Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 4, Episode 7 - If It's Thursday, It Must Be Beverly - full transcript

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

Such an unhappy woman. But
when the trouble's in the bedroom...

She was so lonely,
I—I felt sorry for her.

My husband used to do
this for me all the time.

Jonathan killed his wife so he
could, uh, clear a path to your door?

You too? What? Oh, no. No.

Jonathan Martin wouldn't do
anything as dreadful as all that.

Seems your nurse was
one of Jonathan’s regulars.

It was good clean
sex once a week.

So I said to her,
I said, "Lucille,

"I don't care what
your husband says.



You wear your hair
any way you like."

Uh, not too full in the
front, please, Loretta.

So now she's very
happily divorced.

Uh, not too full in the back
either. Are you sure, Jessica?

Fluffy hair's all the
rage now. Oh, look, Eve,

here's a recipe for
low-cal popcorn balls.

And they're decorated
to look like clocks.

How convenient. Next time
you throw a cocktail party,

your guests can gag
and know what time it is.

Phyllis. Phyllis!

Would you get— What?

Would you get
Phyllis for me, please?

Phyllis? Hmm?

Yes? When do I get my airline ticket
for my vacation en la sud de la France?



I just ticketed you
this morning, Eve.

- I'll send it over as soon as
I get back to the office.
- Oh, thank you.

Which should be
now. Uh, Loretta?

Loretta, I'm really running
late. If I don't get back

to the office, my computer
is going to get lonely.

Coreen, I'll be ready for
Mrs. Grant in a minute.

I'm not dry, you little dummy.
Can't you get anything right?

Sorry, Mrs. Martin. God.

Ladies.

- Well, George.
- Hello, George.

Hey, George, how's business?

Neither rain, nor snow...

nor blinding sleet can
keep me off my aching feet.

Guess you all know
it's lottery day again.

Last chance for you ladies to strike
it rich and take me away from all this.

I must say, I feel like I'm
going to get lucky today.

Oh, Ideal, you haven't gotten
lucky since your husband left you.

Unlike you, Eve, who soaked
your husband for all he was worth.

Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot you
feminists don't believe in alimony.

Oh, I believe in alimony.

I just believe in
sisterhood more.

You know, I won 10
dollars in last week's game.

And it only took her a
hundred dollars to do it.

Jessica, do you ever play?

You know, I've never
been very lucky at gambling.

Once Frank and I
went to Las Vegas,

and I—I lost at roulette playing on both
the black and the red at the same time.

Jessica, you're such a card.

Well, that 10 dollars is
the most I've won so far.

Boy, what I'd do if I
could win that two million.

Two million? I
thought it was 200,000.

Oh, that's the Maine lottery.

But this is that special
New Hampshire lottery. Oh.

You know, George buys us tickets
whenever he visits his sister in Concord.

Oh, look.

Number 30, just my age.

I like your logic, Ideal.

That means I'm 33.

How about the big winner? Going
to try your luck again this week?

I'm gonna quit when I'm ahead.

Got a lot of bills. Oh.

Including one from your charge
card, must run three pages.

What the heck. Make
it 10 more, George.

You're through, Jessica. Good luck
to you. Good luck to all you ladies.

I better have a winner,
George. 33, 33, George.

Silly of me, isn't it?
Well, not necessarily.

In the stock market, they call
that "reinvestment of principal."

Oh. Uh, Mrs. Martin.

Mrs. Martin, it's
time for our comb out.

Loretta.

Poor Mrs. Martin, such
an unhappy woman.

You know, I've always
considered it a part of my job...

to get people to open up to me,

but when the trouble's
in the bedroom...

Thank you, Loretta.
See you in six weeks.

Thank you for the ride, Doctor.

I'll be back in the
office at 2:00 sharp.

I can hardly wait to see
the beauty-parlor magic...

Loretta works on
you this time, Beverly.

Seth, even Beverly
has her vanity, you know.

Vanity? The woman
eats it with a spoon.

Speaking of eating, you know that Italian
recipe I've been wanting to try out?

Oh, yeah, the one you found
in Frugal Cuisine of the World?

What do you say
we try it out tonight?

Now, I'll do the shopping.
I'll even do the cooking.

All you have to
provide is the kitchen.

