"This one is as crooked as a dog's hind leg." "Fire it in the vice this afternoon." " I want yesterday's field reports now." " Yes, sir." "Three more units added to security at Coastal Aircraft." "No progress on the Fairfax Insurance investigation - we're working with their accountants." "Brooks and Wilcox are in court on the Monzio divorce - should be no problem." "James case looking very positive, no negative signs." "Everyone's checked in but Russell and he's undercover in Santa Barbara." " Give me the afternoon report at 5:30." " Yes, sir." " Our guest has arrived?" " Yes, but Mr Kennicut hasn't." "He's not due for another 30 seconds." "He's just coming in now." "'I want you to listen very carefully, please. '" "I'm Arthur Kennicut." "Mr Brimmer's expecting me." " Oh, yes, sir." "Go right in, please." " Thank you." "Oh, Mr Kennicut." "You're right on time." " Won't you sit down?" " Thank you." " Would you care for something to drink?" " Some coffee, black." "From your paper, I see you've taken a stand on this federal judgeship that's giving everybody fits." "I'd rather not talk politics right now, Mr Brimmer." "Yes, of course." "Thank you, Henry." "Well, this is your wife's file, Mr Kennicut, and the fact sheet shows five weeks of intensive surveillance." "'All movement, personal contact, telephone communications. '" " It's really quite extensive." " And?" "You have nothing to worry about." "It's a clean bill of health." " You sure?" " I'm not in the habit of making mistakes." "Yes." "I'm sorry, of course." "But lately it's been like waiting for a biopsy report - benign or malignant." "Well, in this case, benign." "I don't know which I feel most, relief or anger." " Anger?" " At myself, my idiotic suspicions." "I suppose when one marries a much younger woman one tends to become a little paranoid." "'There's often good cause." "In this case, not. '" "Read it at your leisure." "There's not a hint of another man." "You know, it's funny." "I love her." "I love her very much." "And I think I know her." "But lately I could have sworn that..." "Well, it doesn't matter now." "I feel so guilty, I'm going to shower her with gifts." "She won't know what hit her." "Mr Brimmer, I owe you a great deal." " It's a pleasure to set your mind at rest." " Thank you." "You'll have my cheque in the morning." " Very kind of you." " Thank you again." "Thank you." " Could you hear everything?" " Yes." " You seem confused." " I don't know why you asked me to come." " I thought it was obvious." " No, not really." " You..." " What you're trying to say is that I lied to your husband." "Well, that's correct, Mrs Kennicut." "I even went so far as to falsify the report." " Would you like a glass of water?" " No." "Nothing, thank you." "In point of fact you were having an affair." " The man's name was Archer." " It's over, Mr Brimmer." "But I'm sure you already know that." "It was a mistake." "A stupid mistake." "But I ended it." "And it won't ever happen again." "Why didn't you tell my husband the truth?" "Oddly enough, Mrs Kennicut, I am a moralist - a vanishing species, so I'm told." "A thousand broken marriages come across my desk - infidelities, domestic deceit." "In your case, ten years of marriage and one brief indiscretion." "So, why not bend the truth a little bit?" " But..." "Then you're not going to tell him?" " I haven't and I won't." "File's closed." "Thank you." "Thank you, Mr Brimmer." "I am so grateful." "How grateful?" "Mrs Kennicut, a detective agency runs on information." "That's our raw material." "Your husband owns three newspapers - two on this coast and one on the East." "Whenever anything happens on the inside of business or politics..." " I still don't understand how I..." " Information, Mrs Kennicut." "It is our only stock in trade." "I'm currently working on a case where it would be very beneficial to have certain information about a federal judge" " that your husband supports." " Are you saying you want me to be a pipeline to my husband?" "No." "Just... a good listener." "Is it really asking so much, Mrs Kennicut?" "I can't do this kind of work alone." "I need that kind of help." "Why don't you think about it and we'll talk again?" "Your terrace door was unlocked, so I trespassed." "Well, there's no car in the front." "I thought you knew everything, Mr Brimmer." "We're neighbours." "My husband and I have a weekend house about three miles from here." "Ironic, isn't it?" "Why are you here?" "Well, why else?" "To discuss your..." "What shall we call it?" "Your proposition." "I've been walking on the beach for hours, thinking." " And you've come to a decision." " Oh, yes." "Tell me something, Mr Brimmer." "How many other rich men's wives owe you favours?" "Do they all capitulate easily?" " I'm waiting for your answer." " Indulge me." "I should think the blackmailee has some right." " Mrs Kennicut, I..." " The answer is no." "No deal." "Is that plain enough for you?" "If you want a spy, you find someone else." "All right." "I'll have to call your husband and..." "And what?" "Tell him I had an affair?" "Sorry." "It won't work." "I'm going to tell him myself." "I can't believe that you'd want to do that." "Well, what you believe really doesn't matter, does it?" "It's what Arthur thinks that's important." "Maybe he'll ask for a divorce or maybe he'll forgive me." "But it's