Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 8, Episode 10 - The List of Yuri Lermentov - full transcript

BLAISDELL: Nobody in this town ever tells
the truth about anything anyway, do they?

FEMALE NARRATOR:
Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

Splendid to see you again!

What are you up to, Michael?

I've got a silenced
Walther right here,

which, if I had any brains
in my head, I'd be using.

These missiles would seriously
upset the balance of power.

We could both end up at the
bottom of Chesapeake Bay.

We really should
talk about us. Us?

In your place, I would
probably pull the trigger.

(GASPS)



My countryman was
murdered by a British agent.

(EXCLAIMS)

LERMENTOV: I
suppose it could be worse.

Stalin could still be in power.

Or my ex-wife could be
waiting for me at the airport.

(LERMENTOV CHUCKLES)

Here. Key to the kingdom.

SERGEI: An honor and
a great responsibility.

An interesting game.

I've often wondered if
anything we've sent or received

in the last 20 years
has fooled anyone.

Well, my friend, it won't
be easy filling your shoes.

I'm glad to hear you
say that, Sergei Ivanich.

Although, by all appearances,
you're already finding them too small.



I told you not to come
till tomorrow afternoon.

The staff meeting.
I'm already late.

See you at the reception.

HARRY: Sir, it's one of
the best pieces of legislation

Congressman Prouty
has ever written.

I think that if you just
take one more look at it...

I'll take that.

Sign for it.

Absolutely, sir. He'll
get right back to you.

Got him.

He should be along any
minute now, Mrs. Fletcher.

Oh, that's quite all
right, Harry. I understand.

Well... This goes
in his action file.

You wouldn't believe
his workload nowadays.

Committees, speeches, magazine
articles, planning his campaign.

And he's got all
of it up in his head.

The thing I can't understand, though, is
how he keeps from getting discouraged.

I mean, it takes forever to make
anything happen in this town.

Did I say something
funny, Mrs. Fletcher?

Oh, no, no, no.

Nothing, Harry. I was just thinking
about the impatience of youth.

Yeah, well, I guess it beats making
moccasins up at Buffum's Bay.

Oh, but aren't they wonderful?

You know, I've got a pair,
they must be, oh, 20 years old.

One of the reasons
they're in trouble.

Darn things last too long.

Jessica, can you
ever forgive me?

Don't worry.

Harry has entertained me
wonderfully, and besides,

with your schedule, I'm amazed
you could find any time for me at all.

You were the last
thing I would miss.

Excuse me, sir. I've
taken care of most of these.

And I hope you don't mind, but I ran
your trade bill by Congressman Larsen,

just to test the waters.

I think he's gonna
get behind it.

What's it going to cost?

Support for his wheat subsidy.

Well, I suppose we've made
worse deals. Thanks, Harry.

Cancel our luncheon reservation.

Jess, they've gone and
scheduled a quorum call,

which leaves us
all of five minutes.

Well, I hate to say this, but you
know it's probably for the best.

They moved up my interview.

Which reminds me, I brought
you the advance copy of my book.

Oh, Jessica, I shall
treasure this forever.

Well, not too much, I hope.
I may have to borrow it back.

I'm down to my last five copies.

I'll give you my review
tomorrow morning.

Unbiased, I hope.

Now, I've kept my
part of the bargain.

Jessica, I forgot.

Besides, you don't really
want to read a pretentious,

semi-literate
treatise on fly-fishing.

I most certainly do,
because you wrote it!

All right, I tell you what, I'll give it to
you tonight. There's a trade reception.

Arthur, no.

No, no, no, no! Oh, no, no, no!

It's the only chance we're
gonna have to catch up.

Besides, it's at your hotel. I
won't take no for an answer.

Oh, Arthur, I'd forgotten
what a stubborn man you are.

So, what time?

How does 8:00 sound?

Sounds perfect.

HARRY: Mr. Kesmek,
you can't go in there.

At least have the
decency to call me.

But no, I have to find
out from the newspapers.

I'm sorry, sir. Would you
like me to call security?

Constantin Kesmek,
this is Jessica Fletcher.

How do you do?

Madam.

I'll see you tonight, Arthur.

Excuse me.

Constantin, I don't appreciate
you breaking into my office.

