Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 4, Episode 12 - Who Threw the Barbitals in Mrs. Fletcher's Chowder? - full transcript

Okay, Peepin' Tom. Hit the
ground, facedown, hands on back!

Get lost.

Tonight on Murder,
She Wrote. Whoa!

- Seth? What's wrong?
- Winnie is here.

- Why are you whispering?
- She wants to stay here.

- She's afraid of her husband.
- Where is she? Where is my wife?

J u s t— Where is she!

It's hard to love a person when you
don't know what they're gonna do next.

The only way you gettin' rid of
me is you gonna have to kill me!

Taxi? A-yah. Where to?

The sheriff's office, please.



Now, Mrs. Eggleston, I-I'm
sorry your cat is up a tree.

But my deputy who used to take
care of that sort of thing quit on me.

Why don't you try settin' out
a dish of tuna fish, huh? Bye.

Oh, for Pete's sake.

- Sheriff's office.
- Sound kinda peevish.

Your sciatica acting
up again, Amos?

Oh, hello, Doc. No,
I'm just up to my ears.

I put an ad in tomorrow
morning's paper for a new deputy.

- Maybe I'll get some relief.
- Ah.

Well, look, perhaps you could take
some time off, have a bit of lunch.

If I could take time off,
I'd go to the bathroom.

Well, or maybe tomorrow.

- Winnie?
- Amos?

- Hello, Amos.
- Amos?



Winnie!

Let me look at you, Sis.

Well, now don't you
look great. Pretty as ever.

How'd you get here? Did you drive
up? Where's Elmo? Out in the car?

Elmo's home. Amos, I left him.

Left him? Did that big bozo
mistreat you? If he did...

Please, I don't
want to talk about it.

Amos, I don't mean
to be a burden.

I came here because I
didn't know where else to go.

Oh, now look here.

You're welcome to
stay as long as you want.

I've got plenty of room,
so don't worry about it.

I knew I could count
on you. I always could.

Well, sure. What
are big brothers for?

Only thing is, I'm kinda
short-handed and won't

be able to spend much
time with you today.

Oh, I'll be okay. I'll just walk
along the sea cliffs by myself...

and try not to think about
the bleakness of my life.

Oh. Now just hold on. Maybe
we can work somethin' out.

Afternoon, Mrs. Fletcher. Amos.

I, uh, hope I didn't catch
you in the middle of somethin'.

Well, I am facing a deadline,
and I still have four chapters to go...

without having a clear idea as to how
it's gonna end, if that's what you mean.

Well, if you've got a second,
there's somebody I'd like you to meet.

Amos, this is one of those days when
I wouldn't want to meet Paul Newman.

Oh, it's nobody like
that. It's my sister Winnie.

Your sister?

Mrs. Fletcher— Winnie Banner.

Oh. Hello, Winnie.

Please— Please come on in.

Don't mind me. I'm just grumpy because
I left everything till the last minute.

But I— I'm very
glad to meet you.

I never met a writer before.
Amos told me about your books.

I'd like to read one someday
if I can find it in the library.

Well, I'm sure I've got a spare copy
around. Oh, that'd be great. Thanks.

How long you gonna
be in town? Well...

Uh, Winnie— Oh,
you should see...

all the pictures Mrs. Fletcher's
got in her living room. Mmm.

It's like a museum.

What a lovely house.

She seems very nice, Amos.

Mmm. Got the good
looks in the family too.

Wish I had time to
be more sociable.

I sure would appreciate your keeping
Winnie company for awhile, Mrs. Fletcher.

Amos, you're not
listening to me— Winnie's

feeling a little depressed.
Marital problems.

I don't think she should
be left alone right now.

- Amos, I'm sorry, but I can't.
- Wonderful pictures!

There's one of you and a
handsome fella standin' on a boat.

That's my late husband Frank.

I thought so. The way
he was lookin' at you—

Elmo hasn't looked at
me that way in years.

Winnie, I was just
about to put the kettle on.

Why don't you stay and—
And have a cup of tea with me?

- Well, if Amos doesn't mind?
- Oh, you two ladies have a nice chat.