time I was honest with him." " You're being very foolish." " Only if I lose." "But you can't threaten me any more, can you?" "You just lost your leverage." "Oh, and one other thing." "I'm also going to tell him about the way you run your business." " I wouldn't advise that." " I'm sure you wouldn't." "Because whether he forgives me or not, he's gonna despise you for lying to him." "And Arthur's not the right man to have for an enemy." " Good night, Mr Brimmer." " I want you to reconsider." "Your husband has some very powerful friends." "That's right." "Now, if you'll please excuse me." "I cannot permit you to do that." "You don't understand." "It's not your choice." "You let go of me!" "Let go!" " What's the trouble, Officer?" " Licence and registration, please." " Turn signal, right?" " The right one." "You know, it's the second time I got stopped today." "I'll get those things fixed as soon as I can." " You'll get 'em fixed now." " I would, but I'm going to a 187 PC." " Say, are you a cop?" " Yeah, uh, Lieutenant..." "Columbo." "Well, I'm sorry I flagged you down." "You're just doing your job." "I'll get those things fixed." " This licence expires next week." " Oh." "Oh, well, thanks." "I'll give you an escort." "That way you'll get where you wanna go." "OK." "Appreciate that." "But listen, not too fast." "I don't think she was killed here." "Looks like the body was moved." " And the cause of death?" " Probably a severe concussion." " Print team wrapped up." "Nothing." " Two blows..." " Send them home." "... laceration on the cheek and major contusion at the base of the skull." " How do you read that?" " It's hard to say." "Maybe somebody hit her and she struck her head going down." " Lieutenant, you got that?" " After the autopsy..." " Yeah." "Got a match?" "... I'll have the approximate time of death." " No." " No tyre tracks we can use." "I'm sorry." "I don't smoke." "No prints." "Just smudges." "Money?" "Just change." "No currency." " You got a match?" " No, I don't." "Sorry." " Got a match?" " Yeah, sure." "We're finished." "You can load it up." "Identification and purse." "Mrs Arthur Kennicut - the Arthur Kennicut." " How do you know that?" " Her cards say Kennicut Publications." " What's the problem?" " Newspapers." "If we don't handle this to Kennicut's satisfaction he's got a lot of front pages to beat us over the head with." "Thought I told you to move that out of here." " Lieutenant, what are you looking at?" " The lady has a bruise on the left cheek." "We know that." "I knew you weren't listening." "It's Lenore." "I wanna get out of here." "Oh." "Thank you, Lieutenant." "Would you like to be alone?" "No." "I can feel sorry for myself some other time - after you've caught him." "Should we get down to business?" "Are you sure there's nothing else you want?" "As the husband, I'm the most likely suspect, correct?" " Er..." " You don't have to worry about my feelings." "She was killed last night." "What time?" " Between eight and nine." " I was in San Francisco at a conference." "I didn't fly back until this morning." " You have the flight numbers on that?" " My secretary can give them to you, together with my hotel and my schedule." " You'll check them all out, naturally." " Yes, sir." "And when you do, you'll dismiss me as a possibility, and you can get down to the real business of finding the real killer." "And I want him found, Lieutenant." "Soon." " I'll do my best." " I'm sure you will." "Er, Mr Kennicut, it would help if you could tell us a few things." "Did your wife have any enemies?" "Lenore never offended a soul." "She was an extraordinary woman." "I see." "This question is a bit awkward, but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask - was there ever another man in her life?" "Naturally." "More than one." "But that was years ago, before we were married." " No." "I meant since you were married." " An affair?" "I'm afraid we're gonna have to consider it." "Well, don't bother." "Lenore was faithful to me in every way." "She had a clean bill of health." "All right." "Clean bill of health." " So we shouldn't go in that direction?" " No, you shouldn't." "Can you tell us about her habits?" "What did she do in her spare time?" "Nothing unusual." "Shopping, charity work." " Sports." " What kind of sports did she play?" "Tennis." "She was also very fond of skin diving." "Yes." "Did she do this with you, sir?" "Did she do it with friends?" "With friends, Lieutenant." "Female friends, in case you're wondering." "Female friends." "All right, sir." "I think I've got enough to start with." "Thank you very much." "Lieutenant, I want you to understand something." "I married a woman young enough to be my daughter." "People were sceptical, but it worked for us." "We loved each other." "We loved each other very much." "We even thought of having a child." "I want this man caught." "And I must warn you, I don't intend to be patient." "Yes, sir." "Oh, Lieutenant?" "Thanks for the coffee." "You're welcome, sir." " Good morning, Lieutenant." " Good morning, sir." " Coffee, juice?" " Nothing for me." "Thank you very much." " Any progress?" " Er, no, sir." "I hate to admit this, but nothing." " Not a single lead?" " No, sir." "Nothing." "Well, some of my associates think that your wife was mugged and the fella ran away with the money." "But, you see, they can't