The Julius House: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2016) Movie Script

[]
[engine shuts off]
Are you Mrs. Totino?
Yes. Melba Totino, that's me.
You made a call to 911
about a missing person?
Not one person. Three!
My daughter,
her husband,
my granddaughter.
They're gone.
They're all gone!
Disappeared into thin air!
[glass shattering]
[Melba gasps]
[]
[clattering]
[]
Meow!
[exhales, relieved]
It's a cat.
[]
AURORA: See, I disagree
with the definition.
A "date" implies
a pre-arranged meeting,
but we just grabbed food
and stopped here on impulse.
But sharing of food
automatically qualifies
a meeting as a date.
Hmm. Cite your source, please.
My source is the very astute
Aurora Teagarden herself.
Mm.
Doesn't this feel like a date,
Aurora?
Yes, Martin, it does.
But I think you could make
a trip to the dentist
feel like a date.
[laughs]
That's 21 dates!
You're counting?
That's so sweet.
I keep count
because your mother
has a rule about
when we can officially
be considered a couple.
Ha! Very
astute of you.
No, my mother has
rules of etiquette
for everything.
Including
not being late
for an appointment
with her.
We have to go!
[]
What?
Four more dates,
Miss Teagarden,
and you will officially
be my girlfriend.
Five more minutes
and I'm gonna be
an ex-daughter,
if we don't get going.
So you do this
every month?
Aida takes you off,
looking at houses?
Well, if there's something
new on the market.
I've been wanting
to find a real home
ever since I got
that inheritance
from my friend,
Jane Engle.
Oh, yes. You're
a woman of means.
Hmm, well, means
enough to buy a house,
but I haven't found
anything that
feels right yet.
I have visions of us
shopping for
a house together,
one of these days.
[laughs]
Um...
I don't think we can
have that conversation
until at least 50 dates.
That's okay.
I'm a patient man.
But to help move
things along,
how about you have
dinner with me
when I get back from
this business trip?
Now, that is a date.
[]
Did you see the new listing
on Elm Street?
Yeah.
It's very cute.
I showed it yesterday.
All the windows-- oh, my gosh,
it's so light and airy.
That's the thing.
Too many windows.
[laughs]
There's no such thing.
Aurora, you can't
be anti-light.
No, more "pro-wall".
I need lots of walls
for my bookshelves.
You know how many books I have.
Well, maybe if you got rid
of the dreary ones
about murders and such,
you could have light.
This one
has plenty of wall space.
[Gasps] Ooh! And there's
a little reading nook!
That would make
a perfect library.
It's not my listing.
Besides, it's completely
inappropriate for a woman alone.
Why? It's charming.
It's also five miles
out of town.
Not to mention old!
Do you know
how much it would cost
to heat that thing?
Mother...
Show it to me.
Pretty please?
[]
[]
It's so nice
and quiet out here.
I believe the word
you're looking for
is "isolated".
Ohh! And that porch!
Oh, can't you just imagine
a porch swing right there?
You know, something
about this house
looks familiar.
That's because
you've been staring
at a photo of it
for the past 20 minutes.
No, that's not it.
You've always
been stubborn.
Always.
Oh, this house is wonderful!
Oh, the view
from the master bedroom!
[gasping deeply]
Do you know how many bookshelves
I can build in here?
But it is
so far from town.
You'd have to commute.
W-- Oh, town
is 10 minutes away, Mother.
No, I...
I think this is it.
Yeah, I think
this is the house
I've been
looking for.
Yeah, I think we should
look at a couple more.
N-- No. No.
We've been looking
for months.
No. This is it.
Yeah! I want
to make an offer.
[sighing heavily]
You know, even if the owner
accepts your offer,
you still have three days
to change your mind.
Oh, no, I'm not
gonna change my mind.
[chuckles]
This looks
familiar, too.
The stove.
Oh! I got it.
Oh, it was
in the newspaper.
Do you remember that family
that disappeared?
Like, three or four years ago,
they went out to dinner
with a friend,
and they never came back?
I have no idea
what you're talking about.
Yeah.
The Julius family!
Yeah! It was in the newspaper,
and the grandmother,
she took a picture
right here.
Huh! This is the Julius House.
No, the owner's name is Totino.
Yeah, that was
the grandmother's name.
Well, if some tragedy
happened here,
the listing agent should have
disclosed that information,
and I should just
rip up this offer.
No, Mother,
nothing happened in the house.
The theory is that
they got in the car,
they ran off the road,
and disappeared
down a ravine somewhere.
If the house is on the market,
I wonder
if they ever found the bodies.
You've always had
a morbid curiosity.
Always.
All right.
[]
A lot of people believe
jealousy was the motive
for Hawley Crippen
to kill his wife
and bury her in the cellar.
And Cora was carrying on
with one of their lodgers.
But Dr. Crippen
was anything but faithful.
He was, in fact,
in love with a typist
named Ethel Le Neve.
The Julius House?
Really?
[]
John, you were so right
about the Crippen case.
I hear that tourists in London
still go looking
for that house.
Wouldn't you, if you
found yourself in London?
Oh, Roe doesn't have
to cross an ocean
to look for
a famous murder site.
She might be moving into one.
Huh?
She's trying to buy
the Julius House.
Remember the family
that disappeared
four years ago,
just outside of town?
And-And they
weren't murdered.
Well, no one really
knows, do they?
I remember the story.
Ex-Army officer,
moved down here
from Spokane, right?
Yeah!
The daughter, uh...
What's her name?
Uh, Charity.
She went to
my high school.
A lot of people think
foul play was involved.
Well, the police did
close the case, though.
Still. Kinda cool
to be setting up digs
in a house with
an unsolved mystery, Roe.
Oh, I don't care
about any of that.
Aurora Teagarden
doesn't care about a mystery?
Do you
have the flu?
I'm just excited
about the idea
of having my own house!
You know, I want
to paint walls,
and build
bookshelves and--
[cell phone rings]
Hi, Mother.
I suppose
I should say congratulations.
I got the house?
AIDA: Mrs. Totino accepted
your offer on the house.
[]
That's good work
on the schoolboard
election, Sally.
Oh, thanks, Macon!
Ah, the Julius family.
Why are you
looking them up?
Oh, my friend, Roe,
just bought the Julius House.
I didn't know it was for sale.
Were the bodies found?
I don't know,
but that's your byline, right?
You covered that story?
Yeah.
Just before I made editor.
It gave me
a few sleepless nights.
The family
heads out for dinner
with a so-called
"friend from Spokane,"
and they just
never come back.
I was standing
with the photographer
when he shot this picture--
look at this.
Hope Julius
was fighting cancer.
She had
a couple of wigs.
Her mom told us
that this was
her "fancy Sunday wig."
Still gives me a chill.
It's so sad.
You know what?
I want you to do
a follow-up on the story.
Start with the house being sold,
then do a post-mortem
on the missing persons case,
how it all ended up.
That could be
a really interesting story.
It will be,
if you do
your job right.
Thanks, Macon.
Mm-hmm.
[keys clacking]
[]
Ah! The seller
meets the sellee.
Mrs. Totino, this is
Aurora Teagarden, your buyer.
Oh! Mrs. Totino!
I didn't think
that you would come
all the way here
to sign papers.
Don't you live in Portland?
Yes, with my sister, Alicia,
but Mr. Rankart said
that I should come.
To talk to
the probate judge, Melba.
You have a lot of issues
to work through in court.
So you go on back
to the Peachtree,
and I'll get this sale tied up
in a nice pretty bow, okay?
I'm so glad
I got a chance to meet you.
The house is wonderful.
Well, I hope you don't
change it too much.
I-In case
they come back,
I want them to be able
to recognize it.
Promise me, you won't
change the house too much?
