The World of Forensic Medicine
Gentlemen, you are about to enter the most fascinating sphere of police work.
The World of Forensic Medicine
Lights!
Can't sound?
Bring it!
Let's go with that take and the one with the light.
Oh, uh, maybe we can use a piece of it.
What's next, the aftermath?
Scene 386 and 388, aftermath of killing and discovery of a body.
Are you ready for the blood spattering, young man?
Yeah, and please hustle. We're about three hours behind.
Bob was our technical advisor. This is absolutely critical. I want everything. Double check.
Good luck. Quiet on set! Everybody, freeze!
If it isn't an inconvenience, doctor, you'll want it on the set.
Oh, no, you'd feel awfully guilty if you knew the dream. You just interrupted.
Okay.
Where is he?
Oh, I'm sorry. Working two jobs is murder. I had to stay late at the lab last night to catch up.
What do you need?
The next time we see our leading man, he's at court. So I want you to make sure he looks the part.
Okay.
No, I think the exit one's a little high. Be careful with the tears. I'll check it later.
Kenny, make yourself comfortable at the table, okay?
Sure.
Listen, if I see anything that's not real anywhere, you don't want me to pull any punches, do you?
No, I don't. That's why you are here, doctor. I want the death in this picture to be as authentic as the lives.
Then I think you ought to get somebody else beside a house painter to slap that phony blood on.
Well, he's hardly a house painter. That's our art director, Farley.
Yeah.
Our technical advisor says we got a problem on the blood. How does that sound?
Well, no offense, but when you movie people, it's always raining blood like Pharaoh's plague. Is that so?
At the rehearsal, didn't you place the victim's head at the edge of the bed here?
At least he was awake for the rehearsal.
Do you mind?
Now, blood splatters in the shape of a cone. It gets wider as it gets farther out.
Now, if his head was placed here, you see, the splatter's too wide. No, no, it was in the middle of the bed somewhere.
But listen, maybe nobody will care.
I'll care. I mean, look at this set. This whole thing was recreated down to the last detail.
The wallpaper's the same that was in Harlan Sawyer's room.
I'm only talking about the blood.
But that's accurate too. If you don't think so, go talk to the police photographer who was there.
Is this an actual crime scene photo?
I hate to disappoint you, but yes.
Can I see the rest of them, please?
That's the only one we've got, and let me tell you in what means.
Any more comments about my blood spattering?
Oh, you did it right. There's something wrong here.
I don't believe this man.
I'm telling you, Sawyer's head was not on that pillow when he was shot.
He was either moved into that position or he fell into it.
Oh, so we're all wrong. The writers, the research people, the art director and me, everybody. We're all wrong.
I think you are.
Which means we may be looking at an incredible miscarriage of justice.
Just give your landlord this. It explains why he can't raise the rent that high.
If he won't listen, call me.
I'm Dr. Quincy. I'm with a car in his office.
Cassie Spencer.
You're Victoria Sawyer's lawyer?
Yes, I am now. I wasn't when it counted.
She had a high-priced firm defending her in the trial.
If you would call their bungling a defense.
You must have come into it on appeal.
That's right. We tried to get it overturned on procedural grounds.
I knew we didn't have a leg to stand on, but I would have done anything to get her off.
You make it sound like a personal matter.
Dr. Quincy, I've known Victoria since I was a kid.
My father cleaned pine needles out of their pool twice a week for ten years.
She took an interest in me.
She believed in me when nobody else did.
And I believe in her. She is innocent, Doctor.
Well, from what I read, she had a pretty spotty past, all those scandals.
If you classify an honest love affair as a scandal, yes.
I mean, what are we really talking about?
Victoria Sawyer is guilty of having money and being envied, not murder.
She had less of a shot at an impartial hearing than the poorest derelict on Skid Row.
You make it sound like almost reverse prejudice.
That's exactly what it was.
I think I've uncovered some new evidence in her case.
What kind of evidence?
Would you take me to see her, please?
