12x10 - Frozen Stiff

[bunniefuu]

FEMALE NARRATOR:
Tonight on m*rder, She Wrote.

I'm not gonna drop
this tainted milk issue.

MAN: So, ready for payday, huh?

su1c1de?

Perhaps fear of being caught
and facing the consequences.

You thought I k*lled him?

And perhaps you'd like to
see our devil worship group.

Please, just leave me alone.

She said leave her alone.

I'm not for sale, Herling.

Three quarters of
a million dollars?

Mr. McGregor's su1c1de
was a result of your cover-up.

So now we know when and
where, the question is, who?

I bet you a dollar you don't know
what it is by the time you go home.

You're on.

(DOOR OPENING)

(DOOR CLOSING)

(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)

(PHONE RINGING)

Hi, this is Larry.
This is my beep.

(ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS)

Hey, where are you?

I just wanted to
tell you that I...

(DOOR OPENING)

So, you're ready
for payday, huh?

Well, I don't work
for you anymore.

(g*nsh*t) (GROANING)

(THUDDING)

(DOOR CLOSING)

Hi, this is Larry,
and this is my beep.

(ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS)

(COW MOOING)

(SHOES SQUEAKING)

KYLE: (ON MACHINE)
Hey, where are you?

I just wanted to
tell you that I...

This is delicious.

Lemon, mango...

I wonder why Kyle didn't
finish what he had to say.

Accountants. Oh, we call it
Tropical Secret. Can you guess?

(COW MOOING ON
ANSWERING MACHINE)

Well, I mean, the
name is already the clue.

I bet you a dollar you don't know
what it is by the time you go home.

You're on. AUTOMATED
VOICE: 9:03 p.m.

Speaking of Kyle, I'll need to
talk to him tomorrow morning.

My attorney has a
suggestion or two

as to how the trust
account should be set up.

No problem. I just need
time with Gary first thing.

Larry, if the Literacy Foundation is
taking too much of your attention...

No, no. It's... It's a chance
to give something back.

And I finally convinced Gary how
it'll more than pay off with publicity.

First time he's listened
to me in two years.

I was hoping that things
were better for both of you.

Oh, thanks. Anyway,
back to your baby.

Our initial contribution
is entirely funded,

and... Ta-da!

That's great.

I wouldn't change a thing.

(PHONE RINGING)

Hello? MAN: Hello. Larry?

Yeah.

Kyle is dead.

What?

Kyle.

He's dead.

Sheriff, I'm just asking you to handle
this as diplomatically as possible.

You know, PR-wise.

Look, Mr. Herling, I'm not one of
your, what do you call it? Spin doctors.

My job here is to find out
who k*lled Kyle McGregor.

Prelim looks like a
single small caliber b*llet,

entering above the
left mandibular joint,

and probably lodged
in the frontal cortex.

Well, I noticed what appear to
be powder burns near the wound.

Yes, I'd say he was
sh*t at close range.

Probably self-inflicted.

su1c1de? Kyle McGregor?

No way.

Well, I expect the g*nsh*t
residue tests on Kyle's hand

will settle that
question, Sheriff.

Larry, could I...

About the ad campaign...
Not now, Gary.

They needed a yes
or no. It couldn't wait.

Yeah, it could.

I called the agency and told
them to put everything on hold

until you and I could
review it. Together.

I didn't know you could spare the
time away from your cows and charities.

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)

Kyle?

Oh, my God!

(SIGHS)

Susan, I'm sorry.

Mrs. McGregor, I hate to
ask you at a time like this, but

how would you describe
Kyle's spirits the past few days?

His spirit?

Fine.

Why?

Yields are up five percent.

Good work, Dan.

Let's put the other herds on
the same supplements, huh?

Yes, sir. Okay. Thanks.

These arrived yesterday after
you left to meet Jessica's plane.

And this couldn't wait
till I came in this morning?

I couldn't sleep,
thinking about Kyle.

He was a good man.

You could have called
me last night and told me.

Peggy, there was so
much going on, that...

Sure.

Oh, you might
want to get in early.

Gary's meeting
with Ralph Brewer,

the consumer guy from,
what's it called, Verity?

