Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 8, Episode 21 - Badge of Honor - full transcript

Ben's alive.

And he's coming to Cabot Cove!

FEMALE NARRATOR:
Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

Here's to a lot of
good men who died

and to the best
one of all who didn't.

Have you gone nuts?

How can you let someone like
that represent this company?

I'm gonna forget that
you're my sister's son

and I'm gonna hack your
little umbilical with a meat axe.

Ben robbed a jewelry store.

I can't believe that.



Oh, he's guilty, Mrs.
Fletcher. I'm going to prove it.

I'd be very careful about poisoning
the waters around here, Mr. Jarvis.

I'm gonna kill you!

(BANGING ON DOOR)

Who is it?

It's me, Seth!

You are simply not
going to believe this.

For heaven's sake,
Seth, what's wrong?

Jessica, you know me better
than anyone else in the world.

If I told you I
believed in miracles,

what would you say?

Well, I'd say that I wasn't
talking to Seth Hazlitt.

Well, you would
be talking to him

and a miracle has happened.



You remember my telling
you about Ben Oliver,

my closest Army buddy
from World War Il?

Of course I do. But you
told me that he was dead.

Well, we got separated when the
Germans counterattacked in the Ardennes

and he just vanished
into the snow and the mud.

I think he was officially
listed as missing.

All right, so
what's the miracle?

Ben's alive. That's the miracle!

And he's coming to Cabot Cove!

Oh, Seth. That's wonderful!

Watch your step.

Hey, Corporal, don't
run away on my account.

(LAUGHING)

How's she going, Ben?

Fine, fine. First rate.

Good to see you, Seth.

You, too.

Well, let me get my bag.

I got it. I travel light.

This it? This is it.

My car's right there.

I'm only about
five minutes away.

Wait till you see my house.

A hundred and twenty years old

and the guest room has
a great view of the ocean.

I'm not gonna be staying
at your house, Seth.

Why not?

Well, I might decide to
hang around for a while

and you know what they say
about house guests and dead fish.

After three days,
they begin to stink.

So maybe you could
find me a nice little motel.

Something that doesn't
charge an arm and a leg.

That shouldn't be any problem.

Could we sit for a minute?

I'd like to get rid of the bad air
in my lungs from this bus ride.

Right here is as
good a place as any.

You found yourself a
pretty little town here, Seth.

At least you did
something right, eh? Yeah.

Hard to believe I've been
practicing medicine here for 37 years.

What happened, Ben?

Can you talk about it?

Well, when was it the
Germans broke through?

Around Christmastime, wasn't it?

December 16, 1944.

They hit us with a
whole panzer division.

You couldn't prove it by me.

I came to in a
Kraut field hospital.

They patched me up,

I spent the rest of the
war learning how to

scrounge food in one
of their prison camps.

After it was all over,
I still needed fixing.

You ever want to hear horror
stories about life in an army hospital,

I'm your man. Two
years, five operations.

And I guess that about
sums it all up, Seth.

The rest of my life I spent
just kind of moving around.

Tell me something, Ben.

Why didn't you ever try
to get in touch with me?

I... I wasn't quite right

for a long, long time.

And after that, it just
seemed like it was too late.

Mrs. Fletcher, this peach
cobbler is a mortal sin.

Thank you. And
please call me Jessica.

Will you have seconds?

Oh, thank you very much.

Anybody else? Help yourself.

Thank you. Thank you.

So, where you from, Ben?

Oh, a whole bunch
of different places.

I guess I've spent time in
all but eight or nine states.

You name it, I've done it.

JESSICA: Were you ever married?

Twice to the same woman.
It didn't work either time.

Well, I don't know
what your plans are,

but it seems to
me that Cabot Cove

could use a man of
many talents, like you.

The Corporal here
wouldn't like that.

I know too much dirt.

I certainly would.

As a matter of fact,
if you're interested,

I'll bet I can get you a job
within the next 24 hours.

May I propose a toast?

Something I've been wanting
to say for the last 50 years.

Here's to a lot of
good men who died

and to the best
one of all who didn't.

Evening.

I need a single.

For how long?

I'm not quite sure. A
few days, maybe a week.

Supposed to be meeting
a friend of mine here.

I wonder if he's checked in
yet. His name is Ben Oliver.

Mmm, came in today.

He's in Cottage number one,
but he's out at the moment.

