Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 4, Episode 10 - Indian Giver - full transcript

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

When I said that it was
a pleasure meeting you,

it is just possible
that I spoke in haste.

- You'll get my land over my dead body.
- This is my town!

It appears that this man
does indeed own Cabot Cove.

When you said you were
researching your heritage,

this is what you were after. No!

A man is dead. Another
man is being hunted.

And the fate of this town
is teetering on a tightrope.

Okay, big chief. You got
a heap a lot of trouble now.

♪



♪

♪ Oh, very good.

Friends. Neighbors.

My heart swells with pride...

as I stand before you
on this special day...

to once again celebrate
the long and glorious past...

of this great town of ours.

Speaking of long, I expect
we're in for all of it, year-by-year.

Why, I can remember
when I was a small boy,

standing right down there—
Hey, look! Look what's coming!

- Look! Look!
- Who is that?

Well, what kind of a fool thing?

That crazy Indian
tried to kill me!

It seems to be a— a message
of some sort. Sure does.



Message? What message? Oh, dear.

- What is it, Miss Fletcher?
- What's in that note, Mayor?

Yeah, read it to us. Oh,
it's, uh, nothin', friends.

It's, uh, just somebody's
idea of good-natured fun.

Uh— Uh, it's my pleasure
now to introduce...

our—our dear neighbor,
Miss Emmalee Frisbie,

who will now, uh—uh,
entertain us with that, uh,

wonderful old standard, uh—uh...

Emmalee, just
sing for the folks.

Sheriff, get your car. You,
me and Doc are takin' a ride.

Appears to be a land grant, Sam.

It's hogwash. Look at this thing. It
was run off on a copying machine.

Well, you could hardly expect him
to gave up the original now, could ya?

- Oh.
- Yep.

May I? Hmm.

"Granted to Chief Manitoka
and his heirs in perpetuity,

"all those lands ending
at the water's edge...

"which can be seen from the
hill of the God That Creates Rain,

"also known as Algonquin Peak,

"to the east, to the
north, and to the south,

as far as the eye can see
on a day of bright sunshine."

But— But that includes
all of Cabot Cove.

Yes, it would appear so. Oh,
come on now, Doc. It ain't funny.

You don't notice me
laughin', do ya, Amos?

It's a joke. It's somebody's
idea of a joke, that's all.

Mmm, I'm not so sure, Sam.

That fella on horseback may
have been a tad... theatrical,

but, uh, he seemed
quite determined to me.

Yeah, well, I put out an
A.P.B. on him. As soon

as we pick him up maybe
we'll get some answers.

He won't be runnin' around
in that war paint still, Amos.

No, I think he's got
somethin' else on his mind.

Well, as mayor of Cabot Cove,

I'm not waitin' around
for the hammer to drop.

Now the first thing we gotta do
is find out if that thing is authentic.

And that means, Doc, I'm
appointing you and Jessica Fletcher...

as a committee of two to
get to the bottom of this.

This is quite a collection, Miss

Crenshaw. My
Dad's very proud of it.

Has your father had a chance to
look at the copy of the land grant?

He was at it all evening. I don't
suppose you have the original?

- Oh, I wish we did.
- I saw the news film on TV last night.

Whoever your Indian is certainly
has a flair for the dramatic.

And a knack for
manipulating the media.

Mrs. Fletcher. What a
pleasure to meet you. Thank you.

And this must be
Dr. Hazlitt. A-yah.

I can't begin to tell you...

how delighted I was to
receive a copy of that document.

- A find. A real find.
- Then it's genuine?

Ah, well, I couldn't
say for sure.

Not until I examine
the original.

You do have the
original. No, I'm afraid not.

I'm afraid we are stymied, unless I
can examine the original document.

I think it may be forthcoming
shortly. You got an idea, Jess?

Well, our mysterious friend
seems to crave the limelight.

Maybe if we give him a big enough
forum, he'll put in an appearance.

Come on, Mayor.
Tell us something.

I can't talk tonight, boys. I've
got a meeting to go to. Mayor—

Now, hold on, Mr. Mayor!
We're here to cover this story!

Cover all you want, boys,
but nobody goes inside.

Folks got the right
to say their piece,

and they'll say it a lot freer
without you fellas writin' it all down.

Have you heard anything
more from the Indian?

