"You're getting married again?" "Jess, I love George, but the truth is, he scares me." "FEMALE NARRATOR:" "Tonight on Murder, She Wrote." "Damn it, Rosemary, I thought we had an agreement." "Funny, so did I." "The chances of George becoming violent are practically nil." "He is also a certified psychopath who once killed a man." "That doesn't give you the right to poke into my things." "But if you wanna know the truth, the real truth... (THUNDER RUMBLING)" "(GASPS)" "Well, you coming or going?" "I'm sorry." "BOY 1:" "I'll kill you." "BOY 2:" "I'm gonna tell." "Buddy, Skipper." "Come on, let's go." "OPERATOR:" "If you'd like to make a local call, please deposit 20 cents." "(PHONE RINGING)" "Hello?" "Hello?" "If it's important, they'll call back." "Oh, sorry to have rushed ahead like that." "I thought it might be Reverend Simmons calling about the rehearsal." "(LAUGHS)" "You wouldn't be nervous about the wedding or anything, would you?" "Don't be silly." "I'm nervous about the wedding and everything." "Thanks for being here, Jess." "That's what cousins are for." "Although, I have to admit, it's a long time since I was a bridesmaid." "Well, it's been a long time since Ann was a bride." "Not that anyone is counting, you understand." "Thank you." "Especially someone like me, an old maid." "You know, I always think of what Uncle Walter used to say, remember?" ""Age is a question of mind over matter." "If you don't mind..."" "ALL: "It doesn't matter."" "(ALL LAUGHING)" "You know, it's too long since we were all together." "This place has hardly changed a bit." "Well, outside of replacing the old refrigerator last month, it's pretty much the same as when Tom carried me over the threshold 28 years ago." "Now, that was a wedding." "Remember, Jess?" "Tom looked like a prince out of a fairy tale." "Accidents aren't supposed to happen to people like Tom Lawton, not when they're only 22." "I really don't think I could have stood it if Helen hadn't moved in and taken charge of everything." "And you always were the smart one." "Smart enough to know I'd better get these things up to your room before the rehearsal." "Oh, good Lord." "Look at the time." "I haven't even started a pot of coffee." "Well, you go ahead." "We'll take care of these, won't we, Helen?" "We certainly will." "You know, it's wonderful to see Ann so happy." "That fiancé of hers must be really something." "Bill is." "Spenser is something, all right." "I just don't know what." "(STAIR CREAKS)" "Oops, I'm sorry." "I forgot again." "(BOTH LAUGHING)" "(SIGHS)" "We've been dealing with that old squeak for nearly 30 years, and I still sometimes forget to skip over that step." "Not that it matters much now, anyway." "(MEOWING)" "Pickles, what are you doing up there?" "(CHUCKLES)" "You know, I never see the things in this room that I don't remember" "Grammy telling us how her parents brought them all the way from England." "I know." "This house is full of family tradition." "(SIGHS) Yeah." "I'm gonna be sorry to leave it." "Leave?" "I can hardly be expected to stay once Ann is married, no matter what she thinks." "I wouldn't relish sharing this place with Bill Spenser." "Oh?" "Why?" "I mean, Ann told me that he'd had a few scrapes growing up here, but..." "Some scrapes?" "Lord Almighty, Jessica," "Billy Spenser was the wildest boy in town." "He was always into trouble." "He never had more than a dime to his name." "Well, all that's certainly changed now." "I understand he spent the last 15 years making a fortune in Alaska." "Well, he may not have the same gambling debts that Ann's last fiancé had, but he is all wrong for her, I know it." "He's dead wrong." "(DOOR CLOSES)" "BILL:" "Hey, where's my sweet pea?" "So, you're the famous Cousin Jessica." "(CHUCKLES)" "I must admit, ma'am, I've heard an awful lot about you." "Well, I've heard a lot about you, too, Mr. Spenser." "Mr. Spenser?" "No, ma'am." "Just Bill, huh?" "I mean, after all, we're practically family now, right, hon?" "One more day." "(LAUGHS)" "There's no sense standing when we can sit." "I guess I don't have to tell you what it means to Ann, you being here and all, the way she feels about kinfolk." "I'm just sorry that my future brother-in-law couldn't be here." "Oh, you mean George?" "That's just what we need, George here for the wedding." "Yeah, I was real sorry to hear about him taking a turn for the worse like that." "Oh, but on the way from the airport," "I thought you said that George was improving?" "Yes, well, he is improving, overall." "Last month the doctors said they were very encouraged." "Yeah, depression, it can be a terrible thing, you know." "Not that I've ever had that problem