I got a lot of work to do. Bye.

I'm back, Grover.
Go out on patrol now.

Uh, Sheriff? Yep.

Sheriff Tupper? I'm
Marigold Feeney.

- Yes, ma'am?
- I'm here to see about the deputy job.

The one you advertised
in the Gazette.

Why, that ad won't
appear till tomorrow mornin'.

I stopped by the newspaper
office for an advance peek.

I like to get a jump on things.

Oh, I see. Well,
uh, the thing is...

I-I'm lookin' for somebody with
law enforcement experience.

I was a meter maid in
Augusta. I got my own uniform.

Well, uh, I don't know.

A deputy's job has long hours.

- I thrive on hard work.
- Mmm.

And, uh— Well, I'm
not saying that there is,

but there could
be danger involved.

- No problem.
- Uh-huh.

Well, uh, you see, miss,

what I was really
lookin' for was, uh—uh...

A man?

I'd be very disappointed,
Sheriff, if you were biased.

Me? Biased? Why, nothin'
could be further from the truth.

I had a woman deputy until
last year. Good worker too.

It broke my heart when
she got in a family way.

Course, her husband was glad she was
finally stayin' at home where she belonged.

- Could you start tomorrow?
- I can start today.

Uh-huh.

I was dying to talk to somebody,

but I—I didn't think
Amos would understand.

He's a good brother
and a sweet man,

but he's not too swift.

Sometimes it helps to
get away from a problem...

and develop a new perspective.

I didn't need to put any
space between Elmo and me.

We've been out of
touch for a long time.

Especially since he changed.

In what way? Sometimes...

he'd start talking funny,

saying he wanted to
take over the world.

Oh, my. Other times,
he’d just get real sad...

and sit and cry
for hours at a time.

It sounds as if he needs help.
That's what I told his sister, Flo,

and she wouldn't admit
anything was wrong.

I was afraid for Elmo.

When he'd get excited, you know, he'd
lash out at folks and shove them around.

Elmo is awful strong.

Did he ever hurt you, Winnie?

No, not a whole lot.

Not— Not on purpose.

O-Only if I forgot
to get out of his way.

It's hard to live like that.

It's hard to love a person when you
don't know what they're gonna do next.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean
to carry on this way.

Did you lose something?

Yeah, my ulcer medicine.

Comes from living with Elmo.

I'm supposed to take it with meals.
I must've come away without it.

- Well, I could call the drug store.
- No, it's prescription medicine.

Back home there'd be no trouble.

Elmo owns the drugstore.
My prescription is on file there.

I shouldn't bother
you with this.

Oh. It's no bother.

I think I know the very
person who could help us.

His sister? My, my, my!

Well, I had always thought
of Amos as one of a kind.

Here, let me have a look at you.

No, I'm afraid I don't see
any family resemblance.

- And that, my dear, is all to your credit.
- Why, thank you.

Uh, Seth, we need your help.

Winnie has left her prescription
medicine back in Kentucky.

Aah. My Calmital.

- Ulcer?
- Just a little one.

But it does kick up
every once in a while.

I can take care of that.
I hoped that you would.

Well, I'll leave Winnie
here then, if that's all right.

I really must get back to work.

No trouble. That's
perfectly fine with me.

I tell you what. Why don't I
drop her off at Amos's place...

after I've shown her around
just a little bit? Mmm-hmm.

That all right with you,
Winnie? Sounds wonderful.

Well, I'll say
good-bye till later.

Thank you. Thanks.

Would you like a chair?

Oh. Thank you.

I'm much obliged, Dr. Hazlitt.

This is my first trip to Maine,
and I haven't seen anything yet.

Oh. Well, then you have
a treat in store for you.

You may not be aware of it,
but Cabot Cove leads the nation...

in per capita
sales of live bait.

Oh, my! Mort? Yes, Dr. Hazlitt.

I'd like you to run up
a prescription for me.

This is the lockup, where
we keep the prisoners. Check.

Saturday nights we get
maybe one or two drunk drivers.

The important thing to remember
about puttin' them in the cell is...

Wait.

Okay.

Don't forget to lock the door.

