"You can pour Mr Chadwick's coffee now, Charles." "Yes, ma'am." "Morning." " Morning, Charles." " Good morning." "Ah, thank you." " Good morning, Beth." " Hmm." " Beth?" " Hm?" " You are sulking." " What?" " You're sulking." " I'm not sulking." "Of course you're sulking." "It isn't necessary." "We have had our usual argument and now the matter is settled." "Is it?" "Beth, listen to me." "He isn't for you, believe me." "If you insist upon seeing him, I have a right to express my feelings." " You can't control my life." " Your life, in this case, is tied in with a company employee." "What difference does that make?" "He's an honest, hardworking..." "Yes." "He's ambitious, intelligent." "He's a good attorney." "And he has a flair for the advertising business." "And he's also smart enough to know a golden opportunity when he sees it." "You're not Father." "No, I'm not your father." "I'm your brother, and if your choice in men friends were more mature," "I would stay out of your life." " You don't know how to stay out of my life." " I won't let you be used." "So I've taken the appropriate steps." " Charles, is the car ready?" " Appropriate steps?" "Bryce!" "What have you done?" "I've written to Peter Hamilton." "He'll receive it when he gets back from Atlanta today." "What?" "I told him that if he continues to see you, his employment with Ellison Chadwick will be terminated." "What?" "You've threatened him?" "I won't be home for dinner." "Don't wait for me." "He won't care if you fire him!" "No?" "Then let me ask you a question, Beth." "If your name wasn't Chadwick and you didn't have all of this... do you really think that Peter Hamilton would give you a second look?" "Now, I'm sorry if I sound cruel." "I don't mean to be." "But the sooner you face the facts... the better." "And the cheaper it will be for all of us." "What about the price I've paid?" "First to Father, then to you?" "Anything I wanted to do on my own, you or he prevented it!" "Beth, this is hardly the time." "No, it never is." " Charles." " Yes, Miss Chadwick?" " Tomorrow's your day off, isn't it?" " Yes, ma'am." "Will you be leaving tonight with the staff?" "I'd planned to, ma'am, but if you'd like me to stay..." "Oh, no." "That won't be necessary." "As you wish." "May I bring you more coffee?" "Thank you, Charles, no." "That'll be all." "Hello?" "Yes, operator." "Speaking." "Darling, how are you?" "I'm going in to wheel and deal, thought I'd call you first." "Aw!" "You always surprise me." "Better than being predictable, right?" " 'How's Atlanta?" "'" " Oh, just fine." "Hey, I miss you." "I miss you too." " When'll you be back?" " 'Later tonight. '" "'Thought I'd come right over from the airport. '" " 'Darling?" "Hello?" "'" " Darling, let's make it tomorrow." " 'It'll be late, you'll probably be tired. '" " Well..." "Tomorrow'll be much better." "Mr Gaines will see you now." "Beth, gotta go." "Call you first thing in the morning." " You do love me?" " No, I hate you with a passion." "Goodbye, darling." "Have a safe trip." "Beth?" "Beth, are you awake?" "Yes." "Who is it?" "Will you open the front door?" "I've lost my key." "I'm in bed already." "Come in this way." " Are they unlocked?" " Yes." "Don't forget to turn off the alarm." "All right." "It's off." "Beth, why didn't you turn off the alarm?" "'We found a key ring in the bushes." "Does it belong to your brother?" "'" "'Yes, those are..." "Those were his keys. '" "'The front light's burned out. '" "'He must have dropped his keys and couldn't find them. '" "'Probably walked to your French doors and knocked. '" "'I was asleep." "I had taken sleeping pills and I didn't hear him. '" "'We figure he broke the glass and opened the door. '" "'I heard the glass and then the alarm go off. '" "'I just woke up and reached for the gun. '" "'I thought it was a burglar. '" "'Obviously a mistake, Miss Chadwick. '" "'A terrible mistake. '" " 'I thought it was a burglar. ' - 'A terrible mistake. '" "'Mistake..." "Mistake... '" "Well, that does it." " Beth?" " Bryce!" "The most ridiculous thing happened." "I've lost my key to the front door." " H-How did you get in?" " With this." " A spare?" " I leave it in a flower pot by the door." "Why didn't you answer?" "I was ringing..." "Beth?" " Beth, what is it?" " I shot Bryce!" "You what?" "He came in my room as the alarm went off." " Go and see." "I want to know if he's..." " All right." "Now, you stay here." "Stay right here." "Beth, he's dead." "'6-Mary-102, 2-Mary-11, clear. '" "'Roger on the information." "Frequency 15, clear. ' '6-Mary-2 continuing... '" "'Female, 