this incident.
Or more specifically,
James, it will be into you,
your law firm, your client.
It sure would help if we
knew the name of that woman.
Um, her name is Christy Elkins.
JUDGE: And where
will we find her?
I've been trying to reach her
for days. I think that she left town.
We're going back into court.
I'm dismissing the
jury, declaring a mistrial.
Then we'll bring in the police.
MAN: Look, I don't know what
you're talking about, all right?
TODD: Thank you.
MAN: You're welcome.
You know, even if Richard Gavin
or James Allen Howard were here,
he'd never tell you.
I know, but I'm
right about this.
Brad Wilcox left his
room and started his car
at the exact moment
you showed up.
That's too much
of a coincidence.
Somebody had to have been watching
and called the motel when you arrived.
You tell me where
he called from.
Hi.
WOMAN: What will it be?
- Bottle of pop.
I'll have a bottle of sparkling
mineral water, please.
Mineral what?
MATLOCK: Two bottles of pop.
Help yourself.
[MATLOCK HUMMING]
MATLOCK: Not much business, huh?
Mister, we get three
customers in here, it's a crowd.
Ever since they put the
interstate in, business up and died.
- You've been here long?
- A couple of years.
Were you here the day
the car blew up at the motel?
Yeah.
- A perfect view of the
motel. MATLOCK: Hmm. Um...
Look at this picture.
See if you recognize
either one of these men.
WOMAN: Oh...
- I couldn't say. Why, you
cops? MATLOCK: Mm-hm.
- That's the only
telephone? WOMAN: Uh-huh.
MATLOCK: Hmm.
TODD: What?
I like that look.
I don't know what it
means, but I like that look.
On the afternoon
that he was murdered,
Bradford Wilcox was
representing Andros Chemical
in a very large
lawsuit, wasn't he?
Yes.
What kind of damages do you
think the plaintiff can expect?
Haven't damages in cases
like this in the past run,
oh, as high as $50 million?
Yes, that's true.
So, what's your firm's
standing with Andros Chemical?
Excellent. We've represented
them for more than 15 years.
But haven't they recently moved
some of their work to another firm?
Maritime work, which
we really don't handle.
Ah.
Well, didn't both you
and Richard Gavin
believe that if the damages
went too high in this case, uh,
you might lose Andros
Chemical as a client?
Absolutely not.
What's the standing
of that trial now?
The judge declared a mistrial.
On what grounds?
An investigation of jury
tampering is underway.
MATLOCK: One of the jurors said
he's being blackmailed, didn't he?
He was told that
compromising pictures of him
and another woman
would be sent to his wife,
unless he convinced
his fellow jurors
to lowball the damages
in this case, huh?
That's the allegation.
MATLOCK: Yeah.
Who would benefit?
Andros Chemical.
Hmm. So if you and
Richard Gavin believed
that you were in danger
of losing Andros Chemical,
if you could come up with a way
to get those damages down
as low as you possibly could,
why, your firm would
benefit too, wouldn't it?
If we were in danger of losing
their business, which we are not,
- that would be true, I suppose.
- Uh...
You and, uh, Bradford
Wilcox were partners.
I guess you knew
him pretty well.
So how do you suppose
he would have reacted
if he found out somebody
was messing with the jury
on a case he was trying?
Objection, Your Honor.
Calls for speculation.
Bradford Wilcox and
James Allen Howard
knew one another for 24 years.
They were partners,
for God's sake.
Witness will answer.
If Brad knew that someone
was tampering with his jury,
he would have gone
straight to the judge.
No matter who was involved.
Brad Wilcox was the most
honest person I've ever known.
He wouldn't have let his own mother
get away with tampering with the jury.
That's what everybody
says about Bradford Wilcox.
That he was an honest,
moral, upstanding man,
and that's why I can't...
It's just hard to understand
why he was at the Roadside
Motel the afternoon he was killed.
Just... I just... You know what?
Maybe he was there
to meet somebody.
Probably this Christy Elkins,
who was gonna confirm...
his belief,
suspicion that you were
the one who set that juror up.
- What?
- Objection.
JUDGE: Mr. Matlock...
- He was gonna turn you in.
And then you set him up
with the girl and then killed him.
Don't!
Mr. Matlock.
I have proof.
- Well, then get to it.
MATLOCK: All right.
Howard, have you ever been
to the, uh, Roadside Motel?
HOWARD: No.
Roadside Motel, that's where
Bradford Wilcox was killed.
- You sure you never been there?
- Positive.
Ever been to the gas
station across the road?
I told you I've never been to the
motel. I've never been to the gas station.
So you were never at
the motel on Route 6
or the gas station
across the road?
