"Suppose itwas you." " You're always imagining... that I'm leaping into beds all over town." "Oh, Alex, don't." "I knowyou." "You know that every expert in this case believes that JeniferWelles killed herself?" "." "Ifthat's so, why areyou here?" "." "'Causeyou don't believe it." "Janice, stop it." "I'm getting tired ofyour insecurities." "Now, stop hounding me." "That's my specialty, you know: homicide." "~~ [ Modern, Dissonant ]" "~~ [ Crash ]" "[ Switch Clicks ] ~~ [ Orchestra:" "Classical ]" "~~ [ Volume Increases ]" "~~[Continues ]" "Ow." "[Tool Clatters ]" "[ British Accent ] Frank, let me have that socket wrench, would you please?" "." "Ta." "[ Car Horn Honks ]" "That's gotta be His Nibs again." "Hello, maestro." "Hello, Mike, old boy." "How areyou?" "." "Got problems again?" "." "Got a little few problems." "You're a virtuoso, Mike." "Fix this thing for me." "Tune it, oil it, talk to it, do whateveryou have to." "It's not running right." "I got a rattle in the brass section, the woodwinds are flat." "What's this thing?" "." "That's the distributor." "Anyway, fix it." "I'll see you tomorrow around noon, all right?" "." "Okay." "Doyou need a ride?" "." "No, mywife is supposed to meet me here." "Ah, there she is now, right on time as always." "Hi, honey." "Darling, I have to wash my hands." "I'll be right there." "Mike." "[ Car Hood Closes ]" "Bye, maestro!" "Move over." "All right, darling." "All right." "Here we go." "[Janice ] Alex, stop that." "Whyshould I?" "I feel that happens to be improper behavior for the conductor... ofthe Southern Philharmonic-- whatever it is." "You soundjust like your mother." "To pinch his wife publicly." "You do." "You sound like your mother." "She 'd like me to go around as somber as the ghost... as august as Brahms, as fierce as Beethoven." "Did you know that Brahms used to tell dirty stories?" "." "I believe it." "He used to have a cigar and use it while he was conducting sometimes, in concerts." "And Beethoven, he was-- Yes, I know." "You told me he was a sex maniac." "So am I. [ Laughs ] Alex." "Look, will you take this thing to the dressing room for me?" "." "I have to see Billy a second." "Okay." "How's it going, William?" "." "Oh, hello, Alex." "I'm just getting a lineup on the camera positions." "Are we locked into these positions?" "." "Well,just about." "Frank!" "You in the control room?" "." "[On Loudspeaker] Yes, Mr. Benedict." "I would like to vary these camera positions from last time." "How would you like them, Mr. Benedict?" "." "[ Alex ] I'd like one on me, as usual, and" " Let's see." "I thinkwe should have a camera over there stage left." "And I think we shouldhave a camera wild, on the orchestra, with lots of movement." "I want to get away from these usual, dull looks that we get around here." "[Frank ] Yes, Mr. Benedict." "[Microphone Feedback ]" "Do you think we can arrange to make that happen exactly like that during the concert?" "." "Alex, Alex-- I just don't want any of that during the concert." "Is that clear?" "." "Alex, I'll check it out." "How did people ever listen to symphonies before the age of electronics... and stupid technicians?" "." "I'll be in my dressing room until 8:00." "I'd likeyou to handle all problems till then." "I'd rather not be disturbed." "I have something going." "All right, William?" "." "Okay, Alex." "[ Laughs ]" "Take care." "[ Sighs ] Please!" "Hello, Carlos." "Mr. Benedict" "Sit down, sit down." "How's your daughter?" "." "Feeling any better?" "." "Fine, thankyou." "That flu thing's all over." "That's good." "That's good." "Listen, I don't want any calls orvisitors." "I mean that." "Fine, fine." "All right." "Hi." "Hello, sweetheart." "This is your mail." "Here's some early telegrams." "Here's your music." "And here is a kiss." "I've gotta go." "Mother is waiting for me." "Need me?" "." "No." "Go on." "Get outta here." "Okay." "Bye." "~~ [ Classical Piano ]" "[ Gasps ] Hello, darling." "Hi." "What's the matter, did I scare you?" "." "Well-- You're shaky." "Just for a second, I was feeling all the hairs on the back of my neck." "That's just sex." "Mmm." "I thought you weren't coming." "I said I would, didn't I?" "." "Just don't rely on yourwoman's intuition." "It's never correct." "Well, I thoughtyou might be a little angry." "How could I be angry, looking atyou?" "." "I just don't like ultimatums, that's all." "I don't like being a secret mistress." "It's not my style." "I know that." "You told me." "Do we have to go into the same arguments again?" "." "It's very simple." "I have to be open and free." "So do I, love." "Alex, I want something better than this." "So doyou." "You look a little funny." "Well, it's a marvelous choice you've given me:" "to divorce mywife oryou'll make a scandal out of our love affair." "Alexander, I'm right, and you know it." "I know that." "You told me that." "Darling, I knowyou." "I knowyou're not really afraid ofhurting Janice." "You're just reluctant to lose her mother's backing." "[ Sighs ] And all that money." "Don't worry." "You're a genius." "You'll always have everything." "You're just a little weak, deep inside." "And all you really need is me, and I need you." "Because I'm the same." "See?" "." "And that's why I had to makeyou decide." "All right." "You'll tell her?" "." "Yes." "What choice do I have?" "." "All right." "Yes." "Okay." "No." "Let's not do that now." "Play something for me." "I am so confused I can't understand anything but music tonight." "What would you like me to play?" "." "Chopin." "Okay." "I'll fix us a drink ofsomething." "Celebrate our last secret evening together." "~~" "[ Squawks ]" "[ Chattering ]" "[ Chattering ]" "[ Blows ]" "[ Blows ]" "[ Squawking ]" "[ Blows ]" "[ Squawking ]" "[ Hissing ]" "[Squawking]" "[ Squawking, Chattering Continue ]" "[ Squawking Continues ]" "[ Barking ]" "You have to tell them everything." "You always have to tell them not to start the canapes too soon, or they'll get soggy and taste like Band-Aids." "They're gonna be delivered freshly made right after the concert, Mother." "Mrs. Benedict, Mrs. Fielding." "Hello, Carlos." "Are those film actors coming?" "." "Oh, yes." "Alex invited them." "There are gonna be more ofthese along, Carlos, so I'll pick them up later." "Alex likes all that glamour, I suppose." "But what have actors got to do with music?" "." "Mother, they're people too." "I doubt it." "[ Chuckles ]" "Hello." "[ Laughs ] Hello." "And how's my darling mother?" "." ""Mother!" Good Lord." "Never mind the charm." "How areyour opening night nerves?" "." "Nerves?" "." "I don't even know the word." "I was just taking a nap inside." "Yeah, he never gets them before the concert." "It's afterwards he gets the shakes." "Don't start that." "Speaking of nerves, you know that Tchaikovsky... got so nervous before a concert, he had hallucinations." "Once he was so sure his head was about to fall off, that he held onto it with his left hand and he conducted with his right." "[ Laughs ] Alex." "No, don't." "I'll never tell that story again." "Mother, you have to leave us alone now." "No more chatter for Alex." "Yes, I know." "All right." "Be brilliant, Alex." "Of course, you will." "You always are." "Seeyou afterwards." "Alex, excuse me." "What?" "JeniferWelles