FEMALE NARRATOR: Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
A baby.
It's got nothing to do with us.
Well, I must admit, I was jealous.
Well, why not outraged that he wasn't gonna marry her?
We can settle this right here!
He said he's gonna get even with her.
What do you want from me anyway?
Well, is he a psycho, a drunk, or what?
Let go of me. Oh, just relax.
Can't you do something about this?
This is crazy.
My enemies have a way of dying.
Have you been taking your medication?
Any psycho could wander in here.
You're the first.
There's no need to throw your life away.
(BABY CRYING)
I can't believe how fast you're growing.
Oh. You must've gained a pound since yesterday.
Oh, how you doing, big fella?
You gonna be my buddy? Huh?
We'll have lots of good times, you and me.
I'll take you on hikes,
teach you how to swim, ride a bike.
You like that, huh?
Yeah. You and me, we're gonna do lots of fun things, huh?
(PEN KNIFE CLICKS)
Oh, here's Mama. Here's Mama.
You're feeling damp. I won't tell if you won't.
(CHUCKLES) Hey.
Thanks, Johnny.
I don't know how I would've gotten through all this without you.
You're the best.
No. You're the best.
Sure you can't stay a while?
Love to, Sherri, but I got to hit the road.
Take care of this guy. We made lots of plans.
Hey, loverboy.
I wanna talk to you.
You got nothing better to do than creep around in the dark?
(BOTH GRUNTING)
JOHNNY: Chill out.
Hey! Hey! What the hell is going on?
Come on. Cut it out.
Get off my property, Les, before I have you tossed in the slammer.
See you later, Johnny.
You okay?
Yeah. Thanks.
I hated to break it up. You would've kicked that loser's butt.
(LAUGHING)
Hey, you wanna come in for a cup of coffee?
No, it's getting late, Mr. Sampson. I got to work tomorrow.
Ah! When I was your age, the last thing I needed was sleep.
(CHUCKLING) Come on, Johnny. Give us a chance to talk.
And Sherri'll be tickled pink if you stay a few minutes longer.
Well, I guess a few minutes can't hurt.
Ah! There we go.
(DOORKNOB RATTLING)
AMY: Welcome home, Mrs. Fletcher.
I wasn't expecting you home so soon.
And I didn't expect you at all.
Who are you and how did you get in here?
My uncle gave me the key.
Your uncle?
The last time we met was in your kitchen.
I think I was 12.
And I helped you bake some of the most wonderful maple sugar cookies
I've ever tasted.
(CHUCKLES) Oh, don't tell me. You're Amy.
Mmm-hmm.
Seth Hazlitt's niece.
My goodness, this is a wonderful surprise.
Oh, it's so wonderful to see you.
And Uncle Seth was right. You haven't changed a bit.
Oh, I don't know about that.
(DOORBELL RINGING)
Excuse me.
Oh, hello, Johnny.
Morning, Mrs. Fletcher. Welcome home.
Well, thank you very much.
Uh-oh! Did I get mixed up on my schedule?
Uh, weren't we going to talk about landscaping tomorrow?
Uh-huh.
I'm here to take Amy for a ride.
AMY: Yeah. Just like when we were kids.
He used to take me for rides on his bike.
Only now his bike has an engine.
Oh, we're engaged.
Oh!
Mmm-mmm! Look at that.
Just what I'm hungry for.
Looks pretty tasty to me too, there.
That ain't on the menu, junior.
Ow!
Amazing any woman can resist you two smooth-talkers.
JOHNNY: There's a table over there.
What do you say, flower boy?
JOHNNY: There you go.
Johnny. Hi.
Amy. Hi.
Your uncle Seth was in earlier.
He had the special.
Chopped salad with pine nuts and balsamic vinegar.
Oh, really? I bet you anything he stopped on the way home for a hot dog.
(CHUCKLES)
Um. I think I'm gonna have a turkey club on whole wheat toast,
and an iced tea.
