Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 1, Episode 20 - Murder at the Oasis - full transcript

Something's happened to Pop.

- [Woman] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
- Oh!

The killer did not
come from outside.

- Who else in the house that night
could have been a hit man?
- I didn't know if they had a contract on me.

- I didn't do it!
- You killed him! You killed him!

- Stop it!
- I told you. The big guy's freakin' out.

For the first time since I
left him, we made love.

- Unless you wanna get involved
in a murder, get out of the country.
- I was a patsy.

I don't want anyone leaving
town until this thing is cleared up.

I know who killed
Johnny Shannon.

♪ [Piano: Slow-Tempo, Off-Key]



♪ [Continues]

♪ [Discordant Notes, Playing
Stops] Hey, Mickey! Get in here!

Yeah, Dad?

- I thought you were gonna
finish my arrangements.
- I did.

- You call those finished?
- I gave you what you wanted.

What I wanted was something bouncy
to kick off the tennis tournament show.

Okay. What you gave me
was crap. This is bouncy to you?

♪ [Slow-Tempo]
♪ [Discordant Notes]

Well, that's the wrong
tempo. Just pick it up. Ohh.

Go on. Tell me about music. Thirty years
in the business; suddenly, I'm a dummy.

I didn't say that.
Oh, come on, kid.

What is it, Mick? The job too tough for
you? I never should have hired family.

So get somebody else.
I didn't ask for the job.

Look who's got his
Irish up! Okay. You don't



like the job? Tell
me what to do with it.

Dad. Go ahead, kid.
Get it out of your system.

- I told off my old man more than once.
- You know, it's possible
you're wrong this time.

Me? Wrong?

Yeah. Once, you could be wrong.

That's it?

That's all you got to say?

[Papers Shuffling]
[Scoffs] Boy, you sure

didn't get anything from
your old man, did you?

That includes
talent, style and guts.

Your sister got all the
moxie in this family.

- The only thing you're good at
is coppin' a plea.
- Dad, just listen to it in the right tempo.

♪ [Piano: Up-Tempo] Hey,
Buster! Buster, get in here!

Yeah, Johnny? Listen...

Hold it. Hey, I like that.
It's got a nice bounce.

- Very good, Mickey.
- Thank you, Bus.

What do you know?
You got a tin ear.

Listen, tell Lou to get the
car. And hustle your buns.

I got a lunch date at the tennis
club. [Intentionally Lisping] Yes, sir.

Yes, sirree, sir! Hustle the
buns! Hustle the buns! Yes, sir!

♪ [Piano Continues] Work on it.

[Johnny] It's this
cellar in Brooklyn. I'm

the opening act for
this dance team, see...

Betty and Max Gomez
and their Sophisticated Feet.

You're kidding! No!

But the real star of the
show is the stripper. Yeah.

She works with a duck.

With a duck! Yep.

She's married to this
hood, see. He owns the joint,

and he's got a personality
like an anchovy.

So, listen. One night,
I'm in his office, see...

- [Phone Rings]
- Get that, will ya?

Hello? Dial-A-Curse.
Bleep-bleep.

Ohh. Sorry. Just kidding.

Hold the phone.
It's Mr. Valentine.

Speaking of hoods. I
got nothin' to say to Milo.

Well, what shall I tell him?

- Tell him to drop dead.
- I can't say that.

Well, ad-lib something.

Hello. I'm terribly sorry.
Johnny just stepped out.

"Stepped"! [Laughing]

"Just..." Are you crazy?

Are you crazy? Valentine's guy
heard you laughing. So what?

"So what"? You gotta be more
careful. Valentine's a very serious guy.

It's okay, Buster. I don't have to kiss
the godfather's pinky ring anymore.

- I'm protected.
- Yeah?

Yeah. Yeah. I got a
special kind of insurance.

What is that supposed to mean?

Never mind. Just fix
me a drink, will ya?

How's about a little
cyanide on the rocks?

I mean, if you're gonna
commit suicide, do it right.

[Whistle Blows] [Man
Over P.A.] Attention.

The advanced tennis class
is now meeting on Court 2.

Thank you. [Waiter] Will
there be anything else?

No. We'll wait for
Mr. Shannon. Very good.

Mr. Shannon is rarely more than
a few minutes late. Excuse me.

Don't you love the way people fawn
over Johnny even when he isn't here?

Peg, I can hardly
believe that I'm here.

I'm so glad you could make it.

Well, your invitation caught
me at the perfect moment.

I just sent off some corrected
galley proofs to my publisher,

and I was dying to get away.

