Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 6, Episode 14 - How to Make a Killing Without Really Trying - full transcript

Jerome Ashcroft's Wall Street firm handles Jessica's portfolio. Secretary Norma Pulaski in fact does the job of her boss, co-founder's heir Philip Royce, who prefers golf and girls, but scorns Jerome's daughter Candice after an intimate try-out. When he's found with his skull smashed in with a golf club, all evidence points to Norma and her hunky boyfriend, baker Rudy Bianco, who found some cash NYPD lieutenant Moynihan presumes to originate from fraud in the office he charges Norma with. Jessica finds out who really embezzled, how Philip's better golf partner Buddy Black ties him to corporate raider Gordon Tully and puts it all together.

I want a list of all of
Mr. Royce's big losers.

Big losers?

Lieutenant Moynihan's personal
experience in the stock market

has made him a skeptic.

FEMALE NARRATOR:
Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

I want your company.

They'll be ice-skating in
hell before I'd ever sell to you.

I feel awful, but it's business.

Oh, it's always business!

I'm still troubled by
some loose ends.

What loose ends?



Well, I'm dumping Wilma to
make room for you on my desk.

He's not gonna marry
me. But of course he is.

Lipstick on the
glass, lady's apparel.

Cherchez la femme time.

(PHONE RINGS)

Philip Royce's office.

No, he's in a
meeting, Mr. Nesbitt.

Can you hold on a moment?

Right. He left instructions
with me, Mr. Nesbitt.

He thinks you should
sell the Sheldonite options

and buy 1,000 of
the Atwater Preferred.

The dividend is due tomorrow,
and the word is it's up.

Yes, I'll see that he executes
the buy order immediately.

Bye.



Hey, Norma. Where's
our Philip this morning?

At the dentist.

Again? What is it, root canal?

Was there something
you wanted, Mr. Hooper?

Yeah. I thought maybe
we could grab some lunch.

Gee, thanks, Mr. Hooper,
but I have a lunch date.

With my fiancé. You remember.

I told you about him last month
when you invited me over for dinner.

And last Tuesday and yesterday.

Norma, sweetheart,
I tried to tell you.

You're wasting your
talents on that guy.

He is strictly
slow-lane material.

(PHONE RINGS)

ROYCE ON ANSWERING
MACHINE: Hello, this is Phil Royce.

Sorry, I'm not here to
answer the phone right now,

but if you leave your number, I'll
get back to you as soon as I can.

(MACHINE BEEPS)

Mr. Royce, this is Norma.

It's about 11:15...

11:15? ...and there are some
things I have to go over with you...

I've missed my hair appointment.
When you get a chance...

And don't forget you
have a lunch appointment

with Mrs. Fletcher
this afternoon.

Philip. Please give me a call.

Philip, darling. Wake up.

(GROANS)

Hi, Candice.

I thought you went home.

Oh, we have to talk about that.

I mean, you have more room here,

but my place has the view of
the park and the 24-hour security.

Or do you think we should
find someplace different?

What are you talking about?

Well, after we're married.

I mean, we don't
need two apartments.

Candice. Hmm?

Look, you're a lot of fun, but I
thought we had an understanding.

An understanding? Uh-huh.

You're damn right we
had an understanding!

All my friends, my father. He's
already drawing up an invitation list!

Look, sweetheart, I've
already blown two marriages.

Your score is 0 for 3. Now,
I'm just not any good at it,

and I don't think
that you are, either.

What's wrong with the
way things are now?

Wrong? I'll tell
you what's wrong!

I'm gonna be 36 next month!

Candice, I think
we ought to cool it.

Cool it? You wanna dump me?

No! You are not
gonna do this to me.

(PHONE RINGING)

Hello. CAROL: Mrs. Fletcher
is here to see Mr. Royce.

Oh, golly. Uh, tell her to wait a
minute and then send her back, Carol.

Thanks.

Yes. Is Mr. Royce there
at the Athletic Club?

This is his secretary.

Would you page him for me?

Yeah, well, try
the squash courts.

Tell him to meet his lunch
at the Down Town Club.

Give him that message if
you can find him. Thank you.

You must be Norma.

Oh, Mrs. Fletcher. So
nice to meet you at last.

Well, we've talked so
often on the telephone,

I feel as if you and
I are old friends.

Oh, that's very sweet.

Um, am I early?

No! No, he's been
tied up in a meeting.

He'll meet you at the club. I'm
supposed to take you over there.

Oh, fine.

Mr. Royce has worked up a report
on your portfolio, Mrs. Fletcher,

and some recommendations.

We can take it along.

Good. Because I
wanna talk to him about

some stock a friend of mine
in Cabot Cove recommended,

Spruce Electronics?

Spruce Electronics is okay.

A little overextended PE-wise.

And I think they've
taken on too much debt.

