"Lfind this town- the atmosphere- terrifying." "It feels as if it's going to explode." "[Woman] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote." "I have got a full-scale lynch mob gathering out there." " Sheriff" " Go to the hotel, lock yourself in your room and don't come out till this is over." "You ain't gonna cause a little trouble, are ya, Ed?" "[Chuckling]" "My bailiwick is magnolias and decadence." "Yours is murder." "Matt Burns killed my boy." "I'll kill him!" "I don't care if he is your brother!" "You better come out here with Matt Burns, or we're gonna come in there after him!" "Oh, Ames, I'm so grateful to you for inviting me to loll around your estate for a few days." "You know, that writer's conference really wore me out." "Nonsense." "You loved it." "And they loved you, he admitted enviously." "Your seminars were packed to the roof, while mine" "Ah, to be famous and adored instead of merely brilliant." "[Laughing] Oh, yes, of course." "[Engine Sputtering] Uh-oh." "[Engine Cranking] What is it?" "I may be a brilliant writer, Jessica, but I'm certainly no mechanic." "[Jessica] Look!" "We're in luck." "What?" "Afternoon." "Trouble, sir?" "Oh, the worst kind." "We've been reduced to helpless immobility." "Well, I'm afraid I wouldn't know where to start with a car like that." "Hooksville's about a mile down the road." "I could radio for a tow truck." "Oh, that's very kind." "Thank you very much." "My pleasure." "Polly, this is Sheriff Cox." "What do you think?" "Float?" "Fuel pump." "I don't suppose it's repairable." "Uh, no, sir." "But first thing in the mornin' we can send to Birmingham and get you a new one." "Obviously, the good Lord created this machine to keep me humble." "Well, we passed a hotel on the way in." "The Hotel Imperial just down the road there." "Oh, yeah." "Mrs. Burns runs that." "She's a real fine lady." "It's good food too." "We'll need two singles." "My name is Caulfield, and this is Mrs. Fletcher." "Hello." "Hello." "I have, uh, two adjoining, sir, in a private wing on the second floor." "[Chuckles] Thank you." "That's very flattering." "Good evening." "Good evening." "[Laughs]" "Cassie?" " Cassie Latham?" " Professor Caulfield." "My God, it is you!" "I can't believe it." "I'm just as surprised as you are, Professor, believe me." "Jessica, I want you to meet a very dear lady and a former student." "Cassie Latham, Jessica Fletcher." "I'm delighted to meet you." "Oh, nice to meet you." "Burns." "I'm Mrs. Burns." "Oh, well, after some 20 years, one can expect some changes." "When do I meet this husband of yours?" "Oh, Harold died many years ago, I'm sorry to say." "Oh, Cassie, I" " I am sorry." "[Door Opens] Hey, Mom!" "Sorry to butt in." "I need ten bucks for gas." "I don't get paid till tonight." "Matt, this is..." "a very famous author." "Professor Ames Caulfield." "This is my son, Matthew." "Hi, Professor." "I think I read a couple of your books." "Uh, Shenandoah Legacy?" "Well, now I am impressed." "Not only a musician, but literate as well." "Oh, may I introduce Mrs. Jessica Fletcher, a fellow writer." "J.B. Fletcher." "Hello, Matthew." " My pleasure, ma'am." " Oh." "Now don't forget to put this back." "And, Matt, be sure that Mr. Kelso pays you for this evening." "You're a professional." "And you should be treated as such." "Mom, don't worry about it." "Are you performing locally, Matthew?" "Yeah, a roadside dive named Kelso's just outside of town." "It's not the greatest, but it's good experience." "Well, I gotta go." "Nice to meet you." "You, too, ma'am." "Well, uh, I have work I have to tend to." "Perhaps we could talk later, Professor." "Perhaps so." "Excuse me." "Thank you." "6:" "15.Jessica, would you mind an early supper?" "Oh, not at all." "I thought I might catch up on my reading this evening." "Hooksville looks like a perfect place to turn in early." "Oh, I had the same idea." "Good." "Knock on my door once you've freshened up." "I'm right across the hall." "Fine." "See you