Oh, it'll be such fun
peeling away the years!

Remember... Remember grilling cheese
sandwiches on a plate in the dormitory?

Oh, anything to avoid
that dreadful dining hall.

To this day, I can't
look at a brussels sprout.

I'm not very keen on grilled
cheese sandwiches either.

[Man On Court] The ball was
out! You need glasses, Grandpa!

Hey, I could see it
very well. It was in.

What? Are you stupid or
what? It was out! O-U-T! Out!

Yeah. Hey, Pops, I'm gettin' too
good for ya. You can't beat me.

- [Jessica] Who is that?
- Well, believe it or not,
a professional tennis player... Vic La Rosa.

He's entered in the tournament.
The handsome gentleman...

with all the class is the
club pro, Chico Miller.

Do I, uh, detect
a note of interest?

Forget it, Jess. I'm
not ready for romance.

- But it's been years
since your divorce from Johnny.
- I survived the divorce.

I'm not sure I
survived the marriage.

[Man Over P.A., Indistinct]
Hey! How are you?

Hey! Hey there! Hi.

Hey, baby. How ya doin'?

Good to see ya. He's only
a few minutes late to the

club, but it takes him a
half hour to work the room.

How are you?

Hey. Ah, Jess.

How you doin',
doll? Fine, Johnny.

Hey, did you know I was offered the lead
in the film version of one of your books?

Really?

Yeah. I turned it down.
It wasn't right for me.

Too... fluffy. [Chuckles]
Still the diplomat!

Hi, babe.

Hello, Johnny. How
are you? Never better.

You're lookin' great, kid.

I have to work
at it a little harder.

I see Buster and Lou
are still along for the ride.

You're full of surprises,
Peg O' My Heart.

Leasing a house in the
Palms? It knocked my socks off.

Well, I felt like seeing
Terry and Mickey.

It's been a while since
they came to see me.

Yeah, well, you know how it is. Mick's
been busy doin ‘my arrangements.

I got a TV special coming up
to kick off my tennis tournament.

What happened to
Mickey's jazz quartet?

[Scoffs] Fell through. I
gave him a steady job.

- And what keeps Terry busy?
- Ask her.

Is that little Terry? Mom.

Oh, I've missed you!

I kept meaning to call. It'll be
good to have you around for a while.

- Terry, you know Jessica Fletcher.
- Hello, Terry.

Hi. I got one of your
books last Christmas.

I'm gonna read it as
soon as I get a chance.

- Oh, I'm pleased to hear that.
- Sit down. Join us for lunch.

I can't. I'm meeting a friend.

What friend? I gotta
go. See you later.

Bye. Bye.

Hey, not that tennis bum?

[Man Over P.A.] Mr. Anderson,
please come to Court 10.

What do you do to get
a drink around here?

Hey, sugar. How you doin'?

Johnny, she's old enough
to choose her own friends.

You told me that before once,
remember? You were wrong then too.

Terry.

- I told you to stay away from this guy.
- Now, look...

No. You look, scuzzball. I've
been onto you since you hit town.

You found out Terry was my kid. You
zeroed in on her like you struck gold.

- Aw, come on.
- Touch my daughter again, the only gold
you'll be pickin' up'll be out of your teeth.

Big star! Am I supposed to be
scared? You're nothin' to me, old man!

[Johnny] Hey! Come on.

[Vic] Let me go!

Sergeant Barnes, police.
What's the trouble here?

Private business. This punk was
tryin' to show me how tough he is.

- You came lookin' for trouble!
- Vic's right, Daddy. You started it.

Come on. I'm takin' you home.

Lou, Buster... Call me, Vic.

Try and stop me.

Sergeant, I don't
want this creep hanging

around my daughter. You
keep him away from her!

I don't work for you, Mr. Shannon,
so don't give me orders.

You must be new.

Ask around. Somebody'll
set you straight.

I have to tell you.

When Terry was 17, she eloped
with a boy Johnny didn't like.

He sent some men to
find them. They roughed up

the boy and gave him
Johnny's wedding present...

A one-way airline
ticket out of the country.

Then Johnny had the marriage
annulled, and Terry never forgave him.

- [Sighs] Then why
does she live in his house?
- To get back at him.

You just saw a small
sample. Oh, Jess, I

should have dragged
her out of there years ago.

Oh, Peg. I am so sorry.

It's gotten worse. I'm
afraid for both of them.

[Dog Barking, Distant]

♪ [Whistling]

The milkman cometh.

What'd you do? Fall asleep?
I brought you your milk.