And don't you think you're
overreacting just a little?

Because you and your committee
decided to put me out of business?

I assure you it was
nothing personal.

I've got $14 million worth
of ground-to-air missiles

sitting in New York on a dock.

And now you suddenly decide
that they are illegal for me to ship?

And I shouldn't
take it personally?

It's the quantity, Constantin,
not who's selling them.

We felt that these missiles

would seriously upset the
balance of power in the region.

"Balance of power"?

We're talking a couple
of banana republics

with two pairs of
shoes between them.

Arthur, all I'm asking is that you
look the other way for 24 hours, please.

Mr. Kesmek, I'm quite aware of how
things work around here among other people.

And I'm sure you'll find another
buyer for your ground-to-air missiles,

so I suggest that
you leave before...

Excuse me, sir. Mr. Kesmek,
you have an urgent phone call

from Mr. Standish on line three.

Sir, your quorum call.

Thank you.

STANDISH: Constantin,
I am warning you,

think about the kind of
people that you're dealing with.

Well, forget it.

I've got a buyer.

And after what happened
yesterday, I need this.

So don't let me down.

Don't even consider
that thought.

We could both end up at the
bottom of Chesapeake Bay.

Listen, when I stop taking risks

is when you start missing payments on that
horse farm, and the lady in Georgetown.

So just stick to your law
books and leave business to me.

All right?

(PHONE RINGING)

Lermentov.

CONSTANTIN: I tried
to reach you all morning.

So, now you have me.

I have the materials you required.
You'll receive them tonight.

Perhaps not. I have problems.

Mr. Lermentov, listen carefully,

because I will
say this only once.

Whatever your
problems happen to be,

they are beyond insignificant

when compared to the ones you'll
have if you violate our arrangement.

Understand?

(HANGS UP)

Let's go.

MICHAEL: You've
jeopardized your life with this list.

LERMENTOV: There have been times
I have been more pleased to see you.

MICHAEL: That cuts both ways.

It's a pretty chancy
game you're playing.

Surely someone at the embassy
must know that you had access,

that you're not
ready for retirement.

LERMENTOV: I don't think so. They're
too busy worrying about their own futures.

Being a good apparatchik doesn't
carry the guarantees it used to.

For us, too.

It's as if the structure
has gone out of it.

Yeah. And the fun.

It's old.

It or us?

Well, it sure as hell
isn't Livorno anymore.

Yes. Or Frankfurt.

Look, Michael, you
think I want to do this?

But the apartment I'm
going back to in Kiev

is even smaller and infinitely
more dismal than my pension.

Come on, Yuri, nobody's
twisting your bloody arm.

You've had, what, 17
pretty cushy years here.

"Cushy"?

Posing as a trade
representative,

talking up tractors and
wheat while the field agents

were piling up dollars
in Swiss banks?

Okay, okay, so Salonika was
a tough break, but you're alive.

Sometimes I wish you
hadn't been there for me.

But I was there for you.

Yes.

You know, Michael,

in Moscow, they're
finally beginning to get it.

Perhaps in 20 years, this will
be the next land of opportunity.

But I don't have that much time.

Unlike several of my countrymen

who managed to cut themselves
a slice of the American pie,

I, unfortunately, do not have
a gift for stand-up comedy

or shoving a puck
around a hockey rink.

So, I prefer to do
business with you.

Okay, here's where it is.

I'm not getting a whole lot of
cooperation from those twits at Whitehall.

They're all terrified that
the list you're trying to peddle

is a ploy to rob the exchequer.

So what it totals out to is, you've
got to give me another 24 hours.

Impossible.

The buyer wants to
close the deal tonight.

And my flight for Moscow
leaves at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow.

If you can meet my
price tonight, fine.

Damn you!

I've got a silenced
Walther right here,

which, if I had any brains in
my head, I'd be using right now.

Instead, I'll make
you a promise.

If that merchandise is damaged
in any way at all on account of you,

I swear, if I have to
follow you to Siberia,

I'll kill you.

Michael, if I were
in your place,

I would probably
pull the trigger.

And on the whole, I'm not sure
it wouldn't be preferable to Kiev.

(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING)

ARTHUR: Jess, here's my book.