Verity?

What could they
possibly want with us?

JOHN: Nothing major, Jess.

The meeting's been changed to 3:00
Thursday at 724 Lexington Avenue.

John? (BEEP)

Oh, darn it.

KYLE: Hey, where are you?

I just called to
tell you that I...

AUTOMATED VOICE: 9:02 p.m.

(ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS)

(COWS MOOING ON
ANSWERING MACHINE)

(SHOES SQUEAKING ON
ANSWERING MACHINE)

VOICE: 9:03 p.m.

JOHN: Jessica, it's John
Farragut. Nothing major, Jess.

Something I can help you with?

Oh, I was just searching
for a pencil, and I found this.

Oh. Early days?

Far out. That's before
I learned how to shave.

You were really trucking.

Yeah. Yeah.

You know, this message tape
really should go to the sheriff.

Huh? Oh, yeah,
you're probably right.

Could be Kyle's last words.

You know, I wonder if it
would've made any difference

if I'd have been
here to take his call.

(SOFTLY) Yeah.

Gary, I've had reporters
bugging me since 5:00 a.m.

It'll take you maybe
a minute to read this.

Look, I'll get to
it later, okay?

I mean, I don't understand what
suddenly makes this such hot news.

Because I have been romancing
these people for six months

so they will hype our
national marketing push.

I gotta give them something.

Can I see that?

"We mourn the loss of an
important member of our company."

Well, that's great, Jim. Just...

Just add something about Kyle's
services to the community, okay?

And send it off.

Hey, Gary,

why didn't you tell me you
turned Kyle down flat last week

when he asked for
a seat on the board?

What, you want to
blame me for his death?

No. But it's another decision
that wasn't just yours to make.

And let's talk about Ralph Brewer
and Verity. What's that all about?

He called me first thing this morning,
just as he was leaving Green Bay.

Said it was important.

Look, I don't know any more about
what he wants with us than you do.

Gary. Larry.

I'm afraid we've got a problem.

A big one.

The Literacy Foundation's
money's gone?

$750,000?

I'm so sorry, Mrs. Fletcher. I
know how much this meant to you.

Well, losing that kind of money's
not exactly tops on my list, either.

Victoria, we have to
track this down. And fast.

I'll get started
on it right away.

Excuse me, guys. A
Ralph Brewer is in the lobby,

and he made it very clear he
does not expect to be kept waiting.

Jessica, would you mind taking
this over to the sheriff's office, please?

Oh, yes, of course. Maybe he can
start tracing Kyle's recent movements.

Thanks. I'll get you a ride.

(COW MOOING)

You know, at Verity we like to
work with companies such as yours,

instead of against them.

In the long run, the consumer's
interests are better protected.

Mr. Brewer, I don't
want to be rude,

but we've got a lot to
deal with just now, so...

Well, then, I'll
get to the point.

We have information that the claim
you make on your label and advertising,

"As natural as the
cows it comes from,"

is as hollow as a
politician's promise.

What are you saying?

We're talking
hormones, Mr. Armstrong.

Bovine somatotropin, to
be precise, known as bST.

Used to increase milk yield.

It seems your products are made
with milk from cows treated with the stuff.

Our cows have never
been treated with hormones.

Who told you this?

A concerned citizen, who
will remain anonymous.

But we have corroboration...

All right, that's it.

I think you better leave,
Mr. Brewer, right now.

As you wish. You have
48 hours, gentlemen.

Wait a minute. For what?

I make it a rule to wait that long
before issuing my press releases,

to allow offending
organizations such as yours

to publish a mea culpa or
otherwise remedy the situation.

Offending... And,
of course, my report

will include a reference
to the possibility

that Mr. McGregor's su1c1de
was a result of your cover-up.

Oh, sure.

And perhaps you'd like to see our
devil worship room before you leave.

Forty-eight hours. Mr. Herling.

(MAN CHATTERING)

We don't have anything
to worry about here, right?

Larry? Well, I first met him when
he came back from college in France.

That must have been in 1974.

And he was kind of
a hippie back then.

I never thought
of him like that.

But in a photograph that I
just saw back at the house,

he had long hair and a beard.