45 years, 5'11", 190 pounds. '" " 'Highway 75.' - 'Channel 17, clear. '" "You guys all finished?" "OK, that's it." "You catching up on your reading, Lieutenant?" "No, not really." "You realise what you..." "Yes, I understand." "You then climbed over the gate and started running towards the house?" "Well, I was half asleep because I'd taken a sleeping pill." "The burglar alarm was on?" "Well, yes." "There's a switch beside my bed." "How does it work outside?" "At the front door?" "Well, if you have a key and use it, it automatically turns the alarm off." "Ah." "Do you have any idea why your brother went through your French doors knowing he'd probably set the alarm off?" "I..." "I guess he lost his keys and... he came around the side of the house and tried to get in... through my window." "What time did you go to bed tonight?" "About 9:30." "I didn't feel very well yesterday so I didn't go out." "Excuse me." "Did I hear you say you stayed home today?" "Yes, that's what I said." " You didn't go out at all?" " No." " That's what I said." " Thank you." "When you got there, he was already dead?" "Yes, that's correct." "Or did Miss Chadwick telephone you after she shot her brother?" "I was on my way over." "I stopped at the gate when I heard the shots." " How many?" " Three." "And the alarm was going?" "That's right." "Why did you drop by, Mr Hamilton?" "I came to see Bryce." "I work for him." "Can you account for your whereabouts this evening?" "I came in from Atlanta at ten." "I took a cab and got to my apartment about 10:45." "You can check with the doorman." "Why did you come here after just getting home?" "It's a little involved..." "Miss Chadwick and I have been seeing each other and Bryce objected." "So you came over here to have it out with him?" "I suppose you could put it that way." " Is this your newspaper?" " No." " We found these outside in the bushes." " Thanks." "Excuse me." "Miss Chadwick, are these your brother's keys?" " Yes." "Where were they?" " In the bushes." "With that light out, it's really tough to see." "Gentlemen, you have our statements." "If you don't mind, I think..." "I'd like to go through this once more to make sure I got things straight." " Gentlemen, please." " No, Peter, that's all right." "Go on." "Now, Miss Chadwick, you said you went to bed at 9:30, right?" "Yes." "And you took a sleeping pill before you retired." "That's right." "Would you tell me what happened after that?" "Well, it was after eleven... and I heard the glass break and the alarm go off and I woke up." "You thought it was a burglar?" "Yes." "Yes, I thought it was a burglar." "Well, it was pitch dark and I was half asleep because I'd taken the sleeping pill." "I heard the glass break and the alarm go off and so I reached for the gun, it was in the drawer beside my bed, and then I just started shooting." "I didn't know what I was doing." "Gentlemen, we'll be available for questioning tomorrow." "I'd like to see that Miss Chadwick gets some rest." "Right." "All right, fellas, wrap it up." "Thank you very much." "Good night." "Come on, darling." "Excuse me." "Were you and your brother the only ones living here?" "Well, yes, except for Charles and the maid." "My mother moved to Palm Desert after my father died." " Who is Charles?" " The butler." "I suppose he's off tonight." "Yes." "Great big place, isn't it?" "Well, good night." "Easy, boy." "Easy, fella." "Easy." "Easy!" "Easy, now." "That's right." "No, no, no." "Enrico, darling." "Be nice, darling, be nice." "You there, pay the cab and bring my luggage." "Come on, dear." "She have any luggage?" "Luggage?" "Right here." "And there's 10.50 on that meter." "Gee, I've only got $11." "Well, go ahead." "Keep it all." "You're a sport." "All right, easy, boy." "Now, Enrico, come here, Come here." "Come here!" "Now, stop that, you hear?" "I want you to behave yourself." "That is a tough little monkey you got." "Enrico is not a monkey." "He's a pedigree silky." "Oh, I can see that, ma'am." "It's just a figure of speech." "Now, you stay there." "Where is my daughter?" "I don't know, ma'am." "She's probably asleep." "Where's Charles?" "It's his day off." "Are you Mrs Chadwick?" "Yes." "And you?" "My name is Columbo, ma'am." "I'm a lieutenant from the police." "Just a minute." "Not so quickly." "I'd like to look that over." "Well, I must say, you hardly look the role." "Well, you know how it is." "You brought my bags in?" "Yes, ma'am." "The cab fare was $10.50." "It was a 50-cent tip, so that's $11." "I'll see that you're reimbursed." "Now, tell me, what happened?" " Where is