Uh, not yet. But between you and
me, boys, I don't expect to hear from him.

If you ask me, the whole thing's nothing
but somebody's idea of a practical joke.

Oh, Mr. Mayor...

I'll be honest with you, Edmonds,
this Indian thing has got me scared.

Mr. Atwater, I assure
you. There's nothing to it.

I mean, my God, my bank holds
most of the mortgages in this town.

I'm certainly not concerned.
Yeah, well maybe you should be.

Now let me tell you
something, Edmonds.

My company is
not about to risk...

$17 million on a
resort complex...

if there is the slightest chance
that that could be a legitimate claim.

Well, sir, I think you're
overreacting. Am I?

Well, your little bank...

stands to make a tidy commission
on this venture, Edmonds.

So you will forgive me if I take
your assurance with a grain of salt.

Excuse me,
Mr. Atwater. Oh, Langley.

I called your hotel. I guess you
didn't get the message. Uh, no. Sorry.

Well, I was hopin' you and me
could, uh, get together tomorrow.

That land up by Willow Creek—
The piece I got that option on?

I figured you and me could
get together and talk business.

Option?

I wonder just what that would be worth
under the circumstances. Now wait a minute!

Ad, leave him alone. Listen, you
want that land. I know it. You know it.

It's the only fit place to build this
vacation hotel you're puttin' up.

Mr. Langley, when and if this
Indian business is straightened up,

you and I can talk about this.

Until then, I don't really think that
there's much to discuss, do you?

You'll excuse me, won't you?

Come on, Ad. Let's
go inside. Let go of me!

What's the matter with you,
interruptin' while I'm talkin' business?

Back off, Ad. You
keep outta this.

I told you what I'd do if you ever
touched my sister again, didn't I?

Tom, please, don't. Don't
tell me how to treat my wife.

I am tellin' you!

Now you get that through
your drunken head.

Get away! Hey!

Come on. Give us something.

All right, folks.
Settle down, all of ya.

Friends and neighbors, I
stand before you this evening...

Mr. Mayor, we don't
have time for one of

your speeches.
Just get to it. Yeah!

Now, all right. All
right, now, folks.

Don't get yourselves
in an uproar.

Uh, suppose the first
thing I ought to do is

introduce a couple of
people up here with me.

Uh, Professor Harold Crenshaw
and his daughter Donna.

The, uh, professor is an
expert on Indian history.

Wait a minute, Sam. What
do we need an expert for?

You sayin' this land
grant business is for real?

Uh, well— Look, Amos.

We wanna know who this half-naked
savage in the war bonnet was.

- Well, we're workin' on it.
- Maybe you oughta work a little harder.

Everything I got's
tied up in my house!

I don't know about the rest
of you, but I didn't come here...

for no speeches
and no pussyfootin'.

I want straight
answers! Huh? Right!

If you all came for answers,

then I suggest you ask someone
who can give them to you.

Just who might you be, stranger?

My name is George
Longbow, sir, and, uh,

I'm the half-naked savage that dropped
in on your Founders' Day celebration.

Well, sir, uh—

Uh, perhaps you'd be good enough to,
uh, come forward and explain yourself.

Yes. Well, that's precisely
why I'm here, Your Honor.

Good evening. I hope you all
will forgive the flamboyance...

of my earlier appearance, but I wanted
to be certain that I had your attention.

And I believe I got it.

In 1 758, an Algonquin
chieftain named Manitoka...

helped the British win a
major battle against the French.

And in appreciation, the British
governor general bestowed...

upon the chief and
his descendants...

a grant of land which included all of
the area which you now call Cabot Cove.

Well, I am the 11th direct
descendant of that chief.

And to put it in the
simplest of terms,

this meeting is being held on
my property. You're crazy, man.

Hey, toss him outta here!
You're not gonna take my property.

Wait, please, all of you.

Uh, we came here to find out
something, so, please, let's listen.

Mr. Longbow, I'm Jessica
Fletcher. I—I have a question.

Uh, if—It's a very big if— if what you
say is true, what do you intend to do?

Are you planning to evict
all of us from our homes?

Certainly not, Mrs. Fletcher.

However, there will be
the matter of rent to be paid.

Rent? You'll get my land
over my dead body. Right!

I'll see you in hell first,
you thievin' redskin!

What did you—What did you
call me? Mister, nobody calls me...

