Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 7, Episode 11 - Family Doctor - full transcript

Boston mob boss Carmine Abruzzi was rescued by his goons from arrest, and decides to 'retire' early. His son Michael 'Mike' promised his wife Gladys to turn the family legitimate, so both dislike him being appointed successor, instead of eager brother Salvatore 'Sal', at a family dinner. When Carmine enters his limousine, a sniper wounds him badly. Seth, who was dining with Jessica at the same fancy restaurant, is abducted to treat him urgently but 'discretely'. Jessica reports him missing to BPD lieutenant Jerry Marino and finds proof of a shooting. Seth is returned safely, but both of them are signed up for witnesses protection. Carmine dies shortly after Seth left him confidently. Doc and Jessica are both kidnapped to 'family' lawyer Andrew Gant's country mansion. He's suspected of fatal incompetence but finds someone stole and injected a lethal drug from his bag.

MICHAEL: Pop died.

Sal is sure the
doctor killed him.

FEMALE NARRATOR:
Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

(GUN FIRING) Jess!

That's the wrong car!

Get in the car,
lady, or he's dead.

Your department
screwed up, Lieutenant.

ZWEIBACK: You
cost us two witnesses.

I don't want my
baby born into a mob.

Neither do I.

What do they want
from us, Andrew?



They want Michael
to put it to rest.

What do they want
me to do, kill the doctor?

And the woman.

You think I'm gonna let you get
away with that? Think again, lady.

CARMINE: In the village
in Italy where I grew up,

the sky was the color of the wine
grapes, the sun was a slice of lemon.

In the hot afternoons, I used to lay
under the shade of the olive trees,

dream I was Joltin'
Joe DiMaggio,

hitting the World Series
home run in Yankee Stadium.

We're not interested in your
boyhood dreams, Carmine,

only your illegal contributions
to political campaigns.

Hey!

Hey, didn't your mother
learn you no manners, huh?

Forget the bull.



You're facing 20 years hard time
for not paying your income taxes.

You know the FBI's deal
with the Treasury Department.

You talk to us, they
wipe the slate clean.

Yeah, sure.

All I gotta do is spill my
guts about my friends, huh?

The Witness Protection
Program will change your identity

and relocate you so
your friends can't find you.

That was the deal you
agreed to, Carmine.

So start talking.

I don't talk to
no foot soldiers!

Take me to the capo, the boss.

You want me to say my piece, you
take me to the top FBI guy in the city.

Right now.

That's my deal, huh?

Hey, take it easy, Carmine.

MISCH: Hey!

(SCREAMS)

(THUG SPEAKING ITALIAN)

Jess, I've had my
fill of art galleries.

I think it's time for something
a little more nourishing

before we head
back to Cabot Cove.

Such as dinner at
the Clams 'n' Claws?

Yeah. My favorite
Boston restaurant.

Hasn't changed in...

Seventy-five years,
and they still sell lobster.

Boiled in the shell.

Mmm-hmm. With dipping
bowls of melted butter.

Why is it you seem to know exactly
what I'm going to say before I say it?

Because I think I've heard
it once or twice before.

You know, it's pretty late
to be making a reservation.

Woman, you just don't know
to whom you are speaking.

Yes, this is Dr. Hazlitt.

I'd like a table for
two at 7:00, please.

Thank you.

All set.

Amazing.

Why is it that the word "doctor"
always gets you a reservation?

It's one of those perks
of the medical profession

I don't pretend to understand.

This has always been
one of my favorite cities.

Does your family
own Boston, too?

Michael, why did we have to
drop everything and fly up here?

I told you. To go to dinner.

The bags are brought up, sir.

Thank you. You folks have a
pleasant stay here in Boston.

(SIGHS)

Denise, don't let it upset you.

This is a family matter.

I'm your family, Michael.
This is your family.

Please don't keep
secrets from us.

Honey, I'm sorry.
I gave my word.

Now, this is important
to us, the three of us.

Have I ever lied to you before?

No.

But you have a way of
tiptoeing around the truth.

I mean, before we were married,
every time you mentioned your father,

you talked about silk suits.

I thought he was a fashion designer.
I didn't know he was a gangster.

Well, they don't call
them that anymore.

And besides, imported clothes
are my part of the business.

The legitimate part.

I don't want my
baby born into a mob.

Neither do I.

And if things go my way, we
won't have to worry about that.

I'm gonna turn
this family straight.