- Thought you were gonna get a haircut.
- Oh, really, Seth.

Well, I suppose that does mean that
Loretta wasn't too creative with my hair.

Jonathan Martin. Now there's a
fella could really use a vacation.

Came into the office last week. I've
never seen anyone quite that worn-out.

Being a night
deputy can't be easy.

There's a job I wouldn't
wish on my worst enemy.

- Jonathan.
- Ditto, the wife.

How was I supposed
to know you were here?

You know I hate goin' in
there. Your hair looks good.

Well, what difference does it
make? Where are we going?

How about some ice cream
on the way home? Anywhere.

Now you want me to get fat.

How'd we do this week?

How did we do—do—do—do?

We did lousy as usual.

We get another chance
at the end of the year.

Oh, yeah, sure. The loser's
lottery—story of my life.

What's this for dinner?

Looks... interesting.
I don't know.

Don't have the faintest
idea, as a matter of fact.

What are you...

Hello?

Yeah. Hi, Flossie.
What do you got?

Uh-huh. Eve Simpson.

Right. Okay. Yep.

I'll get right on it. Yep. Bye.

I gotta go. Gotta go?

Mrs. Simpson's cat's
climbed up that tree again.

Oh. I almost forgot.

The French lace roses
came in early this year.

Oh, now just a minute,
Jonathan Martin.

The last time I arranged your...

Damn roses, I was
bleedin' for a week.

Your roses.

Charlie Wilson used
to bring me gardenias.

A single gardenia.

He would pin it on my sweater
and we would go dancing.

We would dance all night.

Of course, gardenias
do not have thorns.

I'll take you dancing. Oh.

Tomorrow's my
night off. We can...

We can go to— Sure.

Roseland.

The Mocambo. Maybe
in the Polo Lounge.

This whole backwater is
just crawling with hot spots.

I should have married Charlie
Wilson when I had a chance.

I should have. I could have.

I should have stayed in Boston.

This is the most
tantalizing taste—

Taste treat you've
ever tempted me with?

That's what you said the time that
you made the Chicken Véronique.

Jessica Fletcher, you and I
both know that simply is not true.

That very mild case of food poisoning
had nothing to do with my cooking.

Those chickens were probably just sitting
in the market for a week. That's all.

Why, Seth, at the time, you said
it was the pesticides in the grapes.

Oh.

Seth. No, no. I'll get it.

The recipe says that we
have to eat those immediately...

or the squid shrivel
up like little erasers.

Oh. Why, Doc, what a surprise.

I just came by to drop off
this book Mrs. Fletcher lent me.

- Well, come on in, Amos.
- Hope I'm not interruptin' anything.

The book? Hmm? Oh.

Frank's copy of the Best
Fishing Sports in Maine.

Speaking of fish, Jess...

Yes, ma'am. Soon as I get some time off,
I think I'm gonna head up to Sebago Lake.

Mr. Fletcher had three little
somethings drawn in it beside it,

but I couldn't figure
out what they were.

Oh, my, yes. That was
Frank's rating system.

Sebago Lake is very
highly rated. Three trout.

Mmm. Boy that smells good. I
didn't even know I was hungry.

Amos, there's only
enough for two.

Oh, now, Doc, I
wasn't invitin' myself.

Just wonderin' what something
that smells so good tastes like.

Oh, come on, Seth.
Give him a spoonful.

All right. Just a teaspoonful.

Mmm.

Mmm!

That tastes as good as it
smells. That's all I wanted to know.

What is it? Calamari.

Oh.

What's that? Some
kind of fancy chicken?

It's... squid.

Hello? Yes, he's right
here. Amos, it's Flossie.

Oh.

- Yes, Flossie.
- Hide the pie.

Oh? No, no. I'll be right there.

What is it Amos?

Flossie can't get ahold
of my night deputy,

and he doesn't answer his radio.

Well, maybe he doesn't want to talk
with Flossie. She can talk your ear off.

It's just that a shot's
been heard at his house.

At Jonathan Martin's house?
Did Flossie try to telephone there?

Yes, ma'am. Nobody answered.

Mrs. Martin?

There's a light on
upstairs. Door's open.

Audrey?

How sad. No photos
of children or family.

