Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 2, Episode 11 - Murder Digs Deep - full transcript

Jessica visits Dr. Seth Hazlitt at the New Mexico archaeological dig paid by Gideon Armstrong, led by Southwest University professor Dr. Stan Garfield, on the site of an Anasazi village, and perhaps Coronado's legendary city of gold, to which story TV celebrity Dr. Aubrey Benton holds the rights. Every evening an Indian ghost costume wearer sings on a cliff, till Armstrong's guards climb up scare him off, but on Jessica's second night Gideon's young wife Cynthia shoots at him and local Navajo Indian guide Raymond Two Crows -already found suspiciously uninformed about Pre-Columbian civilizations- falls to his death, although not hit by her bullet. After Jessica digs up a golden prayer stick, Seth finds Raymond actually died earlier of drowning. More gold is found, Gideon is determined to keep the news from spreading, according to his wife so he can buy the land first. Raymond's belongings inspire Jessica to unmasks several scammers.

- [Woman] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
- [Man Screams]

Well, if he didn't die from the fall
and he wasn't shot, how did he die?

We found more gold—lots of it.

You white people think you can come and
just take anything you want off our lands.

Archaeology is a harsh
mistress, Mrs. Fletcher.

He's a very powerful man,
and he's very dangerous.

May I remind you that there are laws
regarding kidnapping, even in New Mexico?

Oh, you're not a prisoner, Mrs. Fletcher.
Feel free to leave anytime you want.

- [Gunshot]
- [Screams]

Oh, my God!

[Door Opens]



[Jessica] I don't suppose
the road gets any better.

Nope. Gets worse.

- This your first dig in New Mexico?
- It's my first dig anywhere.

Hmm. I'm just helping out.

Well, actually, I'm doing
research on a book.

Mystery. Yeah?
Sounds interesting.

Ray. Ma'am. This
is Jessica Fletcher.

Base, this is South One.

I have Raymond Two Crows and
a Jessica Fletcher. Do you copy?

[Man On Radio] We copy, South
One. Jessica Fletcher is cleared to enter.

[Jessica]Armed guards.
[Raymond] Mr. Armstrong's idea.

Man puts up the money,
he's entitled to the protection.

From what? Tourists.
Treasure hunters.

Maybe he's afraid the Indians are
gonna come and take it all back from him.



Oh, was this Indian land?

You sure ask a lot of questions.

[Chattering]

Jessica!

For heaven's sake, I'd about given you up.
You were supposed to be here two days ago.

I'm so sorry, Seth, but Letitia and Henry
had the most awful row on Wednesday.

So naturally you had her over for
a couple of nights. Thank you, Ray.

I expect you've got it all smoothed over
by now, haven't you? I got here, didn't I?

[Man] Put him on.

Mm-hmm.

I can hear fine.

Hello! How are you, Carl?

Is the weather
always like this? Nope.

It starts to get hot in a
couple of hours. [Groans]

[Chuckles] Jess, when I suggested that
you write a book called Murder at the Digs,

I never dreamed you'd come
meandering out to a place like this.

Suggested? Well, as I
recall, it was more like a dare.

Was it? I don't recall. [Scoffs]

In any case, when you
leave here, you'll have one hell

of a book and one hell of
a suntan—maybe even both.

I can't wait to see you run
into your first iguana. [Gasps]

Oh, you'll be sharing space with
young Karen Parks. She's a nice kid.

- Karen, you decent?
- I'm clothed, if that's what you mean.

- Mrs. Fletcher. Karen Parks.
- Oh, I'm delighted to meet you, Karen.

I hope you like roughing it.

Oh, the rougher
the better. [Scoffs]

That's good, because the
air-conditioned quarters are reserved

for the privileged— Mr. and
Mrs. Armstrong have the big one.

She tends to panic when her ice
machine goes on the blink. You'll love her.

- And the other one's Aubrey Benton.
- Benton. I know that name.

Dr. Aubrey Benton on television— the
one that always talks through his nose.

Of course. I never knew
he was an archaeologist.

I don't think he
amounts to much of

anything, except
possibly a publicity hound.

Well, why don't we get you settled,
and then we'll get something to eat.

You must be famished after
that long Jeep ride from Santa Fe.

Well, actually, I could,
uh, eat an iguana.

[All Laughing]

Wait a minute. Hang on. Honey.

Aw, come on, Gid.
It's hot out there.

And this is business. Make
yourself scarce, all right?

I knew I should've
stayed in Phoenix.

