Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 9, Episode 11 - Final Curtain - full transcript

If that's how things
are, then fine.

And thank you very much!

Sometimes I feel big, like I could
wrap my hands around the sun.

Someday you're gonna be all
alone, and I'm gonna be there.

There's a problem,
Dr. Hazlitt. It's David.

METZGER: Taggart!

Which arm? Try
to remember, Seth.

They tell me at Tascadero that we all have
free will. So, uh, what is it, lady? Huh?

And then everything moved
over to the new community center,

leaving this place
empty most of the time.

So after a while, we started
using it for local productions,



historical pageants,
that sort of thing.

What about the dressing rooms?

All taken care of,
as you requested.

Lights and water will be
turned on in just about an hour.

If I had a better idea of your
requirements, Mr. Mueller,

perhaps I could be
of some more help.

My associates and I
have acquired a new play.

We intend to try it out here
prior to opening it off-Broadway.

The stage is satisfactory.

My people should be here
from New York any time now.

Your people?

Director, some crew,
a few cast members.

We'll find the rest of the crew
and the supporting cast locally.

Auditions begin
tomorrow at 10:00.



Why, that's wonderful!

Um, you know, actually,

I have some acting
background myself.

I shouldn't be at all surprised.

And this place, it
has quite a history.

Back a long time ago,

David North used to come here every
summer on vacation from Hollywood.

Before leaving, he'd
act in a play right here,

just to keep his hand in.

People would come
from miles around.

I hear that he's
living in England now.

Past tense, Miss
Simpson, past tense.

Which is far less
pleasant than the present.

David North. I'm
happy to meet you.

Just a little bit further to your
left, Sheriff. That's perfect.

In my novel, an
assassination attempt is ruined

when a businessman steps
in front of the Prime Minister.

And I have to get the
trajectory absolutely right

so that one of them is killed
and the other is only injured.

And, uh, who am I?

Oh, you're the businessman.

And the Prime Minister, Henri
Jacques, is right behind you.

But you're the
one who gets killed.

Figures.

That's perfect.

From here, you'd
be killed instantly.

Clean shot right
through the heart. Swell.

(PHONE RINGING)

Hold that knit just
for a minute, will you?

So, Mr. Prime Minister, this is
your first time in Cabot Cove?

You know, you
have looked better.

Hello?

Eve?

Eve, is that you?

Anything wrong?

I don't know, she's
making sounds

only a squirrel can understand.

Eve, would you... Start
from the beginning.

Will you calm down?

Who's back in town?
No, that's amazing.

Does Seth know yet?

A fair... A fair fight?

I may have been only yea high,

but even I knew that the
fix was on when I saw it!

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

When Joe Louis knocked
down Max Schmeling...

(KNOCKING CONTINUES)

you could've left the arena,

gone all the way down
the street, had dinner,

come back and they still
would not have started the count!

MAN: I don't believe it. Seth,
are you still arguing that one?

Who wants to know?

David?

David! You son of a gun!

Why didn't you tell...
Where have you been?

How long have you been in town?

I want to know right now! When?

I wanted it to be a surprise.

Well, it was a surprise,
all right! Good heavens.

Look, I can't stay.
I'm exhausted.

I just drove up from New York.

I want to invite you over for
dinner tomorrow after the auditions.

We're trying out a new play here,
and I want everybody to meet you.

Oh, tomorrow...

I can't. I'm having dinner
with Jessica Fletcher.

All the better! Bring her along.

There isn't an actor alive who
doesn't love a good mystery.

Be at the community
center around 6:00.

Oh, it's good to see you still
have a few surviving patients.

Oh, he's... Ah!

Out! Out! Out!

Can I have your attention,
please? My name is Kathryn Evans,

director for And
Wept a Stranger.

This is one of our
leads, John Koppel.

Behind me, our producer, Jerome
Mueller, and our star, David North.

(ALL APPLAUDING)

For the benefit of
those who just arrived,

we're looking for five
or six supporting actors

to back up our main cast.