Johnny, come on.
Stop kiddin' around.

Johnny, come on,
will ya? Open the door.

Johnny! Come on,
Johnny! This ain't funny!

I spilled the milk all over
myself. Come on, will ya?

Johnny? Johnny!

Johnny! Lou! Lou, come quick!

Lou! What is it?

Something's happened to Pop.
[Buster] Johnny, can you hear me?

Please, Johnny! Open the door!

Something's wrong.
Johnny. Johnny!

Oh, no. No!

[Buster] It's Johnny.
Somebody killed Johnny.

Oh. Oh!

[Jessica] Peg, aren't
you driving a little fast?

Sorry.

I know how you feel. Do you?

Well, at least you had a
happy marriage with Frank.

I'm not even a widow.
I'm not sure what I am.

I'm sorry, Jess. Thanks
for coming with me.

I couldn't face going into that house
alone, and I wanted to be with my children.

How are they taking it? Well, Mickey's
upset, of course, but he sounded strong.

I don't know about Terry. She's
on the edge of being unstable.

It's hard to say how she'll
be affected by Johnny’s death.

[Man Over P.A.] Mr. Olsen's beginners'
class is now meeting on Court 3.

Vic?

Hey... baby. You're in trouble.

I know my brother, and he's gonna tell the
police you were in the house last night.

You've gotta get outta here.
Why? I didn't do anything.

Who's gonna believe that? Hey,
I gotta play in the tournament.

They'll call it off. Look,
unless you wanna

get involved in a murder,
you gotta leave town.

Get out of the country if you can.
Here. Take this. And don't try to reach me.

Hey, sweet stuff, what about us?

[Scoffs] Don't be stupid.

My father is dead. I don't have
to play "let's pretend" anymore.

Truth is, I don't even like
you. Hey, I know what you like.

You don't know anything.

Hello, Mrs. Shannon.

[Peggy] Mickey.

Mom, I'm glad you're here.

- It's crazy.
- Are you all right?

Yeah. As all right as I can be.

- I was there when they found him.
- "They"?

Lou and Buster.
You're Mrs. Fletcher.

I didn't mean to interrupt. It just
popped out. Force of habit, I suppose.

It's okay. We can
use a good detective.

- But I'm not a detective.
- Mrs. Fletcher, I read the papers.

Well, my occasional exploits are
grossly exaggerated, believe me.

- That's not what I heard.
- Lieutenant Barnes.

Sergeant. In Desert Palms, we
don't have a Homicide Division.

How do you do? How do you do? I was on
duty when the call came, so it's my case.

There you are, Mrs. Fletcher.
The sergeant obviously needs help.

[Jessica] Oh, now, really...

Oh, yes, Jess. Please.
Anything you can do.

I'm sure the sergeant
would welcome some help.

Why not? You've covered
the subject fairly well

in your books, even if
you're not always accurate.

Well, they are well
researched, I assure you,

but I have absolutely
no intention of...

- Why do you think my books are inaccurate?
- I'll tell you all about it on our way
to the scene of the crime.

Would you excuse us, please?

[Barnes] They're a little shaky
on police procedure. [Jessica] Oh?

And you always make your killers
more interesting than your cops.

You see, most killers
are very dull people.

Where's your
sister? I wish I knew.

Terry just took off after she
was questioned by the sergeant.

Buster told me about the
scene yesterday at the club.

It was deliberate. If you could have seen
the hostility she showed toward your dad.

Mom, look. Don't say
it. Don't even think it.

It's in here. Johnny's bodyguard
had to smash open the door.

Oh, yes. Spring lock. Mm-hmm.

The killer must have pulled it
shut on his way out. That's right.

Johnny Shannon's den.
Gold records. Platinum albums.

Showbiz memorabilia. Or have you been here
before? No, no. This is my first visit.

Mine too. Shannon and I
moved in different circles.

So, did you know him
well? Once upon a time.

This is definitely his room.

He was sitting in his
favorite chair. The killer came

in behind him and shot
him in the back of the head.

He never knew what hit
him. Well, if he was watching

television, he might not
have heard his killer come in.

When they found the body, the set
was off. Course, he could've been asleep.

Why would he take a nap
in a chair opposite a blank

TV screen if there was
a perfectly good couch?

That's one of the puzzles. Here's
another. Nobody heard a shot.

These walls are thick.

When you walk past in the
corridor, you can hear if the piano's

being played. I tried it. So how
come no one heard a gun going off?

Well, I've never
actually seen one myself,

but mystery writers are
addicted to the use of silencers.