Oh, I better get that. Uh,
you have a look around.

Familiarize yourself
with the area, hmm?

Check.

Sheriff's office. Oh, hello,
Winnie. How's everything goin'?

All the sights, huh?
Oh, that's good.

Havin' dinner out? Fine.

You tell Mrs. Fletcher
I said hello. Bye.

- What are you doin' here?
- Where is she?

Where is my wife? J u s t...

Where is she! Now look here...

- Freeze!
- You're not do...

Will you put that thing away
before you hurt yourself?

This is my brother-in-law,
Elmo Banner.

Amos, I thought you said
Winnie'd be home by now.

She'll be along in a while.

- Who's sleepin' on the sofa?
- You are.

Who's sleepin' in my
room? Kenny and me.

Kenny has to sleep
next to the bathroom.

Well, I think I'll go get somethin'
to eat before I go to sleep.

If you didn't eat so much you wouldn't
have to sleep next to the bathroom.

Amos, don't be tellin'
us how to live our lives.

It's my life I'm thinkin' about.

Well, let me see, you and
Kenny are sleepin' in my room.

Winnie and Elmo
got the guest room.

That leaves the small room
with the rollaway bed. Mmm.

Uh-uh.

That's my room.

Your room? Well, where do you
expect him to sleep? On the sofa?

If I'd have known you folks were
comin', I coulda got you rooms...

down at the motel
on the Interstate.

What was the name of that woman
that Winnie's havin' dinner with?

Mrs. Fletcher. They probably
got to yakkin' and lost track of time.

Well, Winnie shoulda known that
Elmo would come looking for her.

She should've stayed close to
the house out of common courtesy.

Flo, you're gonna get Elmo all
riled up again with talk like that.

It was her that got him
riled up by runnin' off.

Naturally, he had to
come lookin' for her.

Well, did your brother have to
bring his whole family with him?

Elmo was too upset to
drive. That's why I'm here.

Harold's night blind. I came
along to help with the drivin'.

Night blind.

- What about Kenny?
- I told him to come.

Hmm.

I was savin' that chicken
for my lunch tomorrow.

Want it back? Oh.

Here's your bourbon.
Not that you need it.

Somehow, Winnie, I cannot
imagine Amos as a little boy.

What was he like?
Serious. Very serious.

You know...

'Bout time.

Doc, what are you
doin' with my sister?

I'm bringin' her home.
What does it look like?

We just had the most
marvelous time in the hotel.

Dinner, Amos.

Amos, who you
talkin' to out there?

Elmo?

Winnie!

Shoo!

You shouldn't have
followed me here,

Elmo. I heard a
man's voice out there.

I am sick of your suspicions, jealousy,
your crazy— Winnie. Will you listen to me?

Listen? Listen to what? You
make about as much sense...

as a chipmunk in a
hickory nut tree. Don't

think I'm gonna let
you go, 'cause I'm not.

I'm gonna take you
home. I am not going!

Now hold on. Why don't you and Elmo
go to your room and talk this over, huh?

You think I would sleep in
the same room with this man?

Well, he's your
husband. Not for long.

I'm gettin' a divorce!

Oh, my Lord.

We have never had
a divorce in our family.

The only way you gettin' rid of
me is you're gonna have to kill me!

- Winnie. Winnie.
- Hold it.

No. Winnie!

Winnie! Elmo!

Dr. Hazlitt?

Seth?

Winnie. Well, why...

I'm sorry, I thought you
were an emergency patient.

Can I come in? I think
Elmo is right behind me.

I heard a car.

No, it looks, uh— It
looks all clear now.

Oh, you're trembling. I can't stay in
Amos's house with Elmo and his family.

Is it okay if I stay
here tonight? Here?

I'm sorry. I didn't know
how to get to the hotel,

and Mrs. Fletcher
was busy with her book.

And you were so close by that...

Oh. Now please, uh—
Here, here, please.

Thank you.

Ooh.

Honey, that's something
outside. An animal, I expect.

An animal named Elmo.

Well, if what you told me is true,
he's more likely to huff and puff...

and blow the house down.

Why don't we discuss your
problem over a fresh pot of coffee?