later." "[Crowd Chattering, Laughing] ##[Country]" "Be with you in a minute." "Here you go." "Thank you." "Another pitcher?" "Frank, I need another pitcher and a bowl of chips." "How many times I gotta tell you, honey?" "You stay away from the paid entertainment." "Stay off my back, Frank." "It's called a Webley-Fosbery." "Used to be made in England." "Semiautomatic revolver." "Sure is a big sucker, Frank." "Mmm." "Takes a.455-caliber slug." "You ever seen anything like this?" "Steel-jacketed pointed slug." "Hoo-whee!" "A man could cut himself on that thing." "Mmm." "Evenin'." "Get you somethin'?" "A bourbon and water, please." "You don't care what you do to a car." "Do you, Ed, huh?" "I bust this baby up, I'll just get me another one, that's all." "Billy, you're buyin' the first round." "I just bought the last one." "You want us to leave you home next time?" "All right, Ed." "[Applause] [Woman Laughing]" " Evenin', Ed." " Evenin', Elmore." "Uh, we was just leavin'." "Set yourself down." "Come on, honey." " Elmore." " I said, come on!" " [Mocking] Elmore!" " Here you go." "Hey, Linda." "Well, you're startin' early tonight, aren't you, Ed?" "Now, now, Sis." "I told you I don't need no mama." "I was hopin' you'd come by the house, Ed." "Daddy'd sure like to see you." "Would he now?" "Well, as I recall, that wasn't exactly the gist of the last conversation we had." "Ed, you're the one that's gonna have to make the first move." "You know Daddy can't." "Look, will you stop tryin' to hold the family together." "There ain't no family left." "##[Matthew Singing]" "He ain't family either, Linda." "Stay out of my life, Ed." "Well, then, stay outta mine." "Beer and three burgers." "Fine." "[Laughing] [Making Kissing Sound]" "Listen, uh, I think I'm gonna go have a little talk with that guitar picker." " Billy, you make sure Kelso don't get in the way." " Sure, Ed." "You ain't gonna cause a little trouble, are ya, Ed?" "[Both Laughing]" "Hey, Mr. Burns!" "You call that singing?" "Now, will you listen to that." "Isn't that pretty?" "You write that yourself, Mr. Burns?" "My, my, you sure are talented." "Touch that gun, and I'll cut you real good." "Fact is, though, I got a hound dog makes prettier noises than that." "That's better." "Now, uh, Mr. Burns, I don't want to catch you playin' around here ever again." "And about my sister- she may be a little bit of a tramp, but, uh, she deserves a lot better than you." "[Shouting, Grunting]" "Private quarrel, mister." "What's goin' on?" "Ed!" "Stop it!" "Ed, you stop it!" "Leave him alone." "Leave him alone." "All right!" "Take it easy." "All right?" "Don't get yourself so worked up." "Get out of here!" "Get out!" "Out!" "Don't get yourself so worked up." "Don't forget what I said, guitar picker." "Out, Ed!" "Oh, Matt, I'm sorry." "You okay?" "Matt, please wait." "You can't let him get to you." "I'll kill him." "I don't care if he is your brother." "He does that to me again, I swear to God, I'll kill him." "Where you going, Matt?" "Please stay here." "Leave me alone!" "[Engine Starts]" "[Door Opens, Closes]" "[Siren Wailing]" "Sheriff." "[Whispering]" "Oh, Jessica." "Jessica, something terrible has happened." "It's Matt." "Matthew." "Cassie's son." "There was a killing last night and Matt's being held." "Oh, good Lord!" "I'm going over and see the sheriff and see if I can find out something else." "Will you come with me?" "Oh, yes, of course." "The young boy needs all the help he can get." "You'd better file those charges, Cox, and quick." "It's obvious that boy's guilty." "Look, Mr. Bonner." "Don't touch me!" "Look, I'm sorry you lost your son." "Don't give me that hogwash, fella." "I know you hated Ed's guts." "No, sir!" "Your boy and I had our differences, but I was just doing my job." "Do it now." "You got the evidence." "File the charges." "The evidence is circumstantial." "Son, you want to keep that badge, you better learn your job real quick." "Folks hereabouts know how the law's supposed to operate, and