Yeah. Make it two.
Okay.
See, that's what it's like to live in a small town.
Everybody knows what you had for lunch.
(LAUGHING)
It's time to be neighborly.
Les, do you have to?
(IMITATES SMOOCHING)
I owe you for last night, slick.
Put a lid on it, Les.
Did you tell your girlfriend about Sherri?
Maybe you'd like to tell her and everybody else in here all about it.
Get up. We can settle this right here.
(GRUNTS)
All right. Okay. Back off.
Les, are you okay?
Fun's over, fellas. MAN: Come on, you guys.
Yeah, he'll be fine. On your feet. Let's go.
Andy, I want you to see these gentlemen to the door.
And make sure they take Les with them.
I'm sorry, Sheriff. I didn't have much choice.
Stay away from him. Amy.
(EXHALES)
Wow, that was scary.
All right, what do you want to know?
Do I get in many fights? No.
Just two in the last 10 years.
Both with Les Franklin in the last two days.
(CLEARS THROAT) Why?
What am I supposed to do? Let him mop the floor with me?
No. You know that's not what I meant.
Who's Sherri?
Amy.
I made a promise that I have to keep.
Before you came back, before we fell in love, it's...
Look, I swear, it's got nothing to do with us.
But is it why Les Franklin hates you so much now?
Oh... Hell, he's just jealous.
'Cause I'm with the prettiest girl in town.
Now, can we talk about something else?
Okay.
SETH: Poor child has had a rough patch.
Amy dropped out of college after her father died.
So, I thought it would be a nice thing
to invite her here for the summer where she's had good times.
JESSICA: Of course. Well, it looks as if it's working.
I mean, she and Johnny Carter seem very happy.
Apparently, young love these days is not only blind but deaf.
I fail to see the romantic appeal of a vehicle
that sounds exactly like six broken lawnmowers
being run over by a garbage truck.
(LAUGHING) Well, you better bring your earplugs tonight,
because I've invited the kids to have dinner with us.
Oh! ROGER: There she is.
Wonderful. The town crier.
Edgar, I'll call you. Okay, Jeremy.
Don't you go lawyerizing my words, Jeremy.
Jessica, I think you should be warned
that Johnny Carter stole my garden.
Your garden?
JEREMY: I'm sorry about all this, Jessica.
Johnny designed and installed a flower garden for Roger.
And then, he snuck back last night,
dug it up, took every one of my plants.
Roger, what are you rattling on about?
It seems Johnny gave Roger an estimate for his work.
When it was finished, Roger said it was too much and refused to pay.
Exactly.
So, Johnny, who had paid for the plants out of his own pocket,
simply took the plants back, like repossessing a car.
Only now Roger insists on pressing charges.
Now, wait a minute. Whose side are you on?
Uh, Roger, don't you think that this is a little bit...
Infantile? I don't think so.
Oh, for...
Now, Johnny Carter intends to put in flowers in your garden. Am I correct?
Well, yes, I'm having him do...
Well, then I suggest, Jessica, that you reconsider.
Unless you want to find yourself guilty
of receiving stolen property.
Jeremy, really, can't you do something about this?
I'm trying, Jessica.
Obviously, not hard enough.
Roger, have you been taking your medication?
(SCOFFS) Buzz off, Doc.
Roger, as your attorney, I can assure you,
you have no cause of action against Jessica.
Then maybe I should get another attorney.
I'm putting you on notice, Jessica.
Let it be known, I warned you.
I'm truly sorry about all this, Jessica.
Well, so am I, Jeremy.
SETH: Jess, you have outdone yourself.
That chowder was superb.
And this brisket is so good, it's downright indecent.
Horseradish. What?
Try some of my homemade horseradish.
Oh, yes. The stuff that makes a perfect meal even better.
Amy.
Mmm? Oh.
No, thank you, Uncle Seth. I'm sure it's very good.
SETH: You have to wonder why they call it horseradish.
