Matlock (1986–1995): Season 9, Episode 7 - The Confession - full transcript

What are you doing?

Wiping off my shoe.

Did you ever see him sing
before 8:30 in the morning?

Uh-uh. He's also
wearing a new suit.

How can you tell?

He's still got the tag on it.

Ben, you're wearing cologne.

Oh, no, no.

I spilled aftershave
on my shirt.

Bye-bye.

- Oh-ho. Where you going?
- Law seminar.



- Since when do you go to seminars?
- Never too old to learn.

- Well, I'll go with you.
- Too late.

Hello, Ben.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Ladies and gentlemen.

It is indeed a delight to
welcome back to Atlanta

one of the most successful
assistant district attorneys

this city has ever had.

All the way from Los Angeles,
where she currently makes her home,

please welcome our
guest speaker, Julie March.

Gentlemen, if you'll look
this way, please. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Great
speech. Great speech. Thank you.

Ben.

It was sweet of you to come.



- Hi, Julie.
- Oh.

Hi. Oh, you look good.

- No, you look good.
- Oh...

- How's Los Angeles?
- Not bad.

I mean, what's a few
fires, floods, earthquakes?

Does that mean you've
given up the prosecuting game

- and you're on the lecture circuit?
- No, not me.

I just couldn't pass up the
chance to come back to Atlanta.

See a few old friends
and get paid for it to boot.

I'm flattered you came.

Oh, I'd come to hear
you read the dictionary.

- Miss March, Mr. Matlock.
- One sec.

How about one
with the both of you?

And just one more.

- Here he comes.
- Leave it here so he can see it.

- Morning.
- Morning.

- How was the seminar?
- Fine.

- You learn anything?
- Oh, yeah.

- Funny.
- Ha-ha-ha.

Well, what's the big secret? I don't
know why you just couldn't tell us.

Cliff said that you and Julie
used to have a thing for each other.

I never put it so crudely.

We were friends.

Then what's she
doing in Atlanta?

She's here for the seminar.

She would've given that speech in
Poughkeepsie if they had asked her?

She has friends here.

Believe me, living alone for
two years in a strange city...

And L.A. is nothing
if not strange.

That'll force you to get
your priorities straight.

Maybe she's realized
that you are her priority.

Saw your picture in the paper.

You're looking good.

Thanks. I thought
you'd been released.

Yeah, well, I got kind of bored

and I boosted a couple of
cars, got caught, and here I am.

They got this three-time loser
law. It's a real pain in the butt.

Earl, why did you call me?

They just transferred
Clarence Ryder here.

Remember him?

Yes, I remember him.

I've done a lot of bad things in my
life, but I never ratted on anybody.

It was a big mistake
testifying for you.

I should never
have testified for you.

You heard him confess.
He's a vicious killer.

Your testimony
helped me convict him.

Madam Prosecutor, I've
got some bad news for you.

I lied.

I'm sorry I'm late.

I had to make some phone calls.

- Is everything all right?
- Thanks.

No, everything is lousy.

Ben, I wanted tonight
to be so special,

and now this has come up.

- What?
- This inmate at the state prison,

Earl McCutcheon,
called me at my hotel,

said it was urgent, and so I
went out there this afternoon.

Do you remember Clarence Ryder?

I prosecuted him for the
murder of Brenda Chaney.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

She was married to that
guy with Peachtree Cola,

Phillip... Phillip Chaney.

- Right.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Ryder was a
top-of-the-line thief.

Ryder was robbing
the Chaney house.

He bypassed the alarm and
entered through a French door.

He collected some
stuff from the living room,

and then he went upstairs.

Probably to get
Brenda Chaney's jewels.

Well, she must have surprised him,
because he panicked and killed her.

But before she died, she
managed to set off the alarm.

Within an hour, Clarence
Ryder was arrested

and the Chaney valuables
were found in his car.