I swear to you
it's gonna happen.

When?

Can you keep a secret?

Yes. So can I.

(CUSTOMERS LAUGHING)

Thank you.

Good evening. May I help you?

Oh, is Ernest off for the night?

Ernest?

Ernest Stagpool.

He's only been the
maitre d' here for 30 years.

Oh, yes.

Well, I regret to say that he retired, sir,
when the new management took over.

The new management?
Oh, when did that happen?

Oh, it's about two months now.

First I've heard of it.

Well, I can assure you the
food is still quite delicious.

I don't know, Jess.
What do you think?

Well, it can't have changed that
much. Why don't we give it a try?

Your name, sir?

Hazlitt.

Oh! Dr. Hazlitt.

Your table's ready.
Dr. Hazlitt's table, please.

HOSTESS: This way,
please. Enjoy your dinner.

Thank you.

They've taken down all the wood paneling.
And what about the leather booths?

The place, I tell
you, has gone trendy.

Thank you.

HOSTESS: Enjoy your meal.

Good evening,
Mr. Abruzzi, Mrs. Abruzzi.

Good evening, Freddie.

Hello.

Uh, they're in the private
dining room. This way, please.

Hello, I'm your
waitress, Karen Ann.

What happened to Gus?

Oh, the new management
got rid of all the old waiters.

Old?

Gus was one of the reasons
this place was special.

I suppose if your new management
were in charge of Rome,

they'd have turned the
Coliseum into a mini mall.

Oh, for heaven's sake,
Seth. It's not Karen Ann's fault.

Would you like
a little more time?

No, no. I think I'm going to
have the boiled lobster plate.

And I'm going to start off
with a cup of clam chowder.

Seth?

Do they still make
it with clams?

I can check the kitchen.

It's not necessary.

Just make it two of
everything, please.

(KNOCKING)

Is everyone here?

Everyone on my list, Mr. Gant.

Tell the staff to start
serving in five minutes.

Yes, sir.

Ma? No.

Mikey? Thanks.

Mikey, you look like
you've lost too much weight.

I'm in good shape, Ma. I run
every day, I work out at the spa.

Doesn't he look skinny to
you, Denise? Tell the truth.

(CHUCKLING) No, I
think he looks terrific.

As a matter of fact, I think I'm
the one who looks out of shape.

You're carrying my grandchild.
What could be more beautiful?

I hope to look so good
when I'm pregnant.

Anytime you say, Connie.

Which will not happen till
after we're married, okay?

(DENISE CHUCKLING)

Hey, you people are making too much
noise. The cockroaches can't sleep.

We could hear you all the
way out in the parking lot.

Carmine, is that you?

It better be. We're
sharing a room tonight.

You look so beautiful.

Is this what you
couldn't tell me?

Part of it. CONNIE: Carmine.

Hiya, Pop.

Hey, Salvatore.

You know, thank you.

I wouldn't be here
tonight without your help.

Constanzia, why
don't you hurry up

and make an honest
man of this hothead, huh?

Hey, why is everybody
in such a hurry?

Denise, I never saw
you look so full of life.

Excuse me.

You feel okay? I
feel fine, thank you.

Good to see you, Pop.

Hey, good to see you,
too, Michael. Real good.

Rosa.

Andrew, come here, sit down.

Hey, Michael. What do
you need, an invitation?

Have some vino.
Everybody have some vino!

Ain't there nothing
to eat around here?

I'm starving to death
in my own restaurant.

Pass the flowers!

This is almost as good as
one of your shore dinners,

which you haven't made
any of lately, by the way.

No. I've been too busy
working on my new book.

Now, see here.

Your priorities are as
crooked as a dog's hind leg.

Is writing a book as important
as feeding an old friend?

Yes.

But I can't finish my
lobster. Are you interested?

Well, if it would make
you happy, thank you.

Mmm.

This is the way to the
private dining room?

No... Hey, I'm sorry. Miss,
I'm sorry. It's a private party.

Ha! Do you know who I am?

Of course, Miss
Gant, but I'm sorry.

You know, you're not on my list.

What can I say?

Don't be an idiot!

My father's in there.

Andrew Gant, in
case you've forgotten!

Just tell him I'm here.

(CUSTOMERS CHATTERING)

You.

Bring me a bottle of
your best champagne.

And if you look at me like that
again, I'll pour it down your dress.

Carmine.

