Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 1, Episode 12 - Murder to a Jazz Beat - full transcript

- Taping starts in six minutes.
- Well, why didn't you say so?

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

- If you want to be free,
all you gotta do is say so.
- It's not that easy, and you know it.

- Are ya dumpin' Callie too?
- No. Just you three.

The people in Vegas,
they-they want a new sound.

- [No Audible Music]
- The doctor said heart failure.

- You said poison.
- I'd keep talk like that to myself.

- I didn't kill him, Jessica.
- Ben Coleman died on camera!

And we have a "WDBX-clusive."

- Oh, the St. Charles Cemetery, please.
- Ma'am, that place is dead.

♪ [Dixieland]



[Man, Chuckling] Yeah, you see,
the secret is in using stale beer...

to make the fish stock.
[Jessica] Stale beer?

Yeah. It makes a roux for the
finest gumbo you ever set a lip to.

Well, that is a marvelously
interesting recipe.

Yeah. You know, I always say
that whatever time a man's got,

spendin' it with good food,
good friends, good music...

and good conversation...

Why, a man can't die no
ways but happy. [Chuckling]

And a philosopher to boot.

Say, why don't we take
a spin around town?

Off the meter. We can, uh, talk some more,
and I can show you some of the sights.

'Cause ain't a man breathin'
knows New Orleans better than I do.

Oh, that is such a temptation.
And I'm a shameless tourist.

But you know, my plane was late.



And I'm supposed to
be at station WDBX...

to tape a segment for
New Orleans Today.

Oh! Miss Jessica.
Are you a celebrity?

Well, Lafayette, I
sincerely hope not. But, uh...

Oh-oh. The taping
starts in six minutes.

Well, why didn't you say
so? [Tires Screeching]

With two minutes to spare! Oh!

Is that all? Oh, if I hadn't
gotten stuck behind that bus...

What about my luggage?
Oh, I'll drop 'em off

at the hotel, you go
on. You're gonna be late.

Thank you, Lafayette. Okay.

And don't forget, I got
you later for sightseein'!

Oh, absolutely. All right.

Jonathan!

Jonathan?

- Jonathan!
- Jessica!

Jessica, what a
surprise! Surprise?

Jonathan! You're two days
early. The taping's on Wednesday.

But I-I put it down
for Monday the 20th.

No, no, no, no, no.
Wednesday the 22nd.

[Gasps] Oh!

Wait.

Good heavens! I
transposed the dates!

Jonathan, I'm supposed to be
dedicating a new school library.

Forty minutes ago. Well, I'm sure they've
worked out by now that you're not coming.

Jess, I can't believe it!
For the next 48 hours,

I've got you exactly
where I want you. Hmm?

Here! In New Orleans.

It's a Cajun paradise.
The cradle of jazz.

Oozing the warmth
of provincial France.

Boasting the most succulent
culinary delights this side of Paris.

[Laughing] Tastes and smells...
worthy of kings and their consorts.

[Chuckling] I'm glad to
see that your move south...

has not dimmed your gift
for hyperbole. [Laughing]

Well, if you're referring to
my gift for showmanship,

the compliment is
gratefully accepted.

I'm just a bit worried about what
you've got cooked up for me this time.

Let's go! Go where?

To the French Quarter. It's a
place where jazz musicians hang out.

I have one appointment,

and then, I will give you my
personal tour of this magnificent city!

♪ [Jazz Guitar]

Do you know, if you
stood here long enough,

eventually you'd see every living
jazz musician worthy of the name.

[Chuckling] Hey!

Afternoon, Eddie!
Oh, Mr. Hawley.

[Laughing] This is my
good friend, Jessica Fletcher.

Eddie Walters. Hello, Eddie.

Pleased to meet you,
ma'am. Is Aaron here?

Yeah. He's over in the
corner talking with Ben.

Uh, I can't talk right
now, Mr. Hawley. I have

to get this coffee to
Ben while it's still hot.

He don't like it if it ain't
hot. Will you excuse me?

Oh!

[Laughing] Well, there's no denyin' that
luck played a big part in my move to Vegas.

But so did a lot of hard work.