How many times I have to
repeat this? I was not there. No.
MATLOCK: Well, the reason I
keep asking the question is I...
I just... I just...
I don't understand how
my client was framed.
I mean, why did Mr. Wilcox
leave his room and go to his car
the instant that
my client drove up?
Well, the best answer, of course,
is that somebody was watching
and called the manager of the motel
to deliver the message to Mr. Wilcox
that the girl he was waiting
for was not gonna show up.
I always suspected it
was you or Richard Gavin.
I showed your pictures to
the manager of the motel
and the people
at the gas station.
They didn't recognize
you. I don't know why.
- That's because I wasn't there.
- And I checked your phone bills.
I mean, in your car, your credit
card, your house, your office.
No calls to the Roadside Motel.
I can't figure it out. I just...
It beats me. I mean,
dead, it beat me.
Till I went over to the gas
station, started looking around.
They do very little business
over there, very little.
They got one pay
telephone, heh, heh, heh,
that's used so seldom
they take the change out
of it every three months.
Ha, ha, ha. Take
the change out...
Take the change out
every three months.
CROWD: Heh, heh, heh.
MATLOCK: Yeah, let's see. Where is it?
Where is it? Oh, here,
thank you. Thank you.
The Atlanta police
removed this quarter
from that pay
telephone, Mr. Howard.
Your fingerprints
are on both sides of it.
You were at the Roadside Motel
the afternoon
Mr. Wilcox was murdered.
You paid somebody
to rig his car.
And then when my
client showed up,
you called the manager to relay
that message to him about that girl.
You killed Bradford Wilcox
because he was going to accuse you
of jury tampering in the
Andros Chemical Case.
Mr. Howard, never
trick a trickster.
We're both lawyers.
We know that we do little shady
things to win our case. At least, I do.
But jury tampering, a little
cross the line, you know.
Wouldn't it have been better
if Mr. Wilcox had charged
you with jury tampering?
You'd have lost your
job and gone to prison,
but now it looks like
you've killed your friend.
It's a shame.
CLIFF: Hey - Come on.
LEANNE: Hi.
I see Gavin $ Howard
are going out of business.
Gone. Gone out of business.
- Good to have you back.
- Good to be here.
- You did a great job over there.
- Thank you.
We need to do
something nice for him.
Take him out to lunch or dinner.
Dad, let's give him a raise.
Raise?
Well, just enough for
a corner room at the Y.
Maybe his own phone.
MAN: I'm fine. How about you? Good?
WOMAN: Here it is. MAN:
Thank you very much.
So Judge Hamner calls me
and Hogan into his chambers.
- What, out of the blue?
- Right after he adjourns court.
Dick, my head was spinning. I
had no idea what this was about.
- What happens?
- Soon as we closed the door,
Hamner turns to Hogan,
points his finger at Hogan
and says, "Counselor, it is
your God-given and legal right
to object in my
courtroom. But so help me,
if you utter another
groundless objection,
I am going to
turn to your client
and strongly recommend
that he discharge you
and then hold you while
he decks you. Got it?
Ha, ha, ha. That's
priceless. Ha, ha, ha.
HOWARD: Hello, Brad.
Sorry. Settlement conference,
ran longer than I thought.
- How did it go?
- Lousy.
HOWARD: What did
the homeowners ask for?
Twenty million.
Who are they kidding?
Andros Chemical dumped toxic
waste all over that development, boys.
- The area is contaminated.
- We realize people got sick, Brad.
They got cancer, Dick,
six times the national rate.
Personally, I think
the jury is gonna award
that homeowners group
upwards of 50 million.
I recommended to
Andros that they settle.
I'm not sure that
was wise, Brad.
I'm surprised they
didn't fire us on the spot.
I worked my hide four
months on this case.
If you think you can
do better, be my guest.
- Brad, we're not second-guessing you.
- Like hell.
Something else. I want that associate
you saddled me with off the case.
Brad, you're one of the people
who hired Todd McCormick.
So I made a mistake.
And I'm not talking about his linen
suit or the stereo system in his office.
- He's unconventional.
- He's worthless.
Brad, I think
you're overreacting.
Now, come on.
Let's give him another chance.
And over the
course of this trial,
you'll be presented
with irrefutable evidence,
indicating that high, lethal levels
of TriOxin, a deadly contaminant,
were and still
continues to be present
in the soil in this community.
A chemical recklessly
and cavalierly dumped
by Andros Chemical Corporation.
These people, they
have no conscience.
There's only one way to get
the attention of toxic polluters
like Andros Chemical,
and that's to punish them.
Punish them with the highest possible
monetary judgment against them.
Thank you.