If you can wade through
it, I guarantee you'll know

more than you ever wanted to know
about fly-fishing in northern Maine.

(JESSICA CHUCKLES)

Well, then, I will
become an expert.

And if you've written it, I
intend to read every word.

I was afraid you
were gonna say that.

CONSTANTIN: I'm
telling you, Senator,

you back that embargo
and your constituents will be,

how do you say?
Very unhappy campers.

You'd be accused
of playing sides.

So, for your own good, I say
you better look at the big picture.

Senator, I...
Excuse me, Senator.

Constantin, I've
got to talk to you.

Standish, what the devil...

You think that I was
upset this morning?

That's before I heard about
your dust-up with Prouty.

Wait...

Now, as usual, I will do my
best to clean up your mess,

but you understand this,

if you go through with
this Lermentov transaction,

you can find
yourself a new lawyer.

Charlie, my boy, let's talk.

HARRY: Bonnie, now listen
to me. Really, I'm not kidding.

Found this great little hotel
in the Shenandoah Valley.

I mean, we're talking heavy-duty
charm, and I figured we could...

Harry.

Come on, Bonnie, I'm 26
years old, for God's sake.

So what if you're four
years older than me?

Harry, that's not
what it's about.

I know what it's
about, all right.

What it's about is you've got
yourself a serious old-guy fixation.

And bless her little
heart for that, too.

Michael Preston,
at your service.

Geriatrically
speaking, of course.

Sir Michael. Harry Neville.

Sir Michael is a lobbyist for
the South African diamond cartel.

Careful with that drink, Harry.

I believe they're checking I.D.

My dear.

(MICHAEL AND BONNIE LAUGHING)

MICHAEL: Hated to leave
him standing there, poor boy.

I mean, I think Harry will make some
post-pubescent teenager very happy.

Don't you?

Michael, what is it?

It's just a woman I know.

Let me guess.
Someone you jilted?

Uh-uh.

A former mistress? An ex-wife?

JESSICA: Wouldn't you
agree, Mr. Lermentov?

With so many changes
taking place now,

the prospect of going
home must be very exciting.

Yes, yes.

I'm very excited about it.

At any rate, we'll
miss you, Yuri.

You've been a fixture around
here for as long as I can remember.

As a matter of
fact, I believe it...

Excuse me, please.

Come on.

Michael... Don't argue, love.

Michael! Michael Ha...

Oh, good Lord! Jessica Fletcher,
isn't it? Sir Michael Preston.

Splendid to see you again!

What are you up to, Michael?

Jessica darling, I promise you

I'll explain everything
to you in good time.

Oh, excuse me.

Oh, no. If you think
this is going to be

another San Francisco
or Athens, you're...

Excuse me.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Terribly sorry.

Got a problem, gentlemen?

What do you suppose
all that was about?

You have no idea how
badly I don't want to know.

And Seth Hazlitt is
as cranky as ever.

Marvelous character. I wish I could
find a physician like him in Washington.

And all the others I
want to hear about.

The McKessons, the
Moreys, the Arnolds.

Well, between your schedule
and that excitement this evening,

I mean, there does seem to
be some sort of a conspiracy.

That Preston fellow.

I can't get it out of my mind that
I've seen him somewhere before.

Jessica, are you sure you don't
know what line of work he's in?

Well, actually, on the few
occasions that I've met him,

he's been rather secretive.

But the young woman
that he was with...

Miss Hartman. Yeah.

She mentioned that he had
something to do with diamonds.

It doesn't ring any bells.

Anyway, we can
salvage a few moments

at breakfast tomorrow morning
and on the way to the airport.

Oh, Arthur, really, I...

Jessica, I'll pick
you up at 7:30 sharp.

Now good night.

It was a wonderful evening.

Despite your friend.

Thank you.

Michael? What are you...

Oh, you were trying to
cure your insomnia, right?

I mean, that's the only possible reason
anyone would spend an entire evening

with that terminally
stuffed shirt.

Michael, Arthur Prouty is not
what this conversation is about.

Now, whatever you...

At least you had the good
sense not to invite him in.

Well, he happens
to be a lovely man.

You and him? Oh, Jess.

Look, Michael, there's nothing
romantic about my relationship with Arthur.