You want me to tell him
you're here, Mr. Jarvis?

No, no, no, please
don't do that.

I'd like for it to
be a surprise.

MAN ON PA: Number
50, Crocker foursome is up.

50, Crocker foursome
is up. 51 to follow.

Hey, Doc!

Hi, Doc!

Don't tell me you came
all the way out here

just to hound me
about that physical.

If I'm correct, you're
about a year overdue.

Well...

Oh, thank you for being
so conscientious, Doctor.

I can't even get
him to take vitamins.

Well, all right, look,
how about this?

I'll have my secretary call you in
your office first thing tomorrow morning

and we'll set up an appointment.

SETH: That happens,
I'll be amazed.

Why don't you tell him
to take up tennis, Doc,

instead of riding
around in a golf cart?

SETH: Oh, don't be
so sanctimonious, Neal.

There are a lot of things
better for your heart than tennis.

Besides, I'm not
here as your doctor.

I need a favor.

An old Army buddy of mine
is in town and he needs work.

Now, I thought he might fit
in at your boat yard just fine.

He's a carpenter and
a first-rate mechanic.

(LAUGHS)

Well, I tell you, Doc, today must be your
lucky day, because my mechanic just quit.

I was looking for somebody.

So if your man wants a job,
he could start this afternoon.

Done and done!

JESSICA: I've been
meaning to ask you about Ben.

How's he doing in the new job?

So far, so good. Mason
Porter likes him a lot.

He saved my life, you know.

Weren't for Ben Oliver,

I wouldn't be
sitting here today.

No kidding.

How'd that happen?

My platoon was moving toward a
beautiful little French farmhouse.

We thought the damned
place was empty,

and there were three of
them heavy machine guns.

I got pinned down on a spot
as flat as the top of this table.

Bullets were coming so close
you could smell the cordite.

And Ben was with you?

He was about six or
seven yards behind.

He crawled forward
with his bazooka,

but in order to get a clear shot

he had to stand up
as straight as a statue.

Which that crazy
fool proceeded to do,

in the midst of
that god-awful hell.

I never saw anything
like it before or since.

Oh, well, all that
was a long time ago.

Morning, Mrs.
Fletcher. Hello, Andy.

Doc. Hey.

What's up, Andy?

You know that guy we
spotted hanging around?

The guy with Michigan plates?

Yeah. Well, he's down
at the harbor right now.

I don't know what it is, but something
about him just doesn't seem right.

Oh. You're just the
man I need, Officer.

I'm passing through
on my way north,

I was just trying to figure out if
Route 182 is the best way to go here.

Would you mind stepping
out of your vehicle, sir?

And please, keep your
hands where I can see them.

(COUGHING)

With your permission,

I'm going to reach in
my right-hand coat pocket

and get you a
little ID, all right?

Do it slowly.

You're a private investigator?

That's right, Sheriff.
I'm surveilling a criminal.

I followed him all
the way from Detroit.

Just what criminal
are we talking about?

That one.

Ben Oliver.

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

Who is it?

It's me, Seth.

Seth.

What's wrong?

You remember that fellow that was
supposedly hanging around town?

Turns out he's a fellow
by the name of Jarvis.

Private investigator
from Detroit, Michigan.

He's here in town claiming that

Ben robbed a jewelry store.

I can't believe that.

Jarvis owns the agency that the
jewelry store hired for protection.

Ben worked for him
as a security guard.

He was on duty at
the time of the robbery.

Seth, I think you
should sit down.

Oh, Jess, this is just terrible.

Jarvis claims that Ben took an unauthorized
coffee break just before the robbery.

Then a man, roughly
Ben's size and weight,

came into the store
wearing a ski mask

and carrying a
gun, a .45 automatic.

He got away with over half a
million dollars worth of merchandise.

But if he was
wearing a ski mask,

how did they know
that it was Ben?

Mort checked with the
Detroit Police Department.

They said they questioned Ben

and let him go for
lack of evidence.

But not Jarvis.

He's the one that
thinks Ben's guilty.

He's the one that followed
him all the way from Detroit.

Can't wait for him
to make a mistake.

Swears that he'll get him
if it takes the rest of his life.

But surely you
don't believe all that?

Fifty years ago,

I would have kicked the tar out of anybody
who talked about Ben like that, but...

Well, we're strangers now.

I look at him and I see
someone I hardly recognize,

can't even hold a
conversation with.