Well, thanks
for coming in, Melba.
Let's, uh, let's make sure
your cab is here, okay?
Oh, hi, Aida.
Hi.
I'll be right
with you, okay?
AIDA: Oh, okay.
Who's that with Bubba?
One of the most haunted women
I think I've ever met.
I do love a fast escrow.
My dear Bubba,
don't we all?
Why did Mrs. Totino think
that her family could come back?
I mean, how could
she even sell the house
if they're not... dead?
Well, we petitioned
the court
to have them declared
"dead in absentia".
Had quite a time
talking Mrs. Totino into it.
Oh. So the family
hasn't been discovered?
Aurora, please
don't start talking
about bodies again.
I'm just--
I assumed they had been found.
I'm surprised that
they're still missing.
Well, legally,
they're not.
And legally,
ownership of the house
was transferred
to Mrs. Totino,
who has now
transferred it to you.
It's your house now.
And it's got
a lot of history.
It was "the Zinser house"
before T.C. Julius bought it.
That's right!
Walter Zinser
built it!
He did, yeah,
back when I was working
for him and Mrs. Zinser
at their drugstore.
Whoo! The battles they had
when they were building
that house.
You see, Mrs. Zinser,
she was a nut
about symmetry.
And she had a closet built
for her doll collection,
and then she decided
she didn't think she liked
the placement of the door,
so--
[snaps]
She had it sealed up.
So there's a hidden closet
in the house somewhere?
Yeah! Somewhere upstairs,
if I remember right.
Oh.
I wonder if the police
searched for it
when the family
disappeared?
You just had to
tell her that story,
didn't you?
Wha-- I'm making conversation,
Mother.
No, you're
looking for trouble,
which is
your specialty.
[]
So I'll donate
most of the furniture
to make room for mine,
but I might
keep a few pieces.
Well?
[exhales deeply]
I go away on
business for one week,
and come back to find you
moving out of town.
[laughs]
It's not that far.
Ah, I kinda liked
driving past your house,
seeing your little car there.
Well, you can take
the scenic route.
I just might do that.
Okay! But what do you
think about the house?
I can picture
the two of us
cozying up
on the couch,
warming up
by your fireplace.
I can see that, too.
I like your house, Roe.
I like the sound
of that-- "my house."
I mean, I think
it's mine.
I-I don't know
what I would do
if the previous
owners showed up.
Oh, right.
You said they'd disappeared?
Mm-hmm.
Well, I still
have contacts
in the intelligence
community.
I could make
a few inquiries,
at least rule out
the witness-protection
angle.
Thank you, but no.
No. I am not going
to borrow trouble.
I finally have
my own house.
I have...
this great guy who's only
four dates away
from being my boyfriend.
Well, actually,
it's, uh, three dates.
My being here today,
that constitutes a date.
I thought we had
to share a meal.
I'm sure
I have a mint here somewhere.
[both chuckling]
A story on
the Julius family?
I would love to read that
when you're done.
That was a real stumper
of a case.
Yeah, well, I was hoping
to interview
one of the lead detectives,
if I could,
to get some quotes.
Well, that would be
Pete Lambert,
but he retired
a few years ago,
moved to Costa Rica--
or was it Belize?
Anyway, I did
a little work on it myself,
but mostly
just to rule out
any kind of robbery.
Well, there must
be somebody who
actually investigated
the disappearance.
Yeah, there is.
The other Detective Smith.
Oh. Lynn.
Oh.
Is she, uh, in her office?
You betcha.
Okay. Thanks.
Yep.
No, Mrs. Totino
did not know the name
of the man who took
the family out for dinner.
She never lived in Spokane
with them,
and she only moved here recently
because her daughter was sick.
Oh, yeah, Macon did say
that Hope Julius
was going through chemo.
All Mrs. Totino knew
was that they left
in a white sedan
with this friend.
We never figured out
who he was,
we didn't get anymore
information on the car,
and we have
no reason to believe
it was anything
other than
an accident as yet
to be discovered.
Well, surely, somebody would've
discovered it by now.
Depends on the road
they traveled.
There's some thick forest
to the south and east of here.
Deep ravines.
No, we were right
to close this case,
and I really don't know why
you insist on revisiting it.
Oh! Because the house was sold.
Macon thought we should
print a follow-up story.
Well, it's gonna be
a really short story,
because there's nothing new
to add.
You can go now.
Thank you for your time, Lynn.
All right,
due back in three weeks.
Happy reading!
Oh, hey, Lillian.
Do you mind
if I leave a little early?
I want to meet the contractor
at my new house.
You didn't pick
a very good time to move.
I'm going to
be on vacation
three days next week.
Yeah, I know.
You can't expect me
to rearrange my schedule
just because
you bought a house.
I wouldn't
expect you to.
I'm not gonna
be here every time
you think you need
to dash away.
But you're here now.
So do you mind
if I go?
I suppose not.
Thank you!
I hope you have
a good vacation.
Hmph.
[saw whirring]
Aurora?
There you are.
Your mother said
you needed help,
but it looks like you
already have a whole crew.
What I need help with
is measuring this wall.
Bubba Rankart said
that there's a hidden closet
on this floor somewhere,
and I want to find it
while I still have
the carpenter here.
You know, it's your mother's
birthday in a few weeks...
Yeah, I'm taking her to lunch.
I have a plan for that evening.
I'm going to propose to Aida.
That is,
if I have your blessing.
John!
Of course,
you have my blessing.
I know how much
you adore her.
And I think
she adores me.
But enough
to marry me?
Well, she's a very
independent woman.
I admire that
she's independent.
I think
we're well-suited.
You're exceptionally
well-suited.
Hmm...
These dimensions
aren't making sense.
There's too much room here.
About three feet.
I wonder if the closet's
behind this bookshelf?
Well, maybe.
SALLY: Hey, Roe!
Are you ready to be
interviewed for my story?
Hi, John.
Whatcha doing?
She's looking
for a sealed-up closet.
Hope you don't expect
to find the Julius
family in there.
What? No!
I think I'm going to find
some storage for my stuff.
These shelves
are so oddly placed.
What's the key for?
I don't know.
[]
[click]
[shrieks]
[laughing]
It's a doll!
It's just a doll!
[laughing]
It must be from Mrs. Zinser's
old collection. Hmm!
Oh, Sally. A new friend!
Agh! You're hilarious.
Can you just sit down
and let me interview
you, please?
Sure, in a sec.
Who else have you interviewed?
Finding out
anything interesting
about
the Julius family?
Unfortunately, no.
Hardly anyone
even knew them.
They'd just lived
in town for a few months
before
they disappeared.
This head is loose.
Yeah, that's
because it's old,
and creepy!
Can you get rid of it
before it puts a curse on us?
[snap]
[blows air]
Oh.
Hey! There's something in there.
[]
[sets doll down]
It looks like torn page
from a diary or journal.
"Harley"!
That's the name
of Charity Julius's
boyfriend in Spokane.
This is from
Charity's diary!
Looks like
she wrote an entry--
she didn't finish it.
Look at the last words.
"Dad scares me."
Charity Julius
was afraid of her father?
This is dated a week
before the Julius family
went missing.
You know what
this is telling me?
The Julius family
didn't disappear by accident.
You know what
this is telling me?
You're going to
try and find them.
"Dad makes me sit here
with Mom.
"We watch old movies,
but I am so bored.
"I just want to see you, Harley,
"but when I ask Dad
if you can come down, he says,
"'Ask again later,'
"so I do, and he gets mad at me
for asking too much.
"He was hoping I'd forget you
once we moved back,
but that'll never happen."
You said this was
a "disturbing" diary entry.
This sounds like
normal teenage complaining.
"I feel so alone.