Apparently he was
going to a rock concert.

Which concert?

You seem to have a lot
of questions about Larry.

Don't you?

Seeing that he's
Mr. Pure-Natural-Ice-Cream-

with-one-percent-to-charity.

I mean, there's a lot of bad
stuff going on around here.

Come on. It's not like
it's poison or anything.

It's the same milk that's used in
every supermarket in the country.

The FDA doesn't even
require labeling for that.

Gary, purity is the basis...

Listen, if we want to play in the
big leagues, we gotta be flexible.

Make a few adjustments.

Adjustments?

See that? "As natural as the cows it
comes from" got us where we are today.

People believe
in us, in our stuff.

We violate that trust,
we'll be annihilated.

Ah, come on. We don't even know
if that milk came from treated cows.

All we've got is
Brewer's word for it.

And until we find out for sure,

we're gonna pull the ad
campaign and delay the launch.

You can't do that.

You know we're
leveraged to the hilt.

We've committed to TV
spots, magazine space.

We're gonna have to pay whether
we run them or not. It'll break us.

Well, I don't care.
How do you like that?

I'm not gonna be part of
a misleading ad campaign.

And I'm gonna fix your
screw-up, one way or the other.

GARY: How?

You'll know when I know.

(EXHALES)

SHERIFF: Test results showed positive
for g*n residue on Kyle's left hand.

Now, Kyle was left-handed,

and the coroner indicated that the b*llet
entered his head on the left side, so...

Okay, Mrs. Fletcher, let's assume
for the moment that I was all wrong.

Let's suppose Kyle
stole that money.

Now, why would he k*ll himself

before Gary and
Larry even realized

they were out three
quarters of a million dollars?

Remorse?

Perhaps fear of being caught
and facing the consequences.

Anyway, thanks
for bringing this in.

The second message was
just a minute after Kyle's.

I believe that it came
from the same phone.

How can you tell?

That cow sound.

I'm almost positive it comes
from a clock in Larry's office.

What about the squeak?

I haven't identified that yet.

The forensics report found
unidentified fingerprints on the phone

that were partially
covering Kyle's.

Could be the second
caller was the k*ller.

Do you love it?

Darling, smell the leather.

It's what joint
accounts are all about.

On top of the four-door
you bought last month?

The ashtrays were full.

Carol, did you
have to do this now?

Gary, dear, I warned you,

until you get us out of this bucolic
wasteland and back to Manhattan,

you're going to
have to humor me.

Oh, and those bills for
the bedroom redecoration?

We're late, and they're
getting kind of nudgie.

Just run them through Peggy.

Tell her they're office
expenses, same as usual.

Look, I gotta get
back to work...

Sorry. Don't mean to interrupt.

I was just leaving.

Gary's terribly busy.

I have some news you
might be interested in.

What have you got?

A possible skeleton in
Ralph Brewer's closet.

Which is? No details yet.

Old buddy of mine in the tabloids
swears he's got some dirt, but it'll cost.

Whatever it takes.

I want anything you can get that'll
put this sanctimonious jerk away.

(CLATTERING)

(SHOES SQUEAKING)

I think this is what
you're looking for.

Woody?

I was just having another sh*t
at the secret of Tropical Secret.

And I suppose you broke in
just to have a couple of scoops.

You want to tell me why I
shouldn't call the sheriff?

Larry, if I'm not mistaken,

I think he has a very
good reason for being here.

Well?

That's my mom.

Your mother?

So, then, are you trying
to tell me that I'm your...

That's right, Mr. Armstrong.

I'm your son.

WOODY: How'd you know?
JESSICA: It was a guess.

I noticed your
pendant this morning.

It's the same as the one that your
mother's wearing in this photograph.

It seemed to explain
your curiosity about Larry.

Woodstock Seabrook.

Is that you?

Yeah, Mom told me I was
conceived at a rock concert.

LARRY: And this is
your birth certificate, huh?

I found that after she d*ed.

She said she didn't know
where my father was,

and now I think I know why.

WOODY: You used to be
Leonard Atkins, didn't you?

And then she must have realized.

Well, she was right.

(SIGHS)

Lynn probably saw my
picture in one of our ads.

