Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 4, Episode 2 - When Thieves Fall Out - full transcript

- Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
- Oh!

No way are you gonna convince
me one of my boys could kill a man.

- You coached him. I taught him.
- Jessie, that was 20 years ago.

Neither of you would want
to see a murder go unsolved.

Where did you get the
$50,000 to start with?

You ask that question again— to
me or anybody else— and I'll sue you.

He was almost killed last
night in the car—run off the road.

What is going on between me and
my wife is none of your business.

I don't like what
you're getting at.

You killed one of my
boys! Let go of me!

Come on, Hampton.
Lighten up, will ya?



A couple belts at lunch
yesterday doesn't make

me a lush. Yesterday?
How about every day?

How about right now? Nobody
wants to buy cars from a drunk, Dan.

You're finished. Look, Billy boy,
I'm the best salesman you got.

Oh, yeah? That's ancient
history. You haven't moved enough

units this past year to
keep this place in lightbulbs.

Hi there.

Real beauty, isn't she?

How about takin' her
out for a test drive?

Thanks. Maybe some other time.

All right. Just say the word.

Mrs. Fletcher. I'm
Andrew Durbin.

I'm renting Lila Small's
house for a few weeks.

Oh. Yes, of course.
Lila left her key with me.



Please forgive me.
Come in. Thank you.

Lila called me last night from New
York to say you'd be arriving today,

and still it still flew
right out of my head.

You must think I'm
addlebrained. No "addle

brain" could have written
The Belgrave Murders.

Oh. Thank you for
those kind words.

- I think I may have come at a bad time.
- Oh, not at all.

I was just going out, but Lila's house
is only a couple of blocks from here.

Thank you.

It's nice to see things
haven't changed much.

Oh, then you've been
to Cabot Cove before.

Years ago. Matter of fact, I
stayed a bit longer than I'd planned.

Well, then this should be quite
a nostalgic vacation for you.

Or are you here on business?

A little of both.

But mostly just to soak up a lot of
sunshine and good, clean salt air.

You sound to me like...

Like someone with a
raging case of cabin fever.

Mrs. Fletcher, you are a
master of understatement.

Oh. This place could
do with a good airing.

Oh, please, let me get all that. I've
already taken up too much of your time.

It's no trouble at
all. One last favor.

I've got some papers
your sheriff has to sign.

- Could you tell me where I could find him?
- Four blocks down, turn to the left.

It's on the outskirts of town.
Oops, I'm gonna be late.

Can I drop you somewhere?
Oh, how very kind of you.

A dear friend, Kevin Cauldwell, is retiring
as football coach of the high school.

A few of us are giving
him a farewell party.

Let's go. Thank you.

I don't mind telling
you. I'm shocked, Perry.

I'm speechless. That's
it. I'm—I'm speechless.

Everyone knows that
I had that accident...

because the car Bill
Hampton sold me was a lemon.

Now I'm welded
to this chair for life.

I'm helpless as a baby.

Arnie, what I said in
that courtroom is final.

Now, I am truly sorry
about your accident.

Perry, the stock market has
made me a very rich man.

I am not suing him for the
money. It's the principal of the thing.

Arnie, I can't hear your case
because I have a conflict of interest.

I've known you and Bill since we were
kids. We played on the same football team.

That's exactly my point.

No one has to tell you how
underhanded Bill Hampton is.

- Remember the time he
fixed us up with a couple

of chicks— - That's it,
Arnie! Not another word.

Perry, you are very
strict. Very strict.

And also very busy.
So, if you'll excuse me.

See you at Coach's
party? Are you kidding?

The year of '66 was the greatest thing
that ever happened to me. I'll be there.

Sheriff. Afternoon, Judge.

Could you spare a few
minutes? Of course. Come on in.

Oh, uh, this is Mr. Durbin.

He's rentin' Lila Small's
house for a few weeks.

Well, welcome to
Cabot Cove, Mr. Durbin.

Thank you, Judge.

What can I do for you, Amos?

Eh, never handled anything
like this before, Your Honor.