Lean and mean times. [Laughs]

Ain't nobody can say that Ben
Coleman didn't pay his dues.

And then some. You
know, I remember the...

Ben...

Fellas, look, I'll see you tonight
at the Bourbon Street Barn, hear?

Be sure and be there now, hmm?

You see something you
don't like, Mr. Kramer?

Lots of things. But
how would I know?

Uh, Lisa, honey, uh...

Just a lot of dull
business talk, okay?

Ben. I'd like you to meet a very old friend
of mine from Maine, Jessica Fletcher.

Ben Coleman and his
manager, Aaron Kramer.

[Chuckling] Mrs. Fletcher. It
certainly is nice to meet you.

Any friend of Jonathan’s
here is a friend of mine.

Why don't you have a seat
and join us? Oh, thanks.

Is, uh, this your first trip to
New Orleans, Mrs. Fletcher?

Yes, but it definitely
isn't my last.

J.B. Fletcher. Yes, ma'am.

I always read your books
when I'm flying on business.

The trouble is, they keep me awake.
You see the bags under the eyes?

- You did this to me.
- [Chuckling] I apologize, Mr. Kramer.

- Aaron. Please call me Aaron.
- Uh, Jonathan. Has the station set
a new air date for running the tape?

One week before the
opening in Las Vegas.

Oh, that sounds good. Real good.

Oh, Jonathan. In your
schmooze with the audience,

forget that "Good-bye New Orleans,
Hello, Las Vegas” bit, will you?

There's no need to make it sound
like any doors are being closed.

The Ben Coleman Quintet will
always be a part of New Orleans.

- Wherever else they may be.
- Is that so?

Well, the word is that
Jimmy, and Hec and me...

ain't gonna be a
part of nothin'. Eubie,

we're right in the
middle of settling it now.

Word is, you're hirin'
a whole new backup.

Well, we'll talk
about it later, fellas.

We'll talk about it now. All
those years I nursed you,

wrote all your arrangements,
split the last bean on the plate...

Hell, I stood up with you
when you married Callie.

[Jimmy] You dumpin' her too,
Ben? I said we'd talk about it later.

- Are you dumpin' Callie too?
- No. Just you three.

Now, fellas, the people in Vegas,
they-they want a new sound.

A w, come on. We got
sounds even we've never heard.

I wanted a new look.
Something a little, uh, fresher.

Not so... worn out.

If you'll excuse me... Nice
meeting you, Mrs. Fletcher.

Sixteen years. I
ought to kill you, Ben.

[Softly] Yeah.

Yeah, but you won't,
will you, Eubie? Hmm?

'Cause what little guts you got are
bobbin' behind your belt buckle there, huh?

Eubie!

- Ben, he didn't mean that.
- Oh, yeah? What did he mean?

Have you guys been out of
work since I started bookin' for ya?

I'll take care of you.
I've got... other groups.

Yeah, sure. But
not in Ben's class.

Oh, what the hell.

Eubie...

Mrs. Fletcher, I'm
truly sorry about this.

Is this gonna interfere
with the taping tonight? No!

Eubie's a pro. He'll be there.

So will Jimmy and Hec.
So. We touch base...

at the Barn, 7:30.

Fine.

I hope, Mrs. Fletcher, that,
well, maybe you plan to make it.

- You'll hear an evening of rare music.
- Well, I don't really know...

She'll be there. Great.

Delighted to meet you, and
I'll see you tonight. Thank you.

Bye-bye.

"Taping" in a barn? [Chuckles]

I was saving it as a
surprise. [Laughing]

There's gonna be a special performance
at the Bourbon Street Barn tonight.

Jess? I guarantee
you'll love it! I know.

♪ [Dixieland: Trumpet]

♪ [String Bass]

♪ [Drums]

♪ [Tuning Up Continues]

This is unbelievable. I was
prepared for a concert hall.

I told you this city
was full of surprises.

Uh, this way. Aaron should be
out back in the office. Excuse us.

Eddie. There you are. I was
wondering when you'd get here.

Well, me and Ben was talkin'.

Where is he? Oh,
he's over in the office.

Aaron wanted to see him.