really explain how the body was moved." "And, now, me" " I don't know." "I, er..." "I think she knew the murderer." "Why?" " Excuse me." " Yes." "Yes?" "All right." "Be right in." " Why?" " Her behaviour seems a little strange." "She went out to the beach house on a weekday, which is unusual, and she said to the caretaker she had some thinking to do and then she went for a walk." "The next morning, her body was found on the other side of town." " What are you getting at?" " I wish I knew." "I don't know." "It's just that it sounds to me like a woman that has a problem." " Did she have any personal problems?" " My wife was a very happy woman." "Yeah, well, it's just if she did have a problem," "I thought that maybe it would be connected with the murder." " But you've no proof of that." " No, sir." "No." "Lieutenant, I call the city room every half hour to find out what you people are doing." "So far, not a word." "No arrest." "Not even a promise of one." "Now you tell me you haven't a lead." "Well, I'm sorry, Mr Kennicut." "Looks like it's gonna be slow." "It doesn't have to be." "Lieutenant." "Lieutenant Columbo, this is Mr Brimmer." " How do you do?" " Lieutenant." " You've heard of Brimmer Associates?" " No, I haven't." "It's security and investigations." "You might say we're in the same business." " Really?" " I was talking about you last night." "I ran into the commissioner at a party." "He speaks very highly of you." "Naturally, you're wondering why Mr Brimmer's here." "Don't take this as a reflection on you but I've engaged his firm to work on the case." "Arthur, I'm here in a supplementary, advisory capacity only." "I don't want the lieutenant to think I'm competing with him." "There's no reason a private agency and a public one can't cooperate, is there?" "No." "I want as much coverage in this case as possible." "When Mr Brimmer offered his services, I thought it was an excellent idea." "Sure." "I can understand that." "Er, you two know each other?" "Mr Brimmer's done some work for me." "I see." "I see." "Some kind of security work?" "Guards for the paper?" "It was a personal matter." "The point is, Lieutenant," "I told Arthur I thought you would accept a helping hand, considering the manpower shortage in your department." "Mr Brimmer used to be a police officer himself." "Well, it was a long time ago but I can understand your problems, Lieutenant." "Well, listen, I said to Mr Kennicut I'm grateful for all the help I can get." "I'm just not sure how my superior's gonna take this." "That's already been taken care of." "Mr Kennicut is anxious for a quick resolution to the case." "You understand." " Well, naturally." " Well, good." "I hope the association will be beneficial to you." "Oh, I'm sure it will." "Yeah." "I suddenly feel very much more optimistic about this whole thing." "It's not based on anything, no facts, but you know, I'm a superstitious guy." "I believe in signs." "I believe in palmistry and astrology and that kinda thing." " You don't, I know." " Definitely not." "Let me see your hand." "You see, Mr Kennicut, that's your fate line and it breaks there." "That was your bad fortune." "But it picks up again, and that's interesting." "That's a very good omen." "May I?" "Mm." "Deep line of Apollo." "That's a man devoted to his work." "Your Apollo line crosses the mound of the Moon." "That's very rare." "And very impressive." "That's the sign of a man destined to attain a particular kind of distinction." "That's a very good sign." "I know you think it's silly but I'll make a believer out of you before I'm done." " Nice meeting you." " Nice to have met you." "Bye-bye." "Oh, Mr Brimmer." "Large thumb, low mound of Venus." "That means ambition, purposefulness." "That's a closet, Lieutenant." "Oh, gee." "I'm sorry." "A lot of people make the same mistake." "Say, that's a terrific-looking set of clubs." "Do you mind?" "Go ahead." "These seem light." "Are these ladies' clubs?" " They were Lenore's." " You didn't say she played golf." "You mentioned tennis and skin diving." " That's because she just started." " I see." "Where'd she play?" " At the country club." " I see." "At the club." "I was just wondering why she didn't keep her clubs in the locker room?" " She did." " That's an extra set for her lessons." "Oh, I see." "Well, that explains it." "Right." "Er, you mean she didn't take lessons at her own club, but someplace else?" "Sky Lane." "Why, is it important?" "It's not important." "I just like to get that background information very precise." "Bye." " Is this the right door?" " Yes." "Well, what was that all about?" "I think police techniques have changed a little over the years." "Here, try it again." "And remember, keep the back of your left hand straight." "None of this." "Just stroke it easy, all right?" "Oh, that was good." "You're getting better." "I still don't think I'm ever gonna learn this game." "Just have to keep your eye on the ball, watch your concentration." "You're coming along fine." "Do we have time for another bucket?" " Sorry, Jenny." "Time's up." "Tomorrow, 3:00." " Tomorrow, then." "You a member of the club?" "Er, no." "No, I'm Lieutenant Columbo." "I'm from the police." "What's the problem?" "I'd like to ask you some questions about a Lenore Kennicut." "You knew her?" "Not very well." "I gave her a few lessons." "I see." "Well, this