Woody.

Your mother and I spent three
days together at Woodstock,

and it was like we'd
always been together.

If I'd...

So how come you
ran out on her then?

I didn't. I was arrested.

Arrested?

There'd been a demonstration.

A break-in at an
Army recruiting office.

The judge was an ex-Marine, and I
was your basic anti-Vietnam flower child.

I was sentenced to three years.

And when you got out,
you changed your name.

To cover up my record.

I told everyone that I'd been
in France for three years,

including you,
Jessica, and I'm sorry.

I had no idea you even existed.

(SHOES SQUEAKING)

That squeak... It was your
sneakers making that sound

that was on the
answering machine tape.

Woody, it was you
who called last night

from the GLFS office, wasn't it?

Right after Kyle McGregor d*ed?

You were there?

(STUTTERING) I
was snooping around

to find out whether or
not you are my father.

Then I heard somebody
come in and I ducked

and I realized it was
Mr. McGregor's voice.

Then somebody else came
in, and then I heard the sh*t.

And when you redialed the
number that Kyle had called,

it turned out to be Larry's.

You thought I k*lled him?

Well, you just got through
admitting that you were in prison.

Woody, I think it might be better
if you told this to Sheriff Chubb.

Are you sure this third party entered
the office before the sh*t was fired?

Yeah.

Mr. McGregor said,

"You ready for your payout?
I just quit working for you."

Then bang.

Then footsteps, then silence.

So this mysterious third party could have
easily made it look like it was a su1c1de.

Sounds to me like Kyle had arranged
to meet him for some kind of transaction.

The missing three
quarters of a million?

SHERIFF: Maybe. So we find
this person, we find the money

and whether or not
Kyle was m*rder*d.

Okay.

You're free to go.

Larry. Yeah?

I'll be out in a minute.

Outside of the
birth certificate,

you got any proof this
kid is who he says he is?

Not so far, no.

Friendly word of advice?

There's a whole big pile of financial
reasons for him to want to be your son.

Thanks, Mike.

But the blood tests are only going
to confirm what I already know.

Right here.

Am I stopping you from saving
America from big bad business?

There's still not much
you believe in, is there?

Outside of pleasure?

Not really.

Did you miss me at
all after New York?

You, yes.

But not your vow of poverty
or your fifth floor walk-up.

I hope you got more than a wallet full
of gold cards when you married Gary.

I do believe you
still care about me.

You have no idea how much
I wish the feeling was mutual.

Darling, what do you think the
past two hours have been about?

I'm not going to drop
this tainted milk issue.

Ralph, I...

Carol, I would really
love to be with you again,

but with that understanding.

We're getting serious nibbles from
a major multi-national corporation.

It just might be more
lucrative for you to wait

until we're bought out.

And then you could go after
someone with some really deep pockets.

(CHUCKLES)

Kyle was a lot more than
just a numbers cruncher.

He designed this system to
control everything from here.

Any temperature fluctuation
inside or outside the freezers

is fed into the computer,

and it determines the
most efficient use of energy.

Oh, Victoria, I can certainly
understand your reluctance to believe

that Kyle could have
taken the money, but...

Kyle's bookkeeping system was kind of
complicated, so it may take me a while.

Victoria, according
to this credit card slip

Kyle had lunch in Milwaukee
the day before he d*ed.

Didn't you say that
he was in St. Louis?

That's what he told me.

Would he happen to have a
file on his PC for Milwaukee?

Let me check.

There it is. M-W-K-E.
I'll bring it up.

It's empty.

There's nothing in this file.

Excuse me.

WOODY: There you
go. How about that?

This file was last
edited yesterday...

The day after he d*ed.

Well, somebody must have erased
the file so that we wouldn't see it.

Pardon me.

(DIALING)

Woody, could you possibly punch
up the ingredients for Tropical Secret?

I'll give it a sh*t.

Forget it, hacker. Only about
four people in the world know that.

It's definitely not in here.

Well, it was worth a try.

Hello, Sheriff? This
is Jessica Fletcher.

Listen, I've got a feeling that the missing
$750,000 for the Literacy Foundation

may have ended up in Milwaukee.

