Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 8, Episode 14 - The Monte Carlo Murders - full transcript

RICHIE: Monte Carlo, a
sunny place for shady people.

FEMALE NARRATOR:
Next on Murder, She Wrote.

Lifestyles of the
rich and famous.

That rock is worth
several million dollars.

Money and power,

they'll get you between
the sheets every time.

Go to hell.

I love to catch people
with their pants down.

It's a shame you're not younger.

We might have been
able to work things out.

Annie dearest. What could
you have been thinking?



This is a dangerous toy.

You just can't break old
habits, can you, darling?

Well, it would be
a little awkward

if somebody caught me standing
outside your door, now, wouldn't it?

(SIGHS)

What's the matter?

We had an agreement, Barbara.

No more nights not
knowing what you were doing,

and who you were doing it with.

If you're talking
about Earl Harper,

he happens to be the
answer to our prayers.

Yours maybe, not mine.

Then I guess you didn't
notice what Mrs. Harper brought

with her on this trip.



The third-largest
diamond in the world.

Of course I saw it. Do
you think I'd miss that?

The Alexandra stone.

And stop thinking
what you're thinking.

I did time once
in a French prison.

Once was quite
enough, thank you.

Suppose I told you
there's no safe downstairs.

Which means when
she's not wearing it,

they keep it in their suite.

It'd be so easy, Peter.

I swear I won't touch him.

And I won't let him touch me.

(MOANS)

Darling, I love you.

And I'm begging you
for this one last score,

so that we can spend the
rest of our lives together!

(SNIFFS)

All right, I'll do it.

But you understand this.

You sleep with Earl
Harper and I'll kill you both.

Welcome to the Hotel Claudine.

Merci.

Merci beaucoup.

Oh, Jess.

Annie dearest. You know,
coming in the car from Nice,

I was trying to remember
how long it's been.

Class reunion, 10 years
ago. And, my God, look at you.

You haven't aged a day!

And you're as beautiful as ever.

So this is yours. The Claudine.

Oh, it's lovely, Annie.

Look.

(SPEAKING FRENCH)

The lunch crowd's going to
be here in a couple of minutes,

but if you'd like a quick tour?

Oh, please, yes. I've
been sitting for so long.

I'd love a tour!

Your timing's
absolutely perfect.

(PIANO PLAYING)

You've arrived exactly at
the time of the royal birthday.

It's going to be a blast.

Oh, this is so attractive!

Richie and I are taking you to
a diplomatic reception tonight.

Richie? You know,
the last time I saw him,

he was all of eight years old!

Well, now he's all of 21.

Oh, Peter.

I want you to meet my
good friend, Jessica Fletcher.

This is Peter Templeton.

Oh, hello.

Any and all requests are
welcome, Mrs. Fletcher.

What's your favorite?

Oh, I'll have to think about it.

I'll let you know later.

Come.

You're lucky you have
so much room here.

Oh, we need it here, you
know, we do all our own baking.

See? Rolls, croissants,
pastries, everything.

It's quite an operation.

I'm so proud, we've just
become a five-star restaurant.

How marvelous.

Ah, Robert.

Jessica Fletcher. Chef Robert.

Madame. Chef.

I can't wait for you to
taste his incredible food.

Mmm. It smells so good.

(PRAISING IN FRENCH)

You know, Robert's world-famous
for his sauce Claudine.

(EXCLAIMS DELIGHTEDLY)

Here now, watch
it, have a taste.

Oh! Oh, my goodness!
That's fantastic!

Oh, you must excuse Robert.

You know, he has
this idea in his head,

that some American's
going to steal his recipe,

and make a fortune
selling it to a fast-food chain.

Oh, but you know, there is an ingredient
in there that is absolutely unique.

But I can't put my finger on it.

Darn. No.

You'll be on the
third floor, Jess.

In case you're interested,

your next-door neighbors will
be Mr. and Mrs. Earl Harper.

Oh, the Earl Harper?
The financier?

That's the one.

Isn't he under investigation
for illegal stock transactions?