Earl McCutcheon was
Clarence Ryder's cellmate.

He testified that Clarence
Ryder told him in the jail

that he had killed
Brenda Chaney.

But today, he told me he lied.

He said Clarence Ryder
never confessed to him,

and that I sent an
innocent man to prison.

Oh, Julie, I'm so sorry.

Well, why'd he lie?

He said

the detective in charge
of the investigation

told him what to say.

Promised him an early
release if he perjured himself

and a lot of extra
time if he didn't.

So he lied.

Earl McCutcheon.

You think he's telling
the truth this time?

I don't know what to think.

Well, you know,

maybe you better talk to that
detective he said put him up to it.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

And you believed him?

You shouldn't be talking to me.
You should be talking to a shrink.

But you did help him
get an early release.

Yeah, because he
helped me nail Ryder.

Detective...

Look, one hand washes the
other in this business, lady.

That doesn't mean I bribed
the guy, for crying out loud.

Do you always work weekends?

Why? You asking me out?

Earl McCutcheon says you came
to see him on a Saturday night.

Well, now, if you're a cop, and
you're investigating a murder,

and somebody calls you from jail

and says that their cellmate
just confessed to that murder,

wouldn't you go
down there right away?

You're saying he called you?

Of course he called me.

Look, I'm a cop.

Earl McCutcheon's a con, okay?

Now, if you can't figure things
out from there, I can't help you.

Nobody can.

Just give me a second.
I'll be right there. Okay.

Yeah, okay. Just a second now.

Jiminy Crickets.

- Ben? Oh.
- Yeah?

- Hi. Can I come in?
- Hi.

Thanks. I know I
should have called first,

but I was so excited.

Wow, the place looks great.

New wallpaper.

Um... Well,

kind of.

Okay, now, first
thing this morning,

I talked to that detective,
Jake Van Owen,

and he said Earl
McCutcheon called him

from the jail on a Saturday

and told him to get
down there right away

because Clarence Ryder
had confessed to him.

But Earl McCutcheon told me

Detective Van Owen
initiated the contact

by suddenly appearing
at the jail out of the blue.

So I checked with
the telephone company

to see who was
telling the truth.

No calls were made
from the jail that Saturday,

because on Friday
some inmate went berserk

and ripped the
phone off the wall,

and it didn't get
fixed until Monday.

Detective Van
Owen lied to me, Ben.

So I've gotta get
him out of there.

I've got to get him a new
trial, but I'm gonna need help.

No judge is gonna
let me defend him.

I prosecuted him.

Will you do it?

- I'll try.
- Oh-ho.

Whoopsie-doodle.

We have reason to believe
you did not get a fair trial.

She ought to know.
She railroaded me.

She and that scum
bucket Earl McCutcheon.

She got him to lie so
she could get a conviction.

Somebody got him
to lie, but it wasn't her.

Now, just settle down.

I have to hear what
happened that night.

Okay.

For what it's worth.

I hit the place thinking
Phillip Chaney was still at work

and that his wife was off playing
tennis somewhere like usual.

- You'd been watching them?
- I had one rule:

Never hit a house when
somebody was home.

It was around 6 or 6:30. I
let myself in the back door.

I grabbed some stuff in the living
room when I heard some noise.

I'd been coming there
every night for three weeks.

Nobody home on Wednesday night.

Not even a car in sight.

When I heard somebody
upstairs, I got the hell out of there.

You never went up the stairs?

I never even saw the
woman, much less killed her.

So, what's the deal?
Why is everybody

so interested in the
truth all of a sudden?

Earl McCutcheon
has admitted he lied.

So if you want a new trial,
we can probably get you one.

Well, come on. What do you say?

You're gonna reopen the case?

I'm sorry, but it
has to be done.

Tell C.J. and Bill to come in.

Call Parker, tell him to
start the presentation.

- I'll be up in about five minutes.
- Yes, sir.

I remember how painful
the trial was for you, Phillip.