And while counsel for the
plaintiff will try to paint the picture
of Andros Chemical as a
group of evil, negligent polluters,
evidence will prove
quite to the contrary.
The truth is at the time the
disposal of TriOxin occurred,
Andros Chemical was operating
well within safety standards
required by law. No
one, not Andros Chemical,
not even the Environmental
Protection Agency knew at the time
that the health and the safety
of the people of this community
was being jeopardized.
Andros Chemical abided by
the law set by your legislators.
Is it not then patently
unfair to punish someone
who adheres to the
laws that govern them?
JUDGE: The hour is late.
This court will stand in recess
until 10:00 tomorrow morning.
I'll call you this evening.
Nice going, Brad.
Well, thanks, Todd, but
we're gonna get buried.
Listen, I'm still researching other
areas of TriOxin contamination
where the incidents report the
facts in cancer are lower than this.
Well, you plan on getting me
this information for this trial?
It's not easy, Brad.
Look, I don't wanna
hear your bellyaching.
Just get me the information.
- Hi.
- The car is down the block.
How's your hangover?
Trial is pretty interesting.
Well, obviously,
you're still mad.
Yeah, I'm still mad.
They're my best friends, Janet.
I'm aware of that, Gary. You spend
four nights a week drinking with them.
You know, their wives
don't get on their case
every time they
stay out late with me.
Don't pretend you don't
know what this is about.
How many of your buddies come
home smelling like a French whorehouse?
They also smelled
like cigarettes.
Why don't you
accuse me of smoking?
Because cigarettes were
never one of your weaknesses.
- Janet, come on.
- I don't wanna talk about it.
- I'm sorry.
- Forget it.
I'm an idiot. I think we've
established that by now, haven't we?
[GARY SIGHS]
I'm not fooling around.
You better not be.
[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING
OVER SPEAKERS]
Where are those studies?
Turn that damn thing off!
[MUSIC STOPS]
Where are those
studies you promised me?
Uh, I'm sorry, Brad, I'm
not having much luck.
Look, this is the telephone number
for the president of Andros Chemical.
I want you to call him up
and I want you to tell him
that the luck upon which we
have based our entire defense
seems to be eluding us.
Look, Brad, I know you think
I've just been sitting here...
You have given me no reason...
Wait, wait, wait. Brad, look,
look, look. Here. Feast your eyes.
Twelve cases of TriOxin contamination
over three different continents.
The levels of toxicity are
almost identical to our case.
The incidence of cancer is the
same, infant mortality is the same.
We do not pay you to
prove our opposition's case.
The evidence you're
looking for doesn't exist, Brad.
Andros Chemical broke the
law. Don't blame me for that.
You haven't been around long
enough to get a severance package.
Just clean out your desk and don't
show your face around here again.
[DOOR BANGS]
Ha, ha, sweet. Yes!
Maybe I should
give up my day job.
Wait a minute. Don't you have
to get a day job to give it up?
- Oh, yeah, you're right.
- Double or nothing, what do you say?
- No. No.
- Come on. Come on.
- No way.
- Come on.
It's always double or
nothing with you. Pay up.
- A bet is a bet.
- That's right, pay the piper.
Put up or shut up, huh?
You've never shot that well before
in your entire life. Heh, heh, heh.
That's why we couldn't play again.
I didn't have any more of that in me.
Hey, Gary. Stool number five can't
take her eyes off you, man. Take a look.
So why you? You're
not that good-looking.
- Yeah, I am. ALL:
Heh, heh, heh.
MAN 1: Well, gentlemen, the
party was fun while it lasted.
Oh, no, no, no. I'm in enough
trouble with Janet as it is.
MAN 2: Gary, this isn't
like you. GARY: Yeah, well...
Hey, you get her phone number,
I'm buying beers
the rest of the week.
Excuse me. Did you
say "rest of the week"?
- Rest of the week. GARY: Ah.
- Well?
- I'm getting thirsty.
- Oh, yeah.
- I'm thirsty.
- Oh, he's unbelievable.
- He's doing it.
Hi.
How you doing?
Fine.
It's this kind of
scintillating conversation
that's become my trademark. Heh.
You're very good.
Obviously, my
reputation precedes me.
At darts.
Oh.
[CHUCKLES]
- Oh, look at that.
- Look at that.
I hope you got a
raise recently, pal.
- Well, I will certainly call you.
- Okay.
Bye.
MAN 1: Gary, come over.
[DOOR BELL RINGS]
Coming, coming, coming.
[DOOR BELL RINGS]
Hey, Nellie.
[HUMMING]
Hi, Mr. Matlock.
- Well, as I live and breathe.
- It's Todd McCormick.
I applied for a job with
you here years ago.
- I remember.
- You do?