Yes, and bribery among
other things. Armand!

Be careful! Thank
you. That'll be all.

Yes, Madame Floret.

It's his first day on the job.

You have no idea
how difficult it is

to find good English-speaking
waiters in this town.

Annie, is anything wrong?

Oh, heavens no!
Why should there be?

It just seems that you're a
one-woman show around here.

I mean, you have such
an awful lot of responsibility.

Well, I have to admit it was a
lot easier when Andre was alive.

Someone to share the
burden. I know what you mean.

I had hopes when Richie
graduated from college,

that he'd come into
the business, but...

No such luck?

When Andre and I got married,

he went to live with his father.

He went to school in the States,

and then would come and spend
summers here with us in Monaco.

But the hotel just
never rubbed off.

All his life, since he's been
a kid, it was photography.

Oh, I'd better go check
on the dining room.

Will you be okay?

Of course.

I'll do some
exploring on my own.

I have a friend in Cabot Cove
who collects antique glass.

Oh, there are a couple of
wonderful places for that

in the old quarter.

I'll leave some addresses
for you down by the desk.

Great.

This one is really
quite beautiful,

but it has no price on it.

(SPEAKING FRENCH)

How much?

(SPEAKING FRENCH)

(SPEAKING FRENCH)

(SPEAKING FRENCH)

That's 1,700 francs.

My goodness, $300?
Seems very high.

Permit me, madame. I
couldn't help overhearing.

I think our friend here is
making a miscalculation.

Georges... (SPEAKING FRENCH)

(SPEAKING FRENCH)

(SPEAKING FRENCH)

My mistake, madame.

A slight mistake, and
he's profoundly sorry.

It isn't Baccarat, but
it's a good imitation.

In fact I recommend
it, at 500 francs.

Well, that certainly is
a lot more reasonable.

I will take it.

(THANKING IN FRENCH)

You are J.B. Fletcher?

Why, yes.

Inspector Charles Morel, of
the department of security,

and an old friend
of Annie Floret's.

How do you do?

(SPEAKING FRENCH)

(BOTH SPEAKING FRENCH)

I see I've arrived just
in time to walk you back.

Well, thank you.
That's very kind.

I'm a widower, Mrs. Fletcher.
My children are grown.

My one remaining challenge
is to keep Monte Carlo

a pleasant place for visitors.

To preserve as much of its
charm and elegance as I can.

Inspector, you're
a friend of Annie's.

Is everything all
right here at the hotel?

She seemed to be
under so much pressure.

I'm afraid it's not the
work that troubles her.

May I speak in confidence?

Oh, yes, of course.

Five years ago,
Annie and her husband

needed money to
keep their hotel solvent.

A certain person
loaned them the money,

but with a huge balloon payment.

And unknown to them,
that same person then

bought up the first trust deed.

Oh, dear. And the
balloon payment is due?

But can she renegotiate?

Not with that person, no.

On Monday the hotel becomes his.

That would break her
heart. Perhaps mine, too.

Am I allowed to know who
this mysterious person is?

Earl Harper, an American.
Surely you've heard of him?

Oh, yes. Indeed I have, yes.

Good evening, madame.

Face it, Mom. You're letting
that creep walk all over you!

There's nothing I can do!
Can't you see that, Richie?

If he wants to come and talk
to me, I have no other choice.

Here's a choice, Mom. You
can let him have the damn place.

And you can start
enjoying your life again.

(KNOCKING AT DOOR)

Anybody home?

I'm sorry, am I interrupting?
Do I have the right time?

You have the right time,
Earl. This is my son Richie.

Nice to meet you.
I'm Earl Harper.

A nice-looking boy.

If you don't mind, let's talk
about what you're here for.

Annette, you know very
well what I'm here for.

You owe me $1
million by next Monday.

I want your personal
assurance that I'm going to get it.

As I wrote you in my
letter, I need an extension.

The last few years
have been a disaster.

Don't talk to me
about disasters.