myself." "(LAUGHING)" "(DOOR BELL RINGS)" "That must be Reverend Simmons." "You let him in, I'll see to the coffee." "Oh, I'll help." "Excuse me." "Ann..." "Please, I know what you must be thinking." "Well, to be honest, I don't know what to think." "(SIGHS)" "Neither would Bill, if he knew the whole truth about George." "You haven't told him?" "Of course not." "But he obviously knows something." "Only that George is being treated for a breakdown." "Oh, Jess, I wanted to tell him, but how could I, when I never really understood it, myself?" "I mean, George idolized Nathan Rollins." "I swear, Jess, when Nathan and I became engaged," "George was just as happy about it as I was." "Or, at least, so I thought." "Yes." "I mean, that's the part that seemed strange to me, too." "Still, Bill doesn't seem to be the type of person who would worry about what happened 15 years ago, while he was in Alaska." "But this is a small town." "He must have heard talk." "If he has, he hasn't said anything." "(SIGHS)" "And I love him too much to risk finding out." "HELEN: (SINGING) Because God made thee mine" "I'll cherish thee" "Through light and darkness" "Through all time to be" "And pray his love" "May make our love divine" "Because" "God made thee mine" "Beautiful, Helen." "Simply beautiful." "Oh, she's always had a talent for music." "Oh, nonsense, I'm as rusty as an old iron gate." "But then, I haven't had the occasion to sing this song in quite some time." "Well, it sounded just fine to me." "What's next, Reverend?" "Well, after the song, you say your vows and exchange your rings, and I pronounce you man and wife, at which point..." "At which point I finally get to kiss my beautiful bride." "(PHONE RINGS)" "Saved by the bell." "Oh, dear." "It's probably the caterers calling about tonight." "I'm sorry, I won't be a minute." "Hello?" "Oh, hello, Rosemary." "What?" "Well, that's impossible." "I'm sorry, but there's obviously been some mistake." "Look, Rosemary, you'll have to excuse me, I have company here." "I'll see you tonight." "Yes, goodbye." "Anything wrong?" "Just Rosemary Taylor down at the paper." "She's covering the party tonight, and got confused about some of the details." "Well, I promised Miss Potter I'd drop by on my way back to the rectory." "It was very nice meeting you, Mrs. Fletcher." "I'm sure I'll see you at the party this evening." "Oh, yes, of course." "I'm looking forward to it." "It still seems odd, throwing a wedding reception before the wedding." "Well, we wouldn't make our flight to Hawaii otherwise, and then, there goes the cruise." "Well, I'll be sure to keep tomorrow's service as brief as possible then." "Well, we'd sure appreciate that." "Ann and I have been looking forward to getting on that plane for quite some time, haven't we, honey?" "Honey, is something wrong?" "What could be wrong?" "ANN:" "George!" "I'm back." "George, I don't understand." "What are you doing here?" "I've been released, sis." "Didn't they call you?" "Well, they said they would." "Well, heck, let the man come on in." "Yes, of course." "Please come in, George." "Welcome home, George." "Thank you, Helen." "George, you remember Cousin Jessica?" "George." "How very nice to see you." "And Reverend Simmons?" "George, nice to have you with us again." "And this is Bill Spenser." "I'm Ann's fiancé." "Fiancé?" "You're getting married again?" "Tomorrow afternoon." "BILL:" "Go ahead, show him your ring, honey." "Well, it's really quite large." "I'd have bought her one twice as big, if they'd had it." "There's just nothing too good for this sister of yours, you know?" "Yes, I do." "Well, I'm sure you folks have a lot of catching up to do, so I'll just say my goodbyes and I'll see you this evening." "Afraid I've got a little chore to take care of myself, honey, all right?" "Okay." "I'll see you later." "Ladies." "George, you and I, we'll have ourselves a real nice talk tonight, all right?" "I'd like that." "Fine." "Goodbye." "Well, you must be tired after your trip." "And hungry, too." "Why don't you take George up to his room and Jess and I will fix him something to eat?" "Okay, honey, come on." "Yes, well, please have Dr. Carlson call me as soon as possible." "Thank you." "Well, it's true." "The chief of staff said that they reviewed George's case and decided to release him." "But why they never called us, is anybody's guess." "Ann, if the doctors released him, they must consider that George is fully recovered." "Do they?" "When I asked if George was likely to, well, have another incident, they used words like "highly improbable," and "extremely unlikely."" "Surely his personal psychiatrist could be a little bit more specific." "Yes, but