they're gonna make damn sure it does." "[Radio:" "Dispatcher, Indistinct]" "Sheriff." "Good morning." " Did you get your car fixed?" " I'm waiting for a part." "My name is Ames Caulfield." "I'm a friend of Cassie Burns." "With your indulgence, I'd like to talk to her son." "I'm sorry, Mr. Caulfield, but I've advised Mrs. Burns to find herself a good lawyer." "Until then, no one sees the prisoner." "Oh?" "Then he is under arrest?" " And you are?" " Oh, I'm a friend of a friend of the family." "Mrs. Fletcher and I drove up from Montgomery, where we had dinner with the governor two nights ago." "Well, maybe you ought to ask the governor for the key to that cell." "Sheriff Cox, I am aware that you are working under tremendous pressure." "Believe me, we only want to help." "Perhaps if you could tell us the circumstances of the killing." "You mean, before you have the governor call in the National Guard?" "Ma'am, I'll give it to you short and sweet." "Last night, around 11:00, Matt Burns was publicly humiliated by the victim at Kelso's bar." " I believe you were there, Mr. Caulfield." " That's right." "Reverend White was asleep at the rectory... when a loud scream woke him up at around 2:15 a.m." "He thought it came from the direction of Ed Bonner's house." "We responded to the call." "We, uh, found Ed Bonner lying in the front yard stabbed to death." "Excuse me-hacked to death." "Someone had stabbed him in the chest repeatedly, as if in an insane rage." "Well, that doesn't mean" "As soon as we learned about the fight at Kelso's, we drove to the Burns house across the river west of town." "Got there around 4:30." "Matt Burns was in the kitchen fully dressed." "He claims he'd been up by Crystal Lake and got home only a minute or two before we arrived." " Perhaps someone saw him there." " He was there alone." "Thinking, he says." "Shortly after daybreak, we searched the premises and discovered a bloody hunting knife... and a pair of blood-stained gloves freshly buried in the garden back of the house." "I'm sorry, Sheriff, but something doesn't make sense." "And what might that be, ma'am?" "Well, if the killing took place here, near the church, as you said" " Yes?" " And Matt Burns's house is way over west across the river over here someplace" "I mean, why in the world didn't he toss the incriminating evidence into the river... instead of taking it all the way home and burying it in the garden where anyone could find it?" "Uh, the same thought occurred to me, ma'am." "Finding the knife and gloves was too easy." " That's one reason I haven't pressed charges." " One reason?" "If you kill a man the way Ed Bonner was slaughtered, you're gonna water the lawn with blood." "But there wasn't much there to speak of." "Well, what are you saying, Sheriff?" "I'm not sure, but Doc Frazier, the local coroner, is checking it out." "Sheriff, obviously someone's trying to frame Matt Burns for murder." " There is that possibility." " But you can't hold him here indefinitely." "Mrs. Fletcher, believe me, the boy is safer here than out on that street." "Are you suggesting- This is a small town, Mrs. Fletcher." "Folks here are very close." "And even if the town didn't have much use for Ed Bonner, his father is a very well loved man." "Mornin', Frank." "Mornin', Charlie." "Guess you heard about Ed Bonner, huh?" "Huh." "Soon as I got up." "I hear the sheriff's lettin' him go." "You gotta be kiddin' me." "I told you that colored college boy we got for a sheriff was no damn good." "[Grunts] What you got there?" "A little letter from the wife?" "Not today." "Heard from her Tuesday." "Yeah?" "Jolene still visitin' her mama in Shreveport?" "Uh-huh." "Oh, I expect she'll be home pretty soon, just as soon as her mama's feelin' better." "Yeah, right, Frank." "Well, I'll see you boys." "Jolene is tending' to somebody's needs, all right, but it sure ain't her mama." "[Laughing]" "Where is everyone?" "I'm sorry." "Oh, Mr. Caulfield." "Mrs. Burns asked me to tell you she's