So if you've all had a
chance to look at the scenes,

let's get on with it.

Can I please see Eve
Simpson and Lyman Taggart?

Okay. Whenever you're ready.

Take it from "And how" to
"And have no harm done it."

Remember, this
is a period piece,

so hit the accents
and the rhythms

and watch your pronunciations.

And how would you of all bring
love into this cold, forbidding place?

(RECITING STIFFLY) By all
the usual means, trickery, deceit

and a lover's list of promises
never meant to be kept.

If you expect me to find this
cynicism darkly compelling...

I expect nothing of the kind.

And, expecting
nothing, thus receive it.

My heart's my own,

fair lady, ill used and
impractical a thing as it may be,

I have had it bronzed
and kept upon the shelf.

Thank you, Mr. Taggart.

The piece ended
at the previous line.

Yeah, I know.

(LAUGHING NERVOUSLY)

I was just trying
to get into it.

I mean, you know, I...

I really don't think
that I did my best job.

I appreciate your enthusiasm,
but we're running behind, so...

Could I do it again, please?

I'm sorry, but there are a lot
of others waiting to audition.

Miss Simpson, if you could
stick around for a few minutes...

That was very nice.
Mr. Taggart, uh...

Thank you for coming.

I drove all the way from Bangor.

I mean, I drove all night
long just to get here.

I appreciate that, but
sometimes enthusiasm

isn't always
sufficient to the cause.

All I'm asking for is
another chance. Okay?

I mean, what is the big deal?

Look, son, you're not
doing yourself any good.

Sure, rejection is
tough, but just roll with it.

I'm sorry, Mr. North. I'm sorry.

But she's trying to
lock out new talent here!

You know, it's just
the same old story.

Okay. That's enough.

Oh, right. Sure. If that's
how things are, then fine.

Terrific! And thank
you very much!

(PEOPLE MURMURING)

Okay. Why don't we, uh, pick up
again after lunch? I'll see you all then.

Jessica Fletcher, I assume?

It's a pleasure to
meet you, Mr. North.

I've enjoyed your
work enormously.

No more than I've enjoyed yours.

Oh, getting a bit thick
around here, now isn't it?

It's a difficult task
being his friend,

but someone has to do it.

Shall we? Oh, yes.

It's a very unusual play.

It tracks one man's
descent into madness

as his world
crumbles around him.

That would be my part.

(ALL LAUGHING)

Typecasting, I suppose.

What's great, as well as using
regular paint for the sets and flats,

we're also using
this new kind of paint

that only shows up
under ultraviolet light.

Ah, yes. I think I read
about that in New York.

Something quite new,
um... Wildfire Lighting, isn't it?

That's enough.

I hereby declare a moratorium
on business conversation.

Kathryn, there's a perfectly
good dance floor over there

just waiting for
someone to use it.

Would you please excuse me?

When the producer
asks the director to dance,

the director dances.

And when the director
dances, the actors dance.

Excuse us, as well.

So, how does it feel, coming out of
retirement, coming back to the stage?

Oh! It feels good.

Sometimes I feel
big, like I could wrap

my hands around
the sun if I wanted to.

Ask me, you never should've
retired in the first place.

I still don't understand
why you did it.

I just couldn't stand
the noise anymore.

Jess, I've known this man longer than
anyone else on the face of the Earth.

We grew up together.

Before he went off to Hollywood
to become a movie star.

We ate together, we swam
together, we dated the same girls.

You'd think by now at least he
could give me a straight answer.

There's a certain point
when it ceases to be fun.

I needed to get
away for a while.

The hard part, at
my age, is that, uh,

there's no one
left to play with.

I lost a good friend, Seth.

That's why I couldn't come
back to Cabot Cove for so long.

You know that.

It took me long enough
to find you up here, David.

Eric?

If I didn't know any better, I'd
think you were trying to avoid me.

Oh, no. No, no. Of course not.

Seth, you remember
Eric, don't you?