Maybe it's because if you put too much on,
it tends to kind of...
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
Strong enough to knock over a horse.
(LAUGHING)
Are you okay?
(EXHALES)
Whew! Well, Johnny is 47 minutes late
for the finest meal I have had
since the last time Jessica came home from New York.
JESSICA: Well, thank you.
It's really not like Johnny. I... He would've called.
Maybe he had a flat tire or something.
They get those. They don't carry a spare on those contraptions.
In which case, he'd have had to
wheel his noisemaker back from where was it you said he was?
Well, he said he had to visit a friend.
Well, Amy's right. He should have called.
Could you excuse me, please?
Do you think he has one of those cellular phones?
I don't think so.
But, I mean, there are plenty of houses along the way
where people would be glad to let him use the phone in an emergency.
A typical woman's solution.
Grown men do not like to knock on strange doors at night.
For fear they may have to answer to husbands with shotguns.
And when was the last time that you had to answer to a husband with a shotgun?
Jessica, a gentleman simply does not discuss such matters.
(PHONE RINGING)
Johnny?
Yes?
Oh, no.
Oh, God. No.
(CRYING)
Hello? Who is this?
This is Mort, Mrs. F. I'm out on Rocky Point.
One of my deputies spotted Johnny Carter's wrecked motorcycle.
Apparently, he lost control and went off the pavement.
Oh. Well, how badly is he hurt?
I'm sorry to be the one that had to break the news.
Johnny's dead.
Oh!
Mmm. Mmm. Johnny was a prince. What a waste.
Yeah. Sure is, Tom.
Sherri's been crying all night.
They were real close, you know.
Olsen.
Speaking of crying, you'd better get that paperwork right.
The sheriff can be a real bear.
Hey, I've noticed.
He reminds me of my father.
Deputy.
Hi, Mrs. Fletcher. Doc.
Sorry about your niece, Doc.
Thanks. I wanted to have a look at the site
before I typed up the death certificate.
Andy, where did Johnny lose control of his motorcycle?
Hard to say exactly.
No skid marks?
No. We looked for them, but there aren't any.
So we figured he just came down over the ridge
and around the curve, a little too fast, and ran off the road.
There was a dent in his helmet.
Could've been caused by hitting that guard rail.
That would've been enough to snap his neck.
I'm gonna pull forward in a minute.
You folks better move back a little.
Well, I've gotta have the bike checked over by the State Police mechanic.
See if some kind of mechanical failure caused the accident.
So, how's Amy taking all this?
Not too well, I'm afraid.
Poor child seems a tad irrational.
(SIGHS)
Oh, I get it. There're things that you're not telling me
because it's a murder investigation, right?
Amy, I am not keeping anything secret.
There is zero evidence that this was anything but an accident.
Sheriff, I have been up and down Rocky Point road
on the back of Johnny's bike a million times.
Johnny knew it far too well to lose control.
Okay. Then chances are the State Police mechanics
will find that the thing malfunctioned.
Brake failure, a bearing, something... No!
No! There's no way.
Johnny babied that bike.
Sheriff, you were there at the diner,
you saw the fight between Les and Johnny.
And Les was playing cards with his friends, here in town,
at the time of the accident.
What if he is lying to you?
Are you just gonna believe it because his loser friends back him up?
Look, Amy,
believe me, I do understand.
Something like this happens,
we all try to make sense of it.
But the truth is, we can't always find any.
And looking for someone to blame, that's not the answer.
Now, this... It was a pointless tragedy.
But as far as we know, that's all that it was.
Okay, Sheriff, fine. If that's how you feel about it.
I know Johnny was murdered.
And I intend to prove that,
if I have to question every single person in Cabot Cove.
EZ: Yeah. Right.
(LAUGHING) So, then I tell her, get this...
I tell her I'm in the Merchant Marines, right?
This girl's so stupid, she buys it.
This girl was too dumb to breathe, right?
You're talking about the skinny girl, right?