gone to her house and to come by as soon as you're able." "I can give you directions." "Oh, that won't be necessary." "Forgive me, Jessica." "I've got to call on Cassie." "I'll see you later." "All right." "Ames." "Last night, at that bar, is there anything that you remember- something you might have seen or heard after the fight?" "I'm sorry." "I was so upset that when it happened, I came right back here and went to bed." "You will excuse me." "[Door Opens, Closes]" "That no-account sheriff." "Shoot, he got no business wearing' a badge." "Aw, just simmer down, Billy." "Ah, Billy's right." "Way it's goin' don't make no sense." "Matt Burns oughta be under arrest instead of hiding' out in one of them cells." "[Horn Honks]" "Howdy, boys." "Howdy." "Howdy." "Well, I heard there was a party goin' on down here, and I just figured that it'd be bad manners to come empty-handed." "Y'all help yourselves." "[Chattering]" "Now, that's what I call neighborly." "Andy, I was, uh, real sorry to hear about Ed, seein' hows you boys were so close- like brothers and all." "Just shut up, Kelso." "Aw, Andy, I'm just tryin' to express my condolences." "You didn't give a damn about Ed." "Everybody knew that you hated his guts." "Well, now, son" "Look, everybody knows that Ed was bunking' down your old lady before she left town, Frank." "By the way, how is ol'Jolene?" "She still in Shreveport takin' care of her sick mama?" "That's right." "Yeah." "Well, uh- [Chuckles] I guess I better be goin', boys." "You better take another look, Frank, because she's not in Shreveport." "I don't rightly know where she is, but wherever she is, she's shacked up with that hardware salesman that came through town lastJanuary." "You're a damn liar!" "That so?" "Andy's right, Mr. Kelso." "Ed, he told us hisself." "Saw your wife and that hardware fella driving' out of town together, just a-huggin' and a-kissin' in the car." "[Shouts]" "[Groans] [Onlookers Yelling]" "I want you to get home, old man, and I don't want you near me mewlin' about how you care about Ed Bonner." "You hear me?" "I didn't hear your reply." "Huh?" "That's right, Andy." "I hear you." "Are you sure about all this, Doc?" "I'm afraid so, Sheriff." "Good morning, Sheriff." "Oh, Mrs. Fletcher." "Mrs. Fletcher?" "Mrs. Fletcher, this is indeed an honor." "I heard you were in town." "You know this lady, Doc?" "Only by reputation." "Although I have not yet had the privilege of reading your fine prose, ma'am, my wife reads herself to sleep with one of your books every night." "[Laughs] I think I'll take that as a compliment." "Allow me." "Thank you." "I was just telling the sheriff that, uh, the victim's body had been moved." "Despite that so-called scream the person heard, Ed died elsewhere." " Really?" " Mrs. Fletcher." "Sheriff, is it possible that the killer let out that scream... to obscure the time and place that the murder actually occurred?" " Ma'am, if you don't mind" " Another thing." "Those repeated stabbings- they occurred long after the body was dead." " Doc" " Yes, I'd say Ed died at least an hour before the stabbings were inflicted." "Lord a'mighty, I'm late for lunch." "Irma will have my hide." "A pleasure, ma'am." "Oh, for me too, Doctor." "Stabbin'dead bodies." "I sure wish you luck on this one, Sheriff." "[Sighs]" "Care to look?" "Why not?" "Thank you." "Hmm, strange." "Two lighters." "Why would a man have two lighters?" "And they both work." "Yeah, that is strange." "Hmm." " The Cameron crest." " What?" "That crest represents the Cameron clan in Scotland." "Are you sure about that?" "Oh, yes." "I've researched dozens of those family crests... for a book I wrote." "Does that name mean anything to you?" "No, no." "As far as I know, nobody around these parts is named Cameron." "[Horn Honks]" "Are you Mrs. Fletcher?" "Yes." "Hi, um, I'm Linda Bonner." "Oh, yes." "I'm so sorry about your brother." "So am I. [Shouting, Hooting]" "But right now I'm a little more worried about Matt Burns." "Yes." "I think