Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 7, Episode 13 - Moving Violation - full transcript

He said that this time
he was gonna kill her.

FEMALE NARRATOR:
Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

If you don't smarten up, Sheriff,
you are gonna get so much heat...

Well, what can I do?

You're not caving in to
political pressure, are you?

I'd let you rot here...

That'll look real good on the
front page of the Washington Post.

It's the way they play
in the big leagues.

You murdered the prisoner.

Somebody should have
killed that guy long ago.

It's really a shame that your
Sheriff didn't drop the charges.



I thought you had more
fight in you than that.

Stand up to them, Mort.

Morning, Len, Mrs.
Costner, Janet. Lovely day.

We need rain. Yes, it's been
a mite dry lately, hasn't it?

Well, you know what they say.
Sunshine brings the tourists out.

Tourists! Hmph!

The reason I retired to
Cabot Cove four years ago

was to get away from
those people, Mayor.

Well, that's why the good people
of Cabot Cove elected me mayor.

To make sure that nothing
spoils our fair little community.

Well, you look very
lovely today, Janet.

You been around to register yet?

Why vote? It only
encourages them.

POLICEMAN: Yeah,
what's shaking, Floyd?



FLOYD: The only call was
from Shorty down at the garage.

Says your Caddy will
be ready about 5:00.

Listen, if things
are that quiet,

maybe I'll just stop and hit a
bucket of balls on the way in, huh?

That's a-okay here.

Oh, listen, Floyd,
I forgot to tell you.

Mrs. Fletcher's going to be
stopping by to look at some files.

Give her all the help
she needs, okay?

Roger. Ten four.

(TIRES SCREECHING)

(SIREN WAILING)

What's the problem, officer?

You missed a stop
sign back there, sir.

I didn't see any stop sign.

Maybe that's because
you were going so fast.

Can I see your driver's
license and registration, please?

Oh, come on, give me a
break. No harm, no foul.

Driver's license
and auto registration.

Ah, jeez.

Well, here's the registration.

You know, I think I must have
left my driver's license at home.

That's pretty dumb, isn't it?

May I see some kind of
identification, please, sir.

Sure. I think I've got
something right here...

Right here.

That's my name, right under
the picture. Ben Franklin.

You keep that. I got
another one at home.

You want to step out
of the car, please, sir?

Oh, look my friend, what's a lousy
stop sign go for in this burg, huh?

Two hundred?

Hey! Come on, what
the hell you doing?

What I'm doing, sonny
boy, is taking you to jail.

Find what you're
looking for, Miss Fletcher?

Well, I was at a sticky
place in my book.

I had to get my facts straight
about the medical report,

and then I remembered
something that happened years ago

when Amos Tupper was sheriff.

(TIRES SCREECHING)

Oh, if that's Sheriff
Metzger coming back,

I think I'd better give
him back his desk.

Maybe he forgot his golf clubs.

You're making a big
mistake here, my friend.

Yeah, yeah. Hey, hey,
can't we talk about this?

I mean, be reasonable!

I can see you're busy, Sheriff.
Why don't I come back later?

Floyd, book that guy.

Drunk driving, speeding,
driving without a license,

and trying to bribe
a police officer.

Bribe? You must be kidding.

All I did was him ask for
change to make a phone call!

And I want to
make that call now!

You'll make a phone call when I
say you can make a phone call.

You got that?

Floyd, count this. There
must be 20, 25 grand in there.

Mrs. F., if you'd be so
kind as to check his figures

and sign this
sheet as a witness.

And this one, put in
a special envelope.

BRAD: Man! Do you know who I am?

Hellman, Bradley. Two "L" s.

Do you know who my old
man is? Ambassador Hellman.

Maybe you've heard of
him even in this hick town.

Ambassador Chandler
Hellman from New York?

This is false arrest! He's gonna
have your butt with a knife and fork.

Look, you sit down and you
shut up until I ask you a question.

You got that? I don't care if your
old man is the King of England.

Now, you're gonna
do time for this.

On that you got my
personal guarantee.

And if you're even
thinking about making bail,

forget it!

DRAKE: Chandler Hellman?

The biggest Washington clout
that money can buy, Jessica,

but his real power base
is right here in New York.

And if you're thinking of putting
him in one of your books, forget it.