Thought it'd be best
to check it with you.

Parole papers?

Yes. It seems Mr. Durbin served 20
years in the state prison for murder.

Oh, dear. I don't know
the circumstances.

He was paroled a few months
ago, one of the conditions being...

that he register his whereabouts
with an officer of the court.

He sure made Amos
Tupper nervous.

Well, it seems hard to believe.

I mean, he's so
charming and intelligent.

Jessica. Heck of a
swan song, Jessie.

Some swan song. If I
know you, Kevin Cauldwell,

you'll be spending even
more time at Cabot Cove High.

I fell head over heels for this
woman my first day at the school.

But for some unfathomable reason,
she wouldn't leave her husband.

Then I met Frank Fletcher,
and I gave up the chase.

Best friends a man could hope
for. It was a two-way street, Kevin.

Those were wonderful
years for all of us.

Mmm, some not so wonderful.

Or maybe you forgot that
football camp of mine. Oh.

The one that was gonna make
me the—the next Pop Warner.

Hey, I'm still waiting for
my counselor's salary.

I'm just kidding. It's—
Coach, I'm kidding.

Remember what I told you
guys— You can't win 'em all.

Hey, we beat 'em all in
'66, Coach. Remember?

Yeah, we sure did.

State football champs— first and
only time for Cabot Cove or me.

Tough act to follow,
but what a year.

I owe it all to you
guys— Perry, Arnie.

Billy.

Danny. Where's— Where's Danny?

Hey. Dan? Where's Dan
Pulling? Dan never misses a party.

- Especially one with free drinks.
- Hey, zip it up, Arnie.

Touchy, touchy.
What's the matter?

- Feeling a little bit guilty
about firing Dan this morning?
- That's none of your business.

Well, maybe you're just
nervous. I'd be nervous,

too, if I was facing a
million-dollar lawsuit.

- Knock it off, Arnie.
- But then it is
the insurance company's money.

I said knock it off!

Excuse me. I
wanna talk to Jessica.

It was a great party,
Jessica. Thanks. I mean it.

Everybody chipped in. But I
know whose idea it was, don't I?

Any plans?

Yeah. Goin' back to my office.
They're payin' me till Friday.

After that? I guess it's
gonna seem kind of funny.

- After all these years, nothin' to do.
- You could get to like it.

Well, I'll give it a shot.
Thanks for everything.

He'll never be able
to handle it. Hmm.

Thirty years, you don't
just quit, not like this.

If he could quit himself, it would be
much easier. I really feel sorry for him.

Well, since the guest of
honor has fled the premises,

I hereby declare
this party adjourned.

Let's go, honey.
Jessica, can we drop you?

Oh, thanks. I thought
you'd never ask.

Fetch the chariot, my good man.

I don't sell chariots.
It's too hard to get parts.

Uh-oh.

Danny.

Hey, Coach!

- Drunk as hell. Just what we need.
- Come on, Jessica. Let's go.

We'll see you
later. Bye-bye. Bye.

Maybe I'd better go see if
Dan's okay. Let Coach handle it.

Tara, I— Perry, you can't
help him. School's out.

Let's go.

- What is it, Bill?
- It's nothing.

It's just somebody's
idea of a practical joke.

Hello. Bill, who is it?

Who are you? What do you want?

Bill, what's wrong?

What is it?

Bill?

Bill?

What is that?

Oh!

Bill?

Bill, talk to me. Tell
me what's happening.

Who's doing this? Honey,
it's nothing. It's nothing.

It's just a... sick
practical joke. That's all.

I'm gonna call
Sheriff Tupper. No!

I told you. It's just a
joke, a private one.

I'll take care of it myself.

You say you got a
good look at the clipping?

It was from the Gazette.

Something about a hitchhiker being
convicted and $100,000 in bonds missing,

But it happened years ago.

A hitchhiker?

I have a vague memory of a man
who was murdered in Shawmut.

A hitchhiker was
convicted for the crime,

but they never found he bonds
that he was supposed to have taken.