we both are." "I was just talkin' to him over at the jail." "He's the one that told me that you and Mr. Caulfield were good folks and that you wanted to help." "Well, except for the sheriff, in this town you might be the only ones that do." "Look, I was, uh, heading' out to my Daddy's farm." "He might be able to stop that." "Would you come with me?" "I mean, I think there's some things you should know." "All right." "Uh, Ed moved out in January." "He and my daddy had this terrible fight." "I know it was killing my dad." "I mean, Ed was living in town." "He was throwin' these wild parties with his friends." "You know, a lot of women, drinkin', and throwin' around money he got from God knows where." "These friends-would any one of them have reason to kill him?" "I don't know that much about them, except Andy Crane and Billy Willetts." "Oh, yes." "From the garage." "I understand they were with him in the bar last night." "Yeah, but they wouldn't kill Ed." "I mean, Andy and my brother have been best friends since they were kids and" "Mrs. Fletcher, my daddy is not a bad man." "He, uh, just doesn't have use for a black sheriff." "And I'm afraid, feeling like he does about losin' Ed, he's just liable to sit back and let things happen." "Yes." "Linda, I must tell you, I find this town- the atmosphere- terrifying." "It feels as if it's going to explode." "Daddy?" "About time you got home, honey." "What's she doin' here?" "Daddy, this is Jessica Fletcher." "I know who she is." "Mr. Bonner, I'm terribly sorry for your loss." "Then you'll be good enough to leave me with my sorrow." "'Cause it doesn't matter what you or the sheriff thinks." "Matt Burns killed my boy." "Daddy, Matt didn't do it." "You shame a man in public, especially a yellow one like Matt Burns, he's gonna do something about it." "Like jump my boy in the dark... 'cause he ain't got the guts to face him man-to-man." "Mr. Bonner, maybe you're right." "Maybe Matt did kill your son." "But if he did, the law will see that he's punished." "But don't you think" "I mean, if he's as much of a coward as you think he is, don't you think it's more likely he would have fired a gun from ambush?" "Are you an expert in killing, missus?" "No, but I think I know something about people." "Mmm." "[Sighs] I tried everything with Ed." "Everything." "I tried being' hard with him." "I tried being' soft, I tried being' a pal." "Gave him everything, and I gave him nothin'." "I don't know where it all went wrong." "Then, five months ago, he walked away from this farm without a dime in his pocket." "I knew he'd be back because he had nothin'- no money, anything." "Then there he was all of a sudden, rented a house, money in his pocket, drivin' around in that fancy car." "It didn't take me long to figure out what was goin' on." "Daddy, we don't know for sure Ed was dealing drugs." "No?" "Then what?" "Daddy!" "There is gonna be a lot more killing in this town because of you!" "Why didn't your boyfriend think of that, huh, honey?" "Knock it off." "Come on, little fella, quit now." "You don't wanna get hurt." "The hell with you, Fargo." "You just sit down and calm down!" "I don't want no more trouble from you." "Mr. Crane?" "Uh, your car'll- fuel pump'll be here by dark." "I mean, maybe." "Maybe not." "I'm not worried about the car." "Look, can't you talk some sense into these people?" "Can't you see that there is a mob developing here?" "And that's not helping any." "I'd mind my own business if I were you, mister." "It's my business, Charlie." "This isn't a safe place for you, Mrs. Burns." "You either." "Now, look, son, you haven't got any" "Nobody calls me, son, anymore." "Not even my pa." "No, Ames, Ames!" "Let's go, please." "Please." "Let's just go." "Let's go, Andy." "No tellin' who them two are liable to call." "State police, maybe?" "[Man] Come on, Andy." "You keep checking, Cal." "Find someone else who was awake." "We need a positive identification." "[Cal On Radio] Yes, sir, I'll keep at it." "A