"Grandma's only worried
about Mom,
"doesn't care about me.
"If they don't
let you come see me,
"I'll hitchhike to Spokane
to see you.
"But that'd make Mom worry,
then Dad would blame me,
"and I don't know what he'd do.
Dad scares me."
Charity Julius
wrote this journal entry
and hid it one week
before she disappeared.
She says she feels alone,
that she wants to run away,
that she's afraid of her dad.
How does this
not shed new light?
Yeah. How?
[sighing heavily]
We already knew that
Charity and her father
had disagreements.
Grumbling about her strict dad
doesn't tell us anything new.
Then why are you treating that
like new evidence?
In a case
that's supposedly closed?
I'm just humoring you.
Can I quote you
on that?
No.
Look.
There wasn't any reason
to keep this case open.
Pete Lambert and I
didn't find a single sign
of foul play.
Trust me, we went
above and beyond on this one.
[]
Not only did
we search this house,
from top to bottom,
three separate times,
but we searched
the entire grounds.
We looked under
every rock, every bush.
We looked at Internet logs,
phone records,
banking records.
We interviewed
dozens of people--
About those people.
The paper said the last person
to see the family alive,
besides Mrs. Totino,
was Harley Dimmoch.
Charity must've
gotten permission
for him to visit her.
Yeah, Macon said
that Harley didn't want to
talk to any reporters.
He was too upset.
But you must have
spoken to him,
so I was--
well, we were wondering if--
You'd better not be asking me
for interview notes.
Of course,
I know better than to ask.
But if you're offering...
What I am doing
is assuring you
that nothing about this family,
or their time in Lawrenceton,
was out
of the ordinary.
Except that Charity
was afraid of her father.
[sighs wearily]
If you come up with
any legitimate new evidence,
please don't hesitate
to call me. Okay?
Oh, I won't!
I just got a text
message from Macon.
Apparently...
Harley wasn't the only
person here that day.
T.C. had just
gotten around
to having concrete poured
in that pad in the back,
And we know who
the concrete guy
in town is, right?
Parnell Wilson.
Yeah, I mean, Lynn must have
talked to him back then,
but who's to say he wouldn't
share something new now?
He might be more open
to talking to someone
who isn't
on the police force.
John, how well
do you know Parnell?
Fairly well.
Okay, go talk to him
about the day
he poured the pad.
And Sally, go see
if you can find
contact info
for Harley Dimmoch.
What are you going to do?
Chat with Mrs. Totino.
I'm glad you came by.
I was just boxing up
a housewarming present
to send to you.
Oh! That is
so nice of you.
They're placemats Hope
bought for the house.
It was the least
I could do
to say "thank you"
for buying the house.
Mr. Rankart said
it would take
months to sell.
Well, I wasn't sure
I should sell it at all.
If T.C. came home
and found it sold,
he'd have a fit.
Oh, your son-in-law--
he was a man with a temper?
Oh, I'd call him more
a man with an iron will.
He liked
to get his way.
Well, that must have
made your granddaughter
resentful at times?
Charity?
Oh, I suppose so.
But then, she was
a moody thing.
I remember
she didn't want
to go out with her parents
and their friend that night,
she wanted to stay
and visit with Harley,
but T.C. sent the boy off.
Well, that must have
upset Charity.
I was more worried
about her mother.
Hope wasn't
feeling well.
she'd been in bed
most of the day.
But she still went to dinner?
If only I...
I'd been paying more attention
where they were going with
that gentleman from Spokane.
Okay, I know that the police
have asked you this
a million times,
but what can you remember
about the man?
Well, the problem was
I never met him.
I'd taken my supper
back to my apartment
over the garage
before he arrived.
I just saw the car
out the window
and the man walk over
and shake hands with T.C.
What did
he look like?
I only saw his back.
He-- He was dark-haired,
I think.
Hope said
they knew him from church,
or maybe it was the hospital.
It's my fault
they haven't been found.
If I'm only
I'd been paying attention...
Oh, no, no, no!
I-I don't think you have
anything to feel guilty for.
You're too kind.
I hope you enjoy the placemats.
Just one more question,
Mrs. Totino, please?
Bubba Rankart
said that there is
a boarded-up closet
in the house.
Do you recall
your son-in-law
talking about it?
What-- What room
it was in?
I'm sorry. I have no idea
what you're talking about.
I'm-- [voice breaks]
Excuse me.
[]
All right. Thank you.
John!
Oh, ho!
I just left
a message for you,
asking you if you wanted
to have lunch with me.
Oh, you did?
Yes.
Ah, yes,
I see you did.
I must have been
on the phone
to Parnell Wilson's
office.
Concrete?
Does this mean
you're gonna finally
lay the foundation
for that shed
you've been
talking about?
No, I, was, uh...
looking to talk
to Parnell.
Well, it must have
been very important
if you didn't even know
that I was calling you.
[phone rings]
Aurora's calling you?
Um...
[Sighing]
I know what it's like
when the two of you
start putting
your heads together.
She's become obsessed
with the Julius family,
hasn't she?
And you're encouraging
her, as usual.
[sighs]
Hello, Roe.
No.
Parnell's
out on a job,
he won't be back
until tomorrow.
I have to do damage control
with your mother.
Try Martin.
AURORA: Hey, can you
help me move this chair?
So when I was deciding where
to build the bookshelves,
I noticed this.
When you called
and asked for my help,
I had no idea
it would be
to find another
phantom closet.
Not a "phantom". Listen.
Sounds hollow.
Yeah. It sure does.
[knocks]
Do you think you can
pry these boards off?
Okay.
Hey, Roe. Got your message. What
are... you doing now?
[Thud]
I think I found
another hidden space.
Why are you so determined
to destroy your new house?
[]
These boards aren't
nailed in very well.
SALLY:
Oh! I just got goosebumps.
I don't think
I could look in there.
I can.
SALLY: Please tell me there
are no dead bodies in there.
Or dolls.
[]
No, I don't see
anything like that.
This one's only nailed on
with one nail.
Oh, be careful!
MARTIN: See anything?
Please say no, please say no,
please say--
AURORA:
No, it looks pretty empty.
Yes!
[gasps]
Wait.
Hey, there's some towels
or rags.
It looks like they're...
[gasps]
It looks like
they're covered in blood.
[]
AURORA:
Could be blood!
Yeah. Well, it could be
a lot of things.
Just in case, we'll get
a forensics team here,
and go through that closet.
You're not gonna be moving in
in the next few days, are you?
Not when I know that room
could be a crime scene.
You do not know that.
Dirty towels
are not evidence of a crime.
Still. I'm not moving in yet.
Just in case.
Okay. Well, thank you
for the prompt call, Roe.
We'll be sure to let you know
if the tests turn anything up.
Why would some of these boards
be held on
by just a single nail?
Looks like that closet
was pretty hastily boarded up.
Yeah, like someone
left in a hurry,
after cleaning up blood.
[sighs]
What looks good
tonight?
I think I'll try
the fresh catch.
You're an interesting
woman, Aida.
You agree to come out
to dinner with me,
and at the same time,
you want to give me
the silent treatment.
It's called
rejecting the sin,
not the sinner.
Is it really
such a sin
to help Aurora look into
an unsolved mystery?
Oh!
[Scoffs]
But Aurora doesn't just
"look into" a mystery.
She hunts it down,
grabs it by the throat,
and then shakes it
into submission.
True, but--
Do you know
how many times
she's nearly
gotten killed,
by chasing it too far?
Well, isn't that
a good reason
that I should help her?
Make sure she doesn't
go it alone?
Give her an extra layer
of protection?
You know that,
by appealing
to my protective
mother instincts,
that was the only way
to win this argument.
So then
it's, uh, working?