A better name would
be mufflers. You can't

completely silence a gun.
There's always some noise.

Well, if the sound wasn't a
gunshot, it might have been lost...

in other household sounds
like stereo, radio, television.

All right. I'll buy that.
Now, explain to me how

somebody could get
through the security system.

There are guards on duty
24 hours at the front gate.

They only admit visitors whose
names are called down from the house...

and double-checked
when the visitors arrive.

What about the service entrance?

Back of the house, beyond the
pool. Like the rest of the grounds,

it's protected by a very sophisticated
alarm setup with TV cameras.

And that's how the gardener
and the pool man got in?

They ring a buzzer that alerts the front
gate guard and turns on a TV camera.

He looks at a monitor and has a
talk-back for identity verification.

Nobody pushed the buzzer
last night, and nobody

could've gotten through
the service gate...

or over the wall without
all hell busting loose.

I see. There would seem to be
only one possible explanation:

The killer did not
come from outside.

Ah. We reached
the same conclusion.

Johnny Shannon was murdered by
somebody who was already inside the house.

Mickey, what did you tell them?

Mom. I didn't know
you were gonna be here.

Or what? You would've
come home sooner?

Where the hell did you go? I
don't have to account to you, Mick.

Hi, Mom.

Are you all right? [Sighs] Sure.

So, did you rush out to see that
tennis bum? What'd you do? Celebrate?

- Mickey!
- Well, come on. Dad couldn't
stand the sight of that guy.

- But that didn't stop Terry.
- I suppose you couldn't wait
to tell her about last night.

Last night? What
about last night?

Mickey, what do you
know about last night?

What we both know, Mother. Johnny
Shannon wasn't loved by his loved ones.

And the motive? How
about the old reliable?

Rich man dies, somebody inherits.
That makes it one of the kids.

Or anyone else who might
be mentioned in the will.

Mickey and Terry weren't the
only ones at the house last night.

The servants were off, so you're talking
the bodyguard and the comedy relief.

And you're right. They
could be in the will too.

I wonder if the motive
is as simple as robbery.

It crossed my mind. Excuse me.

Especially when Terry
told me about this.

Oh, a hidden wall safe.

But if that's what he was
looking for, he wouldn't

have shot Johnny when
he came into the room.

First he would've made him show
him the safe and open it for him.

Unless the killer already knew
the combination. Who does know it?

Terry, for one. I had
her open it for me. It

contains stocks, bonds,
cash, some personal papers.

But members of the
household who'd had a glimpse

inside confirmed that
nothing was missing.

If someone who knew
the combination wanted to

rob that safe, they
didn't have to kill Johnny.

They only had to wait until
he went out of the room.

There goes that theory.

Unless...

Unless the killer took something
else of value out of this room.

Look at that shadow there on
the wall, where a frame used to be.

Uh, nah. That wasn't anything. Just
an old picture of Johnny and his kids.

Sergeant... Sergeant, you better
come quick. Lou Ross has gone bananas.

He thinks Mickey killed his
dad. He's gonna tear him apart.

- Where?
- By the pool.

Hey, cut it out!
No, I didn't! I swear!

Lou, I... I didn't do
it! You killed him!

- You lied!
- Stop it!

- You lied to me! You lied!
- I didn't do it!

You killed him! You're lyin'!

- [Mickey Coughing]
- Mickey, don't gulp.

Mick, try to breathe in slowly.

That's it. Breathe
in. That's it.

And breathe out.
That's much better.

- You okay, Mick?
- [Mickey] Yeah, I think so.

You're lucky. He could've
crushed your windpipe.

Sergeant, you gotta bust
him. He killed his dad.

- He killed Johnny. I knew it.
- I told ya. The big guy's freakin' out.

Mr. Ross, the murder
was last night. Why did

you wait until now to
make your accusation?

This morning, when the sergeant told
me I was the last one to see Johnny alive,

I knew there was
something about it,

and I finally remembered what.

I saw him go into the
den just before Johnny was

shot. That proves it. That
proves he killed Johnny.

- What's the story, Mickey?
- Lou's got it all wrong.

[Barnes]Somebody's
got it wrong. You told me

you were working in
your room. [Mickey] I was.

- Did you go down to the den?
- Yes. I...

I wanted to show Dad some
changes I made on the arrangements.

He didn't like 'em, and you had a
fight. No. He didn't even see them.

He said he didn't wanna
see anything until they were

all finished. You know,
Lou, if you'd just hung around,

you would've seen I came right
back out again and went upstairs.