No postcards from friends.

Just expired coupons
and an old shopping list.

Audrey must have
had a very empty life.

Maybe that's why
she killed herself.

Something just
doesn't add up though.

Oh, now, I've been waitin'
for that, Mrs. Fletcher.

You're gonna tell me
there's no suicide note.

But you know as well as I do,
they don't always leave notes.

I know, but what
really bothers me...

is that women don't usually
shoot themselves, Amos.

I mean, they're more
likely to take pills,

which were certainly
at Audrey's disposal.

- She's been dead a couple hours, I'd say.
- Are those bruises on her wrists?

Seem to be. Pretty fresh too.

Could they have been caused by a
struggle, do you think? Seems a fair guess.

Where is she? John...

I came as soon as I heard.

Oh, my God.

This was the high
point of her life.

She looks very happy.

Happy.

God, why do things
have to turn out different?

She changed. She
changed so much.

I could hardly recognize her.

And I—I can't help but
wonder if it's my fault.

I should have— I should
have stayed here tonight.

Did she seem
particularly depressed?

No worse than usual. Tell me.

Did Audrey normally leave
the back door unlocked?

She said this was such a boring town,
nothing could possibly happen to her.

Well, we got everything
we need for now.

Jonathan, I'm sorry to
trouble you, but, uh, formalities.

Do you recognize this gun?

Sure, it's my spare. I keep
it in the dresser drawer.

You mean upstairs? Y-Yes.

- Did anyone else know you kept it there?
- Only Audrey.

But I never dreamed
she'd us it to—to kill herself.

Ladies usually take pills.

What, are you saying that
somebody killed Audrey?

I sure hate to ask you this, Jonathan,
and I don't want you to get the wrong idea,

but, well, why didn't
you answer your radio?

We tried to get you
for over an hour.

It was a mistake,
a silly mistake.

I—I went over to Eve Simpson's
to get her cat out of the tree.

It's happened before.

The noise of the radio
frightens the cat, so I turned it off.

And what time did
you leave Eve's house?

Oh, somewhere around 7:30.

I, uh, completely
forgot the radio was off.

When I turned it back on, I got
the message and came back.

Well, where did you go
after you left Mrs. Simpson's?

I just drove around.

Jonathan, did anybody
see you anywhere?

No.

What, are you
sayin' I need an alibi?

Well, it's just that
this being your gun

and all, you know,
people are bound to talk.

Maybe it's best if you turned in
your badge and your gun, hmm?

Just for a couple of
days till we sort this out.

Coreen, the rollers—

They get arranged
by size, not color.

Oh, when Horace left me, I
was terribly, terribly unhappy,

but never in my wildest
dreams did I ever consider...

Loretta. Loretta, you
can squeeze me in?

Our little experiment
yesterday was not successful.

I looked at myself in
the mirror this morning...

and my hair resembled a
plate of leftover fettuccine.

Oh, Eve, did you hear
about poor Audrey Martin?

Poor woman. Good thing she
got her hair done yesterday.

Oh, Eve, what a dreadful
thing to say. Well, admit it, Ideal.

When you go to that great coffee klatch
in the sky, you want to look your best.

But, Eve, Audrey killed herself.

Oh, I don't know about that.

What?

Well, I just, uh, heard
some talk. That's all.

Okay, Loretta,
what have you got?

Well, Bo at the diner told me...

that Sheriff Tupper took
away Jonathan Martin's badge.

Well, what’s Jonathan’s
badge got to do with it?

Well, you ask
him yourself, Ideal.

Don't tell me, Sheriff. You're
gonna finally let me put a

little curl in your hair? Uh,
no. This is a business call.

Okay, Sheriff, what gives?

Did Jonathan Martin kill
Audrey? With his badge?

Well, nothing's been
determined as yet.

Why, Jonathan Martin wouldn't
do anything as dreadful as all that.

Why, he's the gentlest
man in the whole world.

Well, I must say, I'm
inclined to agree with Ideal.

Oh, I don't know about that. We all
know how Audrey Martin treated that man.

Why, he was like a time
bomb just waiting to go off.

Tick, tick, tick.

Did, uh, Mrs. Martin
act odd yesterday?

No odder than usual.