She's been through so much.
The trial, the publicity, six years in prison.
To raise her hopes now...
Miss Spencer, if I didn't think I got help, I wouldn't be here.
Okay. She's quite a woman, Doctor.
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
I didn't mention you were going to bring anybody else.
Victoria, this is Dr. Quincy.
He's from the coroner's office in Los Angeles.
He thinks that he can help you.
Oh.
How do you do?
Would you give me a chance?
Doctor, I put my faith in a jury and a battery of very expensive lawyers.
I even had truth on my side.
But here I am.
Now, I don't mean to be rude, but if I had any faith left, I don't think I could give it to a stranger.
I'd like to try to earn it.
How?
On the way up, I asked Cassie if blood-spotter evidence had been introduced at your trial.
And I told him it had only been used to show that Harlan had been shot from behind.
That and the business about the blood on my house coat.
Would you mind telling me what happened that night?
Maybe you ought to wait and see this movie they're making.
I understand they have answers for everything.
I'd rather hear it from you.
You won't believe it. So incredible.
Vicki.
Please.
It was Sunday.
Harlan and I had had a late dinner.
We were still having coffee when the front doorbell rang.
Harlan went to answer it.
When he came back, he had these two men with him.
They were wearing stockings over their face, and they both had guns.
One of them took Harlan upstairs.
The other one, the tall one, took me into the kitchen and had me make him some hot chocolate.
That's when I noticed his hands.
And the scars, like snakes.
Ugly, intertwining snakes.
He had me make the hot chocolate, but he never touched it.
He just took a can of soup and put it in his coat pocket.
Then he took me downstairs into the basement.
Scared out of my mind, but he never touched me.
He just took my housecoat and went away.
He came back in a few minutes and had our wedding picture from the upstairs bedroom.
He made me step on it, and then he took it away, broken glass and all.
The police found the housecoat under the basement furnace.
It had blood on it, and it was wrapped around the cash and the jewels that had been taken from the bedroom.
They said I hid it, that I tried to make it look like Harlan was killed in a robbery.
Well, how'd you get out?
They never locked the basement door.
I managed to slip out and head for the Newlands house.
I met Jason on the way with his shotgun. He said he'd heard a shot.
We came back to the house, and that's when we found Harlan.
You ever heard the shot?
I told you it was incredible.
It's not incredible to me.
What is incredible is that you were convicted on such circumstantial evidence.
With your permission, I'd like to petition for a new trial.
Doctor, I used to love to garden.
A warm, soft earth beneath my hands.
I haven't seen a flower for six years.
Or been allowed the simple privilege of opening a door.
I've been watched in every private moment of my life.
I've had to fight off the attentions of the members of my own sex.
I've been beaten because of it, once I nearly died.
In eight months, I come up for parole.
I already have this movie calling me a killer.
And some people are against me simply because I happen to have been born wealthy.
If you open all this up now, and you're wrong, then I won't have a chance.
And if that happens, I think I'll find a way to take my own life.
Because it won't be worth living.
Not here. Not like this.
Then we won't lose.
I have enough evidence to knock that DA right out of his chair.
Is that it? Is that all you got?
Is that all? What do you want?
At the trial, you said he was asleep with his head on the pillow.
I've just proven that he was awake and sitting up when he was shot.
And everything I've said is based in science.
You're kidding yourselves.
No judge will ever reopen with anything as conjectural as that.
But what's it going to take?
Evidence. Real, hard evidence.
Look, if you two are determined to have your heads handed to you, fine.
I'll arrange for access to the exhibits from the original trial.
But let me warn you, if you fail to get it reopened,
it could seriously jeopardize our chances for parole.
Where have you been?
Why am I sick? We're rolling!
Stand up slowly.
Lower the gun.
Nice.
Now come around to the picture.
Pick it up.
Look at it.
Drop the picture.
Peel off the gloves.
Throw it down.
Now, you're going to have to do it.
You're going to have to do it.
Now, you're going to have to do it.