is your appointment book, isn't it?" "You should know." "You've been looking at it." "No offence." "I was just killing time but now that you mention it," "I see you gave her a lot of lessons." " She liked the game." " I see." "Here's the thing." "Erm, since you spent a lot of time with her," "I was wondering if you could give me some help." " How?" " Was she the type of woman..." "Now this is just between you and me." "Was she the type of woman who was on the lookout?" "Did you ever notice her give her eye to any of the men around here?" "Look, Lieutenant." "We better get one thing straight." "I teach them golf and I play in their tournaments but I don't get involved in their personal lives." "If they wanna pair off, that's none of my business." "All right." "Well, thanks a lot." " It's quite all right." " Take it easy." "Say, er, what kind of club is this?" "That's a number one wood." "Number one wood." "Listen, could you give me a lesson?" " What?" " No, I'm serious." "You know what my trouble is?" "I work too hard." "Never out of the office." "I figure this - if I could take up a sport, get out in the fresh air and get some exercise, that'd do me some good." " What do you say?" " Well, I..." "Just for a few minutes." "Just to start to swing." "Come on." "You know what was funny about your appointments with Mrs Kennicut?" "Er, the first two were in the morning and all the rest, and I counted 13 of them, they were always in the middle or the late afternoon." " So?" " Well, I guess it's not important." "I guess it's nothing." "Wait a minute." "I'll take off my coat." "Except that, er, every time you had an appointment with Mrs Kennicut, it was always the last lesson of the day." "I like to finish at a reasonable hour." "Doesn't everyone?" "Oh, I see." "So those days, you left the club." "I thought you'd hang around to see if you could pick up an odd lesson." "Well, I didn't always go home." "Who said anything about going home?" "What I mean is I didn't always leave the club." "Sometimes..." "Hey, listen." "Can I help you out?" "Don't say anything else." "You don't have an attorney." "Wait until you get an attorney." "This way you can hurt your case." "Believe me, I know something about my business." "I don't know anything about golf." "See, that's your business." "I know something about my business." "And believe me, you know, down through the years, you get so that you develop a nose for things, you see?" "And, er... after a while, the old nose just tells you when someone's not giving you the truth." "Now, I'm gonna forget about the lesson, cos I could never learn this game, but I'll be back to talk to you." "Ground covered by the police is not our concern." "One thing to bear in mind, money was taken." "Granted, it could have been a smoke screen but sometimes the obvious answer is the correct one." " Now, Brooks..." " Yes, sir?" "Check into her banking account, particularly withdrawals." "Find out how much cash she was carrying that day." "Mr Kennicut will be glad to cooperate." "My theory, gentlemen, and you will gear your efforts in this direction." "Mrs Kennicut was walking along the Pacific Coast Highway." "She was forced into a car... by someone." "The motive was robbery." "She probably fought back." "In any case, she was killed." "The murderer drove around in a panic and, finally, out to here, to get rid of the body." " Yes?" " 'It's Lieutenant Columbo. '" "Who?" "Oh, yes." "Yes, send him in." "Gentlemen, we'll finish this later." "I'll call you." "Thank you." "Lieutenant?" "Come in!" "Whew!" "Boy." "This is quite a building." " This all yours?" " 'Fraid so. '" "Must be a lot of business for your kinda company these days." "We can't handle it all." "Sit down." "Your secretary called." "She said you wanted the files on the case." "I thought it'd be safer if I brought them." "That's nice." "It wasn't necessary, but I appreciate it." "Want some coffee?" " No, thanks." " Thank you." " Those are the duplicates." " OK." "Yes, this will help." "A lot of it." "I wonder if you can give me a little rundown." "Well, it's just what I told Mr Kennicut." "No leads." "Except I was looking through that stuff last night..." " Mm-hm?" " And..." "Drives my wife crazy, you know." "The lamp's next to the bed and the poor thing, she can't sleep." " Did you find anything?" " No, not really." "Well, er..." "Take the autopsy report." "Yes." "Here it is." "You see, that jived with something that I noticed about the body the first time I saw it and that bothered me." "Mrs Kennicut was struck on the left cheek and she had a bruise and she had a weird kinda cut." "Erm..." " Do you see what I mean?" " Erm, no." "I don't think so." "Let's start with the cut because that's what bothered me." "I said to myself, "What in the world could have caused that kind of cut?"" "Er, does this lighter work?" "Yeah, I think so." "Er..." " Where was I?" " About the cut." "Oh, yes." "What could have caused the cut?" "I said to myself, "It could be a ring. "" "A ring of..." "You mean a finger ring." "This kind of ring." "Yeah, something like that." "Now here's the way I figured it." "Suppose you were gonna strike somebody." "Suppose it was a woman." "Now, do you punch her?" "Well, maybe." "But more than likely, you hit with your open hand." " Either this way or this way." " Mm." "Now, if you hit this