His lawyers will
have you in court

before the dirt
gets on the page.

Well, I'm afraid a
Woodward-Bernstein slashing expose

isn't my forte, Haskell.

Well, there's not much to know
about Chandler Hellman, Jessica.

The man's about as deep as plastic
food wrap and just as transparent.

He made a fortune
in defense contracts.

He laid out some heavy
bucks in political contributions

and got rewarded with a couple
of minor ambassadorial gigs.

So now he and his new wife...
He traded in his old model, Jessica.

Are buying their way
into the power elite circles.

I understand there's a son.

Oh yeah, him... A snotty
little wastrel as I remember.

He nearly got himself into the
deep dumper a few years ago.

Oh? Yeah, but it all
got swept under the rug.

But the word is he
got drunk one night.

He totaled the new car
that his daddy bought him

and wiped out four people, an
off-duty policeman, his wife, and kids.

Oh, how awful.

Like I said, daddy
managed to tidy things up.

I don't think anything
ever came of it.

An off-duty policeman? Yeah.

Hmm, that might
explain it. Explain what?

Oh probably nothing.
Thanks Haskell.

I'll call you again if I
need anything more.

We seem to be having a
communication problem here, Sheriff.

I am representing
Ambassador Hellman's son.

He has a right to
legal representation.

Oh yeah, we've heard about
that. Even here in Cabot Cove.

Then let's make it simple.

You reduce the charges to
misdemeanor, driving without a license

and we'll pay a fine.

You get your paperwork
done by lunchtime,

we're on our way back
to New York. No deal.

I've got him on drunk driving,
and trying to bribe a police officer.

Legally speaking,
you've got nothing, Sheriff.

Brad tells me that
you failed to advise him

of his right to refuse
a Breathalyzer test.

Anyway, we're gonna
make that claim in court.

He tried to bribe me!

Yeah, well, since you
don't have any witnesses,

that's going to be
very difficult to prove.

Face it, Sheriff. If you
press those charges,

you're only going to
embarrass yourself in court.

Watch me.

I don't embarrass easily.

I want my client out on bail!

Well, why don't you call the
bail commissioner in Augusta?

I already did. He doesn't
have paperwork yet.

Maybe it got lost.

I'll run a tracer for you.

So that's the way
it's going to be?

That's the way it's
going to be, counselor.

If you don't smarten up, Sheriff,
you are gonna get so much heat

that they are gonna be able
to fry eggs on your backside.

Yes, Mr. Congressman.
I'm looking into it personally.

Uh, yes, sir.

Well, I'll call you just as soon
as I get things sorted out. Bye.

Sam? I came as soon
as I got your message.

Mabel said it was a matter of
life and death? It is, Jessica!

Mayor, there's a Mr. Grundle from
the Governor's office on line two.

Well, tell him I'll call him.
Uh, tell him I'm in a meeting.

Oh, hold all my calls, Mabel!
Sam, what's the matter?

You've got to talk
with him Jessica. Who?

Sheriff Metzger! He's got some
very important people upset with him.

My phone's been
ringing all morning.

Let me guess. Brad Hellman?

I feel like I've run over a hornet's
nest with my power mower.

Sheriff Metzger
won't listen to me.

I went over there
and he told me to...

Well, it was very rude.

Now, Sam, you're not caving
in to political pressure, are you?

Oh, of course not.

I mean you do plan to stand firmly
behind our Sheriff, don't you, Sam?

Oh, uh, absolutely, Jessica.

Excuse me, Mayor...
I said hold my calls!

But there's someone
here to see you, Mayor.

Mayor Booth?

I am Ambassador Chandler
Hellman. This is Mrs. Hellman.

And I do not mind telling
you I am very upset.

Yes, indeed, Mr. Ambassador,
and I am very concerned myself.

What kind of a place
is it where a boy

can be terrorized and thrown into
jail over a simple traffic violation?

Well, I'm looking into the matter
personally, Mr. Ambassador.

I was just over at the sheriff's office
where I demanded an explanation.

(CLEARS THROAT)

Sam...

Oh, may I introduce
Jessica Fletcher,

the famous author.

Mr. And Mrs. Ambassador
Hellman. How do you do?

Mrs. Fletcher. J.B. Fletcher?