But their competition's
interesting.

Take Low Sonic, for instance. They
have got the inside track on HDTV.

HDTV?

Mmm. High Definition
Television. Oh.

Wave of the future. In five
years, everybody'll own one.

Low Sonic is in for a big move.

As a matter of fact,
I just bought some...

I mean, Mr. Royce just bought
some for your portfolio this morning.

Well, that's wonderful.
I mean, if you...

I mean, if Mr. Royce
feels that it's a good buy.

He spends a lot
of time on research.

And in meetings. So often
when I call he's in meetings.

He certainly keeps
a very busy schedule.

It's a wonder he
has time to play golf.

Shall we go? All right.

Those clubs are brand new. He brought
them in yesterday to show everyone.

Jessica! Jessica!

Jerome. My goodness.

You know, you get more
distinguished-looking as the years pass by.

You really ought to come and
see us more often, my dear.

Well, the way you handle my
investments, it hardly seems necessary.

So Philip's been taking
good care of you, has he?

Well, I certainly
have no complaints.

Especially since
Norma's been helping out.

Well, I'm happy to hear that.

You know, since
Philip's father died,

not only my partner
but my dearest friend,

Philip has had
some big shoes to fill.

Candice. There you are.

Jessica, have you
met my daughter?

How nice to meet
you, Candice. Hello.

We have to talk, Daddy.

I was just going out, dear.

Now, Daddy!

Is something wrong, darling?

Everything is wrong!

Really, darling, you were
quite rude to Mrs. Fletcher.

What are you so upset about?

Philip! We had a very interesting
conversation in bed this morning.

You stayed over? Well,
that sounds promising.

He's not gonna marry me.

Not marry you?
But of course he is.

Did you pick a fight with him?

No. I did everything
you told me.

I used every trick in the book.

The man is a complete toad.

(SIGHS)

He also happens to own
half my company, darling.

Now you go back
to him and make up.

Never. I'd rather see him dead.

Sorry. Oops! Sorry.

Say! You've gotta
be J.B. Fletcher.

This is Sid Hooper
from our office.

Oh, how do you do, Mr. Hooper?

Better than most, J.B.

Oh, while everybody else is
out putting on the old feed bag,

I'm up there making money.

Oh, yes. Stealing a
march, that sort of thing?

You got it. Keep me
in mind if you decide to

put a little more zip
in your appreciation.

I mean, Sid Hooper would never
put you into that dog, Low Sonic.

That's... That's
yesterday's newspaper, J.B.

Or maybe Philip got a
hot tip on the golf course.

Have a nice lunch.

And don't order the shark.
They're still alive over there.

Hey, Norma, where've you
been? You're ten minutes late!

Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry.

(STAMMERING)
I just totally forgot.

Are you kidding? It took me a
half an hour to get downtown!

Honey, it's been one
of those mornings.

I feel awful, but I can't
have lunch with you.

It's business.

Oh, it's always business!
It's always business!

Mrs. Fletcher, this is Rudy.
Rudy Bianco, my fiancé.

How do you do, Rudy? Hi.

You've got a very
special girl here.

And I think that there's a
simple solution to this problem.

Why don't you two go
and have lunch together

and I'll get a taxi
and meet Philip?

Oh, Mrs. Fletcher,
that's very nice,

but you know, I really
think I'd better go along.

We'll have dinner
tonight, honey.

I'll make fettuccini.

With marinara.

Okay, okay, okay.

But I'm telling you,
this guy's taking

advantage of you. And
you tell him I said so.

Nice to meet you.

Gee, Mrs. Fletcher, I just
don't know what happened.

Maybe I forgot to put your
lunch on Mr. Royce's schedule

when I typed it up
for him last night.

Well, never mind. It's been
a very interesting lunch.

I've certainly learned
more about investing

than I ever expected
to hear from Mr. Royce.

Oh, there's Gordon Tully.

You know, the one who made the
run on Pan Global Airlines last month.

Oh, yeah, the
corporate raider. Mmm.

Yes, I read a profile on him.

Well, hello, Ashcroft.

Mr. Tully.

Have you been out of town, or hasn't your
secretary been giving your phone messages?

I've been busy.

Well, let me save you 20
cents. I want your company.

Put a price on it and have your
people get in touch with my people.

They'll be ice-skating in hell
before I'd ever sell to you, Tully.

You know what your
problem is, Ashcroft?

You put personal
considerations ahead of business.

It's a big mistake.

There are some
things money can't buy

and some personal considerations
beyond monetary valuation.

I doubt you'll stay out of jail
long enough to learn what I mean.

Jessica! Sorry I'm late.

Meeting ran long.

You look terrific!

Well, thanks. You know, Philip,

you look more like
your father every year.

Yeah, that's what everyone says.

So has Norma been
taking good care of you?