Which certainly doesn't mean
that he isn't very attractive.

He's literate, charming
and principled...

And boring.

I can't believe that we're
having this conversation.

You know, Jess,

when we've got some time,
we really should talk about us.

Us?

Oh, I know what
you're thinking, Jessica,

but you needn't give that
Miss Hartman a second thought.

She was only my
ticket into the reception.

And once I saw you there...

Michael, will you please stop?

Now, listen to me.

I've had it up to here with your
flimflams and your half-truths

and your secrets.

This time it's going
to be different.

Now, I want some answers,
and I want them straight.

Starting right now.

All right, Jessica.

Let's start with the
book. Where is it?

The book. The book?

Mr. Prouty, I believe
you forgot this.

JESSICA: Good night, Michael.
I'm tired. I'm going to sleep.

Well, Jess, I guess
you'll have to trust me.

No, Michael. You've asked me
to do that one too many times.

MICHAEL: Believe me, love,

it's better that you don't know.

For now, at least. Good night.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Yes?

Jessica, it's Arthur.
You forgot something.

Oh, dear. Arthur,
I just realized...

Well, it's understandable, considering
all the excitement downstairs.

Well, that's hardly an excuse,
but I'm very relieved. Thank you.

Jessica, look...

Now, whatever is going on
between you and this Preston fellow

is clearly none of my business,

but I just want to make
sure that you're all right.

I'm fine, Arthur.
Thank you so much.

Good. I'll see you
in the morning, then?

Yes.

(GROANS)

(THUDDING)

(GASPS)

BLAISDELL: Okay, Mrs.
Fletcher, let me put this all in a row.

You're telling me that Mr. Lermentov
was murdered at 4:30 in the morning,

by a third party, and you didn't
know that either of them were here.

Don't know who
the perpetrator was,

how they got in, or what either of them
was doing in your room. Is that right?

Mrs. Fletcher, please.

I mean, both of us, we've been around
the block a couple of times, haven't we?

You... You're Congressman
Prouty, aren't you?

Poor Yuri. He didn't have a
great deal to look forward to,

but it had to have
been better than...

Jessica, you
should've called me.

Oh, really? Why is that? And
what's your connection to the victim?

Well, Arthur introduced
me to Mr. Lermentov.

Well, now doesn't that open
up a whole bowl of noodles.

You know, if I thought I was gonna get a
straight answer from either one of you two,

I'd ask you some questions.

About your relationship
to each other, like,

and where were you
at 4:30 this morning,

and what your connection
to the victim was.

But my better judgment
tells me, "Why bother?"

I mean, nobody in this town ever tells
the truth about anything anyway, do they?

I have a theory about that. I
think it's the drinking water.

You know, Lieutenant,
there is something

that might shed some light
on why Mr. Lermentov...

Jessica!

I just saw the body
bag. Thank heaven.

Who are you?

Oh, excuse me, officer. I'll
explain everything in a moment.

Jessica, about the book. I've
searched everywhere for it.

Book? What book?
By any chance...

Just give me a moment, please.

It's all right.

No, it's not all right.

Now, look, I want to know who you are
and what your connection to all this is.

Would you please just
give me one moment? Now...

All right, that's it, pal.

Either you're prepared to tell me
now who you are, why you're here,

and what in hell all this stuff is about,
or I'm gonna hold you for questioning.

Officer, I really can't afford
to be detained just now.

Well, isn't that a shame.

And unfortunately, I am not
in a position to explain why.

Not at the moment, at any rate.

All right, pal,
that's it. Jackson!

Not me, dummy! It's him I want!

Okay, Mrs. Fletcher.

I lost him, Lieutenant.

Wonderful.

Well. One, at least I know
what my perp looks like.

Two, you are at
least an accomplice.

Three, you're gonna tell
me who he is and fast. Hmm?

BLAISDELL: Okay, Mrs.
Fletcher, one more time.

Who is he? And I'm warning you,

your saying, "I really don't think I
should say," is not an acceptable answer.

This just came in, Lieutenant.

Thanks, Joanie.

Unless, of course, you want to be
arrested for obstruction of justice.

Lieutenant, I... Save
it, Congressman.

Well, lookie here.