[chuckles]
Mother is really okay
with you driving
to Spokane with Sally?
No, it's almost
three hours away.
I can't get that much time
off work,
with Lillian on vacation.
Yeah, but Parnell's gonna
come by the house tomorrow.
Okay! Thanks. Bye.
Marshaling your team
to take on
this investigation.
Oh, if I were really
marshaling a team,
I would ask LeMaster Cane
from the Real Murders Club
to get involved,
and Perry Dell.
That might not be a bad idea.
Maybe it's not
such a good idea, either.
Why would you say that?
We found blood today.
Which should give you pause,
not make you hit the gas.
[chuckles dismissively]
Okay, wait.
Is this Martin Bartell,
former CIA agent,
who told me
he thinks we're alike,
and admires my suspicious mind?
Yes, we are alike,
but I can also tell you
that I have been burned before,
thinking I'm looking
into a cold case,
and then finding out
it's still very, very hot.
Well, tomorrow,
I am gonna work a six-hour shift
at the library,
and then talk to
the nice man
who poured
a concrete pad
at my house
four years ago.
That's it!
That's it, huh?
So why do you
have that look?
What look?
Let's call it
the thrill-of-
the-chase look.
Oh, I think I've seen you
have that look a time or two.
Stop trying to distract me.
You've been lucky before.
You've caught the bad guys
without ever having to pay
too steep a price,
but luck doesn't
always hold.
Promise me you'll be careful.
Yes, Martin.
I promise.
I will be careful.
[]
SALLY:
2-0-2-0. This is it.
I wish Harley
had called me back
so I wouldn't feel like
we were surprising him.
Nah, it's always better
when they don't see you coming.
Roe definitely knew
what she was doing
when she sent
Perry with us.
Yeah. I'll get
the guy to talk.
WOMAN: Can I help you?
Oh, Mrs. Dimmoch? Hello?
Yes?
Hi! I'm Sally Allison,
with the Lawrenceton Times,
and this is my, uh, associate,
John Queensland.
Good to meet you.
And my, um...
Uh, photographer.
Perry Dell.
Yeah.
I called
and left a message
for your son, Harley,
I was hoping
to interview him
for a story
I'm writing?
Oh, yes.
I gave him the message.
Didn't
he call you?
I haven't heard
from him, no,
and since I'm on a deadline,
we thought we'd just drive up,
and see if he was home.
I'm so sorry,
he should have called you.
Harley moved away years ago,
to Vancouver,
Washington.
Maybe we could have
a few minutes
of your time anyway?
Sure. Come on in the house.
Thank you.
[]
That was Harley and Charity,
at his senior prom.
Weren't they
the cutest couple?
Yeah, they were.
Oh.
So, Harley
was the last person
to see the Julius family
the day they disappeared?
Yes, and what
a burden to him.
The local police
showing up here,
then the Lawrenceton
police,
the state police.
Even some TV people
came to interview him.
So you remember that day,
the day that Harley went down
to visit Charity?
Oh, like it was yesterday.
Harley was so excited
to see his sweetheart.
Thought the world was gonna end
when she moved away.
PERRY: Yeah, I bet he did.
She was a babe.
[clears his throat]
JOHN: What time did he go
to Lawrenceton that day?
Oh, well, he left
right after breakfast.
And what time
did he get back?
About 9:00 that night.
I asked him how the visit went,
he said it went fine,
although he didn't get
much time alone with Charity.
He ended up
helping her father build
those wooden frames
you pour concrete in...
[muted conversation]
It was really hard to say
goodbye to Charity that day.
He told me that
as soon as she graduated,
he was gonna swoop down
and marry her.
When did Harley
realize she was missing?
The next morning he called her
and left a message.
She didn't call back,
which wasn't like her,
because she was always
calling him.
He started calling
and texting and texting.
I'm sure she's fine.
Said he planned to take
the next day off work
and drive down there again.
And then came
that knock at the door,
police asking for him.
That's how we found out
that the whole family
had simply disappeared.
It's so hard to see
your child suffer.
SALLY: I can only imagine.
MRS. DIMMOCH:
He stopped eating,
he stopped going to work,
until, finally, they fired him.
He didn't care.
It was a terrible time.
It sounds terrible.
I knew that the only way
that he could move on
was to go someplace
where there were
no memories of that girl.
A friend of his offered him
a job in Vancouver,
and off he went.
He's doing
much better now.
We talk every Sunday.
Does he still
mention Charity?
Not much, not anymore.
He says he has
a new girlfriend.
As hard as it was,
I was just so glad
that he was able to accept
that Charity had passed away.
So Harley believed
she and her family had died?
MRS. DIMMOCH: Of course.
He knew
she would contact him
if she was still alive.
Did Harley mention anything
about problems
between Charity and her father?
A person didn't have "problems"
with T.C. Julius.
You did what he wanted,
you did it his way,
and that was it.
Problem solved.
[]
Hey. Do you remember
that you offered
to look into
the witness protection angle
on the Julius family?
Yeah...
and you weren't gonna
"borrow trouble".
Yeah, well,
it would save me trouble
if you could rule that out
as a possibility.
Okay, um, I'll make a few calls
after I'm through
with this meeting.
What are you up to?
Oh, I'm just waiting
for Parnell Wilson to get here.
The concrete guy.
Oh, the perfect place
to hide a few stray bodies.
Wet concrete.
Yeah, I remember
the Julius job.
Of course, I do.
I only had to tell Pete Lambert
about it five times.
Okay, well,
my first question is.
Is there any possibility
that family could
have been hidden
under that concrete?
[Chuckles]
I guess you don't know
how quickly concrete
can set on a warm day.
You could've
walked on it
by the time I left.
Yeah, someone would
need a jackhammer
to make space
for a person,
and then pour
new concrete on top.
No, that's not
where they ended up.
Does spook me, though.
How ordinary that day seemed.
Shouldn't you get a sense
of something strange
before a whole family
disappears?
I got here
about 2:00 in the afternoon.
Charity Julius came out
to meet me,
said her father had to go
to the hardware store,
but the forms were set,
and said
I should start pouring,
which I did.
[]
Just took about an hour,
or hour and a half,
and then I left.
Wait. You didn't see
T.C. Julius at all that day?
No. He didn't get back
before it was done.
AURORA: You didn't
find that was strange?
PARNELL: No. A lot of times,
folks are at work
when I come out to pour, so...
I mean, I suppose
I'd expect a man
as particular as T.C. Julius
to be out here,
give me his two cents, but...
Okay. So you saw Charity?
Did you see anyone else?
Her mother,
her grandmother?
Uh, yeah, I saw
both of 'em,
through the window
to the kitchen,
cleaning up.
Did you
talk to them?
Uh, nope,
but Hope did give me
a wave
in the middle of mopping up.
I remember thinking,
if she's mopping up,
then, you know,
she must be feeling better
than when I saw her
a few weeks earlier.
I came out to give 'em a quote,
and she could barely move then.
So Hope Julius was mopping?
Yeah. Yeah.
I was happy to see her
bouncing back a bit.
I was glad to see she was
getting ready to go out.
Why'd you think
she was going out?
Oh, she had her fancy wig on.
Yeah, I'd seen her wear it
in church.
[]
[phone ringing]
Oh.
Hey, Roe.
We just got back from Spokane.
So what did you learn
from Harley?
Well, he doesn't
live there anymore,
so we talked
to his mom.
It was heart-breaking
to hear what Harley went through
when Charity disappeared.
Well, where's Harley now?
He moved
to Vancouver, Washington,
a little while ago.
But, you know, we all got
a really weird vibe
about T.C. Julius
from Mrs. Dimmoch.
There's definitely
something off about that man.
Well, there is something
strange about this whole case.