Hey, nobody asked you here.
Coming along was your idea.

Butt out.

[Door Slams]

Yeah. Sorry, Carl.

What have we found?
Well, so far nothing,

but, uh, it's here.

Well, we found some old
pottery and arrowheads.

No, it's here. Trust
me, old buddy.

Oh, listen, I can smell it.

Yeah. [Chuckles]

[Chattering]

[Exhales] Ah!

Mrs. Fleisher, what a pleasure to
meet you at last. Aubrey Benton.

Well, thank you, Dr. Benton,
and it’s Jessica Fletcher.

But of course it is.

- Welcome to Gran Quivira.
- Thank you.

Dr. Benton is convinced that we're sitting
on Coronado's legendary city of gold.

Well, actually, that's
Garfield's theory.

He's in charge of this chain gang.
I'm just here in case it happens.

I have the book and
TV rights sewed up.

Well, now I am totally confused.

I thought we were here to honor
the 500-year-old Anasazi village.

Ah, but what a village!
[Laughs] Uh, Mrs...

Fletcher. Mrs. Fletcher,

I wonder if perhaps later
we might have a little chat.

As fellow authors, I'm sure
we have a lot in common,

and besides, my camper
can be a very comfortable

alternative at 2:00
in the afternoon.

Well, I'd be delighted,
Doctor. You just name the time.

Good!

Karen, am I going crazy,

or did Dr. Doolittle just
try to hit on Jessica?

[Laughing] Karen?

Hi, Steve. Garfield's
on the warpath.

He wants your warm
little body in a dig now.

Oh, boy. Not only do we not
get paid, but we get abuse as well.

Plus brownie points
on our transcripts.

You must be Mrs.
Fletcher. I'm Steve Gamble.

Hello, Steve.

Our resident cynic.

Come on, angel. Let's go find some
gold teeth and make the big guy happy.

See you later. All right.

Bye-bye. Bye-bye.

Well, I've met the resident
egomaniac, the ingenue and the juvenile.

Not to mention the mysterious
Indian and the crusty Yankee doctor.

You know, at this rate, I'm gonna
have enough characters for a trilogy.

Now, who's left out?

Mmm. How about the
brains of the operation?

I see what you mean, Dr. Garfield.
These animals are drawn differently.

Yes, tiny differences,

which help us to understand the
civilization which we're studying.

Yes. Well, I am here to learn, but I
have to warn you, I'm a rank amateur.

Oh, we have a lot of
those around here...

Mostly my students from
the university. Uh-huh.

But I have a high
tolerance level. Good.

So, will you be working
with us in the pit?

- Oh, wherever the action is.
- I hope you enjoy digging
a six-foot trench with a teaspoon.

Garfield, where have you been?

I need to see those
new excavation maps.

Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Armstrong.
I've got them in my tent.

Uh, have you met Mrs.
Fletcher? Gideon Armstrong.

- Oh, I'm delighted, Mr. Armstrong.
- How do you do?

What are these, more pots?

These are fragments
from the fourth level.

- It's very exciting stuff.
- Yeah?

Well, I want to see
those maps. Right.

[Chattering]

Come on, Gideon. Please?

I know how much you
love picnics, but these bugs

are beginning to use
me for target practice.

All right. I'll be in in a
minute, my dear. Mmm.

Cynthia. Yes, honey.

I don't believe you've met Mrs.
Fletcher. This is Cynthia Armstrong.

How do you do? Don't ask.

Are you one of our
new zealous volunteers?

Well, I'm not sure
about the zealous part.

Would all of you people believe
this? We just bought a condo in Hawaii.

- Maui.
- Gee.

Now if we could only interest
people in ancient Hawaiian civilization.

- Do you know what I mean?
- [All Chuckling]

♪ [Man Chanting]

What on earth?

♪ [Chanting Continues]

Oh, he's not gonna start
again. Please, Gideon.

George, Burt, go after him.

Move out!

Oh, I forgot to tell you—
Our nightly entertainment.

Sitting Bull sings the Top 40.

Somebody's trying
to scare us off.

Somebody named Raymond
Two Crows, if you ask me.

Oh, you don't know that for
sure. No? Then where is he?

You know, he's got a real line of
patter—old Raymond. Mm-hmm.

"Do not disturb the
graves of our ancestors.

A curse will be upon you.
Someone will die." [Chuckles]

And this happens every
night? Oh, regular as clockwork.

Armstrong orders out the
guard, and then just about...

- now— - ♪ [Stops]

A-yah. [Chuckles]

The guards get there, and
he's disappeared into thin air.