(CLINKING)

Excuse me.

I don't want to make
any big speech.

Most of you here know that...

What's been going on
between me and the Feds, right?

So I took a hike.

Me and Rosa are leaving the
country tonight, by way of Canada.

What are you saying?

Pop!

Hey, it's okay. I always said I
wanted to go back to Italy someday.

It's just a little sooner
than I thought, that's all.

Hey, maybe there's another way.

Hey, Andrew, you're
the legal adviser. Advise.

I did, Sal. I made the
arrangements for them to leave.

It's what I want.

Anyway, the family's growing.

It'll do well without me, and I'm
leaving the business in good hands.

Michael's hands. Thank you, Pop.

No!

Denise... Let her go!

She'll get used to it. Just
like your mother got used to it.

Pop, what's the matter with you?

Michael can't run the family. He
can't even control his own wife.

Hey! You bite your tongue.

Carmine.

Michael wants to make radical
changes. We'd have big losses.

Hey, talk it over with Michael.

We'd only have losses in the beginning,
until we expand the clothing line.

There are strong threads,
Michael, that cannot be broken.

The other families will accept the
change because they have no choice.

And what will happen if they
take it as a sign of weakness?

There will be
blood in the streets.

MICHAEL: Not if we're careful.

You want to be a martyr, Mikey, you
should've studied for the priesthood,

like Ma wanted.

The only reason why you don't
want to make a change, Sal,

is because you enjoy
being a two-bit hood.

You're dead, Mikey!

ROSA: Stop it!

Fighting at a time like this,
you should be ashamed.

I'm heartbroken that I'm
not going to see the baby,

and I'm going to miss Salvatore's
wedding to this beautiful girl,

and all you can do is
act like selfish children.

No more. No more!

Rosa, Rosa, Rosa.

Cry on the plane.

(KNOCKING)

I beg your pardon. Mr. Gant.

(CLEARS THROAT) Excuse me.

Well, I think it's about time
we started back, don't you?

What's the rush? I
haven't had my dessert yet.

Phyllis, my dear,
you're going home.

Only if Sal goes with me.

See that she gets
home safely. No stops.

Come on, dear.

He'll come to me, Daddy.

Not tonight, my dear.
He has better things to do.

(LAUGHING) Oh!

Go, go.

Come on, come on, come on.

Uh, Marco, Joey.

This is a private moment, okay?

Listen, Mikey, you play it straight
with the other families, huh?

Let them know what you're
doing. Don't make them guess.

They're not good guessers.

You hear what I'm saying?

Sure, Pop.

Sal, you take care of Mikey.

Now, go get the boys. Get
this show on the road, huh?

Pop.

Goodbye, Pop.

You take care of
yourself, now, all right?

Don't I always?

(GUN FIRES)

(ROSA SCREAMS)

Pop! Oh, my God.

(CUSTOMERS LAUGHING)

Seth. Hmm?

Did you hear something?

In here? I can't
even hear myself eat.

Rosa, Rosa! It's
okay, Pop, we're here.

Who did it?

The shot came from
that rooftop up there.

Sal! He's still alive!
Help me get him inside.

We can take him to my
house. I'll get a doctor.

Come on, Pop. It's all right.
Come on, come on, get up, Pop.

Get up. All right, come on.

Here you are.

Oh, thank you, Karen Ann.

Those raspberries
look very nice.

Not as nice as
this pie á la mode.

Oh, don't look at me like that.

This is my day off.

Excuse me, Dr. Hazlitt.
You're wanted on the phone, sir.

The caller said it was urgent.

I never knew it to
fail. Excuse me, Jess.

(SIGHS)

I trust everything was
satisfactory, madam?

Well, I'm concerned about
Dr. Hazlitt. What happened to him?

Well, he took his phone call in
my office, and I assume he left.

Well, you can see
our table from here.

I mean, I was sitting
alone for nearly 40 minutes.

He wouldn't just leave me here.

I never noticed.

Well, I'm sorry, madam.

I wish I could help.

Yes. Well, thank you.

Thank you, dear.

You say your friend
vanished during dessert?

Yes, he left the table
to take a telephone call

and he never came back.

How old is your friend?

Well, what's that
got to do with it?

Well, does he have a
habit of wandering off?

Oh, believe me, Dr. Hazlitt
has all of his faculties.

He's a physician.

Doctor, huh? Well,
there's your answer.

He got an emergency
call to see a patient.