I thought you should
hear this from me

before you read
it in the papers.

I was just beginning to
put all this behind me.

I know. But there's
an old saying:

"Better a hundred guilty men go
free than one innocent man go to jail."

I guess.

- Any leads on the real killer?
- No.

How can a man get
up on the stand and lie?

I don't understand that.

Neither do I.

We're here.

The idea of listening to all
that stuff about Brenda's death,

I don't know if I can go
through all that again.

I understand.

May...? May I use your phone?

- Help yourself. Dial nine.
- Thanks.

- Fine.
- Yes.

Jake? Think it was
Jake Van Owen?

I know it was.

I recognized the number.

Now, why would he be
calling Phillip Chaney?

Well, probably to tell
him what you told him.

But the only thing
Detective Van Owen knows

is that Earl McCutcheon
recanted his story.

He doesn't know we're
moving for a new trial.

The only person I've
told is Phillip Chaney.

Well, maybe they got to know
each other during the first trial.

I don't think they said
two words to each other.

And I was there
every day, remember?

Well, you know, I could take
a look at the phone records

just to see how much contact
they had with each other

during the time of the trial.

- Would you?
- Sure.

There you are. A little
mustard, a lot of relish.

Oh, Ben, you remembered.

Here. Put something
in your mouth.

So, Julie, I guess this means
you're gonna be spending

a lot more time in Atlanta.
More than you figured, huh?

I guess.

Well, you're welcome to
crash at my place if you'd like.

Oh, the hotel's fine.

- But thanks anyway.
- Sure.

There you go.

This has ketchup all over it.

I don't like ketchup.

I know.

- She's over there.
- Thank you.

Excuse me, Mrs. Kellogg?

Hi. I'm Jerri Stone. I'm
a private investigator.

I was wondering if I could
ask you a couple questions.

Private investigator?

Yeah, I work for a lawyer
here in town, Ben Matlock.

- Have I done something?
- No. No, no. It's nothing like that.

In fact, keep watering. I'd hate to
see these flowers die on my account.

Oh, are these petunias?

No, African violets.

Oh.

Well, it shows you
how much I know.

I don't do well with plants.
I buy them, I kill them.

It's like a law of nature.

I've never talked to a
private investigator before.

What do you wanna know?

I'm looking into a murder
that occurred some time ago.

The victim's name
was Brenda Chaney.

Was she a friend of yours?

Chaney? No.

I don't think I know
anyone named Chaney.

Well, I happened to be looking
over some old phone records,

and I noticed that on
October 5th, three years ago,

somebody from her
residence called your residence

at 1:57 in the afternoon,
and talked for 83 minutes.

October 5th?

Yeah.

Eighty-three minutes seems
like a long time to talk somebody,

- especially if you don't know them.
- That whole week is a blur.

My daughter was killed in
a car accident on the 3rd.

Hit and run.

She was 10.

Oh, I'm sorry.

So the phone rang
constantly for days.

But, you know, come to think of
it, I did have a lengthy conversation

with some woman I
didn't know around then.

She called to say
she'd been so moved

by what she'd read in the
newspaper about Cammie's...

That she wanted to start
a fund in Cammie's name

for needy children or something.

But I don't remember what
she said her name was.

She was nice, compassionate.

She never started a fund, of
course, but it was a nice thought.

Could be she never
got a chance to.

If it was Brenda Chaney,

she was murdered
less than five hours later.

What has occurred
is the worst nightmare

of everyone involved with
the American system of justice.

A man has been incarcerated
for a crime he did not commit.

The deposition I just gave
you is by Earl McCutcheon,

the man to whom Clarence
Ryder allegedly confessed.

The man who relayed that confession
to the court during Mr. Ryder's trial.

The man who, as you will
see, now admits he lied.

And because he lied,
Clarence Ryder went to prison.

It's a wrong that must be
righted, Your Honor, and soon.