she?" " Here I am, Mother." " Do you feel better now?" " No." " It was an accident." " I don't care what it was." " You killed my son." " Mother..." "Oh, you were always so impossible." "Always." "Blundering, making mistakes, causing trouble wherever you were." "He looked after her... all of her life." "He protected you..." "and now you've destroyed him." "Mother, it wasn't my fault." "I don't want to hear about it." "Sorry, Lieutenant." "This must be embarrassing for you." "No, not really, no." "You see, I come from a very big family and at dinner time it was like, well, Madison Square Garden." " We used to patch it up with coffee." " Is that a hint?" "I smelled it when I came in." "I sure could use some." "Mother?" "I should think it's obvious I'm in no mood for coffee." "Uh, ma'am, would you like me to take your bags upstairs?" "No, thank you." "Beth can attend to them." "He was a special man, Lieutenant." "Very special." "He kept us all together." "I thought you lived in Palm Desert." "I mean spiritually." "When my husband died..." "I couldn't stay in this house any longer." "That's certainly understandable." "Then your son took over the business?" "Yes, and turned it into one of the largest advertising agencies on the West Coast." "Really?" "Marvellous." "He took over from my husband in many ways, including dealing with Beth and her problems." "Her choice of men, when she's had a choice, has never been particularly mature." "Oh, yeah." "Like that Peter Hamilton." "Exactly." "He's an obvious fortune-hunter." "Of course, she'd have no way of seeing through him, would she?" "I'm afraid not." "She's something of a child, Lieutenant." "Her decisions are always vague and emotional." "Bryce was far more perceptive." "He never married." "Why was that?" " What are you implying?" " No offence, ma'am." "He seems very distinctive and unique and I was curious about him." "Well, he was." "But he had far too many responsibilities for marriage and I suppose he never met the right woman." "Then there was the business." "I don't know what's going to happen to the company now." "I can't run it and I don't want to bring anyone in from the outside." " You won't have to." " And what does that mean?" " I am an officer of the company." " In name only." "That's because Bryce would never let me participate." "Of course he wouldn't." "You aren't even capable of running your own life." "I've never been allowed to run my own life." " Lieutenant, won't you sit down?" " Thank you." "But things are different now, aren't they?" "There's a change in the status quo." "If you seriously think..." "We're not alone, Mother." "I suggest we discuss this later." "Lieutenant, I've kept you waiting long enough." "What can I do for you?" "Oh, no, no, no." "That's all right." "No, I only have one problem, and that is..." "Thank you." " Cream?" "Sugar?" " No, I take it black, thank you." "I couldn't sleep last night." "A couple of points were bothering me, so I thought I'd clear them up." " What kind of points?" " Thank you." "That newspaper." "Newspaper?" "Yes, the one that I noticed on the table in the foyer." "Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't I hear you say that you were home all day yesterday?" "That's right." "That's what puzzles me." "How did that newspaper get there?" " Haven't you ever heard of home delivery?" " Oh, yeah." " I have a paper delivered every morning." " There's your answer." "No." "No, that won't answer it, no." "The newspaper on the foyer table was a late edition." "I even saw racetrack results in it." "I don't quite follow you." "If you were home all day, who brought home the newspaper?" "Bryce must have brought it home." "But he came in through your room, not through the front door." "He was shot on that side of the house." "How did that newspaper get to the other end of the house?" "You seem to be cross-examining my daughter." "That's all right, Mother." "Bryce must have brought it in and in my confusion I put it on the table when I went to answer the door." "Yes, that would be an answer, except for one thing." "You left your brother's attaché case out there." "Why wouldn't you bring them both in at the same time?" "I didn't see it." "You didn't see it." "Gee." "They couldn't have been too far apart." "People are inconsistent when in a state of shock, Lieutenant." "It's foolish of you to expect rational behaviour at a time like that." "Well, I'm sure you're right about this." "I only get into it because I try to figure it out in my mind." "Uh, well, look, I'm sure both of you have a great deal to talk about so