I am the spirit of indigestion.

I've come to haunt you with
dreams of chipped beef on toast.

I don't think that's
very funny. [Chuckles]

I have a terrible feeling about this.
It's like a premonition. [Steve] What?

You think that's a
real ghost up there?

Well, no, but maybe
we really are being

warned, and we should
take it more seriously.

[Jessica] You know, you
could be right. Oh, Jess!

Well, I mean, supposing
Dr. Benton's theory is correct.

I mean, supposing this
is the lost city of gold.

No, I don't believe
in ghosts, Seth,

but somebody's going
to an awful lot of trouble...

to, uh—[Clicks Tongue]
send us a message.

Mrs. Fletcher, you buying all
this Gran Quivira nonsense?

I mean, Armstrong I
can understand. To begin

with, the guy knows
horse-pucky about archaeology.

But even if this expedition doesn't pan
out, he's got himself a big tax write-off.

You know, this is really quite
easy, once you get the hang of it.

Oh, yeah. To tell you
the truth, before we

got here, most of us
were textbook experts.

Uh-huh. This is my
first dig. Steve's too.

Raymond, may I
ask you a question?

Yeah.

The Navajo called the people
who settled here the Anasazi.

What does that mean exactly?

The great builders. Thank
you. One more question.

Where were you last night when
our friendly ghost began singing?

[Exhales] You
know, that's strange.

My research tells me
that Anasazi means...

"the ancient ones
who were here before."

A-yah. It would appear that
our expert on Indian lore...

is a mite uninformed.

- Seth.
- Mm-hmm?

I think I've found something!

- [Gasps]
- How about that?

It looks like gold!

Beautiful.

It's a prayer stick used by
medicine men in their ceremonies.

You see, Gideon? I was
right. Here's your proof.

What's it weigh?
What's its value?

Value? Beyond price to
the scientific community.

And this is only the
first one we've found.

There has to be more,
if this was Gran Quivira.

It's your find, Mrs. Fletcher. I
give you the honor of tagging it.

Oh, I do thank you. I'm
absolutely thrilled. [Clears Throat]

[Laughs] We'll have a press conference
tomorrow— early, before it gets too hot.

We can serve a light
lunch, and the reporters

can be back in time
for the 6:00 news.

What do you think?
No press conferences.

- But, Gideon, this is my
most monumental discovery.
- We're going to keep this quiet.

It's a good idea, Mr. Armstrong.

Keep this discovery a secret.

That way you can steal
more of my people's

heritage before anybody
has a chance to complain.

You're mistaken, buddy boy. This
land belongs to a Santa Fe lawyer.

Your ancestors were evicted from
these premises a long time ago.

We have to get rid
of him, you know?

We'll talk about
this in my trailer.

Karen and Steve?

They've been sniping at each
other ever since I got here.

[Laughs] Well, it's either
a case of, uh, heat rash...

or, uh, maybe something else.

What? You mean romance?

[Laughs] Oh, come on. You've
seen too many Gable-Harlow movies.

Oh, Seth, the trouble with
you is you haven't seen enough.

Oh, well, this is one time that
you're wrong, Madam Detective.

Those two kids are both grad
students under Stan Garfield.

This dig is a kind of test. The
winner gets a big fellowship.

So I've been told.

Good evening. Oh, hi.

I heard you hit
the jackpot today.

Well, I wouldn't go
so far as to say that.

We're on our way to dinner.
Would you care to join us?

[Sighs] Well, I don't know.

With the bugs and the heat
and the dust and everything...

Look at me. I'm
a walking disaster.

I'll just clean up. I'll meet
you there in a second. All right.

Where is everyone tonight?
Oh, the local laborers go

home on Friday. They'll
be back on Monday morning.

Only grad students and archaeologists are
crazy enough to work through the weekend.

[Laughs] And us.
♪ [Man Chanting]

[Groans] Well, here he is again.

♪ [Chanting Continues]

Can't you do
something about him?

We've tried, ma'am.
What would you suggest?

I don't think you've tried
hard enough, Georgie.

Hey, buddy! Mrs. Armstrong!

Your act is getting boring!

Boring!

- [Giggles]
- [Gunshot]

- [Screaming]
- Oh—Oh, my God.

- [Gasps]
- Oh, my— I didn't mean it.

I didn't mean that.

[Cynthia] Who is it?

- It's Raymond Two Crows.
- He's dead.

I didn't mean to shoot
him. I— It was an accident.