You wait here, and I'll go out and
fix it. No, please, let me do it. Please?

All right.

Down the hall there on the left.

Come on, woman.

Hello, this is Jessica Fletcher. I'm sorry
I can't come to the phone at the moment,

but I'm busy working.

If you'll please leave your name
and number and I will get— Jess?

You do not have an
answering device. Talk to me.

Seth? What's wrong?

Winnie is here... in my house!

Well, why are you whispering?

She wants to stay here.
She's afraid of her husband.

Jess, do you hear me?

She wants to sleep
here. Help me!

Seth, look, I feel
sorry for Winnie.

- Winnie? What about me?
- Look, if she'd come to me,
I would've taken her in.

But she didn't, Seth,
she came to you for help.

Because I'm closer. Closer,
woman. I'm a victim of geography.

Seth, please. Jessica,
this is a small town.

Very small town. The tongues
wag like puppy dogs' tails.

Look, Seth, I'm sorry. Look,
I have got a book to finish,

and it has to be
finished tonight.

Now, please, if there's
any mercy in your soul.

All right. All right!

But if I fall victim to
some irate husband,

my blood will be on your hands.

Seth?

Oh!

Mmm?

Uh?

Oh, for Pete's sake.

Okay, okay.

Well, it's about time
you called. Where are...

Oh, sorry. I thought
you were somebody else.

Elmo? Elmo's asleep.

No, I won't wake him!

I'd rather toss a lit
match in a gasoline tank.

Well—Well, I don't care if you
got business with him or not.

Now hold on. You got no
call to talk to me that way.

Who am I? Sheriff
Tupper, that's "who am I."

Who in blazes are you?

Hmm.

Morning, Sheriff. Hope you
don't feel as bad as you look.

Worse.

Spendin' a night with Elmo in the house
is like bein' locked up with a gorilla.

Did my sister call?
No, sir, she didn't.

What are you doin', Grover?

Typing a report.

Why are you doin
‘it? 'Cause she won't.

Ooh.

I don't make coffee either.

Well, Sheriff,

I'm out to score
some traffic violators.

Say, Grover, Hmm?

Where did Marigold get a
vehicle? She furnished it herself.

Huh.

Better call Mrs. Fletcher.

Hello. Mornin', Mrs. Fletcher.

It's a beautiful morning, Amos. And
I finally finished my book last night.

Oh, congratulations.

Why don't you come over
and have breakfast with us?

I just invited Winnie,
and she's on her way.

She's on her way? Well, didn't
she spend the night at your place?

Um, well, no.

Where did she spend the night?

I'll explain when you get here.

I-I'm sorry, I
didn't catch that.

I said, I'll explain
when you get here.

Winnie, I don't understand how
you could sleep in Doc's house.

He's a... bachelor.

Do you know what a
temptation that must've been,

havin' an attractive woman
like you in the house?

It's all right, Amos.
I locked my door.

And I pulled my blinds down too.

You pulled your blinds?
On account of Elmo—

Was lurking around outside,
looking in Dr. Hazlitt's windows.

Couldn't have been Elmo. He never left the
house. His snorin' kept me up all night.

Stay still, Winnie. I'll do that.
No. I insist on doing the dishes.

You cooked up a
wonderful breakfast.

Well, it's the least I could do
after neglecting you so shamefully.

But you know, now that
my book is finished, I'd

really like to plan a
nice little dinner party.

Oh, you don't have
to go to any trouble.

Why that's a great
idea, Mrs. Fletcher.

You could fix a real New England
shore dinner with lobsters and clams.

Oh, maybe some of
your cranberry cake, huh?

And don't forget your Cabot
Cove chowder. That's my favorite.

Well, all right. I just hope that
Winnie's family likes good seafood.

My family? You mean, Elmo's.

Of course. I mean, it's the
only hospitable thing to do.

And maybe when
everybody is feeling relaxed,

you and Elmo
can talk it all out.

What do you think, Amos?

Yes, ma'am. That's a
fine idea. Mighty fine.

Put folks in a good mood and
they're liable to say just about anything.