Yeah. You're the
only lawyer that I know,
looking for a job, ever asked me
where my season tickets for
the Hawks and the Braves were.
[TODD CHUCKLES]
- Mind if...? Can I come in?
- Come on in.
Thank you. Nice to see you.
- What is that? Crepe paper?
- It's linen.
- It must wrinkle a ton.
- Yeah.
So where did you wind up?
Want a bottle of pop or something?
No, thanks. Over
at Gavin $ Howard.
- It's a good firm.
- Yeah. Just left them, actually.
Oh, yeah?
I went to law school
because I wanted
to defend the
wrongly-accused, the little guy.
Who do I end up defending?
- Toxic polluters.
- Oh.
You got fired.
It was a mutual thing. Gavin $
Howard is a pretty conservative firm,
especially Bradford Wilcox.
Yeah, I know Brad.
Then, you know he's nothing
like you. He's really... He's rigid.
Didn't like, heh, the crepe
paper or anything else about me.
Uh-huh. You're looking for work.
Mr. Matlock, I'm an even better
lawyer than I was two years ago
and I joined a tennis club. You
and I could go out on the weekends,
hit the ball around,
a little cardiovascular.
[MATLOCK CHUCKLING]
Yeah, I'm not much for tennis.
And I've got my
daughter working for me.
We've got a young man
and he's already complaining
he doesn't have enough to do.
Yeah, I understand.
And for what it's worth,
I still don't have tickets to
the Braves and the Hawks.
Brad.
Brad, over here.
What the...?
JUDGE: Mr. McCormick,
as a member of the state bar,
I know you are aware of the
severity of these charges against you.
Will you please
approach the bench?
- Sir.
- While you are within your right
to represent yourself
against these charges,
I feel I would be remiss in my
duties if I did not strongly advise you
to seek more experienced
counsel for your defense.
Thank you, Your Honor.
I take it that means you intend
to remain your own attorney.
I don't see as I have
much choice, Your Honor.
To be perfectly candid with you,
I've overextended myself a little bit.
I'm not in a financial position
to hire one of the top firms,
and I have more
confidence in myself
than a court-appointed attorney.
All right.
Then on to the subject of bail.
[SIGHS]
- Turkey dog.
- Thank you.
You're welcome.
- How can you eat that?
- Eat what?
- Turkey hot dog.
- Tastes just like yours.
Turkey. Does not.
Yes, it does. And it
has less than half the fat.
I don't care what you
call it. That's not a hot dog.
Roast beef made with
turkey is not roast beef.
I'll remember that, Pop.
TODD: Ben? Mr. Matlock?
I take it you heard the news.
Hard to miss. Meet my daughter,
Leanne. Todd McCormick.
- Hello, Tom.
- Hi.
Come on
I hear they found
explosives in your garage.
Ben, somebody is setting me up.
I don't know the difference
between a firecracker and a grenade.
Papers say he was caught
running from the motel.
- I read that.
- You bet. Once Brad's car went up,
it took me all of five seconds
to realize I'm being framed.
Yeah.
That morning, I went to
clean out my desk at the office.
I found a message
supposedly written from Brad,
asking me to meet him
at the Roadside Motel.
It felt weird right
from the beginning.
I never liked Brad, but
he's a straight-up guy.
A cryptic note like
that, not his style.
- Still got the note?
- Gone.
You know, the judge suggested
that representing
myself isn't a great idea.
MATLOCK: Mm-hm.
But I told him I couldn't
afford a good attorney.
MATLOCK: Hm.
Would...? Does begging help?
MAN: Maybe we should
check in first. WOMAN: Fine.
MAN: You don't think
we should check in?
No. This was Mr. Wilcox's
first time at the Roadside Motel.
Sure about that?
- Well, we don't get a lot of suits here.
- Hmm.
[MATLOCK HUMMING]
No Bible.
BERT: Well, we don't get
a lot of readers here either.
Mr. Wilcox paid you in cash?
Yep. He said he wanted the
room for a couple of hours.
Yeah?
No, he didn't do that.
- Didn't do what?
- What you're thinking.
How do you know
what I'm thinking?
BERT: Well, because
there would be...
How shall I put this?
Telltale signs of things I'm
sure you don't wanna hear.
Like what?
Like a bed used, a shower used.
Use your imagination.
You mean, Mr. Wilcox
was in here by himself?
Hey, come on. Do
I look like a spy?
Privacy is our watchword
here at the Roadside.
It's what made our reputation.
I'm sure it isn't the furniture.
[MATLOCK HUMMING]
Was Brad at all troubled
before his death?
- You ever meet Brad, Miss Mclntyre?
- No.
Oh. The reason I ask is that Brad
was, by nature, a serious person.