Norma is an absolute jewel, but
I'm sure you already knew that.

Right. Oh, my,
look what time it is.

I hope you already ordered.

Well, actually,
we've already eaten.

Good. Isn't the
food here terrific?

Wonderful. Tell
you what, Jessica.

Why don't I take
you to dinner tonight?

Oh, I'm sorry, Philip, but I
already have dinner plans.

Then let's do breakfast.

I can't very well let you slip
away again to New Hampshire

without going over
your portfolio, can I?

Well, um...

I'd sit down with
you this afternoon,

but I have an appointment with
a couple of the guys over at the...

Clients, over at
the Athletic Club.

Norma, call up Buddy Black and
confirm our golf date for tomorrow.

Oh, anyway, breakfast?

There's a terrific little place
right around the corner from me.

They have croissants flown in
fresh every morning on the Concord.

What do you say?

Well, I really more or
less promised my nephew.

Well, I wanna fill you in on a terrific
new stock that I found out about.

Get you in on the ground floor.

It's called Spruce Electronics.

Well, on the other hand,

perhaps we do need
to have a serious talk.

Let's do breakfast.

I thought we had an
understanding, Buddy.

And frankly, I'm
disappointed in the results.

Hey, I hit him for 11 grand
just last week, Mr. Tully.

The negotiations have
gotten to the delicate stage.

I want you to keep
the pressure on him.

It's getting awkward. I don't know
how much more I can get away with.

Just do it, Buddy.
Squeeze harder.

Excuse me, doesn't
Mr. Philip Royce live here?

Who are you, lady?

My name is Jessica Fletcher.

I had an appointment to have
breakfast with Mr. Royce this morning.

Mr. Royce won't
be having breakfast,

this morning or any morning.

Somebody cracked
his skull with a golf club.

So, how much did you lose?

I beg your pardon?

You said the deceased
was your stockbroker.

Well, actually, his firm
has done very nicely for me.

Oh, yeah? Well, consider
yourself lucky, Mrs. Fletcher.

I let one of those
stockbroker guys talk me

into a little flyer a
couple of years ago.

I put most of my savings
into this turkey stock

and before I could
dump it, I lost 500 bucks!

It's all a scam.

These sharp operators are in
business to fleece the working stiffs.

Hey, Eddie, there's a glass in
the kitchen with traces of lipstick.

Make sure it gets
bagged and checked.

Excuse me, Lieutenant, but do you
have any idea how this happened?

Well, that's what we're
trying to find out, ma'am.

Looks like it happened
sometime late last night.

The cleaning lady
found him this morning.

Somebody nailed
him with a golf putter.

Oh, that's ironic.

You know, he did mention
having a golf date tomorrow.

He did, huh? You got any names?

The only name I heard
mentioned was a Buddy Black.

But his secretary would know.

Check this, Lieutenant. I
found it behind the sofa.

Lipstick on the glass... Ooh,
lady's apparel behind the sofa.

Looks like cherchez
la femme time.

This wouldn't be your
hat, would it, lady?

Oh, no. No.

But you recognize it. Right?

Well, I mean, there's lots of
hats like that in New York City.

Whose is it?

Dead?

Why would anyone
wanna kill Mr. Royce?

Well, that's what
I'm gonna find out.

Now, you wanna
tell me about this hat?

Mr. Royce called me at
home after work last night.

He needed his briefcase,
so I brought it to him.

I must have left without my hat.

Norma was a very conscientious
secretary, Lieutenant Moynihan.

I can vouch for that.

We found the hat behind
the sofa, Miss Pulaski.

Just how conscientious were you?

Lieutenant, I am
an engaged woman.

Lieutenant, perhaps you noticed,

there's a telephone number
scrawled on his notepad.

Yes.

Yes. Is this his
handwriting or yours?

His.

But I don't recognize
the number.

It wasn't there
when I left last night.

Maybe it was one of his golf
pals. Maybe this Buddy Black?

Quick way to find out.

I just heard about
Philip. My God.

Yes, he in?

Well, you tell Mr. Gordon Tully

that Lieutenant Moynihan
wants to talk to him.

Have him call me
at Manhattan South.

Gordon Tully? Whew!

Old Phil was traveling
in pretty fast company.

This guy Tully,
he a golf player?

Well, from what I've read,
Mr. Tully is into bigger games.

I didn't even know
they were acquainted.

Norma, I'm really
sorry about Philip.

But I want you to know

I'm dumping Wilma to make
room for you on my desk.

Gee, Sid, you're all heart.

Oh, yeah. And Ashcroft wants
me to take over Philip's accounts,

so I'll need his computer
access code and anything current.

Okay, if that's what
Mr. Ashcroft wants.

Nice to be working
with you, J.B.

Give me a couple of days and
I'll shake out the dogs and cats.

Here's the code, and these
orders are from this morning.