A million dollars will barely
cover my legal expenses

in the next six months. Look,
I'm really sorry about this.

But, come Monday,

if that money isn't
in my Zurich account,

you'd better start making other
arrangements for your guests.

So you can bring
in your bulldozers?

In the pursuit of progress,

sometimes it's necessary
to tear things down.

You know, Annette, it's a
shame you're not younger.

We might have been
able to work things out.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

Well, I must say, Mrs. Fletcher,

you dance as well as you write.

And I must say that you
French haven't lost your charm.

Albert DeVere, Madame Fletcher.

May I have the pleasure?

Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. DeVere,

but I feel that I've danced
enough for the moment.

How did you know my name?

I have read your
editions in French,

and it would be an
inestimable honor

if you'd autograph
the most recent one.

Well, I'm sorry, but
I don't have any...

It is no accident

we are staying in the
same hotel, madame.

Please forgive me. I really
have to sit down. Pardon me.

Richie! Mrs. Fletcher?

My goodness, we've
got so much to catch up.

Yes. Hello, Charles.

I'll leave you two for a moment.

All right.

I must check in with my office.

Yes.

So, where's Annie?

Oh, it got too late.

But I guess the real reason why she
didn't want to come down is because of him.

That crook, Earl Harper.

I'd like to kill him for what
he's doing to my mother.

His wife is very pretty.

Pretty, maybe, but not his wife.

That's Barbara Calloway.

Oh, I see.

If you want to know
how Mrs. Harper copes

with Mr. Harper's indiscretions,

look over there.

The damsel with the
rock around her neck.

That's Mrs. Harper,
and her escort

is her husband's bodyguard.

He's hired to keep
an eye on her.

If I'm not mistaken, that
is the Alexandra stone.

Lifestyles of the
rich and famous.

Forgive me, Richie,
but you sound so angry.

It's Mom. Ever since Andre died,

every year I come back here I
see her get more and more frazzled

trying to keep that
damn hotel together.

Now Earl Harper's
going to take it away.

I could care less, but
what I do care about is her.

Of course you do. We all do.

Hang loose for a second,
okay? The princess just arrived.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING)

Larkin.

Hello, Harper.

Look, are you shifting
gears or something?

I understand our meeting's
back on for tomorrow.

Oh, it's on. But don't
get your hopes up.

Nothing's changed.

The two arch enemies. Like
the mongoose and the cobra.

Oh, yes, Inspector.

I know Earl Harper, but
who is the other man?

Scott Larkin.

He owns a fleet of tankers
Mr. Harper would dearly like

to get his hands on, if
he can stay out of jail.

In this case, I hope that the
mongoose eats the cobra.

Between Harper and Larkin,
who's to say which is which?

Madame Fletcher.

Fortune shines, to
run into you like this.

Mr. DeVere, isn't it?

It would take only a few minutes
for us to pop up to my room.

You could sign your book for me.

I'm sorry, but I'm not sure
that I have a few minutes.

You see... Madame Fletcher,

I won't let you escape
without your signature.

Excuse me. I'm sorry I'm late,

but if we hurry, we can still
catch the start of the regatta.

The regatta? Oh, yes,
yes. Of course, the regatta.

Perhaps later, Mr. DeVere, if you
bring the book down here to the lobby.

Oh, merci beaucoup.

Oh! Thanks for the rescue.

Fortunate for the both of us.

I thought we'd have lunch
in Sainte-Paul de Vence,

watch the old men play boules,

and then take a run
down the Grand Corniche.

(SPEAKING FRENCH)

(BOTH GREETING IN FRENCH)

Do I have any letters?

Ah, one letter, I think.

Excuse me, I've been expecting
a phone call from London.

Has it come in? I'm not
sure, Monsieur Harper.

No, I don't see anything.

You don't see anything?
What kind of answer is that?

I want to know if I've
been called or not.

Well? Why don't
you just check out?

I beg your pardon?

Take your wife,

and your girlfriend, and that
muscle-head, hit the road.

Your mother didn't
do a very good job

with your manners, did she?