But that was at least
20 years ago, I'm sure.

Jessica, I'm worried.

Bill has never kept
anything from me before.

Who's ever behind this, it's
more than just a practical joke.

And you have no
idea what it could be?

No.

I'm sure Dan Pulling's got
something to do with this...

Getting back at
Bill for firing him.

Oh, God.

Can you remember
anything else about last night,

something that Bill
might have said or done?

No. Except...

A car drove by when we
were outside the house.

It was moving very slowly, as
if the driver was watching us.

- Did you get a look at the driver?
- No. It was too dark.

But the car was an old
Corvette— You know, from the '50s.

Will you have a talk
with him, Jessica?

Maybe there's something
that Bill can't tell

me because he doesn't
want to frighten me.

- But he might confide in you.
- Of course, Alison.

But I'll have to do a
bit of research first.

Night, fellas. See
you in the morning.

Jessica. Oh. Hello, Alison.

I've been looking
all over for you.

Have you talked to Bill yet?
No, not yet. What's wrong?

It's worse, whatever's going on.
Jessica, he's carrying a gun. Oh, dear.

Early this morning, I came downstairs,
and I heard Bill on the phone in the study.

He was telling someone
that he was almost

killed last night in the
car—run off the road.

He said he thinks he
knows who did it, and

they've got to do
something before it's too late.

- Do you know who he was talking to?
- No. Just as I came in the study,
I saw him putting the gun in his pocket.

- Where is he now?
- At the showroom.

Alison, I think you should
talk to Sheriff Tupper.

No. I can't do that.
He'd never forgive me.

He'd be furious if he
knew I was talking to you.

Hello again.

Ready for that test
drive? Ah, afraid not.

But I brought my baby
in for some minor repairs.

Yeah, she's a real
classic, all right.

Cherry condition.

I saw it parked across the street from
the, uh, Cove Restaurant yesterday.

It does attract attention.

These are pretty hard to come
by. Where did you find this one?

Bought it from a little
old lady over in Shawmut.

Had it garaged ever
since her husband died...

20 years ago.

A tragic incident. You
might remember it.

That's if you were in
these parts back then.

Try me.

Seems this businessman
picked up a hitchhiker one night.

Next thing you know,
the man is dead...

and 100,000 in negotiable
bonds is missing.

Ring a bell?

All right, what do you want?
Why have you come back here?

Sorry for rambling
on like that. Bad habit.

Comes from spending
too many years alone.

It's the electrical system.

The left side doesn't work.

It started acting
funny last night.

I just replaced the headlight,
so it, uh—it can't be that.

Probably a short.

I'm pretty busy right
now. Why don't you come

back about 9:00? I'll
have it ready for you then.

Thanks. See ya at 9:00.

Jessica.

Don't tell me you're
in the market for a car?

Oh, my goodness, no. I spend
enough time sitting as it is.

No, Bill, I came to see you.

Alison told me what happened
last night and this morning.

Oh, come on.

Oh, Bill. That nervous laugh. I
remember that from sophomore English.

It generally meant that you
hadn't done your homework.

- Jessica, come on.
- I don't want to seem to be butting in.

But a man that
carries a gun has to be

desperately worried about
something or someone.

Now Alison is terribly worried.

Come on. That's ridiculous. I mean,
Alison and I have never had any secrets.

Why—Why would I
want to start now?

Perhaps this has
something to do with it.

Bill, that was Andrew Durbin
who drove by your house,

Andrew Durbin who left that
bizarre valise on your doorstep.

But why? What is the
connection between you two?

Jessica, forgive me. I never
met the man before yesterday.

And quite frankly, what is going on between
me and my wife is none of your business.

I'm sorry. I—I came
here as a friend.

Yes, and I'd like
to keep it that way.

Now please excuse me, because
I've got a very, very busy day.

He was just here.

Durbin. Yes.

No, no. It was him all right.

You bet we're in this together, and
we're gonna take care of him together.

Come to my office a
little before 9:00 tonight.