- How long did you stay in the den?
- [Mickey] Not more than a minute.
- Do you own a gun?

- No.
- Are you kiddin'? He hates guns.

When other kids were
playing cops and robbers,

he was playing agents
and accountants.

[Mickey] Dad and I didn't always get
along, and there were times I hated him,

maybe even wanted to kill him...

But I couldn't hurt him.

I always... I always
thought about other times,

you know, when
things were different.

- Mrs. Fletcher,
you remember when I was a kid.
- Yes.

When we all lived
together, the four of us,

before we came out to
the desert, huh, Buster?

Well, you tell him, Mrs. Fletcher.
You may find it hard to believe,

but we used to be one
hell of a family, huh?

Mick didn't kill our dad.

There was someone
else in the house last night.

- Who?
- Vic La Rosa.

The tennis player your dad
mixed it up with at the club?

Yeah. [Barnes] How'd he get in?

- No. Terry. You don't have to...
- I let him in.

- He was waiting
at the rear service gate at midnight.
- What about the alarm?

I used the master switch in Daddy's bedroom
to turn the power off long enough...

for Vic to enter the grounds
and make it to the house.

But surely the security
guard at the front

gate would notice if the
system was turned off.

Not if he wasn't checking
the panels. There's a

tiny red light that indicates
when the power is off.

The night man reads a lot and
doesn't check the panels very often.

Wouldn't he have noticed
that the TV monitors were off?

[Terry] They're always
off until the alarm is tripped.

You seem to know a lot
about the security system.

It isn't the first time I've
let a man into the house.

Terry, do you know what
you're saying? Yes, Mother.

I let someone into the house,
and Daddy was murdered.

[Barnes] Did anyone else
see La Rosa in the house?

- Mickey saw him in my room.
- [Barnes] Is that true?

- Yes. I saw him.
- Why the hell didn't you say so?

I'll have him picked up at the club
for questioning. Where's your phone?

- [Buster] Right over there
on the table. You can't miss it.
- He isn't there.

I sent him away. Terry, why?

I didn't want him
to get into trouble

because of me, and
I didn't think he did it.

- Where'd he go?
- I don't know.

I'm sorry. I was stupid.

This is Barnes. Get out
an A.P.B. on Vic La Rosa.

Yeah. The tennis player. I
got a description. Take it down.

I'm sorry I came at you that
way. I must've lost my mind.

It's okay, Lou. [Jessica]
Mr. Ross, forgive my curiosity.

You said you saw Mickey
go to the den, but he didn't

see you anywhere around
when he came out a minute later.

May I ask where
you went? My room.

You were supposed
to be in the hall.

Johnny didn't want me hangin'
around. He told me to get lost.

Uh-oh. He was
expecting a broad. A lady.

Johnny always said
that when he was

anticipating a visitor of
the female persuasion.

Was he expecting
someone last night?

[Lou] He couldn't have been.
He always gave me a name...

to call down to the
guard at the front gate

when one of his ladies
was comin' to visit him.

Well, suppose it was someone the
guard knew on sight? [Lou] No way.

Not one of Johnny’s ladies...
Even a repeat... Johnny's rule.

The guard wouldn't have let her
in if I didn't call down her name.

There are exceptions
to every rule.

How did you know?

Well, no one at the house
knew you were coming today,

but the guard opened
the gate and waved you in,

so I assume both the day and the
night man are longtime employees...

who still feel loyal to the
former lady of the house.

I waited until after you'd gone to bed.
I wanted to talk to Johnny about Terry,

but I found him in a mellow
and reminiscent mood.

He was affectionate, persuasive.

For the first time since I
left him, we made love.

- I see.
- I always said Johnny had a way
with women.

That was one of the things that broke up
our marriage. He used women casually...

and seemed genuinely
surprised that I cared.

Once, he even took a girl
away from Buster Bailey.

Oh. Buster must have
resented that. It broke his heart.

Until he made a joke out of it.

You didn't tell Sergeant
Barnes about last night.

- I couldn't.
- [Man Over P.A.] Miss Baxter,
please come to the office.

Anyway, Johnny was very
much alive when I last saw him.

I didn't kill him. It wasn't either of
my children. It was that tennis player.

Do you have any idea
what that opens up?

- That Terry was an accessory to murder.
- Oh, Jess, you've gotta help her. Please.

- Well, did Johnny
have any enemies?
- I can't...

Last night, Johnny
was bragging...

about putting one
over on Milo Valentine.

That name sounds
vaguely familiar. Oh, Jess,

you do live a sheltered
life in Cabot Cove.