But then, that's to be expected.

After all, failure's stamped
into her genetic code, isn't it?

I can't wait till they put you in
jail with the rest of the slime.

Apologize to Mr. Harper.

Here's your apology.

Let him go, Henry.

This is a dangerous
toy for a boy.

(CROWD CHATTERING)

Hello, Richie.
Where's your mother?

She asked me to say she's sorry.

Things got too
crazy at the hotel.

Will you give her
a message for me?

Will you tell her that I
know what's going on,

and if I could help, I would?

But I'm fighting for my
own survival right now.

Thanks. That'll mean
a lot to her, Mr. Larkin.

Good boy.

Hey, Pete, don't tell me Mom
unchained you from the piano today.

Barbara.

Oh, I didn't know you were here.

No, obviously not,

the way you were
crawling all over Harper.

I'm the decoy, remember?
That's my part of the job.

Money and power,

they'll get you between the
sheets every time, won't they?

Go to hell.

I am already
there, thanks to you.

So let's just call it
a scratch, shall we?

You, me and the job.

You and me, fine. The
job, I'll do that myself.

You wanted to talk?

Well, it's either that, or a
less-than-friendly takeover.

You know what
that's going to cost

your precious
stockholders, don't you?

How can you go around raping
one company after another?

Leveraging assets
you don't even own,

breaking lives
into little pieces?

It's a game, sport.

And you play it just
like the rest of us.

Which reminds me. By
the way, I happen to know

that you planted a spy
inside my organization.

One of these days, Harper,

you're going to lie
your way into the grave.

Yeah, well. Before that happens,

I intend to find your spy
and hang him up by his toes.

Or perhaps it doesn't
really matter anyway.

I mean, really, you're too stupid to
understand what he'd tell you, right?

Now excuse me.

(GROANING)

(CROWD CLAMORING)

Better join the Y, get
rid of some of that flab.

Excuse me.

S'il vous plaît, Madame
Fletcher. If you please!

This kitchen is
off-limits to guests!

Just sniffing, just sniffing!

(SPEAKING FRENCH)

RICHIE: Come on in. Just
make sure you close the curtain.

(DOOR CLOSES)

Hello, Richie.

Hello, Mrs. Fletcher.
Welcome to purgatory.

Your mother told me you were developing
pictures from Scott Larkin's party.

You're just in time

to see some
award-winning candid shots.

Oh?

That's my specialty.

I love to catch people
with their pants down.

What did you do to
your hand, Richie?

Oh, I cut that on the trimmer.
It's not as bad as it looks.

Well, these aren't
from the party.

Oh, no. That's from
the camera store.

That's where I get my stuff.

The owner offered
me a break on film

if I'd do some publicity stills.

This is the new waiter, Armand.

Mm-hmm. The clumsy one.

Certainly seems to
need a lot of audio tape.

What is going on here?

How about that?

Harper's own bodyguard
getting a pay-off from Scott Larkin.

Your mother told me what
happened in the lobby this afternoon.

That's what I thought
this visit was all about.

Richie, the last thing in the
world I want to do is to meddle.

It's just that your
mother is at her wit's end.

And if anything
should happen to you,

I don't think she'd
ever get over it.

I know how my mom feels, and I'm not
going to do anything to make it worse.

Mrs. Fletcher?

(WOMAN LAUGHING)

You're going to get us
arrested for disturbing the peace.

That's enough.

You go back to your
cage and lock the door.

(GROWLING)

Annie, call the
police right away.

I'm so sorry.

Ah, Suzette.

(SPEAKING FRENCH)

The police are coming.
They'll be right here.

Yes.

Jessica, perhaps
it'd be a good idea

to take Mrs. Harper
into the bedroom.

Yes, I agree.

Oh.

Please, everybody,
go back to work.

The police will be here shortly,

and it'll just hinder
the investigation.

Armand, what are you doing
up here at this time of night?

There was a call for
alcoholic beverages.

A fitting salute to the
local royalty, I'd imagine.