Because to be unjustly
punished in the name of justice

is the worst injustice of all.

Thank you.

Does the State
have any comments?

Yes, indeed, Your Honor.

The defense would like you to believe
that Clarence Ryder was convicted

based on the testimony
of just one man.

That's just not true.

Forensic evidence showed
that he was in the Chaney home

the night of the murder.

And items stolen from that home

- were found in his
possession - You were great.

After the burglar
alarm went off.

How does it feel sitting
on this side of the aisle?

Strange. But the
company's better.

- How'd it go?
- Pretty good, I think.

The judge retired to
chambers to make his decision.

Well, I think I may have
something, but I'm not sure.

Come on.

Let's hear it.

Well, on the day of the murder,

somebody from the Chaney
house, probably Brenda Chaney,

called a woman
named Susan Kellogg

and talked to her for
an hour and 20 minutes.

Who's Susan Kellogg?

She's the mother
of a little girl

who was killed by a hit-and-run
driver two days before.

So I looked up
the accident report,

and guess what homicide
detective was assigned to the case?

Jake Van Owen?

Here's his signature
on the initial report.

That's all I could get
without a subpoena.

Let's get you a subpoena.

After studying the briefs and
depositions presented to me,

and listening to
arguments from both sides,

I have concluded that
there is indeed just cause

to set aside the
original verdict

and to hold a new trial,

the date of which is to
be set as soon as possible.

- Ah. We did it.
- Yeah.

- We did it.
- Yeah.

Well, we're still a long ways
from the barn, but it's a start.

- Here's to you, Ben.
- Oh, to you.

- You're really special.
- So are you.

Well, now, finally, we can talk
about something other than the case.

Yeah.

That seminar was just an excuse.

I mostly came to
Atlanta to see you.

Oh.

There are just some things
you can't say over the phone.

- Yeah.
- I mean, you have

- to say them face to face.
- That's right.

- I know.
- So...

I hope this makes you
as happy as it makes me.

I'm getting married, Ben.

Um... You're
getting married? Oh.

Oh, well, how about that?

Congratulations.

Thanks.

So, what's he do?

He's an eye surgeon.

His name is Michael Jensen,
and he's tops in his field.

Oh, well, a lawyer and a doctor
has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Yes, well, he's quite
a guy, that's for sure.

Yeah.

Well, getting married.
How about that?

Second time's the charm, right?

Yeah.

Did you ever, ahem, think
of getting married again?

No.

Well, sometimes I...

I don't know.

So...

What do you think?

Oh, well, it's,
uh... Uh... Uh...

Wanna order?

You, uh...?

You Jerri Stone?

Yeah.

You're a girl.

And you're a boy.

Whose name is...?

Jake Van Owen.

Jake Van Owen. Well,
what a coincidence.

Because I just happened to
be going over your investigation

of the hit-and-run case
that killed Camille Kellogg.

Yeah, so I heard.

As long as you're here, maybe you
wouldn't mind answering questions.

Like what?

Oh, like, how come you
never found the driver?

No witnesses.

We had nothing to go on.

Well, you had all the physical
evidence from the scene.

A couple of pieces of
glass took us nowhere.

Look, lady.

Don't think I don't
know what you're up to.

Don't you like what I'm up to?

You're damn right I don't.

You're trying to find something
that'll make me look bad,

so that Earl McCutcheon will look
good when your boss puts the lying dirtball

on the stand.

You turned him
into a lying dirtball.

I'm just trying
to figure out why.

He was telling the truth when
he testified the first time, lady.

He's lying now.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Want some coffee? Just made.

- That'd be great.
- Okay.

- You heard from Jerri?
- Not yet. No, not yet.

There you are.

- Thanks.
- Yeah.

- Ben?
- Hmm?

Last night, when we
were having dinner, I...

Um... This is really awkward.

I don't know how to say
this without being direct.

Say what?