unfortunately, Dr. Carlson left this morning and nobody's heard from him since." "Well, I'm sure that he'll get in touch with you once he knows that you've called." "I hope so." "Oh, Jess, I love George, I really do." "I mean, Helen and I practically raised him." "But the truth is, he scares me." "Damn it, Rosemary, I thought we had an agreement." "Funny, so did I." "I was at Ann's today when you called." "Oh?" "Then you must have met him." "Met who?" "George." "I saw him get off the bus." "I wasn't sure it was him at first, but then I made a few calls before I phoned to warn Ann." "Warn her?" "What for?" "Why would she be upset about her brother coming home?" "Why don't you ask Ann about that?" "I finally found that old newspaper, Ma." "What was that all about?" "Nothing." "Here, let me see that." "That's pretty gruesome stuff." "I'd forgotten about the clipping shears." "Boy, that George must be a real wacko." "George, I thought you might like to try some punch." "Helen says this is Great Aunt Sarah's recipe, but I think that the drop of whiskey was Great Uncle Henry's idea." "Mmm." "It's Great Aunt Sarah's, all right." "Mama used to make it for our birthdays, minus Great Uncle Henry's contribution, of course." "Oh, yes." "You know, it's strange, Jessica, how I can remember some past triviality so clearly, and yet, when it comes to something important, something that changes your whole life..." "After all these years, that moment still remains a mystery." "As I told them at the trial, all I can remember is going down to the cellar to get Ann's trunk." "I knew Nathan was coming over, yes." "But I don't remember seeing him, or asking his help, as the prosecutor said I must have." "Next thing I knew," "Ann was standing on the stairs screaming and I was covered in blood," "Nathan's blood." "Then I guess I passed out." "I've tried to remember." "I've tried to understand how I could have done it, but I can't." "I loved Nathan." "(CAMERA CLICKS)" "You must be Jessica Fletcher." "And, of course, George and I are old, old friends." "Rosemary Taylor." "I own the Fairville Gazette." "And this is my daughter, Meg." "She's my photographer." "Yes, the dots are still in front of my eyes." "(CHUCKLES)" "Well, that's what you get for being a celebrity." "Meg, you look very familiar to me." "Have we met before?" "Not likely." "My mother keeps me on a very short leash." "(SCOFFS)" "Meg, honey, I believe I'd like a few more of those grapes and some of that imported cheese." "You save your mom a trip." "Sure, Ma." "Seedless ones, now." "The ones with seeds tend to be bitter." "Though I imagine everything tastes good to you, George, after all those years in that horrible institution." "Am I right?" "Well, no." "I mean..." "Believe me, you don't have to explain." "I saw One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." "I hope you didn't have to have any of those awful shock treatments." "No." "I..." "I mean, some of the other patients did, yes, but not me." "Well, you can check the records." "George, really?" "Oh, that'd be wonderful." "And here I was worried you might be touchy about me wanting to do an article on you for the paper." "Article?" "I think you may have misunderstood, Mrs. Taylor." "You know, I think you're right." "Why, this piece deserves a lot more than just one article." "I could serialize this for two or three issues." "What do you think?" "I think I have to get some air, excuse me." "What did you say to him?" "Now, he'll be gone for hours." "I didn't say anything, did I?" "Well, on the contrary, I think that you said more than enough." "Well, if that's the way you all feel," "I believe I've covered just about enough of this little soiree." "Yes, I believe you have." "Good night, Rosemary." "You think you're so high and mighty, but if you wanna know the truth, the real truth..." "Rosemary, now, the lady said good night." "I suggest you leave." "You've got no right to speak to my mother that way." "Oh, never mind, Meg." "I was going anyway." "MAN:" "Hey, I'd like to propose a toast." "Ann, Bill, where are you two?" "We'll be right there." "I'll take that, honey." "Excuse us, ladies." "I'm gonna go look for George." "MAN:" "To Ann and Bill, may their union be a long and happy one." "BILL:" "So, I looked him right in the eye, and I said, "You better make that two, young fellow." "I'm from Texas."" "Excuse me, Mr. Spenser." "Yes?" "Sorry." "This was left at the back door for you." "By who?" "I heard a knock, but when I went to answer it, no one was there." "Thank you." "Uh-oh." "Ann, better watch out." "Looks like Bill's got himself a secret admirer." "So it seems." "Well, at least you know