It's an unusual office. You
do a lot of business out here?

Cows are less prone to
gossip than secretaries.

Am I gonna get the "Wait till we're
taken over by a big corporation" pitch?

Where the hell
did you hear that?

I'm not for sale, Mr. Herling.

You're serious, aren't you?

Hey, Brewer,

what world are you in?

You think those contributions your
outfit lives off of don't have strings?

Given what I know about you,
I can't say I'm disappointed.

But I was kind of hoping you asked
me out here for a less predictable reason.

Like what?

Oh, I don't know, like maybe,
"Ordering that milk was a mistake.

"We're dumping it.

"Pulling the compromised
product off the shelves."

And I could see my
way to... What are you?

The last idealist?

I wish I were worthy
of that, Mr. Herling.

JIM: Susan, I'm sorry.

All I meant was maybe
Kyle said something to you

that could point us
in the right direction.

No, he didn't.

Look, Jim, I know what they're saying
around town that Kyle took the money.

Hey, I'm not accusing...

Well, it's not true.

Oh, sorry.

Look, Susan, if
Jim is hassling you...

What does it look like?

(SIGHS) Forgive me.

Between everything
that's happened

and having to deal
with that jerk... God!

Another one of
Gary's bright ideas.

Hiring a tabloid
reporter for PR.

Oh, Susan.

Yeah?

Jessica told me that

Kyle went to Milwaukee when
he should have been in St. Louis.

Did he say anything
to you about it?

No, he didn't.

(DIALING)

WOMAN: Hello?

Hi, it's Gary. We have to talk.

About what?

About $750,000, that's what.

Are you guarding
the refrigerator now?

Help yourself. You
seem to know how.

No, thanks.

No, I heard you come downstairs.

I just thought you might
like a little company.

Mmm-hmm.

I tried finding Lynn after I
got out, but she'd moved.

No forwarding address.

I should have kept looking.

Now my son shows up, and
I don't even know who he is.

You've still got a lot of time.

In a lot of ways, Woody reminds
me of you when I first met you.

Yeah?

But there's always one
thing I'm going to regret.

What's that?

I missed seeing him grow up.

You may not have been there,
but somebody did a good job.

PRIEST: Let us pray.

"Eternal rest give
unto him, oh, Lord,

"and let perpetual
light shine upon him.

"May his soul and the souls
of the departed rest in peace.

"Amen."

ALL: Amen.

PRIEST: We commit Kyle
McGregor's body to the ground

in the certain knowledge
of the resurrection

and the light everlasting...

(WHISPERING)
You missed most of it.

(WHISPERING) Flat tire.

LARRY: Where's Gary?

Probably okaying
something without you.

In the name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen. ALL: Amen.

(MUTTERING)

Mr. Brewer.

I didn't realize you were
acquainted with the McGregors.

I wasn't.

But then, my plane isn't until
this evening, Mr. Armstrong.

And frankly, I thought I
might learn something

about what makes a well-meaning,

potentially successful
enterprise begin to fall apart.

You know, if you're still suggesting
that there's some sort of connection

between Kyle's death
and this hormone business,

you're way off base.

We'll see.

So I expect you'll be moving
from mail room to VP any day now.

Well, not if the blood
test doesn't work out.

And for sure not if
I have to wear a tie.

I guess I didn't think
through what happens next.

You know, I'll probably
just stay on here a while.

Look...

Would you like to go out
and have a cup of coffee?

You think I'll go out with you because
you're probably the boss's son, is that it?

Something like that.

No way.

But I'll go anyhow.

Gary?

(GASPS)

(SIRENS WAILING)

MAN 1: Is the chief inside?

MAN 2: Yeah, he should
be in there someplace.

Mind those pipes, guys.

Touch 'em, it's like
licking a railing in winter.

They're gonna thaw him
out down at the morgue.

Looks like a single
b*llet, just like Kyle.

But this time, there's no
chance it was a su1c1de.

JESSICA: And you
haven't found the w*apon?

Nope. Oh, it's so horrible.

You know, the coroner's going to find it
difficult to determine the time of death.

I mean, the freezing will have
altered the usual indicators.

We got a break there.