(STAMMERING) Oh, yes.

Eric Benderson this
is Jessica Fletcher.

How do you do?

Eric was my personal
manager for years.

I grabbed the first
plane up from New York

as soon as I heard
about the play.

It's been a long time, David, but I
want you to know I'm still here for you.

Anything I can do to
help, you just let me know.

Oh, that's wonderful,
that's really wonderful. Eric...

(LAUGHING) Come
here! It's good to see you.

DAVID: Yeah.

Thank you. Good night.

Good night. Good
night, thank you.

No! It's the lady director.

Oh, you can't go in
there, sir, without... Sir...

Hey!

I just wanted to see your face.

You know, I used to think that
you were really something special.

Look, son, if this is
about this afternoon...

I drove 100 miles to
be here, to see you,

to get a chance.

You call that a chance?
That was a joke.

You know, you're just the
same as everybody else.

Maybe worse.

Somebody ought to
take you down a peg.

I think you're
miscalculating, young man.

Simple mathematics.
There are several of us,

and only one of you.

So move along, or
we'll all step outside.

Remember, Mr. Movie Star,
someday you're gonna be all alone,

and I'm gonna be there.

You can count on it.

That was a pretty foolish
thing you did last night, Seth.

If that young man had taken
you up on your challenge,

someone could have
gotten very seriously hurt.

Oh, I know, I know...

It happens every time I
hang around with David North.

I forget I'm older,
slower, and a tad rounder

than when we were
both very young,

and he was constantly
getting me into trouble.

Which he proceeded
to do all over again

last night after we
dropped you off.

Oh! Apparently so.

Ah!

Softly, please, Jess.

I feel as if every molecule of air in the
room was bouncing against my head,

and the irony of that is I didn't
really have very much to drink.

It was just going around
and around all night.

"Adventuring," David called it.

He's a hard man to
keep up with, Jess.

How is he doing, by the
way? After his encounter?

Oh, he's fine. Dropped
me at my place

and then drove off
to see the sunrise.

Strange, though.

What's strange?

Well, the way he
acted last night

when we were hitting
every bar in town,

as if he were determined to have
a good time even if it killed him.

He was, I don't know, desperate.

Like someone trying to
escape from something.

Jess, can you please tell me why
my tongue feels like outdoor carpeting?

You're the doctor.

Now, you're sure it's not a
problem running me into town?

After the way you
resurrected me?

Absolutely not. Where
did I leave my coat?

Oh, it's right here.

Oh, what's this?

Ah! I wanted to show you that.

I just remembered.

David was the first celebrity
I ever knew personally,

and as one of his schoolmates, I
took a certain pride in his career.

I followed him for years.

Now, I collected
all sorts of stuff.

I have programs, I
have reviews, playbills,

ads from the first movies.

Oh, there we are
together in the third grade.

I'm the one wearing the hat.

Look, I didn't buy it,
my mother gave it to me.

Oh, what's that?

Ah.

I'm afraid that's a
memento of a sadder time.

Remember David saying
he'd lost a lot of friends,

one of them here in
Cabot Cove? Well, this is it.

Vincent Channing and
he were very good friends.

They went out to
Hollywood together.

They worked in the
same pictures together.

David even convinced him

to come out here
for his vacations.

One summer, Vincent
had to cut his holiday short.

He borrowed David's
car to go to the airport.

It had been raining.

He lost control on one of these
curvy roads outside of town.

He was killed instantly.

Oh, how terrible.

I was one of the
first ones there.

Of course, I had
to report it to David.

Well, it nearly killed him.

(PHONE RINGING)

Hello?

Yes, he is. Just a moment.

It's for you.

(EXCLAIMS)

Hey, yeah, Hazlitt.

Why, yes.

Yes, Mr. Mueller, I remember
meeting you at dinner last night.

What can I do for you?

There's a problem,
Dr. Hazlitt. It's David.

Well, thanks again,
Seth. Mmm-hmm.