Well, if you think I am going to
eat any of this stuff, you're crazy.

Just try one, Flo. Mrs.
Fletcher fixed it special.

What's this here in the shell?

A baked clam.

I'll leave it with you. And
you can just help yourself.

Well...

I hope you're all savin'
room for the lobsters.

Where's Elmo? Oh, I
think I saw him go outside.

I'm going to need a volunteer
bartender. I'm your man.

Harold will do it.
Won't you, Harold?

Oh, sure, okay.
Uh, you hold this.

Everything is there.

Oh, Flo, Winnie said
that you're an expert cook.

I could do with a little
help in the kitchen.

Oh. Well, all right.

But don't expect
me to taste anything.

I'll take a double
bourbon on the rocks.

You better not
let Flo catch you.

You just let me worry
about that. Yeah.

You owe me for my time,
Banner. Get out of here!

Yeah? When you pay me!

Hey!

Cut it out, you two.
Let go of him, Elmo!

What's the matter with you?

What was that all about?
None of your business.

And don't you ever
butt in like that again!

♪

Kenny, stop drinking.

♪ No, but what's
in the fish dish?

Elmo, chowder?

Genuine Cabot Cove chowder...

from Jessica
Fletcher's secret recipe.

Kenny, go ahead. Flo.
Amos, this is your favorite.

Plenty for everybody, Harold.

All right, just help yourselves.

There you go, Flo. Yeah.

This is the kind of
stuff you like, Elmo.

Wallpaper paste with lumps.

Yeah. Tell Kenny to make
me another one of these.

What's the matter?
You got a broken leg?

That better not
be what I think it is.

It's ginger ale, and
get off my back.

All right, everybody,
enjoy your chowder now.

But don't forget to save
plenty of room for the lobsters.

Don't worry. Ah.
This looks good.

How's everything going?

Well, Elmo seems to
be behaving himself.

His sister, Flo, is a pain
in the gluteus maximus.

Won't even let her husband
drink his ginger ale in peace. Hmm.

Want me to help you? Yeah. Just hold that
platter still, will you, for me? Great.

Mmm.

Now what?

- What happened?
- It's the fish!

They've been poisoned!

Seth, are they...

It's my considered opinion
that they're all asleep.

We better open some windows.
Let in a little fresh air. You!

Help me get them
on their feet. Quickly!

All right, Harold, let's
go! Wake up! Wake up!

Pick 'em up, make 'em
walk. Keep 'em talking!

Walk, you idiot!
All right. Up you go.

One tootsie in front of the
other. That's the girl. On your feet.

Huh? Don't try to make intelligent
conversation, just wake up!

That's it, just one foot in front of
the other— That's it. You're doing fine.

Ooh. Jess, I think you'd
better send for an ambulance.

Tell them to hurry.

I don't understand
what happened.

One minute we were just
sitting, chatting and eating,

and suddenly I felt dizzy.

And I looked over and Kenny
was lying face down on the table.

It's all right, Winnie. And
Elmo, in the ambulance...

He looked all pale, like
he was hardly breathin'.

Well, I'm sure that
he's gonna be all right.

You know what I think?

I think there's somethin' fishy
about that chowder. Chowder?

Don't you think it's weird, Amos,
that everybody that ate that chowder...

kinda keeled over— Except
me, 'cause I didn't eat any.

Makes you kinda
wonder what was in it.

Doc?

Doc, h-how is he?

Winnie, I am sorry. But
there was nothing we could do.

Oh, Lord!

Do you mean he died
without ever wakin' up?

Near the end, he did open
his eyes for a brief period.

Did he say anything?

Elmo uttered exactly one word.

- Somebody's name?
- No.

It was an obscenity.
That sounds like Elmo.

Well, wh-what caused it, Doc?

Oh, we'll have to
wait for the autopsy.

Jess, I'm afraid we're going to
have to analyze your clam chowder.

Well, if you
don't, I insist on it.

What are you gonna
do about it, Sheriff?

Someone has just murdered my
brother! Just turn down your burners, Flo.

Someone who put
something in the chowder.