Yeah. That chick is all ankles.
Hey, look who's coming.
Oh, Amy, I'm so sorry.
Oh, thank you, Doreen.
Can I talk to you guys for a second?
(SLURPING)
You know, I heard Johnny fell off his bike, man.
(LAUGHING)
Just one question, guys.
Who's Sherri? And is she why Johnny and Les got in a fight yesterday?
That sounds like two questions to me.
Why don't you sit down and we'll talk about it?
Let go of me. Oh, just relax now.
Take your hands off me. I mean it. Doreen!
(STU SHUSHING)
AMY: I mean it. Stop it.
STU: You're cute, when you're mad, you know that?
AMY: Take your hands off.
STU: Ow! Ow! You're hurting me!
Leave it alone, Doreen.
Stop it! Ow! You're hurting me.
Stu! What? Are you crazy? Let her go. Stop it.
Put some music on.
Ow!
Let her go.
What's happening?
She's asking about you and Johnny.
And Sherri.
What'd you say?
Hmm? Nothing, man.
Honest.
Hey, Les, you better find a new leash for these two.
And get them out of here. Now!
MICKIE: You okay now?
AMY: Yeah. Thanks.
Those guys even scare me.
So let me guess. You were asking the wrong questions.
Yeah. Looks that way.
Mickie, what I don't understand is
Les and Johnny used to be best friends.
Yeah. But that's before Johnny...
(CLEARS THROAT) ...started his own business and made something of himself.
But that's not all of it though, is it?
I helped you already, didn't I?
Mickie.
Who is Sherri?
What does she have to do with all this?
Nothing, okay?
Look, you're gonna go away soon. Back to Providence.
So why don't you just forget all about this town and these people?
I gotta go.
Mickie, wait a minute.
I don't know if you've ever thought about this,
but you don't have to spend the rest of your life being like one of them.
Trust me.
Sherri Sampson.
She used to be Johnny's girlfriend.
Oh.
That's... Hey, what do you want from me anyway?
Uh, Mr. Woods. Mr. Woods.
I'd like a word with you, please.
Roger. Stu.
Well, it's happened. All my plants are in Jessica's backyard.
I wanna know what you're gonna do to protect my interests.
Roger, I've seen those plants.
They're in pots. And I doubt very much that you can verify
they're the ones that you and Johnny were arguing about.
Pop, Pop. Maybe he's got a point.
Nonsense!
Roger, try to think this through.
I mean, you and I have known Jessica for years.
Now, do you think that she could...
You legal pariah.
The two of you are in a conspiracy, aren't you? Against me.
Stu, your father needs help.
No, he doesn't.
He's right on about you people.
Hey, Pop! Wait up.
Hey, that wasn't so hard, was it? No. No.
No, you little peanut.
Hey. You all right now, little guy?
He just needed to be changed.
Sherri, honey, I wanna ask you something.
Uh, I got home last night at about 7:00.
I was gonna take you and the little guy out for pizza.
I took him with me.
We went for a walk down near the waterfront, after...
After Johnny left.
Mmm.
Well, I gotta go to work.
Sorry about Johnny.
You all right, Amy?
(SNIFFLING) No. I'm not.
But I will be.
There's no way he would've missed this curve.
Well, knowing Johnny, I think you're right.
Did you find something?
Uh, I'm not sure.
May I borrow your cell phone to make a call?
Yeah.
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
JEREMY: Yes, Jessica. What can I do for you?
Jeremy, didn't you mention that you had a friend
who worked in the phone company?
David Shaughnessy, he's the manager over in Bar Harbor.
Could you ask him how they transport their telephone poles?
And how recently did they put
R263 in place?
Odd question, but I'll try to get you an answer.
Supposing I see you in about an hour over at the diner.
I'll see you then.
(ENGINE SPUTTERING)
Now what?
JESSICA: You won't believe the color of these roses.
Johnny found this hybrid...
Oh, enough of the build-up, show me the darned things, will you?