You seemed to be doing
just fine at the dinner party.

Oh, well... Sifting
through old memories.

And when they ran out, there really
wasn't much of anything else to go on.

And the damndest part of it is,

that if I tell Ben what I know,

he'll leave Cabot Cove and
probably never come back.

And if I don't tell him,

I'm betraying the
man who saved my life.

Neal. How you doing? Hey.

Well, I've made up
my mind. Have you?

I've decided to buy her.

Ah, good! See, I knew you would.

I knew you wanted this
beauty so bad you could taste it.

Yeah, well, blame it
on my wife, not me.

Yeah, well, I'm sure you had
to twist Robin's arm real hard.

There is one condition,
however. Yeah?

It's a cash transaction.

Paperwork doesn't go through
my bank or my corporation.

Neal, God, I don't
know. Come on, I...

I mean, that's not the
way I usually do business.

Well, that's the only way
I'm buying the boat, my friend,

and the issue isn't
open for debate.

What it boils down to is, you
either take it or you leave it.

My friend, you
got yourself a deal.

All right.

Look, it's gonna take
me a couple of days.

You know, do a little
creative paperwork.

But I'm gonna have this boat in the water
and floating for you by Saturday noon.

(CLINKING) Well, thank you.

Well, I better get back to the
office and start earning some money.

Okay, see you Saturday. Look,
you made a great buy here today.

This is a great boat.
You're gonna love it.

Hey, Ben!

Could you come down a minute?
I'd like to talk to you in the office.

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

Yeah, come in.

You wanted to see me?

Yeah, Ben. Come on in.

Have a seat.

You want some
coffee? No, thanks.

You know, I've been
watching you very closely

ever since you started
working here, Ben.

And, well, I have to tell you,
I like very much what I see.

You're a good mechanic.
Your work habits are excellent.

But, you know, frankly,

I think you're overqualified
for the work you're doing.

Well, this is a first.

I've never been fired for
being overqualified before.

Come on, who said
anything about firing you?

I'm talking about
a promotion here.

Listen,

we need to take on
another salesperson

and if you're interested,
the job is yours.

Sure, I'm interested.

Mr. Porter, this is fantastic.

Look, would you send
Dave in here, please?

SECRETARY: Yes, sir.

You wanted me?

Ah, yeah.

I've decided to take
Ben on as a salesman.

So, as soon as we can find another
maintenance man, you'll start training him.

Can I talk to you for a moment?

I better get back. I've
got some work to do.

Have you gone nuts?

How can you let someone like
that represent this company?

He won't sell boats, he'll
drive people right off the lot.

Yeah, unless you've forgotten,

most of the people that can
afford what we sell are over 50.

Well, I'll be damned
if I'm gonna train him,

unless you get him fumigated and
teach him how to count from one to 10.

Now, listen to me, boy.

That old man has more
brains in his kneecaps

than you have in
your entire body.

And if you ever question
my authority again,

I'm gonna forget that
you're my sister's son

and I'm gonna hack your
little umbilical with a meat axe.

Now, you got that, nephew?

Mrs. Fletcher?

I'm Lawrence Jarvis.
I'm a private investigator.

Yes. So I've heard.

(SIGHS) I wanted to talk
to you about Dr. Hazlitt.

I've been concerned because
he seems to be a very close friend

to a wanted felon
I've been tracking.

If you mean Ben Oliver,

according to the Detroit police,

he's neither
wanted, nor a felon.

Oh, he's guilty, Mrs.
Fletcher. I'm going to prove it.

Any way you can.

It's a matter of principle.

Oh, I think there's more
to it than that, Mr. Jarvis.

You see, I just spent
three hours right here,

going through newspaper articles

about the Detroit jewel robbery

and one in particular
caught my attention.

It reported that your security
business was poorly managed

and your officers
received less training than,

I think the quote was,

"A grade school crossing guard."

Well, never believe
everything you read. Right?

I don't.

But what's interesting is, this particular
article was in the business section.

It said that as a
result of the robbery,

your client list had
all but vanished

and you were
filing for bankruptcy.

So knowing human nature as I do,

I might speculate that you're blaming
the wrong person for your own failure.

(CHUCKLES)

Mrs. Fletcher, I was
going to ask for your help,

but I can see the
futility of that, all right.