Oh, of course.

Well, I knew that you lived in
Maine, but I had no idea it was here.

Oh, Chandler, Mrs.
Fletcher is quite a celebrity.

Now then, what is it that I can
do to help you, Mr. Ambassador?

You can remove
that Sheriff from office

and replace him with
someone a little bit less corrupt!

I beg your pardon,
did you say "corrupt"?

Mr. Farrell, our
family attorney,

informs me that this
local police authority

is holding my son on
a trumped-up charge

and is trying to extort
money from him.

Oh, I'm sorry, but I can't
believe that for a moment,

Chandler, dear,

perhaps we better
talk with this Sheriff

before we get too
excited about all this.

You know, there is a way
to settle it without too fuss.

What do you think,
Mrs. Fletcher?

Well, I certainly don't
approve of pressure tactics.

Oh, absolutely not.

Chandler dear, now you
really have to calm down.

You haven't even
talked to Brad yet.

Bradley, what is it going to
take to straighten you out?

Hey, they've got it
in for strangers here.

They're making it sound a
lot worse than it was, Dad.

Bradley, you forget
that I know you.

I ought to let you
rot here for a while.

It might finally make
a man out of you.

Oh, sure, sure.

Maybe they ought to send
me to jail for a couple of years.

That'll look real good on the
front page of the Washington Post.

Hmm, I guess my husband is
giving Brad a good talking to.

Poor boy, things haven't
always been easy for him.

Sheriff, do you mind if I help
myself to some of this coffee?

Oh, here, let me get
that for you, Mrs. Hellman.

Cream? Sugar? Black, thank you.

Do you have children, Mayor?

No. No, I don't.

They can be such a trial.

You know, Mrs. Hellman, you seem
much too young to be Brad's mother.

Oh, Brad's mother
was Chandler's first wife.

I'm afraid he was
rather neglected.

Well, Chandler was so busy
and away so much of the time,

and even when he was there,

I suspect he was
rather stern with him.

Poor boy.

Well, it would be such a shame
if his whole life were ruined

just because of one
little misunderstanding.

What about Frank Casey's life?

And his wife and two kids?

Oh, I don't believe we
know any Frank Casey.

(CHUCKLES) But we
meet so many people.

Damn it, Mayor. I
will not stand for this!

I want bail posted immediately!

And I'm giving you notice that I
intend to file charges of police brutality!

Now, just a moment. There's
never been any question of brutality.

Oh, no? That is not
how it looks to me!

Who did this to you?

He did it!

What can I do?

For openers, you could
show some backbone, Sam.

Listen, Mort Metzger has
done a wonderful job as Sheriff

since he came from New York.

Maybe so, but he's got it in for
that boy. And we can't have it.

Well, maybe he was a little
bit stern with Brad Hellman,

but I mean, he has
gone by the book, Sam.

Stern? We can't have him
beating up people in our jail,

especially the sons of influential
people from Washington!

Oh, nonsense!

I don't believe for a moment that
Sheriff Metzger struck that young man.

Floyd told me that there
wasn't a mark on him

until his father went
back in to see him.

Now, if you ask me,
Ambassador Hellman hit him.

Well, maybe so, but that's
not what the boy says!

Now they're sending an official

from the state
capital to investigate.

There's nothing more I can do.

Well, somebody
has to do something.

What can we do for you, Len?

I brought over your
prisoner's lunch from the diner.

You working at the diner
now? I thought you were retired.

I'm not a working anyplace.

Trudy was busy and short
handed and I offered to help out.

Well, just set it
there on the counter.

I'll take It in there as
soon as I finish here.

Trudy says be sure it don't get
cold. I'll just take it back to him.

Fine.

Hey listen, pick up the breakfast
tray while you're back there, will you?

Got your lunch.

You've made my day.

Meat loaf, mashed
potatoes and carrots.

Terrific!

I don't believe this!

Are you gonna stand
there and watch me eat?

What? You think I'm
gonna steal the silverware?

(DOORBELL RINGS)

Oh, Mrs. Hellman. I hope I'm
not disturbing you, Mrs. Fletcher.

Oh, not at all. Would
you like a cup of coffee?

I was just going
in for a refill.

Oh, no, thank you.
I'm already on edge.