Excuse me for interrupting
the big business here,

but I have a murder
investigation going on.

Now, when you left the victim's
place last night, did you see anything?

Anybody hanging around?

No.

There was nobody
there when I left.

I mean, I didn't notice anyone.

Well, you keep yourself
available, Miss Pulaski.

I may need to talk to you again.

A terrible shock, Jessica.

Yes, I know how close
you and Philip were.

At least poor Philip's
father didn't live to see this.

His only son stuck down
by some vicious burglar.

Oh, we don't have any evidence
of a break-in, Mr. Ashcroft.

My guess is it was
somebody he knew.

When did you see him last, sir?

I guess it was at
the club at lunch.

Yesterday? He didn't come
back to the office after lunch?

No. Apparently, he had
some meetings to attend.

Could he have come back
later after you left, Jerome?

No, I stayed here in my office
working until about midnight.

I would have seen
him if he'd come back.

I want a list of all of Mr. Royce's
big losers in the last few months.

Big losers?

Yeah, on the theory that

it was some irate investor
he cleaned out who nailed him.

I'm afraid Lieutenant Moynihan's
personal experience in the stock market

has made him a skeptic.

Well, we are one of the oldest,
most reputable firms on the street.

And it's a matter of company
policy to perform an in-house audit

whenever a broker
leaves the firm.

Sorry to interrupt,
Mr. A. What is it, Hooper?

These buy orders Norma gave me a
few minutes ago. Something's wrong here.

Time dated this morning.

Ten, twelve hours
after Mr. Royce died.

I wanna talk to
that secretary again.

So what were you doing?

Trying to cover up something
funny going on with the accounts?

No! Mr. Royce told
me to sign his name.

I mean, he wasn't always here, and
those orders had to be processed quickly.

That makes sense, Lieutenant.

Mr. Royce apparently had a very
heavy schedule outside the office.

The impression that I have is that
Norma was really running things

and very successfully, too.

I mean, she's given me more
investment service than Mr. Royce ever did.

At Ashcroft and Royce,

secretaries answer phones,
take messages and make coffee.

They do not give
financial advice,

transact business or
forge their boss' signatures!

Now on the other hand, I may
have gotten the wrong impression.

Now, I am sorry, Miss Pulaski,

but you have betrayed the
trust that we placed in you.

I would appreciate it if you would
clean out your desk immediately.

Excuse me.

Rudy's right.

It's a long way from
Flatbush to Wall Street.

Norma, don't
sell yourself short.

Maybe you're
right, Mrs. Fletcher.

I mean, it's only a job, right?

I guess I'm just upset
about Mr. Royce.

About last night,

I had the impression that you didn't
tell Lieutenant Moynihan everything.

There was nothing to tell.

Are you sure? It might
be very important.

Nothing that Lieutenant
Moynihan would be interested in

happened last
night, Mrs. Fletcher.

Not so fast, Miss Pulaski!

What's wrong, Jerome?

Wrong? I'll tell you what's
wrong. The auditor just called.

There's almost two million dollars
missing from Philip's accounts.

Miss Pulaski, you and I are
going downtown for a little chat

about the murder
of Philip Royce.

SECRETARY: Mr. Tully never
sees anyone without an appointment.

Yes, of course.

I wonder, could you
get a message to him?

It's rather confidential.

The name again
was Jessica Fletcher.

I have interesting information

about Mr. Tully's connection
to the late Philip Royce.

And I need to
discuss it with him

before going to the police.

I'll wait.

London, Hong Kong, Geneva.

I don't want them to know
where it's coming from.

The yen's peaked.
It's selling off.

Let me know when it
comes down to 134.

Do I know you, Mrs. Fletcher?

We haven't met, Mr. Tully.

I was a client of Philip Royce

and I'm a friend
of Jerome Ashcroft.

And what information
do you wish to discuss?

I understand that you were
interested in buying Ashcroft and Royce.

That's not information
or even news.

Yes, well, your telephone number

was the last thing
Philip Royce wrote

on his notepad before he died.

I explained that to Lieutenant
Moynihan. Royce phoned me.

According to my log,
it was about 8:00 p.m.

It was business.

Business?

My business, Mrs. Fletcher.

I was here in my office all evening
and half the night on the phone to Japan.

My assistant can verify that as well
as the telephone company records.

Now, I'm sorry, but you

are catching me on
a very, very bad day.

So unless you have some other
important information to discuss,

goodbye, Mrs. Fletcher.

(BUZZES)

Lieutenant Moynihan,
Manhattan South.

Did you notice anything
strange here night before last?

Strange? In this town?
You gotta be kidding.

Last week, I saw a guy
walking a dog with a dress on.

The guy was wearing a dress?

What's strange about that?
The dog was wearing the dress.

No, I'm talking about
the night of the murder.