hasn't shown yet." "What?" "." "JeniferWelles hasn't shown yet!" "Did you phone her?" "." "Yes!" "The line is busy." "It's been busy for a halfhour" "You phoned, huh?" "." "Of course I did!" "She's always late." "This woman has absolutely no sense oftime!" "Well, so what are we supposed to do?" "." "Hello?" "." "Operator?" "." "I've been trying to reach 555-7921 for quite some time." "The line's been busy." "Yes, this is an emergency." "Wouldyou cut in, please?" "Well, thankyou verymuch." "Thankyou." "I mean, this woman is late." "She's late for everything." "She doesn't think there's anyone else in the world alive!" "Darling, please, don't get excited." "This is gonna change." "No, no, it's ridiculous!" "Hello?" "." "Hello, operator?" "." "Oh, yes." "Thankyou very much." "Okay, thankyou." " There's no one on the line." " Then she must have left the phone offthe hook." "She left the phone offthe hook?" "." "It's possible!" "Television cameras are waiting!" "Look." "Alex." "Shh." "People in their houses all over America, waiting for a concert, and she left the phone offthe hook!" "[Janice ] Whydon'tyou call the police?" "Whyareyou-- You call the police!" "You call the police." "All right." "I want her canceled out." "You can't cancel her!" "Cancel her out." "I don't care if she arrives right now!" "We have the Beethoven." "It's all rehearsed." "You tell the orchestra, William." "What if she shows up?" "." "I've had it!" "Hello, operator?" "." "Give me the police, please." "[ Orchestra Tuning ]" "Attention, everybody." "I wantyou all to be real sharp today." "We gotta have a real good performance." "All right." "Ready?" "." "Ready on camera three." "Go." "~~" "~~ [ Continues ]" "[ Cockatoo Squawking]" "~~ [ Classical ]" "[Phone Rings ]" "Would you hold this a second, Lieutenant?" "." "~~ [ Continues ] [Rings ]" "Dr. Benson." "What?" "." "I'm sorry." "What did you say?" "." "Oh, sure." "It's foryou, Lieutenant." "Yeah." "Columbo." "Yeah." "Hi." "Yeah." "Well, I'm at the doctor." "No, it's not serious." "Yes." "I'll be there as soon as I can." "Right." "Bye." "Well, that's all there is to it." "He'll need a booster shot in about a week." "He didn't seem to mind." "Oh, they hardly feel it." "But he will need the booster shot in about a week." "Say, how old is he?" "." "Kind ofhard to say." "I just picked him up at the pound." "Oh." "His time was up, ifyou know what I mean." "I'd say he's pretty full grown." "Kinda cute, isn't he?" "." "He'll be all right." "Okay, Doc." "Thanks for staying open." "Got these peculiar hours." "Ah, no sweat." "Mywife doesn't like music." "She watches murder mysteries." "So whenever the concert's on, I work late." "Right." "There's not gonna be any aftereffects, is there?" "." "Oh, no, nothing." "Okay." "I haven't named this guyyet." "You don't have any ideas?" "." "There's a name I've always heard, and I've never seen a dog that had it." "Fido." "Fido." "Yeah." "Fido, the Romans used to say." "It's as old as that." "It means "I am faithful!" Well, roughly." "Fine." "~~ [ Continues ] Wanna get this for me, Doc?" "." "Mm-hmm." "[ Audience Applauding ]" "[ Applause Continues ]" "William." "It was lovely." "It was really lovely." "The Mozart was beautiful." "Ah, darling." "The Beethoven was so magnificent." "The orchestra, all the work we put into it really paid off." "It was so exciting." "We were at one together!" "We were fantastic." "Did you hear it?" "." "Alex." "Alex." "Jenifer Welles is dead." "The police say she committedsuicide." "[ Crickets Chirping]" "I can't stand suicide." "Murder is bad, but suicide is sadder." "[ I nhales ] Did you read this?" "." "I browsed through it." "This is what they gave me." "This is the dossier that they gave me." ""Female Caucasian, piano player, born Kenosha, Wisconsin!" This is what they gave me." "Now lookwhat I find in the scrapbook." ""Miss Wells, London." "Miss Wells, Paris." "Miss Wells." "Miss Wells." "Miss Wells!"" ""Genius." "Superb." "Talented." "Magnificent." "Feeling." "Taste." "Fabulous!"" "Lookwhat the department gives me." ""Female Caucasian, piano player, born Kenosha, Wisconsin!"" "Lookwhat I find in the scrapbook." "Look at these pictures." "Girl has a wonderful shape, don'tyou think?" "." "Look at those eyes." "Bedroom eyes." "Lookwhat the department gives me." ""Female Caucasian, piano player, born Kenosha, Wisconsin!"" "No bleach there." "Regular hair." "No fear there." "No heavy makeup." "Got a girl with a body, money and a career." "Got some column items to show the crowd she went with." "Best people." "Dukes, earls, politicians." "Big people." "So add that." "What's missin'?" "." "Somethin'." "A man." "The man." "A person, somebody." "Woman like that's gotta have somebody." "Eyes like that." "But that's me." "I'm paranoiac." "Every time I see a dead body, I think it's been murdered." "[ Chuckles ]" "Can't imagine anyone murdering themselves." "Especially a young girl like that." "Beautiful eyes." "But that's me." "I like to see everyone die of old age." "[Barking] Excuse me." "[ Barking ]" "What is it, Lieutenant?" "." "Sorry?" "." "Anything wrong?" "Oh, no." "I'm just checking on my dog." "He's out in the car." "Did you see the note she left?" "." "Uh, in the typewriter?" "." "Yeah." "Yeah, I saw it." "Has that been printed yet?" "." "No." "I wasjust gonna check on it." "Uh-huh." "Well, get that printed." "Sergeant, don't touch the paper." "No." "Leave the paper just the way it is." "Sure, sure." "Good." "[ Groans ]" "Sorry, sir." "You can't come in." "I'mAlex Benedict." "Let him in." "Miss Welles was supposed to appear at the Bowl tonight." "Hello." "I'm the conductor ofthe symphony there." "We're all deeply concerned about what has happened here." "I'm Sergeant Meyer." "Oh." " Can you tell us anything about Miss Welles?" "." " Not really." "Not about this." "I only knew her as a great artist." "What time was she due at the Bowl?" "Around 7:30." "We phoned when she didn't come." "Her line was busy." "When we finally reached the operator, there was no one on the line." "That's when my assistant, William Johnson, called you." "The police, you see." "Sergeant, radio call." "Excuse me, please." "Find something?" "." "I dropped my flower." "My coat must have knocked it off." "The pin is bent." "I'm Lt. Columbo." "I'm a fan ofyours, a really big fan." "In fact, I just got your latest album." "Thankyou." "I didn't realize thatyou were interested in piano concertos." "No, no." "I'm talking about the album ofStrauss waltzes." ""The Blue Danube!" You know the one I mean?" "." "Yes." "I 'd forgotten that." "Mywife and I, we both love it." "We play it every once in a while." "You've given us both a great deal of pleasure." "Thankyou." "That's very flattering ofyou." "Did you see this?" "." "Isn't that awful?" "." "Uh" "You don't know any reason why Miss Welles might have taken her own life?" "." "No, I don't." "It's very shocking." "But then, I didn't know herverywell, except professionally." "By the way, you mentioned that Miss Welles was due at the Bowl at 7:30." "What time wereyou going to arrive, sir?" "." "Around 5:30, I think." "Mywife dropped me off." "You don't drive?" "." "Oh, yes, I drive." "I left my car overnight at my mechanic's." "Why doyou