I've just been to see Brad, bring
him some fresh clothes from the hotel.

Poor boy, he seems so depressed.

Well, yes, I suppose he
would be. Won't you sit down?

Thank you. Jessica,
I need your help to...

Well, diffuse a difficult situation
before it gets out of hand.

Now, I know that you have a lot of
Influence in this little community...

Mrs. Hellman, if you're
asking me to use my influence

to persuade Sheriff Metzger to drop
the charges against your stepson,

I can't do that.

But all the accusations against
Brad are so hopelessly muddled.

I mean, nothing can be proved.
So why stir up an ugly mess?

I believe that's for
the courts to decide.

Of course.

Jessica, my husband has been
under a great deal of pressure lately.

He's up for a very
important post.

Now, an incident like this...
Even though it can't be proved,

well, you know the media,
they would have a field day.

Apparently, the press
was effectively muzzled

when that family was
killed in the drunk-driving

accident four years
ago in New York.

Oh, well, I don't know
what you heard about that,

but Brad was absolved
of any wrongdoing.

Yes, I understand
that the authorities

were persuaded to drop the
charges against your stepson.

But, I'm afraid that
wouldn't work in Cabot Cove.

Mrs. Fletcher, my husband
is a very powerful man.

Yes, I'm sure.

He's also very determined.

Unless your Sheriff Metzger
can wake up and smell the coffee,

he could find himself
in a lot of trouble.

I don't think sheriff Metzger
is intimidated by threats.

And I can assure you, I'm not.

Oh, it's not a threat, Jessica.

It's the way they play
in the big leagues.

It's a fact of life.

Thank you, I won't
keep you any longer.

Oh, if that Sheriff is really a
friend of yours, do him a favor.

Advise him to back off.

Good night.

Is this a private party, or
is there room for a friend?

Hi, Mrs. F. I'm afraid I'm
not very good company.

Me either. Care
to compare notes?

You first.

I'm a little discouraged,

the way some people seem
to be able to bend the rules,

particularly if they are
powerful and privileged.

Hey, that's not going to
be my problem anymore.

I'm hanging 'em up.

Your quitting?

I thought you had more
fight in you than that.

One of the reasons I left
the NYPD was because I...

I couldn't handle
politics in police work.

What exactly
happened in New York?

Who was Frank Casey?
Was he a friend of yours?

Frank Casey was a good cop.

I'm not saying he was
my best buddy. We...

We used to bowl together.
I knew his family. Okay?

One night Frank and Doris and the
two kids are driving home from a movie

when a drunk driver runs
a red light. Broadsides 'em.

All of 'em gone.

But the drunk driver,

not a scratch.

Brad Hellman.

I wasn't there. I didn't
see it with my own eyes.

But there were people who knew.

There was a wino who
saw the whole thing happen.

The medics who had
to clean up the mess.

All the guys in the
precinct knew the score,

but Brad Hellman's
old man put in the fix.

But surely they couldn't
pretend that it never happened.

Four people were dead!

They just let it slip away.

Wino went south.

The official records were
either changed or got lost.

The kid claimed somebody
else was driving the car.

Anyway, Brad Hellman gets off
with a revoked driver's license.

Frank Casey and his family
got a ride to the cemetery.

I'm sorry.

Stand up to them,
Mort. We'll back you.

It's too late.

Brad Hellman made
bail an hour ago.

He's going to beat it again.

And if they have to smear
me to make it happen,

well, I just don't
count for that much.

Not if we don't let
them smear you.

Not if we all fight
this thing together.

Well, we'll see.

But anyway,

thanks, Mrs. F.

C'mon, Billy. Get the lead out!
Wait a minute, Mickey. I'm thirsty.

Why is it that we
haven't gone a mile yet,

and already you're
drinking all the water?

Mickey, look over there.

METZGER: Yeah, I'm on top of the
situation, Mayor, why shouldn't I be?

We sent the body
over to the morgue.

Well, as far as I can make out,

it happened sometime
late last night.

No, I haven't had time to
inform the next of kin yet.

I've been kind of busy.

I was just on my way over to
the Navarro Inn to see you folks.

I'm afraid I've got
some bad news for you.

I already go the news, Metzger!

Somebody from
the coroner's office

called me five minutes
ago at the hotel.

I'm sorry.