Between 8:00 and midnight. Did
you see anything? Notice anything?

Nothing.

Except the bread delivery.

Bread delivery? Yeah.

I mean, in a neighborhood like
this, who eats that much bread?

You know what I mean?

Anyway, it was about 9:00.

I remember because this
guy comes wailing out the door

like a bat out of hell, jumps in his
truck and burns rubber outta here.

Did you get anything on
that truck? A license number?

Hey, who do I look
like, Cagney and Lacey?

Wait a minute. Yeah.

There was a sign on the
truck. "Bianco's Bakery."

Listen, meathead, my fiancée had
nothing to do with that guy's death.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

Norma Pulaski's your fiancée?

Yeah, and you're dealing
with Rudy Bianco here.

After I get through with you, you're
gonna be handing out parking tickets

on Staten Island.

I'm gonna sue your
brains out for false arrest.

Yeah, right, you
better take a number.

Rudy! Look at this!

Somebody's been throwing
trash in the flour bin again!

That's okay, Gino. It's mine.

Well, what the hell's it
doing in the flour bin?

Let me see that. Let's
see what we got here.

Whoa! Look at that. Must
be 20 or 30 grand here.

Where would a guy like
you get a wad like that, huh?

On a fast horse at Belmont.

They keep good records at
the track. You wanna try again?

Okay, I found it.

Oh, that's even funnier.

Yeah, it's the truth.

Somebody broke into my truck
when it was parked out back last night.

I found this envelope under
the front seat this morning.

You think we're
stupid or something?

You think we don't know your girlfriend
ripped off a couple million dollars?

What, are you kidding?

Do I look like I'm kidding?

We got a make on your
truck at the scene of the crime.

I got a witness who'll
finger you in a line-up.

Rudy Bianco, I'm arresting
you on suspicion of murder

and as an accomplice
to embezzlement.

Oh, Lieutenant, I just
stopped by to see you.

Yeah, well, I'm kind of
busy right now, Mrs. Fletcher.

Yes, well, this
wouldn't take very long.

It's about Gordon
Tully. I went to see him.

Yeah, well, you can
forget about Gordon Tully

because I've got the
case all wrapped up.

Yeah, when I confront Miss
Pulaski with her accomplice,

she's gonna fold up
like a wet paper box.

Stick around if you want to.

No! I didn't kill him!

And neither did Rudy! And
we didn't steal any money!

There isn't a jury in New York
that's gonna believe this story.

But Lieutenant, you haven't given
them a chance to tell you their story.

I mean, perhaps
there's an explanation.

Okay. Okay. Let's see. Go ahead.

Like I told you, Mr. Royce
called me at home last night.

He'd left his briefcase
at the Down Town Club

and he wanted me to pick it
up and bring it over to his place.

He was always leaving
his briefcase somewhere.

So I called Rudy and I left
a message on the machine

explaining everything and
telling him I'd see him later.

Then I picked up the briefcase and
I took it over to Mr. Royce's place.

It was about 9:00.

It took him a while to answer the
door 'cause he was taking a shower.

So I gave him the briefcase.

And he was very nice, you
know, he offered me a drink.

Kind of a thank you, I guess.

But I was anxious to get going,
you know, 'cause I was already late.

Then there was a
banging at the door.

It was Rudy.

Now you gotta
understand, Rudy's Italian,

and he's never understood about
these extra hours I have to put in.

Anyway, I guess he got the
wrong idea about me and Mr. Royce.

I thought he was gonna hit
Mr. Royce, so I had to get between them.

That must be when I lost my hat.

Finally, I backed Rudy off
and I got him out of there.

I was so embarrassed.

Rudy was still steamed
and roared away in his truck.

I went home and had a good cry.

So Philip was still
alive when you both left?

Like I said, no
jury's gonna buy that.

We checked the
prints on the glass.

They're yours, Miss Pulaski.

I told you. He fixed me a drink.

More likely your boyfriend
here, he comes in,

he finds you and the victim in the
sack. He grabs a golf club, and wham!

But Mr. Royce was discovered
fully clothed in the living room.

Well, then, maybe they killed
him to cover up the embezzlement.

Look, he tells me
that he finds 25 grand?

I mean, how dumb
do you think I am?

Lieutenant, I am the last person
in the world to want to interfere...

Mrs. Fletcher, I'd
be more than happy

to answer any questions
that you might have, but later.

You see, right now I gotta talk to
a judge about some court orders

so that I might try
to be able to find

where they might have
stashed the rest of the money.

Excuse me. Come on.

CANDICE: Come on, come
on. I haven't got all day, Biffy.

Get on with it!

Oh, there you
are, Miss Ashcroft.

I'm so glad I
caught up with you.

Mrs. Fletcher, how did
you know I was here?

Well, I dropped
by to pay a call,

and your doorman told me that
you were out walking your dog...