Look at these.
Throw it down.
Stamp on the picture.
Go to the jewelry.
Take the jewelry.
Go to the mirror.
Look in the mirror.
Look at the blood.
Roll it up.
Exit.
Cut! That's it.
So, how'd it go?
Well, you're assuming it happened this way. I don't agree with you.
You were terrific.
Kimberly, you're getting to be a regular Lady Macbeth.
Now, you go freshen your makeup, okay?
It wasn't my assumption, and it didn't start with a writer either.
It started with a jury, and it ended with two lost appeals.
I didn't pronounce sentence on Victoria Sawyer.
The way you're slamming this picture, it could be.
Oh, I see. This is all a preposterous assumption.
You're expecting me to believe that two marauders materialized...
and before disappearing into thin air, they killed Sawyer...
and put Mrs. Sawyer into an unlocked basement...
walking away with a can of vegetable soup...
leaving behind money and a fistful of jewelry.
In other words, you don't want me to ask any more questions?
No. I want you to keep asking questions, but pertinent questions.
After all, this is a very expensive production we're shooting here.
We've got a schedule.
And my reputation is on the line.
So is a woman's life.
Okay, no deal. Close up on the jewelry in the drawer.
What's the trouble, Doc? You look like you've been troubled by a herd of assholes.
What I need is a crime scene that doesn't exist anymore.
Is that a picture of it? Yeah.
I need to do a reconstruction based on a bullet holding blood splatter.
Good resolution.
Large format negative.
Heck, I could blow it up and give you the whole wall. Big as life.
You could? Sure. All I need is a reference for scale.
You know, like the tracing of the original wallpaper.
Well, you keep your fingers crossed I'll get you more than a tracing.
Get yourself set up. You got it.
There you are.
Well, if it isn't sleeping beauty.
Look, it's in the wallpaper in the bedroom. You have an extra piece.
There's a whole roll over there by the coffee machine. Help yourself.
Hey, you got the wallpaper of the morgue?
We cheer up things a bit, don't you think?
We raise it like this so that the image coincides with the pattern on the wallpaper right there.
Now you're positive that the print will be the actual size of the splatter?
If the wallpaper is the same size, the splatter will be the same size.
A dozen more like this and we'll have the whole wall reconstructed.
That's terrific, head. Then we can go back to the crime scene and reconstruct the murder.
Right.
That's the house.
What do you say is living there now?
Harlan's nephew, Kit Sawyer. According to Victoria, he's an aspiring comic.
And that's the Newlands house.
The neighbors who discovered the body?
Uh-huh. Although from what I understand, Mrs. Newland discovered Sawyer's body a couple of years before he died.
They were having an affair?
They tell me Harlan's little black book was the Beverly Hills directory.
Talk about old. She knew Madame Butterfly when she was a caterpillar.
She claims she just turned 30.
Looks like your friend's had a little too much to drink, huh?
Hey, if you've got a minute, I'd just like to try something out here.
Oh, we're in an awful hurry.
I know, I know. But I'm playing the gag gulch tonight.
And I just need a little rehearsal. First time in front of a live audience. Just sit down.
One minute.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the gag gulch.
I'd like to welcome this trio right here in the front row.
Bring around the drinks, please. And pour one drink. Guy's skull right here. This is great.
Guy's sitting with a hole in his head.
You know, I personally came from a very tough neighborhood.
Tell you, talk about tough.
A cat with a tail was a tourist.
It was tough. A lot of tough.
You people having a good time here?
I mean, sitting out there like a mural.
Uh, Kit, I hate to interrupt, but we've really got to get started.
I guess we do have to.
Oh, okay. Well, we can get back to this.
But very nice. Very nice. Good material.
Kit, maybe it'd be easier for you if you waited downstairs.
Hey, if I'm not in the way, I'd just assume the state would see the whole show.
You know, after Hannah's at the movie company, they did a terrific job duplicating this room.
When I first moved in, I had the place cleaned, painted over.