Not like she was checking off
the planet, if that's what you mean.

Loretta, you must admit that,
well, Audrey was a bit cranky.

She was always cranky. She never
even made an effort to be pleasant.

Sheriff, if you ask me, the problem
with that marriage was in the bedroom.

Oh, now, ma'am, I don't
think— And look, look.

Now, you know a man
can only take so much.

Just because she's
dead doesn't mean she—

No, I'm sorry.
Beverly is not here yet.

Yes, uh, wait a minute.
Oh, no, she's not.

Yes, I'll—I'll give
her the message.

Thanks again for a
lovely dinner, Seth.

Look, it wasn't your
fault that by the time

we got back, the squid
was a little rubbery.

A little rubbery?

We could have turned
them into snow tires.

Oh, blast that.

Looks very busy around here. Where's
Beverly? She called me this morning.

It's the first time in 20
years she hasn't been...

All right, all right, all
right. Doctor's office.

No, Beverly is not here.

No, I don't know when she will be
here, and I cannot take any messages.

I simply can't find
those little pink things.

What really scorches my slippers is I
can't find my New Hampshire Weekly.

- Well, it should be in today's mail.
- In the puzzle last week,
there's a word I simply cannot fathom.

"The devil."

Five letters. I know. It's a
trick clue. "Satan" doesn't fit.

Well, I know that. What does?

Do you really
want me to tell you?

Yes. Why else would
I ask the question?

Well, it's just that sometimes
when I tell you, you get upset.

I'm getting upset now.

It's "deuce." Deuce?

That's ridiculous. Deuce? That's
a playing card with two pips on it.

Beverly's not here. I don't
know when she'll be here.

There's nothing I can do— Who?
Who? Beverly? Oh. Are you all right?

You can't get here till when?

Amos, you're looking awfully
pale. Are you feeling all right?

Not really, Mrs. Fletcher. I think I'm
comin' down with a touch of somethin'.

Everything's fine.

- Maybe it's somethin' I ate.
- Perhaps you oughta steer clear
of exotic foods, Amos.

Stomach's queasy, legs weak.

Amos, didn't you tell me that you
were going to the beauty parlor...

to see what Loretta could
tell you about Audrey Martin?

Come to think of it, I
felt good till I got there.

Amos, did you have a chance to look
at last night's entries in the logbook?

Yeah, it was just as
Jonathan said, ma'am.

Only call listed was Mrs. Simpson's,
and she confirmed that he was there.

That's about all I got
from all that caterwauling.

Women.

Present company excluded, ma'am.

Thanks, Phyllis. It seems I'm
always needing things on short notice.

Oh, no problem, Jessica.

You're probably my
best customer anyway.

Oh, you know, I've been
meaning to thank you.

You were such an inspiration
to me when Barry died.

Well, my goodness,
that's very nice.

Seeing how you stood on your own two
feet after your husband passed away...

helped me to make the decision to
keep our travel agency and run it myself.

Well, you've done an
outstanding job of it.

Well, pass that on to
Eve Simpson, will you?

She's been on my
back all morning.

Doesn't seem to understand that
I can't give her two airline tickets...

for the price of one.

Phyllis, I seem to remember...

that Audrey Martin was a
friend of a relative of yours.

My cousin in Boston.

When Audrey and
Jonathan moved here,

I took her to a few sessions of
my consciousness-raising group.

But, well, I'm afraid Audrey was
much happier being miserable,

if you know what I mean.

I'm sorry to bother you like this,
Jessica, but I had to talk to you.

Oh, of course,
Jonathan. Come right in.

Jessica, I don't
know what to do.

I've been thinking
this through, and I...

I know it looks bad for me, and I know
I can't prove it, but I didn't kill Audrey.

I swear I didn't.

Yeah, but—but can't you think of somebody,
Jonathan, who saw you driving around?

You know, when you stopped at
a traffic light, or just passing by?

No. And I know if I have to rely on
Sheriff Tupper to find the real killer,

I'll be sent up the
river before you know it.

You've got to help
him, Jessica. Please.

Well, I just— Just don't
know what I could do.

Well, you—you do have a lot
of experience writing mysteries,

and I was hoping...

Well, unless you're too
busy working on another book.