positive identification of whom, Sheriff?" "A man was spotted running away from Ed Bonner's place last night a couple of minutes after that scream." "Oh, good!" "Maybe, maybe not." "How's your coffee?" "Oh, it's very nice, thanks." "Our witness is Maybelle Mclntosh, one of our town characters." "She's nearly 90 with poor eyesight and a vivid imagination." "A couple of times a week we get calls from her." "Sunday, she was sure a banshee was loose in her yard." "A month ago it was aliens." "Sheriff, have you considered calling in the state police?" "If I call in the troopers now, I might as well turn in my badge." "And if you don't, it could cost Matt Burns his life." "It won't come to that." "They'll have to kill two of us." "Sheriff, I understand that- that Ed Bonner was spending a great deal of money, even though he didn't have a job." "Do you think it's possible that he was involved in something illegal?" " You mean, like dealing drugs?" " Uh-huh." "No." "No." "I rousted him a dozen times, never found a thing." "Oh, Jessica." "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but the situation is getting worse, and I need the truth from both of you." "Now, you told me that you returned to the hotel last night immediately after the fight at the bar." "Now, that would have put you here around 11:00." "I was awake until 2:30, and I heard you return." "Oh, you must be mistaken." "I don't think so, Ames." "You were together, weren't you?" "No!" "[Chuckles] What a silly idea." "I'm sorry, Cassie, but I believe that you were much more than professor and student 20 years ago." "Look, I" " Forgive me." "If I'm wrong, I apologize." "Matt's your son, isn't he, Ames?" "You are wrong, Mrs. Fletcher." "What a-What a preposterous idea." "Matthew's father was a brave military officer... who gave his life for this country." "And your suggestion, it's- it's unthinkable." "Excuse me." "You must forgive Cassie, Jessica." "She has spent 22 years living a lie." "She almost believes it." "How did you know that I was with her last night?" "This morning, the desk clerk asked you if you needed directions to her house." "You didn't." "The boy doesn't know, and out of respect for Cassie..." "I will do or say nothing that would destroy the myth of the father that Matt never knew." "An unidentified man was seen running away from Ed Bonner's house around 2:15 a.m." "I did not kill Ed Bonner." "I left Cassie's at a quarter past 2:00." "I could not be in two places at once." "Will she corroborate that?" "Publicly?" "I don't know." "But I would never ask it of her." "Earlier you told me that one of those men pulled a knife on Mr. Kelso." "Billy Willetts, the boy from the service station." "What kind of knife was it?" "I don't know." "I didn't actually see it." "Why?" "[Men Shouting, Chattering]" "Mrs. Collins, I appreciate your support, but the best thing you and Jonas can do is stay away from town." "The boys are just lettin' off steam, that's all." "Good-bye." "Sheriff- Mrs. Fletcher, this is not the time." " Cal, did you get a hold on Ray Daulton?" " No answer at his house, but he's home." "I saw his car parked out front no more than 20 minutes ago." "Sheriff, last night, in the bar, Billy Willetts pulled a knife on Mr. Kelso." "Now, where'd you hear that?" "Mr. Caulfield." "What kind ofknife?" "He didn't see it, but it might have been a hunting knife." "You mean, the murder weapon?" "Mrs. Fletcher, half the men in this town carry knives-all kinds." "But don't you think it's worth exploring?" "Now, look, ma'am, I have got a full-scale lynch mob gathering out there!" "I do not have time." "Now do yourself, and me, a big favor- Go to the hotel, lock yourself in your room and don't come out till this is over." "Sheriff- Do it, Mrs. Fletcher!" "Now!" "[Shouting, Yelling Continues]" "[Knocking]" "Hello." "Hello?" "Mr. Kelso?" "[Knocking]" "Hello?" "Who are you, lady?" "What you doin' snooping around here anyway?" " Mr. Kelso?" " Uh-huh." "I'm Jessica Fletcher, and