I'm gonna run along." "Thank you for the coffee, ma'am." " Bye-bye." " Goodbye." "Um... listen, about that $11, ma'am..." "If you'll leave me your card, I'll send you a cheque." "I'm all out of cards." "Oh." "Here." " Thank you very much." " Thank you, Lieutenant." "Easy, now." "Easy!" "That'd be just terrific." "The jury's coming in now." "Have you ladies and gentlemen concluded your deliberations?" " Yes, sir, we have." " Clerk." "Thank you." "What do you think?" " What?" " She's home free." "You watch." "Jupiter and Venus are in good aspect with Pluto." "I have before me the verdict of the coroner's jury in the matter of Bryce Chadwick, deceased." "The jury finds that Bryce Chadwick, age 46, came to his death July 21st at his residence," "2307 Lorraine Drive, death being caused by three .38 calibre bullet wounds in the upper chest." "The jury also finds from the evidence submitted that the death of Bryce Chadwick was an accident." " Thank you very much." "Thank you." " Good luck." "See?" "Thank you, jury members." "This inquest is now closed." "Nice to be believed, isn't it, huh?" "Yes." "I want to take the whole jury out for dinner!" "That is what is known as bribery after the fact." " Oh, is it?" " Anyway, it's all over." "Back to normal." "That's exactly what I don't want." "What do you mean?" "I think it's time we made a few changes, that I broke a few patterns." "As long as you don't break ours." "How about some lunch to celebrate?" "Can I take a rain check?" "I have a few appointments." " You don't mind, do you?" " No, it's fine." "Oh, when you get back to the office would you set up a meeting with the heads of departments?" " What's the agenda?" " Reorganisation." "Tomorrow at 2:00." "Mother." " Good morning, Mr Hamilton." " Oh." "Lieutenant." " You remember me?" " I have a very good memory." "I envy you." "I can't even remember my telephone number." "What can I do for you, Lieutenant?" "I couldn't help overhearing that she turned you down for lunch." "You wanna grab a bite with me?" " You want to ask me some questions?" " Well..." "Listen, it's my treat." "Your..." "All right." "Window down, please." "Oh!" "Right." "That's it." "I held the whipped cream on the Mighty Malt." " That's what you wanted?" " Right." "OK." "And they were out of onion rings." "You want a substitution?" "No, that's all right." "No, that's fine." "Don't forget to tell me before you leave." "I need to take the tray." " People always drive off with our trays." " Right." "I'll remember." " Thank you." " You're welcome." "Right." "Tell me, you and Miss Chadwick are gonna be married?" "You don't believe in preliminaries." "Well, you know, sometimes it's just..." "Yes, we are but we haven't set the date yet, mainly because of Bryce." "Oh, I see." "You know, what I was wondering was... the night of the shooting, why'd you drive over there so late?" "Let's say the propulsion was anger." "Huh?" "What do you mean?" "I got back from a business trip and there was a letter from Bryce." "He said to lay off Beth or else." "Or else?" "Or else what?" "Oh, it's..." "Professional discrimination." "Things like that." "So I got hot and I went over to have it out with him." "I see." "Boy, you got there just in time for the commotion." "That's quite a coincidence, isn't it?" "That's a leading question, Lieutenant." "Do you think that the two of us did Bryce in together?" "What do you mean, murder?" "Oh, no." "I mean, you were at the inquest." "They said it was an accident." "I'm not talking about the inquest." "I'm talking about you." "What do you think?" "Do I think it was a conspiracy?" "No, no." "Oh, no." "No chance of that." "No, sir." "It's rather odd that you're still asking the same questions." "Oh, you know..." "Well, that's just me." "You know, I mean, nothing official." "It's just that, you know, I have this..." "bug about tying up loose ends." "Listen, I wanna thank you." "You've been very helpful to me." "Suppose you ask the question that you haven't asked." " If I'm a fortune-hunter." " I never intended..." "I'm not." "I love Beth with her money or without her money." "As a matter of fact, I was prepared to quit the company." "That won't be necessary now." "No, that won't, but I won't be a hypocrite, Lieutenant." "I'm sorry about poor Bryce being killed but... it has gotten Beth out from under his thumb." "Oh, yeah." "Yeah, way out." "Huh?" " What's that supposed to mean?" " Way out?" "Well, you know, in the courtroom I overheard her say that she was breaking patterns now." "This is a terrible thing to admit but..." "I think that, in a