(BIFFY BARKING)

and I just took a chance.

Yes, well, I'm in kind
of a hurry, Mrs. Fletcher.

I've got to get
over to Bergdorf's

and buy something
black for Philip's funeral.

Oh, yes, it is such a tragedy.

I mean, it must be such
a blow losing your fiancé.

But of course, at least
you have the consolation

of having been the last
person to see him alive,

except for the
murderer, of course.

What do you mean?

Oh, well, Norma mentioned
that Philip was taking a shower,

and I just assumed that
he had plans to go out.

And it seemed
obvious or quite natural

that it would have been
with you, his fiancée.

No, I didn't even
see Philip that night.

Matter of fact, we decided to call
off the engagement the day before.

Oh, you poor thing. You
mean, you had a lover's quarrel?

And now he's dead. Oh, how sad.

No, it was not a quarrel.

In fact, it was very friendly.
Philip just wasn't the marrying kind.

The fact is he spent
more time on the golf links

with that pal of his, Buddy
Black, than he did with me.

Buddy Black?

Well, I never actually met him.

But he hangs out
at Philip's golf club.

Look, Mrs. Fletcher,
I've really gotta run.

Yes, well, keep your chin up.

As you say, life goes on.

So Royce and his girlfriend
split up. That happens.

Doesn't mean she tried to
part his hair with a golf club.

I didn't say she did.

But I just have a hunch
that somebody else

came to see Philip
that night at his place.

Norma Pulaski and the
pumpernickel prince came to see him.

It's a watertight case.

Well, there could be some
leaks in the boat, Lieutenant.

Like what?

Well, it's possible that someone
planted that money in Rudy's truck.

And if they embezzled
almost two million dollars,

how come you've
only found $25,000?

I'm working on that.

I've already got a court order
to go after hidden accounts.

Unless they've already lost
the money playing the market.

Like that loser stock
I had, Low Sonic.

Low Sonic? I had
some Low Sonic stock.

Oh, Mrs. Fletcher, I'm sorry
to hear that. You know...

Never mind. I think I just
remembered something important.

Oh, settling in, Mr. Hooper?

Yeah, Mrs. Fletcher. It's
starting to feel like home already.

No sense in letting a
corner office get cold.

I imagine you're not letting
Philip's accounts get cold, either.

You got that right, J.B.

Old Sid Hooper'll
unload the ballast

and have you in high fliers faster
than you can say "leveraged buy-out."

I'm very happy to hear that.

Do you remember what
you told me down in the lobby

about Low Sonics being a "dog"?

Right. Low Sonic
is 19th-century stuff.

My question is how did you know
that I was invested in Low Sonic?

Simple. I looked
in Philip's computer.

I have his computer access
now that I'm handling his accounts.

Norma only bought those Low
Sonic stocks that same morning.

Now downstairs, you already
knew about the purchase.

Uh, Philip must
have mentioned it.

Philip never came
into the office that day.

No, the only way that
you could have known

would be if you had had
Philip's computer access code

and were monitoring
his transactions.

And maybe bleeding
off some of his funds?

No. Hey, come on, that's crazy.

I mean, didn't you guys arrest
Norma and her boyfriend?

I mean, that's why
they killed him, right?

To cover up the money
she was embezzling.

What Mrs. Fletcher says
makes a lot of sense to me.

And as a matter of fact, I've
got a court order right here

to check on hidden accounts.

Why don't we go down
to the station, Mr. Hooper?

Have ourselves a little talk.

Okay. So far we know
you withdrew $25,000

from your personal account the
morning after Mr. Royce was murdered.

We also know you have a numbered
account in the Cayman Islands.

We're checking on that one.

See, I always knew that no
secretary and her boyfriend

were smart enough to
pull off a scam this big.

It had to be one of
these big-shot insiders.

Well, I'm sure that Norma and
Rudy will be relieved to know

that you were always
convinced of their innocence.

Now, wait a minute.
So what happened?

Mr. Royce found out, and
you had to kill him, right?

Kill him? Hey, no way.

Look, I borrowed a few bucks
from old Philip's account, that's it.

Then you did have
his access code?

His access code was
his license plate number.

It didn't take a
genius to figure it out.

Look, I knew Norma
was running the portfolio.

Philip was a playboy coasting
on his father's coattails.

Hey, I was gonna pay it back.

Sure. That's what they all say.

Well, since Mr. Hooper wasn't
supposed to have the access code,

he knew that the suspicion
would fall on Norma.

And planting the money in
Rudy's truck almost worked.

Detective Moynihan, I assume that
you're going to release Norma and Rudy?

Right, as soon as I
book this financial wizard.

Oh, Lieutenant.

Miss Pulaski and her
fiancé'll be out in a minute.

That's wonderful.