[Stammering] I was just trying to
scare him away. I wasn't even aiming!

[Armstrong] What the
hell's going on here? We

heard shots. [George]
It's Raymond Two Crows.

Uh, your wife shot him tryin' to
scare him off. [Armstrong] Is he dead?

He's dead all right, but
your wife didn't shoot him.

What?

[Seth] I don't find
any gunshot wounds.

Offhand, I'd say
the fall killed him.

- Maybe he was frightened
by the shots. He slipped.
- [Cynthia] It was all still my fault.

It was nobody's fault. That crazy
Indian should never have been up here.

Look, I want to see all of you
assembled at the mess tent in 15 minutes.

George, you and Burt take
the body back to the camp.

[Gasping] Look, honey,
it was an accident.

Don't worry about it.

Jess? Mm-hmm?

What's eatin' at you? Well,
I was just thinking, Seth.

This robe is very heavy.

Surely it should have
fallen right next to the body,

but it landed over here. Hmm.

I want to put a stop to any speculation
about what may have happened here tonight.

Maybe Raymond was drunk
or on drugs. Who knows?

Whatever it was, he lost his
footing and fell to his death,

and that's all there is to it.

I feel terrible
about this, Gideon.

Well, we all do, Aubrey, but,
uh, we've got to face reality.

Well, my thought exactly, but it does raise
the question— Why was Raymond up there?

Why this nightly ceremony?

Obviously he was trying to keep
us from making this discovery.

You saw what a
troublemaker he was.

He joined this expedition
not to help, but to destroy it.

- Well, perhaps, but still— - What
are you getting at, Mrs. Fletcher?

Only that he might not
have been up there alone.

If you’re suggesting that someone
murdered Raymond, you're insane.

He brought this on himself.

Well, isn't that for the
police to determine?

And we're going to radio
them, Mrs. Fletcher, immediately.

Of course.

In the meantime, we're gonna have to forget
about this accident and get back to work.

If we leave now, treasure
hunters will move in...

and deprive the world of great scientific
and educational benefits of this site.

Right. I agree.

I have a, uh,
proposition to make.

In a sense, we're all
sort of partners here,

sharing in the
heat and hard work,

cook's food, such as it is.

Uh, I'd like to make
us real partners.

Everyone who stays will receive a
generous— and I mean generous...

Financial share in any
treasure that we find.

- How does that grab you?
- [Chuckles]

- Well.
- Good.

All right. Now, let's
get a good night's sleep.

Tomorrow we'll get back to work.

[Benton] Very good.

That Armstrong
fellow is amazing.

He could fall into a pigsty...

and come up
president of the hogs.

[Jessica] Gold fever, Seth.
That's not a pretty sight.

Personally, I'll feel a lot
better when the police get here.

[Static]

What are you doing?

Don't call the
police. Not just yet.

There's been a death,
Gideon. We have to report it.

Think, Benton. Do you want this
place crawling with reporters now...

or after we've
found the treasure?

It's not treasure. It's
an archaeological find.

Listen, my friend. You're along on
this ride because you smell big bucks...

A new book, a television
special, magazines—

So don't give me any
of that goody-goody bull.

You want out? There's the
door. Santa Fe is 80 miles west.

But if you walk now, Benton,

I'll have you for breakfast.

Well, I suppose the
news of the big find...

would lessen the
impact of the boy's death.

Just to make sure you
don't change your mind.

Jessica, can you hear me?

Am I doing this right?

[Jessica On Radio]
Yes, I can hear you, Seth.

- Can you see me?
- Course I do.

[On Radio] Well,
keep your eyes on me.

[Seth On Radio] I don't
see the point of this.

Well, you will.

Now, keep your eyes on me.

[Screams]

Oh, my God!

Je—Jessica!

[Jessica On Radio]
Was that convincing?

- Jessica, that was not funny.
- [On Radio] Then I was right.

Seth, this ledge I'm standing on
goes clear around to the other side.

If Raymond fell from
here, he only fell three feet.

Now, this whole
thing does not add up.

Would you take one
last look at the body?

I—I'll look, but you
get down here.

[On Radio] I will, as soon
as I do one more thing.

Oh, Mrs. Fletcher. Do
give me the pleasure of

your illustrious company
this fine morning.

Oh, thank you, Dr. Benton.

Oh, my. What a
luxurious breakfast.

[Laughs] Care for a
croissant? They're hot out of

my microwave. Oh, thank
you, no. I've already eaten.

My goodness. It's nearly noon.
The police still haven't arrived.