His practice is in
Cabot Cove, Maine.

We had planned to return
there immediately after dinner.

Now, if he'd been called back sooner,
he would have taken me with him.

He hasn't been gone long enough
for a missing person's report,

so what do you want, lady?

Ease up, Sergeant.

What's the problem. ma'am?

She claims her friend
disappeared from a restaurant.

Well, not literally. I mean, he
just didn't vanish into thin air.

Get the details,
Sergeant. Politely.

Yes, sir.

All right, what is the
name of the restaurant

where the alleged
incident happened?

Clams 'n' Claws.
And I'm not alleging it.

What time was it?

That's all right, Sergeant.
I'll take it from here.

Come on. We'll talk on the way.

On the way where?

Well, to the Clams 'n' Claws.

Let's find out what
happened to your friend.

Thank you.

I didn't choose the restaurant.
It was Dr. Hazlitt's choice.

Is there any reason why he
picked that particular restaurant?

Oh, it's an old favorite.

Would you call it
kind of a hangout?

Well, I wouldn't
exactly call it that. No.

This friend of yours.
Does he have connections?

Well, he's a member of the
American Medical Association,

if that's what you mean.

Does he make frequent
trips to New York?

Frequent trips? Uh, no.

But what has all that got to do
with Dr. Hazlitt's disappearance?

Maybe nothing.

Or maybe what?

Let's hope it's nothing.

(SIGHS)

Dr. Hazlitt took his phone
call right here at my desk.

I left him here, went back to my
customers, never saw him again.

Were you acquainted with
Dr. Hazlitt before tonight?

Not before this evening.

You know, we just took a
walk through the garage.

Dr. Hazlitt's car
was still there,

even though your parking lot
attendant said it was picked up.

Why'd you tell him
to lie to us, Freddie?

Watch it, Lieutenant.

I'm too busy watching you.

Where'd a two-bit pizza maker get the
dough to buy into a place like this, eh?

Mrs. Fletcher, why don't
we have a look around?

Yes, I think that would
be a very good idea.

You don't have a warrant.

Hey, Freddie, I need a
warrant, you're in big trouble.

You got it?

Yeah. Yeah, get me
Sal, quick. This is Freddie.

Hey, Freddie, aren't you gonna
give us a guided tour of the premises?

Be my pleasure.

Is that the private dining room?

Yeah. Uh, there was a birthday
party there tonight, a kid's birthday.

I forget the name. I could
look it up, if you want to.

Where's that door lead?

Uh, to the alley.

It was used as a rear entrance
years ago, during Prohibition,

but it's not used anymore.

We take the trash
out the kitchen door.

Lieutenant, there's a bleached
out spot here on the carpet, a stain.

It looks as if it's been treated
recently with a strong solvent.

Uh, one of the bus boys
must have spilled something.

You can't get decent
help these days.

Yeah, well, there are some
other spots that were overlooked.

Uh, you want to see the kitchen?

No.

I want to see what the
bus boy spilled, Freddie.

Looks like dried blood.

From the fish guts. We
throw out a ton of the stuff.

But you said the trash was
taken out through the kitchen.

Hey, Lieutenant,
you're ruining my carpet!

If the lab says this
is human blood,

I'm gonna ruin a lot more
than your carpet, Freddie.

Something's happened to Seth.

There's somebody in the street.

Who'd be crazy enough to be
walking in this neighborhood at night?

Hit him with the light.

What can we do for you?

I'm a doctor. I want to
report a gunshot wound.

You scared me to death,
disappearing like that.

I couldn't imagine what
had happened to you.

What did happen to you, Doctor?

Well, I met some
very interesting people.

I'd just as soon not
see most of them again.

Is this thing on?

It is now.

Well, as I'm sure
Mrs. Fletcher told you,

I was summoned to an urgent phone call
by the maitre d' at the Clams 'n' Claws.

Well, the moment he
showed me into his office,

I realized there
wasn't any phone call.

But there was an urgent
situation that called for a doctor.

A man was lying on
the couch, bleeding.

A young man I later
came to know as Michael,

told me his father
was shot accidentally

when a hunting rifle was
dropped and it went off.

Well, I've heard that story before,
but the patient was in a bad way.

There was a bullet lodged
dangerously close to his heart.

I suggested a hospital for immediate
surgery, but they vetoed that.

They had somewhere else in mind.

Mmm.

Do you think I could have
a little bit more coffee?