way... her brother's death is the best thing that ever happened to her." "Hey, mister!" "You forgot the tray!" " Sorry." " It's all right." "May I assist you, sir?" "You scared me." "No, I was looking for Miss..." "You're Charles, aren't you?" "Are we acquainted?" "I saw you at the inquest." "No, I'm Lieutenant Columbo." "I'm looking for Miss Chadwick." " You're a police officer, sir?" " Yes, I am." " Is she in?" " I'm afraid not, sir." "Oh, she isn't?" "I see." "Do you know where I can get in touch with her?" " Yes, she's at the beauty parlour." "Eugene's." " A-ha." " Will that be all, sir?" " Yes, Charles." "Yeah, I think so." "Uh..." " Hey, smells new." " It is, sir." " Oh." "Why didn't she take it with her?" " It was just delivered." "Ah, it was just delivered." "I see." "I wanna tell you, it's a beauty." " A wonderful piece of machinery." " Is that all, sir?" "Yeah, Charles, that'll be all." "I don't want you to worry about me." "I'm gonna go around the side of the house and conduct an experiment." "Something I can help you with, sir?" "No, it's a kind of a do-it-yourself thing." "Thank you very much." "May I help you, sir?" "Well, I'm not a customer." "No, I assumed that." "You're looking for someone?" "Yes, I was looking for a Beth Chadwick." "Miss Chadwick?" "My name's Lieutenant Columbo." " The police?" " Well, it's not serious." "I just want to talk to her for a moment." "Through that door, Lieutenant." "Cubicle four." " Thank you." " Lieutenant?" " Your cigar." " What about it?" "Uh..." "Well, the fragrance is not..." "compatible." "That's a shame." "I just lit it." "Well, what brings you here, Lieutenant?" "Oh, I stopped by the house." "I talked to Charles, he told me where you'd be so I thought I'd come by." "There's just one point that I wanted to clear up." " Do you mind?" " I'm a captive audience!" " We can go." " No, that's all right." "Go ahead and finish." "Saw your new car, by the way." "Oh, that's some automobile." " Thank you." " Really beautiful." "Do you have to order those things weeks in advance?" " Yes." " That's what I thought." "Real change of pace for you, isn't it?" "I felt like something racy." "As they say in advertising, a new image." "Yeah." "Well, I can understand that." "I'm sorry." "Because it's a natural thing," "I think, after a death in the family to want to break loose." "That's one way of putting it." "Gee, that's funny, though." "What?" "If you ordered the car some time ago that'd mean you knew in advance you were gonna change your style." "Finished, Miss Chadwick." " May I see?" " Yes." "Oh!" " Wow!" "Just amazing!" " Looks fabulous." "Fabulous." " You look sensational!" " You really think so?" "I'd say you were a new woman." "Oh, thank you, Lieutenant." "Goodbye, Gene." "Thank you." "See you next week." "Bye, Felicia." "Excuse me." "Sorry." "Why, Miss Chadwick, you look lovely." "Thank you." "You're very kind." " My bill and an appointment next week." " Certainly." "Lieutenant, you haven't asked me your question." " Are you headed home?" " Yes." "Do you mind if I meet you there?" "It's to do with your house." " Is this really necessary?" " In a way, yes." "I promise it won't take long." "All right." "I'll meet you there." "Lieutenant?" "Your cigar." "Oh, good afternoon, ma'am." "Good afternoon." "Oh, Charles, our lieutenant requires a stepladder." "Would you be good enough to get one for him?" "Yes, ma'am." "Another experiment, sir?" "Well, I guess you could call it that, yeah." " Experiment, Lieutenant?" " Uh-huh." "Like I said, I was out here earlier." "Hey, why don't I show it to you?" "Now... you figure that your brother had to walk around the side of the house like this." " Is that right?" " Yes, and the coroner's jury figured it too." "Right." "Now, you see, he had to walk on grass." " Is there some point to this?" " Yes, ma'am, there is." "You see, now this grass is kind of dry because the sun's been out." "Uh..." "But today's Thursday." "And the gardener cuts the grass on Thursday." "Excuse me a minute." "You see?" "Grass." "Yes, well, that's only natural." "It certainly is." "But, you know, there was no grass on your brother's shoe." "I'm afraid I don't understand." "Your brother was shot a week ago, on Thursday." "I looked at the photographs of the body and for the life of me I just couldn't see any grass on the soles of his shoe." "And I couldn't figure that out." "Why?" "It was freshly cut and it was sticky as it was at night and there was dew." "That's very good." "He must have had particles of grass on his shoes but they were probably brushed off on the carpet