Well, they said it might be a while
before they could send someone.

Strange. I would've thought a
death under unusual circumstances...

would receive top priority.

An accidental
death, Mrs. Fletcher.

Care for café au lait?
Oh, no, thank you.

You must feel deeply
distressed about all this...

A young man, hired by you, dead
under such tragic circumstances.

Armstrong hired him. He
wanted a real Indian guide.

Just for show, of course.

Oh, I see.

Mr. Armstrong brought
Raymond with him.

Well, actually, no. They met when we
were outfitting the expedition in Santa Fe.

Raymond said he knew the area
and was willing to work cheaply...

Magic words always to Armstrong.

He was a strange young man.

For all his talk about his
heritage, he knew very little about it.

Perhaps if he'd known
more, he'd still be alive.

Mmm. Archaeology is a
harsh mistress, Mrs. Fletcher.

I remember an expedition
in the wilds of Kenya...

that was positively
life-threatening.

Weeks of incredible rain.

I lost two Louis Vuitton bags.

You must've been devastated.

[Laughs] What one endures.

Well, I must be getting along.

Mrs. Fletcher, everyone
speaks so highly of your work.

I do believe you
might be the one.

- The one?
- To ghostwrite my autobiography.

Oh.

I'm thinking of calling it King
Tut, Hannibal, Caesar and Me.

- What do you say?
- I'm speechless.

Well, I'd do it myself, but as you can
see, I'm overwhelmed with other work.

I do have a few press clippings
that you might want to glance at.

Oh, my! What a tremendous
and weighty undertaking.

Well, naturally it doesn't cover the whole
me, but at least it's a place to start.

When you have
the time, of course.

Well, it's an awesome
responsibility.

- Let me give it some thought.
- Well, of course.

Mrs. Fletcher, I hope your research into
our archaeological methods is going well.

Actually, Doctor, I
have just begun to dig.

[Laughing]

[Chuckles]

Oh, I was just looking for you.

Jess, I checked the body again.
You were right. Things do not add up.

Well, what did you find out?
Raymond did not die from that fall.

Now, in this heat, it's hard to
tell how long he's been dead...

because the body temperature
doesn't drop very much,

but now the body is beginning
to show signs of purging.

I know it sounds
ridiculous, but there it is.

Purging? Purging what?

Well, hours after death, a foamy substance
forms on the body's mouth and nose.

Seth, what are you getting at?
Purging! A sure sign of death by drowning.

Raymond Two Crows
drowned? A-yah.

Right here in the
middle of the desert?

Well, it's no mistake, Jess.

Raymond Two Crows
died by drowning.

I know it's hard to
accept— Oh, I accept it.

No, I may question
your chess strategy, but

never your medical
credentials. Thank you.

Which means that someone wanted us
to believe that Raymond fell to his death,

because— Because what?

Well, because they were afraid that
someone would probe too deeply...

and find out the real cause.

That makes sense. Why not?

Well, that's a question
for the police to answer.

Oh, speaking of whom,
wonder what's keeping them.

Do you want to bet
they weren't called?

Maybe you and I should
take a drive into town.

Madam, that's an
impeccable suggestion.

No keys. Check the other
one. I'll see what's in the truck.

- Are you folks lookin' for something?
- Uh, yes.

We need the keys to one of these Jeeps.
The doctor and I want to drive into town.

I'm afraid not, ma'am. The
keys are locked up, and no

one leaves camp without
Mr. Armstrong's permission.

Now, look, son. Just
following orders, sir.

If there's a problem, I suggest
you take it up with Mr. Armstrong.

Well, I— Yes, that's
exactly what we'll do.

Mr. Armstrong, at the risk of aggravating
your already short-tempered disposition,

may I remind you that there are laws
regarding kidnapping, even in New Mexico?

Oh, you're not a
prisoner, Mrs. Fletcher.

Feel free to leave anytime you
want, but not in one of my vehicles.

I would remind you that there are laws
regarding grand theft, even in New Mexico.

Not to mention murder. Raymond's
death was an accident. You know that.

- Afraid not.
- What?

He didn't die from the fall.

Really? Well, if he didn't die from the
fall and he wasn't shot, how did he die?

- He drowned.
- Drowned?

- Well, that's impossible.
- What kind of a doctor are you anyway?

One who knows a
murder when he sees it.

The fall from that
cliff was staged.

Not by me. I was with
Dr. Benton all evening.

Right, Aubrey?
Y-Yes. Yes, all evening.