way, the ring is not gonna cause any cut." "So I figured it was a backhand blow like this." "OK?" "I still don't follow you because that would put it over..." " But I used my right hand, see?" " Yeah." "If the ring was on the right hand, the bruise would be on the right cheek." "But it was on the left cheek so the murderer was left-handed." "Struck her like this." "Which means the murderer is left-handed." "Well, that's interesting." "That's provided, of course, all these speculations are valid." "Yeah, I would say that we have a left-handed murderer and... and an unpremeditated crime." " We have?" " I think so, yes." "I don't think a man kills with his hands unless he's angry." "As a matter of fact, you know, maybe he didn't mean to do it." "Could be." "Maybe it was an accident." "You know, I got a feeling that when we find our friend, it's gonna turn out that he has a terrible temper." "Well, maybe you're right." "I certainly wish I had your crystal ball, Lieutenant." "Why don't you let me digest all this and then we'll talk again?" "OK." "All right." "Fine." "Sure." "Listen." "I want to thank you for the time." " Listen." "Thank you." " Right." "Listen, before I forget..." "Gee whizz." "I didn't wanna forget that." "But, er, let's see." "I had a receipt here that I wanted you to sign." "Well, listen, let's just make one up." "It's a receipt for the files." "Isn't that weird?" " What a coincidence." " What's that?" "A moment ago, we were talking about left-handed people and you're left-handed." "And right-handed." "I'm ambidextrous." "That means I don't favour either hand particularly." "It's a character trait shared by about ten percent of the world's population." "Ten percent?" "No kidding?" " Anything else?" " Er, no." "No, I don't think so." "Listen." "This is a little bit off the subject." "My sister-in-law wants to buy a place at the beach." "How do you like it there?" " Who said I was living at the beach?" " No one." "I noticed your car in front of Mr Kennicut's." "You parked it there in the driveway." "I saw the chrome was tarnished." "You know the salt air just eats the life out of it." "Yeah, that part's a problem, all right." "You're a very observant man, Lieutenant." "That's not what my wife says." "Well, you tell your sister-in-law that she will love it at the beach if she doesn't mind that problem with the salt air on the chrome." "I'll tell her that." "And thanks again." "Thank you." "Oh, er, say, have you ever been in Mr Kennicut's house?" "Yes, I met you there." "Not the big house." "I meant at the beach." "Your beach house and his beach house are fairly close, aren't they?" "No." "It's a couple miles." "That close?" "Isn't that a coincidence?" "I'll tell you." "This case is just full of 'em." "Why don't you and I take a walk?" "When you showed up today, I kinda panicked." "Then you did have an affair with her?" "Turning on the ladies is the only thing I do well." " I'm not a very good golfer." " Yeah, go on." "Well, it was pretty good for a while, at least for me." "She got the guilts." "Funny thing, I think she really loved her husband." "One day she said, "Ken, this is bad for both of us." "Let's call it off. "" "So we did." "Were you shook up when we found her dead?" "I couldn't believe it." "Then I got to thinking, sooner or later, you guys would find out about me." "Maybe even think I killed her." "The night she died, I was..." "I was home watching the tube." "No calls." "No company." "No alibi." "That's why I started to run." "Uh-huh?" "I can understand that." "You didn't kill her." "No." "I know that but this afternoon, you gave the impression..." "No." "You're in the clear." "You got nothing to worry about." "You see, whoever did this, he had to wear a ring." "Now, you don't wear a ring." "Well, I could have taken it off." "No, not with that tan, because that would show." "Now listen." "Tell me something." "Mrs Kennicut." "Did Mrs Kennicut ever indicate to you that she was concerned that her husband knew about you two?" "No." "It's funny that you mention it though because, well, I was concerned." "Why?" "Lenore never saw anyone, but I'm sure we were being followed." "By who?" "There was this one guy in particular." "Sharp, well-dressed." "I only caught him in flashes, but..." "Well, he had a crew cut." "Kind of an ex-Marine type." " Yes?" " Wilcox, Mr Brimmer." "The subject is meeting with Archer and is engaged in conversation." "Did you overhear anything?" "'No, sir." "But Archer seems to be doing most of the talking. '" "Maintain surveillance and report in the morning." "Yes, sir." "Why, you little bum, you." "Hello?" "Oh, yes, he is." "Leo." "Mr Brimmer." " Yes, sir?" " I'm sorry to trouble you at home, Leo." "'No sweat." "Just playing with Teddy. '" "I've got something I want you to do for me." "It may complicate your life a little bit." " When?" " Immediately." " Set it up through my secretary." " Yes, sir." "I'll be in touch." "All of our operatives are skilled marksmen." "Actually, our policy is to avoid the use of the weapon." "This is our memory bank, Lieutenant." "Millions of bits of information, all cross-filed and on tape, immediately available." "There are more electrical impulses in this room than in your brain." "Hard to believe." "We use the most up-to-date equipment, years ahead of what you use at headquarters." "Company