Wait. Will you just look!
Seth!
What reason would anyone have for destroying flowers?
Roger Yates.
Oh!
Doreen, may I have a cup of coffee, please?
I was just making a fresh pot.
Just need to get a filter from the storeroom.
No rush. Car trouble.
Oh.
JESSICA: Hello, Doreen.
Mrs. Fletcher! You're back in town.
Are you staying long?
I wish I knew. But, with my schedule...
Jeremy?
Oh, my God!
(GASPING)
METZGER: Doreen, you're telling me
that you came back from the supply room
and you didn't notice that your only customer
was slumped over the counter with a knife in his back?
No. Mrs. Fletcher was coming through the door and I was looking at her.
He was waiting for his car.
What?
Jeremy. His car broke down and he was having it fixed at Ernie's Garage.
Sheriff, do you know why Jeremy Woods is dead?
Well, outside of the fact that somebody stabbed him with an ordinary switchblade
that had no fingerprints, no.
Doreen, thanks.
Sheriff, this has got something to do with Johnny's murder.
I know it does.
Amy...
Mort, it is possible that Jeremy found out something about Johnny's death.
Mrs. F, Amy, please, one thing at a time.
Now we're trying to trace the knife
and we're tracking all of his cellular phone calls.
Well, is there any word yet from the State Police about Johnny's motorcycle?
Yes. Right. Uh...
Olsen, where the hell's that report?
Right here.
Right where you put it, Sheriff.
Right.
Now, they're still checking things out.
But the brakes were in perfect working order.
There's no sign of sabotage.
Yeah. So far.
Mort, if I might slip a word in edgewise...
Now, you got something you want to lay on me, too, Doc?
Only my preliminary medical report.
Thanks. Check it out later.
Then let me lay this on you.
Johnny Carter was going to marry my niece,
Jeremy Woods was a good friend.
Your saying that their deaths were not related
does not make it so in my book.
Doc, I'm doing the best I can.
Sheriff, that was Andy, down at the waterfront.
He said Roger Yates has really lost it.
Well, get down there and give him a hand!
SHERRl: I'm sorry I took so long responding to your call.
The baby had a rash so I had to take him to his pediatrician,
over in Bridgton.
Oh, hell.
The truth is that I... I didn't really want to see anyone.
I've just been so upset by what happened with Johnny.
You know, now that I see you, I remember you from when we were kids.
I seem to be the only one talking here.
Do you like him?
Oh, yeah. He's adorable.
Thanks.
We're gonna miss Johnny, too.
Me and the little guy. Hey.
Um...
You and Johnny were close at one time, right?
He didn't tell you about me?
No.
Well, he was a good guy, Amy.
I mean, he came by nearly every day to see how we were doing.
(CRYING) And he was... He was my best friend
ever, and,
my dad, he treated Johnny like a son.
Oh.
I didn't know that.
When Johnny told me that he was
thinking about asking you to marry him,
I must admit, I was jealous.
But then I said,
"Hey, you know, if you're really sure, you should just
"go ahead and do it."
(CAR APPROACHING)
I call him Little Jay.
(CAR DOOR OPENING)
Is that his name or his initial?
Both.
He's named after Johnny.
(DOOR OPENING) I, uh...
Hi.
You're...
You're Amy, aren't you? You're the one that Johnny was engaged to?
I'm... I'm sorry about him...
ROGER: There are witches and devils right here in Cabot Cove.
They regard us with their evil eyes and they poison our luck.
They've... They've been after me. They watch me.
But, you know what? I watch them back! That's right.
Hey! Take it easy. Watch it, sonny.
ROGER: Anyway...
Your dad's all revved up again.
Those cops have been watching him, like, the last 10 minutes.
ROGER: I'll tell you what! Here's what I have to say to you...
How long's Les been standing there?
This ain't some kind of show.
...they watch and I warn you!
My enemies have a way of dying mysteriously.