This crick in the neck tells me
that I've worked long enough.

Oh, come on. Let's
put our heads together.

Maybe we can come
up with something.

I can't thank you
enough, Jessica.

And I've got just the
cure for that stiff neck.

That better?

Oh. Oh, my goodness. Yeah.

Oh. Feels wonderful.

Oh, my husband used to
do this for me all the time.

That so? Yeah, that's
the very spot there.

Oh, he had the most
wonderful hands.

How's that feel?

Um... Did I hit a nerve?

The door.

- Good day, Mrs. Fletcher.
- Oh, George. Oh, George,
how wonderful to see you.

Nice to see you, Mrs. Fletcher.

It's so good of you to come.
And—And—And you brought the mail.

Uh, bring it every
day about this time.

Yes, of course you do. It's so wonder—
You know how much I love letters.

Well, here you are.
And—And—And you're

going to enjoy this
magazine, Mrs. Fletcher.

Especially the
article about cisterns.

Oh. Yeah.

Oh, my condolences
to you, Mr. Martin.

Oh, uh, George— You know...

You know, your—your
wife was a lovely, lovely

lady— You must have
so much to talk about.

Oh, yes. Thank you
so much for coming.

I said to my sister, "Aren't
they a lovely couple?"

Good-bye, Jonathan.
Good-bye, George.

Oh, yes. Oh, my.

Amos, I like Jonathan
just as much as you do.

Max.

I am beginning to have very serious doubts
about whether we really know him at all.

What are you suggesting, ma'am?

Jonathan killed his
wife so he could, uh,

clear a path to your
door, so to speak?

No, but perhaps to
somebody else's door.

When did Flossie say
Eve Simpson called in?

Um, here. 6:15.

"Even spoon's hat"?

Oh, no, no, no, no, no. No, that must
be—That's "Eve Simpson's cat." Oh.

Which means that he
was there for an hour,

then drove around for an hour and a
half before turning his radio back on.

- If he was telling the truth.
- But he's gotta be telling the truth.

- How could it take two and a half hours
to get a cat out of a tree?
- Amos.

Doesn't it seem a
little strange to you...

that Eve also called
in about her cat...

on Tuesday, last Tuesday and...

The Tuesday before that.

You know, Phyllis Grant said
something about Eve Simpson...

suddenly wanting two airline
tickets yesterday, instead of one.

Makes you kinda wonder...

if it was the cat Jonathan was
attending to or, uh, the canary.

Oh, you will have some wine?

It's a charming little Bordeaux
with quite a vivid nose.

Afraid I'm on duty, ma'am.

Bordeaux—Is that where
you're going on your vacation?

Ah, Bordeaux, Provence,
all over the south.

Oh, Frank and I were there
once. It's very romantic.

I hope you're going to share
it with somebody very special.

I'm traveling alone.

Oh, I'm afraid that's not what Phyllis
Grant, your travel agent, says, ma'am.

Oh.

"Small-town-it
is" strikes again.

Surely, whoever I travel
with is my own business.

Unless it has something to
do with a criminal investigation.

Eve, according to
the Sheriff's logbook,

Deputy Martin stopped in
to help you with your cat...

on a fairly regular basis.

Oh, she's a very bad cat.

And the deputy seems
to have a way with her.

Jonathan, it's very
gentlemanly of you...

to try to protect a
lady's reputation.

But, uh, I mean, after all,

it was Eve who put
in the phone call.

I mean, you really had no
choice but to go to her house.

She was lonely.

Jonathan, I really don't
believe that you killed your wife.

But if you left Eve's house
when you said you did,

Eve would have had time to
come here and shoot Audrey.

She couldn't have.

I was there.

Then you were
having a relationship.

I don't know how it started.

She was so lonely.
I—I felt sorry for her.

One thing led to
another. It was all my fault.

I guess I should
have just said no, but I

didn't want to, you
know— to hurt her feelings.

I'm telling you, they
were in this thing together.

Yes, but, Amos, if Jonathan
had wanted to kill his wife,

do you really think he would have done
it with his own spare service revolver?

Sure, if he wanted to
make it look like a suicide.

And then come up with
that transparent story

about driving around
with his radio turned off?

Sheriff Tupper.

Mrs. Speigel, what
can I do for you?