Not as sorry as
you're gonna be, pal.

What're you talking about?

If it is the last
thing that I do,

I am going to see you charged
with the murder of my son.

You wanted to see me,
Mr. Mayor? Uh, yes, Sheriff.

Well, that is to say,
no. I mean, not me.

It's Lieutenant Powell
here wants to see you.

State police, criminal
investigation division.

Yeah, well, I didn't
request anything.

Somebody at the state
capital apparently thought

our situation needed
some oversight.

I'll be conducting
the investigation.

You'll find my
authority spelled out

in this letter from the
State Attorney's office.

Yeah, well,
thanks for the offer,

but I'll be investigating Brad
Hellman's murder myself.

Maybe I didn't make myself clear,
Metzger. I'm here to investigate you.

Why, everyone here in Cabot
Cove thinks that Sheriff Metzger

has done a wonderful
job, at least until now.

You're suspended from all official
duties, Metzger, pending formal charges.

Charges? What charges?

It's been alleged that you tried
to solicit a bribe from a prisoner.

One Bradley Hellman.

Well, you've got that
one backwards, pal.

And while the prisoner was
in your custody, you beat him

trying to extort
$25,000 he was carrying

which is still missing.

I don't believe this.

It's further alleged that
you murdered the prisoner

either in the cell or
after you released him

to prevent him from
pressing charges.

What the hell is going on here?

I mean, I know his
old man has got juice,

but this is
absolutely ridiculous.

I'll need your service revolver
as possible evidence, Metzger.

Hand it over.

Oh, now, that's great.
You think I snuffed the kid,

and then you think I'm dumb
enough to use my service revolver?

Maybe not.

But under suspension, you
have no authority to carry it.

It's probably
temporary, Sheriff.

I mean, if you're cleared, I'm
sure they'll give it back to you.

You can all go to hell. I quit!

You can't quit! Nobody in
Cabot Cove wants you to quit.

What am I supposed to do?

I mean, what have I
got, a sign on my chest

that says "Welcome,
wipe your feet here"?

Those charges are ridiculous!

Yes, but that's not the point.

The point is these charges may
be ridiculous, but they are serious!

Oh, come on, Mrs. F.

That desk jockey cop
from Augusta has nothing!

Look, somebody
murdered Brad Hellman.

And you have got to
find out who. All right?

For openers, why was
Brad Hellman in Cabot Cove?

Well, I don't know. He said
he was just passing through.

But Mrs. Hellman said that she picked up
some clean clothes for him from the hotel.

Now, if he was staying
at the Navarro Inn,

now, he certainly wasn't
just passing through.

Hey, and what about his car? He
said that it belonged to somebody else!

New York plates. Registered to a
Morgan Phillips. East 54th Street.

Do you still have some
friends on the New York force

who could run a check for you?

My old partner, Vinnie.

Come to think of it, he's
still got my bowling shoes.

But surely there must be
morgue files or something.

DRAKE: There really wasn't very
much that got into the papers, Jessica.

Well, what about
background, Haskell?

I mean, I thought New York newspapermen
always had the inside scoop on everything.

(CHUCKLING) Okay. So
maybe I heard some rumors.

One story I heard was that Bradley
Hellman claimed he wasn't driving the car.

Well, believe it or not, I got
that one right here in Cabot Cove.

Oh, really? Well,
how about this one?

Some reporter told me that he read
upside down on some policeman's desk

that there was an anonymous
call from a hysterical young woman

reporting an accident and
requesting an ambulance.

Maybe the girl who
was with Brad Hellman.

Well, it sure was somebody
in the vicinity, Jessica.

But if she was sober enough, and
responsible enough to call an ambulance,

maybe she wasn't the
one who was driving.

Sorry, but I don't have
a name and an address.

Well, I can't be sure,
but I might have it.

Now, the car that he was
driving here in Cabot Cove

was registered to
a Morgan Phillips

of New York city, who
Sheriff Metzger checked out

and who turns out to be a
24-year-old of the female persuasion.

Mayor Booth explained your
special qualifications, Mrs. Fletcher,

but an automobile accident that
happened four years ago in New York city

has no bearing
on my investigation

of the murder of
Bradley Hellman.

Yes, but I suspect that it
does, Lieutenant Powell.