I just talked
to Parnell Wilson,
and he said that Hope Julius
was wearing her Sunday fancy wig
the day she disappeared.
Well, she was going out
for dinner, though, right?
Right.
But if you saw a photo
of her fancy wig on her dresser
the day after she disappeared,
and if they supposedly
ran off the road
on the way to dinner...
Then what was that wig doing
in her bedroom?
Exactly! Hey, will you
double-check on that photo?
I want to ask Mrs. Totino
about it.
I'm on it.
I'm not sure
what you're asking me.
If you remember
what wig
your daughter
was wearing
when she went out
to dinner that night?
Because Parnell Wilson
said he saw her wearing
her fancy wig earlier that day,
but that wig was found
on her dresser the next day.
I do remember her wearing
her nice wig that day.
She was trying
to make herself feel better.
Yeah. That's the other thing.
You said that she was
feeling sick that day,
but Parnell said
that he'd seen her mopping,
that she was doing better
than he expected.
Well, what does he know
about it?
Did he see her taking a break
every two minutes to sit?
Did he see me trying
to take away the mop,
talk her into going back to bed
before she fell down?
No!
I'm so tired of people
who think they know things
they don't know.
One woman here said she was sure
they'd been abducted by aliens.
I can't take it anymore.
Just please leave.
Please leave. Please.
Hmm!
Seems even
sweet old ladies
find you and your questions
irritating.
Thank you for making
what I have to do
even more difficult.
Why? What do you have to do?
I have to
ask Mrs. Totino
for a DNA sample,
to see if there's
a family match.
The towels in the closet?
Soaked in blood.
Only you
would buy a house
that turned out
to be a crime scene.
Only you.
[]
Hi!
Hi. Sorry I'm late.
My meeting ran over.
Oh, that's okay.
My meeting
just got started.
What meeting?
Well, I hope you don't mind,
but I invited
some of the Real
Murders Club members
to join us for dinner.
[chuckles weakly]
Well, until I saw Lynn today
and got the confirmation
of the blood,
I wondered whether T.C. was
even more set against
his daughter
seeing Harley Dimmoch
than any of us thought.
Maybe he moved here
to separate them,
and then once Harley showed up
at the house,
T.C. decided to whisk her away
so Harley wouldn't find her.
It's an interesting
theory.
Yes, but if what people say
about T.C. Julius was true,
he'd have had no trouble
scaring the kid off
if he didn't want him around.
Yeah, and the blood
in the closet--
if it's the Julius family--
that would be very unlikely.
Nah. T.C.
was a bad dude,
but what I'm thinkin' is
whoever that guy
in the white car was--
he killed them in
that new house of yours,
and took
the bodies with him.
I believe the answer
to this mystery
probably does lie in Spokane
with the man in the white car.
Well, I'm happy
to drive back up there
and spend some more time
in Spokane.
What is it
you'll be doing in Spokane?
Mother!
Aida.
I had no idea
you were here.
So I noticed.
I was just
finishing dining
with my good
friend, Bubba--
And getting me
to agree to sell my old place
instead of looking for
a new renter.
You two know, uh,
everyone here?
Oh, yes. Yes.
The little murders club.
Hey, how's Mrs. Totino doing?
She must've been really upset
to hear about the blood
we found in the closet.
It was a shock.
But I think it gave her
some hope
the police might come up
with some answers.
You know,
it's not knowing
where her
loved ones are
that really tortured her
the most.
Oh, yeah, I seem
to have struck that nerve
when I talked
to her earlier.
She didn't say anything.
No, I know the probate process
has been trying on her,
but the money she'll get in
the next week or so will help.
Wait. I thought
she already got
the money from
the sale of the house.
No. The house is just
a drop in the bucket.
She gets all
the life insurance,
along with everything else
in the Julius estate.
Oh, I didn't know.
[]
I didn't know that
your little murder group
was now meeting
weekly, Aurora.
[chuckles]
Good night.
[overlapping]
Good night, Aida.
LeMASTER: I can't go to Spokane,
but I can look into
whatever business dealings
T.C. Julius
might have been part of.
Maybe I'll find a lead to
some kind of business partner.
PERCY: I can work the Charity angle.
I know some people who had
classes with her in high school.
You okay?
What's up?
Um... Bubba just told me
that Mrs. Totino is going to
get a lot of money
from the Julius estate.
Don't even suggest
that that nice old lady
could possibly have k--
Oh! I couldn't live in a world
where grandmothers kill their
kids and grandkids for money.
She's supposed to
be small, right?
How'd she even do it?
But the bigger problem is,
why make the bodies disappear
if she wanted the money?
It would be better
to have them found.
She would've received
the money years ago.
John?
What do you think?
I think, uh...
I should try and go
catch up with your mother.
Aida!
I'm glad I caught you.
Well, I'm glad
you noticed me.
Eventually.
I apologize
for that.
Because I don't want you
to think
you are ever
a second thought to me.
Or that the Real
Murders Club
is more important to me
than you.
Oh, please, John,
you don't have to make
any grand declarations.
Yes, I do.
In fact, I was going to save
this for your birthday,
but maybe a spontaneous proposal
will prove
how carried away
I am by you.
John Queensland,
please tell me
that you're not
going to propose to me
in the street.
Yes, Aida, right now,
and right here,
I'm gonna get
down on one knee.
Aida Teagarden...
will you marry me?
No.
[]
[car engine starts]
[snap]
I hope you're not
put out with me
for letting everyone
crash our date.
Oh, no, I was
well entertained.
Well, I thought
that you would
throw in a few theories
about what happened
to the Julius family
but you didn't.
I gather that's how
you approach mysteries
in this club.
You sit at
a removed distance,
spin out theories,
then go look for
evidence to prove them.
I think you just called me
an armchair detective.
[laughs]
No, no.
I know you have
a magnificent mind for murder.
But my experience
in the field
has taught me that
the mind isn't always
as important as the gut.
What? CIA agents don't
sit at restaurant tables
and spin theories?
No, they do.
But the good ones know
that theories can lead them
in the wrong direction.
If it was me,
I'd go back to the scene.
Take it all in.
I wouldn't so much
look for the answer
as I'd let it
to come to me.
Well, then let's go back
to the house.
Tomorrow,
we'll go after work.
We'll take
another look.
It'll count as another date.
Sold.
I'll meet you at your house
tomorrow after work.
[Cell phone rings]
Oh, it's John.
He's probably calling
to spin theories.
I'll let you
get back to it.
See you tomorrow.
[ringing]
Hi, John.
You what?
You-- What? She did?
John proposed,
and you said no?
Did he really
tattle on me?
[scoffs]
Mother.
I know you love John,
and he worships
the ground you walk on.
That's no reason
to get married.
Then what is?
Being able to imagine
a contented life
with that person.
Now, please.
I already worry enough
about my daughter
putting herself
in the line of danger
with her
crime-solving escapades.
I'm not going to worry
about my husband, too.
[exasperated sigh]
Oh, this can't be about
the Real Murders Club!
Of course it can.
You know
that we help people.
I mean, we've
caught bad guys,
we've kept people alive.
You and John,
you think
it's all up to you,
even though we have a perfectly
capable police force,
and I don't understand that.
Well, then let me explain it
to you.
No, that's all right.
You've explained many times.
I've made peace with the fact
that you do it.
I'm even proud
that you've saved lives
with your clever efforts.
Thank you! And John has--
Helped you, every time.
And he'll continue
helping you.
And for that,
I'm eternally grateful,
but I'm not gonna marry him.
You're going to make him choose
between Real Murders and you?
I want
something different, Aurora.
Is that so hard
to understand?
[]
[]
[Aurora yelps]
[both grunting]
MARTIN: Hey! What's going on?
Who was that?
I don't know!
He just grabbed me!