He didn't socialize much.
He didn't have much
of a sense of humor.
So it would have been difficult to
tell if anything was bothering him.
Well, I spent the last
few weeks with Brad
and he seemed like
his same old self to me.
So why do you think he
was resigning from the firm?
What?
Oh, my... Oh, you
didn't know about that?
- No. LEANNE: Well, yes.
The police found a
letter of resignation
on Brad's desk at his house.
I can't believe this.
Of course, a handwriting
expert will have to determine
whether he actually wrote it.
I guess we didn't know
Brad as well as we thought.
- Wow, this is so weird.
- What's that?
Well, I mean, why would
Brad resign from this firm
when he's in the middle of one
of the biggest cases he'd ever tried
and not tell his
partners about it?
CHRISTY: I'm exhausted.
- Mm.
Just another six or seven
hours and I'll let you go.
CHRISTY: Mm. Heh, heh, heh.
The whole idea
makes no sense to me.
Gavin $ Howard will
never hire me as a lawyer.
- I promise they will. You got any fours?
- Go fish.
CLIFF: Ben, I went to
law school in Mount Harlan.
It took me forever to
pass the bar. Remember?
MATLOCK: Not a problem.
- What do you mean?
Got any kings?
I asked you a minute
ago if you had any kings.
I didn't have any
kings a minute ago.
Ooh! Hoo-hoo-hoo.
- What's this?
- Read.
CLIFF: Read.
Criminy.
A letter of recommendation
from Cosgrove $ O'Malley.
They're the top
firm in New York.
You were their
favorite associate.
Ben, I've been to New York City
a total of two days in my entire
life for my Aunt Bessie's funeral.
Why are they
recommending me for this job?
- I asked.
- Oh.
Russ Cosgrove is one of
my oldest and dearest friends.
I promised him you
wouldn't embarrass them.
Got any sevens?
When did you start
getting sevens?
DICK: We're not gonna play games
with you, Cliff. That's not who we are.
But we'd be lying
to you if we said
we didn't want you as
a member of this firm.
I'm, uh... I'm very
flattered. Thank you.
I think you'll find our offer
more than competitive.
I expect you're
speaking with other firms.
Um... Yes. Only the major ones,
though. It's a very exhausting process.
- Heh, heh, heh. I'll bet.
- Clifford, take whatever time you need.
But know this. We want you.
Mr. Howard, given your
associate's untimely death,
I assumed you'd
ask for a mistrial.
Your Honor, it is my
clients' understanding
that a mistrial would only
increase their legal costs
and prolong this
action unnecessarily.
- We're prepared to continue this trial.
- I see.
Have you any
objection, Mr. Canon?
Your Honor, I've discussed
this at some length with counsel
and I have no objection.
Then this court will
reconvene tomorrow 10 a.m.
[GAVEL BANGS]
I'm going to send that judge a
present for adjourning us early.
[CHRISTY CHUCKLES]
- It's good to see you.
- I ordered for you.
GARY: Thank you.
- So how's the case going?
- Who cares?
No, really, I'm interested.
You know I'm not supposed
to talk about the case.
CHRISTY: Heh, heh, heh.
- Like you're gonna tell someone.
Well, I remember, you told
me about it the other day.
So have you decided
how you're gonna vote?
I'm not supposed to make up
my mind until all the evidence is in.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Heh, heh, heh.
[GARY SIGHS]
These fat cats from Andros
Chemical are so guilty, it's disgusting.
I mean, their chemicals
are killing all these people.
They're not even
copping to it. I...
I hope we put them
out of business.
Well, I hear that Andros Chemical
is a very powerful company.
Well, that ain't gonna
save them this time.
Yeah. Yeah. But companies
like Andros can play pretty dirty.
And how do you know so
much about Andros Chemical?
- What, do you own stock?
- Heh, heh, heh.
They know about
you and me, Gary.
What...?
Oh, my God.
You work for them.
They know your wife doesn't
like you fooling around.
- Christy, please. Please don't do this.
- It's not up to me, Gary.
GARY: Christy.
Janet will divorce me if
she sees those pictures.
Then I suggest you
convince your 11 friends
that Andros Chemical
pay very little damages.
MATLOCK: Aw, it's a
beautiful day. A beautiful day.
[MATLOCK SINGING OPERA]
Dad, Dad, Dad. Come on,
everybody's looking at you.
They think you're nuts.
Hello, young gentleman. How's
the wife, especially your mother?
Dad. Dad, come on.
Now, we have to be back at
the judge's chambers at 2:30.
What do you want? Chinese?
I don't know. Chinese
is always giving me...
How about Chinese?
Well, I'll be...