Yes, of course this is me. I don't
believe I ever made a secret of it.

Mm-hmm. And that's the murder
you served the 20 years for.

I served the 20 years, Sheriff.
I did not commit the murder.

- Jury thought otherwise.
- The jury was wrong.

I maintained my innocence
then. I maintain it today.

You have an excellent
memory, Mrs. Fletcher.

The events of the last couple
days have helped to jog it.

All right, Durbin. I want
to know what you're

doin' here in Cabot Cove
spookin' Bill Hampton.

Really? Has he filed a complaint?
No, he hasn't. At least not yet.

But it's evident that you've
gone to a great deal of trouble...

to attract Bill's attention.

Why?

Twenty years ago, I
was a college student...

spending my summer vacation thumbing
from one anti-Vietnam rally to another.

One night over in Shawmut, I
hitched a ride from a businessman.

He wouldn't happen to have
been driving a Corvette, would he?

Just on the outskirts
of Cabot Cove, we were

run off the road by a
teenager playing chicken.

The kid's car had only one
headlight. He came straight at us.

The man swerved the car, hit the shoulder
and cracked his head on the steering wheel.

Now just hold on here. You're not saying
that he died from that bump on the head.

- 'Cause I read the autopsy report.
- Amos.

Sorry, Miss Fletcher.

No, Sheriff. The man was unconscious,
bleeding heavily from that bump,

but very much alive when
I left the car to get help.

I ran down the road to
a farmhouse we passed.

On the way, I saw the
car with one headlight...

make a turn up ahead and
come back toward the Corvette.

There were people in that
farmhouse. They were watching TV.

I rang the bell. I pounded on the door,
yelled that there'd been an accident.

They kept on watching TV.

By the time I got back to
the car, the man was dead...

His head bashed in, his
luggage all over the roadside.

Just then, a police
car pulled up, and...

The rest is a matter of record.

Then you're saying whoever
was in the car with one headlight...

killed the man and
stole the bonds.

The police searched for those
bonds for days. They never found them.

What was I supposed to have done
with them— burned them? Eaten them?

It made no sense, but
they convicted me anyway.

But you still haven't
answered my question.

What are you to Bill Hampton,
and what is he to you?

While I was in prison, I subscribed
to the Cabot Cove Gazette,

certain I would find a photo of
the kid I saw in the car that night.

You saw the driver? Not the
driver, Mrs. Fletcher. The passenger.

That's him. He was
in that car wearing a

white dinner jacket,
like kids wear at a prom.

That's right, Mrs. Fletcher.

The murder of that man, the
senior prom at Cabot Cove High...

They happened on the same night.

I don't care what night it was.
Just—Just a minute, Amos.

There were no lights on that road. How
can you be sure that was Bill Hampton?

Oh, his face has been burned
into my mind for 20 years.

You haven't identified
the driver, have you?

What makes you
so sure I haven't?

Because you continued to
collect Cabot Cove history...

long after you identified Bill.

Maybe the reason you
were pressuring Bill...

was that you hoped
that he would, uh,

lead you to the driver.

All this theorizing
is gettin' us nowhere.

Now you take my advice, mister. You
leave town before I put you under arrest.

On what charge, Sheriff?
I haven't broken any law.

No, but you're plannin' to. By your own
admission, you come here for revenge.

Not revenge. Justice.

And unless I'm
mistaken, neither of you...

would want to see a murder go
unsolved or justice undelivered.

Would you?

This guy Durbin must
be out of his mind.

Bill Hampton's the last man on
earth who would murder somebody.

These are my boys, Jessie.

Arnie, Perry, Dan, Bill—especially
Bill. He was like my own son.

That's why I'm here, Kevin.

This will surprise
you. I know it did me.

- But I believe Mr. Durbin's story.
- Jessie.

Not necessarily that he
saw Bill in the car that night,

but that he did see a young
man wearing a white dinner jacket.

- That's ridiculous. He's lying.
- I don't think so.

You were one of the chaperones
at the prom, Kevin. Think back.