Would you tell my son
I'd like to see him, please?

He's not here, ma'am.

I saw him leave around
9:00 this evening.

He hasn't returned.

Thank you, Armand. My pleasure.

Mrs. Harper,

I'm sorry to trouble you
further at this late hour,

but I must ask you to describe
the events that led to this

most unfortunate discovery.

Well, I left Earl
here just before 8:00.

We were planning
on going dancing.

Some disco by the beach.

At the last minute he said he had
a meeting, so I went without him.

Yes, I saw you pass
through the lobby.

May I ask if you went to the
disco by yourself, Mrs. Harper?

No, not exactly.

Meaning?

I had an escort, Inspector.

The insurance company requires a
bodyguard to keep an eye on my jewels.

That would be that gentleman?

OFFICER: Did you see anyone...

MRS. HARPER: Yes.

Forgive my
curiosity, Mrs. Harper,

but was there any particular
reason why you didn't wear

the Alexandra stone tonight?

Well, I certainly wouldn't
wear it disco dancing.

It's only for special
occasions that I...

Oh, God!

Oh, God. Oh, no! It's gone!

Somebody stole
the Alexandra stone!

(SOBBING)

INSPECTOR: Take
Mr. Templeton to headquarters.

Book him for first
degree murder.

Good morning.

Good morning.

From the looks of things
you've had a busy night.

Busy but rewarding.

Come, let's take some fresh air.

I told you, Mrs. Fletcher, we have
a most thorough security system

in Monte Carlo.

So, I knew all about
our piano playing friend,

even before he arrived.

Also about the
woman he travels with,

his inamorata, Barbara Calloway.

Ah, yes. The attractive
blonde woman?

She's well known throughout
Europe for luring wealthy men,

usually married, into
compromising situations.

For substantial gain, no doubt.

No doubt.

And it may surprise you to
know that Peter Templeton

spent many years in one
of our jails for jewel theft.

Yes, he was what your
newspapers call a cat burglar.

You know, Inspector,
the modus operandi

of a successful burglar

seldom involves anything
as serious as murder.

Correct. But picture
the scene, if you will.

Mrs. Harper leaves just
before 8:00 last night.

Her husband now
has two visitors.

The first one is
Barbara Calloway.

You saw the bottle
and two glasses.

Miss Calloway
leaves around 8:15,

at which time Templeton
climbs up the third floor,

breaks into the suite
through a window.

To steal the Alexandra stone.

Mr. Harper is now most
probably in the shower.

He comes out in his bathrobe
and surprises Templeton,

who has to make
a quick decision.

Do I go back to jail again,

or do I grab the scissors I see there
on the desk and silence the man?

But if Miss Calloway and
Mr. Templeton were working together,

why didn't she try to get
Mr. Harper out of the room?

Sometimes the best
laid plans go wrong.

But you seem concerned.

Perhaps you know
something I don't?

Let's just call it intuition.

Oh, Jess, I didn't
know you were here.

Annie.

I think that you and I have a
few things that we have to discuss.

Last night you asked
me to take Cynthia Harper

into the bedroom of her suite,

and while I was gone,
you opened a window

and the safe.

Annie dearest.

What could you
have been thinking?

I wanted to make it look
like the motive was robbery.

Oh, God forbid. Forgive
me for saying this, but...

I think that Richie
killed Earl Harper.

Now, are you guessing
this, or do you know?

Well, the scissors in Earl's
body were the same scissors

that Richie used to try
to attack him in the lobby.

He's been so concerned about me.

I've never seen him
behave like this before.

And has he admitted it?

What he says doesn't
make any sense.

You can't talk to him.
He talks in riddles.

And where is the
Alexandra stone?

Well, that's where
it gets sticky.

You see, when I opened the safe,

someone had been there
before and taken the darn thing!

Are you sure? Yes.

Annie, are you absolutely sure

there's nothing else
that you want to tell me?

I've told you everything.

Well, for your
sake and Richie's,

I hope it's the truth.

Mrs. Fletcher.