I hope your friend is all right.

Hi, Mrs. Fletcher!
Hi! Lyman Taggart.

I recognize you from the theater the
other day, and then at the restaurant,

and, well, I just
wanted to apologize.

Uh, Mr. Taggart...

I know. There is no
excuse for my behavior,

but it's just...

I am such a big fan
of David North, and...

Well, the chance to
work in this show with him,

well, it just means
everything to me.

I stayed up until
3:00 in the morning

to watch him in Martyr at
Camafeo for the sixth time.

I mean, that man,
he is such a genius.

Mr. Taggart, I suspect that you're
apologizing to the wrong person.

But I thought that you
and he were friends,

and that maybe you could
put in a good word for me.

I can't do that.

Can't?

Or won't?

Please excuse me.

(STAMMERING) Can't
or won't, Mrs. Fletcher?

They tell me at Tascadero
that we all have free will.

So, uh, what is it, lady?
Huh? Can't or won't?

There's only one person he
wants to see, and that's you,

but I'll be down the
hall if you need me.

David?

David, it's me. Seth.

What say you open
the door? David.

David?

I thought you gave up
the hard stuff years ago.

I did. But this is a
celebration, isn't it?

David North, fresh from a
whirlwind tour of his own life,

out of retirement
after 10 long years.

Back into the nightmare.

Out of the frying
pan, into the pyre.

(LAUGHING)

You're not making any sense.

Good.

I've always considered
logic vastly overrated.

You'd better go.

I thought you sent for me.

I did. My error.

Don't compound it.

(SIGHING)

David, I don't know
what's going on here,

but if you're in
any kind of trouble,

if there's something
wrong, tell me. Plainly.

I've never been very good at
metaphors or code-breaking.

I'm scared.

Well, of course you are.

My God, man, who wouldn't be?

Facing an audience
after all this time.

But, David, you
were one of the best.

You can do this.

Oh, Seth, you've been
such a good friend.

You almost...

You almost make me wish we
were talking about the same thing.

I suppose they're
waiting for me out there.

I hope you all have good reason

for hanging around,
wasting time.

We've got a production to mount.

John, I'd like to talk to
you and Kathryn about

the first entrance,
to make it better.

Thanks again, Dr. Hazlitt.

You know, David's
been through a lot lately,

and there's some people
who don't exactly wish him well.

Is that what brought
you all the way out here?

Well, let's just say that anyone
who wants to try and hurt David

has to go through me first.

Thanks again, Doctor.

Yeah.

Oh, I can't tell you how
much I appreciate this, Mrs. F.

I mean, I practically grew
up on David North movies.

The pirate pictures, though,
those were the best ones.

You know, I hear he
did all his own stunts.

(SHUSHING)

And what are your intentions?

I have no intentions.

Only suspicions, calculations,
inclinations and doubts.

About what?

Many things.
Yourself most of all.

I think we have a cue
here. The constable enters.

KATHRYN: I'm afraid
we've lost the constable.

Apparently lobster
season won't wait.

We're looking for a replacement.

Um, can you pick up the
part of the constable for now?

Sure.

You'll excuse me,

there's a carriage waiting at
the front gate. Oh, there he is!

Something about a coffin.

And more confusion!

EVE: Did you send for a coffin?

(LOUDLY) Boy,
he's good, isn't he?

I don't know, he looks
awfully thin up there.

Oh, it's just the lights.

You think so?

(SHUSHING)

Perhaps you should
ask the passenger.

They say TV makes you look fat.
Maybe on stage it's just the opposite.

I imagine. But I was
speaking to Janice

just the other day, and
she said that he had...

Do you mind?

Who said that?

You?

Say it again, please.

(WEAKLY) Do you mind?

Louder. So they can hear you
in the cheap seats. Come on!

Do you mind?

Oh, come on! Give me a big
one! Louder! Louder! Come on!

(SHOUTING) Do you mind?

Kathryn, I believe we've
found our constable.