What's that for?

Because you're special.

You're special to me
too, Eddie. Thanks.

You know what, Callie? Hmm?

Eubie ain't goin' to Las Vegas.

Neither is Jimmy or
Hec. Eubie told me.

- He was mad.
- Yes. He was mad. And hurt.

Callie, he told you
something else.

Ben's latest? She won't last
any longer than any of the others.

[Sighs] Sometimes...
I don't like Ben much.

Sometimes I don't either.

But we can't help
lovin' him, can we?

[Man Yelling]

[Aaron] Ben... [Ben] I've always
been everything you say, buddy boy.

I just don't have to keep it a secret
anymore! Well, I'll tell you something,

buddy boy... You keep
on the way you’re going,

and you’re gonna
be the one to get hurt.

You're a great talent, Ben. It's
gonna be a real shame that...

people will never
get to see how great!

Oh, Mrs. Fletcher. I...

Well, there's nothing like a good
knockdown drag-out between friends, huh?

Well, I understand
it clears the air.

Yes, ma'am. Sometimes.
Oh, I have seats for us.

Have a good show,
Jonathan. This way.

♪ [Jazz: Trumpet]

Magic time in half an hour.

I'd rather have a
cigarette. Gum is your idea.

I heard what happened at Le
Poulet Rouge this afternoon.

You got somebody
reportin' everything I do?

No.

The hell you don't.

Dropping them is wrong. We've
been together a lot of years.

What's the matter? You
worried I'm gonna drop you too?

No, I'm not worried.

If you wanna be free,
all you gotta do is say so.

It's not that easy,
and you know it.

And you know why.

Yeah, we got each other forever.
Come rain or come shine, huh?

♪ [Dixieland]

♪ [Continues]

♪ [Slower Tempo]

♪ [Up-tempo]

Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and
gentlemen. At the beginning of the show,

I said we had a
special treat for you.

A little added something from Ben
Coleman to say, "Thank you, New Orleans!"

What better treat, and what better
way for Ben to pay tribute to his mentor,

the gone, but not forgotten,
"Sweetman" Buddy Brunson...

than to play his own rendition
of a song Buddy made famous...

played on Buddy's
own "Miss Emma"...

"The Bourbon Street Concerto."

♪ [Slow Rag]

♪ [Stops]

Ben? Ben!

Somebody call an ambulance!

I'm a doctor.

He's dead.

It's like something out
of one of your books.

As a matter of fact, it is.

Mrs. Coleman
insists she's all right.

It's a shame for someone
that young to suffer a coronary.

I'm sorry, Doctor, but I don't believe
that Mr. Coleman died of a heart attack.

The slight color
drain around his lips?

The faint blue tint on the
moons of his fingernails?

- I didn't notice.
- I'm sure a coroner's examination
will show that he was poisoned.

Poisoned?

I'm-I'm not really conversant
on the subject of poisons.

Well, it's unlikely that you would
be with this one... it's very rare.

Very deadly, and
very fast-acting.

Murder on the Amazon. Of course!

Which one of you
called this in? I did.

Alan Collyer. I'm an
intern at Queen of Mercy.

[Softly] Looks like heart failure to me,
but she claims he was poisoned. Who?

Um...

What's your name? I'm
Jonathan Hawley, from station...

I know who you are.
I don't know this lady.

My name is Jessica
Fletcher. And yours?

Detective Lieutenant
Simeon Kershaw.

Where'd you get your degree
in pathology, Ms. Fletcher?

Mrs. I'm a writer.
Mystery novels?

I thought you were
in forensic medicine.

The doctor said heart
failure, you said poison.

While I was doing research on
my novel, Murder on the Amazon,

I came across an
obscure curare derivative...

which is almost
impossible to trace...

I see. An obscure,
South American poison.

I don't read mystery novels,
Mrs. Fletcher, but I do read people.

And I know a publicity
stunt when I see one.

- Now, look here, Lieutenant.
- An autopsy costs time and money.

If one is ordered, the coroner had
better find something besides a coronary,

or I'll see you both charged with
impedin' a police investigation.

Now, do you still say
poison, Mrs. Fletcher?