ask?" "." "No, I was just trying to establish a time sequence." "You know, what time she would have left here." "That's interesting." "[ Protesting ] Alex!" "He's a friend of mine." "Oh." "Officer?" "." "Paul." "I don't get it." "I just don't get it." "Why?" "." "Whywould she kill herself?" "." "Why?" "." "Paul,you knewher verywell,you-- She could not have!" "No!" "She wouldn't!" "Come and see me tomorrow." "You understand?" "." "Come and see me tomorrow." "Go ahead now." "Lieutenant, if there's anyway you think I might help, please don't hesitate but to call me." "Pleasure meeting you." "Well." "Yes." "[ Man ] Why'd she do it, Mr. Benedict?" "." "I'm sorry." "The world of music has lost one ofits brightest lights." "JeniferWelles was an incrediblytalented artist." "I'm sorry, that's all, folks." "Thanks." "[CarStarts, DrivesAway]" "[Dog Barks ]" "[Barking Continues ]" "Hi." "Is this your dog?" "." "Yeah, I guess it is." "How would you like it if somebody locked you up like that?" "." "With the windows closed and everything!" " I didn't want him get out." " Then leave the window open a crack." "Okay." "That's a goodidea." "Yousee, this happens to be myfirst dog, and I just haven't gotten onto the ropes yet." "I appreciate your telling me that, Miss, uh" "What'syourname?" "You're not gonna tell me?" "." "Well, my name's Lieutenant Columbo." "Okay, then." "My name's Audrey, ifyou want to know." "You live around here, Audrey?" "." "Yes." "But ifyou're gonna question me, you're gonna have to tell me my rights." "No, that's wrong." "I only have to tell you your rights ifyou're a suspect." "You're not a suspect." "Andbesides, I'mjust makin'conversation." "I suppose you heard about Miss Welles." "Of course." "She was my friend." "I always took care of Chopin when she had to go away and play a concert." " Yeah, who's Chopin?" "." " Her bird." "The cockatoo." "Didn't you see him?" "." "Oh, yeah." "Now I remember." "Chopin was a composer." "He wrote piano pieces." "She named her bird after him." "I see." "Well, listen, Audrey, it's been nice talkin' toyou." "And I appreciate the advice about the dog." "What's his name?" "." "You know, I don't know the nameyet." "What do you think about "Fido"?" "." "Oh, wow." "How'd you ever think ofthat one?" "." "[ Whimpering ]" "Beethoven." "Would you like to be called Beethoven?" "." "Hmm?" "." "I guess not." "Janice?" "." "Janice." "I'm not asleep." "How was it?" "." "Well, a lot of police." "Very depressing." "I thoughtyou were going toyourmother's party." "I didn't go." "[ Yawns ] [Liquid Pouring]" "What is it?" "." "What'd you do, take a sleeping pill?" "." "Yeah." "A little while ago." "It's starting to take effect." "All right." "Let's go upstairs." "How well did you know her, Alex?" "." "Oh, you know." "I don't know." "What is that supposed to mean?" "." "You know her phone number by heart." "I know a lot of telephone numbers of people I workwith by heart." "Want some water?" "." "Yes." "Alex." "What?" "." "Never mind." "Go ahead, ask me." "I know what you're gonna ask anyway." "The answeris no, we didn't make love." "I n the first place, I have a rule." "Never any complications with people I workwith." "And what's in the second place?" "." "Me?" "." "You're always imagining that I'm leaping into beds all over town." "I've neverdone that." "Oh, Alex, don't." "I knowyou." "Why do all these people feel that they know me?" "." "I feel like I'm being seen through." "As ifI'm in some constant masquerade." "I'm just myself." "Look at me." "I'm just me." "I am what you see." "Now, what do you think happened?" "." "You think I made love to Jenifer and then she killed herselffor me?" "." "No, no, no." "No, I don't." "I" "I don't know what I'm thinking sometimes." "I'm sorry." "I reallyam sorry." "I'mjust nice, sweet littleJanice." "Nice little Janice." "I 'm awful." "The things I think!" "[ Sighs ] Tell me why." "No, I can't." "Why" " Why did you marry me?" "." "Sometimes I wonderwhy you married me." "I mean, I'm not talented, I'm nothing." "Why?" "." "Why me?" "." "Just one reason." "What?" "." "I loveyou." "Ah." "[Doorbell]" "Yes?" "." "Mr. Benedict home?" "." "You musician?" "." "No, cop." "Cop?" "." "Policeman." "C-O-L-U-M-B-O." "Me." "Oh!" "Come in, please." "You musician." "You stay." "Mr. Benedict!" "[ Muttering ]" "[ Muttering Continues ] Mr. Benedict!" "Mr. Benedict!" "[Muttering Continues ]" "All right." "All right." "All right, now." "Take it easy, now." "Take it easy." "I never got to askyou last night what I wanted to askyou." "There's a time and a place for everything." "Last night was the wrong time." "Suicide's depressing" "Anyway, I happened to be in the neighborhood today-- That's not true." "I really came out here to seeya." "I don't wanna appear presumptuous" "All right." "Let's go inside." "We'll be more comfortable." "No, no." "No, no?" "." "I'm not goin' in there." "I'm not messin' up the room." "I have a wife." "I know what that is." "You arrive in the morning unannounced" "I never got to askya last night what I wanted to askya." "Go ahead." "Terrific place." "Terrific." "Thankyou." "We like it." "Could I take a look in there?" "." "Just a quick look." "Go ahead." "Gotta be a 40-foot living room." "Forty by 20." "Dining room's 1 5 feet deep." "I can't see the rest." "Windows, windows, windows." "Ideal." "This is a dream house." "I'm glad you like it." "You're from New York?" "." "Yeah, I'm from New York." "Better out here, right?" "." "Well, it's more comfortable." "Can I askyou a personal question?" "." "Please." "What doyou pay in taxes on this place?" "." "$1 8,000 a year." "Three times 1 8, carry the 24, seven down, bring down the zero" "Place costyou 720,000." "Seven hundred fifty thousand." "[ Whistles ]" "Could I look in there?" "." "Yeah, go ahead." "Listen, uh-- How did you arrive at that figure, 750,000?" "." "It's real estate rule ofthumb." "It's a trick." "No magic." "I'm not an appraiser or anything like that." "Can I askyou something?" "." "Go ahead." "How much you got in the furniture?" "." "Oh--Two hundred thousand, 1 00,000, give or take 1 00,000." "Something like that." "I'll take it." "[ Sighs ]" "Can I askyou a personal question?" "." "Yes." "Did you have anything specific thatyou wanted to talk to me about?" "." "No, I'm gonna get to that, but I'm fascinated by money." "Aren'tyou?" "." "Yeah, I'm fascinated by money, forwhat it can do." "That's all." "Yeah, yeah." "Anyway, what I was gonna askyou is this:" "How much doyou make?" "." "I think that's very impertinent." "How much do I make?" "." " Tours?" "." "Concerts?" "." " I don't know." "I don't know." "Publishing?" "Et cetera, et cetera." "I don't know." "I make $1 1,000 a year." "So at $1 1,000 a year, I got $750,000 for the house," "$1 8,000 in taxes, 200 in furniture." " How much help doyou have?" "." " I have five, including the gardener." "You got that, and the money, plus, plus, plus-- 1 1,000 times 1 0 years, 1 1 0,000." "1 1,000 times a hundred a year, 1.1 million" "Well, let's say 900,000." "That's 90 years work for me just to live here, without eating." "[ Chuckles ]" "What's the point?" "." "Well, I guess the point got delayed because I got so wrapped up in the house." "I told you that mywife and I are big fans