Gary's wristwatch.

It stopped at 9:30.

It must have broke when he fell.

There's your time of death.

LARRY: Well, we'll shut
down until you give us the okay.

Come on, Peg, let's
get you out of here.

Sheriff, there's something here
you might want to take a look at.

It looks like a
smashed watch crystal.

Yeah.

Meaning he could have been k*lled over
here, and then dragged into the freezer.

So now we know where and
when. The big question is, who?

And why? I mean, what would
the k*ller gain by moving the body?

Well, the good news, if you can call it
that, is that most of folks that knew him

were at Kyle's funeral at 9:30.

That shortens up
the list a whole lot.

I know it won't be the same
for any of us without him,

but if there's
anything you need,

or if you want to
talk, or whatever...

Thanks, Larry.

And don't worry, the
company will take care of you.

Financially, I mean.

Oh, yes. Believe me,
I'll make sure that it does.

I mean, you'll have to admit

that over the last few years,

you've pretty much let Gary
handle the day-to-day business.

Well, that's not entirely true.

And "let" isn't exactly
the word I'd have chosen.

Anyway, I hardly think you're
qualified to run this show.

And since I now control
Gary's percentage,

I'm not about to let
this company drift.

Carol.

I'm going to chalk that up to
your shaky emotional state.

There's nothing shaky
about it, or emotional.

It's pragmatism,
pure and simple.

I've just been on the phone with
a number of minority shareholders.

I don't believe this.

They're behind me 100%.

And I've just called a shareholders'
meeting for next Tuesday.

They'll vote me in as CEO of
Gary and Larry's Frozen Stuff.

Come on, who are you kidding?

Look, you worked right
alongside Kyle, right? Huh?

So he must've said something.

I told you, I
entered data for him.

We didn't sit there chatting
about his private life.

Not so fast, honey.

Look, maybe Kyle gave you a number, an
address to reach him at that wasn't home.

No. Now, please
just leave me alone.

Wait a second.

She said to leave her alone.

You're gonna regret that, kiddo.

Thanks. You're welcome.

Sheriff, all I'm saying
is that it's just possible

that the k*ller wanted us to
think that Gary d*ed at 9:30.

I mean, why else would the body
have been placed in the freezer?

Perhaps to hide it.

Mrs. Fletcher, we are
keeping Mrs. McGregor.

Oh, thank you, Sheriff.

What's this got to do with me?

There are a few things I'd
like you to hear first-hand.

It turns out Kyle had an account

at the Lakeview National
Bank in Milwaukee.

He had been transferring
company money into it for months.

Four days ago, he
walked in, cleaned it out.

Took $750,000 cash.

Kyle?

Susan, I'm sure you're
familiar with the old saw

about how we never
really know someone.

It's...

It's my fault, Jessica. I...

I always wanted more for him.

I guess I pushed too hard.

SHERIFF: I'm afraid
there's more, Susan.

Mrs. Fletcher suggested I
run a background check on him.

What we turned up was

20 years ago in California he
was arrested for embezzlement.

But he wasn't convicted.

It seems that he
was granted immunity

in exchange for
testifying against his wife

and her boyfriend

and they both went to jail.

His wife?

He was married before?

SHERIFF: More like still.

He never got a divorce.

Kyle was a bigamist.

(SIGHING IN DISBELIEF)

You shouldn't make any
big decisions right now.

About us, I mean.

No matter what your
relationship was with Gary,

you've still got a
lot to work through.

MAN ON RADIO: And now an
exclusive KKBE news update.

Following the m*rder of ice-cream
magnate Gary Herling yesterday,

a joint announcement
was given by Mr. Herling's

surviving partner,
Larry Armstrong

of Gary and
Larry's Frozen Stuff,

and Ralph Brewer of the
consumer organization, Verity.

LARRY: Due to an error, we are
confirming that hormone-induced milk

has been used in
some of our ice cream.

However, none has left the
factory. It will be destroyed.

Verity is satisfied with the company's
explanation of this oversight...

You never told me about this.

Last night was hardly the
time to talk about business.

Besides, this is... This
is good for the company.

And for Larry. But
definitely not for me.

Carol.