- In Chapter 18...
- 10:00 tomorrow. In my office.

Cops. [Scoffs] That's the
one thing about New Orleans

that's no different from
the rest of the country.

Hawley. I want to talk to you.

In private, if you don't mind.

Why didn't I get a call from you
instead of from your cameraman?

What call? Do you realize
we have less than an hour...

to get the Coleman tapes
edited for the 11:00 news?

That's insane!

Ben Coleman died on
camera. Well, I know.

And we have a "WDBX-clusive."
You can't show that!

But it's news, Hawley,
news. Showing him die?

That's sordid. I'm tellin' you.
You either get me the tapes,

or I'm gonna go see the
station manager. Fine.

Let's go and see him together.

All right.

Jessica? It's all
right, Jonathan.

I'll drive her to the
hotel. Uh, tell her I'll call.

Right.

Mrs. Fletcher, uh... Jonathan
had to leave. He said he'd call you.

I didn't much like
the look of that man.

Carl Turnbull. News
Director, WDBX.

He wanted the tapes of Ben
to play on the 11:00 news.

Jonathan went with him to have
it out with the station manager.

I said that I would drive you
home. Oh, thanks, but I'll take a cab.

Oh, no! It's no
bother. I'd like to.

Anyway, I'd like to
buy you a nightcap.

Sleep is not gonna
come easy tonight.

[Aaron] Ben wasn't the nicest man
you'd ever meet, but he sure had talent.

That made up for a lot with me.

But not with everyone
who knew him.

No. Not with everyone.

Did he always have a container of coffee
on Callie's piano during the performance?

Well, like the gum, he was
trying to break some bad habits.

The trying stopped, though, with alcohol
and cigarettes, even with Carol helping.

Carol? Mrs. Coleman.

[Chuckles]

Ben named her Callie because he
thought Carol was too high-toned.

But she is a high-toned
lady. And there is another one.

That's Mama Creole.
She's very good.

Yes. Mrs. Fletcher... [Sighs]

Do you mind if I call you
Jessica? Oh, of course not.

Well, Jessica, there are thousands
of good ones in this town. Thousands.

And most of 'em can't
make a living. Even so.

I have wished to be
one of them for 25 years.

- Do you play?
- No. I can't blow a lick.

But I sure can listen. So I stick with
those who can, and I try to help them...

- make a few bucks.
- I understand you do quite a bit of that.

Well, I try. I have a
sextet touring the Orient.

Ben's group just got
back from South America.

I have several groups around
town. I have several, uh, singles.

Singers... I see. You're
a "patron of the arts."

[Laughing] No.

That's somebody with class. No, Jessica,
I'm just a talent broker with a tin ear.

[Announcer]A reminder. You are watching the
tragic death of Ben Coleman, as taped...

from the Jonathan Hawley program,
New Orleans Today, a WDBX-clusive.

While there is no official
word, we have just learned...

the police are investigating
the possibility of homicide.

We expect this to be
confirmed momentarily.

A t which time, we
will switch to our...

How to move from
insipid talk show host...

to muckraking news
hawk in one easy lesson.

You're wrong, Lieutenant.
Jonathan Hawley is not capable of...

Don't defend him
to me, Mrs. Fletcher.

That tape of last night's news
speaks for itself. And for Hawley.

You'd have thrived very
nicely in the Old West, Kershaw.

You've a fine talent
for hip-shooting.

Jonathan...

Too bad it's not supported by a
semblance of intelligence or understanding.

The station manager sided with
Turnbull. Left me no choice. I quit.

And spent the rest of the
night celebrating. [Sighs]

From Basin Street to the bayou.

Oh, Jonathan. I am so sorry.

Looks like I made a mistake.

You'll be making another one if you
don't listen to what Jessica’s telling you.

[Sighs] If she says that Ben
Coleman was murdered, you can...

Hawley, please.
It was a long night.

Startin' with roustin' that
bookstore owner out of bed.

Not half-bad, lady. [Chuckles]

Know when the coroner called
this mornin' to say “heart attack"?

I told him to go back and double
check the inner lining of the liver.

Sure enough, just
like in the book.