I'm chilled to the bone.

Oh, sure.

Thank you. Where
did they take you?

Well, it was hard to tell.

The windows on the
limousine were highly tinted.

I do think I ran across a
covered bridge at one point.

And then, later on, we arrived
at some sort of country mansion.

I used the dining
room as the O.R.

Now, my medical bag had been brought
there before by Michael's brother Sal.

I'll tell you, he watched
every move I made.

Michael was assisting me.

I didn't have any anesthetic,

so I was about to give the patient
some barbiturate to knock him out.

Sal became very suspicious
and tried to stop me.

I explained it would let his father sleep
long enough for me to extract the bullet.

Or would he rather have him
wide awake to feel the knife?

Fortunately, Michael
saw it my way.

Sal gave me a warning that
practically curled my hair, I'll tell you.

But I went ahead and
gave his father the injection.

Oh, I had asked the patient's wife,
I suppose it was the old woman,

if she'd be kind enough to boil my
instruments so they'd be sterilized.

She did that, and we
went on with the operation.

Well, what happened then?

I removed the bullet,
patched the fellow up.

His vital signs seemed to improve,
color came back into his face,

and then Michael,
I think it was,

had the Bobbsey Twins
drive me back to town.

You still don't have any idea whose
life you saved on that dining room table?

Nope.

Although I had a pretty good idea
it was not some country preacher.

Does the name Carmine
Abruzzi ring a bell?

The notorious mobster?

Oh, Seth!

Well, I'm certainly
glad I didn't know that.

I might have let my hands slip.

Well, thank you very much
for this coffee, Lieutenant.

Even though it tasted
as if it had been filtered

through some patrolman's
pocket, it was nice and hot.

Where do you think you're going?

Oh, back to Cabot Cove.

I've got to get back
to work on my book.

Yeah, and I've got to
see some patients, too.

I don't think so.

You see, the FBI is sending two
agents up from New York in the morning.

They want to talk to you guys.

Why?

I don't know anything about
Mr. Abruzzi or the shooting.

I only saw the bullet come
out. I certainly didn't see it go in.

Look here, Lieutenant...

You had a hard night.
You need some sleep.

I'll get you both rooms in a good hotel.
The government will pay for everything,

including breakfast, room
service, whatever you want.

But what we want is to go back
home, and the sooner the better.

Yes. Relax.

Look, the worst thing that could
happen is that they call you as witnesses,

change your names, and
relocate you to Provo, Utah.

I'm sorry if I embarrassed you
in front of your family, Michael,

but I couldn't stay
there one second longer.

I thought about it all night,

and I decided to stay at my
mother's until after the baby is born.

Denise.

I love you, Michael, but I
won't be married to a gangster.

Listen to me.

My father was shot last night
when we were leaving the restaurant.

Oh, Michael.

We found a doctor to treat him.

It seemed like he
was getting better,

but about an hour ago

Pop died.

Sal is sure the
doctor killed him.

Lieutenant Marino said the FBI
would pick us up at 8:30 sharp.

Well, we still have
a minute or two.

Oh, drat. I left my medical
bag in the coffee shop.

I'll be right back.

Oh, Dr. Hazlitt just
dropped inside for a moment.

Yeah.

Uh. Yes. We were told that
you want to talk to both of us.

Wait in the car, please.

All right.

Jess!

That's the wrong car!

Get in the car,
lady, or he's dead.

Your turn, Doctor.

(MARCO SPEAKING ITALIAN)

I didn't want to bother you,
Michael, so I took it upon myself

to make the necessary
arrangements.

Carmine will be shipped back
to his native land for burial.

I felt it would be unduly stressful
for Rosa to accompany the coffin.

She needs to be with her
family at a time like this.

What are you doing
about my father's death?

I'm going into town now

to meet with the representatives
of some of the other families.

Of course, they'll all deny
ordering a hit on your father.

Somebody did.

When are they taking the body?

Early in the morning.

I thought, perhaps, you'd all
like to stay over to see him off.

Pick any empty guest
room. My home is your home.

Michael, we'll talk.

I don't like that man.

He doesn't like you.

Even as a kid, I wondered
how a lawyer with one client

could be richer than his client.

Remind me to take a
good hard look at the books.

You know, you're
beginning to feel it already.

What?

The power.

No, you're wrong, Denise.

The only power I want is the
power to turn this family around.