and, unfortunately, the room's been cleaned." "Yeah." "I know." "Well, unless there's something else..." "Just one more thing." "I guess Charles has the stepladder by now." " I would think." " Yeah." "All right, then." "The other morning when I was over here I noticed these potted plants." " How observant." " They're very pretty, you know." "But I got to thinking, "Sometimes people keep a spare key outside"" ""just in case they forget their own key. "" "Do you see this?" "What?" " This imprint here." " Yes." "What about it?" "Well, that's like a fossil or something." "A spare key must have been hidden in there for a long time." "You see, that's been rained on and everything." "There was a spare key." "Oh?" "I put it there when the alarm was installed." "Bryce didn't know about it." "I also removed it recently because I had second thoughts." "What do you mean by second thoughts?" "If a burglar were on the premises, he might find the key" " and then what good would the alarm be?" " Good point." "Yes." "Hey, yeah." "I was right, wasn't I?" "Because you found it." "Yeah, I guess I did." "I think you've overstayed your welcome." "The official verdict is death by accidental means and that should satisfy you." "Ma'am, I don't mean any offence." "I'm just trying to tie up loose ends." "I'm compulsive that way." "That's what my wife says about it." "Are you really?" "No, I mean, all I meant by that was that..." " You see, if there was a key there..." " Yes?" "and if Bryce knew about it then he would use the key to let himself in through the front door." "But I told the truth the night it happened and I told the truth at the inquest." "So whatever your little compulsions may be, I'm afraid I must insist you leave me alone." "Oh, uh..." "Goodbye." "I'll take it all." "Yeah?" " Well, is that it?" " No, I haven't finished." " You're not bored, are you?" " No." "I'm having a wonderful time." " Is there something young and bright?" " This one?" " Oh, that's marvellous." " Excuse us." "Don't forget to put my hat over by the black baggage." "Bring it with me." "It'll look great." " Could you get the zipper?" "Peter!" " Yes." "Everybody set for this afternoon's meeting?" "Yes, but I was wondering, Beth." "Uh... don't you think it's a little premature?" "Perhaps another week for things to ease up." "No!" "It must be today." "All right." "It's up to you." "Well, what do you think?" "Interesting." "What does that mean?" "Well, it's wild." "It's a little out of your style, isn't it?" "No, I don't think it is." "Well, you asked." "Hey, it was a courtesy." "I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions." "Oh, what is that silver dress over there on the rail?" "And this one!" "This matches it." "You finish your wardrobe." "I'm going back to the office." "No." "I want you to wait till I'm ready to go." "Do you have trousers that go with the red top?" "I'm not sure what's gotten into you but..." "I'm not sure I like it." "I'll see you." "If you need me, I'll be back at the office." "Did you want to try this on?" "Yes, this one and that blue dress, please." "OK." "Ladies and gentlemen." "Will you please take your seats?" "Well, now, we've all been through a period of anxiety and indecision since my brother's death." "But in a corporate sense, we must maintain our continuity." "As you all well know, this is a family-owned firm." "Therefore, as of today, I am assuming the presidency." "As my first order of business..." "I would like to announce the elevation of Mr Peter Hamilton to executive vice-president in charge of accounts." "As to philosophy, my brother was a traditionalist." "I want to break new ground." "Would you pass these along, please?" "I want to streamline." "We're gonna cut down marginal accounts and start promoting ourselves for a change." "Seems to me we sell everything but our own product." "Beth, forgive me, but that is our job." "Forgive me, but it's not." "Our job is to grow." "When was the last time this agency took on a new account?" " We have all we can handle." " Nonsense!" " I don't want to be difficult..." " I don't mean to interrupt but this is really not the time for negative thinking." "If you disagree with my approach, you're free to sever your relationship with the firm." "No, Beth, I feel that I can accommodate myself to your way of thinking." "Yes, I'm sure you can." "Any questions?" "Very well." "We'll adjourn." "Oh, one more thing." "A happy and personal note." "I'd like to announce my engagement to Mr Hamilton." "Thank you." "Are those letters for me to sign?" " Congratulations, Peter." " Yeah." "Right." " Congratulations." " Thank