Dr. Benton, we found
more gold. Lots of it.

Mrs. Armstrong, I must know.

Your husband didn't
notify the police, did he?

Mrs. Fletcher, I wouldn't
cross Gideon, if I were you. He...

Look, I'm sorry, but—
No, you don't know him.

He's a very powerful man,
and he's very dangerous.

And he always
gets his way—always.

Believe me. I know.

Look! Look at this!

Good Lord, look at it!

I was right. This may be the
richest site in North America.

- How much more can there be?
- Who knows?

Some tombs in South
America yielded tons!

Careful now.

This is an archaeological
site, not a coal mine. Go easy.

Gold fever.

At the moment, no one seems to
care that they're being held prisoner.

Mm-mmm. Come on.

[Knocking]

May we come in?

If you're looking for
air-conditioning, you

have come to the right
place. Oh, thank you.

Mrs. Armstrong, believe me. I have
no wish to tangle with your husband,

but we're dealing with a
murder here, and before there's

any more trouble, please,
we have to use your radio.

Well, now you're catching on, and I would
love for you to, but he's disabled it.

- Like the Jeeps. Mind if I have a look?
- Be my guest, Doc.

Your husband is, uh,
buying this land, isn't he?

Mm-hmm. How'd you know that?

Well, actually I didn't, but
it does make a lot of sense.

I couldn't help but
notice the tract maps with

the stamp of a Santa
Fe real estate office.

Yeah, but there's no guarantee
that Howard Addington is gonna sell.

Oh, yes, the lawyer
from Santa Fe.

Dead as a mackerel. See?
Can I get you anything?

Oh, no, thank
you. Mrs. Fletcher,

- you're not gonna tell Gideon
that I said anything today?
- Oh, no.

'Cause he'd kill me.

[Chattering]

[Clears Throat]

That was a waste
of time, wasn't it?

Oh, no. I found it
most educational.

Let's hope we have as much luck
rummaging through Raymond's belongings.

Mrs. Fletcher?

Well, I'll meet you there.

I'm dreadfully sorry
about that business with

the Jeeps. Believe
me. I had no part in that.

Well, I understand,
but the police may not.

Well, Gideon wanted to delay any

investigation until we
found more artifacts.

He felt it might soften the
impact of Raymond's death.

Really? I thought it was because
he wanted to buy this land...

before the news of the
gold discovery got out.

Buy this land? This discovery?

Oh, that's absurd.
Oh, I'm afraid not.

But he would've told me. I'm
his friend—well, his associate.

And his accessory to murder.

Mrs. Fletcher, that's a
monstrous thing to say.

Dr. Benton, when Gideon
Armstrong named you as his alibi,

I couldn't help but notice
the color drain from your face.

In fact, you turned dead white.

He's a dangerous
man, Mrs. Fletcher.

And he wasn't with you
when Raymond died.

No, I was alone in my motor home,
dictating random notes for our book.

Oh, yes, of course. Our book. Well,
thank you very much, Dr. Benton.

Mrs. Fletcher, I was
in my motor home truly.

In fact—Well, not
that I need an alibi,

but by some freak
of coincidence,

I just happened to be dictating
when Cynthia fired the rifle,

and the shots are clearly
audible on the tape.

Oh, my. How fortunate.

Well, excuse me.

Shirts, jeans, underwear...

There's nothing
very special here.

Ancient Indians of the Pueblo.

Looks as if he was boning
up on his Indian ancestors.

"Raymond DeMarco." Hmm.

One of those
Indians from Naples.

Southwest University
Puma. Are you sure?

First place, NCAA class-two
standing. Sure I'm sure.

Dr. Garfield teaches
at Southwest.

And Karen and Steve
study there under him.

Course it may not mean
anything. It's a big place.

Oh, those are dirty.

Well, you may have noticed,
Jess. The desert is known for dust.

Yeah, but this
isn't dust. It's mud,

and where there's
mud, there's water.

Water.

Hey. Hey, where you goin'?

Hey!

Jessica, what are you up to?

I don't see any water around
here. Nothing but rocks and brush...

and a few tumbleweeds.

Jess?

Jessica, where are you?

Je—Jessica!

Jess!

Jess!

[Echoes] Jess?

Are you in here?

♪ [Man Chanting]

Hello? Who is it?

[Water Dripping]

♪ [Chanting
Continues] Who's there?

♪ [Ends]

Good God, woman.

Oh, I'm sorry, Seth. I
didn't mean to frighten you.