Let me just suggest, though,

that while you're doing
your microfilm dirty work,

you look up Ben Oliver's
Army medical records,

'cause you're gonna find that
after he was discharged in 1945

he spent a few years in a
VA mental health facility.

Since that time, he hasn't been
able to hold onto a steady job,

he hasn't been able
to stay out of trouble.

And I know for a fact
that he will steal anything

that isn't nailed down
with a railroad spike.

I'd be very careful about poisoning
the waters around here, Mr. Jarvis.

The people in this town don't have
much tolerance for that sort of thing.

Lawrence Jarvis is in town.

(EXHALES)

He told the Sheriff
what happened in Detroit

and the Sheriff told me.

He's insane.

Well, the Detroit police aren't
saying whether he's right or wrong.

Only that they have
no specific evidence

and that the case is still open.

That bastard hasn't left
me alone for one minute!

Every time I turn around
he's right there, like an animal!

The smell of blood in his nose,

just waiting for half an
excuse to rip at my throat.

Well, I'll tell you
something, Corporal.

If he keeps that up, I might
just decide to rip at his first.

Here's to the best-looking
boat owner in town.

May you have smooth sailing.

I'm assuming you'll be
giving me private lessons.

I'm a little weak on
celestial navigation.

Well, I'm your man.

Hey, there's somebody out there!

Hey. Hey, Ben.

What the hell are
you doing here?

I forgot my jacket. I was
afraid it would get stolen.

Yeah? And why are you
looking in the window?

I wasn't.

Somebody else
was hanging around.

When I got here, they
took off and ran away.

Where's your jacket now?

I couldn't find it.

Must've left it
in the restaurant

when I had lunch
with Seth Hazlitt.

I'm giving you a great
opportunity here, Ben.

Don't blow it.

(WORKERS CHATTERING)

(CLEARING THROAT)

Nice way to start
the day, isn't it?

What happened?

Well, he was hit in the
head with a heavy object.

Bludgeoned to death.

Best estimate, some time
between 10:00 and midnight.

Appears the motive was robbery.

Whole bunch of cash
missing from the safe.

$60,000.

Neal Dishman bought
a boat yesterday.

He paid cash for it.

Victim's wallet
was also missing.

(SCOFFS) Beats me why. He never
carried much more than lunch money.

Well, what about credit cards?

Oh, sure, a lot of those.
Made him look important.

But, isn't it rather unusual to pay
for an expensive boat with cash?

Well, not if the customer wants to
hide the money from Uncle Sam.

See, all you have to do is
find someone like my uncle,

who's willing to
look the other way.

Ethics didn't mean much. All
Mason cared about was selling boats.

Something else I think
you ought to know, Sheriff.

Our maintenance man
was right here in this room

when Mason counted that
money and locked it in the safe.

Ben? Ben Oliver?

He was eyeing that money
like it was his ticket to paradise.

What was he doing in the office?

DAVE: Getting his tail chewed.

See, the guy loves
collecting his paychecks

as long as he doesn't
have to work for it

and Mason was going to fire him.

Now that is a lot of baloney.

I had lunch with Ben yesterday.

Mason told him he was
going to make him a salesman.

DAVE: (SNICKERS)
In his dreams, Doctor.

The man lives in
a fantasy world.

Half the things he says come
right out of the twilight zone.

METZGER: Did he
show up for work today?

Yeah. An hour
and 45 minutes late.

He's down on the
dock getting a suntan.

(BEEPS)

Right down there, Sheriff.

And I'll bet you a year's
pay, he's your man.

Well, you'll have to excuse me.

Like it or not, I've
got a business to run.

I don't think I should
be any part of this.

I'll be at my office.
Please call me.

Morning, Ben.

Morning.

Ben, I'm trying to find
out as much as I can

about what happened last night.

Hope you don't mind if I
ask you a few questions.

What's the matter with
Seth? He got cold feet?

He had to go back to his office.

Look, Ben, this is just routine,

but can you tell me
what you did last night?

I was at the motel.

METZGER: You never
left the whole evening?

Only when I looked for my
jacket. I thought I left it here.

You came here?

Yes. But I didn't find
my jacket. Wasn't here.

About what time?

I don't know, maybe 10:00.

And then what happened?

I drove up and I saw
somebody hanging around.

Could you see who it was?

No, it was too dark. Just
some mysterious figure.

Why mysterious?

Because when he saw me,
he took off like a jackrabbit.