He's an entrepreneur
of certain illegal activities.

Of course. He's a gangster.
They don't call them that anymore.

- Well, why would Johnny
know somebody like that?
- Milo started Johnny in show business.

Well, that hardly sounds like an
enemy. It sounds more like a good friend.

Something happened to change
that. Last night, Johnny said that...

That he felt like he could
nail Valentine to the wall.

He didn't explain any further.

You're right. That doesn't
sound the least bit friendly.

[Jessica] The only
reason I mention the

possibility is that I seem
to remember reading...

that it's part of the
mob's execution ritual

to shoot their victims
in the back of the head.

So you think Johnny Shannon was
knocked off by a professional hit man?

Well, I admit it's
a little far-fetched.

Maybe not.

When I was in the Windy City,
before I came to this glorified sandbox,

I remember hearing rumors about
Johnny having a mob connection.

But why would they
wanna have him iced?

Supposing he had a
falling-out with Milo Valentine?

That wouldn't be a
falling-out. That'd be a plunge

into Lake Michigan
with concrete booties on.

The trouble is, it doesn't mesh with
the other notion that La Rosa killed him.

- Are you kidding? It's perfect.
- But La Rosa is a professional
tennis player.

You want him to wear a T-shirt that
says "killer"? That's his cover... tennis.

Lets him move
around, be a loner.

That's why he weaseled
his way in through the girl.

He had it all planned.
Besides, who else in

the house that night
could have been a hit man?

Come on. Come on!

Hello. Hello, this is Buster Bailey.
I wanna speak to Mr. Valentine.

Of course it's important! You think I'm
callin' him to give him basketball results?

Will you stop kidding?

I have an urgent, important matter
to talk over with Mr. Valentine.

[Gasps] [Buster On Phone]
What was that? What was that?

There's somebody on this line.

Who is it? Who is it? Answer
me! Who's on the phone?

Thank you.

Well, thank you for a lovely
ride. Oh, and keep the change.

Hello. Remember me? I'm
Peggy Shannon's friend. Oh, sure.

You have a minute
for a question or two?

She's in here. Thank you, Lou.

Oh, the door's
already been fixed.

[Jessica] Terry?
Come in. It's open.

- Hi, Mrs. Fletcher.
- Hello, Terry.

[Chuckles] Do you always
watch with the sound turned off?

I only wanted to
look at him again.

That Vegas showgirl nearly
became my stepmother.

So did a lot of others.
Well, I don't wanna intrude.

Oh. Oh, it's okay.

That guy on screen
is some stranger.

My daddy is the man in this
picture with Mickey and me.

Oh, I forgot. I took
it up to my room.

[Jessica] You took it? Well,
that clears up that mystery.

You must have taken it after you
opened the safe for the police. No.

Way before that.

When we found Daddy...

Well, it was his
favorite picture, and, um,

oh, well, I needed
something to hold on to.

I don't suppose
you feel like talking.

Sure. Why not? What
did you wanna talk about?

How you and Vic La
Rosa happened to meet.

Well, he was the loudest, most obnoxious
tennis player in the tennis club bar.

I knew Daddy would hate
him, so I picked him up.

You're certain he didn't
initiate it? Oh, I'm positive.

He was so wrapped up
in himself, I practically had

to throw myself at him
before he even noticed me.

And you invited him
to the house? Twice.

The first time was in the afternoon. I
wanted Daddy to get a good look at him.

He loathed him on sight.

And then you asked him back
at night to spite your father.

I'm not especially proud of
it, but that's the way it was.

I even told him Daddy
was in the den. Why?

He was so smug, doing his macho
number. I wanted to unnerve him. And I did.

Mrs. Fletcher, there's no
way that wimp could've killed

Daddy. He was too scared
even to leave the bedroom.

Hardly the type a powerful mob leader would
hire to execute a man like your father.

What? Was Daddy
killed by the mob?

- Please tell me. I've got to know.
- Why? What's the matter?

I overheard part of a
telephone conversation.

Buster was trying to
reach Milo Valentine.

Buster? Yes. He said it was
an urgent personal matter,

and he was terribly upset when he
realized someone else was on the line.

But I understood that Mr. Bailey
was very close to your father.

Sometimes Daddy treated him
like dirt. Maybe he was tired of it.

Terry, that tape you were watching.
Did it come out of this group here? Yes.

- Those are the tapes of Daddy's TV shows.
- And these?

Pool tapes. Pool?

Daddy liked to be perfect
at everything he did,

and when he decided
to improve his pool game,

he had a TV camera
put in above the table.