I'm not snooping around." "Oh, you're that friend of Cassie Burns." " Yes." " Well, I ain't got time to chat." "I got to open in two hours, and my swamper called in sick." "Yeah, well, I'm sure you're very busy." "I just wanted to ask you, really, one question." "I understand last night that you were prevented from stopping the fight... by that young man from the service station." "Billy Willetts?" "Yeah, he stuck a knife in my back just as I was going for the old peacemaker there." "What kind of knife was that, Mr. Kelso?" "Sharp, ma'am." "I didn't see it, and I wasn't about to look for it." "You think maybe it was Billy that hacked up Ed?" "[Chuckles]" "Well, Billy's handy with a blade, but it was Matt Burns that killed Ed." "You seem very sure of that." "Well, it don't give me no pleasure, ma'am, believe me." "I always liked Matt- him and his mama both." "But if you'll excuse me now, I've got work to do." "Oh, yes, yes, of course." "There's just one more thing, Mr. Kelso." "Strictly speaking, a peacemaker's a nickname for a Colt.45 used in frontier days." "If I'm not mistaken, that is a Webley-Fosbery semiautomatic revolver." "[Laughing] Well, I'll be." "You sure do know your weaponry." "You own one of them?" "Oh, no, no, no." "No, of course, I just ran across it in research." "For several days, I considered using one to shoot a Bulgarian scientist." "[Phone Ringing]" "Oh, yeah, I remember now." "Somebody told me you was a writer or somethin'." "Kelso." "Yeah, how ya doin', Walt?" "What?" "Uh, yeah, I'm comin'." " What is it?" " Trouble at the jail." "[All Shouting] You're dead, Burns!" "Yeah, come on, Sheriff!" "You better come out here with Matt Burns, or we're gonna come in there after him!" "Yeah!" "[Shouting Continues]" "We got somethin' we want him to try on, Sheriff." "Get out here." "We want Matt Burns." "Come on!" "All right, gentlemen." "The fun is over for today." "Now, do us all a favor." "Go home and sleep it off." "No one's goin' home, Sheriff, till you turn over Matt Burns." "Yeah, that's right." "We want Matt Burns!" "Don't make me lock you up, Andy." "[Laughing]" "How you gonna do that, Sheriff?" "Huh?" "By pointing'that old tool at me?" "Maybe these boys here think you look tough, but all I see is a colored boy shakin' behind that badge." "[All Laughing]" "Aren't you going to stop this?" "I wouldn't even if I could." "Well, if you won't, I will." "Don't do that, ma'am." "You'll just get yourself hurt." "[Shotgun Cocks]" "Drop it, Billy." "Drop it!" "Stay out of it." "[Men Shouting, Laughing]" "Hey, Andy!" " You startin' some trouble again?" " I just figured I" "I know what you figured." "All right, you guys go on home." "This town's had enough killing'." "Go on, go on." "Wait a minute." "He killed your son." "Maybe he did, maybe he didn't." "We'll let the court decide that." "Meanwhile, we'll let the sheriff do his job." "You crazy old man!" "Sheriff, this young fellow is drunk and disorderly, and I might say he's disturbing the peace." "Yes, sir." "Morgan." "Thanks." "Don't thank me." "You can thank my daughter." "Thanks anyway." "Empty your pockets." "Contents on the desk." "Cuff him, Morgan." "Sheriff Cox, do you think it would be all right if I talk to Matt?" "I guess I owe you that much." "Morgan." "Thanks." "Mrs. Fletcher." "You saw Billy Willetts's knife out there, didn't you?" "Yes." "It was a switchblade." "Not the murder weapon." "So much for that theory." "So it seems." "Sheriff." "The car keys." "Where'd you get this key from, Andy?" "I didn't steal it." "The crest- it's the Cameron family, not Crane." "That's my mama's name." "Some law against it?" "This yours, too?" "Hell, yes." "Where'd you get that?" "Off your friend's dead body." "Uh, wait a minute." "I didn't kill Ed." "What was he doing with it?" "I don't know." "Maybe he" "Oh, yeah, yeah, we were, uh- We were shootin' a little pool, and he borrowed it from me." "Maybe he stuck it in his pocket." "But why would he borrow a cigarette lighter from