Three coats. That's what it took to cover it.
Well, let's get the wallpaper back on.
Thank you, Kit.
Here come the Newlands. I told them what you were doing, and they offered to help.
Do you mind if I bring them up?
It's your house.
You see, it's drilled to match the accidental wounds from the autopsy report.
And this dowel will give us the trajectory of the bullet.
That's pretty ingenious.
We aim to please.
Cassie Spencer, Dr. Quincy, this is Mr. and Mrs. Newlands.
Hello. Hi.
We've met years ago, around the time of the trial.
We didn't mean to interrupt, but if there is anything at all, we can do.
I always felt that Vicki got a fair shuffle in court.
Neither of you remembered anything since, have you?
Something that might shed new light.
Just what Victoria told us.
Cassie, I've got feelings that we're admissible.
She wouldn't be in prison right now.
Is this the new evidence that Kit was telling us about, Doctor?
Well, you could say it's a new way to look at old evidence.
Ah. Is it permitted to ask exactly what it is you're doing, Doctor?
Well, I'm about to prove that Victoria was too short to have shot her husband.
Looks like you're about to string us all along, Doc.
That's very good, Kit.
This string is important.
It represents the path the blood splatters followed.
Now, if it has to be bent around something to get to a blood splatter,
that means your head is not in the right position yet.
Somewhere in line with this dowel was the victim's head and the gun barrel.
Now, everything proves out.
The only position that could possibly account for the blood pattern on the bed,
the dowel speaks on the wall.
Mr. Newlands, when you found the body, did you touch anything,
move anything on the bed at all?
No. When I saw Harlan lying there, I...
I never even walked in. I couldn't.
That's what I figured. Nothing was touched.
Aim the gun, will you?
No, no, no. Excuse me. No. See?
Because of the small amount of powder residue on the back of the victim's head,
the gun was about at least 18 inches away.
You're about as tall as Victoria, aren't you?
Yeah, just about the same.
Look how far your arm is above your line of sight.
Nobody could possibly fire like that.
Fascinating.
Yes, it is.
Because now we know whoever fired that shot was at least 12 inches taller than Victoria Sawyer.
It's me.
Hatch.
You seen today's paper?
That's right.
Who the hell knows what they come up with?
Look, this is it. I want one more payment.
I want one more payment.
40,000 and a first-class ticket to Amsterdam.
I'm not that happy about being seen with you either.
So bring the 40, and don't forget the ticket, or else my memory is going to get so sharp,
you're going to be absolutely amazed.
You're going to be absolutely amazed.
Primarily on the expert testimony of one of the foremost authorities in blood splatter analysis.
As well as a widely recognized...
The court is already well-versed in Dr. Quincy's credentials.
What we would like to know is, where the hell is he?
Your Honor, I'm terribly sorry. I'm late. I got stuck in an elevator with three pregnant women.
Save your testimony for this man.
If we try this judge's patience any further, we're going to blow our case right through the roof.
Well, she fainted. She was pregnant. What was I going to do?
Well, the simplest way I can put it is, you should think of the blood splatter as something of a signature to a violent death.
Each one is unique to the precise circumstances.
What were you able to conclude from the photographs of the splatter in this case?
Well, if the victim had been asleep with his head on the pillow,
and the gun had been fired from here, as was testified in her trial,
the blood splatter would not be that high on the wall.
And the nearest streaks would be parallel to the floor, not angling down as these do.
What does the splatter tell you did happen?
Well, the diagram pretty well tells the story.
He was not asleep with his head on the pillow.
The victim was sitting up on the bed with his head in that position.
Now, from the pattern of blood on the right arm, we know that his hand was raised to his face,
as if he were flinching from something or to ward off a blow.
Objection, your honor.
How could the doctor possibly know why the man's hand was raised?
Sustained. Confine yourself to facts you can substantiate.
What about the position of the murder weapon?
Well, from our analysis, using a mannequin,
the gun was here, well above the line of sight of a woman of Victoria Sawyer's height.