Now, if you can't believe that, then
you should walk out of here right now.

Connie, help Denise
find a guest room.

Oh, look who's giving orders
already. Just kidding. Don't rub me out.

So, honey, you want a
view of the garden or what?

(DOORBELL RINGING)

Dr. Hazlitt.

And my name is Jessica Fletcher.

Now, we were brought
here under duress,

snatched from the
sidewalk in front of our hotel.

Now, the word for
that is kidnapping,

and there is a sentence
that goes with that word.

All right, hold on, hold on. Just a
second. Marco, what is going on here?

We own a cop in the North End.

He told Sal the FBI was gonna
pick up the doctor at his hotel,

so Sal told me
to get there first.

What about this woman?

I didn't know she
was gonna be there.

And to make it worse, he wouldn't
tell us why we were being picked up.

Michael, is it your father? Did
he take a turn for the worse?

Yes, he took a turn.
A 180 into oblivion.

Your father is dead?

Well, he was fine when I left him.
I told you to get him to a hospital.

Well, what happened?

His heart started pounding in his
chest. It was like a racing motor.

And then it stopped. Was it
because of your medicine, Doctor?

If anything, the stuff I gave
him would have slowed it down.

I don't understand it, Jess.

CONNIE: Sal!

SAL: Hey, can I help
it if you didn't knock?

Marco, watch them.

CONNIE: You dirty, rotten louse!

(CONNIE SCREAMING)

PHYLLIS: Get her out of here!

DENISE: Michael.

Michael.

SAL: Come on, let
me alone, will you?

This is how you show
respect for your father and me?

I mean, why don't you just go
ahead and do it in your father's bed?

Connie, Connie, take
it easy, take it easy.

What is going on here?

Hey, what does it look like is
going on? She walked in on us.

I was looking for an empty guest
bedroom with a view of the garden.

Some view I got, the
two of them like animals!

You're just jealous
because he wants me.

(SCOFFS)

Well, how would you
like a mouthful of blanket?

Sal, is this how you
say goodbye to Pop?

Pop would understand.

Oh, you pig!

Hey, come on.
Get her out of here.

Come on, come on.

When I am through with you, you're
gonna wish you're as dead as Carmine!

Come on, Connie. It's all
right, it's all right, it's all right.

(CONNIE SCREAMING)

Sorry.

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

What do you mean you can't get a
line on the car that picked them up?

Well, what about the doorman?

He was on his coffee break?

No! No, you stay with it!

Look, I don't care if you
guys ever eat lunch again!

Your department
screwed up, Lieutenant.

It never happens to you guys?

How did Carmine get
here in the first place?

Save it for the
Commissioner, Marino.

You cost us two witnesses.

People. They're people, damn it.

Play that tape
again, Lieutenant.

(TAPE REWINDING)

(SETH ON TAPE) I
couldn't be quite sure.

The windows on the
limousine were heavily tinted.

Though, at one point, I did feel that we
crossed over some sort of covered bridge.

A few minutes
later we arrived at

what must have been some
sort of country mansion.

Which bridge?

How many of Carmine's
Boston associates

own a country mansion
with a covered bridge nearby?

Check it out.

The way I got it figured,
Doc, is you were the backup,

in case the hit man
didn't finish him off.

When you called
in your reservation,

you made sure to let Freddie
know you were a doctor, right?

Oh, look, apparently, restaurants
have a preference for doctors.

No one seems to know why.

Wrong, lady. Doc
here was Plan B.

Pop gets wounded, Freddie calls Doc,
and he does a number with his needle.

And what was your smart
decision there, Mikey?

"Go ahead, give him the shot."

Pow! What a call!

All right, Sal, you got them here
now. What are you gonna do with them?

If it was up to me? Cement
shoes and into the Charles River.

The lady wasn't even here last night,
Sal! Marco picked her up by mistake.

Tough luck. She's here now.

What do you want to do,
get her a shot on Donahue?

Turn them both
over to the police.

He killed Pop!

You don't know
how ridiculous that is.

This man is a doctor, in
the real old-fashioned sense.

Now, when you needed help for your
father, he didn't ask who or how much.

He simply did what
he could to help.

I mean, the idea of his being a hit
man's apprentice is absolutely absurd!

Jess, Jess, Jess, Jess.

It's nice to hear how
your friends feel about you,

but I don't think these
gentlemen give a hoot.

ROSA: Salvatore!