Well, your a-apology
is accepted, Lieutenant.

I suppose you're aware that he and his
group recently returned from South America.

Mm. Somethin' else the
coroner came up with.

Heavy traces of junk
in Coleman's system.

- Narcotics?
- No surprise.

When I first met him, he
was a two-bit street punk.

He got lucky. But
he never changed.

We'd been tipped that
one or two of them...

might have been doin' some
smugglin'... couldn't nail them.

And whatever else was brought
in, obviously poison was too.

Ah... Poetic.

You know, when
I was a beat cop...

This is about 14 years ago... Ben
Coleman was just another punk kid.

I had him and his brother, dead
to rights, in a liquor store holdup.

Clerk was killed. Ben's girlfriend
Callie swore that they were with her.

Well, we couldn't
break the alibi.

No. The brother died in a
street fight a couple of years later.

Now Ben's got his.

The question is, how
was he poisoned?

I mean, did the coroner
notice any marks on his body?

[Laughing] You mean, like a
dart bein' shot from a trumpet?

Could it have been
in the coffee he drank?

I thought of that. I had my men go
back this mornin' and look for the cup.

I looked last night. But the cup
was gone. The killer took it with him?

Or her. There were a dozen people
there with both motive and opportunity.

Jonathan, you had three
cameras going last night.

Do you suppose that
Ben Coleman's murderer...

could also be on that tape?

♪ [Squeaks, Stops]

Give us the wider
angle. [Clicks]

Can you start it
where Mr. Hawley...

introduces the Buddy
Brunson tribute?

[Tape Rewinding]

For Ben to pay
homage to his mentor...

the gone, but not forgotten,
great "Sweetman" Buddy Brunson...

[Jessica] Fast-forward to
just before he collapses.

Stop it, right there.

- What is it?
- Back it up just a little.

That's it. That's it.

Now. Watch Callie.

Roll the tape
forward, just a little bit.

There. You see? The coffee
couldn't have been poisoned.

Callie is drinking
out of the cup.

[Jonathan] Maybe she isn't drinking
the coffee. Maybe she's faking it.

[Kershaw] Or the poison
is somewhere else.

Well, then, why did
the cup disappear?

Who took it? Jonathan Hawley.

You are no longer an
employee of this station.

Now, who gave you the permission to
use this equipment for your own pers...

Lieutenant Kershaw.
Police business, Mr. Turnbull.

[Chuckles] Well, we're always
happy to cooperate with the authorities.

Thank you. [Jessica] Uh,
Mr. Turnbull, we haven't met.

Jessica Fletcher. Jonathan's
told me so much about you.

Yes, I'm glad to meet
you. [Chuckles] You know,

this places me in a
very awkward position.

Well, how is that? Well, you see, I have
this theory about Ben Coleman's death,

and I was hoping to make it
public on Jonathan's show.

But of course, Jonathan
doesn't have a show anymore.

So I suppose I shall have
to contact your competitor.

[Chuckling] Well, I hardly think
that's necessary. I'm sure that...

the New Orleans Today
program can be easily reinstated.

Good day, Mr. Turnbull.

You know, Jonathan, maybe some other
show would like to have us on together.

[Turnbull] Well, I'm sure
this can be straightened out.

Mrs. Fletcher, there's no reason
to leave. Please don't go! Please!

[Laughing] Okay, Mrs.
Fletcher. What theory?

Well, I'm afraid I'm
still working on it.

But I found that man so insufferable,
I just had to say something.

[Stifled Laughter]

[Laughs] I wish
I could see that.

New Orleans' Finest,
scraping chewing gum...

from under every chair in
the Bourbon Street Barn.

Kershaw wants every
single wad analyzed.

He's convinced Callie poisoned
the last stick she gave to Ben.

And what was her motive?
He checked the airlines.

Ben bought three tickets to
Las Vegas: one for himself,

one for Eddie, and
one for that obvious

little number he was
with at Le Poulet Rouge.

Callie was gonna be
dumped like the others.

I don't know, Jonathan.

Getting rid of a wife who kept her
husband from facing a murder charge...

isn't quite the same as
getting rid of a trumpet player.