that she has good taste in men." "Jessica." "I'm sorry to disappoint you, ladies, but it's strictly business." "Excuse me, darling." "(PARTYGOERS LAUGHING)" "(MEOWING)" "(CHUCKLES) Damn cat." "(GASPS)" "ANN:" "Good night." "Good night." "Thanks for coming." "Drive safe, now." "Jess, it's been nearly an hour since Bill got that note and disappeared." "And even longer since George left and Helen went to find him." "Excuse me, Mrs. Lawton." "We're finished cleaning up, but I'm afraid we've run out of refrigerator space for the leftovers." "Yes, let's see." "Ooh, there's always the old refrigerator in the cellar." "Oh, Jess, would you mind getting the caterer's check from the household cash box?" "I think Helen keeps it in the living room desk, bottom drawer." "'Course." "(DOOR CLOSES)" "Is George back?" "What are you doing with that?" "Oh, I'm sorry." "Ann asked me to get the caterers' check." "That doesn't give you the right to poke into my things." "Helen, why didn't you tell Ann that George was coming?" "I was going to, I..." "Bill was here and it just didn't seem to be the right moment." "Well, what did Dr. Carlson tell you?" "I didn't speak to Dr. Carlson, his secretary called me and told me that he was upset that George was released." "I meant to call Dr. Carlson, but I just never got around... (ANN SCREAMING)" "BARNES:" "All right, boys, I've seen enough." "JESSICA:" "Excuse me, Sheriff Barnes?" "Yes, ma'am." "I thought you ought to know that Ann is being sedated." "Perhaps if you could hold any further questions at least until tomorrow." "Well, that's all right." "There's no doubt about what happened down here." "It's déja vu all over again, ain't it?" "I beg your pardon?" "Look." "Mrs. Fletcher, isn't it?" "I know George Owens is your cousin, but he is also a certified psychopath who once killed a man, and from the look of it, he's done it again." "Well, I agree, that's certainly the most obvious conclusion to draw." "No, it is the only conclusion." "Just look around here." "It is exactly the same as the murder 15 years ago." "It's the same place, same circumstances." "And I'd be willing to bet that the missing murder weapon is the same, too." "Clipping shears." "Yes, but that's what's so puzzling." "It's as if the first murder had been duplicated exactly, even though George has never been able to remember what happened that night." "He was at the trial, ma'am." "He did hear the testimony." "And besides, the papers were full of all the details." "Yes, but doesn't that mean anyone with reason could have killed Bill Spenser?" "I mean, from what I've heard, he wasn't exactly an angel growing up here in Fairville." "I know you're supposed to be some kind of a mystery writer, but there just ain't no mystery about this, believe me." "George sent a note, lured Bill down here, killed him, took the note." "But why would George kill a man he'd never met until today?" "For the same reason he killed Ann's last fiancé, Professor Rollins." "And that is?" "Jealousy." "Now, I know it sounds a little twisted, but that's what I get." "Two women raising a boy on their own." "Rather than lose a sister that he's looked on as a mother since he was a boy of 10, he kills off her beaus." "CARLSON:" "I won't calm down!" "And I won't be told to take it easy!" "I will not take it easy!" "Sheriff, I think you better get up here." "We got ourselves a crazy man." "I demand to be told what's going on here!" "And just who is it wants to know?" "Dr. Henry Carlson." "I'm a psychiatrist with the Allenwood Institution." "George Owens is one of my patients." "Good job, Doc." "Why?" "Has something happened to George?" "Happened to him?" "Hardly." "Dr. Carlson, I'm George's cousin, Jessica Fletcher." "A man has been killed here tonight." "Now, George left the house just before it occurred, and he hasn't been seen or heard from since." "Are you suggesting that George committed murder?" "That's absurd!" "The chances of George becoming violent are practically nil." "Is that a fact?" "Well, if old George is so well-adjusted, what are you doing here?" "It is my opinion that George is on the verge of a final breakthrough." "I felt that to release him could jeopardize his total recovery." "I returned from a conference to find that the board had overruled me." "I drove all day to get here, hoping that I could arrange for some private counseling for George." "Well, you're too late, Doc." "George snapped, just like you warned them he would." "You tell your cousins I'll check back in the morning, okay?" "Meantime, I'll leave a man out front just in case George decides to come home." "If you hear from him, he calls, you tell me right away, okay?" "I