A minute later,

Mason came out and
asked me what I was doing.

I told him about
my jacket and I left.

Well, at least I hope
you found your jacket.

I get the feeling I'm
a suspect, Sheriff.

I never said that.

BEN: It's all that bunk
Lawrence Jarvis has fed you.

You've got it in your
head that I'm a criminal.

You've already jumped
to the conclusion

that I killed Mr. Porter
and stole his money.

Look, Ben, this is just
standard procedure.

If I didn't talk to every
one of Mason's employees,

I wouldn't be doing my job.

PRIEST: Let us pray.

In the sure and certain hope
of the resurrection to eternal life,

we commend to almighty
God our brother Mason Porter

and we commit his
body to the ground.

Earth to earth, ashes
to ashes, dust to dust.

The Lord bless him and keep him.

The Lord make his face shine
on him and be gracious to him.

The Lord look
upon him with favor

and give him eternal peace.

Amen. ALL: Amen.

Dorothy, I'm so, so sorry.

Thank you, Neal.

If there's anything
I can ever do.

Of course.

Robin, I have something I'd
like to say to you in private.

Excuse me.

I can't believe you'd have the
nerve to show your face here!

Well, we did have one
thing in common, didn't we?

Yes.

And I'm wondering just how soon
I should tell your husband about it.

What was that
all about? Girl talk.

She just asked me how soon I thought
it would be acceptable for her to date.

You don't look too good,
babe. How about a ride home?

We came in separate
cars, remember?

And I'll be damned if I'm
leaving mine here, babe.

JESSICA: How is Ben doing?

He worries me, Jessica.

Short-tempered,
on edge all the time,

like something is
ready to explode inside.

He keeps saying how he's already
been judged and found guilty.

I never told him that.

No, not in so many words.

(CAR HONKING)

(TIRES SCREECHING)

What's the matter
with some people?

That was Robin Dishman.

One of these days I'm
gonna have the supreme joy

of taking that lady's driver's
license away from her.

Sheriff.

We found Mason Porter's wallet.

Where?

On the pier near the boatyard.

Couple of kids spotted
it while they were fishing.

What about money
and credit cards?

Well, as far as I could
see, everything was there.

50 bucks cash and a
whole bunch of plastic.

Well, maybe we'll catch
a break when we get

the fingerprint report
back from the lab.

We already did that.

The only prints found were the
victim's and the kids' who found it.

Hi, Ben.

I thought maybe I'd
find you down here.

Just taking a last look.

See, I'm unemployed.

Dave Sanders came back from
his uncle's funeral and he fired me.

See, he's the boss
around here now.

Well, we'll have to
find you something else.

Oh, you'd be wasting
your time, Corporal.

The people in this town think
that I am a thief and a murderer.

Oh, that's not true.

Isn't it?

Well, you seem to represent
most of the people around here.

I don't recall hearing
you say that I'm innocent.

I didn't figure there
was any reason to.

You found out the real reason that
I was in the VA hospital, didn't you?

Come on, don't lie to me, Seth.

You wouldn't be the
first person Jarvis told.

All right.

Why didn't you tell me yourself?

Oh, I tried the first day I was
here, right after I got off the bus.

No.

What you said was,
that after the war

you hadn't been quite
right for a long, long time.

Now, that could have
meant a lot of things.

Oh.

So now that I'm
a murder suspect,

you'd like a little
clarification, is that it?

Only because you are my friend.

Okay, then, I'll give it to
you in one quick swallow.

You see, Corporal,

when a mortar round
hits close enough,

it not only explodes, it
implodes at the very same time.

This causes a vacuum,

a force that sucks
part of your being

right out through
the top of your skull.

For lack of a better
word, let's call it your soul.

And what most
people don't know is,

souls are a hell of a lot
more fragile than human flesh.

Sometimes they just
never seem to heal.

Yeah?

I'm open to all suggestions.

Not to mine, you're not.

You want to talk about that
CPA, right? His sister called...

I want you out of my life.

If I'm not mistaken, old man,
you're in my room, I'm not in yours.

Framing me for
Detroit wasn't enough.

You had to kill Mason Porter
and try to frame me for that, too.

(CHUCKLES)

No, I might have killed
him for the money.

But to frame you, I
wouldn't waste the effort.

I don't have to do
anything to you,

you're going to
do it to yourself.

You're going to self-destruct and
I'm going to have the sheer pleasure

of just sitting here
and watching you.