(HONKING)

Could I talk to you?

Yes. Yes, of course.

It's about Peter Templeton.

Mrs. Fletcher, I
love him desperately.

He isn't capable
of killing anyone.

Look, I know your
reputation, and, well...

I don't have anyone
else to turn to.

You're desperately
in love with Peter,

and yet last night,

you made a date with Earl Harper

to meet him in his suite.

I wanted to talk to
him because, you see,

he's been after me
like a bloodhound.

And I just wanted
to set him straight.

But when I got
there he was furious,

and he accused me of spying
for one of his competitors.

Scott Larkin?

He said some kind of
information leaked out,

and I got blamed because
I happened to be around

when he made
some business calls.

Calls from his suite?

Yes.

Somebody told me that

Peter Templeton wasn't
at his piano last night.

Do you know why?

He said there'd been a
message for him at the desk.

From me, supposedly,

asking to meet him
someplace at the harbor.

But I never left any message.

Well, all this must be
very difficult for you.

If I can help, I will.

There is something that
I don't quite understand.

For somebody who claims
to be devoted to Peter,

I saw some photographs of
you both at Scott Larkin's party,

and they were, to
say the least, peculiar.

In what way?

You were attacking him.

And it didn't look
like a lover's quarrel.

(DOOR OPENING)

(DOOR CLOSING)

Oh, forgive me, mademoiselle,
my phone doesn't work,

I was just checking
to see if this one does.

(GROANING)

Armand? Armand,
who did this to you?

(SPEAKING FRENCH)

Yes, I can hear you. Go on.

Robert...

(SPEAKING FRENCH)

I confess I was wrong
about Peter Templeton.

I've given orders for him
to be released from custody.

But I'm not sure that
I understand. I mean,

what does Armand's death have
to do with Earl Harper's murder,

and the theft of the
Alexandra stone?

Both mysteries
were greatly clarified

by the discovery of this.

You'll recognize it immediately.

It was found on
his body. Oh, yes.

That's the Alexandra setting,
but where's the diamond?

With whoever Armand
decided to sell it to.

Probably in Amsterdam by
now, being cut into smaller stones.

So, you're saying that Armand
killed Earl Harper for the diamond,

and when he tried to fence it...

Some cut-throat decided to pay
him with a knife instead of money.

Let me tell you a little more

about the recently-deceased
Armand Beauclaire.

That being only one
of his many aliases.

We were aware that he
was a private investigator

with a somewhat
shady reputation.

Evidence in his room suggests
he was working for Scott Larkin.

To spy on Earl Harper's
business activities.

Precisely. He was
known to take bribes.

Sometimes even to
blackmail his own clients.

Now, just picture this man,

so agonizingly close
to a $3 million diamond.

So that's what you believe?

That he killed Harper and died
as a result of his own greed?

Well, after 30
years of police work,

I can safely tell you that greed
has trapped more criminals

than all the
fingerprints in the world.

You mentioned that Armand
spoke or mumbled something

just before he died.

Well, it didn't make any sense.

In your language, he said...

(SPEAKING FRENCH)

(REPEATING IN FRENCH)

In the fish.

Poor man, he must
have been delirious.

(BIDS FAREWELL IN FRENCH)

Mrs. Fletcher, hi.

Annie's looking for you.
She's inside with Richie.

They're about to do
a little celebrating.

Celebrating?

Well, Harper's death
relieved me of some

pressure, so I'm
arranging a no-strings loan

to take care of the balloon
payment on the hotel.

Oh, that's wonderful.

I heard about the
waiter, Armand?

I guess the whole
mess is over now.

No, Mr. Larkin. It's not
over. Not by a long shot.

Oh, Madame Fletcher! Finally!

Would you please
take just a moment?

Of course.

There you are, Mr. DeVere.

(THANKING IN FRENCH)

(READING TITLE IN FRENCH)

The poison in my heart.

Mr. DeVere, in French,

is the word "poison" the
same as the word for fish?

There is a slight difference

in the spelling
and pronunciation.