mean, cousin or not, George has killed someone." "Could be nobody's gonna be safe till he gets locked up." "Doc, ma'am." "(SIGHS)" "Damned fool." "Doctor, I've known George all his life, and frankly, I've never fully accepted his murder conviction." "My work with George has led me to the same doubt." "But I've tried everything, from drugs to hypnosis to try and break through his amnesia block." "Nothing worked." "All he kept saying is that he saw something bright and shiny, and then nothing." "I can't believe that I'm wrong about George." "Guilty or not," "George is in grave danger of being put away for the rest of his life." "If you'll excuse me." "(SIGHS)" "I'm going to take a room at the local hotel for now." "I'll call you in the morning and see if I can be of some help." "Thank you, Doctor." "Good night." "(THUNDER RUMBLING)" "Good night, Doctor." "HELEN:" "You're out of your mind." "Jessica, tell her." "The doctor did say that you should take it easy for a while, Ann." "Of course, you should." "Now, get back into bed, honey, and don't worry, I'll take care of everything." "Just like you always do, right, Helen?" "What do you mean?" "I mean that, ever since Tom died," "I've been counting on you to take care of everything." "Truth is, I don't know how you've put up with me." "I'm grateful that you have, but it's time I started relying on myself." "When this is over, I'm gonna put Bill's ring in the cellar safe with the rest of my jewelry, and just try to get on with my life." "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get dressed and drive to the mortuary." "Don't be ridiculous, I'll drive." "If you wouldn't mind staying, in case there's any word on George." "Oh, not at all, Helen." "I'll go change my things." "I'll be downstairs if you need me, Ann, all right?" "Jess, you were right." "If I'd only told him the truth about George, Bill might still be alive." "I keep wondering what the truth about George really is." "Honestly, Jess, nobody else could have done anything like that." "I don't know." "Didn't you tell me that Bill was something of a rebel growing up here?" "Did he ever mention having any particular enemies?" "There was something Bill said he wanted to tell me, something had happened when he was young." "I was feeling so guilty about George," "I just told him the past was the past and let it go at that." "(STAIR CREAKS)" "Oh, Lord." "It's Helen going downstairs to get the car, and I'm not even dressed." "I'll tell her you'll be down in just a minute." "(STAIR CREAKS)" "Helen?" "Helen?" "Helen." "Meg?" "Wait!" "(EXCLAIMS) I'd just about given up." "Though, what with the whole town buzzing about the murder, it's no wonder Ann and Helen don't want to answer the door." "Not that I'm trying to exploit their tragedy, it's just that..." "I just thought that if they'd like to say a few words," "I'd be happy to convey them to the public." "Yes, along with some pictures of the scene of the crime?" "Pictures?" "Of course not!" "I still get sick every time I think about that first one I covered 15 years ago." "There was blood over everything, floor, refrigerator, even the ceiling." "I haven't been down in that cellar since, and I sure wouldn't print any pictures of it." "Then what was your daughter doing down there with a camera just now?" "Meg?" "Oh, no, no, that's impossible." "She told me she was gonna be at the fairground all morning." "I'm sorry, I know what I saw." "Then you saw wrong." "(THUNDER CRASHING)" "(PHONE RINGING)" "Hello?" "Helen!" "Oh, I'm fine." "No, you stay right where you are until after the storm passes." "No." "Nothing about George so far." "Of course." "Oh, it's no trouble." "I'll check Ann's windows, too." "Oh, don't be silly." "Oh, take all the time that you need." "I will." "Bye-bye." "(GASPS)" "George, please, put the shears down." "They're right," "I killed him." "I must have." "Oh, God, it's happened again." "What happened again, George?" "After you left the party last night, what did you do?" "Ran." "I ran." "I don't know." "I..." "I remember falling down by a tree, everything spinning." "And then the next thing, I..." "I'm almost back at the house, and I see the police car out front, and I get scared and I hid," "and I heard them." "I heard what I did." "That's when I knew I had to wait till the coast was clear, get my things and leave for good." "But as I was packing, I..." "I found these in my dresser drawer." "And you can't remember anything from the time that you collapsed until you found yourself back home here?" "No." "What is it, George?" "Is it something you've seen?" "Is it the jewelry?" "You reacted this way to Ann's ring, too, remember?" "Ann's