(PEOPLE LAUGHING)

Congratulations.
Welcome to the company.

I'll see you both
tonight at the cast party.

(DOORBELL RINGING)

Coming.

Hello, Jessica.

David, come on in.

Seth's delayed. He
asked me to pick you up.

I would've been here sooner,

but I had to go
clear across town

to find a rental car with
a manual transmission.

Are you ready to go?

Oh, just two seconds.

I just want to save and
turn off my computer.

I'm about 10 pages away
from finishing my novel,

and I am desperate
to get it done.

What do you have
against automatic cars?

Ah! I don't like
them. I never have.

I like to feel the
road when I drive.

There. Just get my coat on.

You must feel very excited.

The play is coming
together very nicely.

Yes, and it's a good cast.

Especially John, our
young actor from New York.

He's stubborn, dedicated,
talented and smart,

and as a consequence
doesn't work a lot.

But if we can make this
play work, it'll be his big break.

And I must confess, I will
take a certain pride in that.

Well, I know how you feel.

I feel the same way when one of
my students goes on to be successful.

You know, I think that we repay
the good things in our own lives

by investing in someone else's.

Shall we go?

Jerome, I've been
looking everywhere for you.

I know.

I just got off the phone
with my business manager.

What the hell is going on?

You know, when you asked me
to help back this play financially,

we agreed to a clean
three-way split of the net profits,

you, David and I.

I practically cleaned out
my life savings to do this.

And we appreciate that.

Great. Except for now
I hear Eric Benderson

is dickering for a straight
15% cut of the gross?

And for what? For being
David's has-been manager?

David has no right to negotiate
our rights away like that!

Kathryn, face it.

Without David, we
don't have a production.

Look, it's only talk right now.

But a lot can happen between
now and when the ink dries.

So, tell me, what's
David like to work with?

I mean, not that I'm
nervous or anything,

I'd just, you
know, like to know.

He's an absolute
professional. And generous.

He... He gives
you plenty of room

to find your place in the scene.

Yeah. Well, I'm not worried
about finding my place.

I just want to get through this
thing without embarrassing myself.

Oh, I know the feeling.
But you're the lucky one.

You won't have to worry
about that too much.

METZGER: What do you mean?

Well, didn't you
read the script?

Your character gets killed
at the end of the first act.

Oh, swell.

First I get killed in your novel

by someone who can't hit a
prime minister at 50 paces.

And now I get
bumped off in this.

Would somebody like to tell me
when I became God's personal piñata?

(LAUGHING) Excuse me.

Wait! Don't do this.

Enjoying the party?

Oh, yes. It's wonderful.

Oh, absolutely.

Everything all right?

Oh, I take it you're referring to
that little, uh, discussion with Jerome.

Well, whenever somebody new
comes into a team like this, the way I did,

there's bound to
be a little friction.

Nothing that can't
be ironed out.

Have you seen
David, by any chance?

Well, the last time I saw
him, he was over there.

JESSICA: There he is.

Uh-oh. Excuse me.

I don't believe
it! Get... No, I...

You're not welcome here! No!

Mr. North, please... I am not
doing anything! You stay out of here!

I'm not doing
anything to get out!

What do we have to do
to make it clear to you?

Get out of here!

It was very brave of Mr. Benderson
to go after Taggart like that.

It was strange, though.

I mean, I know that Taggart
was turned down for the part, but...

I mean, his reaction was
completely out of proportion.

Almost unbalanced.

Well, I'll say this for Eric,

he's always been
very protective of David.

Did you know Benderson very
well when he was David's manager?

No. Not really.

He worked for the studio, stayed
behind the scenes most of the time.

Must've been a good
businessman, though,

for David to hire him
out of the blue like that.

What is it? Something wrong?

Well, I think I left my
reading glasses behind.

However, I will drop you
off first, then I'll go back.

Oh, nonsense, Seth.

Now look, we haven't gone that
far. Just turn around and go back.

I thought you were in such
a hurry to finish that novel.