Friends and neighbors!

Come on, Ad! Come on. Back off.

Let go of me! Just
hold on. Take it easy.

Let me go! I'll
kill that heathen!

Yeah, you come near me,
you're the one who ends up dead.

Listen, you're not scarin'
me away, any of you!

This is my town!

- So get used to the idea.
- No! It's our town!

Let's get outta here.

Well, it seems as though
I've stirred things up a bit.

Did you really expect
that you wouldn't?

All right, let's get
down to business.

Sam, what's goin' on here? Why
wasn't I told about this meeting?

Norman, you can't come in
here. This is official town business.

And since I hold mortgages
on half of Cabot Cove,

I've got a right to hear
what's being said, and done.

- He is right about that, Sam.
- Oh, all right, all right. But...

But keep it zipped.
I'm runnin' things here.

Now, uh, where were we?

I believe I was just about
to tell Professor Crenshaw...

what a pleasure it is
to meet him in person.

Sir, your daughter is very proud
of you, as I'm sure you are of her.

What? You know Donna?

Oh, yes. We met several months ago when
I was doing research at the university.

But I feel as if we've
been friends for years.

Look, can we cut
all this chit-chat?

Longbow, if you are who
you say you are, then prove it.

Several months ago I found this
among my late mother's possessions.

Professor.

Yes. Yes, I see.

That's— That's very interesting.

- Well, is it real or isn't it?
- It appears to be genuine.

But, of course, I'd have to conduct
some tests. What kind of tests?

Well, to determine the age of
the parchment, the ink used...

These are validation reports
from several experts, Professor.

I'm sure you'll
recognize the names.

And if you still have any
doubts, a few simple phone calls...

will verify their authenticity.

Huh? Dr. Steinmeyer?
Professor Carlsbad?

I assure you,
Doctor, and all of you,

that this is not a hoax,
and I am no impostor.

Well, gentlemen, if
all of this checks out,

it appears that this man
does indeed own Cabot Cove.

The hell he does! We have
courts in this country, mister.

As far as I'm concerned, you can
take that paper and you stick it...

Uh, yes, Norman. Yes,
uh—uh, we get your point.

I am a graduate of Harvard
Law School, Mr. Edmonds,

so don't try to threaten
me with legalities.

Oh, it's no threat, sonny. Would
you like to step outside right...

Gentlemen. Gentlemen. Please.
Please. Both of you, stop this bickering.

This will get us
absolutely nowhere.

Now, assuming that your claim is
legitimate, Mr. Longbow— Jessica—

I did say “assuming," Norman.

Just what is it that
you want from us?

Mrs. Fletcher, it's very
simple, and it's also very fair.

I intend to assess every Cabot Cove
landowner one half of one percent of value.

The average resident will
pay no more than $200 a year.

Well, that doesn't
sound too unreasonable.

Sorta like saying you
were mugged in an alley,

but it's okay because the
mugger only got five dollars.

If you all now will excuse me.

Uh— Uh, how can we
get in touch with you?

I'll be in touch with you.

It isn't the money,
Jess, it's the principle

of the thing. He seems
so dang sure of himself.

Come on, redskin.
Show us how you dance.

Hey, why don't you
fellas just back off?

We back off when you do.

Now listen to me, okay?

I don't want any trouble.

You should've thought
about that before.

Tom, Randy, stop
that! All of you.

Stay outta this, Mrs. Fletcher.

- George!
- Hold it!

Next time, Indian!

Next time!

Angel of mercy.

Lucky she happened
to be passin' by.

Lucky. Yes.

George, just what the
hell are you up to? Donna...

You used me! I did not.

All those days and
nights at the university,

when you said you were
researching your heritage.

This is what you were after. No!

I had the land grant, but
I didn't tell you because I

wasn't sure how you'd react
if you knew what I was doing.

Well, you know now.
George, you are insane.

That stupid stunt
at the ceremonies,

walking into a town meeting,
threatening these people.

I mean, don't you
have any sense of...

Oh, self-preservation?
Yeah, lots.

Which is why no one
knows where I'm staying, and

no one is going to know,
including you, Donna.

Donna, look, my people have
been bowing and scraping...

to the white man for centuries,
and what did it ever get us?

Indignation, humiliation
and reservations,

not to mention several dozen
diseases imported from Europe.