Are you all right?
Yeah! Yeah.
[car engine starting,
car speeding off]
You all right?
Yeah.
So, you were chasing
this truck,
but you didn't get
a license plate number?
Sorry, my bionic eye
is on the fritz today.
Roe, there are no signs
of a break-in.
Are you sure that the front door
was locked when you got in?
Yeah. I-I think.
I don't know.
You've had control
of the house
the past few days.
MARTIN:
Who cares how he got in?
The important question is,
why is he
after Aurora?
Yeah, and that's exactly what
I'm trying to figure out.
Was he already here
when she got here?
He could've been a burglar,
and he surprised him.
You see what I mean
about theories
distracting you
from what's
really going on?
Okay, you're assuming
that this assault
was connected to whatever
may or may not have happened
in that closet,
but don't even think--
I remember!
That truck was parked
outside the library
when I left work today.
It was halfway
in the handicapped spot,
that's why I noticed.
You're saying
he's been following you?
He must be.
LYNN: But why?
And to do what?
And to stop you from what?
Guess it's your job
to find out.
[sighs wearily]
Roe, why do you think
he was after you?
I don't--
I don't know.
I just--
I want to go home.
No, that's the last
place you should go,
with somebody after you.
You need to stay
somewhere safe tonight.
AURORA: All right.
I'll stay with Sally.
So you think the guy
who followed you
had something to do
with the disappearance
of the Julius family?
I can't imagine
another reason why.
[Sally sighs]
Well, what if
he finds you here?
I don't have a baseball bat
or anything else
I could hit him with.
You know,
I told myself months ago,
that if I was gonna keep
hanging out with you,
I would need to invest
in a baseball bat.
[poof!]
[Gasps]
Oh!
My story
about the Julius family
is gonna be
in the newspaper tomorrow.
What if he comes after me, too?
Oh...
Well, Martin said he'd give me
self-defense classes.
You can join in.
Oh, okay. Yeah.
So who do you think
tried to grab you?
The guy who killed
the Julius family,
or the guy who doesn't
want them to be found?
I don't know. I'm trying
not to come up with theories.
You always have a theory.
You're a theory-making machine.
I know, I see
a question mark,
and I come up with theories,
but they're not getting me
very far this time,
so I'm trying to wait
for an answer.
Who are you,
and why do you look like
my friend, Roe?
No! I'm serious.
None of these puzzle pieces
are fitting together.
The man
in the white car.
The fancy wig.
The blood in the closet.
And when I was standing in front
of that closet today,
I had this feeling,
like the answer was just
poking in the back of my mind.
You know, this feeling like
the bodies
still had to be there.
Because, the killer,
he wouldn't just
throw the bodies in the closet
and let them decompose.
Ew! Roe!
Where could you hide bodies?
[Phone rings and Sally yelps]
[laughs]
It's Martin.
He said he'd call
to check on me.
Hi, Martin.
No, I'm fine,
but I'm not so sure
about Sally.
Okay, thanks, Ellie.
I appreciate it.
I thought you were
going to help Aurora.
Really protect her.
What happened?
Is she all right?
That was Ellie
from the police station.
She just asked me how Aurora's
feeling after being assaulted.
Someone attacked her?
I'm gonna call her right now.
No, no, no, she obviously
doesn't want me to know.
Now can you
understand why
I can't possible
marry someone
who encourages these activities?
It's way too dangerous for you,
for her, for me.
Are you saying
that if I wasn't part
of the Real Murders club,
you'd reconsider my proposal?
Are you saying that if
I asked you to quit, you'd quit?
[]
I have your final documents
for your house,
but what I really
want to talk about is that--
Oh, how
is John doing?
Is he still
broken-hearted?
John's fine,
but I'm not.
I got a call from Ellie
down at the police station,
and she told me
that you were attacked
yesterday
at your house,
and I said, "Oh, no
that can't possibly be true,
"because if it were,
I would've been
the first to know."
So, is it true?
Oh, so what's this?
It's a transfer tax
declaration.
Don't change the subject!
Mother, I don't
want to upset you,
or give you
any more reason
not to marry the man
I know that you love,
so please, let me
change the subject.
Someone
tried to hurt you?
Well, I don't know
what he was trying to do.
Maybe just scare me,
but I'd rather not
give him
the satisfaction.
So what's this?
It's a roof-inspection waiver.
What? I waived
my roof inspection?
Well, there's no need for one.
T.C. Julius had
a new roof put on
right before they moved in.
So no one's been on the roof
since the family disappeared?
[]
[frustrated sigh]
You had me pulled
from a meeting
so I could hold
a ladder for you?
No! Because you made me promise
that I wouldn't come back
to the house without you.
Are you coming up?
You gotta be kidding.
I don't see anything.
Well, if you're
gonna spin theories,
this is a good one.
Bodies on a roof!
No.
This was
not a theory.
This was
a gut reaction,
a feeling that things
aren't adding up.
[]
Wait a minute.
There's one dormer up
in the back of the house.
Yep. Two
on the front. So?
Exactly!
Bubba Rankart said
the original owner
was obsessed
with symmetry.
She wouldn't have put
just one dormer in the back.
[]
[gasping and shrieking]
I think I just found
the Julius family.
[]
[police radio
crackling indistinctly]
Okay, so this brilliant idea
to look up on the roof--
where did it come from?
Just a feeling
that if the family
had been killed
in the closet,
the bodies would've been hidden
nearby somewhere,
and then when I saw that
the roof hadn't been inspected
when I bought the place,
I figured
it was worth a shot.
You know,
I was in charge
of this search
four years ago.
It never even occurred to me
to look on the roof.
Well, I only thought to go up to
that dormer,
because Bubba had told me
of Mrs. Zinser's
design sensibilities.
I mean, you can't access it
from the attic,
it's a faux.
[sighs heavily]
Great. Now I get to go
and tell Captain Burns
that I missed
three bodies.
Three.
Detective Smith?
A word, please. Now!
Would you both
mind sticking around?
We need to get
a detailed statement.
Hey, Roe!
Hey, Martin.
Macon sent me over
to cover the story.
You guys found the bodies
of the Julius family
on the roof?
Well, one
of the bodies
had a wig,
so I think
it's Hope Julius.
Sneaky spot
to hide some bodies,
I got to say that.
Yeah,
but who would...
Why would they--?
I think it's time
for some good
old-fashioned
theory spinning.
I talked to the girl
who sat next to Charity
in English.
She said that
all Charity talked about
was how she planned on
marrying her boyfriend
the minute she graduated,
and her father
would never see her again.
I think
we should consider
Harley Dimmoch
a suspect.
Mm. If it was just T.C. Julius
that had been murdered, maybe,
but he wouldn't kill Charity.
He was a frustrated
young man,
and young men
tend to lose their tempers.
Yeah, you never know
when we'll pop a gasket.
If you'd talked
to Harley's mother,
you'd know
how devastated he was
when the family
disappeared.
Could've been
a guilty conscience.
SALLY: I still think
the answer lies in Spokane.
The man in the white car.
Yeah, wasn't John supposed to
be the one going back there
and asking around, anyway?
Where is he?
I don't know.
I'll find out.
You know, we're all so sure
that the man in the white car
is from Spokane,
but that was just
Mrs. Totino's assumption.
I mean, it doesn't mean
that it's true.
I hadn't
considered that.
Well, still, it seems to me
you'd have to go back to Spokane
to know for sure.
Yeah, maybe I should go back
to talk to Mrs. Totino.
[sighs]
Poor Mrs. Totino.
I wonder how she took the news
that her family's been found.
SALLY: Hi, John?
Is that you?
[Whispers]
Why are you whispering?
John: [hushed]
Because I'm with Aida.
No, I can't go
to Spokane right now.