Fish is poisson, the two
"s" giving it a softer sibilance.

Whereas poison, with one
"s..." Yes, Mr. DeVere, thank you.

Perhaps in America you keep
poison in the kitchen, but in France...

Are you telling me that
you have no mice in France,

who love to eat
your delicious food?

Well, yes. But fortunately
we have the wisdom

to separate food that
kill from food you eat.

Well, will you please
just tell me where it is?

It is a matter of
the utmost urgency.

In the storage room.

Thank you.

In a place it will not be mistaken
for American breakfast cereal!

Ha!

(THUDDING)

(THUDDING CONTINUES)

Oh, my goodness, Jessica!
You scared me half to death!

What are you doing down here?

Well, I could ask you
the same question.

The police sealed this room.
What were you looking for?

Well, anything that the
police might have missed.

Anything that would have
connected Richie up to Armand.

Annie, Richie did not
murder Earl Harper.

In spite of what
Inspector Morel says,

Armand didn't either.

Well, I hope you
don't think I did.

Please, not another word, Annie.

Forgive me for
eavesdropping, Mrs. Fletcher.

I came down here because...

Of this.

An audio tape which
almost certainly has

the voice of Earl
Harper's killer on it.

Your voice, Inspector.

Oh, Charles! Not you.

I'm sorry to say. Yes.

My guess is that he did it
because he loved you, Annie.

And because he wanted to save
your hotel from being demolished.

You never said a word.

I wanted to, a hundred times.

But I felt, what's the use?

I'm just a dull policeman with
a few crumbs for a pension.

Mrs. Fletcher, when
did you first suspect me?

When certain presumptions
you were making

didn't add up properly.

And I started to think that Peter Templeton
was being intentionally implicated.

I thought it was strange
when you ignored the flowerbed

under Harper's window.

It showed no footprints.

Cat burglars climb, but
they don't have wings.

There was more than that.

Barbara Calloway.

She helped me, inadvertently,
with some other information.

She said that before
Harper died he accused her

of spying for Scott Larkin.
That seemed absurd.

But what it did do was
to tip me to the possibility

that someone might have
planted a bug in his suite.

I knew that Armand
bought a large supply

of recording tapes, so he
became a logical candidate.

And in the process of spying,

he recorded Earl
Harper's murder.

He was blackmailing
you, wasn't he, Inspector?

Quite true.

So you killed him
right here in this room.

But you couldn't find the tape.

It wasn't until I told you
of Armand's dying words

that you figured out
where it was hidden.

Unfortunately you got to the
storage room ahead of me.

Yes, for you it was.

An urgent business matter
just came up, Mr. Harper.

You might say, an
account that needs settling.

The only account that's
going to be settled...

Unfortunately, with a
man of your character,

there's only one way to do it.

After I killed him, I broke
into the safe and removed this.

To make it look like a robbery.

So, now it's finished.

Oh, Charles.

I never realized how you felt.

I never wanted you to.

I'll get you help. I'll get
the best lawyers in France.

Annie,

I've taken two human lives.
I'm guilty. I don't want help.

But I just... (SHUSHING)

Not another word.

Mrs. Fletcher,

you'd be doing me a great favor

if you'd return
this to Mrs. Harper.

Of course.

And now, most wonderful ladies,

I must ask you to turn me in.

Shall we?

Oh, Jess. How can
I ever thank you?

You don't ever have to.

I think Robert has
something to say to you.

I want you to have this.

Sauce Claudine! Robert!
I don't know what to say.

Do with it what you will.

Sell it to McDonald's
or Taco Bell.

It's small payment

for what you have
done for Madame Floret.

Oh, but, Robert,

why would I sell anything so
magnificent that I can enjoy?

Oh, veal stock.
Mm-hmm. Brandy, garlic,

bay leaf, thyme.
I knew that much.

But there's a soupçon.

Some mysterious
ingredient that I can't place.

Anise would be too obvious,

and I went through
the lighter herbs and...

I guess I'll never know.