Last night, I was trying to get you
to tell me how you feel about me.

Oh!

You know how I feel about you.

- No, I don't.
- Well, sure you do.

No. No. Ben, I don't.

Our relationship is something
we have never, ever, discussed.

I don't know where
I stand with you.

Cream. Cream. You take cream.

I don't need cream.
I need an answer.

- Cream, cream, cream.
- Ben?

Ben, this is important to me.

I'm about to marry Michael.

Now, I know you're not very
good at expressing your feelings,

but, please, just this once,

try.

- Ben?
- In the kitchen.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Oh. I'm sorry. Am I
interrupting something?

Oh, no. No, no. Here,
have some coffee. Sit down.

- Okay.
- Find anything?

No, not really.

Nobody actually
saw the accident.

And the two people that said
they saw the car speeding away

couldn't agree on
what color the car was,

let alone what the
driver looked like.

The case was never solved?

No. All they had to go on was
a piece of broken headlight.

They were able to determine
that it came from a Mercedes,

so they checked with all
the dealerships in the area

to see if they'd replaced
any broken headlights

or done any suspicious bodywork.

Nothing.

Van Owen got nowhere.

And to tell you the
truth, I'm not surprised.

Now, here's a
coincidence for you.

Phillip Chaney
drives a Mercedes.

I remember it from the trial.

Julie, am I being sensitive

or are you suggesting that
Brenda and I hit that little girl?

Well, it's a possibility
that's come up.

Well, let's see.

October 3rd.

We had dinner with the
Davenports at their house at 7.

Do you happen to remember
what time you got home?

- No.
- Where did the Davenports live?

Forest Ridge.

That's not far from
where the Kelloggs live.

You are out of line.

Oh, one more thing.
I checked my files,

and on the night
Brenda was murdered,

you went to your friend Arnold
Kruck's 50th birthday party.

- That's right.
- Brenda was supposed to go,

but she didn't feel well
so she stayed home.

Do you remember what
time you got to the party

and what time you left?

The party was
at 6. I left about 8.

I got home to find my
house swarming with police

who told me my wife was dead.

Any other questions?

I'm just doing my job, Phillip.

Then why don't you
get out so I can do mine?

I talked to Mary Kruck,

and she said Phillip Chaney
was definitely at the party,

but she couldn't say for sure what
time he got there or what time he left.

- But she had that picture.
- Hmm.

Which I got blown up to
see what time his watch said.

Uh...

Six-twenty.

The burglar alarm
went off at 6:36,

and the police got
there five minutes later.

No way that Phillip
Chaney could've done it.

Well, worth a try.

What did the
defendant say to you

when you shared
his cell that weekend?

Nothing, really.

He wasn't much of a talker.

He didn't confess to you that he
had murdered Brenda Chaney?

No, he did not.

Well, why did you perjure
yourself at the first trial

by saying he had confessed?

Because a certain member
of the police force told me

that I'd be released
early if I did,

and real late if I didn't.

No further questions.

Cross examine?

Please.

Let me get this straight.

You stood up there
three years ago,

took the oath and then
lied. Is that correct?

I'm afraid so.

But this time you took the
oath and you're telling the truth?

Right.

Well, no offense, Mr. McCutcheon,
but how do we know that?

How do we know
you're not lying now?

Well, because I'm not.

Where did you say
you currently reside?

Atlanta State Prison.

Anybody else in this
room reside there?

He does.

Let the record show he pointed
to the defendant, Clarence Ryder.

Has Mr. Ryder been
threatening you, Earl?

Has he been saying
he's gonna get back at you

for testifying against
him during the first trial?

Well, not to my face.

No. But word gets
around in prison, doesn't it?

He's been making threats you're
afraid he's gonna make good on.

And since you're both lifers,
you figured the best way

to stay alive and healthy
was to placate him

by recanting your
story, didn't you?

Didn't you?

The guards said they
couldn't protect me.