Oh, I've only got about
10 more pages to do,

and there's plenty of
time left this evening.

Seth, come on now. Turn around.

Jess, I think I might have left
them over by the punch bowl.

(CRASHING)

It's Eric Benderson.

He's hurt. Badly hurt.

Send for the ambulance.

Yes.

(SIREN WAILING)

It looked as if there
had been a struggle,

in the course of which someone
had struck Mr. Benderson.

Well, we're searching the
area now for the weapon, but...

Sheriff! Oh, hey, Andy.

This just came in.
Thought you'd like to see it.

Oh, thanks.

I followed up on that tip
you gave me about Taggart,

you know, his behavior, the way he
mentioned that institution he was in.

Tascadero. Yes?

Well, according to this,
this guy's a real nut case.

He's got a whole history of
celebrity stalking, trespassing...

Nothing violent, but
that might have changed.

I think before I do anything, I'd better
find this guy before he leaves Cabot Cove.

Try the Hill House, Sheriff.

He mentioned the other day
that he stayed up until 3:00 a.m.

to catch David North
in Martyr at Camafeo.

Well, I happened
to notice that only

the film classics channel
was playing that movie.

And only the Hill House
carries that channel, right?

Seth.

How is he?

I'm sorry, David.

He's gone.

Oh, God.

Did he ever regain
consciousness?

No. No, I'm afraid not.

I'll have a report for you
within the hour, Sheriff.

David, if there's
anything I can...

(SIGHS)

Look, I don't know what
this does to your production,

but I'm gonna wanna see each of
you before you head back for New York.

You don't consider
any of us suspects?

As far as I'm concerned,
anyone who knew Eric Benderson

and still has a
pulse is a suspect.

METZGER: Mrs. F., you sure about
this guy Taggart staying at the Hill House?

Oh, reasonably sure. Yes.

Well, then what's he doing
coming out of the Lighthouse Motel?

(SHOUTING) Mr. Taggart.
I'd like to have a...

(SNIFFS)

Fire! Fire in cabin
number one! Hurry!

Jim! Call the fire department!

Operator...

(COUGHING)

(SIREN WAILING)

No good.

I could smell gasoline
all over the place.

Whose room was it?

A new guy in town.
Eric Benderson.

I got a call from his family. They
wanted me to pack up his belongings.

I was gonna do
it later, but now...

Who'd do a thing like this?

(SIRENS APPROACHING)

Look, I did not start that fire.

Then what were you
doing at the motel?

I was staying there.

Not true.

Now, we checked
with the Hill House.

You've been registered
there since last Monday night.

Now, do you want
to tell me the truth,

or do you want to
go for lie number two?

Okay, look.

I was at that motel because
I saw David North drive in.

And you were following him?

I wanted to apologize.

I was gonna pack it in, drive
back to Bangor this afternoon.

Look, I know that I have had some problems
in the past, but I have gotten better.

It was just a little
relapse, that's all.

I kind of... I don't
know. I lost it.

And I didn't want to leave
without trying to apologize.

That is all.

So then what happened?

Nothing.

I lost him. I couldn't tell
what cabin he had gone into.

I gave up and I was getting ready
to leave, and that's when I saw you.

Then why did you run?

I didn't want to get in
trouble for following Mr. North.

Sheriff, David could
have been at the hotel

hoping that he
might find something

that would tell him who
murdered Mr. Benderson.

So if he was in the room,
maybe he saw who set the fire.

(SIGHING) Mort, I hate to say
this, but David could've set it.

Unless it was intended for him.

In which case he
could be in real danger.

Andy, lock him
away till we get back.

Mr. North? Sheriff Metzger.
Could we talk to you, please?

He should be
home. His car is here.

Yeah, I know. Mr. North?

(SNIFFING)

Uh, Sheriff, do you
smell something?

It's gas! Back up, Mrs. F.

(COUGHING)

He's unconscious. Radio... Yes.

Are you quite sure
you're all right?