Can you remember what
Bill did when it was over?

Jessie, that was 20 years ago.

No, I'm sorry. No way
in hell are you gonna

convince me that one of
my boys could kill a man.

Look, Kevin, how do you think I
feel? You coached him. I taught him.

I don't want to believe it any more than
you do, but he is acting very strangely.

He is carrying a gun,
and he is lying to Alison.

Now, something
must be terribly wrong.

No, no. You're way
off the track, Jessie.

Now, it's not just Bill
that I'm worried about.

I'm sure that Andrew Durbin's
after a second person...

Whoever was driving
the car that night.

Has he put a name
to this other person?

No, but my guess is that he's waiting for
Bill to lead him to the driver of the car.

And you want me to talk to him.

If he'll listen to
anyone, it has to be you.

Okay. I'll tell
you this, Jessie.

As far as I'm concerned, this
guy Durbin committed that crime.

And if he thinks he's gonna
lay it off on Bill Hampton...

Kevin, don't do
anything foolish.

Yeah, okay.

Guess it was just
an old man wishing...

Wishing he were
20 years younger.

You're early.

Miss Fletcher. Mr. Cauldwell.

Sorry to start your
mornin' off this way.

Oh. Thank you for
calling me, Amos.

Who found Bill's body? Hal
Avery, about an hour ago.

Accordin' to Doc Mathews,
he must've shot himself

some time between
9:00 and 11:00 last night.

Yeah. We found this typewritten
note in the car next to him.

It's pretty clear Bill couldn't take the
pressure that Durbin was puttin' on him.

Excuse me. Thanks.

Are you positive that it
was a suicide, Dr. Mathews?

Bullet in the right temple.

Yeah, from Bill's own gun.
Checked the registration myself.

Yes, but that doesn't make any sense.
The right temple? Bill was left-handed.

That's right. Bill was the only
lefty quarterback I ever coached.

- But what does that mean?
- It means, it's unlikely
that a left-handed person...

would shoot themselves
in the right temple.

But a stranger, someone
who didn't know Bill very well,

probably wouldn't have
known that he was left-handed.

A stranger?

Uh, don't ask me to be a
hypocrite. Hampton's dead.

In a way, he's paid
a debt long past due.

But did I kill him? No.

Bad news, Miss Fletcher. He was
havin' dinner at the Cove Restaurant.

- My deputy just confirmed it.
- From 8:00 until they closed,
just past 11:00.

- Long time for supper.
- I'm a slow eater.

They found the keys to his car
locked in Bill Hampton's service office.

Well, Mr. Durbin, it seems that
your mission is accomplished.

I guess you'll be leaving
Cabot Cove. Not just yet.

Well, I can think of only one
reason that you'd want to stay.

You're hoping that the driver of
the car will reveal himself to you.

You'll understand if I
don't comment on that.

You know what's wrong with
your alibi, Durbin? It's too airtight.

Now, you're gonna
trip up somewhere.

And when you do, I'm
gonna be there waitin' for you.

Comin', Miss Fletcher?
In a moment, Amos.

I'm sorry, but what you did
was totally reprehensible.

Even though your friend
was guilty of murder?

That was a matter
for the courts.

Was it? You mean the same
courts that sent me away to prison?

That robbed me of
20 precious years?

That—That locked me
away in an 8-by-10 cell

like an animal for a
crime I didn't commit?

While Bill Hampton and
his confederate were free...

to enjoy a life I never
had and never will have!

You have a bizarre definition
of justice, Mrs. Fletcher.

We still only have your word...

that it was Bill Hampton that
was involved in that killing.

You're a bright
woman, Mrs. Fletcher.

You take this. Read
through it. Read it carefully...

The accounts of
the trial, everything.

Then come back and tell me
I'm a killer and Hampton wasn't.

My task here is only
half over, Mrs. Fletcher.

I'm not leaving
until it's finished.

No!

- Bill would never commit suicide.
- Of course he didn't.

Bill— He was a— He was
a fighter, not a quitter.