you... if he already had a perfectly good lighter of his own, Mr. Crane?" "Naw." "Naw, he left that one behind on the table at Kelso's, 'cause we had to get out of there in a hurry." "This the one he forgot?" "Yeah, that's the one." "It might be a good idea... to find out exactly what happened after they left the bar." "Tell her." "Yeah." "Tell her, Andy." "All right." "We drove down to Reeseburg to shoot a little pool, and Ed, he wasn't doin' too good." "So he dropped about a hundred, then we came back into town about 12:45, and, uh, oh, Ed, he was hot." "I mean mad." "And he dropped us off at the station, and I wanted to keep right on partying', you know, but he said no." " He said, uh" " He said what, Mr. Crane?" "He, uh" "He said he had to go to the bank." "Kind of weird, goin' to the bank after midnight, huh?" "You know, if Ed did leave his own lighter on the table, anyone could have picked it up." "Yeah, and whoever did pick it up is probably his killer." "Or else how did it get back in Ed's pocket?" "Exactly." "Mr. Kelso?" "You back again, ma'am?" "I ain't got time to talk." "Make time, Kelso." "What is this?" "All the scrubbing in the world isn't going to remove every trace of blood on the floor." "A good forensics man can still find microscopic traces- that's all we need." "What the hell are you talking about, Cox?" "Mrs. Fletcher has a theory about Ed Bonner's death- a reason why a killer would repeatedly stab away at a dead body." "She believes Ed wasn't stabbed at all." "He was shot." "Shot?" "[Laughing]" "Oh, you are somethin', lady." "Shot, Kelso, with a very special caliber gun... that shoots very special pointed bullets." "Now, you must have figured as soon as we dug out the slug we'd know who killed Ed, so you dug out the slug first." "Come on, Sheriff" "The way I figure it, you drove Ed back in that red car of his to his house, dumped his body, let out a scream and ran away." "You planted the knife and gloves back at Matt's house." "[Door Opens]" "Sheriff, the forensics guy from Montgomery just checked out the trunk of Ed Bonner's car." "Those are blood stains, all right." "Guess I should've left town months ago, while I still had a chance." " Months ago?" " January, I think, Sheriff." "That is right, isn't it, Mr. Kelso?" "That is about the time your wife ran off with the hardware salesman?" "You know about that?" "No, not really." "But everything seems to indicate that you were being blackmailed." "Ed Bonner's unexplained prosperity... and his strange remark last night about having to go to the bank." "[Chuckling]" "The bank." "Ah, it" "'Bout a couple of days after New Year's." "Soon as I come home, I knew Jolene had been with another man." "I got mad." "She just laughed at me, and..." "I grabbed hold of somethin'- a brass bookend, I think- swung at her." "Next thing I know, she was laying on the ground there, eyes wide open, staring up at me." "Then I realized he was there." "The bedroom door." "Ed Bonner." "Seen it all." "It was Ed's idea- cartJolene off, bury her in the woods." "Me say she was... off visiting her mama, all the time he was... telling people behind my back that she'd run off with another man." "Is that when the blackmail started?" "[Grunts]" "Just a few dollars at first." "You know, just" "Then more and more." "He loved to see me sweat." "Last night he come back here after I closed, looking for his cigarette lighter and... money." "Whole lot of money." "I couldn't pay him no more." "I took out my gun and I shot him." "Wasn't like it was with Jolene." "This time I didn't feel nothin'." "Just like killin' a wild dog." "That's it." "Come on, Mama." "Oh!" "It's only Nashville." "Who knows?" "They may send us packin' before the month's out." "I doubt that." "Thanks for all your help, sir." " I'll be seein' you again soon, I expect." " I expect you will, Matthew." "Good-bye, Linda." "Mmm!" "Don't worry." "My daddy is not too fond of this either." "So, I promised him we'd be back before the holidays."