Tell me it isn't true,
what Connie just told me.

What did you tell her?

The wedding is off!

Why'd you want to tell
her a thing like that for?

She hasn't got enough trouble?

Ma, Ma, take it easy.
Nothing's been decided yet.

You want that nympho,
you can have her.

Be quiet.

I mean, it isn't enough
that I lose a husband,

I have to lose a
daughter-in-law the same day?

I had a dress made for the wedding.
The last fitting was yesterday afternoon.

Now I can't even
wear it to the funeral!

Hey, Ma, wait a
minute, will you?

Ma! Ma, wait a
minute. Hey, Ma, wait.

I'm sorry, but you people
pose a real problem to me.

I'm trying to turn this into a legitimate
family, with legitimate business,

and now my brother
wants to kill you.

I'm not sure I can stop him.

Michael, let me examine your
father and find out the cause of death.

I don't know about that.

Well, it can't hurt him now.

And maybe this will help
to get us out of this alive.

Okay, Doc, take a look.

But whatever you
find, you tell me first.

He was shot at close
range. Probably a .32.

Local freelance hit
guy named Johnny Carr.

Lieutenant, so what?

Well, it looks like
he did a job last night

with a payoff he didn't expect.

Mrs. Fletcher, I
want you to know

that I believe what you
said to Sal about Dr. Hazlitt.

I think the killer would
have shot my father

again had he not fallen
behind the car also.

So there was no need for a Plan
B. Your brother is very forceful.

Yes, but I have
managerial experience.

Enough?

I wouldn't want to put
it to a test right now.

(DOOR OPENING)

(SIGHING)

Joey, Denise needs you
to take her to the store.

Right. My pleasure.

What did you find?

Well, it wasn't my surgery.

But you were right about something
going wrong with your father's heart.

Are you saying my
father's death was natural?

Far from it.

There were scratches and
blood on his upper right arm.

Clearly signs of
a clumsy injection.

By you.

If you will recall, I gave your
father exactly one injection,

and that was in his left arm.

No. Someone else
gave him the fatal shot.

But nobody else entered the house
from the time you left till my father died.

Well, then, I'd say
you have a problem.

SAL: Hey, Mikey, Andrew's
back. Come on down.

Excuse me. Wait here.

Seth, the phone!

On second thought, maybe
you should come downstairs.

Oh.

You can wait in here.
Marco, keep an eye on them.

Right.

Another fine mess I've
gotten you into. Sorry, Jess.

Seth, was I imagining it, or were you
holding something back from Michael?

I know exactly
what killed his father.

The generic name is Digitoxin.

It increases the strength of
the contractions of the heart.

An overdose can
be, and was, fatal.

(WHISPERING) Are
you sure that that was it?

I had a vial of it in my bag.

I checked when I was
upstairs with Carmine. It is gone.

Well, maybe you didn't bring it.

I always carry it. So I checked
my disposable syringes.

Normally I have 10.

I used one this morning,
before the operation.

That means there should have been
nine left, and there were only eight.

Someone has used my medicine
and my syringe to kill Carmine.

Oh, Seth.

The news isn't good. The
families are angry and defensive.

They feel you're going to blame
them unfairly for Carmine's death.

Who shot him from
the roof, Santa Claus?

Guys, that wasn't a
freebie. Somebody paid for it.

Well, they're saying
it wasn't one of them.

They would have
hired someone better.

What do they want
from us, Andrew?

They want Michael
to put it to rest

by showing the
matter's been dealt with.

What do they want
me to do, kill the doctor?

And the woman.

They want sacrifices?

They're insane.

Michael, I can't advise
you in this matter.

I don't even know about it.

But if you don't do what
the other families want,

you will lose all the respect
they had for your father.

If they don't have
respect for the Abruzzis,

you're in charge of nothing,
'cause they'll blow us away.

It's up to you, Michael.

Do you want to
go to war over this?

What do you say, Mikey?

(CLEARS THROAT)

(WHISPERING) I remember them.

She's that spoiled brat who made such
a nuisance of herself at the restaurant.

And her daddy, the one who
sent her off with the chauffeur.

Funny we haven't
seen them around.

They probably didn't
want to be seen.

Remember, Seth, Sal
said, "Andrew's back."

Now this is beginning
to make sense.

Andrew Gant is a distinguished
Boston Brahmin lawyer.

And, Little Miss Muffin
Face here was in her cups,

raving about somebody named Sal.