Someone who lured her
husband to this jerkwater town...

so that when Elmo ended up dead,

the jerkwater Sheriff
wouldn't do anything about it.

- That's enough, Flo!
- She's right.

Shut up, Harold!

Now, Winnie wouldn't hurt
a soul, you all know that.

The fact is, that
just before dinner,

I saw Elmo fightin' some
stranger in Mrs. Fletcher's yard.

And I told my deputy to
put out an A.P.B. on him.

Okay, Peepin' Tom. Hit the
ground, facedown, hands on back!

Get lost.

I said hit the ground,
hands on back.

Move it! And I said to get lost.

Whoa!

You have the right
to remain silent.

Are you nuts or what?
Anything you say— Shut

up! Will be used against
you in a court of law.

You caught him where?
In Mrs. Fletcher's backyard.

I better have a talk with
him. Okay, but he's my collar.

Hey, it's about time
you got here, Sheriff.

Come on. Unlock the
door! Let me outta here.

Not so fast. You got some
explainin' to do. Who are you?

Name's Ed Bellamy. I'm a
private investigator from Louisville.

Is that so? And why were
you fightin' with Elmo Banner?

He hired me to do a job, and then
he refused to pay my expenses.

What kind of job?
To tail his wife.

He was wildly jealous. He
suspected she was seein' another man.

Let me see his I.D. Hasn't got any,
Sheriff. Not even a driver's license.

Is that so? No I.D., huh?

I must've dropped my wallet in
that yard when Elmo jumped me.

When I went back to look for
it, this wild woman attacked me.

Now, come on, Sheriff. Let
me outta here. Mr. Bellamy,

you best get yourself a lawyer.

What for? You can't make a
window-peeping charge stick.

- There was nobody home.
- Your client was murdered last night.

Hey, he didn't owe me that
much money. Just my plane fare.

Look, Sheriff, if you don't believe
me, why don’t you check me out?

I will.

Hey! What am I supposed
to do in the meantime?

- Stay put.
- Sheriff!

Down, buster!

Phenobarbital in my chowder?

A-yah. I didn't figure it was
one of your special ingredients.

It's also not something I
keep around my kitchen.

So it couldn't have found its
way into the chowder by mistake.

Any idea how it could
have possibly gotten there?

You know, it's possible
that I do have an idea.

Here. I'll be right back.

If I'd wanted to
be a housekeeper,

I wouldn't have spent all
that money on medical school.

I didn't know it was so late.
You should've woken me earlier.

Well, I felt it was
best to let you rest.

Thank you for letting
me spend the night.

I just couldn't face my in-laws.

Winnie, you mentioned
that Elmo owned a drugstore.

He owned 10 drugstores. His
mama left him the family business.

The family business?
Elmo was the president.

Kenny is the general manager.

Flo, she runs the
cosmetics department.

And Harold— He's in
charge of pharmaceuticals.

Harold?

He's the oldest, but
he's only a half-brother.

He's daddy's son from
a previous marriage.

Elmo was his mama's
baby and her favorite.

Does this have anything to do
with what happened last night?

Winnie,

a large dose of phenobarbital
wound its way into my chowder.

Phenobarbital?

That's what Elmo used to
take when he couldn't sleep.

Do you think he
brought any with him?

Most likely. He never went
anyplace without his sleeping pills.

I'm positive. I packed
up all of Elmo's things.

I didn't come across any pills.

Well, that means that
someone could have taken it.

Ah, as long as you're here, Amos,
might as well make yourself useful.

Thanks. There you go. Plenty
more pots where that came from.

Jess, you didn't tell me
you had a new gardener.

I don't.

Well, Amos, must be
one of your minions.

Hmm?

That's Marigold. She's lookin'
for somethin' she's not gonna find.

Hello? Yes, they're both
here. It's the coroner.

He'll be on in a moment.

Yes, Smiley.

Are you sure?

Okay. Thanks.

Well, autopsy report shows that Elmo
died from an overdose of phenobarbital.

So it was the chowder.

That doesn't make
any sense. Why not?

He ate it, and he died.
You ate it. You didn't die.

It killed Elmo,

but all it did was put
the rest of you to sleep.