you." "You must be out of your mind." "What qualifies you to run this company?" "I had a very good teacher - my brother." "I've been studying his reports for years and asking questions." "Thank you." "We'll finish later." "He may not have known it but he was grooming me." "Well, don't forget, I am the majority stockholder," "I will not relinquish control." "Don't be naive." "Who else can take over and still keep it in the family?" "I'm prepared to go to court if necessary and you know that means - publicity, interviews, scandal." "I can't believe you're talking to me like this." "Are you prepared to take over the company?" "You're getting old, Mother, or hadn't you noticed?" "Come in." " Am I interrupting something?" " What do you want?" "Well, I just thought that..." "Why, hello there, fella!" "How you doing?" "I got a treat for you." "I got a little something for him." "Here you are." "I've been carrying these things around with me all week." "Come here, boy." "Come on." "Take one of these." "Look at that." "Come on." "Come on." "Oh, easy." "Easy." "I think we have a personality conflict." "Do you need me for anything, Lieutenant?" "Come here." "No, ma'am." "No, I don't think so." "Then I'll be leaving." "Mother." "We'll go into this later." "As you wish." "I'll leave the two of you alone." "No, that's all right, Peter." "The lieutenant is going to be brief." "Oh." "What is it now?" "We've talked about keys and grass and newspapers." "Oh, thank you." "Oh, thank you." "You know how one thing leads to another." "Over at your house there the other day, when I was climbing that ladder, I had a thought." "Something else occurred to me that's been keeping me awake at night." "What might that be?" "I was wondering about that burnt-out bulb in front of your house and I went over there this morning to take a look at it..." "You brought it with you!" " Yeah." "I didn't think you'd mind." " No." "Uh... this is a 100-watt bulb. 100 watt?" "Got a life of 750, 800 hours." "Now, if your house is anything like my house, then you burn the outside light eight, 10 hours a day so that means it'd last two, two and a half months." "Is that right?" "Yeah." "I'll concede to your knowledge." "I don't know." "Thank you very much." "Now this is what I got to thinking." "I hate to change bulbs outside my house because no matter how tight I put it in, they attract a lot of dirt and guck and they're full of dead bugs and I don't like to go up there and touch 'em." "Would you get to the point?" "Uh... why is that bulb dirt and dust-free?" "That bulb is clean as a whistle." "I think that's kind of strange." "Hanging there long enough to burn out but not hanging there long enough to get dirty." "We're a fastidious family." "If the bulb is clean, it's because servants cleaned it." "They cleaned a burnt-out bulb." "They work in the daytime so how would they know?" "All right, Lieutenant, that'll be enough." " Pardon?" " Listen to this very carefully." "I don't ever want to see you again." "You'll be refused admittance to my house and office." "I have work to do and I no longer can indulge your suspicions." "If you think you have a case against me, go to the district attorney." "Is that clear?" "Yes." "That's very clear." "I'm warning you, no more questions." "I wasn't gonna ask a question, ma'am." "I just wanted to return your bulb." "What can we do about him?" "Beth, take it easy." "Calm down." "Oh, stop saying calm down!" "You're a lawyer." "Do something!" "We can institute some kind of proceedings against him." "There must be somebody who can do something!" " Take it easy." " Is that your professional advice?" "Beth, what in the world has gotten into you?" "We never argued like this before." "We're not arguing." "Something's wrong." "What is it?" "There is." "Number one, this business of arbitrarily promoting me." "To say the least, it smacks of high-level nepotism." "And I assume there's a number two." "Yes." "You announced our engagement without telling me." " I thought it would please you." " It did." "But don't you think you could have consulted me?" "I was just as surprised as everybody else." "Well, I did it for you." "I mean, we are gonna get married?" "That's not the point." "I would like to have had a hand in the decision." "It's not like you to act this way." "This is way out of character for you." "If I've changed, it's because I thought you'd like a more exciting woman." "A change, yes, but a complete metamorphosis?" "I'm not sure, Beth, you're the same person." "Maybe I'm not." " Maybe Bryce