Besides Forensics finding
Michael Whatshisname's fingerprints

all over your hotel suite, we also have
yours and his on the murder weapon.

Yeah. Well, I think
that I can explain that.

I'm sure you can, Mrs. Fletcher,
and I'm gonna let you try.

Ten seconds,
starting with his name.

And you, Congressman, I don't wanna
hear another sound out of you, hmm?

If he struck you, Lieutenant, the
matter must be very, very important.

That's it, Mrs.
Fletcher, I've had it.

Too bad. You just bought yourself
a cell in the women's lockup.

You're gonna love it there.
Hot and cold running freaks.

You call this a justice system?

The Baltic states don't know
what they've let themselves in for.

Who the hell are you?

My countryman was murdered
by a British agent, Lieutenant.

Do you intend to
do anything about it?

Or has the State Department already
ordered you to look the other way

because of the ties
between your countries?

MI6, of course! Now I remember!

It was on my visit to Whitehall

on behalf of the Intelligence Oversight
Committee. O'Banion, O'Brien...

His name is Michael Hagarty.

That's it.

But I don't think he's
the killer, Lieutenant.

Of course he is!

I understand that
Mr. Lermentov was a KGB agent.

Nonsense! Oh, come on, Onyegin.

Stay out of this, both of you.

KGB? Who told you that?

Lieutenant, I happen to know
that Yuri was no longer in the KGB.

Not that I am admitting
he ever was in the KGB.

Please, for 20 years our people
have known he was an agent.

All right. Hold it! Cut it
out! Time out! "T" here!

All right, either one of you
opens your mouth one more time,

you're out of here!

ARTHUR: And this Hagarty fellow,

he never told you why he was so
desperate to get his hands on my book?

No, he didn't. He said it
was better that I didn't know.

Which is what he says
virtually every time we meet.

I just never seem to learn.

Maybe your book is some
kind of collector's item,

and this Michael Hagarty's
the only one who knows about it.

Kind of like the little
salt-shaker in your new mystery,

Mrs. Fletcher.

Yes! That was a
wonderful touch, Jessica.

And you know what?

I never in a million years would've
figured that the ambassador did it,

and yet it all made perfect
sense. It was just great.

Well, thank you, Harry.

Isn't that Bonnie over there?

Yeah, it is. Hey, Bonnie!

I guess she didn't hear me.

Now, Jessica, are you
sure you don't want to

move your things to my
guest room in Georgetown?

Oh, no, no,
Arthur, I'll be fine.

The hotel has changed my room.

All right. Now, look, Jessica.

Given that this friend
of yours, Mr. Hagarty,

has once again managed to
spoil our little catching-up session,

my inclination is to
insist that we have dinner.

Arthur, I...

But knowing the kind
of day that you've had,

I think rest is far
more important.

Oh, you're very
understanding. Maybe tomorrow.

How do you do, Mrs. Fletcher?
I am Charles Lawton Standish.

Oh, yes. Yes, I know. I've seen
your picture in the newspaper.

I plead to a degree of infamy.

Mrs. Fletcher, I have a
business proposition for you.

I understand that you have a certain
slip of paper in your possession,

and I would like to
purchase it from you.

Then I am led to assume that you must
be the one who killed Mr. Lermentov?

You are very
direct, Mrs. Fletcher.

No. No, I am not. Think about
it. Would you sit down, please?

What profit would
there have been

in my killing him without
getting my hands on the list?

Well, you seem very confident
that the killer didn't get the list.

Well, the indications
in the marketplace

are that nobody's been
offered the opportunity to buy it.

And what are you
willing to pay for it?

Clearly, your astuteness
as a businessperson

is equal to your
talents as a writer.

The number, Mrs.
Fletcher, is $1,000,000.

Cash.

Yes, well...

I'll have to think about it.

I see. Well, I suggest
you not wait too long,

considering what
happened to Mr. Lermentov.

The sooner that you get
the list out of your hands,

the safer you're going to be.

Michael? Get in here.

Now, no more nonsense.

This place has been searched.

I know that.

Michael... Me?

Jessica, I've been running around
town, dodging the police all day.

Hadn't you better check,
see if anything's missing?

If you mean the
list, it's perfectly safe.

Thank God.