And New York is
out of my jurisdiction.

Mrs. Fletcher, I have
everything well in hand.

As a matter of fact, I've
made a breakthrough.

I think we've found
our murder weapon.

Oh, surely not Sheriff
Metzger's service revolver?

No. A different caliber.

Some joggers found it
on the beach this morning

not far from where the
body was discovered.

The perpetrator
must have thought

he was throwing it in
the ocean, but it fell short.

Oh, well, three
cartridges have been fired.

Any fingerprints on the gun?

As a matter of fact, there are.

But I'm not releasing
any information.

I suppose you checked the
registration number on the gun?

I faxed the registration
number to Augusta an hour ago.

Now if you'll excuse
me. Of course.

This is Lieutenant Avery
Powell calling from Cabot Cove.

Would you put me through to
records and registration, please?

That's it. That's the
number on the piece.

Vinnie, take the gum out
of your mouth, will you,

and give me the last part again.

Oh, thanks. You are
a prince among men.

What do you mean, I owe you?

You still owe me ten bucks
from the last world series.

Love to Vi. Thanks, pal.

So the revolver is
registered in New York?

Better than that.

It's registered to the same
Morgan Phillips who owns the car.

I think that we are starting
to connect some of the dots.

Excuse me, please
forgive me for intruding,

but I did want to
offer my sympathy.

How thoughtful of
you, Mrs. Fletcher.

Of course, we are
all in a state of shock.

When I think of that Sheriff shooting
our boy not once, but three times

it breaks my heart.

Oh, this is Brad's fiancée.

She flew up this
morning to be with us.

Oh, yes. It's Miss
Phillips, isn't it?

Yes, that's right.

It's a pleasure to meet
you, Mrs. Fletcher.

Oh, you must be
devastated by all this.

Did you say that
you'd just arrived? Yes.

She flew up in the
family jet this morning.

I know that this is a very
sad time for all of you.

But I was hoping to be able to
have a little talk with Miss Phillips.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Fletcher, but we are
very late for an important appointment.

Please excuse us. Yes,
well some other time.

Arnold, you remember that
young man who was murdered,

Bradley Hellman?

Yeah. The family's
staying here now.

Terrible thing to have happened.

Oh, yes. A tragedy.

But he was staying here before
he was arrested, wasn't he?

Yeah.

Was he alone? Or was
there someone with him?

Well, he was
registered as a single.

Oh, yes, of course.

But that wouldn't necessarily
mean that he was alone.

Now, Jessica, the guests at the
Navarro Inn are entitled to their privacy.

Oh, yes, yes, of course...

Ambassador Hellman is a very open-handed
man, Jessica, generous to a fault.

I see. A good tipper?

The Ambassador and I have had a
private word. If you take my meaning.

Arnold, I wouldn't dream of asking
you to betray any confidences.

Well... Especially if
they've been paid for,

but if that very
attractive young woman

who was having lunch with
Ambassador and Mrs. Hellman

was with Bradley Hellman before,

could you, you know, let
us say, scratch your ear?

So she was with him before he was
arrested and before he was murdered?

You didn't hear it
from me, Jessica.

It's very reassuring to know
that there are still people

who can be relied
upon to keep a secret.

Lieutenant Powell...

Sorry, Mrs. Fletcher, I
don't have time right now.

What have you learned
about the gun registration?

My people at the capital
haven't gotten back to me yet.

Yes, but that's because it
was registered in New York

to the same young woman who
owned the car that he was driving.

How do you know that?

And not only is that young
woman here in Cabot Cove,

but she was here before
Brad Hellman was murdered

and is lying about it. And
what about the fingerprints?

They're not Metzger's and
they're not on file with the FBI.

Well, perhaps they belong to the
young woman who owned the gun.

Miss Morgan Phillips?

We know this is your revolver.

We have a ballistics report
confirming it's the murder weapon

and we have fingerprints.

Miss Phillips, why did you
say that you had just arrived,

when in fact you had been
here before Brad was murdered?

I have enough evidence to book you
on suspicion and take your fingerprints!

Lieutenant, if she owns the gun,

her fingerprints on it
might easily be explained.

Why don't you tell
us what happened?

Brad and I were
engaged last spring.

My parents thought
he was a real catch.