Fine. I'm fine.

I'm a little short of breath, but the
good doctor here assures me that'll pass.

And you don't remember
what happened?

No. I'm sorry. I...

I came back to the house to
change, to shower before dinner.

Someone must've
struck me from behind,

because the next
thing I remember, I'm...

I'm lying out there on the
grass, staring up at you two.

Is there any reason I
can't get back to work?

Well, all things considered,

I would rather keep you under
observation for a few more hours.

But your lungs don't
seem to be damaged at all.

However, I do not want
you to exert yourself.

Done. Thank you, Seth.

Come on, Mr. North,
I'll give you a ride. Great.

Take care.

Yes?

Something wrong, Seth?

Who said anything was wrong?

Your face.

Are you going to
believe, me or my face?

Look, if you don't want to talk
about it, Seth, just say so. I'll leave.

David said that someone hit him
from behind. That he was knocked out.

Well, Jess, I examined
him thoroughly.

There was not a mark on him.

Now there should've been a
bump, a contusion, something.

I was afraid that
might be the case.

It bears out what I
noticed at the house, Seth.

The door was
locked from the inside.

And so were the windows.

I mean, there was no
sign of anybody breaking in.

Meaning what? That
there was no intruder?

That this whole thing
was self-inflicted?

Oh, I cannot accept that.

Jess, you're
asking me to believe

that David North
deliberately tried to kill himself.

I cannot believe that.

Yes. But that's
because he's your friend.

But if he wasn't your friend?

Suppose someone came to you with
these results and asked for your opinion?

What would you say?

(SIGHING)

Attempted suicide.

Oh, hi, Doc. I'm looking for Sheriff
Metzger. They said he'd be here.

You just missed him.

Uh, if you don't mind
my asking, what is that?

We were going over that burned
motel room and found this under the bed.

Looks like it was a
bunch of photographs.

Of what?

Well, no way to tell now.

Heat destroyed most of them.

Just some bits and pieces left.

Seth.

Is that familiar to you?

Well, now that
you mention it, I...

I think so, but I can't
quite place it, though.

Well, I think I can.

But I'm going to
need your help, Seth.

You know, the doc would kill me

if he knew I was
dropping you off here.

Look, he said I should
go home. This is it.

The theater's the only
home I've ever known.

You sure you're okay?

(LAUGHING) I'm fine,
Sheriff. Thank you.

Okay.

JESSICA: The car in this
picture and the car in the accident

are one and the same.

Mmm-hmm.

Now, the pictures were just
taken from different angles.

One was at night
and one in daylight.

Well, who would've
taken a picture like that?

And kept it all these
years? And why?

Seth, tell me everything
that you can remember about

the night that David's
friend died in the accident.

Well, there isn't
much to tell, really.

I got a call around midnight.

Who called?

Eric Benderson.

That was before he'd
become David's manager.

Those days he was
liaison for the studio.

His big job was keeping
David and Vincent out of trouble.

Now, when I got there, the
sheriff's people were already there.

Eric showed up a little later.

And of course, Vincent
was still in the car, dead.

Seth, back at the house, you said
that Vincent cut his vacation short.

Why did he do that?

Had a broken arm.

I suppose he wanted to
recuperate in warmer climes.

Which arm? Try
to remember, Seth.

Right... Yes, it was
the right arm. Why?

Seth, I think I know who killed Eric
Benderson. And I think I know why.

But if the path were
mine to choose,

I'd have no contradictions
or confusions,

no doubts or dreads or lies.

I long for peace and quiet,

but war is simple.
It's peace that is hell.

Wait a minute.
David, you're off script.

What? Where?
Off, off, off? Where?

Didn't you get the new pages?

No, no. What new pages?

Oh, they came in last night.

Sorry, with all the confusion...

Anyway, Jerome and
I were on the phone

most of yesterday
with the playwright.

He wrote a new scene.
We'll just block it out now.

Wait a minute. Who
else is in this scene?