Which is more than
I can say for myself.

You got that right.

I saw you drive up,
and I'm telling you,

you got to look out for
that oaf of a Congressman.

Michael, we are
not going to talk...

Anyone can tell from
the look in the man's eye

that he's positively
bonkers about you.

That... That...

That is absolutely
ridiculous. Now, look...

What, are you blind?

I've known men like that.

They're all tea-party etiquette,

but dull enough to
put a shark to sleep.

Underneath, they're oilier
than Saddam Hussein's hair.

You'll see. He'll wait till your
eyes glaze over with boredom,

and suddenly you'll find
yourself on a cruise ship with him.

Or on one of those
bloody junkets

those jokers are always
going on all the time.

Michael, Michael,
will you please stop?

Okay, okay, fine. But
don't say I didn't warn you.

So,

let's have the list.

No. No?

No. I've let you do it
to me again, Michael.

I'm not blaming you.
You can't help yourself.

But I should've learned by now.

Jessica, darling...
Look, don't interrupt.

And don't, for goodness' sake,

keep calling me,
"Jessica darling."

Look, I've promised myself over
and over that I was never gonna let you

draw me into another one
of your intrigues, into this...

This crazy life that you lead.

Jess, I wouldn't dream of...

But once again, I've gone and
fallen for your lies and your blarney

and that charm you turn
on and off like a faucet.

But now I want an explanation.

Now, I want the truth.

Okay.

Okay, you're right.

Everything you're
saying is true.

Hell, Jess, I guess it's me I should
have been warning you against.

Michael, you're
doing it to me again.

Right.

Now, this list.

What is it a list of? How
did it get into Arthur's book?

And why are people
willing to kill for it?

Look, for whatever it's worth, I
didn't want to get you involved in it...

I know, the list.

It's a list of five
names in code.

Five of my closest
friends, MI6 spooks like me,

and they're under
deep cover in Libya.

In fact, it's so deep

we can't communicate with them to
warn them of the danger they're in.

The danger of their
being found out.

You mean if someone
sells the list to the Libyans...

They'll be killed.

But not till they've been tortured far
beyond the capacities of most men.

Oh, dear.

You've got to understand,
Jess, there's more to it

than us just being members
of the same bloody club.

Reggie Bowers.

Reggie lost an eye breaking
me out of an East German prison

the night before I was to be
shot by a Stasi firing squad.

Ron Priestly. I
was his best man.

I'm godfather to his children.

Rather than tell the bastards
my whereabouts in Beirut,

he let them do things to his body
I don't even want to think about,

much less describe
them to a lady.

How awful.

Anyway, Yuri Lermentov
accidentally got his hands on the list.

He happened to be in the embassy
communications center when

a stray MI6 burst transmission
bounced off the wrong satellite.

He recognized the boys' code-names
and the code for their Libyan assignments.

But I thought that since
the Cold War ended,

the Russians haven't been any
friendlier toward the Libyans than we are.

Well, you got that right.

Only Yuri figured
that there were many

people, middlemen with
connections in Tripoli,

who'd be willing to pay
handsomely for the list,

and then sell it for
bigger money over there.

All those people
trafficking in human lives.

Yeah.

You try not to think of it,
and when you do, you...

You kind of
rationalize the fact that

a great many more lives
are potentially at stake.

Civilians, millions of them.

Except,

every so often I get
this sneaky thought.

Maybe we're just doing
a number on ourselves

to justify playing
Cowboys and Indians.

At any rate, Yuri wasn't all that happy
with himself for what he was doing.

And at the last second,
he had a change of heart.

Slipped the list into that
book that Prouty gave you.

Jess, there's no way you
can imagine how badly

I wanna get my hands
on the miserable son of a...

After what he almost did
to your friends, Michael?

How can you feel that way?

I guess I keep forgetting
how hard it is for civilians

to relate to the
world I live in.

Let me tell you about
Yuri Lermentov and me.

JESSICA: And so Mr. Lermentov
broke into my room to retrieve the list,

to make sure that it didn't
fall into the wrong hands?

That's the way I read it, Jess.

And someone followed him, and...

Yuri was as much my friend
as those fellows in Libya.

The list. Isn't it possible
that there are other copies?