"Never Say Die" Hampton.

Twelve points down
in the fourth quarter,

and he couldn't wait to get out
there and stick it to the other guys.

- Remember, honey?
- Yeah.

Look, all of you, the
alternative is just as hard to take.

I don't think it was suicide.
I think it was murder.

Why would anyone
want to murder Bill?

Let me show you something.

Now you all know
about Andrew Durbin,

but what you may not
know is that he swears...

that he is innocent of killing that
businessman and stealing those bonds.

And I'm afraid
that I believe him.

But what does that have
to do with Bill's death?

Everything. It's possible
that Bill was involved.

- You don't know what you're saying.
- She seems to know
exactly what she's saying.

I'm sorry, Alison. I'd
give anything to be wrong.

The night of your senior prom, it's
possible that Bill and someone else...

committed the crime that
Andrew Durbin went to prison for.

Well, if that's true, then Durbin
must have killed Bill—out of revenge.

No. He has an unshakable alibi.

I see. What you're saying is,

Bill's killer is the person who
was with him the night of the prom.

Yes. That's a
strong possibility.

You were close then, all of you.

You traveled
together. Think back.

Can’t you remember anything unusual
that could have happened that night?

We had a hell of a
good time. That's all.

Look, Jessica, I don't
like what you’re getting at.

Take it easy, honey.
You're talking after the prom?

It was around midnight, I guess.

A bunch of us drove
over to that all-night diner

on Route 6. We stayed
there till after sunrise.

Including me and including Bill.

We left the prom early and went straight
to the diner, just like everybody else.

Isn't that right, Perry?

That's right.

Bill and Alison were with us.

You're certain, Perry?

Someone else could be
in danger if you're wrong.

They were there,
Jessica. All night.

- Durbin!
- I'm Durbin.

The name's Cauldwell. Bill
Hampton was a friend of mine.

Hey!

Kevin! Stop that!

- You bastard! You killed one of my boys!
- Kevin, please!

- Coach, take it easy.
- Get your hands off me! Let go of me!

- Are you all right?
- Yeah.

Kevin, you come with me.

I wanted to kill him. You
might have succeeded too.

That would have
complicated things.

I'm gonna heat some
coffee. Sit down, Kevin.

So, Jessica, do you really believe Bill
was involved in that killing 20 years ago?

I'm sorry, Kevin,
but, yes, I do.

And what's worse, I think that
someone else was involved.

You know, Alison lied to
me, and Perry swore to it.

Have you been able
to think of anything...

Anything that could have happened
that was unusual on the night of the prom?

Well, after you left my office,
I—I gave it some thought.

Fact is, I—I left early. Around 11:00—an
hour before the dance was really over.

Oh. Why was that? The same reason
you stayed home that night— the flu.

Besides, the last thing those kids needed
was good old Coach spying on them.

Then you have no way of knowing if Bill
and Alison left the dance at the same time.

No, Jessica. I'm sorry. But what I do
remember about that night is my boys.

I can't—I won't believe
any of them is involved.

- Their killer instincts are restricted
totally to the gridiron.
- Even Dan Pulling?

I seem to remember they
used to call him "the animal."

Yeah. Dan used to have
that kind of wild ferocity...

before he lost it
in a bottle of gin.

Funny. Back then...

Danny never touched
the stuff, not even beer.

I wonder what got him started.

Well, the problem with that theory is that
Dan never had two dimes to rub together.

If Mr. Durbin's right, then Bill's
accomplice shared in the spoils.

Which brings me to Arnie
Wakeman. Arnie Wakeman

was always the poorest
kid in school, Kevin.

But he managed to make a
fortune on the stock market.

Now, how did he do that?

I already told the sheriff I
don't know where Dan is.

It's 20 years ago that
I'm curious about, Arnie...

The night of your senior prom.

What about it?

You know, Perry called me and
told me what you've been up to.

I—I can't believe you're
trying to nail one of us.

For heaven sakes, I'm
trying to get to the truth, Arnie.