Yeah, well, it— it's time one of us
stood up for what is rightfully ours.

And that self-appointed
champion of justice is you?

Yeah, that's right.
Wonderful, George. Wonderful.

I just hope your reign as emperor of
Cabot Cove is a long and happy one.

Dad's gonna be worried about me.

Look, I, um...

I have my pickup truck
parked outside of town.

- Could you drop me off?
- Yeah.

George, be careful.

I understand where you're coming
from, but these people feel threatened.

It doesn't take a whole lot of
fear to turn a crowd into a mob.

Donna?

Yes?

Dad, you're still up.
Of course I'm still up.

Where have you been?
The father hen syndrome.

- I thought we'd gotten beyond that.
- Why didn't you tell me about him?

I did, twice. You were
hardly listening, as usual.

My daily activities are rarely high on
your preferred topics of conversation.

Look, Dad, I'm
pretty tired, okay?

Is—Is there...

Is there anything between you?

You mean, are
George and I lovers?

If you're trying to hurt me, Donna,
you're doing an excellent job.

Perhaps you should go to sleep.

Dad.

I'm sorry.

I don't mean to hurt you, the same
as you don't really mean to hurt me.

No, I haven't slept with George
Longbow. We're friends, that's all.

And, no, I didn't help him
find that land grant, okay?

Okay.

See you tomorrow.

Helen!

Here. Let me help you.

Jessica.

I just got a little
dizzy, that's all. Oh.

Well, come on. Let me
help you into the house.

Oh, no. I'm fine,
really. Well, come on!

I'll help you. Here we go.

Jessica, thank
you. It's all right.

I just can't imagine
what came over me.

Well, now could I get you
something, like a cup of tea?

Oh, there's some— There's
some coffee on the stove.

Right. Well, you sit
back and relax. I'll get it.

Good.

Cream and sugar? Uh, just black.

Thanks. Oh, my goodness,
that— that eye looks very puffy.

Oh, yeah. I've been
crying a lot, I guess. Yeah.

Maybe you should let
Seth Hazlitt take a look at it.

Oh, no, Jessica.
I am fine, really.

It's just— It's this business with this
Indian. I guess it's got everybody on edge.

Well, I see you and Ad
have been fixing things up.

The kitchen's going to be lovely.
Oh, that. That's my handiwork.

Ad's a... dreamer, not a doer.

I guess it's no secret. A
d's been drinking again.

You saw him last night
at the meeting. Mr. Atwater

came by this morning
and wanted to see him,

and I— I couldn't even
tell him where A d was.

You mean, he didn't
come home last night? No.

I haven't seen him
since the town meeting.

The gentleman in the limousine
was Mr.— Harris Atwater.

He wanted me to talk
to Ad about the option.

He said he was willing to pay a fair
price, but he wasn't about to be held up.

I'm sorry.

I must be a couple of
beats behind. Oh, oh.

Well, it's all about
this resort hotel...

that Mr. Atwater's company is
planning on putting up outside of town.

A couple of years ago,
A d got this crazy idea...

that the land up by
Willow Creek was gonna be

worth something, so
he took an option on it.

Well, for once he was right.

Mr. Atwater's company wants
to put up a hotel right there.

For the first time it looked like we
were going to be out from under,

and then this Indian shows up at
the meeting last night and everything.

And I—Well...

Well, we don't know that
Mr. Longbow's claim is valid.

- You mean there's a chance he's wrong?
- There's always a chance, Helen.

Drink your coffee.

Oh, Mrs. Fletcher, can
you tell us what's going on?

Look, I'm sorry, but I really
know as little about this as you do.

And I have nothing to
say. If you'll excuse me...

All right, come on, guys. Try
and get a shot through the window.

Oh, come in, Mrs. Fletcher.

Thank you. Morning, Mayor. Seth.

Well, Jessica. You're just in time to
watch Sam deal with our latest crisis.

Are there any developments?
Nothin' to cheer about.

Professor Crenshaw left town
about an hour ago. He left town?

Yeah. His daughter
called a few minutes ago.

Says he got a call from Norman Edmonds,
got all excited, and was gone in a flash.

Now, what I want to know is, is this
professor fella on our side or isn't he?

And if he isn't— Well, he
was your idea, Jessica.