cars - custom designed for us." "Most of them with telephonic or radio communication." "Whew!" "It's very impressive." "Just one moment, Lieutenant." "One other thing that might interest you." "If you'll just move past this gate." " It's not working." " Well, it has to be." "You're carrying a gun, aren't you?" " No." " No?" "Oh, well, that explains the malfunction." "Look here." "A special system is built into the gate." "Now, if you had a gun, it would have registered." " It's just like out at the airport." " It's a security precaution." "Not that we expect our clients to carry weapons but there have been exceptions." " Really?" " A guy came in here about a month ago." "Harmless looking." "An accountant for Mid-Century Oil." " We were doing a company audit." " Mr Denning?" "I asked you to show the lieutenant around." "I did not suggest that you discuss our confidential matters with anyone at any time!" "Our clients pay us to be discreet." "Yes, sir." "Won't you come in, Lieutenant?" "Sorry about the outburst but my people have got to learn." "This is a business of trust." "I can't have them gossiping about the clients." "Thank you, Henry." "Hope you'll have lunch with me." "Like quenelle of sole?" "Er, well, if it's fish, I like fish." "Love fish." "It's fish." "Drop your coat and dig in." "On the Kennicut case, my men have come up with an interesting lead." "There were two derelicts seen in the area." "I have their description." "I sent them over to your office, copies." "Right." "I'll have that checked out." "Anything new on your end?" "Oh, yeah." "Yeah, we got a couple of things." "It seems as though Mrs Kennicut was having an affair, you see?" "Erm..." "Boy, this is delicious." "How do you make this stuff?" "I'll have a recipe sent over to you." "You were saying?" "Yeah." "It seems as though Mrs Kennicut, she was having an affair." " And, er..." " Oh?" "And..." "When you send the recipe, would you send it to the house?" " Don't send it to the office." " Yes, I'll send it to your house." "Yes, she was having an affair with some golf pro at some country club." "Here's the interesting thing." "Not only were they having an affair, but it seems as though they were being watched." "Now, I got this nutty notion." "Suppose Mr Kennicut..." "I'll tell you, it's too far-fetched." "Sometimes it helps to test it out." "Try me." "It's really crazy." "Well, listen." "It doesn't cost anything." "Suppose Mr Kennicut hired somebody to check up on his wife." "And this somebody lied to him." "He said to Mr Kennicut, "Look, your wife, she's got a clean bill of health. "" "Now this somebody, whoever it is, he's in a perfect position to blackmail Mrs Kennicut." "Now, suppose she refuses." "See?" "She says, "No, I'm gonna go tell my husband. "" "I think it's a terrific motive, don't you?" "Lieutenant, you have a marvellously convoluted mind." " I do?" " I like it." "The trouble with your theory is not only is it very tenuous, but it's impossible to prove, isn't it?" "I, er..." "Got a little tomato on that there." "Well, I said it was nutty." "What do you think?" "You think I ought to drop it?" "If you believe in it, stick to it." "Run it on down." "One other thing you should keep in mind." "Nothing at all to do with the case." " What's that?" " Your future." "I'd like you to work for Brimmer Associates." " Me?" " That's why I gave you the VIP tour." "We're a growing organisation." "You'd be a valuable piece of manpower." "Boy." "You really know how to toss a curve." "No, I don't mean it that way." "I'm quite serious." "You're a good man, Columbo, up here." "It's time you thought about advancement." "What does a lieutenant make?" "If you come with us, I'm almost positive I can triple your yearly income." "Whew." "Boy." "I tell you, it's all so sudden." "Let me talk it over with my wife." "Of course." "Think about it carefully." "But remember, we want you here." "Listen." "I'm very flattered." "I mean that." "Just let me mull it over a little bit." "Well, while you're mulling, consider my career." "If I'd stayed with the force... by now, probably with luck, I could have been a captain of detectives." "With one eye on the promotion list, and the other eye on my car payments." "No house by the ocean." "No freedom to travel." "No... what would you say?" "Power or sense of accomplishment." "Have I succeeded in getting through, in stimulating you?" "Definitely." "Yes, sir." "I'm gonna give it all a lot of thought." "That's as much as I can ask." " Er, one thing." " Mm-hm." "If I came with you, would I still be working on the Kennicut case?" "Well, let's see." "I have men who are perfectly capable of handling..." "The Kennicut case?" "No." "I have several other more important matters that I'd put you on right away." "Lieutenant, to the knock of opportunity." " Hey." " Hi." " Hey." "Dry throat for some reason." " Help yourself." "Yeah." "I hope I didn't get you into trouble before." " I mean, I'm sorry about what happened." " I'm used to it." "Does he blow off a lot of steam?" "Let's just say our founding father has quite a temper." "No kidding." "That's funny, because he looks to me like a guy that's always under control." "He's under control most of the time." "And when people like that let go, stand back." "I'll tell you why I'm interested." "He offered me a job." " Oh?" " Yeah." " Welcome