Your friend is dead. Never
mind that terrible lawsuit.

He was your friend and mine.

I didn't kill Bill.
And I sure as hell

didn't kill the guy in
that car 20 years ago.

Well, I've been doing
some digging around.

Four years after the murder, Bill came
up with $50,000 to buy his car company.

Now, I think that it was his
half of the missing bond money.

I always knew that
guy was a crook.

And his partner got the other
half. What are you driving at?

Well, according to the
clipping in the Gazette,

you returned to Cabot Cove
after five years in New York...

having made your
fortune in the stock market.

I—I never did like that picture.

It also says that you parlayed
a $50,000 investment...

into a multimillion-dollar
portfolio.

Jessica, you're
crazy if you think I had

anything to do with
Hampton killing that guy.

Well, then set me
straight. Tell me.

Where did you get the
$50,000 to start with?

I'm warning you. You
ask that question again...

To me or to anybody else—
And I'll sue you for defamation.

Arnie, do you think
that I like this...

Coming here, asking
questions of you and Perry?

There's been one
murder in this town.

And unless somebody
gets to the truth now,

there's liable to be another.

I'm sorry. I can't help you.

Oh, I almost forgot. I found this
special delivery on your doormat.

It's from the, uh,
insurance company.

I'll just leave it
on this hall table.

My telephone bill.

I'm sorry, Arnie.

I saw the scuff marks on the newly
polished floor, from a man's shoes.

Maybe we'd better have
a talk with Sheriff Tupper.

Attempting to defraud
an insurance company.

That's pretty serious
business, Mr. Wakeman.

So I can walk.
I didn't kill Bill.

- And the $50,000?
- It's from an inheritance.

Twenty years ago, an uncle of
mine died and left me a trust fund.

- I suppose you can prove that.
- Yeah, I can prove that.

- But you did keep it a secret.
- So I wanted to be a big man...

To show all these people that Arnie
Wakeman had something on the ball,

that I'm not just another poor kid from
the edge of town with holes in my jeans.

But now the money has run out,

which I assume is the reason that
you decided to sue Bill Hampton.

I phonied the accident.

I got some shyster doctors and
lawyers to swear I was paralyzed.

All in the hope of collecting enough
money from the insurance company...

to continue your lifestyle.

Hey, if you think it was fun sitting
in that wheelchair, you guys...

Suppose you tell us what
happened the night of the prom.

Oh, we're back to that?

Mr. Wakeman, right now you're in a
mess of trouble. You best cooperate.

Can you remember
anything unusual happening...

Something to do
with Bill Hampton?

Sure. Bill was plastered.

Alison left him flat
on the dance floor.

- Then what?
- I don't know.

I think he ran after her.
They had a hell of a row.

He tried to get her to
stay, but she wouldn't.

- About what time was that?
- 11:00.

Sheriff Tupper here.

That so?

Are you sure about that?

Okay. Thanks a lot.

Well, there goes my
number one suspect.

Dan Pulling— He's
been over in the drunk

tank in Bartlesburg
for the past two nights.

Looks like we're right
back to square one.

Jessica? I'm sorry, Perry.

I should have called first.
Tara and I were just leaving.

Uh, before you go, I'd like
to ask you all a question.

Why are three people...

Whom I consider very dear
and close friends—lying to me?

That's out of line, Jessica.

I've been talking with several
of your old classmates...

Ones who were at the
prom and at the dinner.

And none of them remember
seeing Bill or Alison that evening.

Alison forced you
to back up her story.

I understand, Perry. You
were Bill's closest friend.

- Are you suggesting that maybe
I was in the car with Bill that night?
- No more!

Lying won't bring Bill
back or change the truth.

You and Bill had an argument,
and you left the prom separately.

He was drunk.

He kept trying to make
me leave the prom early...

and go to a motel with him.

I got angry, and I told him— If
that's what he thought of me,

if that's what he wanted, then
he could find himself another girl.

He wanted to take me home, but I wouldn't
get in the car with him. He was too drunk.