It's Kershaw's theory, not mine.

How about I pick
you up for lunch?

Celebrate my show
being put back on the air.

Well, I was just on my way out.

And if your show is
going to stay on the air, I'm

gonna have to make good
my boast to that Mr. Turnbull.

[Chuckles] I'll call you later.

Just the person I wanted to see.

Well, now, I am glad to see that
you are ready to do some sightseeing.

Lafayette, you told me that you know New
Orleans better than any person breathing.

Breathin' and not. And you know the
good music, as well as the good food?

Nothin' wrong with my stomach or
my ears, if you are talkin' Dixieland.

Well, I'm trying to find a man named
Eubie Sherwin, and two others...

Jimmy Firth and Hec Tattersal,
Ben Coleman's sidemen.

Yeah. How come you know them?

I knew I wasn't wrong about you, Lafayette.
Do you know where I can locate them?

♪ [Dixieland]

♪ [Ends]

Mighty fine, boys.
But things are slow.

Might be a few nights
towards the end of the month.

We don't open till 5:00, lady.

Well, I thought you were just
wonderful. [Hec] Well, thank you.

Thank you very much. Too bad you
don't own a club, we'd play for you cheap.

[Laughing] Why? What
are you doing here?

Well, as a matter of fact... What
do you think she's doin' here?

She's got one of us killin' Ben
and tryin' to figure out which.

No, that is police work.

But if any of you
have any thoughts...

I'm the one that threatened
him. I-I didn't kill him, lady.

Wait a minute. Eubie.
Wait a second. Look, ma'am.

Face it. We all
wished bad for him.

I mean, we're here because
he dumped us, okay?

Also, we're broke. That's somethin'
ain't likely gonna change real soon either.

I heard Aaron Kramer say that
he was going to get you work.

Aaron Kramer? Lady, that
man can't get you... Aaron tries.

Just spread too thin
to do us any good.

Yeah, plus, he's the world's worst
businessman. Now, that's the truth.

Yet, all this time,
he keeps on going.

He must have
something going for him.

Somewhere. Oh, I wouldn't know.

If I were you, lady, I'd
keep talk like that to myself.

You might get
somebody in trouble.

Jessica! I didn't
expect to find you here.

Well, Ben's boys were
auditioning, and I came to watch.

Well, I set it up. But how
did you know they were here?

I had help. I'm sorry to say, they
didn't get much encouragement.

Oh, that's too bad.

I was hoping they'd be a
shoo-in. Are they inside now?

Uh-huh. I don't want to see them
now. Come on. I'll give you a lift.

- Well, I have a taxi!
- I-I want to talk to you...

[Clears Throat] Uh,
ready to go, Miss Jessica?

Uh, this lady is my
fare, Mr. Kramer.

And my friend.
She's also my friend.

Do I know you? No
reason you should.

- But I know all about you.
- I-It's all right, Lafayette.

- Uh, all things considered, Miss Jessica?
- He just wants to talk.

Fine. Then I'll see to it.

How close are the police
to finding Ben's killer?

Oh, I haven't talked to
Lieutenant Kershaw today.

Kershaw. How close are you?

As close as I am to finding
out about the smuggling.

I was afraid something
would mess up what I

had going. But I never
figured it'd be murder.

"What you had going"? Jessica,
I'm pretty much a bust as a manager.

Smuggling was a way to
keep a lot of musicians fed,

and put a few dollars in their
pockets when they weren't working.

Drugs? Oh, I'm sorry.
There's no justification for that.

No, not drugs, Jessica. That's
what Customs always looked for.

And what about your fight with
Ben Coleman? Was that about drugs?

I found that he brought
some stuff in almost every trip.

And if he had gotten caught, it could
have ruined everything for everybody.

Ben was bad, Jessica. Long
time bad and getting worse.

He used everybody, including
me. He fired me, but so what?

I didn't kill him, Jessica.
He was wrecking himself.

The way he was going.
The stuff he was into.

He was gonna burn
out in less than a year.

And Callie? Could
she have killed him?

- Good heavens, no.
- Are you sure?

The way she loved him?