Oh, now just a moment,
Mayor. Me too, Sam.

Now, just calm your tail feathers.
Hysteria is not the solution.

Well, all I know is, folks are expectin'
me to do somethin', and I'm gonna do it...

soon as I figure out what
it is I'm supposed to do.

Sheriff, there's trouble
over at Town Hall.

It's Ad Langley. You better
go too, Doc. Mm-hmm.

Stand back here. Step
aside, folks. Step aside.

The victim has been identified
as Addison Langley, 47,

a local business contractor.

His body was discovered here at the
Cabot Cove Town Hall less than an hour ago.

Cause of death— an antique
Algonquin lance driven through his chest.

Now, local sources inform
us that Langley was involved...

in a heated argument here
last night with George Longbow.

He's the Indian activist who
claims to own all of Cabot Cove.

You find somethin',
Jess? Well, I'm not sure.

All that sand in Ad Langley's
shoes and in the cuffs of his trousers.

As if he'd been walkin' on
the beach last night. Yeah.

There are traces of sand across
here. You can feel it under your feet.

It looks as if he came in through
this door. Or was carried in.

Ad Langley may have been found
here, but he was not killed here.

- Are you sure?
- A-yah. Not enough blood.

Seth, something is very odd.

Killers usually try to hide their
victims, not advertise them.

Unless putting him here
was supposed to be symbolic?

Yeah.

Makes you wonder a little
bit about George Longbow.

That young man may not be a
lot of things, but he's not stupid.

A-yah. He does have
a temper a mile wide.

Excuse me, Doc.

Is there anything more about Ad
Langley's body that I oughta know about?

Like what, Amos?
Well, like bruises,

like maybe he was in a fight or
somethin'. No, nothing especially unusual.

Little bit of varnish on
one hand. Mm-hmm.

And you're still sayin' the time of death
was, what, about midnight last night?

A-yah. Give or
take an hour or two.

Mighty strange time
to meet somebody.

- And why here?
- Hmm. Well, Jess.

Do you wanna
tell him, or shall I?

Hmm?

The longer George Longbow...

stays in hiding, the
worse things look for him.

Well, if you were he, would you
show up, given the mood of this town?

You got somethin' gnawin' at ya? Do you
remember what Donna Crenshaw told Amos?

That her father hurried
back to the university...

after he got a call from
Norman Edmonds?

You think there's some sort of connection?
I'll tell you one thing that I think.

Addison Langley had an option
on a very valuable piece of property.

And now that he's dead, a lot of
other people stand to gain from it,

especially if the murder can
be pinned on George Longbow.

You want me to come in
with you? No, I'll be fine.

Oh, Mr. Atwater?

You're Mrs.
Fletcher, aren't you?

Yes, we haven't actually met.
This is a real pleasure. Thank you.

I suppose you know
that my company has

planned some very big
things for Cabot Cove.

Yes. I'm afraid some big things
have already happened in this town...

and are threatening
to get out of hand. Yes.

Langley— I—I heard about that.

I suppose everybody in town
has heard about that now.

It's a nasty business, isn't it.

Have they, uh— Have they found that
Indian yet? Uh, no. Uh— Uh, Mr. Atwater.

I take it that you have just learned of
Mr. Langley's death. Yes, of course.

I'm sorry, but I was at the Langley
home earlier, and I spoke to Mrs. Langley.

She said that you had
asked her about the option.

I asked her to use her
influence with her husband.

Naturally, I would
not have done that if I

had known that the
man was dead. Of course.

And now, I take it, you'll
be dealing directly with her.

I was just on my way there
to offer my condolences.

I see. Well, things have certainly
gone very well for you, haven't they?

Mrs. Fletcher, when I said that
it was a pleasure meeting you,

it is just possible
that I spoke in haste.

Now, while I personally place no
credence whatsoever on that Indian's claim,

it is true, yes, his involvement
in Addison Langley's murder...

does remove the last remaining
impediment to my company's investment.

Now, you may
regard that as callous.

I see it as good business.

You'll excuse me, won't you?

- Tom, that's him!
- Hey, look what we got here!

- Come on, baby!
- Let's get him! Come on!

- Over to the left!
- Don't let him get away!

Watch him, Billy! Watch
him! Go around to the right!

- See him?
- I got him! I got him to the right!

In the bushes!

Let's get him now! There he is!