(CROWD MURMURING)
Right. Mr. Yates,
I'd like you to come along with me, please.
Uh-uh. You aren't taking him anywhere.
Stu, your dad needs help.
No! I'll just take him home.
Look, I'm sorry, Stu, but I have my orders.
Now, if you want to know anything,
you check with the sheriff's department.
Now stand away from him.
It's all right, Stu.
They know about my stolen garden,
and I expected them to contact me.
You just stood there.
You didn't do a damned thing to help him.
Like it's my fault he was busted?
Well, you just see what kinda help you're gonna get from me from now on.
Forget it!
A baby.
Jessica, how could Johnny keep something like that from me?
And that's all Sherri said.
Wish you could've learned more.
Oh, God. I didn't want to hear any more.
I just wanted to get out of there.
I felt so stupid, Jessica.
I really wish that I hadn't found out about Sherri Sampson and Little Jay,
because now, every time I think of Johnny, I'm gonna think about them.
I should've listened to the sheriff.
He tried to stop me from investigating Johnny's death, you know,
and maybe it's because he knew what I'd find.
I doubt that. I mean, if Seth or I had known,
we certainly would have warned you.
I don't know Sherri well,
but her saying that she was jealous
when Johnny told her that he was going to marry you. I mean, "Jealous?"
I don't know what you mean.
Well, why not outraged that he wasn't gonna marry her?
(PHONE RINGING)
Hello. MORT: Hi, Mrs. F.
Oh, yes, Mort.
Yeah, I got the results back on Johnny's bike. Looks like an accident.
Really?
Yeah. They just got back from the State Police lab along with the report.
Negative on any sign of tampering with the bike or other foul play.
And all of the damage seems to have come from impact with the guard rail and stuff.
He says it looks as if Johnny simply lost control.
That isn't possible! Hello, Mrs. F?
Yes, Mort, I'm still here.
Yeah. You asked to check on Jeremy's recent cell phone activity.
He got a call from Amy's cell phone.
Well, that was from me.
Okay. And then he called a number that we traced
to a phone company office in Bar Harbor.
A David Shaughnessy.
And then he called Tom Sampson.
Well, to get his car towed.
And then he received a call from Shaughnessy
and apparently, right before he was killed,
he punched in two digits of a local exchange and that's it.
Did you speak to Mr. Shaughnessy?
Yeah. He said that he and Jeremy were old friends.
And Jeremy asked him about a telephone pole.
How they're transported and installed.
And when he got the information, he called Jeremy back.
And that's all?
Mort, may I have the number for David Shaughnessy, please?
Sure. It's 1-9-1-14-98.
Thanks. Sure thing, Mrs. F. Later on.
(SIGHS)
What? What is it?
If we're lucky, it may be an important piece of the puzzle.
My evaluation of Roger Yates' mental state.
Well, is he a psycho, a drunk, or what?
Since you seem unwilling to go to the trouble of reading my report.
Just the short form, Doc.
If you'll just let me finish.
The man is losing his grip on reality.
Sounds like me at the end of every week.
More coffee, Sheriff?
Thanks.
Sheriff, I wanna get my pop sprung out of here.
Who do I have to see?
Look, Stu, first of all, your father's not here, he's in the hospital.
And you can't get him sprung. He's there for observation.
Doctor Hazlitt just came from there.
What do you think, Doc?
Bottom line, non-clinically speaking,
I'd say he was a mental case who stopped taking his medication.
He said he felt so good, he didn't need it.
Let him come home, I'll make sure he takes it.
The psychiatrist wants more time for observation.
The knife, Sheriff. Forensics didn't have any better luck than we did.
No prints, just Jeremy Woods' blood.
Sheriff, I'm willing to make a trade for my pop's freedom.
Off-hand, I can't think of anything you've got that I want.
Yeah. It's something that I know.
I'm listening.
Not without a deal.
METZGER: I can't do that.