Yuri said no, but
there could be.

Whitehall sent a man into
Libya to warn the others,

but that's gonna
take a few days.

Meanwhile, they
aren't gonna be safe

as long as even one copy of
the damned thing is out here.

And neither are you.

Don't even move, Hagarty,
or you're dead meat.

Lieutenant...

I don't wanna hear
about it, Mrs. Fletcher.

Mr. Hagarty, you're under arrest
for the murder of Yuri Lermentov,

for resisting arrest, for
assaulting a police officer,

and unlawful flight, and with a
little luck, illegal entry into the U.S.

Cuff him.

And you, dear lady.

I'm going to be running
you in for harboring a fugitive.

Lieutenant Blaisdell...

You don't listen, do
you, Mrs. Fletcher?

And if I may say so, you
don't listen very well yourself.

You've got the wrong man.

The person who searched
these rooms is very likely the killer.

And you don't
quit either, do you?

I mean, you'll tell me
just about anything

to take the heat off of
this bozo, won't you?

And I'll tell you
something else.

Both Bonnie Hartman and
Charles Lawton Standish

were here in this hotel
just before I returned.

This is Blaisdell.

I want a fingerprinting unit up here
in Mrs. Fletcher's suite on the double.

OFFICER: Roger, Lieutenant.

I'm still taking Hagarty in.

And you, Mrs. Fletcher,

don't even think about leaving
town and don't touch anything.

Jessica, for God's
sake, be careful.

Five people, five lives, and
yours, hang in the balance.

Let's go. Come on.

(DOOR CLOSES)

BLAISDELL: Forget it, Mrs.
Fletcher. I am not interested.

I've got my perp, I've got
my motive, my opportunity,

my means, plus fingerprints
and a whole lot of no alibi.

So, why don't you go off and write
another book and stop bothering me?

(PHONE RINGING)

Yeah?

Pick her up.

Well, I guess this town hasn't totally
corrupted you, Mrs. Fletcher, after all.

Our guys lifted a couple
of perfect fingerprints

from your hotel room.

They belong to this
Miss Bonnie Hartman

who works over at the
Treasury Department,

which makes a
whole lot of sense,

since according to this, she was Michael
Hagarty's date at the trade reception.

See, they were working
together. We bring her in.

She hangs Mr. Hagarty
out to dry or vice-versa.

Lieutenant Blaisdell, I believe
that I can prove that you're mistaken.

Is there any way that I
can convince you to listen?

Mrs. Fletcher,

have a nice day.

Arthur, it's Jessica. Well, I
wasn't sure that you'd be home.

No, everything's fine.

I just had a question.

(PHONE RINGING)

Here you go. And
Joey, please, today?

Franklin Messenger. Mmm-hmm.
We can have it there in 30 minutes.

Done. Now thank
you for calling Franklin.

(GROANS) Tell me you
don't have a complaint.

Not yet, I don't.

Good, because it's
already been a long day.

Would you be able
to deliver something

to Congressman Arthur Prouty
over at the Capitol building?

It's gonna be at least an hour.

Well, I would prefer
nearer to closing time.

Bless you.

I'll need a sheet
of letter size paper,

a small pad, and a
large envelope, please.

Okay, here. Thank you.

Franklin Messenger.

That package should
be there any minute, sir.

Really?

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

You're early, Arthur.

Oh, Harry.

Sorry to startle
you, Mrs. Fletcher.

Oh, it's not your
fault. Please, come in.

I've got a message for you,
from Congressman Prouty.

Oh?

Thank you for sending that
letter to the congressman,

along with Mr. Lermentov's list.

It's the reason
Lermentov was murdered.

I'm afraid I'm gonna
have to kill you now.

I guess you didn't
realize I open all his mail.

Actually, Harry, I
was counting on it.

You were?

Well, the day I met
you at the office,

I saw you open a package
that was addressed to him.

I was very impressed at the
way that you handled his affairs.

In fact, until you walked
through the door just now,

I really wasn't certain that it was
you who had murdered Mr. Lermentov.

But the note that you
sent to the congressman

said you had absolute
proof that I did it.

I knew when I sent it that Arthur
had already gone home for the day.

But I guessed you'd read it

despite my having written
"Personal" across the envelope.