- Go! Go!
- Hey, hey! Over here!

Round that tree.
Quick! Let's move!

All right, now!

There he goes!
Behind that big tree!

Okay, big chief. You got
a heap a lot of trouble now.

- Norman.
- Oh, mornin', Jessica.

I went looking for you at the
bank. They told me I'd find you here.

Yeah? Finally found a
buyer for this old place.

Folks from Boston.
Real nice people, I hear.

- Oh, you're going to be
holding the mortgage?
- That's my business.

I would have thought—
I mean, considering...

the uncertainty of the
situation— You mean Longbow?

He's not gonna be much
more of a problem, is he?

Why is it that everyone in this
town assumes that he is guilty?

Oh, come on, Jessica. You were
there last night. What else can you think?

Well, Mr. Atwater seems
pleased. I ran into him at the bank.

I know folks aren't too happy about havin'
this hotel in their backyard, Jessica.

But, believe me, it's going
to be very good for this town.

I expect property values will double
in the next couple of years. Yeah.

Well, I suppose you can't
quarrel with prosperity.

Uh, I tried to reach Professor
Crenshaw this morning.

I understand he's gone
back to the university,

after receiving a
phone call from you.

Well, now, I'm
being grilled, aren't I?

Jessica, go back
to your typewriter.

Norman, a man is dead.
Another man is being hunted.

And the fate of this town
is teetering on a tightrope.

I mean, you're going to
have to talk to somebody.

All right.

Early this morning, I offered
Professor Crenshaw $50,000...

if he could supply irrefutable proof
that the Indian's claim is fraudulent.

That is a great deal of money.

Jessica, if that man is who he
says he is, my bank is ruined.

I'm ruined.

Only sorry I didn't wait a couple of
hours. It seems that, uh, George Longbow...

has destructed all by himself.

Here's an Injun!

Good Lord!

- Look here what we got ourselves!
- Hey, where'd you find him?

Uh, excuse me, Mayor.
Somethin' seems to be up.

Hey, bring him down
here! Indian, look over here!

Give us— A little bit higher!

Come on! Bring him on down!

We found him out by Bert
Calloway's place tryin' to get outta town.

Well, let's get him
inside. Come on, now.

Stand back, folks. Step
aside. Let us through.

Come on. Give us something, will
you? We're all pushing deadlines!

Lee, get Doc Hazlitt
over here. Right.

Oh, my. Was this necessary?

Well, it wasn't us, ma'am.
See, he saw us comin',

and he ran, and
he just fell down.

Yeah. He fell down a lot.

Is that the way it
happened, Mr. Longbow?

Huh?

Lee, take him back to the
cell and lock him up. Right.

Let's go.

Hey, Tom! Where’d
you get that truck, Tom?

What's the story?
Give us the story.

We're on deadline!

Hey, Tom, where you been?

Went back to get the Indian's pickup.
No sense leavin' road hazards out there.

Oh, and I got
the Indian's stuff.

I mean, so you can't
say we're thieves.

I suppose the town
should be grateful, Tom.

But I can't say much for the condition
you delivered him. Listen, Amos.

He was lucky it was us who found
him. Otherwise, he might be dead by now.

Come on, boys. Let's go
out and get our pictures took.

I mean, after all, we
are real live heroes.

Now, listen to me, young man.

At the moment, you and I may be
the only two people in Cabot Cove...

who think that you are
innocent of this murder.

But retreating into stony,
self-righteous silence...

isn't going to help
the situation one bit.

Now, you re much too intelligent
to commit such a stupid murder.

Now, suppose you
tell me the truth,

starting with why you
really came to Cabot Cove.

All right, I will.

First off, it was never my intention
to bilk the people of this town,

especially not for
my own personal gain.

The money is to
be used to fund a

scholarship program
for Indian youngsters...

who otherwise wouldn't
get a chance to go to college.

Admirable. But why
did you choose...

such a confrontational way
to open up the negotiations?

Mrs. Fletcher, you
know as well as I do,

if I would have used a conventional
way to approach your town fathers,

I would have been completely
ignored. Mmm, possibly.

But what about last night?

Where were you,
and can you prove it?

I was staying outside of town
at a motel known only to me.

And since I arrived back there at around
11:30, after the office had closed...

No— No, I can't prove it.

