hi honey how are you well that's what I'm calling about it um I'm at the office and I'm pretty well into this last chapter I'd like to work straight through yeah I know I I know this will be the last time that I can Jimmy I know I know just take it easy I roll up here as fast as I could is there anything new no not yet Joe it's incredible I just saw him this morning at the office oh I'm sorry Ken um Lieutenant Columbo Mr Franklin how you doing well the question is how you doing Lieutenant have you come up with any leads any clues uh it's a little early for that early seems to me your men are standing around just marking time see if Mrs Melville were on this case or she 'd be Leaps and Bounds ahead of you by now is that the lady in the books that's right you see she would have figured it out that this is not just someone missing this is a professional killing look at that mustow Delgado Hathaway West Lake sound familiar uh yeah kind of well they should that's a list of some of the top men in organized crime in the west coast La Vegas Fisco I don't understand you see Jim was researching a complete and factual expose of all West Coast organized crime I mean he was going around asking some pretty embarrassing questions probing compiling dosas that's why they search this office apparently they got everything but that list and you think one of these fellas put out a contract on him they knew they couldn't buy him off so what did they do they chose the usual alternative professional killing huh but if that's true why did they get rid of the body well who knows but remember one thing without a cop's deti you can't prove a murder was committed in the first place but why would a professional killer care I mean he's already on a plane back from where he came this thing is folded lengthwise like someone was carrying it in their pocket so well if he typed that on that typewriter and I'll run a check on that why would he fold it up before he put it in that drawer when Mrs Ferris called you and told you her husband got shot you jumped in a car and drove right back to LA is that right that's right you know me I'd have taken a plane I mean it's a big airport and they run every half hour it have been a lot faster well I that's true but in a situation like that who thinks clearly and look at it this way you add up all the time it takes to drive to and from an airport how much time do you really save you know there one thing about writers that I don't understand maybe you can help me clear it up if a fellow partner dies uh there does he own the other Fell's half of the books half of the uh um royalties yeah no they go into the deceased estate that leaves you up in the cold doesn't it Le of course you insured each other Lieutenant aren't we going a bit far astray would you go over for me once again I know you did it exactly what happened when you came home tonight sure I I've already told you but the moment I saw Jim's Body in the middle of on I came running in here and I picked up the phone and I called you I mean it's a purely reflexive action is there some reason for your question uh it's your mail my mail isn't it funny how people are different now me if I found my partner dead I never think of opening my letters but I'm afraid I'm giving a little tipsy what's wrong with that I don't know if I can trust you I'll just keep it for a day or two I've never seen so much money in my life well maybe we can do the next [Music] best except for that bottleneck down the road what was that all about oh there was a drowning oh what was it a fisherman well I heard someone say it was a local woman uh a miss mka or something something like that yeah yeah did you know her not really no I was just wondering because when I was in the kitchen before I noticed a grocery box with her name on occasionally buy supplies there sure like anyone else who lives around here I think she was the one that drowned well if it was her I I'd be very sorry she was always very friendly yeah that's a shame oh you did know her Lieutenant I know a lot of people without really knowing them so you don't think I'm going to be able to find a cabin to rent huh best better down and check with some of the local real estate people uh-huh because I think it' be fun to be neighbors for a couple of weeks yeah say what kind of night life do you have around here night life none no partying just sleeping crickets see I was just wondering because you know I didn't want to barge in on you today unannounced well don't follow you well last night I called to tell you that I was coming but there was no one at home it's also possible that she had a heart seizure or she got dizzy and you think it was an accident I certainly don't think it was Foul Play you going to be in your office this afternoon absolutely how long was she in the water Sergeant oh I don't know we wait till we get the report we're starting to cover the same old ground here gentlemen now why don't you meet me in my office an hour from now we got some more questions here like to I'll answer them all then I'll have the reports and I'll be able to give you a lot more information okay sir thank you to my Lily love always can I still don't know what this means means that he know her it means that he knew her not casually the way he said it means that he knew her reasonably well you know what I thought I thought you and I should talk alone you and I have nothing to talk about yes we do Mr Franklin we have something to talk about I'm here to arrest you for the murder of your partner what now it's my duty to inform you of your constitutional right oh you cut that driil I've written that stuff so many times I know it by heart and what is this nonsense you're going to arrest me I kind of knew it right from the start there was nothing definite there was a lot of little things little things driving back from San Diego on the day of the murder instead of taking a plane the open mail never showing any genuine emotion for a man that you work with for 10 years with that you know what they're going to do they're going to laugh you right out of court but they're not going to let laugh at the insurance policy are they I've got a photostatic copy of it here in my pocket they're going to laugh at the fact that you withdrew $115,000 put it back the next day I've got the book that you gave to miss wanka with your signature in it you expect to get a true bill of indictment on that trivia come on Lieutenant I was down in San Diego so was your part that's a provocative statement can you prove that yes not with the WT cuz you killed the witness suddenly I thought of something how clever that first murder was the phone gimmick working light in the office brilliant oh you awarding gold medals today yes for the first one not for the second one that was sloppy Mrs Melville she'd have been very disappointed well come on get to the climax Lieutenant you're talking to a writer am I that's not what I heard and that's the key that you're not a writer when Mrs Ferris told me that you didn't contribute to the writing that her husband did all the work that's a lie I had to say to myself how could a man with no talent for Mysteries make up such a clever murder if you were that genius you'd be able to write your own books and I got it the first one the clever one that wasn't yours the second one the smoy one that was yours but not the first is this your partner's handwriting well I think I can prove it is maybe I ought to read this to you idea for a Melville book perfect Alibi a wants to kill B drives B to a remote house and has him call his wife in City tells her he's working late at the office bang bang sound familiar that's the part you used practically word for word should I read some more no you want to know the irony of all of this that is my idea only really good one I ever had I must have told her the gym over 5 years [Music] ago Whoever thought that idiot would write it [Music] down 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