She'd have gone
through hell for him.

Matter of fact, that's what she's
been doing for the past 16 years.

♪ [Dixieland: "St.
James Infirmary"]

Eddie. Hello, Mr. Kramer.

Callie, you makin' out
all right? We're fine.

Tomorrow, I'll take you
both to the cemetery.

- Thank you, Aaron.
- Everything's gonna work out okay, Callie.

Yeah. Let's go, Eddie.

Time to go, now.

Much longer, won't
nobody be here, Callie.

Yes.

[Sighs] I... I don't want
to leave Ben all alone.

Aaron Kramer? These
are federal officers.

You're under arrest for
importation of contraband.

What? Smugglin'.

Take him.

Well, Mrs. Fletcher. In at the
beginnin', in at the end, huh?

At the end, Lieutenant? I've also got
Kramer down as Ben Coleman's killer.

With motive and opportunity.

You were runnin' a close
second, Mrs. Coleman.

- And just how did he do it?
- With this.

You put that back.
You leave that be! Hey!

- Leave it be! Give it up!
- [Callie] Eddie!

Put it back! No, let me go! No!

Ben said, don't let nobody
never touch that. Never!

- Now, put it back! Ben?
- Please, please. Don't hurt him.

- Eddie? Eddie! Stop.
- No.

Ol' Ben told me. Mr. “Sweetman"
Buddy Brunson gave him that.

Put it back. Ben!

Ben!

Lieutenant, are you
sure about Aaron Kramer?

We both saw it
wasn't the coffee.

Tests on every speck of gum
in this hall turned out negative.

Now, fast-workin' as you say that
poison is, there's only one way left:

Miss Emma.

Kramer took the Coleman Sextet
out of the country a half-dozen times.

His other groups too. The Customs
people were sure they'd been smugglin'.

Lieutenant, I talked to Aaron...
He brought in all kinds of jewelry,

artwork, artifacts, you name it.

There's no tellin' how much.

A trumpet player with a group
that Kramer's got tourin' the Orient...

was busted by Japanese
Customs with a fortune in diamonds.

Last-minute body search
turned up some marijuana.

They decided to take a
second look at his luggage...

The guy laid
everything on Kramer.

I don't understand how that
makes him a murder suspect.

You're the one who takes the pieces and
makes them into a picture, Mrs. Fletcher.

It couldn't be plainer.
Look, Ben Coleman...

was on his way to Vegas, right?

Big time, big money, so
he dumped everybody else.

But Kramer had a
contract with him.

Ben threatened to tell
the authorities about the

smugglin' if Kramer
didn't let him out of it.

Wrong, Lieutenant.
Aaron was dumped.

Just like the rest of them. He had
a three-year, locked-down contract,

renewable for one
more year at his option.

- Yes, that may sound like a motive.
- I'll give you opportunity.

The Buddy Brunson tribute.
Whose idea was that, Hawley?

Aaron. Before he told anybody...

Before Eddie Walters
got to Brunson's clarinet...

Kramer doctored the reed...

with the poison he'd brought back
from his last trip to South America.

Oh, it was smuggled in, all
right. But not by Aaron Kramer.

Possibly by Ben Coleman.

What? Aaron Kramer didn't know
that he was going to be blackmailed.

That happened after they
returned from South America.

[Phone Ringing]

Kershaw.

Are you certain?

That was the lab. Bad news?

[Sighs] Bad enough.

There was no trace
of poison on the reed.

There wasn't anything.

It was absolutely... clean.

[Sighs]

No, you just forget about it. I'll get
the new format sheets for myself.

Thank you!

As long as the
show is being taped,

let's just try to ignore
Coleman's murder.

If we get the chance. I
have been waiting for you.

We're taping in a few
minutes, Turnbull. Later.

Later? Oh, not
later, Hawley. Now.

Here's the public service
announcement for the station break.

I've arranged to have
your program aired live.

You what? We'll take all the other
programs, put all the tape in the cans.

Take three. Push 'em back.

I hope you are
prepared, Mrs. Fletcher,

to tell the world everything you
know about the Coleman murder.

You are prepared, Mrs. Fletcher?