Excuse me, Mrs. Fletcher.
That was the mayor on the phone.

He'd like us to come over
to his office right away.

He's got the professor with
him. I believe you, Mr. Longbow.

I'll do what I can.

I'm not going anywhere.

I don't know what he said to
you back there, Mrs. Fletcher,

but if I were you,

I'd be careful of how far
I climb out on that limb.

What is it, Amos?

Well, I sent my deputy out there to, uh,
take a look at the Indian's pickup truck.

He found some beach
sand in the back—

Same as we found
on A d Langley's body.

To put it as bluntly as possible,
George Longbow is a fraud.

Phony, eh? Ha! Sorta
figured that myself.

It's amazing how quickly you
came up with that verdict, Professor,

considering the opinion of
those other learned scholars.

Oh, the land grant is genuine enough.
No, I'm talking about Longbow himself.

Dr. Hazlitt, do you
remember the flu epidemic...

that hit this country in 1918,
especially in the northeast?

Don't recall it personally,
thanks. Read about it.

Thousands died in this area,

and particularly hard hit
was the Indian population.

The survivors were adopted by
the few families that remained intact.

Well, under the circumstances,

Longbow cannot possibly claim...

direct and provable
lineage to Chief Manitoka.

Well, Mr. Edmonds will
be pleased to hear that.

Is there a possibility
that, in your haste,

you may be mistaken, Professor?

I talked to Mr. Edmonds, and he told
me about his very generous offer to you.

Offer? What offer?

Mrs. Fletcher,

$50,000 is a great deal of
money for a man of my means,

but I can assure you, my
credentials are not for sale.

Now hold on, Jessica.

The professor here says
that the Indian's a phony.

Let's not argue with him.
Who's side are you on, anyway?

At the risk of sounding corny,
Sam, I'm on the side of right.

And that includes not
only this land grant,

but also George
Longbow's involvement,

if any, in Addison
Langley's death.

Oh, for pity's sake, Jessica, the
man came here to bamboozle the town,

and you're takin'
sides with him.

What she's tryin' to say, Sam, is that
we oughta keep our dampers down...

until we know
exactly what's goin' on.

Which is exactly
what I'm going to do.

Come on, Professor. You and me
are gonna have a talk with Mr. Longbow.

Guess I better go with 'em, huh?

Uh, Amos, perhaps it
might be more productive...

if we were to search
Mr. Longbow's motel room?

You really think
so, Mrs. Fletcher?

All right. Key's at my office.
We'll pick it up on the way.

Well, if his aim was to hide out,
he sure picked the right place.

Never could figure out how Charley
Peabody could make a living out here.

He said he came home
before midnight last night.

We should check and
see if anyone saw him.

Well, if he's countin' on
Charley, he's outta luck.

Charley closes his
office at, uh, 9:00,

and then he sleeps as
sound as a bear in winter.

Mrs. Fletcher, look here.

Good idea you had comin' out here,
but not so good for George Longbow.

Look at this.

Sand on the rug
and inside the shoes.

You know, it looks to me
as if he met Ad on the beach,

they had some kind of a row,
boy lost his temper and killed him.

It's as clear as that. What
is absolutely clear, Amos,

is that George Longbow
has been framed for murder.

Oh, there's sand, all right,
but it was deliberately placed.

Look at the soles
of these shoes.

- They're gummed soles, Amos.
- Uh-huh.

Now, they pick up absolutely everything,
and there isn't a trace of sand on them.

- Say, you're right.
- You and I are going to pay a call, Amos.

Do you know who's behind
all this? Well, I'm not sure.

And certain things still
don't make any sense,

but I know where to start. Hmm.

OH, Jessica and Sheriff
Tupper. Mrs. Langley.

Who is it, Sis? Uh, it’s Jessica
Fletcher, Tom, and the sheriff.

Oh, uh, why don't
you come in, please.

Tom's been keeping me company.

Well, it sure was nice of you
to pay another call, Jessica.

Haven't been many people dropping by. Ad
wasn't much for making friends, you know.

Mrs. Langley, uh,

I think I better tell
you that we're...

plannin' to drop the charges
against George Longbow...

in your husband's death. What?

Tom, we know that George
Longbow was framed.

Yeah, and we're pretty sure you two are
in it up to your hip pockets. Uh, Amos...