The governess.
Unfortunately Eve isn't here,

so I've found someone
to stand in for her.

Oh, it's good of you
to help out, Jessica.

It's the least I could do.

Okay, let's take
it from the top.

You're up late.

Secrets do not
respect the clock.

And what would
you know of secrets?

A tale of overwhelming sadness.

Two friends, close as
blood, separated by death.

If you would say something, then
speak plainly. These are difficult times.

I am driven from
rage into madness,

and from madness in...

From madness into the touch
of death upon my own hand.

There's more.

Yes.

Too much more.

Too much pain. Too many years.

How long had Eric Benderson
been blackmailing you?

Ever since that night.

You know all about
this, don't you?

Enough to put it together.

When you came by
my house the other day,

you mentioned you only
drive cars with a stick shift.

When your friend
Vincent Channing died

in a car accident outside town,

you said he was alone,
driving one of your cars.

And I noticed in the
photo of the accident

that it was, indeed, a
manual transmission car.

But at night, after a rain,
with the roads still slick,

it seems very unlikely that
he could drive a stick shift

with a broken right arm.

When your friend
died that night,

he wasn't alone, was he?

You were there at the wheel.

(SIGHING)

He had to get back to the coast,

I offered to drive
him to the airport.

We celebrated his departure,

and we were both pretty drunk.

Eric was following us,
trying to get us to stop.

I said, "Let's lose him,"
and I gunned the engine.

The wheel just
turned in my hand.

I was apparently thrown clear
when the car went off the road.

I was hardly even scratched.

And Eric was
there, helping me up.

But Vincent...
JESSICA: Was dead.

To avoid causing a
scandal for the studio,

Eric made it look like
Vincent was driving alone.

And took you
back to town. You...

You didn't know that he'd
taken pictures of the whole thing.

Not until later.

When the blackmail began.

He wanted in.

He became my personal manager.

He took a piece of
everything I made.

And after a few years, I
couldn't take it any longer.

I quit. I retired. Disappeared.

And after 10 years, I
thought it was long enough.

That he'd forgotten about me.

I was wrong.

JESSICA: Which explains your curious
reaction when Eric showed up in town.

You seemed more stunned
than pleased at his arrival.

DAVID: I wanted him to go away.

I wanted him to leave me alone.

He refused.

I begged. I pleaded with him.

I'd made a mistake.
It was a long time ago.

I wanted my life back.

He wouldn't let
go! I lost control.

JESSICA: And that's when
you knocked over the paint cans.

And then fled out the back door

when you heard
us enter the theater.

That's the same
jacket you were wearing

the night Eric
Benderson was killed.

During the struggle, you
knocked over some containers

of that special paint,

the kind that can only be
seen under ultraviolet light.

I'm sorry, Mr. North,

I'm afraid I'm gonna have
to place you under arrest.

Good scene, Jessica.

And he admitted to
starting the fire as well?

Yep. It's all right here.

See, he figured
after Eric was killed,

somebody'd start poking
around and find those photos.

When he couldn't
find them himself,

he did what he
felt he had to do.

Andy, it's time. You want to
transfer the prisoner, please?

Mmm? Yeah.

"Transfer the prisoner"?
Isn't that awfully formal?

The man is not a
cold-blooded killer, Mort.

If he were, he wouldn't have tried
to do away with himself like that.

I know. The way he
gave me every detail.

There's a man with a
lot to get off his chest.

Well, at least now it's over.

Maybe he'll find some peace.

I'm surprised to
see you after...

After what's happened.

I can't approve of what you did.

The man was a blackmailer,
but that's no excuse for murder.

However, you don't turn
your back on a friend,

and I expect you could
use one just about now.

Oh, may I, uh,
go along with him?

I think that'll be all right.

By the way, Doc,
where's Mrs. F.?

I figured she'd want
to be here for this one.

At home. For the
past three days,

she has been within 10
pages of finishing her book.

So I expect she's
determined to finish it now,

while she has some
peace and quiet.