But I'm warning you, if it's evidence you're withholding,
that could get you in a whole lot of trouble.
Okay.
Your murder weapon belongs to Les Franklin.
How do you know that?
Nick on the handle, I've seen it a hundred times.
That's it?
There's more.
Les is gonna do something stupid.
When did he ever do anything smart?
METZGER: What's he gonna do now?
All he ever thinks about is that Sherri Sampson.
It's like he's stalking her.
He said he's gonna get even with her.
(LITTLE JAY CRYING)
(SHERRI GASPING)
What are you doing in here?
You ought to have an alarm system.
Any psycho could wander in here.
You're the first.
What do you want, Les?
You know.
Where's your baby?
Okay.
Jessica, I think I have the right chronology now.
I've got the time schedules,
events and known clues of each murder.
(LAUGHS) That's very good, Amy.
That's the way I lay out my plots.
(PHONE RINGING)
Hello. SHAUGHNESSY: Mrs. Fletcher...
Oh, yes, Mr. Shaughnessy.
Well, thank you for getting back to me.
Well, the pole was installed 10 days ago.
I see.
And that's what you told Jeremy?
Well, thank you very much.
Yes, perhaps we'll meet at his funeral service.
Yes. Goodbye.
Is that Jeremy's friend from the phone company?
Uh-huh.
He said that that utility pole was installed 10 days ago
and it was secured by webbing straps to the truck that delivered it.
You know, you never did explain to me why you've been...
Oh.
You need a new light bulb.
But I couldn't. I just put a new one in.
Well, let's see. Maybe it's the plug.
Oh, no. Maybe this is it.
Ah. You have a short. It's frayed.
Of course, and the fresh creosote.
Creosote? Jessica, what're you talking about?
Amy, I think I found the key to all this.
Come on, come on. Wake him up.
I just wanna see who the kid looks like, is all.
His mother or his father.
Les, I mean it. You better get out.
My daddy will be here any minute.
You're lying.
I passed him in his truck on the way over here.
Don't pick him up, please. You'll scare him.
I'm not gonna drop him.
Your mama.
You look like your mama, you lucky little bastard.
Give me the baby.
I wanna hold him for a while. Les, please.
No. You've been drinking.
Why do they call them, "Bouncing little baby boys?"
Huh? Do they really bounce?
(LITTLE JAY CRYING)
LES: I'm never giving this baby back to you!
Sherri! Les! This is Jessica Fletcher and Amy Walters!
Now we know you're in there. Let us in.
Go away, Mrs. Fletcher. This isn't any of your business!
JESSICA: Les, if Sherri or her baby are harmed,
it'll be the sheriff's business.
Now, let us come in!
That wasn't very smart.
Mrs. Fletcher, call the sheriff!
He's coming.
He's already on his way.
Now Les, you'll be in a lot less trouble with the sheriff
if you let us in now.
There's no need to throw your life away over this.
(CRYING)
Okay.
Is the baby all right?
Lock the door.
He's fine. He's just scared.
I don't blame him though.
I guess I really messed things up now, huh?
Yes, you have, Les.
But you can start fixing it right now by giving me that gun
and letting Sherri have your baby.
My baby?
How did you know?
Until you just admitted it, I wasn't certain.
Sherri, just a little while ago,
Amy was telling me how you had reacted
when Johnny decided that he was going to marry her.
And I couldn't help but wonder,
if this was Johnny's baby why you weren't outraged
instead of simply jealous.
Well, I was pretty bummed when Johnny and me split up.
We'd been an item for a long time.
So to get even, I... I started dating Les.
(SIREN WAILING)
METZGER: This is the sheriff! Open up in there! Now!
(POUNDING ON DOOR)
Les, give me the gun.
It's all right, Mort! We're coming right out.
Sherri? You all right?
We're fine, Daddy.
Sherri was just explaining how she and Les became involved.
Involved? What are you talking about?
We made love one time. That was all.
Oh!
But, Johnny, I mean, he's the father.