Now, wait just a minute!

Miss March, you're out of order.

Julie.

No use getting all
mad and out of sorts.

It won't get you anywhere.

So three years ago, you were
telling the truth, weren't you?

Clarence Ryder did
confess to you in that jail cell.

- Look, I...
- The truth, Mr. McCutcheon!

He told you he murdered
Brenda Chaney, didn't he?

- Yes.
- Now, wait a minute!

Mr. Matlock, I will tolerate
no outbursts from you either.

Somebody got to
you, didn't they?

- Mr. Matlock, sit down.
- Who...? Who was it?

I said, sit down!

But, Your Honor,
somebody got to him!

Every time something happens

in this courtroom
that you disagree with,

you start yelling and
flailing your arms about,

and I'm sick of it!

Now, sit down!

Ben.

Earl McCutcheon
still won't talk to me.

I can't believe he
sandbagged us like that.

That detective
probably got to him.

Maybe we should subpoena
Detective Van Owen.

He'd just lie and we wouldn't
be able to prove anything.

What are we gonna do?

Well, Cliff and Jerri are
checking bank records.

Maybe there's some kind of link

between this Phillip
Chaney and that detective.

No, they're too smart
to leave a money trail.

Mike thinks I should just forget
the whole thing and come home.

Mike?

Oh, yeah, your eye guy.

He says even if we did manage
to get Clarence Ryder out of prison,

he'd probably just commit some
other crime and be sent back.

He might realize his mistakes
and lead a better life. You can't tell.

- Ben?
- Hmm?

Ben, I have to know.

What?

You and me. Are you listening?

- Look at this.
- No, no, no.

This time you are not
going to change the subject.

No, look... Look
in the mirror here.

- They served birthday cake.
- Yeah.

Twenty minutes into the party?

Yes, Detective Van Owen
was the officer in charge

of the investigation.

As I recall, he was
the one that met me

at the door to my house that
night and told me my wife was dead.

Are you sure you didn't
meet him before that,

while he was
investigating a hit-and-run

in which a 10-year-old
girl was killed?

Positive.

He never questioned you

- about that accident?
- No.

Now, now. Now, wait now. Uh...

According to these
telephone records, someone...

Your wife.

Called a Susan Kellogg.

The mother of the girl who was
killed, a woman she had never met,

and talked to her for over an
hour two days after the accident.

Now, why would she do that?

How can you be so
sure it was my wife?

There's people in
my house all the time.

People in your
house? What people?

People working
there? People visiting?

Why would these
people call Susan Kellogg,

a person they probably
never heard of?

How should I know?

When, uh, ahem...

When we first spoke
to Susan about that call,

because of the pain
of losing her daughter

in such a tragic way,
she couldn't remember.

But over time, she
does remember.

The voice on the other end of
the line said the name Chaney.

Are you sure your
wife didn't make that call

because either you or she or both
were responsible for that hit-and-run

and she felt guilty?

No. Absolutely not.

Isn't it true that when
Detective Van Owen

was questioning you
about the accident

and the evidence
that incriminated you,

you paid him to bury that evidence
and not report what he had found?

I did no such thing.

Isn't that why you and your wife
had such a bitter argument that night?

- We didn't argue.
- What did she threaten you with?

To call the police? Want
you to call the Kelloggs?

- What'd she threaten you with?
- Nothing.

She told you she was going to
the police about the hit-and-run

and you killed her, didn't you?

Objection, Your Honor.
No foundation. Speculation.

It's pure fantasy.

Your Honor, I'm just
trying to establish motive.

You either establish
motive or you don't.

As far as I'm concerned,
you've established nothing.

Now, either ask some questions
that are based on the evidence,

and let this man answer
them, or else sit down.

Yes, Your Honor.

Uh...

Where were you when your wife
was killed? Do you remember?

I was at the 50th birthday of
my good friend, Arnold Kruck.