[Jonathan] Who do you think you
are? [Woman] What am I going to do?

[Turnbull] I am the man that got you
knocked off the air in New Orleans.

And trust me, my friend. I can do it again.
[Director] Cut! There's no pause there!

And hold up the product,
Harold. [Harold] Okay.

Don't eat blueberry pie unless Dento-Gliss
is on hand for glistening dentures.

Well, Mrs. Fletcher
is not an employee.

And she's not gonna embarrass
the New Orleans Police

Department... See how
sparkling Dento-Gliss...

[Arguing Continues] removes
this unsightly stain... in seconds.

Or furthering your flagging
career! And neither am I!

Well, you'd better convince
your friend to change her mind,

or you will find yourself on the
street. [Director] Hey, keep goin'.

Jessica? Ms. Fletcher?

[Actor] Removes this
unsightly stain in seconds.

Taxi! Taxi!

So, we finally get our
tour of the city. Lafayette!

Where to first? Oh, the St.
Charles Cemetery, please.

Ma'am, with all the beautiful
places in New Orleans?

Ma'am, that place
is dead. [Sighs]

♪ [Dixieland: "When
The Saints Go Marchin' In"]

♪ [Fades]

Oh, thank you for
coming, Mrs. Fletcher.

Callie.

And I always thought
Mr. Hawley was my friend.

He is your friend,
Eddie. And so am I.

If he was my friend, why did he help
the police take Miss Emma from Ben?

Eddie.

Lieutenant Kershaw
was only doing his job.

He thought that Aaron
Kramer had killed Ben...

by poisoning his clarinet reed.

But he couldn't! Nobody was even allowed
to touch Miss Emma, except Ben and me.

- Yes, I know that.
- Eddie...

Well, there couldn't have
been no poison on that reed.

- There wasn't.
- Then the lieutenant was wrong.

Partly wrong, Callie. He was wrong
about Mr. Kramer being the killer.

You know how your
husband was killed.

- And you know who killed him.
- I don't know anything of the kind.

You know, because I think it was you
who took the coffee cup off the piano.

- No. That's not true.
- You took it, not because
the coffee was poisoned,

but because it wasn't.

And you knew that it wasn't. But by
it being missing, it looked as if it was.

The gum wasn't
poisoned either. No.

When you heard me say
"poison," you knew instantly...

your husband could have
only been killed one way.

And only by one person.

Yeah, but you just said there
wasn't no poison on the reed.

That's right, Eddie. The
trouble is, there wasn't anything.

But there should have been.

Ben drank black coffee just
seconds before he started to play...

Black coffee.

Now, that would
have stained the reed.

But there wasn't any stain.
There wasn't any sign of coffee.

Why? Because after Ben died,

after you were alone,
you changed the reed.

Now, if it was nothing to hide,
why would you have done that?

'Cause I thought...

Ben might want to play it.

Up there.

- That's why I cleaned it up for him.
- And removed the poison.

Ben was the best
friend I ever had.

He wasn't nice to a whole lot of people.
But he wasn't never not nice to me.

Not never. He was my friend,
and he took real good care of me.

Long time ago, Ben, Joey
and me, we done somethin' bad.

Real bad.

Callie...

Callie told the police
we were with her.

So they wouldn't arrest us.

[Crying] Now, she did that...

'cause she loved Ben... and Ben
and me, we love her right back.

Ben... Ben didn't
love her no more.

He said he wasn't gonna let
her go to Las Vegas with us.

That if she found out, she'd
tell the police she'd lied.

And we'd go to jail.

[Sighs] When...

When we were in that place...

South America... Ben told
me he was gonna kill Callie.

He even went out and
got the poison to do it.

Now, I couldn't... I
couldn't just let him do that.

I told him, I said, "Ben, Callie
would never do anything to hurt us."

But he wouldn't listen to
me. He wouldn't believe me!

And when I tried to tell Callie,
Callie didn't believe me either!

So I couldn't just
let him kill her,

'cause he didn't
love her no more.

But I did. [Sobbing]

But I did. [Sobs]

I did.

I did! [Crying]

I did. [Breaks Down]