[CAR HORN HONKS]
- Whose car?
- Mine. They gave it to me.
They let me pick
out my own color.
Wow, it's beautiful.
Oh, and they gave me
my own expense account.
I never had an expense account.
Those big firms, they do
stuff like that all the time.
And they gave me a
corporate credit card.
Tomorrow we'll do
lunch. I'll pick you up.
Do all the associates get a car?
Oh, I don't know. I've...
I think they really wanted me.
Because he isn't
who they think he is.
Well, you know, they think he's
from some big firm. Remember?
I bet that they pay the associates
more than you pay Leanne.
They do?
Everything is not about money.
- How much do they pay you?
- Hoo. Heh.
I'm going to lunch.
CLIFF: They pay for
my car insurance too.
Yeah.
HOWARD: You'll be assisting
me on the Andros Chemical case.
These are the original
deposition of the homeowners,
medical reports of
the cancer victims,
chemical analysis of the
down plant subsoil and water.
Your predecessor was collecting
similar geological samples,
so we can compare
cancer incidences.
- Geology's not really my thing.
- Make it your thing.
I'll need your conclusions for
court on Monday. Any questions?
Ahem, yes. As a matter of
fact, I do have a question.
I've been following this
case in the newspaper.
I was wondering why
you didn't ask for a mistrial
when Bradford Wilcox died.
Brad did a great job choosing
the jury. I didn't wanna lose them.
My office is right down
the hall if you need me.
Good luck.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Excuse me.
- Hey. Hey, you must be Cliff Lewis.
- Yeah.
Yeah, Rob Norris.
I've heard about you.
Hi. Look, do me a favor. Give
me a call and we'll go to lunch.
I'll give you the skinny
on everyone here, okay?
[TONGUE CLICKS]
[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]
MAN: Thank you, sir.
See you this afternoon.
Hi. How you doing?
[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]
Hello, Cliff.
- Hello.
- Burning the midnight oil already, huh?
Yes, actually, I'm almost
done. Can I help you?
Oh, no, no, no. I like
to do my own research.
That way I've got it all right up here
when I go into the courtroom. Heh, heh.
Well, how's it going?
Pretty good. Pretty good.
I'm, uh, a little slow out of the
starting gate, but I'm picking up speed.
Good. Good. I like to hear that.
Well, have a nice night.
Heh, heh. I'll try.
Hi, don't you ever
go home? It's late.
No, no, I like to do
my own research.
That way when I go
into court, it's right here.
- I'm Linda Maxwell.
- Oh, Cliff Lewis.
I know. I saw you when
you were interviewing.
I thought you're
very attractive.
But it seemed premature
to say something then.
Oh. Oh, ooh. Yeah, I'm
trying to get some work done.
Could we discuss this tomorrow?
Am I making you nervous?
Oh, no. No, not at all.
Well, I thought now that
you've joined the firm,
maybe we could have dinner.
Oh, yeah, that would
be great. Um... Uh...
I'll check my calendar.
How about next week?
- Am I being too forward?
- No.
I don't believe in standing
on ceremony, do you?
No, no, no. I don't mind if
women wanna ask me out.
Actually, I kind of like it.
Does it happen that often?
No. No. What I meant was
that I would love to
talk to you about dinner.
Why don't we... Why
don't we do that tomorrow?
- Deal.
- Deal.
Tomorrow.
HOWARD: Richard?
Richard?
MATLOCK: Who is that woman?
CLIFF: I don't know. I
don't know who he is either.
Well, why would they
shred a picture like that?
Blackmail.
Yeah. Maybe.
You see that table? I'd
recognize that table anywhere.
MATLOCK: Oh, say,
Bert, how you doing?
What the hell do you want?
Who's the girl?
How should I know?
I figured this picture's got to have
been made in one of your rooms.
Nobody who's ever seen
these tables will ever forget them,
especially the one with the
Indian on it. What's her name?
Girls like that don't pay.
I never got her name.
What about the guy?
One of them paid.
I don't remember.
I figure this picture had to have
been made from another room.
Maybe as a set-up for
blackmail or something like that.
Hey, wait a minute. Wait. I resent
that immensely. Like I told you before...
Privacy is your birthmark.
No, no, my watchword.
Now, why don't you
get the hell out of here.
I bet when people check in,
they park right here in front.
I said get lost.
And I bet that that camera is
there to video cars and people,
so that you can identify them if
they give you the wrong name.
- You're very smart.
- Yeah.
You know, I could
subpoena those tapes.
But you don't want to
have cops around here.
So why don't you
just give them to me.
LEANNE: Hard to believe Cliff's
making more money than me.
MATLOCK: Yeah, it's hard
to believe. It's astounding.