The blood tests all
say the same thing.

You're my son, Woody.

Whoop-dee-do.

Look.

I'd like us to get
to know each other.

But on the other hand, if you're going
to spend the rest of your life bashing me

because I wasn't there
when you were growing up,

that you're going to have
to do on your own time.

Wait, you can't go in there.

I'm sorry. I couldn't stop her.

That's okay. Come on in, Carol.

And, oh, Peg, I'll
need that file now.

Larry, I just caught your little
grandstand play on the news.

Oh, I thought you might even give me
a little credit for not blaming it on Gary.

It was nothing but a cheap
attempt to buy yourself some votes.

And between now
and next Tuesday,

I won't have you
making any decisions

about the future of this
company without me.

Here you go. LARRY: Thank you.

Carol, this file is filled

with personal expenses that
you've charged to this company.

You know that's a federal
tax crime, don't you?

Gary authorized those, not me.

Peggy here will testify that you
personally ordered her to put them through.

You're bluffing.

Try me.

Way to go, Dad.

Pardon me. LARRY: Mike.

What's up?

We found the g*n that sh*t Gary.

It was unregistered, but
ballistics confirms it was a match.

Yeah? Where was it?

It was in the glove
compartment of your truck.

I'm sorry, Larry,

but I've got to arrest you for
the m*rder of Gary Herling.

SHERIFF: We got
an anonymous tip.

Any fingerprints? Nope.

Wiped clean.

You know, anybody could have
planted that g*n in Larry's truck.

I don't think so.

A five million dollar
policy on Gary's life,

and Larry Armstrong
is the sole beneficiary?

But, Sheriff, a lot of companies
have that kind of key man insurance

to cover the loss
of an executive.

Oh, come on, Mrs. Fletcher,
we have motive all over the place.

Gary almost ruined this company's
reputation with that hormone stuff.

And there's the
running battle for control.

And take a look at this.

Every payment made into Kyle
McGregor's Milwaukee account

was okayed by Larry
Armstrong. See the initials?

Larry denies they're his.

Besides, Larry was practically
the only person in the company

who wasn't at Kyle's funeral.

Then you're still assuming
that's when Gary was k*lled?

Look, Mrs. Fletcher, I don't
like this any more than you do.

But when the county
attorney found out

about Larry's dirty laundry
from his hippie days,

he agreed we have the right man.

Dirty laundry.

I believe I know who our
mysterious third party was.

Want to give me your
spin on this, Kenton?

California authorities
confirm you asked for

Kyle McGregor's rap
sheet four months ago.

That's part of why
Gary hired me.

Exactly. Sniffing out the
same kind of dirty laundry

you did as a tabloid reporter.

But when you found out that Kyle
was an embezzler as well as a bigamist,

you saw that as an
opportunity to blackmail him.

You can't prove that.

Want to bet?

We found this on Gary's body.

JESSICA: It contains a file
called "M-W-K-E" for "Milwaukee."

You see, Kyle
recorded every detail

of your involvement
in the embezzlement,

and how you tried to make it
look as if Larry was part of it.

It's the same file you wiped off
Kyle's computer after you k*lled him.

JIM: Now wait a minute.

It's not like that.

Okay, I got him
to take the money

a little at a time and
bank it in Milwaukee.

The idea was, one
big payoff to me.

One big hit, and
"Adiós, amigos."

So where's the money now?

If I knew that,
I'd be long gone.

I've been trying to find it
ever since he popped himself.

You were there.

He'd been to Milwaukee. He was
supposed to hand it over to me that night.

When I got there, he said

the game was over, he
wasn't going to play anymore

and then he sh*t
himself right in front of me.

Maybe.

But even if you didn't pull
the trigger, you k*lled him

just as sure as you k*lled Gary
when he found out what you'd done.

No way!

I was standing right next to you at
the funeral when Gary was k*lled.

We'll see. Meanwhile, I'm
holding you for blackmail.

Get him out of here.

You were right, Mrs. Fletcher.

I never realized a blank
disk could be so effective.

Is it me or for an ice-cream
factory is it kind of warm in here?

Temperature. Of course.

Sheriff, I think you may have just
turned up the heat on Gary's k*ller.