- I got there about 6 and left about 8.
- Mm-hm.

Your wife wasn't invited?

Of course she was.

She wasn't feeling well,
so she stayed home.

Oh, so you went home
before you went to the party?

No, I went to the
party from the office.

Told me she was sick when I talked
to her on the phone that afternoon.

Hmm. Would, uh, ahem...?

Would you please tell the court

when this picture was taken?

Well, that's Arnold Kruck.

It was taken the night
of his 50th birthday party.

His wife Mary, I
believe, took it.

We had this picture blown up
so we could see what time it was.

See that watch right there?

Now, you see your watch?

Tell us what time
that watch says.

Six-twenty.

My wife Brenda
was killed about 6:30,

so as you can see, I
couldn't have been involved.

Yeah, that's what
we thought at first.

But then...

Then we saw something
reflected in the mirror right there.

Can you see that right there?
What is that? What is that?

Looks like a half-eaten
birthday cake.

That's right.

According to the Krucks,

they served dinner that
night promptly at 7 p.m.,

and they served the
cake promptly at 7:45.

And that means that this picture
had to be taken sometime after that.

Oh, I guess my watch stopped.

Maybe. Or maybe you
turned your watch back to 6:20

to give yourself an alibi in case
you ever came under suspicion.

There you are. Ahem.

Now, you wanna
just tell the court

what really happened
that night, Mr. Chaney?

- I already have.
- I bet your wife didn't tell you

she was sick when she called.

I bet she told you

that she was gonna go to the
police about that hit-and-run,

and you came home, didn't you?

- I already told you...
- You argued with her and begged her,

and then something totally
unexpected happened.

The defendant, Clarence
Ryder, broke into your house.

I was at the party.

No. You were at home.

I don't really know
exactly what happened,

but I figure that while Clarence
Ryder was burglarizing your house,

and heard something upstairs,
you heard him downstairs.

And you went down and
saw him leaving the house.

So you grabbed the
letter opener off your desk,

went back up the stairs,
stabbed your wife to death,

knowing the burglar
would be blamed for it,

setoff the alarm,

and then rushed over to the
party to give yourself an alibi.

That's not true. I was at
the party the whole time.

I didn't get home until
after my wife was dead.

Yes, you did.

And the best part of it is,
Your Honor, I can prove it.

You had a meeting
that afternoon at 2:00

with Beachwood Advertising.
You remember that?

Yeah, we signed a
three-year contract with them.

Now, what did they give you
as a memento of that occasion?

You remember?

Gold fountain pen.

Okay.

This is a list of the items

that Mr. Ryder had in his possession
when the police arrested him,

which you later identified

as having been
stolen from your house.

Would you please
read off item number 11?

"One gold fountain pen

with the engraved inscription
Beachwood Advertising Company."

That's right.

Now, how could a pen, that
you had just gotten that afternoon,

wind up being stolen
from your house

if you went directly from the
office to the party like you said?

Well...

I guess we've established
reasonable doubt

that Clarence Ryder
murdered your wife.

That means the police
will reopen the case.

And I imagine you and
Detective Van Owen

will have a long time to
talk about what went wrong.

Because the way I see it,

you're gonna wind
up in the same place.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Where are Jerri and Cliff?

They'll be here.
I told them 6:45.

How come?

Well...

I thought it would...
It would give us time

to talk about this "you
and me" business.

Oh. Julie, um...

That's all right, Ben.

I'm not getting married.

- You're not?
- No.

Well, not at the moment, anyway.

I think I should take
some more time.

I'm very fond of Mike.

I mean, I must be
to consider marriage.

But not just yet.

Coming here and seeing you, uh,

working with you,
I'm just not ready yet.

But what were you going to say?

Well, um...

When I heard you were
coming, I was just tickled to death.

And then when I saw you,
I was just tickled to death.

And I enjoyed the whole thing,
the work, being with you, everything.