Uh, after you left the
shop the other day,

I got to thinking about how
this was a murder investigation,

and I decided I had
better tell you the truth.

- The truth, ma'am?
- You know, I'd, uh...

I'd be the last person in the
world to gossip about my clients.

You don't have to worry
about betraying a confidence.

We already know about
Jonathan and Eve Simpson.

Eve? Well, that's old news.

I'm talking about Ideal Molloy.

Monday, the 13th, 8:30,
Ideal Molloy heard noises.

Monday the 20th, 6:45, Ideal
Molloy thought she saw a prowler.

Monday the 27th, 5:30.

That clinches it. Mrs. Martin
found out about all of this.

They had a fight. That
would account for the bruises.

Jonathan killed her and
got Eve Simpson to alibi him.

Amos. No, Mrs. Fletcher, he is
surely as guilty as that Bluebeard fella.

And if he thinks he can get away
with this kind of a murder— Amos.

And these kind of adventures,
well, he's got another

thing coming. Amos, I think
you ought to take a look here.

Tuesday nights it's Eve Simpson.
Monday nights it's Ideal Molloy.

And I distinctly remember I asked
her to the picture show last Monday.

She said she had
to wash her hair.

Amos, there are more
than two days in the week.

Hmm?

Oh, no.

Look, we're both adults.

It's not something I
intended to happen, but...

So your dog didn't
really run away...

in such a regular fashion.

No, that was our code.

But, Mrs. Grant, he
was a married man.

And that's what made it perfect.

Ideal, it's just that, according
to the Sheriff's logbook,

Jonathan stopped by here
on more than one occasion.

Oh, yes. It was so nice to have a
man around the house once again.

Mrs. Molloy, it, uh,

doesn't give me any
pleasure, but I have to ask this.

Where were you at the time
of Audrey Martin's murder?

Oh, uh, well, I
was at the movies.

You see, Loretta and Coreen
and I go every Tuesday night.

And they were playing
some awful movie.

Something about... divorce.

Divorce.

Now, I know Jonathan was supposed
to be servicing the town at night,

but don't you think
that's goin' a bit far?

Well, why him?

What's he got that
I— That's so special?

Perhaps he ought
to will his body to the

Harvard Medical School.
Then they can find out.

But, you know, sex itself seems to have
had less to do with it than companionship.

All of the women were either
divorced or widowed or separated,

and with each one of them, it seems
to have started, well, rather innocently.

A-yah. What I could gather, Jonathan wasn't
gettin' much affection at home either.

Oh, I imagine not. George!

You, George! Where's my
New Hampshire Weekly?

I didn't get it this week.

Should have come in yesterday.

Well, yes, it should have come
in yesterday, George, but it didn't.

Never got mine either,
come to think of it.

Maybe they just
never got on the truck.

Well, no news from New
Hampshire that can't wait.

It's a wonder anybody from this town ever
got their draft notices from World War II.

Seth, is Beverly gonna be in your
office today? We need to talk to her.

Beverly? What for?

Well, Doc, seems your nurse
was one of Jonathan’s regulars.

Beverly?

Why, that is the most ridiculous
thing I've ever heard in all my life.

According to the logbook, if
it's Thursday, it must be Beverly.

- Beverly?
- It was good clean sex once a week.

Uh, I'm gonna step over
there and have some coffee.

Cream and sugar, Amos?

I'm not ashamed of it either.

My only regret is about Audrey.

But she really brought
it on herself, Jessica.

A good man like Jonathan
wouldn't want to leave a woman...

unless she didn't
understand him.

Uh, so—so Jonathan was
planning to leave his wife?

I wouldn't waste my time on a
man who wouldn't come through.

Um,

Beverly, did Jonathan
ever actually tell you that?

A woman knows these things.

Hmm.

Um, Beverly, you were late
the day after Audrey died.

For the first time in 20 years.

Well, yeah, but
just— That's just it.

I mean, Seth was very worried.
You were worried, weren't you, Seth?

Uh— Yes.

I was baking
Jonathan a casserole.

And if you want to
fire me after coming in

late one day in my
entire life, Seth Hazlitt,

you don't have to have
Jessica do your dirty work.

I'm going out there in the
world and have some fun.