Maybe in another day or two.
Well,
what's Roe's latest theory?
[gasps]
[Whispers]
Who are you talking to?
Sally.
[]
According to Lynn,
they're not gonna get
the DNA results back
for another week
on the skeletons
or the blood
in the closet.
So I thought that
I would go back up to Spokane,
see if I can find out
some information
about the man
in the white car.
Are the police looking
for this so-called
man in the white car?
Well, they did look
for him four years ago.
I don't know if
they're looking for him now.
So why are you
wasting your time there,
when you know the police
hit a dead end years ago?
Oh, because I was
talking to Roe Teagarden,
and some others,
and we thought
that it would be--
Some others?
As in the true-crime addicts
from the Real Murders Club?
As a matter
of fact...
Sally.
I respect
pro-active thinking.
But we report the news,
and we get news about crimes
from the police department,
not from the minutes
from your club meetings.
Okay. Go and talk
to Detective Liggett Smith.
If she says they're taking
their investigation to Spokane,
then you can
go to Spokane.
Okay.
Okay.
[]
Bubba! Hi!
I was just going
to talk to Mrs. Totino.
I wanted to offer
my condolences.
Uh, yeah, well,
she's not there.
What?
The innkeeper said
she packed up her things
and left,
middle of the night.
Oh. Did you know
she was leaving?
No.
We had an appointment
for her to sign some papers,
and she never
called to cancel.
I guess the discovery
of those bodies
must have hit her pretty hard.
Yeah. Must have.
Well...
guess I better FedEx these
to her in Portland.
It's good to see you, Roe.
Hey, uh--
-Bubba?
-Yeah?
Do you mind sending me
her address in Portland?
I want to send
her a card.
Yeah, you bet.
I'll text it to you later.
-Okay.
-See ya.
[Knocking at door]
Martin! Hi.
Hi. I got your message.
What's this about
you going out of town?
I'm going to Portland
to find Melba Totino.
Mm-hmm.
Well, not alone, you're not.
I'm coming with you.
[]
So, Mrs. Totino lives
here with her sister?
Alicia.
Yeah, this is the address
Bubba gave me.
Wonder which one of
them rides the bike?
Oh, well, my guess is Alicia
probably has a grandchild.
[Knocking]
Oh, hi.
My name's Aurora.
Young man, how many times
have I told you,
don't open the door
to strangers!
Can I help you?
Yes. We're looking
for Melba Totino?
Who?
Oh, I'm sorry.
We were given this address
for Melba Totino
or her sister Alicia Minault?
Alicia. Uh, yeah.
This is her house.
I rent it from her.
But Alicia and her sister
don't live here?
No.
Alicia
gets her mail here,
and I guess
I've seen some come
for someone
named Totino, too.
But my son and I,
we're the only ones
who live here.
Did you just move in?
No, we've lived here
almost four years.
Oh, that's right when
the Julius family disappeared.
Ma'am, do you
know where
we might find
Alicia or her sister?
Uh...
I have no idea.
I never see Alicia.
Everything gets
taken care of by Drew,
her handyman.
He comes by once a week
to grab the mail
and fix stuff.
I don't like him.
He yells at my son.
How do you get
in touch with him?
I call him.
Do you want his number?
AURORA: Yes!
That would be fantastic.
Might not be such
a good idea to call him.
It'd be too easy to hang up
on someone asking
too many questions.
We might have more luck
face-to-face.
[]
Ma'am?
I'd like to help
your faucet spring a leak
so you have to call Drew
to come and fix it.
What would make that
worth your trouble?
[chuckles]
You don't
have to pay me.
I would be happy
to cause that man
to go out of his way.
I mean, honestly,
he yells at children.
[]
So we just park
down the street
and wait
for him to come?
Oh, but Miss Teagarden,
there is so much more
to a stakeout than just that.
Oh, really?
They have
stakeout classes
in spy school,
do they?
Of course!
Stakeout strategy's a big part
of the curriculum.
Oh, really?
Well, then please,
teach me everything you know.
This is called
"scrunching."
It's a basic
stakeout technique.
What do you think?
Mm. I don't know.
It's pretty advanced.
It was developed by
high-level operatives
in the field,
to help the stake-er
avoid being seen
by the stake-ee.
Mm, except I think
there's a glitch
in your technique,
because now I can't see
the stake-ee either.
Well, that can
be helped
by the second
technique.
It's called...
neck-stretching.
[laughing]
[joins in laughter]
Man, the truth is,
stakeouts are boring,
and a big reason why
I switched careers.
Oh, I am anything
but bored.
Thank you
for coming with me.
And for passing along
all your spy wisdom.
Oh, you mean
all my little
lessons learned from
time in the field?
Well, you helped me
look at this mystery
from a different angle.
I'm glad I was
able to add to
your already-impressive
sleuthing skills.
Yeah, but you also
gave me a sore neck
from all
that scrunching.
[playfully]
Oh, no!
Oh!
That's
the green-and-white truck!
That's the truck
that followed me
from the library
to the house.
Yeah. It sure is.
Boy, that truck gets around.
We're 200 miles
from Lawrenceton.
That must be the guy
who grabbed me.
Yep. And I'm gonna
go knock him out.
No! Wait!
Wait, wait.
I know him. Um...
I've seen his picture.
Sally showed me.
That's Harley Dimmoch!
That's Charity's
boyfriend.
[]
Harley Dimmoch attacked me?
Why?
I'm gonna go ask him.
No!
We have to
think about this.
Okay. If Harley
is working for Alicia,
Mrs. Totino's sister,
then does that mean
that Harley killed
the Julius family
and convinced Mrs. Totino
to stay quiet
for the money
she'd inherit?
Maybe Mrs. Totino agreed
to split the money
with her sister.
But why would Harley
kill Charity,
the woman he loved?
Roe, you're spinning
theories again.
You're right.
We don't need theories.
We need answers.
Okay.
We need to wait
for him to leave again,
and then follow him.
Yes, ma'am.
[]
Oh! Detective Smith!
Do you have a minute?
No.
Okay, Lynn. I know
you have a job to do,
but so do I,
and Macon wants to run
an update on this case
each and every day.
Your problem, not mine.
Well, I think
keeping the public of informed
of your progress on this case
is your problem, too.
And as soon as I get progress,
I will let you know.
Okay. Lynn...
can you just tell me
if you're planning
on going to Spokane to look for
the guy in the white car?
Call me crazy,
but our first step is to confirm
the identity of the bodies,
then, mm, I don't know,
come up with a cause of death.
When I quote you,
how should I describe your tone?
[sighs]
Call it frustrated.
Off the record?
This case has been
a bitter pill to swallow,
because I know it might have
been solved years ago
if I had
only been more thorough.
I just-- I'm not used to
second-guessing myself, and...
it's humbling.
I can't believe
I'm telling you this.
Neither can I.
If you put one word of this
in print--
ARTHUR: Lynn!
Captain Burns needs to
talk to you right away.
The coroner just called.
[sighs]
[]
[]
BURNS: This case is
getting bigger by the minute.
LYNN: Well, this definitely
puts everything into question.
Nice try, Sally.
You know, I gotta say
you are turning into
a true dogged reporter.
Really? You think so?
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
I mean, your editor's
gonna be very proud.
Why, thanks, Arthur!
Goodbye, Sally.
John, it's Sally.
I'm at the police station,
and the coroner
just dropped a bomb on them,
but I couldn't find out
what it was, so what do I do?
What would Roe do?
Roe would go
talk to the coroner.
LeMaster plays golf with him
every week.
I'll call him,
and we'll meet you
at the coroner's office.
The coroner's office?
I thought you were
gonna give all that up?
Aida, I love you,
but I don't think
I'll ever be able
to resist the call
of solving a mystery.