Excuse me.

Victoria, I wonder if
you could help me.

What is it, Mrs. Fletcher?

Could you punch up the energy-use
data for yesterday morning?

When Gary was k*lled? That's it.

Well, that program's
still got some bugs.

I don't know how
dependable it'll be.

Victoria, you do want to help me
to get Larry out of jail, don't you?

Why didn't you say so? Okay.

It took a while, but now I know
what happened to the money.

Three quarters of a million
split two ways is still a lot.

Or I could just go to
the sheriff, if you prefer.

That's better. So let's meet.

Okay. I'll be there.

Are you there?

(SIGHS) You bring the money?

I changed my mind.

Go on in.

Don't worry, at minus 40
they say you soon get sleepy.

SHERIFF: Drop the g*n, Susan!

Well done, Peggy.
Take her home, Mike.

This is all Mrs.
Fletcher's idea.

Starting with Peggy's
phone call to you.

And you've just confirmed
that you k*lled Gary Herling.

Don't be ridiculous.

I was at Kyle's
funeral at the time.

Only at the time that it
appeared that Gary had d*ed.

I thought it was odd that he was
k*lled and then dragged into the freezer,

until Victoria showed me this.

SHERIFF: It shows the temperature
inside the freezer where Gary was found.

Any time the door is
opened, the temperature

goes up inside
and it's recorded.

The only time the door
was open was at 8:10 a.m.,

when you put Gary's dead body
inside to hide the time of death.

After you fixed his watch to make
it look like he was k*lled at 9:30.

You thought your husband's
funeral would give you a perfect alibi.

If this was true, it could have
been anyone at the burial.

I never even came here that day.

Your left hand shows otherwise.

At Kyle's funeral, you had
a red welt on your left hand,

which didn't strike me until I realized
that the m*rder had already taken place.

Now, that burn proves you'd
been here earlier the same morning.

I got this burn on my
own stove at home.

That's not true, Susan.

It's a freezer burn that
you got from the pipes,

when you dragged Gary in there.

This afternoon, the lab boys found
some microscopic tissue residue on him.

Primo condition,
thanks to the cold.

They reckon the DNA will be
easy to match up with yours.

We got a warrant to go
through your place. Thanks, Joe.

Kyle left it for me, just
before he k*lled himself,

with a note telling me to give it
back to the Literacy Foundation.

After Kyle's su1c1de, Gary found
out that you'd kept this money.

I hadn't counted on Kyle's letter to
Gary telling him where the money was.

When Gary called me and
insisted that I hand it over,

I agreed to meet with him.

But Gary didn't realize that you were
the one who leaked the hormone scandal

to Verity Magazine,
Ralph Brewer confirmed it.

Kyle hadn't known what to do when he found
out that Gary bought uncertified milk.

Gary threatened to fire
him if he told anyone.

First, he refused to
put him on the board,

then he treated him like dirt.

I was damned if I was going
to give the money to Gary.

When he threatened to have
me arrested, I'd had enough.

I wanted revenge for
everything he'd done to Kyle.

And you planted the g*n in
Larry's truck to try and frame him?

When he found out
about Kyle's record,

I was afraid he'd find
out the whole truth.

Let's go, Susan.

You know, Mrs. Fletcher,

if only Kyle had told me the truth
about his past, I'd have forgiven him.

We could have started
over somewhere else.

Thank you. Thanks.

The money's all been transferred

to the Literacy Foundation
account in New York.

And I've doubled our initial
contribution, using the insurance money.

Oh, Larry, that is fantastic.

All the publicity brought in
a rush of orders nationwide.

Which our new national sales
manager is going to handle.

And what about you, Woody? Are
you heading back for Oklahoma?

I guess I have one or two
reasons to stick around.

And by the way, Larry,
you owe me a dollar.

The Tropical Secret flavors.

There's mango, lemon,

passion fruit,

and the sneaky last
one is persimmon,

blended with cumin and
just a touch of nutmeg.

Jessica! How?

Well, I cheated a bit.

See, I got Sheriff Chubb to have it
analyzed at the forensics lab in Racine.

(ALL LAUGHING)