jewelry, in the basement." "What about Ann's jewelry?" "SHERIFF:" "Hold it right there." "No, Sheriff!" "Sheriff, wait!" "Stay out of this, ma'am." "Now, nobody needs to get hurt, ain't that right, George?" "Just drop them shears." "Don't even think about turning them on yourself." "I wouldn't, but you're taking me back, and I'd die in there." "Oh!" "Oh, no, George," "Sheriff Barnes is not gonna take you back." "At least, not until you have seen Dr. Carlson." "Please, George, I promise you." "Please!" "Sheriff?" "Okay." "He sees the doc." "But what can he do, Jessica?" "I told you, I still can't remember." "Oh, but you've started, George." "The jewelry." "The basement." "You've started to make the connection." "Maybe this is the breakthrough that Dr. Carlson has been looking for." "CARLSON:" "Just relax and breathe deep." "That's it, George." "Very good." "You're sinking deeper and deeper into a place of calm and quiet." "Relax." "What is the point of all this, anyway?" "Hypnotizing George back to a murder he committed 15 years ago?" "Why?" "CARLSON:" "Breathe deep." "Well, because I've always had a hunch that he did not commit that murder." "At least, not in the way that people think he did." "The case was open and shut." "He met Professor Rollins, took him down in the basement, and stuck him." "How else could it have happened?" "He's under." "George, can you hear me?" "Yes." "Good." "I'm going to take you back, George, back to a time 15 years ago, a time when Ann was engaged to Nathan Rollins." "It's all right, George." "We're simply reviewing the past, that's all." "You're apart from it, watching from a safe distance." "Now, it's the night before the wedding, remember?" "You went to the cellar to get Ann's trunk." "The cellar." "That's right, George." "What do you see?" "I..." "I don't know." "Yes, George." "Yes, you do." "It's only the past, a distant memory." "It can't hurt you now." "You see something bright and shiny." "Ann's jewelry." "Tell us about Ann's jewelry, George." "Tell us about the jewelry and Professor Rollins." "Nathan was there, in the cellar, at the safe." "He had Ann's diamonds." "He made some kind of excuse, and it was as if I really saw him for the first time." "That's when I knew the rumors of his gambling debts were true." "He didn't love Ann." "He only wanted her money." "He tried to deny it, but I knew he was lying." "I tried to leave, but he wouldn't let me out, said he had too much at stake." "He couldn't let me ruin things now." "I tried to get past, but he picked up the shears!" "I ran for the storm doors, but they were locked!" "I couldn't get them open!" "Nathan!" "Nathan!" "I didn't mean to kill him." "It was an accident." "He was trying to kill me." "Of course, it was an accident, George." "Now, we can see that now." "He betrayed you, your trust, your friendship, even Ann." "And the pain of his betrayal, the trauma of the violence, caused your mind to block it out, until now." "I want you to relax, George." "Close your eyes, okay?" "Breathe deeply." "Good, George." "Very good." "Okay, so how'd you know?" "Well, I didn't." "But I will admit that I always thought it was very strange that a gentle man like George would murder a man that he idolized." "Then yesterday, when Helen mentioned the Professor's gambling debts, it meant nothing until George's reaction to my broach caused him to remember Ann's jewelry, the jewelry she keeps in the safe in the cellar." "That's it?" "That's all you had to go on?" "Well, that and the belief in my cousin." "I mean, Dr. Carlson never believed that George was homicidal, and neither did I." "Okay, he may not have killed Rollins, but that does not mean he didn't kill Bill Spenser." "Well, on the contrary, that's exactly what it means." "You're saying you know who did it?" "Yes, I think I do." "The problem is to prove it." "ROSEMARY:" "Hi, there, Sheriff." "Ma'am." "Mrs. Fletcher." "Well, this is a surprise." "I thought you'd be out looking for George." "Oh, we found him." "We're looking for your daughter." "She around?" "Meg?" "Well, no." "She's out making collections." "Look, if this is about Meg taking those photos of the cellar..." "I'm sorry, but it's more than that." "What happened after you and Meg left Ann's late yesterday afternoon?" "Nothing." "I went home to my place and she went home to hers." "Meg have somebody who can vouch for that?" "Why should she?" "Oh, come on, Sheriff, you don't think Meg had anything to do with Bill's murder." "Why, she hardly knew him." "Well, perhaps not." "But as his daughter, Meg may have assumed that she stood to inherit a great deal from his estate." "His daughter?" "What's she talking