ofyours, didn't I?" "." "Well, there's a lot ofsnobbery among the wives." "'Cause in my line ofbusiness, we meet a lot ofpeople." "So one lieutenant, he brings home one guy's, and another lieutenant, he brings home another guy's." "So when the wives get together, they can say, "I got an actor," "I got a district attorney!"" "I thought it would be nice if mywife had a conductor's autograph." "Would you mind signing this?" "." "What doyou want me to say?" "." "Just putyour name." "That'd be good enough." "Thankyou very much." "I appreciateyou taking the time." "I'll seeyou later, love." "Okay." "Kiss." "Mmm." "Bye." "Well, Mike." "All set?" "." "Mr. Benedict." "She's right overthere, sir." "Thankyou." "Who's that?" "." "[Engine Rewing]" "Don't know." "He said he was a friend ofyours." "Lieutenant." "Oh, hi, maestro." "How's everything?" "." "Uh, fine." "Would you mind telling me whatyou think you're doing?" "." "What a car." "What a piece of machinery!" "I mean,just sitting in this thing makes me feel good." "I smell this leather, I feel the felt." "[ Chuckles ]" "I look at this wood." "I wanna tell you, all my life I wanted a car like this." "Of course, on my salary, forget about it." "Ifyou're through enjoying yourself, I really have some work to do." "Oh, yeah." "Sorry." "Boy, it sounds like a bankvault." "Might as well, it cost enough." "What was wrong with it?" "." "Oh, you know, these foreign cars are touchy." "Get sick, they have to be cured." "That's why I have Mike, he's a genius at this sort ofthing." "Uh, Lieutenant, you didn't come up here to check on my car, did you?" "." "No." "No, sir, I didn't." "I'm gonna be very honest with you, sir." "I came here because I wanted to talkwith you." "All right." "I'm here." "I'm very upset by this JeniferWelles thing." "Yeah." "So am I. You know, I was up half of the night." "I couldn't sleep." "I kept going over in my mind." "I couldn't figure it out." "Why, why, whywould a girl like this-- young, beautiful, talented girl with everything to live for" "Why does she take her life like that?" "." "Although I didn't know her verywell, there's something about artists that I do know." "You see, artists are very, very delicate." "They're strange." "They go up, and they come down, and they go up, and when they come down, they go down, down, down, and they get distraught." "They get full of emotions." "They get unable to cope with anything." "And we don't realize this until it's too late." "Tsk." "Yeah." "You don't sound terribly convinced about that." "No, no." "You're probably right." "Yes." "Well, I have a confession that I would like to make." "May I tell you something?" "." "Yes." "I had a thought." "Listen to this." "What ifshe didn't commit suicide?" "." "Isn't that peculiar?" "." "Because that's what I was gonna say." "That" " That I was awake almost all night... thinking about the same thing." "No kidding." "Yes, only I rejected the idea." "Why is that?" "." "Because suicide, I mean, it's so complex, and we are always, in our normal everyday life, unable to accept it." "But it happens." "People kill themselves all the time." "And in this instance, the evidence seems so overwhelming." "Oh, she could have passed out from the gas." "She could have fallen off that chair, and she could've bumped her head, but, you know, that was a pretty good bump." "You know, someone could've hit her." "That's just an assumption on your part." "Right." "Very difficult to prove." "You know there's something else that bothers me." "I was speaking to that little girl next door." "And this thing will hang me up ifl live to be-- Aren't they beautiful?" "." "Hmm?" "." "They really knew how to make cars in those days, didn't they?" "." "Will you look at the lines on that car?" "." "Spoked wheels." "Isn't this a honey?" "." "Ah, beautiful car." "Oh, iftheywould make 'em like that today." "It's beautiful." "Beautiful." "Isn't it something?" "." "Where was I?" "." "You were saying something about a little girl." "Right." "How'd I get offthat?" "." "Well, what's the difference." "About the girl, right." "Yeah, she was a very good friend ofJenifer." "She told me that." " She used to go in there and take care ofChopin." " Chopin?" "." "The little pet bird she had." "Cockatoo." "Never mentioned it toyou?" "." "Yes, I guess." "I've simply forgotten." "I guess you forgot the name." "Right." "Anyway, she had this pet bird-- Very strange." " What doyou mean, strange?" "." "How strange?" "." " Had this bird foryears." "Now, you have to love those birds to keep 'em, because they're plenty oftrouble." "Believe me." "This is what I can't figure out." "Why didn't she take the trouble to save that bird before she turned on the gas?" "." "She was simply distraught and just forgot." "I mean, what about the suicide note?" "." "You know there's something funny about that." "You know, most ofthose notes are written by hand." "This one was typed." "She typed everything." "I have to go." "How'd you know that?" "." "Come on." "Let's walk and talk." "How do you know that?" "." "She had about the most illegible scrawl in the world." "She couldn't read her own handwriting." "All ofher rehearsal notes to me, theywere always typed." "Oh." "You must have checked the typewriter for her fingerprints." "Yeah." "Yeah, theywere all hers." "There you are." "Listen, you don't mind ifl go, doyou?" "." "I'm a little late." "Oh." "Listen, I really appreciate you taking the time to chat with me like this." "You know, this is a lonely business, and it's nice... just to have someone thatyou-- well,just air out your thoughts with." "I know it's shocking-- shocking when you think about suicide." "The word." "Now, see, I can understand how she might have killed herself." "But what possible reason for someone to kill her?" "." "Right." "That's right." "You got me there." "I feel so sorry foryou, really." "Good luck toyou." "[Engine Starts ]" "Be careful." "Careful." "[ Clears Throat ] Excuse me." "Ifyou have a moment, could you take a look at my car?" "." "Sure." "You've got some terrific old automobiles here." "Thanks." "They are lovely, aren't they?" "." "That one there, that's the love of my life." "That's my favorite too." "Wonderful car." "Lovely old car, that one." "Now." "There it is." "This is your car?" "." "This is my car." "Well, exactlywhat do you think's wrong with it?" "." "Tell you the truth, I think the engine is missing." "Butyou know I can't be sure." "Because the shock absorbers, they're so old that the whole ride is very bumpy." "I'll start it up foryou." "[ Engine Starts, Revs ] Open the hood." "I guess you don't have these kind of problems with a car like Mr. Benedict's." "Not quite, no." "What was wrong with his car?" "." "Nothing serious, I suppose." "No." "He just felt it was idling a little too fast for him." "What doyou think ofthis?" "." "You everthought about getting a new car?" "." "No." "I already have two cars." "Of course mywife's car is nothing special." "That's just for transportation." "You understand." "I onlywork on foreign cars." "This is a foreign car." "I know, but-- There are limits, mate." "You know." "Uh, listen" " Excuse me, I just thought of something." "You know, you seem very cramped here and I was wondering." "What doyou