But, you know, I'm still
troubled by some loose ends.

Loose ends? What loose ends?

Well, it's nothing I can
really put my finger on.

Well, Gordon Tully
had a stake in all this.

Mrs. Fletcher,
we got our killer.

And I already checked Gordon
Tully out. He's got an alibi.

He was on the phone to Japan. The
phone company records back him up.

Yes, but the phone company records
don't say who was talking on the phone.

Look, I have to
have more than that

if I'm gonna take on a guy that's
got the juice of Gordon Tully.

Excuse me.

Oh, Mrs. Fletcher! I don't
know how to thank you.

Look, anytime you need any
baked goods, you just let me know.

Breads, rolls, Danish,
anything you want.

Oh, thank you, Rudy.
That's very sweet of you.

But there's something I
wanna ask you about, Norma.

What do you know
about Buddy Black?

I never met him, but I hear he
was some kind of a golf hustler.

A hustler?

Mr. Royce always
lost when they played.

Ordinarily, Mr. Royce handled his
personal checking account himself.

But one day, I found a stack of
canceled checks in his briefcase

all made out to Buddy Black.

Over $50,000 worth,

and that was for only
one month. Oh, dear.

Mr. Black?

I don't do lessons
anymore, lady.

Oh, I'm not interested
in golf lessons, Mr. Black,

although I hear
you're very good.

What exactly can
I do for you, Mrs...

Fletcher, Jessica Fletcher.

I understand that we have a
mutual acquaintance. Gordon Tully.

Well, any friend of
Gordon's is a friend of mine.

What is it? You and your hubby
looking for a sponsor to join the club?

Not exactly. The fact of
the matter is I'm involved,

quite unofficially,
you understand,

in the murder investigation
of Philip Royce.

Your name came up in
the police investigation.

Why would my name come up?

Possibly in connection
with blackmail?

Blackmail?

The police are looking very carefully
into Mr. Royce's financial matters,

and there are all those
canceled checks made out to you.

So maybe Philip wrote me a
few checks. It wasn't blackmail.

I won that money
from him playing golf.

Well, that's not the impression
that I got from Mr. Tully,

and neither did
Lieutenant Moynihan.

What the hell
did Tully tell you?

Well, I'm afraid I'm not at liberty
to discuss that with you, Mr. Black.

And I believe it's
common knowledge

that Mr. Tully was trying to
take over Mr. Royce's firm.

And I did hear that the police
are checking Mr. Tully's alibi

for the time of the murder.

They are?

That's probably where the
blackmail angle comes in,

especially in view of the fact that
he was murdered with a golf club.

Look, I had nothing to
do with Phil's murder.

Okay, so maybe Tully suggested Phil
could be had for a few bucks playing golf.

I'm afraid it was
more than a few bucks.

Hey, it was Tully's
idea, not mine!

But you took the money.

I don't know what his
game is, or yours either, lady,

but if Tully told you I was
blackmailing Philip Royce,

he's lying to cover
his own back.

Mr. Tully couldn't
possibly see you now.

He has a luncheon
appointment and he's already late.

Perhaps if you
wouldn't mind trying.

Oh, Mr. Tully, I was hoping
that I would catch you.

I wanted to talk to
you about Buddy Black.

I'm rather in a hurry
now, Mrs. Fletcher,

but if you'd care to
ride down with me...

Oh, thank you.

I advise you to get straight to
the point. This is an express.

I was wondering what you'd
have to say to Lieutenant Moynihan

when he learns that you arranged
for a professional golf hustler

to separate Mr. Royce from a
considerable amount of cash.

Why would I do
something like that?

Assuming, of
course, that it's true.

To soften him up so
that he'd sell to you?

Philip was a big boy.

He shouldn't have bet what
he couldn't afford to lose.

But you seem to be implying that I
had something to do with his death.

Let me set you
straight, Mrs. Fletcher.

Philip Royce was more
valuable to me alive than dead.

Valuable to you?

Royce had already
agreed to sell me his shares.

We were going to set
the deal the next morning,

but somebody killed him.
An unforeseen liability.

Now I'll have to
buy some other firm.

Have a nice day, Mrs. Fletcher.

It's not as fancy as the Down
Town Club, but the food is fantastic.

I think it's very charming.

They buy all their bread from
me. Six dozen rolls every day.

I was telling Norma, now that
she's finished on Wall Street,

I could use her
down at the bakery.

Well, just because she's
lost one job doesn't mean that

she's finished on
Wall Street, Rudy.

I mean, you'd be amazed at how
clever Norma is at financial things.

Yeah, but the hours
are better at the bakery.

Norma,

Mr. Tully told me
something puzzling.

He said that Philip had
agreed to sell his half of the firm.

That might explain it.

Explain what?

What he had in his briefcase.

I probably shouldn't
have looked,

but Mr. Royce was always walking
off with papers in his briefcase

that I needed at the office.