about?" "I mean, you know Jody Taylor and I got married right out of high school." "Not that he stuck around for long, I admit, but..." "Yeah, I remember Jody leaving." "As I recall, he couldn't hardly wait to get out." "So?" "What's that prove?" "No more than the feeling I had when I first saw Meg, that she looked familiar." "Then, later, when I saw her at the reception, responding to Bill Spenser's anger with her own," "I realized that she bore a resemblance to Bill." "The world's full of look-alikes." "Having a physical resemblance doesn't necessarily mean it's genetic." "BARNES:" "No, no, but blood types are." "Mrs. Fletcher suggested we check the hospital records." "There is no way that Jody could have been Meg's natural father." "Took a man with a blood type A, like Bill Spenser." "Meg may have been his, but I swear she never knew it." "Well, then how do you explain the clipping shears she planted in George's room?" "What?" "The murder weapon." "Turned up in George's dresser not two hours after Mrs. Fletcher caught Meg in the cellar." "Well, George probably put them there himself." "No, ma'am." "The way I see it," "Meg saw a chance to kill a man she hated and inherit at the same time." "Working here made it easy for her to read about the first crime." "So, when she saw George leave the party and heard he was gonna be gone for several hours," "Meg saw her chance and took it." "It's not true." "I told you, she went home!" "Just long enough to change clothes and grab a pair of clipping shears, then she went back to the party and left a note luring Bill down into the basement." "No!" "Where, when he arrived, Meg stabbed him, grabbed them shears, and ran out the side door." "I'm telling you, Meg didn't kill Bill!" "I did!" "I apologize, ma'am." "You were right." "It's just like you figured." "She figured?" "But how?" "You told me yourself." "Although it didn't click into place until George revealed what really happened 15 years ago." "I still get sick every time I think about that first one I covered 15 years ago." "There was blood over everything, floor, refrigerator, even the ceiling." "I haven't been down in that cellar since." "The refrigerator wasn't in the cellar 15 years ago." "It was only put down there last month." "I see." "You never suspected Meg at all." "Not after the shears turned up in George's dresser." "That's when I knew Meg couldn't have been the one to plant them, because there was only one creak on the stairs." "You see, if Meg had come upstairs to plant those shears, and then gone downstairs to the cellar where I found her, there would have been two creaks." "Which means, whoever came upstairs to plant the shears, was still in George's room when Mrs. Fletcher went downstairs and found Meg in the cellar." "JESSICA:" "I was only in the cellar a few moments before I rushed to try to catch Meg, but, instead, I caught you." "Not having just arrived at the house, as you pretended, but having just left after planting the shears in George's dresser, where he found them." "Well, I guess I've never been much of an actress." "Heck, Bill took one look at me 30 years ago, and knew exactly how I felt about him." "Not that he cared much after our first few dates." "And then, when he left town and I found out I was pregnant," "I tricked Jody Taylor into thinking Meg was his, and married him so she'd have a name." "Deep down, I always hoped he'd come back." "And after 30 years, he did." "But it wasn't for me." "He'd forgotten all about me." "When I told him everything I'd endured for him, you know what he called it?" ""A regrettable mistake."" "He made a mistake, all right, and I made sure it was his last." "Why do you have to rush off?" "It feels like you just got here." "(CREAKS)" "I have to get back to work." "You might not believe it from reading one," "(CREAKS) But my books don't write themselves." "Goodness, I don't believe I've ever seen a bigger suitcase." "Oh, I have." "I just carried two of them out to the car." "Oh, I'm so sorry, George." "Usually I travel very light, but his time I couldn't make up my mind what to bring, so I brought everything." "(CAR HORN HONKING)" "Tell Helen to keep her girdle on." "Sure, I can hear me saying that to Helen." "Oh, isn't George amazing?" "I didn't think that I'd ever see him cheerful again." "And how are you doing?" "Beautifully, thank you." "I mean it, Jess." "Thank you so much." "Don't you tell me that, that's what cousins are for." "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, but it happens to be true." "HELEN:" "Please hurry." "It's bad enough I'm running a taxi service." "Do I have to wait all day?" "Oh, Helen, hold your girdle on."