Now, whoever pulled the trigger was 12 to 14 inches taller.
Then, in your opinion, Victoria Sawyer didn't pull the trigger,
couldn't have because of her height, and is not guilty of killing her husband?
That's my opinion, yes.
Thank you, Dr. Quincy. I have no more questions.
Your witness, counselor.
No questions, your honor.
Thank you, doctor. You may step down.
Doctor, would you kindly tell us your credentials?
I'm a medical doctor with 11 years experience in forensic pathology.
How much can he hurt us?
I don't know. He's a hired forensic gun.
He won't lie, but I've seen him bend his head and pull the trigger.
He won't lie, but I've seen him bend the truth like a willow.
And Dr. Morgan, could you also please tell us how you got your results?
I reconstructed the crime according to the patterns of blood spatter,
much the same as Dr. Quincy.
And how did your analysis compare with Dr. Quincy's findings?
Well, first off, there is no doubt that the victim's head was well above the mattress.
Then you agree with Dr. Quincy?
I agree that the victim did not have his head down on the pillow.
But when the height of the head is determined, it is only an approximation.
If Dr. Quincy's approximation were only three inches too tall,
in other words, the victim's head was lower,
as you can see, this would translate to an assailant six to eight inches shorter.
As much as that.
Oh, he's talking about six inches. I'm talking about 12 to 14.
And the height of the weapon may vary for other reasons also.
If the shooter were inexperienced, she might hold the weapon.
Objection! Your Honor, I object to his assumption of gender.
Sustained.
If the shooter were inexperienced, he or she might hold the weapon like this,
with both hands close to the body.
Now this would increase the angle, making the assailant appear taller.
And, of course, there is an even simpler explanation.
The person who shot Harlan Sawyer could have been wearing high heels.
If you were in a nightgown, why would you be wearing high heels?
This guy isn't even talking scientifically.
Now he's making assumptions way outside his field of expertise.
In your expert opinion, then, Doctor,
could a woman of Victoria Sawyer's height have fired the fatal shot?
In my opinion, yes, it is possible.
Thank you.
No more questions, Your Honor.
Do you wish to cross-examine?
Let's talk first.
Your Honor, I have no questions at this time.
However, I reserve the right to recall the witness.
This hearing is adjourned until 2 p.m.
This forensic gangster with his half-truths is going to bury us.
Now we've got to dazzle that judge with footwork.
Can you get him to the scene of the crime,
so we can play this whole thing out for him?
Well, he's not exactly Santa Claus, but I'll give it a try.
What happened?
You're not going to believe this.
I'm going to tell you what happened.
What happened?
You're not going to believe this.
I talked to Judge Simon.
He thought it was a brilliant idea.
He bought the whole thing.
Why aren't you smiling?
I didn't see Kit.
I called him at home from the judge's chambers to make arrangements.
The fire department answered.
They just put out a fire that gutted the entire master bedroom.
What about the cross-examination?
I talked to Judge Simon.
I gave him your arguments.
All right.
Be seated, please.
I needn't remind you that the presumption of innocence
is the cornerstone of our judicial system.
However, once an individual is convicted,
the owner shifts to the defense,
guilty until proven innocent, as it were.
Now, I'm not going to keep you in suspense.
I find the evidence presented insufficient to reopen.
Motion for a new trial is denied.
Ms. Sawyer is remanded to the custody of the sergeant at arms.
Court is adjourned.
The court is adjourned.
Good night, Pete.
Good night, Dr. Pinsy.
Pete, I've got that John Doe's file.
Tell Eddie to take some pictures of his hands right away.
I'll be up in my office. I've got to make some calls.
Right away, Dr. Pinsy.
Victoria, I don't blame you for feeling about me the way you do,
but please, I'm begging you, take a look at this picture.
No! No more!
I don't want to see what you have.
I don't want to hear anything you have to say.
You think this is the hand of the man who put you in the basement?
Please, take a look at the picture.
Please.
It's him.