do?" "." "You leave all these valuable cars out at night?" "." "Not the customer's cars, no." "They get locked up every night." "Oh, I see." "You only leave your own cars out, the ones for sale." "That's right." "Thankyou." "[ Sniffs ]" "[ Chattering, Indistinct ]" " Here's your table, sir." " Everett!" "Ah!" "Imagine seeing you here." "Lunch here every day, Liz." "Hi,Janice." "Hello." "You know Bill Durkee, don'tyou?" "." "Mrs. Fielding." " American News Service." "Of course." " Hello, Mrs. Benedict." "How areyou?" "." "Liz, I'm so sorry about the Welles girl." "Cityeditortried to reach me last night, but I was out on theyacht." "There isn't anything more you could tell us, Mrs. Benedict, about why she may have killed herself?" "." "I" " I don't-- Didn't even know her." "I thought perhaps your husband might have an idea." "Poor little thing." "Such a lovely talent." "Oh, that reminds me." "I was dictating some notes to my secretary this morning." "I have asked the symphony board... to approve a scholarship donation in the name ofJeniferWelles." "I'm so glad I bumped intoyou." " What doyou think?" "." " Good idea." "I'll spread it in all my morning papers." " May I keep this?" "." " Yes." "Might even replace some ofthe tabloid stuff." "You can't blame reporters." " There's always a good deal of guessing when someone famous" " But it wouldbe nice... ifwe could just stop any unpleasant publicity, don't you think?" "." "Forthe sake ofourwonderful symphony organization?" "You see, Mr. Durkee, Miss Welles was not" "Well, she was really not one of us." "She was rathernew in town, and heaven knows what her background was." "Okay, Lizzy." "I'm still on the board too, remember?" "." "We'll see that nobody gets hurt by this." "Don't you worry." "Bye,Janice." "Bye-bye." "You too." "Have a nice lunch." "So that's why you wanted to eat here." "Well, I don't want Alex to be pestered and upset by any nonsense." "We've a very important season coming up." "Mother, what was she like?" "." "Who?" "." "The Welles girl?" "." "Very nice in Chopin." "But I don't think she had the technique for the concerts." "No, I mean personally." "Was she" "Doyou think she was the kind ofwoman men would have found attractive, for instance?" "." "Whywould you ask that?" "." "What a silly question." "She was a pianist, the poor dear." "Something that should concern none of us." "Now I'll order foryou." "~~ [ Piano: "Chopsticks" ]" "~~["Chopsticks"Continues ]" "~~ [ Continues ]" "~ Dat-dat-dat-dat-dat-da ~~ [ Chuckles ]" "Forgive me, I didn't mean to..." "you know, use your piano, but I just couldn't resist this thing." "I've wanted to play the piano ever since I was a kid, but I could never afford it." "You play beautifully." "Thankyou." "I haven't heard "Chopsticks" since I was a little boy." "Right." "You know, you're-- you're quite a magician." "Not too many people could find me here." "How did you do this?" "." "Oh, I just called yourwife." "She's a veryaccommodating person." "Oh, yes." "She's a very charming woman, delightful woman." "All right, Columbo." "What can I do foryou this time?" "." "Yes, sir." "I came here because the other day... we were talking about that suicide note, and I've got something..." "I thought you might find interesting." "Uh, this is the typewriter." " This is JeniferWelles's." " Yeah, how'd you know?" "." "I simply surmised it." "I, uh, I was there the other night." "You remember that?" "." "Oh." "Oh, gee." "You're very observant." "Well, thankyou very much." "Uh, now, I don't know how much typing you do." "Not too much." "I have a secretary that handles most ofthat for me." "Now, look." "I'm gonna explain something toyou, and the minute you don't understand it, feel free to stop me." "All right, I will." "Okay." "Now, this is complicated." "I want to get it clear myself." "A person puts a piece of paper in the typewriter and he types something." "Then he takes it out." "Then he puts the paper down." "Now he remembers he wants to add something else." "All right?" "." "He picks up the paper, puts it into the typewriter, and rolls the paper down so that the keys are lined up exactly the way theywere before." "You're still with me." "I'm standing here." "Right." "Okay." "That's good." "That's good." "Now, here's the problem." "Ifyou were to type over a letter, you'd always be a little bit off." "Come here." "Watch what I mean." "If I show it to you, you'll see what I mean." "I'm gonna take the letter "S" here, and I'm gonna type over the original "S!"" "Take a look." "Yousee what I mean?" "The second "S" doesn't match with the first "S!"" "That's becauseyou rolled the paperback in wrong afteryou took it out." "That paper is just the way we found it." "That paper's never been touched." "Ah, I see." "Well, let me see if I can understand what you're saying." "You're suggesting that the paperwas typed, taken out and then put back." "That's right." "Now, here's the problem with that theory." "Whywould a woman who's gonna commit suicide... type a good-bye note, put it in the machine and take it out again?" "." " I don't know." " All right." "Suppose she didn't type it." "Suppose somebodyelse typedit." "All right, who?" "." "Who did it?" "." " Whoever murdered her." " [ Laughs ]" "You know, Lieutenant, you're really a cocky fellow." "You're verysure ofthis, aren'tyou?" "I think that there is a very distinct possibility of murder in this case." "Yes." "I think there's a possibility, but I don't think it's distinct." "Suppose the murderer in this casewas a friend ofhers." "Suppose the murdererwas a man who hadaccess to herhouse, came wheneverhe wanted to, typed up that letter beforehand, when she wasn't around." "Okay." "Promise me you'll think about it." "When you come up with the correct answer, you'll let me know." "I'm gonna take a nap now." "Will you excuse me?" "." "Suppose it was you." "I heard you say something, but I wasn't sure whatyou said." "I said, "Suppose it was you!" I'm not saying it was you, sir." "I was just thinking out loud." "You know, you're an audacious fellow." "I have a theory, and I would like to useyou as an example, ifyou don't mind." "[ Chuckling ] Oh, please, use me as your example." "Uh, suppose" " Here." "You takeyour car to Mike's Garage." "Yourwife picks you up." "She drivesyou here." "You're really intrigued with my little car, aren'tyou?" "." "Well, I am, sort of, becauseyou see Mike didn't findanything wrong with it." "And it would be a wonderful place to leave it ifyou wanted to prove you didn't have a car." "Why would I wanna prove that?" "." "Well, ifyou didn't have a car, how would you get to Miss Welles's apartment and back in time for the performance?" "." "You can't take a cab, because they keep records, and there's no buses." "You can't rent a car, because you have to show your license." "Getting in and out ofhere undetected, that wouldn't be too tough." "You knowyour way around pretty good." "All right, all right." "Go on." "Then you walk to Mike's place." "It's only 3 1/2 minutes." "I timed it." "You get in somehow-- through an open window, whatever." "You take out the car." "You drive to Miss Welles's apartment, commit the crime, replace the car, and you walk back here." " Is that it?" "." " [ No Audible Dialogue ]" "Well, I don't know." "I think it's... a little thin, Lieutenant-- especiallythat bit about the car." "You know, that business about the car." "Oh, yeah." "I don't think that's verygood." "Right, right." "That is thin." "Yeah." "The car." "Except for the fact that you forgot about the mileage." "I forgot the mileage?" "." "Yeah." "You know whenyou bring a carinto a garage, theynote down the mileage." "And I looked at your car the morning after the crime." "And the speedometer showed nine miles more than when you brought it in." "Of course, you drove that route from Mike's Garage to Miss Welles's house." "Exactly nine miles." "I thinkyou might have something there, Lieutenant." "Of course, one ofthe garage mechanics could have taken my car... anddriven it around just to test it." "They don't remember that, sir." "They don't remember that?" "." "No, sir." "[Laughing]" "Well, I'm having a little difficulty imagining this hypothetical court case." "There's no real proof." "There's uncertain garage mechanics." "No, I don't thinkyourtheory holds up too well, Lieutenant." "You see, I didn't kill JeniferWelles." "And it looks almost like a certainty to me that her untimely death... will go down as an offiicialsuicide." "Well, sir, I want to thankyou very much foryour time." "Anytime, Lieutenant." "Right." "Here, I don't want to forget my cigar." "Good day." "Oh, listen." "Just one more thing." "Uh" "I knowyou don't agree, but at least I've convinced my superiors... thatJeniferWelles was murdered-- it was not a suicide." "And they've officially assigned me to the case." "That's my specialty, you know: homicide." "~~ [Jazz ]" "~~[Continues ]" "Hey, hey, man, this place is closed." "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." "Say, aren't you Paul Rifkin?" "." "Yeah." "Do I knowyou?" "." "Yeah, from the other night." "The homicide guy." "Oh, yeah, yeah." "The cop." "How areya?" "." "All right." "I thoughtyou played in a symphony orchestra." "Well, that's for serious." "This is fun." "I get paid for both." "I can always use a little extra bread." "You guys are terrific." "Really terrific." "Oh, yeah." "Fantastic." "So." "Oh, no." "No, I happened to be in the neighborhood." "I stopped next door." "I bought a cigar, the guywas out of a match, I heard the music." "I came in, I thought I'd get a match." "Doyou have a match?" "." " I got a match." " ~~ [Ends ]" "Hey, guys." "Run through "Lover Man!"" "~~ [Jazz Ballad ] You're not for real, Lieutenant." "The only thing next door is a Laundromat." "It used to be a cigar store." "You're not a jazz freak." "You made a special trip over here to see me." "Why?" "." "I thought thatyou were very upset the other night, Paul." "I'm better now." "Life goes on, right?" "." "You know that every expert in this case believes that JeniferWelles killed herself?" "." "Ifthat's so, why areyou here?" "." "'Causeyou don't believe it." "You think she was murdered." "You're the cops." "You figure it out." "That's what I'm trying to do, and I came here for help." "Listen!" "I was there the other night." "I heard whatyou said." "I heard whatyou said to Mr. Benedict." "That woman cannot kill herself." ""No way!" That's exactly whatyou said." "I was in shock." "Well, you must have known her prettywell." "Oh... well, I can just, uh... see the little wheels go clickety click." "Yeah." "We had a little number." "She broke it off." "I wasn't destroyed or anything." "I, uh" " We were good friends afterwards." "Why'd she break it off?" "." "She said she'd discovered an important new man." "What does that mean, "important"?" "." "Does that mean it was important because she was in love with him?" "." "Or important because he was a famous man?" "." "You're playing word games." "I'm not ready for this." "Butyou do think ifthe man was involved" "I don't think anything!" "I was in shock." "All right?" "." "Is that it?" "." "Thankyou forthe time." "Mm-hmm." "Listen, Paul." "Doyou happen to know the name ofthe other guy?" "." "I never asked." "Sure." "Whywould a guy ask his girl the name ofthe other man?" "." "[Tennis Ball Bouncing]" "[Janice ] Oh, it skipped!" "Oh, that's all for now, Doug." "Thankyou, Doug." "Okay." "Seeyou Tuesday." "Hello!" "May I helpyou?" "." "I'm from the police, ma'am." "Uh, Lieutenant Columbo." "Oh?" "." "Well, I'm-- I'm Mrs. Benedict." "How doyou do, ma'am." "What can I do to helpyou?" "." "Oh, well, actually, I just stopped by to seeyour husband." "The maid gave me permission to wait here." "I hopeyou don't mind." "No, of course not." "Beautiful place you have here." "[ Sighs ] Thankyou." "Thanks very much." "Really beautiful." "You doyour own gardening?" "." "Well, we have a gardener, but I like to do the flowers whenever I can." "Beauties." "What are they, carnations?" "." "Yes, that's right." "Theyare." "They're..." "Dianthus caryophyllus, that's the technical name, but that's" "Border carnation, they-- they grow smaller... and a little bit scrubbier than the florist carnations." "Terrific for a lapel flower." "Well, I grow them especially for Alex." "You know, he likes to, uh, wear a boutonniere when he conducts." " How about a glass ofice tea?" "." " Oh, no." "Thankyou very much." "You sure?" "." "Sure." "Would" " Would you mind me asking you, Mr. Columbo, what-- whatyou wanted to talk to Alex about, exactly?" "." "Oh, yeah." "That, uh-- [ Coughs ]" "Mm, throat." "Think I will have a little ofthat tea." "[ Chuckles ] No, I was, uh, talking to your husband about Miss Welles." "I want to talk to everyone that knew her intimately." "Oh, I-- I beg your pardon." "I really don't think that Alex knew her better than any ofthe other... artists that he works with." "Oh, no." "I meant no offense." "I only meant working together such long hours, two people and" "We have this new development in the case." "I thought he'd be able to help me." "Well, I don't know what you mean." "What case?" "." "Oh, maybe you haven't heard." "We think Miss Welles was murdered." " Murdered?" "." " Yeah, we think so." "Yeah." "Ijust learned thatshe was having an affiairwith someone." "Oh, well, I'm" " I'm really not interested in that, Lieutenant." "I, um" " And I certainly don't think that Alex could be of any help toyou." "Why doyou say that, ma'am?" "." "Well, because Alex doesn't mix in with the, uh, private lives ofthe artists." "You know that for certain?" "." "Well, of course I do." "What areyou implying?" "." "No." "I'm not implying anything." "No, I" "Ijust didn't knowhowyou knew what he didn't do orwhat he" "I'm really not interested in talking about this any further." "Will you excuse me, please?" "." "Lieutenant." "What is it, darling?" "." "This gentleman would like to speakwith you." "Gee, I didn't mean to get off on the wrong foot with her like that." "Look here, Lieutenant, I'm getting a little weary ofyour harassment." "I'm sorry." "I really am." "I'd better go." "I'll tell you what happened." "I heard Miss Welles was having an affairwith some other man, and I came over here because I thought maybe you had heard something." "Of course, she put me straight on that." "Give her my apologies, 'cause I know I upset her." "Well, he's gone." "Well, why did he come here?" "." "Oh, don't let him annoyyou." "I think he's