No, Mr. Sampson, it was me.
You're lying. He's lying, right?
No, she wouldn't have anything to do with me.
Wouldn't even let me see the baby.
My own son. Suddenly she was too good for me.
I'm sorry, Les.
This is real hard for me to say,
but I wanted something better for him and for me.
Than me and my friends, huh?
Hey, Sherri, you could have given me a chance.
Wait! Wait a minute! This is crazy!
I mean, Johnny's the father and that's that.
JESSICA: No, it isn't, Tom.
But because you believed that Johnny was the father, you murdered him.
You?
Whoa! Mrs. F. You sure of that?
TOM: Well, whether she's sure or not,
she's about as wrong as she can get.
Why the hell would I harm a terrific young fella like Johnny?
He was here all the time, looking in on Sherri and the little guy.
Daddy, I was afraid if I told you the truth that you might kill Les.
And unfortunately, Johnny died because you thought you knew the truth.
(STUTTERS) You don't know what you're talking about!
Johnny, that was an accident!
No, Tom, it was cold-blooded, premeditated murder.
(SCOFFS)
You can't prove that. I was a...
I would have agreed with you until Amy discovered a short in my electric cord.
And I realized that the answer had been right in front of me,
ever since I saw you winching Johnny's wrecked motorcycle out of that ditch.
That frayed section of your towing cable,
was caused by the impact of Johnny's motorcycle when he ran into it.
When you'd stretched it across the road from your truck
to a utility pole on the other side.
I'm sure the police lab will find fresh creosote on the end of your cable
from the utility pole you fastened it to.
The notch in the pole could only have come from your cable.
(SIGHS)
When Sherri told me that Johnny'd got engaged to another girl,
I thought my worst nightmare had come true.
Folks would be forever smirking at Sherri
and cracking jokes about the wrong side of the blanket...
This ain't Hollywood.
Cabot Cove folks get married and have babies.
It come to me, if Johnny was to die,
they'd feel sorry for Sherri and give her some respect.
You planned the whole thing.
You knew that Johnny was visiting Sherri and the baby that night
and that he'd be coming back into town along Rocky Point road.
Yeah.
I set it up, just like Jessica said.
That road doesn't get a whole lot of traffic at night.
So, I looped my cable around the utility pole
and parked on the other side of the road and waited.
When I heard him coming, I pulled the cable tight.
(TIRES SQUEALING)
Johnny didn't see the cable till he was right on top of it.
He didn't have a chance.
And, Jeremy Woods, while you were preparing to tow his car,
his friend at the telephone company returned his call
and told him what I later learned,
which was that the pole was new,
and that the groove on the side
was probably caused by the cable being looped around it.
Yeah.
Thank you very much.
Anything wrong, Mr. Woods?
No. Nothing.
TOM: I could tell he was lying.
He'd seen the creosote and the fray and put it together.
All the way back to Ernie's Garage, he was real tense
and I knew I had to kill him
or he was gonna turn me in the minute he got a chance.
So I dropped him off at the diner,
parked around the corner, went back in there.
And murdered him with Les' knife.
The other night, I was gonna try to scare Johnny away from Sherri with it.
But it must've fell out of my pocket.
And where was that?
Where I found it in my yard.
I didn't know it was his.
JESSICA: I hope that you're going to be very happy in Phoenix, Amy.
AMY: Oh, I'm looking forward to it.
And I'm excited about my new job.
And Roger Yates is back on his medication and doing just fine.
Yes. I know.
I received a letter of apology,
along with a check to replace my garden.
Ah-ha!
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, I talked to Sherri
and she said that Les got a job over in Bar Harbor.
SETH: And Sherri's agreed to let him see the baby regularly.
He's gonna help her by paying child support.
Only for now she said it might be a good idea not to tell too many people.
Just what we need, huh? More secrets.
Well, Amy, with your uncle Seth around,
I don't think that'll be much of a problem.
(LAUGHING)