You want my honest opinion, Quincy?
I think you're a nice, bright fellow who's got his head stuck
in a bucket full of compassion.
I mean, what did you expect the woman to say
after she'd been blasted out of court?
No, those are not the same scars I saw six years ago
in the pale light of my basement.
Come on, are we kidding?
I know you're wrong. I just can't prove it.
What the hell did you get in your shoe?
Oh, I stepped in some fool's earth on the set.
Was there any footprint evidence in the Sawyer case?
Best of my knowledge, there was no make-up or prints inside or out.
How about on the carpet?
Blood. As a matter of fact, we took the carpet as evidence,
but we didn't use it in the trial.
It's dark brown like this, didn't show a hell of a lot.
You still have it?
Sure, in storage.
Can I get it now? I mean now?
Why?
On second thought, I withdraw the question.
Thomas and Quince, your John Doe with the scars was shot in the lumberyard.
There was a lot of fine dirt on the ground.
We got some very nice footprints on the assailant.
Oh, well, whatever you did to me before,
you've more than made up for it now.
Again with the cheek.
Hi.
What's up?
You look like you've fallen asleep with the wheel.
Where the devil have you been?
Trying to get you a good ending to your picture.
What are you, crazy?
I've held that production for two days
waiting to see how the appeal came out.
I'm going with my original ending.
But it's not the right ending.
You lost the appeal, didn't you?
Yeah, but they're wrong.
Listen, give me 24 hours.
I'll give you an ending nobody'll ever walk out on.
I promise you.
We can't wait.
I've had the entire company holding its breath for two days.
When they finally exhale, it's going to cost the studio $30,000.
Just 24 hours to pull everything together.
The guys with the adding machines are already after my scalp.
They're the guys that'll be carrying you on their shoulders when you pull this thing off.
This could be a very important picture.
You'll be up there with John Ford, with George Stevens.
You can even win an Academy Award with this.
You're stroking me.
A little bit, but I'm not lying honest.
24 hours, one day, not a minute more.
Oh, thank you. Listen, you can start making room on your mental for that Oscar.
Here's what I want you to do.
Yes? Yes?
Uh-huh.
Well, it would be a bit inconvenient for me.
I'm just on my way to work.
I see.
Well, if it's that important, I guess we could do it.
Right.
Goodbye.
Who was that?
It was the director of that film there, maybe.
Who was that? It was the director of that film there, making about the Sawyers.
They're sending a limousine for us.
Wants us to come down to the studio and...
advise them on a scene.
The delays haven't been easy on any of us.
But I think I can say with some assurance that we'll all be able to wrap pretty soon.
I've asked our technical advisor, Dr. Quincy, to give us a definitive explanation of the murder.
Based on some startling new evidence.
Doctor? Thank you.
Look, instead of talking, I thought it would be more effective if we dramatized it.
So with your indulgence, Sam, would you help me out be the victim?
Right in the middle of the bed there, please.
And I need a murderer. Lieutenant Monheny, am I?
Well, as long as no one accuses you of typecasting.
Okay.
Why don't you get on those marks?
Now, the second man was standing right there.
Mr. Newlands, would you help us out, please?
Oh, sure. Excuse me, darling. If there was a second man...
Thank you.
Oh, Lieutenant, I'm awfully sorry, but you see, a little too short for the part.
It's the only size I come in.
Sorry, thank you very much. We need somebody taller.
Kit, why don't you come down and give us a hand?
All the years of struggling have paid off. I've been discovered.
I'll help my Aunt Dr. Quince any way I can.
All right, Kit, stand on those marks. Don't reveal the gun until I tell you to.
All right, we're all ready. Now, please, try to do everything exactly the way I tell you.
Mr. Newlands, hold that gun threateningly at Sam.
Sam, try to shield your face with your right hand.
Pull the gun and shoot Sam immediately. Pull.
That's it. May I have the gun, please? Thank you very much.
Would you take this gown, sir? Lie it right there on the floor.