just trying to make a name for himself." "What is it, Alex?" "." "What is it he's after?" "." "[ Sighs ] Uh, I don't know, exactly." "I don't think he knows either." "Alex, is there any-- is there anything you should tell me?" "." "Janice, stop it." "I'm getting tired ofyour insecurities." "Now, stop hounding me." "I'm sorry." "I didn't mean to get mad atyou." "I'm not mad atyou." "Give me asmile." "That's not much ofa smile Come on." "Eatyour food." "~~[Classical Piano]" "[ No Audible Dialogue ]" "Hi, Audrey." "Hi." "You remember me?" "." "Of course, you're the man with the dog." "Haveyou named him yet?" "." "No." "I'm" " I'm still working on that." "Listen." "I got to tell you something." "I'm very impressed with you." "Oh, really?" "." "Is it my body or my mind?" "." "Well, it's both really." "No, seriously, Audrey, give me a break." "What I'm trying to say is, that for a young girl, you're a very independent-minded person." "Don't botherwith any male chauvinistic compliments." "Is thatwhat thatwas?" "." "Look." "I'm sorry." "Forgive me." "Ifyou're trying to butter me up, that's not the way." "So, what doyou want to know?" "." "You're gonna ask aboutJenifer, aren'tyou?" "." "You got me." "Yes." "Okay." "Ask." "Ifl don't want to tell you, I won't." "Ifl do, I will." "All right." "That's fair enough." "Now, this is what I want to askyou." "Did you spend a lot oftime in Jenifer's apartment?" "." "Sure, she used to tell me how to handle men." "Ah, did you meet many ofher men friends?" "." "Not exactly." "Every time he'd come around, I'd have to leave." "Who's he?" "." "The one in the tuxedo." "Darling, please." "Just one second." "The one in the tuxedo, did he come often?" "." "Yeah." "In fact, I saw him leave her apartment the same day she" "You know." "Did you know his name?" "." "No." "Ifyou saw him again, would you recognize him?" "." "Of course." "~~ [ Continues ]" "~~ [Dramatic Orchestral Score ]" "How are you?" "." "Is it all right to go in?" "." "I'm from the police." "Oh, sure." "It's just a rehearsal." "Fine." "Thankyou very much." "What are they rehearsing?" "." "They're scoring the music for a documentary film." "I see." "Thankyou." "Is it all right to smoke?" "." "Oh, sure." "It's okay." "~~[Continues ]" "~~ [Ends ]" "All right." "Thankyou very much, gentlemen." "Jimmy, what did you think?" "." "[Man Overlntercom ] Beautiful." "Great." "That's it." "Shall we try to make one?" "Uh, I want to" "I want to speak to Paul a second.J ust hold on one second, gentlemen." "Uh, Paul, let me show you something." "When you come in, you know, it's-  ~ Da-da-da-dam, bom-bom ~~" " Mr. Benedict." "Yeah." "More dynamics." "Mr. Benedict." "Explosive-- Excuse me." "Sir." "My friend, enough is enough." "Forgive me." "I'm terribly sorry about bursting in like this, but" "Enough is enough." "This is really important." "Will you explain to the orchestra what's so important?" "." "Doyou see this little girl here?" "." "Well, the night Miss Welles was murdered, Audreyhere-- and she's a friend of Miss Welles and a neighbor-- and she saw a man in a tuxedo leaving her apartment." "Now, Audrey, do you see that man here now?" "." "Sure." "You want to point him out?" "." "That's him." "[Man ] I knowit isn't verynice publicity, but I hate to see us lose a brilliant musician." "But the man's been accused of murder!" "Jenifer Welles was a beautiful musician too." "He isn't accused of murder." "He's being questioned." "That's right, he's just being questioned." "Nevertheless" " Nevertheless, there are sufficient grounds to dismiss this Paul Rifkin." "Whywas he trying to hide?" "." "He's unsavory anyway, with his surly manner" "And his excessive drinking." "His excessive drinking has nothing to do with this meeting, Louise." "Am I too late for the lynching?" "." "This is not a lynching, Alex." "What doyou want?" "." "I just dropped in to defend Paul." "I thought he might need a friend." "Well it's noble ofyou to come galloping to the rescue, but there's no reason to assume that we're planning a hanging." "May I say that Paul Rifkin is a rare and special talent." "So we've heard, but surely there are others just as good." "Maybe, maybe, but I don't think that's the point." "I'd say ifyou fire Paul, you hurt the orchestra." "That's my only feeling." " What about the damage caused by the scandal?" "." " Hear, hear." "I think it's an acceptedcustom... to presume innocence until proven guilty." "No?" "Thankyou, Arthur." "I'm positive that Paul will be cleared." "I thinkyou ought to give him a break." "Paul's been in a lot oftrouble in his life, but it's been a long time since then." "I think he's straightened out beautifully." "What kind oftrouble, Mr. Benedict?" "." "I really don't think that's the point." " And I really thinkwe should be the judges ofthat." " You have the floor, Alex." "Well, I" "I met Paul at theJuilliard School of Music." "I was lecturing there at the time." "Hewas suffering from a rather nightmarish family background." "He lovedmusic." "He was a natural talent." "He bumped into some people, and got himself into a scrape, and ended up in jail." "It's been a long climb for Paul, but I think he's made it." " What were the charges?" "." " It's been eightyears." "Let's give him a break." "What was the charge?" "." "Assault." "Oh!" "I see." "I mention this only to show that Paul needs oursympathyandsupport." "Because whatever happened to him was just bad luck." "It could have happened to anyone." "Might have happened to you." "You have a powerful friend and supporter, Mr. Rifkin." "Alex Benedict tried his best to defend you." "That's great, but there's nothing to defend." "He won our sympathy by telling us about your unfortunate background, including your struggle against some bad associations." " Associations?" "." " It seems you had questionable taste in friends." "Well, some ofthem were busted for smoking grass." "So what?" "Two members ofthe boardoftrustees... are on indictment forbreaking antitrust laws." "I wouldn't try to be funny, Mr. Rifkin." "I smoke grass sometimes, just about like you drink gin." "Didn't you ever have a dri nk of gi n duri ng Prohi bition, when gin was illegal?" "." "And let's not get smart about how old I am." "Ifyou're trying to win me over, you're not making it, sonny." "I'm not trying to win anybody over." "I just don't like getting ripped off for something that I didn't do." "Well you must admit you have a talent for attracting trouble." "You have a jail record for assault on a woman." "Well, Mr. Benedict really..." "gave me quite a defense." "Yeah, Ipuncheda lady, right in the nose." "She was trying to steal my wallet when I was asleep." "I woke up swinging, and hit her before I knew what I was doing." "Nobody believed me." "Well I'm not interested in the sordid details, and I'm not judging you." "I didn't kill Jenifer!" "I couldn't." "Never." " Why not?" "." " I loved her!" "Uh, look, uh, Mrs. Fielding." "I'm just about flipped out lately." "[ Exhales Deeply]" "It's true." "I was there the day that it happened." "I've already told this to the lieutenant." "I was really hung up on her." "I mean, all the way, and it wasn't like that with her." "You don't have to tell me all this." "No, I want to tell you, and I want the