[]
[sighing]
Sally told me
that Harley lives
in Vancouver, Washington,
right across the river
from Portland.
That should've been
a red flag for me,
seeing how close
he lives to Mrs. Totino.
MARTIN: Or where
you thought she lived.
AURORA: Well, right.
I mean, we still
don't know where she is.
Well, if you're not
gonna let me
beat it out of the guy,
we should call the police.
They'll haul him in
and make him talk.
Yeah, that might
be our best option.
Okay, but should I call
the local police,
or should I call Lynn?
Oh. Here he comes again.
Let's see
where he goes.
Wait, wait.
Just leave me here.
Why would I do that?
Because I want
to look around.
I want see if I can find
anything that tells me
where Mrs. Totino
or her sister are.
Roe, I'm not leaving
you here--
Yeah, but if you stay
on Harley's tail,
then I'll be safe.
Plus,
you can beat him up
without me stopping you.
Tempting, but--
Look! He's leaving! Go.
Follow him. You don't
want to lose him.
You tricky little--
[truck rumbling]
Ted! We were just coming
to see you. How're you doing?
Oh, LeMaster.
Good to see you.
I'm busier than normal,
and a little boggled.
Well, that's why
we're here.
You remember John
from the golf course?
Oh, sure, hello, John.
Ted, nice
to see you again.
And this is my friend,
Sally Allison,
from the paper.
Ah, Miss Allison.
Hi. I think I've interviewed
you for a story before.
Mm-hmm.
Sally was just
at the police station,
and heard you'd made
a surprising discovery.
Oh, they've released
that information already?
Uh, yes.
Detective Liggett Smith said
that your findings
would change everything.
Ah. A third of
everything, anyway.
Well, the first
two skeletons,
they were definitely
that of a middle-aged
man and woman,
consistent with
T.C. and Hope Julius.
And the third
skeleton?
It wasn't at all
what we thought it would be.
The third skeleton...
well, it didn't belong
to a young woman,
as we expected.
It belonged
to an elderly woman.
That doesn't
make any sense.
No, it doesn't to us, either.
I'm on the my way
down to the morgue now.
I've gotta come up with a plan
on how to identify this woman.
Okay, well, thanks
for your time, Ted.
Thank you!
[]
Oh, no,
it can't be.
What do you want?
You're Charity Julius,
aren't you?
I have no idea
what you're talking about.
No, wait, no.
I know you're her.
I know you're Charity.
I've seen your picture,
but you're supposedly dead.
You are crazy.
No! No--
-Oh!
-[slam]
Hey!
Charity!
Open the door!
You shouldn't have come here.
You'll ruin everything.
Charity!
Charity! Open the door!
[]
Now, who are you?
Alicia Minault
or Melba Totino?
[click]
Charity, come on!
[Aurora pounding]
[lock engages]
My phone!
I don't have my phone.
Hey, Charity?
Do you know how excited
everyone in Lawrenceton's
gonna be to find out
that you're still alive?
Shut up!
I hate Lawrenceton!
Well, everybody's
so worried about you.
I said, shut up!
I'll see you later
at your house.
"River Taxi"...
[phone ringing]
Harley?
You have to get back here now.
Someone came to the door
and recognized me.
Yeah, I locked her
in the closet.
[]
Oh, that's not good.
[starts engine]
I don't know
what to think.
If the third body
isn't Charity Julius,
then who?
Elderly woman...
Maybe we should do
a little searching
on Melba Totino?
Couldn't hurt.
[keys clacking]
"Alicia Minault, left,
and Melba Totino, right,
"show off their third-
"and first-place ribbons
from the Tigard Garden Festival.
"The sisters often
compete with each other
in the flower-show circuit."
That's not Mrs. Totino
on the right.
She's on the left.
Unless the woman
we know as Mrs. Totino
is really her sister?
Well, what happened
to this sister?
Oh...
[]
[footsteps]
She's still in there.
HARLEY: Who is it?
I don't know,
some lady.
[cocks hammer]
[]
[thud]
[both grunting]
Don't move!
Oh, no.
It's the lady
that bought your house,
the one Alicia sent me
to get rid of.
Alicia?
[]
What are you waiting for?
Just shoot her.
Just make sure
you don't shoot
the CIA agent standing
outside your front door.
What CIA agent?
The one who told me
where to find you.
No. She's lying.
Go and see.
Look out the window.
Charity, look.
Did you see any CIA people
when you drove up?
No. There aren't
any CIA people out there.
[crashing]
[thud]
[]
Oh, I knew you'd be there.
Thank you for being there.
Well, we know
this is Harley Dimmoch.
Who's this?
That is Charity Julius.
If Harley tries to tell you
this was all my idea,
don't you believe him.
He was the one
who got into a fight
with my dad
and hit him over the head
with a hammer,
and then when
my mom came to see
what the yelling
was about--
He panicked
and hit her, too?
Right there
in the closet Harley
was helping your Dad build.
Who told you that?
Was it my Aunt Alicia?
Well, I bet
she didn't tell you
that it was her idea
to kill my grandmother, did she?
And pretend to be her
so you could all
could get the money?
And then make up a story
about a man in a white car
coming to get you to dinner?
No, she didn't tell me that.
You just did.
All three of them were dead
before Parnell
came over to pour concrete,
weren't they?
And you put on your mother's wig
in the kitchen
so he would think
that you were her.
She was gonna die anyway.
That's what Alicia said.
It made me feel better
for awhile.
[]
AURORA: Hey, Lynn.
You might want to think about
driving down to Portland.
Well, it just so happens,
I'm already in Portland.
Oh, let me guess.
You found out
that one of the bodies
is not a teenaged girl,
but an older woman?
And you know this how?
Let me give you
an address nearby,
and I will tell you everything.
[Sighing]
[Police radios crackling]
Thanks for
calling us, Roe!
I'm glad there's some
resolution to this story,
even if it's
an awful one.
Yeah, family members
turning on each other.
Terrible decisions
made in the heat
of the moment.
Yeah, and money
makes it even worse.
LYNN: I just spoke
with the taxi company,
and we have several officers
tracking Alicia Minault down--
-...Right now.
-Do you mean--
...the River Taxi
company?
Oh, no. Keep going!
Keep going!
Stop that cab!
All right. Let's go.
Can you guys get your cameras
and take some pictures?
Yeah. Yeah, sure.
[cuffs clicking]
Alicia Minault,
you are under arrest.
You have the right
to remain silent,
anything you say
can and will be used
against you
in a court of law.
You have the right
to an attorney--
This is all your doing.
I should have never
sold you that house.
If you cannot afford
an attorney,
one will be
provided for you.
There you go.
[door shuts]
Well, you did
foil their plot,
with your sheer
dogged determination
to get to the truth.
Well, I did have
this amazing
spy-school teacher
who helped quite a bit.
I'm worried I might have
a crush on him, though.
Oh, do you, now?
I guess we'll have to
discuss that
when we get back home
then, won't we?
Mm. I guess we will.
[radio crackling]
I think that we're gonna
be very happy here.
"We're"?
I'm!
I said "I'm,"
didn't I?
No, you didn't,
actually.
Oh, I must have
misspoken then.
My dear
Miss Teagarden,
you don't ever misspeak.
Well, then, have I told you
how glad I am
that you don't make me
choose between what I love to do
and who I love?
Oh, your mom and John
will be fine,
they'll work things out,
even if they don't
get married right now.
I hope so.
Wait, did you just say
you love me?
You don't miss a thing, do you?
Not when it comes
to the girl that I love.
I just remembered.
Remembered what?
The rule that states
anytime the word
"love" is used,
the date counts
as double.
We have hit 25 dates.
Then that makes us official.
[]