I'm gonna kill you!

(GRUNTING)

Break it up! Hey, break
it up! Come on, come on!

Take it easy, Ben. Take it easy!

Well, thank God
you're here, Sheriff.

Now maybe you'll
start believing me, huh?

Look what we found, Sheriff.
This was under his mattress.

We found this money in
the top drawer of his dresser.

You sure it's all right for
me to look at Mason's wallet?

Oh, help yourself.

Lab people are finished
with it. What's the harm?

This is outrageous!
This is a disgrace!

Yes, ma'am.

Says you were going
70 in a 25 mile zone.

I'm talking about the
officer that issued it.

He ought to be suspended!

You were exceeding the
speed limit by 45 miles an hour.

I was coming from a funeral.

I was so depressed, I
didn't know where I was,

let alone how fast I was going!

I'm sorry you lost your
orientation, ma'am.

But the fine's $80.

In case you don't know, Officer,

my husband happens
to be Neal Dishman.

He owns the largest construction
company in the county.

And this isn't gonna
make him happy at all.

How fast was she
going this time?

Forty-five over.
Broke her own record.

Have someone run
this over to the lab.

I want the serial
number, history, forensics.

I want the whole
package and I want it fast.

93, 94, 95, 96,
97, 98, 99, 10,000.

There's $10,000 here.

I told you it was a plant.
It was planted by Jarvis.

All the gun is is an
old war souvenir.

Hasn't been fired for 50 years.

Sheriff, I've been wondering,

what prompted you
to search the motel?

We got an anonymous tip.

From a man or woman?

I took it, Mrs. Fletcher.
It was a male voice.

I see. Ben,

did Lawrence Jarvis
follow you to the boatyard

the night that Mason
Porter was killed?

It's possible. I
wouldn't be surprised.

Could he have been the mysterious
figure that you told us about?

The person who ran
off when you got there?

I don't think so. Jarvis would
have had to be behind me.

Well, I could use
a cup of coffee.

Ben, is there anything at
all that you haven't told us

about what you might have
seen or done that night?

Well, yes, there was one thing.

I didn't think it was important.

I guess I was a
little embarrassed.

When I got there, I
noticed a light in the office.

I peeked through
one of the windows

and Mr. Porter was drinking
champagne with his wife

and they were kissing.

She was there? His wife?

Yes.

The lady that just went storming
out of here like a banshee.

Well, that wasn't
his wife, that was...

That was Robin Dishman.

Yes, Sheriff, so it was.

If I'm not mistaken, this
makes things a whole lot clearer.

Well, anything else I can
do for you nice people?

Got a sweet little
gaff-rigged ketch on sale.

No, thanks, Mr. Sanders. We won't
be needing you, at least for a while.

Now, right there
on that trash pile,

that's where the kids
found Mason's wallet.

JESSICA: Ah, yes.

"Ah, yes," what?

Mrs. F, would you mind telling
me what we're doing here?

We're closing in.

On whom?

Well, I'm not sure yet.
But this much is clear.

The motive for stealing Mason's
wallet wasn't money or credit cards.

What the killer needed
was a coded plastic card,

allowing escape through the
back gate and along this pier.

I mean, once past the gate,

there was no longer
any need for the wallet,

so it was thrown away.

Anything else? Yes.

Since the only
fingerprints on the wallet

were the victim's and
the children's who found it,

that leads me to believe
that the killer wore gloves,

which is a clear indication
of premeditated murder.

Mr. Wiggins, hello.

What can I do for
you, Mrs. Fletcher?

I thought you might be able
to give the Sheriff a hand.

He was wondering if you were open
the night that Mason Porter was killed.

If the Sheriff ever
took up fishing,

he'd know I was open
seven days a week.

Did you happen to notice
anyone pass here, going that way?

I mean, between
10:00 and midnight?

Yeah. Yeah, come
to think of it, I did.

Must have been
a little past 10:00.

I was closing up.

Somebody walked by

and a couple of seconds
later, I heard glass breaking.

Could you see who it was?

No. No, it was pretty dark.

Besides, I wasn't paying
much attention, anyways.

Terrific.

JESSICA: Just one more question.

Could you tell if the person
was a man or a woman?

Oh, it was a man. That
much I'd bet my life on.

Mr. Wiggins, thank
you very, very much.

Well, what's the big deal?