No wonder she seemed so...
relaxed on Friday mornings.

But, darling, where were
you? I've been waiting for ages.

I had to take a little,
uh, trip down to the store.

Oh. Oh, darling, you're
going to absolutely adore this.

Now, I wrote you a note. It
has to chill for three hours.

Well, that's real sweet of you,
but you really didn't have to...

Oh, nonsense, Jonny.

Now that you're a bachelor,
you have to indulge.

That sure does look good. Why
don't we have some, uh, right now?

Darling, you know
how I loathe to cook.

I worked very hard on this salmon
mousse, and it has to set in the fridge.

Now move.

I can't understand
how he got away with all

those ladies thinkin'
they were the only ones.

They must have been blind not to
know about each other all this time.

Well, Amos, you— We didn't
know about it all this time.

Yeah.

Uh, if it's all the
same to you, ma'am,

I sure would appreciate it
if you take the lead in there.

I don't think I'm up to it.

Um, Loretta. Well,
Jessica. Don't tell me.

You've decided to go
for that poodle-perm look.

Actually, Loretta, we...

We needed to ask you something.

Oh, well, thank the Lord. At
least I'll have somebody to talk to.

This place has
never been so quiet.

- I wonder why.
- Well, if you ask me,

the cat's out of the bag.

Obviously, Loretta,
you're the kind of woman...

that people feel that
they can confide in.

Jessica. You too?

What? Oh, no. No.

It's just that it's a little difficult to
get Jonathan to give a straight answer,

and we couldn't help but wonder
if any of his lady friends, uh,

might have indicated to you...

that they had been,
uh, cast away by him.

Well, no. Not that
I can remember.

But then Jonathan does seem to
have amazing stamina, doesn't he?

Sort of makes you wonder
what he's got that's so special,

doesn't it?

Mrs. Fletcher, Coreen
was eavesdroppin' in there,

and I don't mean just
innocent kind of eavesdroppin'.

She's plannin' somethin'.

You know, Audrey was quite nasty to
Coreen the morning that she was killed,

but I really can't imagine that
that was a motive for murder.

We better have a talk with Coreen
as soon as she finishes work.

- Coreen?
- Oh, my God.

Coreen, who is it?

It isn't what you’re thinking.

I've never even been to Coreen's apartment
before. You can look it up in the logbook.

Did you ever hear about
the little boy who cried wolf?

Amos, in this case, it's the
wolf who cried "little boy."

I just asked Jonathan to come
over and help me fix my screen door.

Yes, Coreen, but why Jonathan?

Well, everybody at
the beauty parlor...

was always talking about
how wonderful Jonathan was.

At fixing things, I mean.

Coreen, where were you at the
time of Audrey Martin's death?

Well, you can't think that Coreen— I
was at the movies with Mrs. Molloy.

Of course, and Loretta.

No. Loretta usually goes, but, uh, she
had to go to Augusta to visit her sister.

When did she leave, Coreen?

Around 5:30. I had to close up.

Jonathan, I need to know the truth
now, and I mean the whole truth.

Did you ever have a...

A date with Loretta?

My one big mistake.

Your one big mistake?

Loretta's never
let me forget it.

Phone calls, letters.
It was just endless.

I couldn't understand it.
There was nothing between us.

Even the Lord rested
on the seventh day.

Uh, it sounds as if Loretta wanted it
to be more than a casual relationship.

I'll say. She wanted
me to marry her.

She kept hounding me. She
even threatened to tell Audrey.

The point is, Mrs. Speigel, you
don't have a sister in Augusta.

The point is, you
don't have a sister.

Well, maybe I
didn't go to Augusta.

Maybe I just didn't
want to go to the movies.

Maybe you just
killed Audrey Martin.

Loretta, were you someplace
where anyone could have seen you?

Dr. Sanders has a night clinic.

I'm, uh... I'm having
collagen treatments.

Is that fatal? Amos, collagen
is used to restore the skin,

to make it look more fresh.

Well, at my age, in this work,

with no husband, I,
uh, just can't get old.

Please. Please
don't tell anyone.

Of course not.

Dr. Sanders can
confirm you were there?

Not that he did much good.

Loretta, may I use your phone to call
New Hampshire? It's important. Well, sure.