Um, but he... He had problems.

His drinking?

Yes, yes, but it was
much more than that.

He was very angry
and frightened.

His driver's license
was suspended,

and he needed me
to drive him up here

because he said that he
had something he had to do.

So you gave him your gun?

No, he brought it.

I didn't even know he
had it until we got up here.

What was it that Brad had
to do here in Cabot Cove?

He wouldn't tell me. He said that it was
something that was hanging over his head

but that he could
take care of it.

(CHUCKLES)

He said that then
everything would be better

and then we'd be
able to get married.

But it wasn't until
we got up here

that I found out what
he really wanted to do.

He was drinking

and he told me about
this accident that happened

four years ago in New York.

He said that there
had been a girl with him

and she'd slipped away

right after the accident.

Brad said that she could
have testified against him,

that he was drunk and driving.

He said she had been
blackmailing him ever since.

He said that he was sick of it.

He said...

He said that this time
he was gonna kill her.

To shut her up forever.

(SOBBING)

MORGAN: I was so
terrified, Mrs. Fletcher.

He actually told you he
intended to kill this girl?

Yes, that's what he said.

I tried to stop him. I
even hid my revolver.

While he was tearing through
my suitcase, I slipped it into his

and he didn't
think to look there.

He was just so angry
and frustrated, he just left.

Morgan, did Brad tell
you who this girl is?

The one who was
blackmailing him?

No. If I'd known, I
would have warned her.

It strikes me this whole
story is pretty far-fetched.

I mean, we only have your word,
Miss Phillips, that this girl even exists.

Well, if this girl does exist,
someone knows who she is.

Excuse me, Mr. Farrell,
a message for you.

Thank you.

METZGER: So it's the
Costner girl. Uh-huh.

That fits.

The family moved to Cabot
Cove about four years ago.

And Len seems to have set himself
up with a comfortable early retirement.

So what do I do now? Go
in there and bust Farrell?

Well, they're going to know
that my little note was a set-up.

They'll probably
deny everything.

Look, why don't you go on
home? Let me handle this.

Hello, Janet. Oh,
hi, Mrs. Fletcher.

You know, when I was your age, I
used to love to come to this park and read.

There isn't much else to do.

No, I guess Cabot Cove isn't
as exciting as New York city.

You seem a little upset.

Is it because of Brad
Hellman's death?

I don't know any Brad Hellmann.

Yes, I suppose you
didn't know him very well.

I mean, you probably only spent
one evening with him in New York

four years ago, and
it ended so tragically.

How do you know about that?

Well, let's just
say that I do know.

And I'm afraid the police
know too, or they soon will.

I'm not sorry he's dead,
if that's what you mean.

Somebody should have
killed that guy long ago.

Would you like to
talk about it, Janet?

(SIGHS)

There isn't much to tell.

I met him in a bar. He
offered me a ride home.

He had a real hot car.

I should have realized
how drunk he was.

I guess you know what happened.

Yes, a family was killed.

It was awful.

Is that how you hurt your leg?

It was a broken ankle.

But I managed to
walk two blocks on it

to a pay phone to
call an ambulance.

And then my parents.

But you didn't call the police?

My parents didn't
want me to get involved.

And then there were
complications with my ankle.

Dad, he found out that Brad
was Ambassador Hellman's son.

I wanted him put away in jail,

but Mom and Dad,

well, they said he would have
to pay for what happened to me.

And they've been
paying ever since.

It was only right!

After what he
did to our little girl.

It wouldn't have done Janet
no good to put him in jail.

It was only fair that they pay.

Well, I can't condone what you
did, but I think I can understand it.

They've got lots of money.

Someone told me that Brad came
to Cabot Cove to settle something.

To put an end to the hold
that you had over them.

Did you see him that night?

He never came here!

We had nothing to
do with his murder.

We were here together watching
television. All of us. All night.

And we'll swear to it.

You're not going to do anything?

There's nothing I can do.

I checked out what you told me.

The Costners deny it. All of it.

And so does that
lawyer, Farrell.

There isn't a shred of evidence.

No, I think that's all
a side show anyway.

Don't forget, it's Metzger
I'm here to investigate.

But you don't have any real
evidence against Sheriff Metzger.

You don't even have his
fingerprints on the murder weapon.