Now, dip the hands in the blood. Oh, it's only colored, sir. Please, go ahead.
Take more. Now, would you shake it lightly over there, please? Right over the husk hole.
More over there. Down here more.
Thank you very much.
You'll notice the droplets have a circular pattern, just like the stains on Victoria Sawyer's housecoat.
If they had been back-splattered, as the prosecution contended, we would see streaks, not the circular drops like these.
Now we know how the blood got on her coat. It was put there deliberately.
I still don't know how you even know there was a second man.
Could I have the black lights, please? Killer lights! Give me UVs!
This is a part of the actual rug from the Sawyer bedroom.
I got it out of storage from the DA's office.
We've sprayed it with luminal, which makes the blood stain fluoresce under ultraviolet light.
This is where the blood ran off the bed.
The second person was standing here when the gun was fired. That's why there's no blood directly under or behind the footprints.
Notice.
They're not just any footprints. See how round and wide the footprint is?
They were made by someone with a special shoe, designed for an abnormal foot.
You're insane.
Lights!
These unusual footprints also showed up recently at another place, a lumber yard.
The scene of a murder.
The victim had badly scarred hands, the same scarred hands that killed Harlan Sawyer.
Darling, you don't have to say another word to these people.
Not until we've spoken to a lawyer.
Oh, this is madness. I had nothing to do with Harlan's murder.
Those couldn't be my prints. I wasn't even in the room.
I know you didn't. I also know you weren't at the lumber yard.
But your shoes were.
Who...who could have done it?
Someone who had easy access to your clothes, someone who had a reason to kill Harlan,
someone who had reason to put on a disguise and kill the man who threatened one court to secret.
I noticed that you cleaned your fingers on the towel after you acted out the splattering.
The killer's accomplice, the one with the special shoes, did the same thing on that rug there.
Lights!
Now this is where the side of the finger was wiped on the rug.
This is the fingertip. This curve is the nail.
The nail is at least a half inch long.
Lights!
A woman's nails.
That's utterly absurd.
Mr. Newlands, I'd like to take you back to the night of the murder.
The night you heard that shot.
Did you actually hear that shot?
Or did your wife wake you up and tell you she heard the shot?
After she got back into her nightgown.
Tell them, Jason.
For God's sakes, tell him you heard the shot.
Tell them!
We've got a warrant for your arrest, ma'am.
We're charging you for the murder of Harlan Sawyer.
What an ending.
Yeah.
John Ford.
Oh, Danny, I'm glad you're pouring the champagne.
I'm sorry the screening was long and we're late.
When you ordered it must be a humongous occasion.
The screening must have been dynamite.
I think you're going to like the picture.
It really is good. They've softened your role quite a bit.
And they're going to use the last scene to show how easily an injustice like this can occur.
Anyway, we're not here to drink to a screening.
We're here to drink to freedom.
And to new friends.
Hey, new friends.
What did the D.A. say?
He joined us in our motion for a new trial.
And we've got enough evidence against Mrs. Newlands, I wouldn't worry.
Good.
Yeah, you know, they really put a rush in that movie.
I can't believe they cut it already.
Well, they want to take advantage of the publicity.
They don't have to rewrite the last scene.
Oh, is that what the director was talking to you about?
Oh, he understands what an important part the medical examiner's office played in the picture.
So he's writing a part for me.
What's so funny?
What do you know about acting?
Are you?
I was in a drama club.
We did Christmas Carol every year.
I played the same part every year.
What are you talking about?
What was that, Scrooge?
Not Scrooge.
That was the lead.
That's got a lead on Broadway now.
You're kidding?
I know. Bob Cratchit.
It wasn't Bob Cratchit.
It wasn't important.
I'll tell you.
It was the guy who delivered the turkey.
Next on Hallmark, he's one of LAPD's top investigators,
and he's the only medical examiner to be honored by the Emmys five times.
Quincy, you've done a remarkable job for us.
The story continues next.
Quincy and me on the Hallmark Channel.