Was there anyone in the car
with him when he drove off?

He— He didn't drive anywhere.
He walked back inside.

He said that... He
had a trophy to collect.

Hello, Kevin.

You caught me, Jessie.

I was hearing the
roar of the crowd again,

seeing my boys win that
state championship for me.

One of the advantages of age...

The storehouse of memories
that we get to replay over and over.

But after 30 years, to be left
with just a— a handful of memories.

Well, my fault.

I was never one to
plan for the future.

But you did have
the opportunity.

Not many high school teachers
get their hands on $50,000.

What are you talkin' about?
Your share of the missing bonds.

Bill used his half
to buy a car lot.

You probably invested
yours in that football

camp that you'd always
dreamed of having.

How did you know?

You said that you left the prom early, at
11:00, because you weren't feeling well.

Not true, Kevin.

Look at the clock.

You presented the boys
with their trophy at 11:45,

long after you said
you'd left the dance.

You know how many years that
picture's been on my office wall?

Bill Hampton was
always your favorite.

When I realized that you lied
about the time you left the prom,

I knew that there
had to be a reason.

You were the other
person in Bill's car that night.

Hmm. Always said Jessie
Fletcher never missed a trick.

I don't understand, Kevin.

How could a fine man like you
commit a cold-blooded murder...

and live with that
secret for 20 years?

In those days,
Bill was my boy...

The son I never had.

He was roaring drunk prom
night— Too drunk to drive home.

So you put him in your car.

And we had the bad luck to
come upon that man in the Corvette.

Bill kept grabbing the wheel,
trying to get me to turn around...

and take him to that diner
where his friends were.

Just then, the Corvette
came round the bend,

and Bill jerked the
wheel over hard.

I was worried the
driver might be injured.

Bill was scared and
wanted to get outta there

fast. He was too
drunk to think straight.

I swung around and went back.

The door was open
on the passenger side.

I thought the crash
sprang it open.

The driver was
unconscious and bleeding.

Then I saw the bearer bonds scattered
all over the floor from an open valise.

Good as cash.

The driver came to and
saw me holding the bonds.

That's— That's when
I panicked, Jessie.

The sight of all that money
just there for the taking.

I didn't even think about it. I just picked
up a rock, and I hit him—again and again!

I hadn't planned it, Jessie.

But the man was dead. There
were all those bonds and...

- Done was done.
- Yes, but what about Bill?

The boy idolized me.

Would have done
anything for me, and he did.

And once Bill sobered up, you swore him
to secrecy in return for half the bonds.

That's right, Jessie.

We sat on those bonds for a couple
of years and then cashed them in.

And allowed Andrew Durbin
to spend 20 years in prison...

for a crime that you committed.

I know. It was a terrible thing.

But I've lived with that secret for 20
years, Jessie. Do you understand?

I guess...

I guess I should've known
that nothing good would've...

come of that money.

A couple of things I don't
understand, Miss Fletcher.

Could I get you another
piece of pie, Amos?

Well, now that you
offer. It is mighty good.

As I was sayin', I wonder why
Coach Cauldwell and Bill Hampton...

didn't just kill
this fella Durbin.

That wouldn't have been very smart.
That's as good as saying that he was right,

and it would have
opened up the case again.

The other thing.

Coach shot Bill Hampton on the right
side of the head to fake the suicide,

but he knew that
Bill was left-handed.

Yes, but he wanted us think
that a stranger had done it...

Someone that didn't
know that, like Mr. Durbin.

Who can that be?

Excuse me, Amos. Mm-hmm.

Mrs. Fletcher. Mr. Durbin.

I came to say good-bye
and to thank you.

I'd rather you didn't.

But I was telling you the truth, and I
did spend 20 years in prison unjustly.

Yes. And I'm sorry.

But you knew when you
came here what would happen.

I wasn't sure, but I did
warn you I was after justice.

I can't help but think that justice
could have been served in a better way.

Oh? Well, you give it
some thought, Mrs. Fletcher.

And when you figure out what
could have been, you let me know.