Norma, what exactly did
he have in his briefcase?

A big stack of Ashcroft
and Royce shares.

If he were going
to sell to Mr. Tully,

that may explain why he
was carrying them around.

Look, I'm terribly sorry, but I won't
be able to eat lunch with you after all.

I have to find
Lieutenant Moynihan.

I'll call you.

I just dropped by
to let you know that

we've traced all the money that
Hooper embezzled, Mr. Ashcroft.

All of it? Why,
that's wonderful.

Yeah, he had it squirreled
away in his investment account

in the Cayman Islands.

And the funny part of it is
that Hooper actually made

a couple 100 grand profit
on the money. It's weird.

I was wondering, Jerome, what
do you intend to do about Norma?

Norma? Oh, Norma.

Well, of course we'll
reinstate her job.

As a matter of fact, I
have decided to start her

in the broker's
training program.

Oh, I suppose that means that the
company won't be sold to Gordon Tully.

Sell to Tully? Over
my dead body.

Mmm, that's right, you have all
the shares safely tucked away

in your office safe.

I certainly do, Jessica.

Even Philip's shares?

Yes. He left his
there for safekeeping.

I'm just curious, what happens
to Mr. Royce's shares now?

Actually, we had a contract.

In the event of death, the
surviving partner has the option

of purchasing the remaining
shares at book value.

Book value?

It's a very common practice in business
because of the tax consequences.

I'd be very happy to answer any of
your questions about it, Lieutenant.

I have a question, Jerome.

Was it planned in advance
or totally on impulse?

When you killed Philip Royce.

I suppose the golf
club indicates impulse.

At least it wasn't premeditated.

Kill Philip?

Jessica, you must
be making a bad joke.

Sadly enough, it's
not a joke, Jerome.

I suppose you must have overheard Philip
talking on the telephone to Mr. Tully.

Remember, you told me
you were here working late?

Yes, I was.

But I told you that Philip
never came back to the office.

Yes, that's what you said. But Philip
must have come back to the office,

at least to pick
up the golf clubs.

They were in his office
when I was there before lunch.

And they were in his apartment
when we found his body.

But what you
didn't know, Jerome,

was that Norma delivered
Philip's own shares in the company

to his apartment a short
time before you arrived.

There's only one way they
could've gotten into your safe, sir.

I never intended to kill him.

Philip was like a son to me.

After I heard him on the phone

agreeing to sell to Tully,

I went over there
to reason with him.

Philip, you just can't do it.

Sell the firm your father and
I spent our lives building up

to a cheap scoundrel like Tully?

Spare me the platitudes,
won't you, Jerome?

So you can't stand Tully's guts.

He doesn't measure up to
your ethical standards, fine,

but that's your
problem, not mine.

But, Philip, the name
Ashcroft and Royce

still means something
on... On Wall Street.

Right. It means integrity,
respectability, old money,

all the garbage that
you think is so important.

Well, Jerome, let me
tell you something.

Tully is willing to
pay for that image.

Pay twice what my
shares are worth.

And what will you do?

Do? I'll tell you what
I'm gonna do, Jerome.

I'm gonna take that money
and I'm gonna enjoy it.

Yeah. That's right.

That way, I won't have to go into
that boring office in the morning

and add up all those
boring figures and deal with

all those uptight,
boring clients.

And what about Candice?

Well, that's another
thing, Jerome.

I know what you and
she are trying to cook up.

Keep it all in the family.
Well, count me out.

See, that's what finally
convinced me to sell.

Not having to deal with that silly,
spoiled bitch of a daughter of yours.

(GRUNTS)

I couldn't let a scoundrel like
Gordon Tully take over the firm

I devoted my life to.

You understand that, don't you?

Somebody has got to
stand up for the old values.

RUDY: Here, have
some more bread.

Don't mind if I do.

Norma, Lieutenant
Moynihan was telling me that

he once owned some of
your favorite stock, Low Sonic.

Yeah, I took a bath in
it before I got out of it.

Gee, that's too bad.

Five hundred bucks right down the
old sewer. But I learned my lesson.

No, I mean it's too bad because
it split three-for-one today.

You would have made
a killing if you'd kept it.

JESSICA: Uh-oh.

You know, it sounds to me as if
Wall Street is still in your blood.

What are you planning to do?

I am gonna make
it on Wall Street

if it's the last thing
I do, Mrs. Fletcher.

I mean, I have
got this terrific idea.

Rudy makes this wonderful bread.

"Heart Smart," all
natural ingredients.

How does that sound for a name?

Well, it's got a real ring.

I'm going to incorporate
Rudy's bakery, you know,

issue stock. I figure,
eventually, we could syndicate it.

What do you think?

You know, knowing Norma,

I think that you should
buy some of the stock.