was right." " About what?" "About your being the wrong kind of man for me." " What's that, the third?" " I get paid not to count." "Just keep 'em coming." "That's all." "Well, I didn't think you people were supposed to drink on duty." "Oh, Mr Hamilton." "Drink?" "Oh, no, that's coffee." "No, I don't drink." "No, it's been a very long day." " I can see it's been a long day for you too." " Oh, it shows, huh?" "You know, it's quite a coincidence you and I both meeting in the same place like this." "Yes, it is, isn't it?" "Yeah." " What are you reading?" " Oh, this." "This is a... transcript of the inquest." "Congratulations." "I understand you're engaged." " Not necessarily." " Oh, really?" "What happened?" "Let's get back to this." "I want to ask you something." "Lieutenant, why are you hounding Beth?" "Hounding?" "Who, me?" "Oh, no." "I'm not hounding anybody." "Oh, no." "No, what I'm trying to do is get to the bottom of this thing." "You know, Lieutenant, I like you." "I really do." " But you are devious." " Devious?" "Your job was finished with the coroner's verdict but you're still here, asking questions." "You even managed to bump into me here." "Now, Lieutenant, you don't really think that Beth killed her brother in cold blood, now, do you?" "Well, as a matter of fact..." "I do." "Mr Hamilton, you asked me what I thought." "Now I'm gonna tell you." "I think she set it up." "I think it was deliberate." "And I think you can help me prove it." "You're sure that's coffee you're drinking?" "Cos you're not making any sense." "I was there." "Beth didn't kill anybody." "It was an accident." "Can I tell you about my wife?" "You know, my wife, she's got a proverb for every situation." "A rolling stone gathers no moss, you gotta look before you leap..." "I'm sure your wife is very nice but what has that got to do with the case?" "To be honest?" "She solved it for me." "We're having an argument and she says, "You're putting the cart before the horse,"" "and I said, "Right. "" "In this case, the horse is before the cart and I had the answer." "And what was that?" "In the transcript, you weren't very specific." "I know." "I just read every word of it." "But on the night of the murder you said something." "If you can remember that, and you tell me you got a terrific memory, then you'll know for sure whether or not Beth Chadwick murdered her brother." "All right." "And what do I remember?" "Oh..." "Who is it?" "Who's there?" "Who's there?" "Hello, operator?" "Get me the police." "Uh..." "Operator?" "Oh, operator, I'm sorry." "Forget it." "Lieutenant Columbo?" "Is that you?" "Come on, Lieutenant." "Come in and have a drink." "Lieutenant Columbo." "This is the way your brother came in, isn't it?" "How did you get in?" "Same way your brother did, with a spare key." "One of my men located your locksmith." "He was very cooperative." "What do you expect to prove by this bit of nonsense?" "I don't want to prove anything." "I came to arrest you." " Arrest me?" " Yes, ma'am." "For the murder of your brother." "I did have a reason for coming in this way." "I wanted to see the look on your face." "Very well." "I'll consider myself under arrest." "Now I want to see the look on your face when I call my lawyer." "You know what's ironic?" "I knew it wasn't an accident the first night." "I knew as soon as I saw that newspaper but I didn't have any proof." "I had to wait for the proof." "I had to wait for your fiancé to give it to me." " From Peter?" " Yes, ma'am." "I don't think he meant to." "According to your story, you were asleep." "The alarm woke you, you reached for a gun and you shot what you thought was a burglar." " Which is exactly what happened." " Couldn't be." "Because Mr Hamilton, who was outside at the time, heard both the shots and the alarm." "Of course he did." "What difference does that make?" "Oh, big difference." "He heard the shots first... then the alarm." "That's the cart before the horse." "I mean, how could the alarm wake you if the shots came first?" "You see, what really happened was your brother came walking in here, just the way I did tonight, and you shot him and then you set the alarm a few seconds later." "Peter is mistaken." "No, he's a very good lawyer and he prides himself on his memory." "He won't like it but he'll testify against you in court if he has to." "Along with other holes in your story, I think they'll convict you." "Now, you don't want to do that." "Policemen outside." "What would be the point?" "Besides, you're too classy a woman." "Ma'am, would you get dressed now?" "Take all the time you need."