He taped his games and watched
them to correct his mistakes.

Ah, yes. There's the camera.
It's hard to see in that dark corner.

Miss Shannon, where
can I find your brother?

Well, he's with my mother making
arrangements for Daddy's funeral.

Mrs. Fletcher, what
are you doing here?

Taking care of business.

- What do you want with Mickey?
- I have your statement,
and I'm gonna need his pretty quick.

Vic La Rosa's van was
spotted at a gas station on the

old highway about 10 miles
north of the Mexican border.

Highway patrol's sending
a unit out to pick him up.

Yeah. This old back road used
to be the quickest route to Baja.

Me and the missus, we'd drive down
on a Sunday for the bullfights. [Giggles]

Ellie used to love to drink that
Mexican beer and root for the bulls. Olé!

Hurry up, will ya?
[Tires Squealing]

Hold it!

You have the right to remain
silent. If you give up this right,

anything that you say can and will
be used against you in a court of law.

I didn't kill him! It was her!
Terry Shannon killed her father!

Okay, La Rosa. The stenographer's
gonna take down everything we say.

- You can still get a lawyer if you want.
- What for?

[Sighs] Michael Shannon,
do you recognize the suspect?

He's Vic La Rosa. When
did you see him last?

- The night my dad was murdered.
- Where?

In our house. My
sister's bedroom.

[Barnes] Mr. La Rosa, is that
a true statement? So what?

- I wasn't the only one in the house.
- When you were apprehended,

you told the arresting officer that
Terry Shannon killed her father.

- I can't... - What?
- That's a lie! She didn't do it!

- [Peggy] He's trying
to implicate Terry to save himself.
- Vic, you know that's not true.

Yeah? Then why'd you
pay me to leave? You set me

up. Everyone knows you
hated him. I was a patsy.

Are you gonna take his word for this?
[Barnes] All I'm taking is a statement.

Then I'll determine if I have a murderer
or a murderer and an accomplice.

Mr. La Rosa, I strongly advise you to
reconsider not having an attorney present.

Yeah. I want a lawyer.

Let him make a call
from the pay phone in the

corridor. If he doesn't have
any change, lend him some.

Don't you find it
strange, Sergeant? What?

That a professional killer
would have no better escape

route than to drive to the
border on a back road...

in an unreliable van?

Maybe he's new at it.
Maybe he's not a pro.

- Maybe he's telling the truth
about the girl.
- Am I under arrest?

No, but stick around.
Don't take any sudden trips.

That goes for you and everyone who
was in the house the night of the murder.

I don't want anyone leaving
town until this thing is cleared up.

If you're through
making reckless charges

against my sister, I'd
like to take her home.

If I may, I'd like to
join you. There's a

matter I'd like to pursue
back at the house.

Uh, you gonna let me in on this?

When I'm sure I'm right. I'd hate
to look foolish in front of the police.

Good-bye, Sergeant.

That reminds me of a story.

It's late at night. Guy's all alone in
his hotel room, and the phone rings.

And a very sexy female
voice says, "Dim the lights,

"put on some very romantic
music and pucker up.

I'm coming right over, Sam."

The guy says, "My name isn't Sam." She
says, "I'm sorry. It's the wrong number."

And he says, "Does that mean
you're not coming over?" [Laughs]

Well, now you can see why
I'm out of the comedy business.

Mrs. Fletcher, that couldn't
have been you on the line.

You weren't here. Terry
told me about your call.

Figures. Mick was out, and
Lou would've ripped my head off.

- Where did you get
Milo Valentine's number?
- Johnny had me call it a couple times,

and I got a great memory
for numbers and gags.

- Maybe you'd like
to hear a funny number.
- Why did you make that phone call?

'Cause I was scared.

When I saw the way Johnny was
shot, I knew Valentine paid for it.

What were you gonna say to him?

See, Johnny didn't tell me
anything about Valentine.

I didn't know if they
had a contract out on me.

I was just copping
out. That's all.

Please. Tell that to the kid. I don't
want her thinkin' what she's thinkin'.

It's kind of a funny premise, though,
isn't it? The cowardly lion as a hit man?

Why would Valentine
want Johnny dead?

I understood that
he got him started.

Yeah. He laid out the
money for the band, the music,

the wardrobe, the publicity.

And for that, he got to call
the shots on Johnny for life.

When Johnny made it big, he resented
it, started making his own moves.

Last election, Johnny refused
to appear at a big political rally.

It was for one of
Valentine's payroll politicians.

And what did
Valentine do about that?

Well, he flew out in his
private jet to talk to Johnny.