We always figured it
was a man, didn't we?

You, maybe, but not me.

Oh, I wouldn't try to
figure her out, Sheriff.

I never have.

Yeah.

Call the fire department!

(GRUNTS)

(SIREN WAILING)

I should think you'd have
some glowing things to say

about the man who
saved your life, Mr. Jarvis.

You're only the second
person in this room

who owes his life to Ben Oliver.

I'm alive and so are you.

A little gratitude
might be appropriate.

I don't know what happened. I must
have dropped a match into the waste basket.

Next thing I knew, the
whole place was going up.

Mr. Jarvis, please.

You were knocked unconscious by the
same person who murdered Mason Porter.

He was the one
who started the fire.

That's the man
who tried to kill you

and did kill Mason.

How do you know that?

Well, very early in the
case it became clear to me

that the motive for the
murder was revenge,

not the theft of $60,000.

At the crime scene I noticed an open
champagne bottle, but only one glass.

Now, people usually don't drink
champagne by themselves late at night.

And when I saw a moisture ring
from a second glass on the table,

I knew I was right.

I reasoned that our killer
removed the second glass

to prevent the
discovery of fingerprints,

or perhaps a lipstick smear.

At Mason's funeral, I saw his
wife take Robin Dishman aside

for, to say the very least, a
very peculiar conversation.

Now, both of them seemed to be trying
to cover strong feelings of animosity.

The sight of them
interacting like that

helped solidify my belief that we
were dealing with a crime of passion.

But unfortunately, I had nothing
to substantiate that, until...

Until Ben told us he saw Mason Porter
kissing his wife the night of the murder.

Only the woman he was really
talking about was your wife, Neal.

JESSICA: That revelation gave
us three people with motives.

Dorothy Porter, who
probably knew about the affair,

Robin Dishman, who may have
had reasons for wanting Mason dead,

and you, Neal,

who must have hated
him with a passion.

So we were left with three
suspects, two women and one man.

Actually, it was Mr. Wiggins
who gave us the final answer.

He said that he saw someone pass his
bait stand around the time of the murder.

Said he couldn't
identify the person,

but he was sure it was a man.

JESSICA: You planned the
murder very carefully, Neal.

In order to make the
motive look like robbery,

you bought an expensive
boat and paid cash.

On the fatal night, you confronted
Mason and struck him with a heavy object.

You then stole your
own money from the safe.

Not wanting to risk being seen from
the street, you took Mason's wallet,

knowing that he carried
a card for the rear gate.

The last thing you
did before you left

was confiscate your
wife's champagne glass.

Mr. Wiggins heard glass breaking

shortly after you
passed by his stand.

Obviously you were
destroying the evidence.

METZGER: You have
anything to say about this?

Not without benefit of attorney.

Andy!

Take Mr. Dishman down to
the station. Read him his rights.

And then book him
for first degree murder.

What I can't figure out

is how he figures
into all of this.

I believe the operative
word is blackmail.

And my guess is that he's just about
ready to tell us all about it himself.

(SIGHS)

After he left the boatyard,

I saw a woman come out
of the office and drive away.

A couple of seconds later, Dishman
comes out of hiding and he goes inside.

I figured something juicy
was about to happen,

so I looked through the window.

I saw the whole damned thing.

So you ended up
trying to blackmail Neal.

(SCOFFS) A lot
of good that did me.

He hit me with a piece of pipe.

But before Neal did,

Jarvis was careful enough
to try and frame Ben.

He planted money in his room,

then made an anonymous
call to the Sheriff's office.

For a while I was disappointed
that Ben didn't let you roast.

But now it sounds as if you're going
to spend quite a long time in prison.

Every night, just before I go to
sleep, I'm gonna remember that

and smile.

So please call us when you
have your new address in Detroit.

To tell you the truth, Jessica, I
don't know how long I'll be there.

I'm addicted to what's on the
other side of the next mountain.

New places, new
people, new things.

Okay, folks, all aboard.

Jessica.

I can't thank you enough
for all you've done.

Ben, it was a special
pleasure meeting you.

I hope you'll come back.

Well, it's so long, Seth.

I'm sure glad I was around in
'44 to keep you out of harm's way.

And looking back, it just might
be the best thing I've ever done.

I will miss you, old friend.

You know, I've got two absolutely
beautiful game hens in the refrigerator.

Wouldn't want them to
go to waste, would you?