to the family." " Here's my problem." " I don't know how much to ask for." " Whatever you can get." "Top man can pull down about 30,000." "No kidding?" "That's a lot of money." "Gee." "Does anybody else here make more than that, besides Mr Brimmer?" "Well, maybe Leo." " Who's Leo?" " Leo Gentry." " He gets the cream of the cases." " I think I know him." " Crew cut, ex-Marine type?" " That's Leo." "Teacher's pet, at least this month." "Hey, listen, where can I talk to him?" "Maybe he can give me a few pointers." "I haven't seen him around today, but I'll get his address from personnel." " Don't mention it to Brimmer." " Who, me?" "That's the last thing I'd do." " Higher." " Higher?" "If you go any higher, you're gonna go over the top." "Hey, what's going on?" "Mrs Gentry?" "You got a terrific kid here." "Nothing frightens him." "You can't scare this boy." " I said higher!" " Higher?" "You go higher and I'll eat your ice cream." " No, I wanna eat it." " You wanna eat it." "All right." "Here you go." "You're coming down." "Down to earth." "There you are." "Get your ice cream." " Do we know each other?" " No." "My name is Columbo." "I'm a lieutenant." "I'm from the police." " My daddy's a private eye." " I know that, Teddy." "And he's a very good one." "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" " Is it about Leo's work?" " Not exactly." "I'm working on a case and I thought he could help me." " But I can't locate him." " He went away." "That's right." "His boss called last night and sent him on a special assignment." "Oh, I see." "Do you know where he went or how long he's gonna be away?" "Sorry." "That's the way it is with Leo." "He took his passport, so I guess he's overseas somewhere." " I see." " Is there something wrong?" "No, no, no, not really." "Listen." "Maybe you could help me out." "Was Leo recently on a case where he was following a married woman?" "Well, it's possible, but I don't really know." "No?" "You never discuss Leo's work?" "No." "It's a household rule." "I'm not very much at keeping secrets." "If Leo told me anything, it'd be all over the Laundromat." "If you have any questions, better ask Leo." "It's hard to ask him, because I can't locate him." "He went away." "Why don't you talk to his boss, Mr Brimmer?" "He can tell you what Leo's working on." "Er..." "Oh, yeah." "Thanks." "I have the feeling he won't be too much help, but at any rate, I'm sorry I bothered you." "Bye-bye, Ted." "F" " E-L-O-P-Z-D." "All right." "Now try the next to bottom line." "F" " D-P-T-C..." "E" " O?" " Perfect vision." " It should be." "This is a new prescription." "Here's your temporary." "Expect your license in a few weeks." "Keep this too." "Next." "While I mark your test, read from the eye chart, third line down." " Did she just say she got new glasses?" " What?" " She wasn't wearing glasses." " Of course she was." " Excuse me." " What about the eye chart?" "All of a sudden I remembered this picture." "See?" "She's wearing glasses." "But there were no glasses on the body." "Now, could she have dropped them somewhere?" " I'm sorry, but you're on the wrong track." " Why?" "Shortly after that picture was taken, Lenore gave up wearing glasses." " She switched to contact lenses." " Ah." "Contact lenses." "Just a matter of vanity." "She thought she looked better." "Uh-huh." "Did she wear 'em often?" "All the time." "She was extremely near-sighted." "Mr Kennicut, where's your wife's personal effects?" "The funeral director sent them over." "I've avoided going through them." " Do you mind?" " No, go ahead." "Is this her lens case?" "Yes." "It's empty." "She was probably wearing them when she died." " Well, then, maybe..." " Maybe what?" "Mr Kennicut, I'm gonna ask your permission for something." "This is the world's biggest long shot." "It's gonna be painful for you." "But I think it's worth a try." " Would it help?" " There are no guarantees." "All right, Lieutenant." "You have a blank cheque." "Mobile operator, the number I want is 476-7301." "They just arrived and are entering the vault." " 'The medical examiner's with them. '" " Why?" "I haven't found out, but I did learn one thing." "Kennicut signed an exhumation order." "All right, stay there." "I'll be right over." "Get my car ready." "He says it won't take long." " What's the trouble?" " I don't know, sir." "The battery's OK but the car won't start." " I'm in a hurry." "Get me another car." " Yes, sir." " Have this one serviced." "I want it tomorrow." " Yes, sir." "Arthur." "I should have phoned, but there wasn't time." "It's all right." "One of my men told me you were here." " Something break?" " I don't know yet." "They're exhuming Lenore's body." " Tell me why." " The lieutenant's working on a long shot." "Apparently, she was wearing her contact lenses when she was killed." "How's that significant?" "There's a chance that she might have lost one of them, maybe both of them, at the scene of the crime." "Well, Arthur, I don't like to be critical, but that's more than a long shot." " You might as well buy a lottery ticket." " Maybe not." "Listen to me." "My nephew wears them and half the time they're falling out." "The other morning at breakfast, one ended up in the cereal." "Mrs Kennicut is not your nephew, Lieutenant." "Mrs Kennicut was struck forcibly." "Now, let's bear that in mind." "Isn't it possible