Unless someone gave
Elmo an extra dose.

And the barbital in the rest of
the chowder was just a diversion.

A-yah, and that extra dose—

Or all of it for that matter— Would
have come from Elmo's sleeping pills.

If there were
any sleeping pills.

Well, someone got the
phenobarbital from somewhere.

A-yah.

Seth, what is it?

Nothing. I'm
just— Just thinking.

Thinkin' what? Well, if you got
somethin' to say, Doc, spit it out.

All right, I just remembered
a prescription I got for Winnie.

The Calmital for her ulcers.

And the chief ingredient
is phenobarbital. What?

Oh, come on now,
Doc. Not you too!

Good morning, everybody.

Oh, how you feelin'
today, Sis, huh?

Oh, I'm pretty good,
except for my ulcer.

Seth, I wonder, could I trouble you
to get me another bottle of Calmital?

Another bottle? I
guess I forgot to tell you.

I dropped mine in the
bathroom last night.

Broke to pieces
and spilled all over.

Oh, it was a terrible mess.

I had to mop it up
with paper towels...

and then scrub the
whole bathroom floor.

But it's okay. I got
rid of it all, every trace.

And what did you do with the
paper towels and the broken glass?

Well, I brought them down to the
kitchen and threw them in the trash.

You said you were gonna
take it out this morning.

- Yes, I did. For the trash men.
- Oh. Doggone it, Winnie.

What? Why is everyone acting
so funny about a broken bottle?

Because what was in it...

may have caused your
mister to meet his maker.

You mean—You think I killed
Elmo with my ulcer medicine?

Oh, no. Not really.

Of course not. But that's
what some people might think.

Oh, Amos. It doesn't matter.

Now, Sis, I know you did not kill
Elmo. And before I would turn you in,

I'd turn in my sheriff's star.

Excuse me, Sheriff. Thought
you'd like to know I found it.

Found what? His wallet.

- Whose wallet?
- Let me see that.

Almost missed It. Somebody
must've kicked it under a bush.

You get the feeling we're
missing somethin' here, Jess?

Looks like that perp's
story checks out.

This belongs to that fella
I saw fightin' with Elmo.

I got him locked up down at the jail.
And he was a real good suspect too.

Now what am I gonna do?

You'll be lucky if I don't sue
the pants off of you, Sheriff.

I said you could go. It
doesn't require conversation.

Here he is, Mrs. Fletcher.

Fletcher? Now you look familiar.

You might have seen me
through the kitchen window...

before you fought Elmo
Banner in my garden.

Oh. So what can I do for you?

Tell me about Elmo. Elmo?

He was a geek. He was a
wacko. He was out of his gourd.

And he hired you to
keep an eye on his wife.

I'm sorry, but that's
privileged information.

Mr. Bellamy,
your client is dead,

and it's possible that you had just as
good a reason to kill him as anyone else.

You could have sneaked into
my kitchen and laced the chowder.

Wait, hold it, lady! You
wanna know about Elmo?

Sure, I worked for him. Not that he paid
any attention to what I had to tell him.

He wanted the dirt
on his wife. He didn't

care that she went to
the movies by herself.

She was a nice lady. She
deserved better than that creep.

Mr. Bellamy,

did you ever see Elmo take
pills? All the time—like peanuts.

Sometimes he was so high the only
way you could see him was on radar.

It was that obvious?
It was to me.

How about his family and the
people that were close to him?

If they didn't know, it's
because they didn't wanna know.

Hello.

If you came to see Amos or
Winnie, uh, they aren't here.

Oh, my goodness. You look as
if you're getting ready to leave.

Well, there's no reason to stay.
We've got a business to run. Oh, yes.

Well, with all of you here,

you must be very nervous about
what's happening at the shop.

I mean, with no one in charge.

Although, I imagine with Elmo's
dependency on barbitals all the time,

you must have faced
that problem before.

Wh-What are you talking about?

Chemical dependency, Harold.

I'm amazed that as a
pharmacist you didn't recognize it.

But then, maybe you did.

- You're guessing.
- I don't think so.

Winnie's description of Elmo's wild
swings of mood—It all makes sense.