If I'd been wrong, you might have
come here to protest what I'd written,

but you certainly wouldn't
be threatening to kill me.

So, you've got
nothing to tie me to it?

Well, not directly, but I knew that at
some point you had been in my room.

This afternoon I discovered that an
advance copy of my book had been stolen.

I had five copies left.
There were only four.

At first I wasn't certain
if it happened yesterday,

when someone else
had searched this place,

or if it might have been grabbed in
the darkness by Mr. Lermentov's killer.

And that was you, Harry.

There's no way that
you can prove that.

I think I can. You took my book
under the mistaken impression

that it was Congressman
Prouty's, the one with the list inside.

Mine hasn't even
been officially published,

but you admitted this
afternoon that you'd read it.

But...

But that could've been the copy

that you gave to Congressman
Prouty in his office.

It could have
been, but it wasn't.

When I called Arthur
at home this afternoon,

he confirmed that he'd taken
my book home with him yesterday,

that it was never out of
his briefcase till he got there.

Yeah, that's pretty
slick, Mrs. Fletcher.

Anyway, it was real
nice of you to send along

Mr. Lermentov's
list for safekeeping.

I've made a few calls, and between
Mr. Standish and Mr. Kesmek,

the bidding is already up
around a million and a half.

What was it, Harry?

Was paying your
dues just too tedious?

Something like that.

But for a million bucks, I
guess one more dead body

won't make a whole
lot of difference.

Drop it right there,
pal. Just drop it!

BLAISDELL: We found
these in his apartment.

Apparently he's been
taping every conversation

coming into and out of your
office over the last three years.

My God!

That's how you found out
about the list, isn't it, Harry?

The other day, when Mr. Kesmek
took the call from Mr. Standish,

Harry was able to hear both
sides of the conversation.

Those tapes must contain
privileged information

about half the
people in Washington.

Which, according
to his bank deposits,

he's been selling
from the get-go.

A little scoop here, a
little inside gossip there.

Anyway, the leather pattern
on these matched the prints

on that marble dingus
he used to kill Lermentov.

I didn't know all that
much about the list,

except for the big
money involved.

But then at the trade reception,

I happened to pick up on the looks
between Mr. Kesmek and Mr. Lermentov.

And when Lermentov slipped
something into the book...

Well, anyway,
after the reception,

I saw the head waiter
give the book to Mr. Prouty

and when he got
on the elevator...

You knew it would be in my room.

And you were already there
when Mr. Lermentov let himself in.

I'd just found what I
thought was the right book.

I bumped into something and
he saw me. I had no choice.

The hell you didn't.

This Bonnie Hartman must've been another
one that saw Lermentov get rid of the list.

You know, Arthur, you and I must
be the only two people in that room

who didn't see it.

Poor sweet lass,
that Miss Hartman.

Well, I guess she just got
herself in over her head.

Well, so far all we've got
her for is illegal trespass.

We haven't picked her up yet.

ARTHUR: I doubt if
it'll stick, Lieutenant.

While Mr. Hagarty believed he was using
Miss Hartman to get into the reception,

she knew exactly who he was.

Now wait a minute, that young lady
bought my act without so much as a flicker

of the stars I put in her eyes.

Mr. Hagarty, Miss Hartman
works for U.S. Intelligence.

And while she was
searching Jessica's suite,

she was trying to determine who
was doing what to whom and why.

Jessica, there is one thing.

With all due respect, I
have to say, by sending this,

you were taking one hell of a
chance with five men's lives.

Oh, but that's not
the real list, Michael.

I scribbled that one in
the messenger's office.

The original list
is in the hotel safe.

MICHAEL: Poor Yuri.
Well, he got his wish.

He doesn't have to go
back to Kiev after all.

So listen, Jess, you have
no idea how relieved I am

I helped you see the light
about that Prouty fellow.

Now, about you and me...

Oh, come on, Michael.

Now, Jessica,
please, hear me out.

We've simply got to start
spending more time together.

And I have the perfect plan.

You see, I have to be in
Singapore day after tomorrow...

And you need a cover.

And I need a cover,
and you'd be perfect.

There's absolutely zero risk, and it
would be a great chance for you and I to...

(BOTH LAUGHING)