He has a car.
- You have a car.
- That I paid for.
I mean, I've been a lawyer at
least 10 years longer than Cliff.
Well, Leanne, you wouldn't
like it in one of those big firms.
Here. It's coming up.
I don't have an expense account.
Oh, I take you to
lunch all the time.
See. It's that guy there
with the chain on his glasses.
He's the one in the picture.
Dad, I'd like a raise.
You just got one.
Dad, come on. I
mean, I should at least
be making as much money
as they're paying Cliff.
Leanne, I can't afford that.
Yes, you can afford it.
Leanne. I can't afford that.
I do the books. I know
what you can afford.
- I'm not made of money.
- Dad.
What if people quit hiring us?
Well, you'll fire me.
I can't fire my own daughter.
I'm taking a raise.
- Can we get back to the case?
- I'm taking a raise.
Okay. Well, you can't see the
license plate on that man's car.
I know. I took the tape
and I had it enlarged
so we could see it
better. Here it comes.
It's... There, there.
It's a blue Chevy with a
dent on the front fender.
Pause the tape. Pause the tape.
There's something
on the windshield.
That's from the county
court's parking lot.
Let's go.
I guess I earned my raise.
Jaguar, Oldsmobile.
MAN: Yeah.
Ford, Ford. Ford.
Chevy.
Leanne.
He's here.
- Let's go.
- Where we going?
This has got to have something to
do with the Andros Chemical case.
First place to go and look.
Okay. All right. If we don't find
him, I'll run a make on the plates
- and see who owns the car.
- Okay.
- Don't see him.
- Mm.
- What are you doing here?
- Get away.
- What?
- Get away from us.
BAILIFF: All rise.
JUDGE: Mr. Howard, Mr. Canon,
I will see you in my
chambers this minute.
It appears we have a
case of jury tampering here.
Now, Mr. Adler, who
is juror number nine,
has admitted to me that
he's being blackmailed
to ask for the lowest
possible damages in the case.
- Have you seen this picture before?
- No, of course not.
Your Honor, if those pictures
come out, my marriage is over
and I love my wife.
Then you shouldn't
have had an affair.
I don't think they'll be
showing the pictures again.
James, do you know
anything about this?
Your Honor, I already said no.
Very well.
There will be an exhaustive
investigation into this incident.
Or more specifically,
James, it will be into you,
your law firm, your client.
It sure would help if we
knew the name of that woman.
Um, her name is Christy Elkins.
JUDGE: And where
will we find her?
I've been trying to reach her
for days. I think that she left town.
We're going back into court.
I'm dismissing the
jury, declaring a mistrial.
Then we'll bring in the police.
MAN: Look, I don't know what
you're talking about, all right?
TODD: Thank you.
MAN: You're welcome.
You know, even if Richard Gavin
or James Allen Howard were here,
he'd never tell you.
I know, but I'm
right about this.
Brad Wilcox left his
room and started his car
at the exact moment
you showed up.
That's too much
of a coincidence.
Somebody had to have been watching
and called the motel when you arrived.
You tell me where
he called from.
Hi.
WOMAN: What will it be?
- Bottle of pop.
I'll have a bottle of sparkling
mineral water, please.
Mineral what?
MATLOCK: Two bottles of pop.
Help yourself.
[MATLOCK HUMMING]
MATLOCK: Not much business, huh?
Mister, we get three
customers in here, it's a crowd.
Ever since they put the
interstate in, business up and died.
- You've been here long?
- A couple of years.
Were you here the day
the car blew up at the motel?
Yeah.
- A perfect view of the
motel. MATLOCK: Hmm. Um...
Look at this picture.
See if you recognize
either one of these men.
WOMAN: Oh...
- I couldn't say. Why, you
cops? MATLOCK: Mm-hm.
- That's the only
telephone? WOMAN: Uh-huh.
MATLOCK: Hmm.
TODD: What?
I like that look.
I don't know what it
means, but I like that look.
On the afternoon
that he was murdered,
Bradford Wilcox was
representing Andros Chemical
in a very large
lawsuit, wasn't he?
Yes.
What kind of damages do you
think the plaintiff can expect?
Haven't damages in cases
like this in the past run,
oh, as high as $50 million?
Yes, that's true.
So, what's your firm's
standing with Andros Chemical?
Excellent. We've represented
them for more than 15 years.
But haven't they recently moved
some of their work to another firm?
Maritime work, which
we really don't handle.
Ah.
Well, didn't both you
and Richard Gavin
believe that if the damages
went too high in this case, uh,
you might lose Andros
Chemical as a client?
Absolutely not.
What's the standing
of that trial now?
The judge declared a mistrial.
On what grounds?