So he wore gloves.

The details of my investigation

are confidential, Mrs. Fletcher.

That is a medical
examiner's report.

And unless my eyes are bad, it
says that Brad Hellman was shot twice.

I fail to see any
significance in that.

But three bullets were fired
from the murder weapon.

Nothing unusual there.

It was dark. A deserted place.

So Metzger missed with one shot.

Maybe he was nervous.

Yes. Perhaps that
explains it. And the gloves.

Lieutenant Powell,
if you're really

interested in solving
Brad Hellman's murder,

perhaps you'd like to go
along with a little experiment?

I suppose our little community
will get a black eye over this.

But I didn't want
to let you leave

before I told you how very
sorry I am about everything.

That's very sweet
of you, Mrs. Fletcher.

It's really a shame that your
Sheriff didn't drop the charges.

If he had...

Yes, I'm afraid things don't look
too good for our Sheriff Metzger.

Lieutenant Powell thinks that
he has an open-and-shut case.

Except for one small thing.

His fingerprints weren't
on the murder weapon.

Obviously he wore gloves.

Well, Lieutenant Powell
already thought of that too.

That's why he's having Sheriff Metzger's
gloves tested for traces of nitrate.

Nitrate?

Tiny traces of
nitrate, gunpowder,

would be on the gloves,
if he had fired the shots.

Of course, it's amazing
what they can learn

these days from these
scientific tests, isn't it?

Yes, well, I'm sure he'll
get whatever he deserves.

I have to finish packing.

It was very nice to have
met you, Mrs. Fletcher.

I'm sure that we'll
meet again soon.

I guess that removes
any doubt, Mrs. Hellman.

What the hell are
you doing here?

Watching you burn
a pair of gloves.

If you hadn't been
in such a hurry,

you'd have noticed you
burned the wrong pair.

I found these in your suitcase.

Faint odor of nitrate.

The pair you burned were a
similar pair that I put in there.

It was kind of a test.

How dare you go through my
belongings without any authority!

Oh, I've got a search warrant.

It was all Mrs. Fletcher's idea.

Come in.

This is outrageous.
What is going on here?

Mrs. Hellman, remember?

You told me that you'd gotten Brad
fresh clothes when he was in jail.

Well, you must have gotten
them out of his suitcase,

which is where Morgan said
that she'd hidden the revolver.

Well?

I mean, are you suggesting
that I had anything...

I'm sorry, but you
gave yourself away.

When I think of that Sheriff shooting
our boy not once, but three times

it breaks my heart.

Three bullets?

Yeah.

The coroner said there
were three bullets in the body.

Well, I'm afraid
that's another lie.

Only two bullets were
found in Brad's body

according to the
medical examiner's report.

You thought there were three
shots, because you fired three shots.

Apparently, one of
your shots missed.

But then of course, it was dark
and you were probably nervous.

I mean, that fact that you tried
to destroy the gloves confirms it.

(LAUGHING)

I didn't marry Chandler Hellman

to watch his screwed-up
son ruin our career.

The little brat was
a dangerous liability.

One scandalous
episode after another.

And when I realized fate had
handed me a wonderful opportunity

to put an end to the
problem, permanently.

When he was released on
bail, I took him for a drive.

Talk some sense into
him, or so he thought.

You know, he had no shame for all
the trouble that he'd caused everybody.

No idea how much I despised him,

and no inkling of the
solution that I had in mind.

He fell backwards into a ditch.

I drove back to the hotel, had
a hot bath and a double martini.

Chandler, as usual, had
no idea that once again

I'd saved his career.

Drink?

That is one cold and
calculating lady, Mrs. F.

Yes, the longer I
was around her,

the more she reminded
me of Lady Macbeth.

Oh, while I'm thinking of it,

there is something I've
been saving for you, Sheriff.

Well, now, are you sure that that's
what you really want, Mr. Mayor?

Well, absolutely, Sheriff.

You're certain, Sam?

I'm not sure that Mort
would want to continue

unless he enjoys
your total confidence.

Jessica! How can you
even suggest such a thing?

I never had the slightest
doubt about Sheriff Metzger.

(CLEARS THROAT)

Well, never for a moment!

Through all this unpleasantness,
I was right there behind you.

Oh, yeah.

Way behind.