The kids were in L.A.

Is that all? They just talked?

Well, they were in the
den. The door was closed.

You don't think I would stoop
to listening in at keyholes?

Okay, okay. So I
happened to drop a cigar,

and, uh, my ear chanced to rub
the door as I went to pick the cigar up.

But all I heard was the
clicking of billiard balls,

so I figured Johnny hustled
him into a game of pool.

Under the lights, a camera.

Johnny taped the godfather?

Evidently, the killer was
given two assignments.

One, to execute Johnny Shannon,
the other to find and remove the tape.

Johnny must have
hinted at its existence...

during one of his telephone
conversations with Mr. Valentine.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Johnny
was always cracking wise...

with inside jokes I never got.

Valentine got him. You
don't happen to know if

there's a plane leaving
today for Outer Mongolia?

Don't you worry. If there'd
been a contract out for you,

the killer would've taken care of
it that night with no trouble at all.

Please. Say no
more. I get the picture.

Mr. Bailey, say that again.

It'll be the first time
in my life I've ever

done an encore,
but... I get the picture.

- That's it.
- That's what?

I know who killed
Johnny Shannon.

Hello. Operator?
Get me the police.

This had better be good. Vic La Rosa was
on the verge of cracking when you called.

Forget Vic La Rosa. I
think I've solved the case.

First of all, I can
make a pretty good

assumption of how the
killer got into the house.

I'm all ears. He knew that
Vic La Rosa was seeing Terry,

so he kept a very
close eye on him.

He figured he'd get lucky sooner
or later, and that night, he finally did.

When Vic went to the service gate
and Terry turned off the alarm for him,

the killer followed him in.

Now, the killer knew
where to find the den,

because Milo Valentine
had been in the house...

and told him the layout.

He found Johnny in his chair,
watching television probably...

or maybe a tape, but not
the tape the killer wanted.

He probably reasoned that
Johnny wouldn't help him to find it,

so he executed him on the spot.

Then he sprang the
lock and shut the door.

He then went to the
videocassettes on the shelves.

He played enough of the first tape to
see that it wasn't the one he was after.

Then he put it back and tried another, and
so on and so on until he got down to here.

I experimented, and
all the tapes before

this gap have been
played for a few seconds.

The ones after start
at the beginning.

Now, when the killer finally found the
tape he was looking for and played it,

he saw Johnny in a friendly
game of pool with Milo Valentine,

who didn't know about
the sound camera.

Most likely, Johnny led him into
making incriminating remarks...

about a crooked political
campaign in Valentine's home state.

The killer turned off
the VCR and the TV...

and took the tape with him.

He left the den, pulled
the door shut to lock it.

- Well, then,
how did he get off the grounds?
- While Lou was breaking into the den,

Terry turned off the
alarm to let Vic out.

Now, the killer could've
gone out right behind him.

Well, as you say, that's mostly
assumption, but it makes sense.

There's only one thing
wrong with it. We can prove

that Vic La Rosa was
in the house that night.

- We can't prove
that anyone else came in.
- Mm-mmm.

You're wrong, Sergeant.
We can prove it.

In fact, the killer
gave us proof.

See, the morning after the murder, you told
me it was your first visit to this house.

Later, when I suggested
something was missing from the wall,

you said it was nothing but an
old picture of Johnny and his kids.

It's all it was. What
are you trying to prove?

Terry told me that she took
the picture from the wall...

when they found Johnny dead,
before the police were called.

You couldn't possibly have
known what had been on that wall...

unless you had been in the room
earlier, when Johnny was killed.

- You are good.
- It explains why you left Chicago...

to take a job in a small
desert town with a police force.

- It was good cover.
- Congratulations, Mrs. Fletcher.

You win the grand prize:

a trip to oblivion.

So that's a silencer. Always
wondered what one looked like.

[Chuckles] Well, I'm surprised
you held on to the murder weapon,

unless, of course, you were
planning to plant it in Vic La Rosa's van.

I'm sorry if I spoiled your plans. I
never kill unless I'm well paid for it.

It hurts me to make an
exception in your case.

Well, let me relieve
your pain. Hello out there!

[Door Opens]

I didn't lock the door. I wouldn't make
any sudden moves if I were you, Sergeant.

Mr. Ross took Johnny’s
death very hard.

You really do take the prize.

Thank you. This means
a great deal to me.

- As a trophy of your victory?
- No.

As the only real evidence I have
that you killed Johnny Shannon.

Ballistics will prove that the
bullet came from your gun.

That's police procedure.