An investigation of jury
tampering is underway.
MATLOCK: One of the jurors said
he's being blackmailed, didn't he?
He was told that
compromising pictures of him
and another woman
would be sent to his wife,
unless he convinced
his fellow jurors
to lowball the damages
in this case, huh?
That's the allegation.
MATLOCK: Yeah.
Who would benefit?
Andros Chemical.
Hmm. So if you and
Richard Gavin believed
that you were in danger
of losing Andros Chemical,
if you could come up with a way
to get those damages down
as low as you possibly could,
why, your firm would
benefit too, wouldn't it?
If we were in danger of losing
their business, which we are not,
- that would be true, I suppose.
- Uh...
You and, uh, Bradford
Wilcox were partners.
I guess you knew
him pretty well.
So how do you suppose
he would have reacted
if he found out somebody
was messing with the jury
on a case he was trying?
Objection, Your Honor.
Calls for speculation.
Bradford Wilcox and
James Allen Howard
knew one another for 24 years.
They were partners,
for God's sake.
Witness will answer.
If Brad knew that someone
was tampering with his jury,
he would have gone
straight to the judge.
No matter who was involved.
Brad Wilcox was the most
honest person I've ever known.
He wouldn't have let his own mother
get away with tampering with the jury.
That's what everybody
says about Bradford Wilcox.
That he was an honest,
moral, upstanding man,
and that's why I can't...
It's just hard to understand
why he was at the Roadside
Motel the afternoon he was killed.
Just... I just... You know what?
Maybe he was there
to meet somebody.
Probably this Christy Elkins,
who was gonna confirm...
his belief,
suspicion that you were
the one who set that juror up.
- What?
- Objection.
JUDGE: Mr. Matlock...
- He was gonna turn you in.
And then you set him up
with the girl and then killed him.
Don't!
Mr. Matlock.
I have proof.
- Well, then get to it.
MATLOCK: All right.
Howard, have you ever been
to the, uh, Roadside Motel?
HOWARD: No.
Roadside Motel, that's where
Bradford Wilcox was killed.
- You sure you never been there?
- Positive.
Ever been to the gas
station across the road?
I told you I've never been to the
motel. I've never been to the gas station.
So you were never at
the motel on Route 6
or the gas station
across the road?
How many times I have to
repeat this? I was not there. No.
MATLOCK: Well, the reason I
keep asking the question is I...
I just... I just...
I don't understand how
my client was framed.
I mean, why did Mr. Wilcox
leave his room and go to his car
the instant that
my client drove up?
Well, the best answer, of course,
is that somebody was watching
and called the manager of the motel
to deliver the message to Mr. Wilcox
that the girl he was waiting
for was not gonna show up.
I always suspected it
was you or Richard Gavin.
I showed your pictures to
the manager of the motel
and the people
at the gas station.
They didn't recognize
you. I don't know why.
- That's because I wasn't there.
- And I checked your phone bills.
I mean, in your car, your credit
card, your house, your office.
No calls to the Roadside Motel.
I can't figure it out. I just...
It beats me. I mean,
dead, it beat me.
Till I went over to the gas
station, started looking around.
They do very little business
over there, very little.
They got one pay
telephone, heh, heh, heh,
that's used so seldom
they take the change out
of it every three months.
Ha, ha, ha. Take
the change out...
Take the change out
every three months.
CROWD: Heh, heh, heh.
MATLOCK: Yeah, let's see. Where is it?
Where is it? Oh, here,
thank you. Thank you.
The Atlanta police
removed this quarter
from that pay
telephone, Mr. Howard.
Your fingerprints
are on both sides of it.
You were at the Roadside Motel
the afternoon
Mr. Wilcox was murdered.
You paid somebody
to rig his car.
And then when my
client showed up,
you called the manager to relay
that message to him about that girl.
You killed Bradford Wilcox
because he was going to accuse you
of jury tampering in the
Andros Chemical Case.
Mr. Howard, never
trick a trickster.
We're both lawyers.
We know that we do little shady
things to win our case. At least, I do.
But jury tampering, a little
cross the line, you know.
Wouldn't it have been better
if Mr. Wilcox had charged
you with jury tampering?
You'd have lost your
job and gone to prison,
but now it looks like
you've killed your friend.
It's a shame.
CLIFF: Hey - Come on.
LEANNE: Hi.
I see Gavin $ Howard
are going out of business.
Gone. Gone out of business.
- Good to have you back.
- Good to be here.
- You did a great job over there.
- Thank you.
We need to do
something nice for him.
Take him out to lunch or dinner.
Dad, let's give him a raise.
Raise?
Well, just enough for
a corner room at the Y.
Maybe his own phone.