lieutenant to tell you." "Three months ago, she fell in love with somebody else, really bad." "And it... broke me up." "I couldn't..." "stop seeing her, andshe let me-- in between seeing him." "I was there a lot." "But whenever he was coming I had to split." "She wouldn't tell me who it was." "She said it had to be a secret." "And I was there that evening." "I went to the door." "Nobody answered." "And that's all-- That's all there is to tell." "It's the truth." "The lieutenant believes me." "Tellher." "That's right." "I don't believe he did it." "You think it was the other man." "Well, the other man's always a possibility." "I keep wondering whyyou tried to hide this." "Whyyou didn't come forward before." "Because I figured I'd lose myjob." "That I wouldn't have a chance to explain anything." "Mr. Rifkin, I am concerned with my orchestra." "I have spent 25 years making it what it is today... and gouging people for money to build the symphony association." "Aside from my daughter, this is my baby." "And if anybody tries to hurt either one ofthem, he's out-- the ax-- anybody." "But underthe circumstances, let's sayyou're not fired." "However, until this case is cleared up, you'll have to be suspended..." "with salary." "Thank you." "Thank you, Mrs. Fielding." "Now, be a good boy and vanish... quietly." "Good-bye." "Good-bye, Lieutenant." "Lieutenant Columbo." "Areyou there?" "." "Oh, uh-- Would you like a drink?" "." "Did you mean that?" "." "Anybody could get axed?" "." "Without exception." "Would you like a drink?" "." "Even the maestro?" "." "He could get axed?" "." "You meanAlex?" " Yes." " Especially Alex." "You mind if I have a drink?" "." "~~ [Symphonic]" "Okay, Lieutenant." "Here's a tag that proves he's had his rabies shot." "Now you can get him a license." "Thanks, Doctor." "License?" "." "Gee, I never thought of that." "Well, you'd better." "It's the law." "Cop'll arrest you ifhe finds him." "Right." "All right." "Come on, dog." "Hey, you got a name for him yet?" "." "No." "I was thinking ofwatching him and giving him a name that fit something he did, but all he does is sleep and drool." "This dogneeds a name that'llgive him some stature." "Needs all the help he can get." "How about Jet?" "." "Munch?" "." "Say, isn't that" "I get the impression I heard this concert before." "Yeah." "Is that the one they played last week?" "." "The educational channel reruns the tapes ofthe concerts on Saturday mornings." "That was the night Jenifer Welles was supposed to play." " You know anything about that case?" "." " So it's on tape." "They got it on tape." "I never thought of that." "All right." "I think we should up-bow on the fourth beat." "Bar 29-- Have a little crescendo on the downbeat." "All right, ladies and gentlemen." "Let's try it again" "Quasi una fantasia, uh?" "." "Excuse me." "Uh, what does that mean, what he just said?" "." "~~ [ Orchestra Playing]" "It's Latin for "like a fantasy!"" "Oh, thankyou very much." "[Baton Tapping] ~~ [Stops ]" "All right, ladies and gentleman." "That's all for today." "We'll try it tomorrow when you feel more like working." "Thankyou very much." "All right, darling." "Shall we go?" "." "Maestro?" "." "Excuse me." "I hate to keep bothering you people, but I have something which I thinkwill interestyou." "Mr. Columbo, nothing you could possibly say could interest me." "Believe that." "Just come to theTV booth." "It's only gonna take two minutes to get this whole thing cleared up." "It'll be the last timeyou ever see me." "I promise that." " The last time." " Absolutely the last." "Alex?" "." "Well, I'm sorry." "We can't." "Please." "Well, let's get this thing cleared up once and for all, all right?" "." "Thankyou." "Thankyou very much." "Right this way." "What is this all about?" "." "Well, this is a film projector, Mrs. Benedict, and this is videotape equipment." "You can sit right here, anyplace." "Makeyourself comfortable." "Would you like something to drink-- coffee?" "." "[ Sighs ]" "Something cold?" "." "Lieutenant, could we please get on with this?" "." "Certainly." "Mr. Benedict." "Uh-- [ Clears Throat ]" "Now, you always wear a flower in your lapel when you conduct a concert." "One ofyourwife's garden flowers, is that right?" "Yes, I do." "Ah, Frank, would you roll the tape?" "." "~~ [ Symphony ]" "~~ [ Continues ] That's the opening night concert, am I right?" "." "Obviously." "~~ [ Ends ] [Applause ]" "[ Columbo ] Stop!" "Thankyou, Frank." "Tell me, ifyou always wear a flower, where is it?" "." "I don't always wear a flower." "And that night... he probably forgot it because he was very upset... about JeniferWelles not showing up." "But I remember youpicked up a flower at Miss Welles's apartment." "Under the piano?" "." "You said you dropped it?" "." "I don't recall doing anything like that." "Frank, would you turn out the lights?" "." "Frank, better turn on the lights." "How doyou work this thing?" "." "The knob on the right." "Would you operate it for me?" "." "Sure." "Frank, want to turn offthe lights?" "." "Thanks." "[ProjectorClicking]" "[ Reporter] Why'd she do it, Mr. Benedict?" "." "I'm sorry." "All I can say is the world of music... has lost one of its brightest lights." "JeniferWelles was an incredibly talented artist." "I'm sorry." "That's all-- Freeze!" "There's the flower." "Now, that's plain as day." "Where did it come from?" "." "I don't know." "What difference does it make?" "." "Well, on the tape at the concert, you weren't wearing a flower." "Now, on this film coming out of Miss Welles's apartment, you have a flower." "Where didit come from?" "Are you actually trying to pin this murder on me with-- with that?" "." "Yes!" "Because the only place you could've gotten it... was at Miss Welles's apartment when you picked it up at the piano." "And that meansyou had to have been there earlier." "I'm very disappointed in you, Columbo." "I simply... went into my dressing room, pinned on myflower after the concert and left." "Janice always brought in cut flowers every day, didn'tyou?" "Why would you put it on after the concert?" "." "Why would you put it on after the concert?" "." "I don't know." "I was in shock." "Confused." "I'd just heard that Miss Welles was dead." "Mrs. Benedict, is that the wayyou remember it?" "." "You were there." "Didhe put on a flower afterthe concert?" "It's all right, love." "Go ahead." "No." "No, he didn't button on a flower afterwards." "Let me just see you alone one moment." "I could have stood for anything, Alex." "Anything in the world, but not murder." "[ Whispering ] I'm guilty." "You know that." "Just for the record, I loveyou." "[Whispering] I've always lovedyou." "I hopeyou don't have to go throughyourlife-- [ Continues, Indistinct ]" "Lieutenant?" "." "Uh-- May I speak to you alone?" "." "Uh" " This is humiliating." "I admit you're a great detective." "You knew from the very beginning, didn'tyou?" "." "I mean right from the start." "I'd like to go." "Is there anyone I could-- Officer?" "." "Would you take Mr. Benedict downtown?" "." "All right." "Good-bye, genius." "Bye, Frank." "Gentlemen." "I'm sorry, ma'am." "Yes." "So am I." "Officer?" "." "Would you escort Mrs. Benedict home?" "." "Frank, you wanna play that again?" "." "The concert?" "."