Dr. Seth Hazlitt, say hello
to the famous Indian spirit.

All right. That may
be part of it, but what

is this place? How did
you know it was here?

Well, it stood to reason.

I mean, if there had been an old
Indian village many, many years ago,

it would've had to have a
place where the water collected.

And I'm supposed to be
the amateur archaeologist.

Besides there's no other way to explain
that greenish mud on Raymond's boots.

Yes, green from the
mineral deposits, I expect.

Yeah. Well, come on. I can hear the water
dripping. Let's see where it's coming from.

[Sighs] I'll take that, Jess.

[Water Dripping]

Aha. Mm-hmm.

This must be where
Raymond was drowned.

Mmm.

Well, that's the Southwest
University Puma again.

Looks like the knife
Raymond was carrying.

Hmm. Oh, my. That's beautiful.

I thought those were all
under guard at the sortin' tent.

So did I.

You know, things are
beginning to make sense.

- [Steve] I don't want to hear about it!
- Steve, wait.

Steve, I told you what
happened. That's it—all of it.

Look, Karen, you don't owe me any
explanations. It's your life. Enjoy it.

Oh, Mrs. Fletcher.

Karen, I'm so sorry. I-I
didn't mean to eavesdrop.

But I bet you got an earful.

Well, nothing I didn't
deserve. Excuse me.

I didn't hear it all. Really.

But I did hear you say that
you were with Mr. Armstrong...

at the time that Cynthia
fired those shots.

Oh. You want something
juicy for your book?

Sure. Why not?

Yeah. He invited me
to his motor home.

Told me he wanted to talk
to me about Dr. Garfield.

Well, believe me. That's
not what he wanted.

I guess maybe his wife isn't keeping him
happy enough. Maybe he just doesn't care.

All I know is he had me backed
into a corner when the shots rang out.

I tried to tell Steve...

What difference does it make?

You heard me,
Carl. Buy it. Buy it all.

[Knocking] Come in.

I don't care. I want
this deal to close now,

before we have cops
crawling all over the place.

Mr. Armstrong, I wouldn't—
Be quiet, please. I can't hear.

I'll meet his price,
whatever it is.

Before you buy this land, there's something
you must know. Will you stay out of this?

I want to close the deal now.

That's all, Carl. Bye.

Mrs. Fletcher, I don't even tell my
own wife about my business dealings.

I'm sure not going
to listen to you.

As a matter of fact, you listen only to
yourself, Mr. Armstrong, and in this case,

that could prove to be
extremely expensive.

What are you talking about?

If you'll follow me,
I'll show you. Or not.

As you wish.

Dr. Benton, what
do you make of this?

Spectacular! If only the
National Geographic were here.

Funny the, uh, artifact
has already been tagged.

Very considerate of those
ancient Indians, wouldn't you say?

You mean, that's
one of my artifacts?

Uh, actually, no.

- This is tagged
by Southwest University.
- What?

Stolen, I suspect, from
their archives. You've

been conned,
Mr. Armstrong— flimflammed.

That's ridiculous! This is
an authentic Indian site.

Oh, no question about that, but
these gold artifacts are recent additions,

salted away among
the broken crockery,

rather like prizes in
a box of Crackerjack.

There's no gold here?

And who did this?
What the hell's going on?

♪ [Man Chanting]

♪ [Stops]

The curse was a fraud,
and so was Raymond.

He wasn't even an Indian.

His real name was Raymond DeMarco.
He was a student at Southwest University.

Why would he try to fool
us? What was the point?

He wasn't trying to fool us,
Karen. Only Gideon Armstrong.

I thought he was tryin' to scare us
away with all that curse business.

Oh, no, no. It was all
reverse psychology.

He was trying to
convince us there was

something here someone
didn't want us to find.

You were so intent on
secrecy, you wouldn't

even call the police
when Raymond was killed.

Why? Well, isn't that obvious?

I wanted to get the land cheap, before the
owner found out what we were sitting on.

Ah, yes, the owner. Howard
Addington of Santa Fe?

Who told you that? Nobody
knew I was dealing with him.

Oh, someone does.

I'm afraid Mr. Addington is merely
representing the real owner of this land,

who incidentally happens to
be Raymond Two Crows' killer.

But to pull this off, the killer
needed the help of an expert...

Someone with
impeccable credentials.

What are you trying to
do, destroy my credibility?

That does it, Mrs.
Fletcher. You have blown

whatever chance you had
of writing my autobiography.

Oh, I'm not accusing you of—of
anything. Believe me, Dr. Benton.