Sheriff, you better have a warrant. If
you don't, I want you out of this house.

Now! Tom.

You love your sister, don't you, Tom?
I'm sure you'd do anything to protect her.

Yeah, but I wouldn't kill anybody,
if that's what you're sayin'.

But you would plant evidence to
point the finger at an innocent man.

You're crazy.

We found his shoes at the motel,
covered with sand except for the soles.

Those shoes were planted there,
Tom, to incriminate George Longbow.

Yeah, but it wasn't me.

George hadn't told anyone
where he was spending the night.

Not anyone. But you knew.

Come on, Jessica.

When your friends brought
George into the sheriff,

after you'd captured and beaten him,
you arrived separately a short time later.

You had his motel key with you.

You put it on the sheriff's
desk, along with George's wallet.

You used that key to get into his
motel room and plant the false evidence.

You're outta your mind, and I want
you out of this house. Both of you!

- Tom, no.
- Sis, you stay out of this.

I said no. Now, you
did all you could.

Don't get yourself in any
more trouble. Sis, don't.

Don't. They can't
prove anything.

It's all right.

It's all right.

Helen, I think that the sheriff
can prove that you were involved.

Dr. Hazlitt found traces of
varnish on your husband's hand,

and there was wet varnish on the chairs
that you were refinishing in the kitchen.

Besides that, no matter
how hard you scrub,

you can't get rid of the blood that
must have spilled on your kitchen floor.

Ad did come home
last night, didn't he?

Why don’t you tell us?

Well, it was just past
midnight. Ad was drunk.

He said he'd been walking up and
down the beach, looking for the Indian.

He wanted to hit someone, and I was
the only one around, so he grabbed me.

It was worse than ever.

You saw what I looked
like. I couldn't hide it.

I begged him to stop, but
he just kept comin ‘after me,

and so I grabbed the knife on the
counter, and I turned around, and I—

I lashed out at him.

He staggered.
He fell to the floor,

and he grabbed one of those
chairs as he hit the ground.

That's when she called me.

She was out of
her mind with fear.

I found her on her knees, starin'
down at that drunken piece of trash.

The knife was still
stickin' out of his chest.

I mean, what was I gonna
do? Let her go to jail for...

doin' the world a favor?

Not my sister, no sir.

Then it just, uh,
just came to me—

The trouble at the meetin' hall.

I put A d in my truck, carried him in the
side door, and laid him out on the floor.

And then, like I figured, that—

That funny-lookin’ spear was left
over from the meetin', and I picked it up,

and I raised it over him.

And the wound from the lance obscured
the real cause of death— the knife wound.

I can't say I'm sorry he's dead.

I know nobody
deserves killing, but...

I just couldn't let
him hit me anymore.

Well, Seth, I'm afraid you won't be
able to build that wing onto your office.

Norman Edmonds plan
to turn Cabot Cove into a

vacation paradise has
just gone up in smoke.

Uh-huh! Then I
expect Mr. Atwater...

will be taking his
Jacuzzis elsewhere.

His home office was a
little put off by the killing,

and they're exploring
property in New Jersey.

Now there is an
idea I can get behind.

Well, we've got to get going. I want to
get back to the university before dark.

- Good. I'll run you both down.
- And I'll come along.

Great. All right.

Thank you so much.

Tell me, what are your plans?

Well, nothing concrete.
But we're working on it.

Oh, by the way, George, I've
spoken to some of my friends,

and, you know, your plan for a scholarship
fund for worthy young American Indians...

has a lot of
support in this town.

In fact, we've already formed
a committee to get it under way.

Mrs. Fletcher, are you sure
you're not part Algonquin?

Well, with this—this
complexion, I very much doubt it.

But if I were, I'd
be very proud of it.

Donna.

Dad, I thought you'd
gone back to the university.

I did. Changed my
mind half way there.

Donna, I'm sorry.

You think we can go
inside, sit down, have lunch?

We can make it
a table for three.

Come on, George. I think we're
about to negotiate a peace treaty.

Well, woman, how's it feel to still
have a home to go back to? Wonderful!

Seth Hazlitt, I've been
meaning to ask you a question.

When everyone else was terrified
that they were going to lose their homes,

why were you as calm
as a mountain lake?

Well, I'm much too old to get
caught up in that sort of mass hysteria.

Besides, I rent.