they were knocked loose?" "Anything's possible." "The autopsy report said nothing about any of this at all." "Forget about that." "I checked with the medical examiner." "They snuffed it off." "They didn't bother to look." "All they were concerned about was cause of death." "Lieutenant!" "Well, I hope it's not a waste." "What else can I do?" "I've got to pursue every possibility." "It's almost a criminal breach to disappoint you now after what you've been through." "Move over." "Listen." "We're in luck." "The right contact lens is missing and it's not in the coffin." "Well, it might have fallen out in the morgue, I guess." "Or in the ambulance." "Or in the street." "She might have lost it before she was killed." " Could be a hundred places." " That's true." "But maybe, and this is what we got to hope for, maybe it's at the place where she was murdered." " But we don't know where that place is." " No, sir, we don't know for sure." "But I've got a few hunches." " Unless you can be specific, I can't help." " I think the lieutenant deserves some room." " As you wish." " You go your own way." " Thank you, sir." "I will." " But keep us posted." "Yes, sir." "I will." "I'll keep you posted." "I only wish one thing." " I wish the murderer knew about this." " Why?" "There'd be conclusive evidence that might be lying around in his premises and he'd have to find it before we did." "I'll keep you posted, sir." " Er..." " Lieutenant." "I'm sorry to bother you at this hour, but may I come in?" " Yes." "Come in." " There's something I wanted to talk about." "OK, if you can make it a little brief." "It's been a late day." "Oh, sure." "Say, this is some terrific place you got here." " And you got the sound of the ocean?" " Yeah." "Well, me, I love the beach." "I love it." "Except when the water gets cold, then I like a pool." "Did you say you had something on your mind?" "Oh, yeah." "It's about that job you offered me." "I've been giving it a lot of thought." "As a matter of fact, I haven't been able to sleep and..." "Boy, this is a fantastic rug." "My wife would love this rug." "We got to get a new rug and this is just the kind she wants." "Fantastic piling, huh?" "Very soft." "You could lose a shoe in here for a week." "It's late." "I've still got a lot of work to do." "About my job offer?" "I really don't think I'd be very happy making a change." "I like it where I am." "It's not a bad life." "Mm-hm." "OK." "Is that final?" "I think so, yes." "No hard feelings?" "No, no, certainly not." "I just..." "Well, I think you're making a mistake." "That's all." "You're probably right." "My wife, she's always said I don't have enough ambition." "You know what it was that really made up my mind?" " What was that?" " The Kennicut case." "I don't wanna give up working on it just now." "Not when I'm so close to a solution." "Well, are you gonna let me in on it?" "Oh, certainly." "Don't worry." "You'll be the first to know." "Good night." "Good night." "Hello?" "Yes, this is Mr Brimmer." "You took my car in to be repaired, didn't you?" "Yes, just like you said." "They'll have it for you as soon as they can." "All right, then." "Good night." "Do you mind telling us what you're doing?" "I'd say that was none of your business." "Well, if you say so, but it's gonna be hard to explain, isn't it?" "Breaking and entering is against the law." "Checking the trunk of your car." "What were you looking for?" "Papers... for a case." "I thought they were here." "It's an emergency." "Admit it." "You were searching the trunk because that's where you hid the body." "All right." "What's the next step?" " Why don't we go downtown and talk?" " Am I under arrest?" " You could say so." " On what evidence?" " It'll be more comfortable downtown." " All right." "Let's get this farce over with." "Grab his arm!" "It was an accident, Arthur." "It wasn't... premeditated." "I hardly knew your wife." "I didn't want to hurt either one of you." "It happened." "How'd you get it?" "I got it from the cut on her cheek and your ring." "You never should have let me read your palm." "I felt the ring and the two diamonds sticking out and that raised rectangular border." "That matched up with the cut on her cheek." "You should have taken that job." "You know, we're lucky Lenore lost this." " She didn't lose it." " What?" "When I spoke to the medical examiner at the cemetery, he told me that both contact lenses were on the body." "But that's impossible." "If it isn't hers, whose was it?" "Who knows?" "Anyway, it doesn't make any difference." "The fact it's not the real contact lens doesn't count." "What does count is Mr Brimmer's actions, coming here tonight, trying to get rid of that thing and doing it all in front of witnesses." "What would you have done if the car hadn't broken down?" "You couldn't set up this trap." "Well, I guess we would have found some other way." "You know what this place reminds me of?" "Just seeing all these cars..." "In our neighbourhood, we had a bunch of jokers." "We were a real wild bunch of guys." "We figured out a perfect way to put a car out of commission." "You take a potato, you stick it in the exhaust pipe." "It doesn't cause any damage, but the car won't start." "It was a terrible thing to do." "And I got a feeling that the reason I became a cop was to make up for those jokes I played when I was a kid."