Are you sure the
real owner set this up?

Why don't you ask your wife?

Me? I don't know anything
about his business.

Well, if that's true,
Mrs. Armstrong,

then how did you know the name
of the lawyer representing this land?

Yes. How did you know?

His-His name was on all of
the tract papers, all of the maps.

No, it's not.

Now, wait a minute. I just took
a shot at him, and that is all.

I-I was standing next to you.

Wasn't I standing next to you
when he fell off the mountain?

Yes, but Raymond was killed hours earlier.
He was carried to the top of the cliff.

Carried by me? Little old me—I
carried him to the top of the mountain.

Well, that's where
Dr. Stan Garfield comes in.

Me? Oh, I don't know
anything about this.

When I mentioned an
accomplice with impeccable

credentials, I wasn't referring
to Dr. Benton. I meant you.

You're the only one out here with
extensive dig experience, Doctor.

I don't even know this Raymond.

Dr. Benton, how did you
meet Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong?

It was at a cocktail
party. Stan introduced us.

So what? That
doesn't mean anything.

[Jessica] You packaged this
expedition, Dr. Garfield— You and Cynthia.

And while she was down at the
camp pretending to be intoxicated,

you were up on the cliff,
wearing the buffalo robe...

and masquerading as the
ghost. ♪ [Man Chanting]

- Cynthia fired
wildly— - [Gunshot]

you shoved Raymond's
dead body off the ledge...

and you threw the
robe over the cliff,

which explains why it
landed so far from the body.

I'm not gonna take the
rap for you. You killed him.

I didn't kill him.
You killed him.

[Gasps] This is insane.

You and Mrs. Fletcher—
You just made this up.

It won't work, Mrs. Armstrong.

Do you remember Dr. Hazlitt
and I passed your trailer?

We asked you to join
us for dinner? Yes.

And you were scraping
greenish mud off your shoes...

The same mud that was found in
the cave when Raymond was killed.

Cynthia, why? I gave
you everything you wanted.

You gave me...

exactly what you wanted to give
me— Oh, thanks a lot, Gideon...

And exactly when
you wanted to give it.

And what I really wanted was
out of this rotten marriage...

and your miserable
face out of my sight.

Yes, I bought the land secretly.

- And it was Stan— He found Raymond.
- That's a lie!

It's a lie! Yes, you did.
You found Raymond,

and you got him to steal the gold
artifacts from the university museum.

And then he made sure
that there were gonna be...

all inexperienced people
working at this dig—

People who could be fooled.

And as for you,
Benton— You were easy.

But why kill Raymond?

Because he got so greedy.

We could've made
millions on this.

But he came at me, and he
made all these crazy threats to me.

He-He threatened he would
tell my husband the truth.

You're gonna cut me in, or I'm gonna go
to Armstrong. You don't give the orders.

You better hear me!

I had to stop him. I
had to get rid of him.

I picked up this
rock, you see, and...

I—I killed him.

- Why did you throw
the body off the cliff?
- To hide the real cause of death.

You see, they couldn't
leave the body in the

cave because, once he
was discovered missing,

there'd be a search, and
we might've found him there.

Actually, the fall would have
hidden the real cause of death,

if he had died from
the blow on the head.

What you hadn't realized
was that he died of drowning.

If you just had come to me,
we could have talked it out.

And you would've listened to
me, wouldn't you have, Gideon?

I'll radio the state police.

The next time I invite you
to a place like this, kick me.

Well, the next time
I accept, kick me.

[Laughs] No. Actually, it might've
been a lot of fun, you know.

Oh, yeah? A fellow I know is organizing
a new dig in Tanzania next year.

Course it won't seem quite the same
without the iguanas and the Gila monsters.

Not to mention the
lizards. [Chuckles]

[Karen] No, I do not want to visit
Carlsbad with you. [Steve] Well, who cares?

[Karen] I mean, what kind of
an invitation was that anyway?

A woman wants to
be asked, not told.

- Quit eavesdropping, Seth.
- Shh, woman.

[Steve] All right,
Karen, I'm asking.

Steven Gamble, you are
the most mulish, pigheaded,

thickskulled—

[Moans]

[Laughs]

That sounded like something
out of a Gable-Harlow movie.

What do you know about
Gable-Harlow movies?

Oh.

Would you like me to
give you a rundown...

on Red Dust, Saratoga,

China Seas, Wife vs. Secretary?

[Laughs] You know, Seth,
you're an old romantic.

No. Just got a hell of a memory.