Amos, I've got a hunch. If I'm right,
we've been barking up the wrong tree.

Sheriff. Mrs. Fletcher.

Can we come in, George?

I can't think of any reason
why not. Come on in. Sure.

Are you moving, George? No.

I'm just, uh— Excuse me.

I'm just, uh...

I, uh—I got some,
uh, pretty good news.

Sit down. Make
yourselves comfortable.

Uh, as a matter of fact,

I'm just coming into
town now to celebrate.

That's why I have
my Sunday suit on.

You...

- You'll never guess.
- You won the lottery.

H-How'd you know?

We didn't know, George,
but it was a safe guess.

You have the ticket, George?

C-Course I got the ticket.
What's this all about, Amos?

Well, Mrs. Fletcher thinks she can
tell you what the winning number is...

and what the ticket looks like
without her even lookin' at it.

Looks like a lottery
ticket. Except that

it's got a pinhole in
it, if I'm not mistaken.

And I'm reasonably
sure the number is 10032.

Uh, a pinhole, Mrs. Fletcher?

I can't say that I recall. If
you remember, George,

I was in the beauty parlor when you
came in and sold the tickets to the ladies.

I couldn't help but overhear
them joke about their numbers.

Oh, look. Number
30, just my age.

I like your logic, Ideal.
That means I'm 33.

That meant that Ideal
got number 10030,

Eve got number 31, Audrey,
number 32, and Phyllis, 33.

Loretta bought
the next 10 tickets.

Guess I better take a
look at that ticket, George.

Amos, I can't say as I
recall the exact, uh, number.

10032. That's
Audrey Martin's ticket.

There's the pinhole.

What's all this about pinholes?

Well, from where Audrey Martin
stuck it on her bulletin board.

She kept her old tickets
for the loser's lottery,

and they each had
a pinhole in them.

You knew before anybody else that
Audrey Martin had the winning ticket.

You must have disposed of all the New
Hampshire Weeklys when they came in...

to make sure that
nobody else found out.

Uh,

Amos, um, Mrs. Fletcher
here is getting a little uppity...

since I caught her
with your deputy...

Hmm. a couple of days ago.

The fact is, George,
I believe her.

Then you're both crazier
than a mallard in heat!

I mean, really, you've
both known me for years.

Can you honestly believe that—
That I killed somebody in cold blood?

Not in cold blood, George, no.

The fact that Audrey was shot
with a gun from her own house...

indicates that her murder
wasn't necessarily premeditated.

My luck has always
been as bad as my feet.

Amos, I swear it
really was self-defense.

Oh, why didn't you
come to me, George?

Like Mrs. Fletcher said,

I had gone there with, uh,
less than honorable intentions.

I— I knew the house
would be open.

Silly woman never locked it.

She must have heard me...

because she came down
the stairs toting a gun.

And she caught
you taking the ticket?

She was going to shoot me.

I got ahold of her.

The next thing I
knew, she was dead.

If she hadn't come— If she
hadn't come down the stairs,

10 to one...

10 to one, she never
even would've noticed.

Now, I don't believe that.

If that's Amos Tupper, I'll...

Good evening,
Mrs. Fletcher, Doc.

Don't you ever eat
at home, Amos?

Oh, now, Doc, I didn't
come here to freeload.

I was hoping I could borrow that
fishing book again, Mrs. Fletcher.

Thought I might take the
weekend off. Oh, of course, Amos.

Have you reinstated
Jonathan as your night deputy?

Well, ma'am, actually,

seems that Jonathan has
decided to take an extended leave.

Now that he's won the lottery,
ladies won't leave him alone.

Now that he's won the lottery?
What were they doin' before?

Amos, are you quite sure you won't
stay for dinner? Oh, no, thank you, ma'am.

But, uh, don't get
me wrong, you see.

But after my last experience,
I'm sticking to what I know.

How about a little— Just a
little taste of the sauce, Amos?

Well, does smell pretty good.

Maybe you'd like to dip a
piece of Mrs. Worth's bread in it?

Fresh baked today. Hmm.

Mmm. I must admit,
that's pretty good.

What are those little things
floatin' around in there?

Escargot. Escar-what?

Do you want to tell him?