Come on inside. I need
something cold to drink.

Well, do you wanna know
about Elmo or don't you?

For years it was booze.

Elmo said he started
when he was 11,

sneakin' moonshine out
of his daddy's basement.

Huh! Probably took drugs too.

That Elmo— He
was great at escape.

Kept puttin' things into his
body to make himself forget.

Forget what? Oh, I don't know.

Maybe that he was Elmo
Banner. Who knows?

Could be he even wanted to quit,
although he never showed any signs.

Oh, after a while we just
stopped payin' attention.

Figured sooner or later
he'd end up killin' himself.

Aha. The Golden Dragon.
It's my own invention.

Tangerine juice,
Pernod and a little gin.

Actually, it should be in a tall
glass, but that's all Amos had.

Oh.

My goodness—the glass.

- Something wrong with it?
- That's a good question.

What about the
glass, Mrs. Fletcher?

Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.

Well. Now, it can't be nothin'.

Now what's the matter, ma'am?
You remember somethin'?

Yes, I left some cookies
baking in the oven,

they're gonna be burned
to a crisp. Excuse me.

The cookies'll keep.
Kenny, what are you doin'?

I think he's holding me here
against my will, Harold. Kenny,

let the lady go.
Shut up, Harold!

Now, Mrs. Fletcher here
just remembered somethin'.

But it wasn't the
cookies, was it, ma'am?

I would like to leave right now,
Harold. Well, sure. Right away.

- Kenny, what's the matter with you?
- We can't let her go, Harold.

Now you and me are family, and we're
gonna have to stick together on this.

On what? What the
hell are you talkin' about?

The glass.

I know it was dumb of me.

With all the commotion goin' on in
the room, I didn't think anybody'd notice.

Mrs. Fletcher, wh-what's
he talkin' about?

Murder, Harold. Elmo's murder.

Do you remember what happened...

when I asked for a volunteer
bartender, and Flo volunteered you?

Your first customer was Kenny. And he
ordered a double bourbon on the rocks.

Now there were plenty
of tall glasses on the tray,

but you chose a shorter glass.

Well, sure. Short glasses
are for on-the-rocks drinks.

Everybody knows that.

Later, Seth was in the dining room.
He saw Kenny drinking something.

He said that it was ginger ale.

Right. Except it
was in a tall... glass.

- I didn't serve you that.
- Right, Harold. I got it myself.

What happened to your
bourbon on the rocks?

I believe that he
gave it to Elmo...

after he had doctored it with some
of Elmo's crushed phenobarbital.

He also put some
of it into my chowder.

Oh, don't give me
that pious look, Harold.

You oughta thank me.
Everybody oughta thank me.

Elmo was always
doped up all the time.

He didn't know if he was comin' or
goin'. And he was destroying the business.

Somebody had to save it.

Are you crazy? Yeah.

Crazy enough to know
the company's mine now.

If you wanna keep on workin', you
get out there and pack up that car.

You leave her to me.

Go on out there
now, Harold! Okay,

who owns the vehicle illegally
parked next to the fireplug?

Drop it, turkey!

Well, two busts in two days.
I-I'm startin' to like this job.

You be happy. I will.

It's a shame Harold or Flo
couldn't ride back with you.

Well, I don't think I'll be seeing
much of them from now on.

Another real shame.

Good-bye, Seth. Bye, Winnie.

Oh, here, run along
now. You'll miss your bus.

Thanks for everything.
Come back soon, Winnie.

I promise. I gotta go.

Oh, Mrs. Banner,

I guess we're gonna be
traveling together. Do I know you?

Uh, sort of. Your
husband owed me money.

Oh, you must be Mr. Bellamy.

Well, Mr. Bellamy, I
believe in paying debts.

You'll get every last cent.
Oh, hey. That's all right.

Of course, uh,

we could talk about it if
you like on the ride home.

Mr. Bellamy, are
you a drinking man?

No, I never touch that stuff.

Do you like the window
seat or the aisle?

Why would she wanna
talk to that fella? Huh.

Mmm. One thing
about Amos's in-laws...

They explain a lot about Amos.