Could she be the reason
the wedding was called off?

I'm beginning to sound like one of those
ladies down at Loretta's beauty parlor.

The wedding.

That's what it's all
about, isn't it, Seth?

What what's all about?
Talk sense, woman.

I am. And it makes
perfect sense, believe me.

Uh, Seth, you need
to go to the bathroom.

No, not really.

Go to the bathroom. Now.

Oh.

(CLEARS THROAT)

Would you excuse me, please,
Jess? I've got to run off to the bathroom.

Oh, yes, yes, of course.

Hold it.

That's just it, young man,
I can't. Weak bladder.

All right, come on.

Hello?

911 operator. This
is Jessica Fletcher.

Please contact Lieutenant Jerry
Marino of the Boston Police Department

and tell him that we are
being held by the Abruzzi family

at Andrew Gant's country house.

You think I'm gonna let you get
away with that? Think again, lady.

It's okay, Sal. I'll take over.

The hell you will. You
don't have the guts.

It doesn't take guts to kill
defenseless people, Sal.

Okay, then, you do it.

Go ahead, little
brother, blow her away.

Yeah, right, I'm gonna give
you the gun. Get out of the way!

Give me the gun, Sal.

Give me the gun or
you're out of the family.

No way.

Pop would never let you
do something like that.

You still don't get it, do you?
I'm Pop, and what I say goes!

(SIRENS WAILING)

Police!

(GUN FIRES)

OFFICER: First
car, take the front.

Move it, move it, move it!

Let's go, let's go!

Open that door.

(BANGING ON DOOR)

What are you doing?

You can't barge in here.
Do you know who I am?

Oh, yeah. You're a
mouthpiece for the mob.

We're responding to an emergency
911 call that came from this house.

No one made any
such call from here.

I did.

This is Michael Abruzzi.

Mrs. Fletcher and
Dr. Hazlitt were kidnapped

by order of Andrew
Gant and my brother Sal.

Lieutenant, you got
here very quickly.

Well, we were only a mile
away when we got the call.

Covered bridge, big estate,
high-priced mob lawyer. It wasn't hard.

By the way, we found
the dead hit man.

But, uh, we still don't
know who hired him.

Well, I do.

It's the reason that the
hit man only fired one shot

instead of spraying the
alley with his automatic rifle.

It was someone close
to Carmine Abruzzi.

It needs more garlic.
Where's the provolone?

Yeah, I'm working on it.

Oh, so you're still here.

Rosa, this is Lieutenant Marino.

Hello.

Marino? Is your
mother's name Gloria?

No, that's my aunt.

She flirted with all the men.

Well, she still does. She's 75.

Well, stay for
dinner. There's plenty.

I really can't, I'm on duty.

Mrs. Abruzzi,

Mrs. Fletcher and I, we
need to talk to you. Alone.

Denise, you and
Connie go set the table.

You, too.

Oh, Rosa, don't you
think we should sort of...

Go. Go.

I'll get Michael.

How'd you know?

Mrs. Fletcher figured it out.

It was something you let slip when
Connie said the wedding was off.

It isn't enough I
lose a husband,

I have to lose a
daughter-in-law the same day?

I had a dress made for the wedding.
The last fitting was yesterday afternoon.

Now I can't even
wear it to the funeral!

When you went to
your fitting yesterday,

you already knew that you were
scheduled to go to Italy with your husband.

But you didn't
cancel the fitting,

so you must have
made other plans.

It wasn't fair of Carmine to
take me away from my children.

I would have missed everything.

The wedding, the birth
of my first grandchild.

I couldn't bear that.

I remembered hearing Carmine tell
Andrew about a gunman named Johnny Carr.

His number was in my
husband's phone book.

I paid him half the money,

and I said I'd give him
the other half afterwards.

I wanted Carmine to die quickly,
but this man, he botched it.

I took the vial and the syringe

when I put the instruments back
in the medical bag after the surgery.

Carmine must have
had a heart condition,

or the Digitoxin wouldn't
have worked so quickly.

He didn't want nobody to know.

The doctor said never
give him too much.

When I was alone
with Carmine, I...

I said goodbye, and I...

I kissed him,

and I killed him.

And then you killed the hit man.

He didn't do it right.
He hurt my Carmine.

Rosa, how did you decide that
murder was the solution to the problem?

It was easy.

I just asked myself,

"What would Carmine do?"