Susan Clark credited as playing...
Beth Chadwick
- Beth Chadwick: Well, if I've changed, it's because I thought you'd like a more exciting woman.
- Peter Hamilton: A change, yes, but a complete metamorphosis? I'm not sure, Beth, you're the same person.
- Beth Chadwick: Maybe I'm not.
- Columbo: I saw your new car, by the way. Oh, that's some automobile.
- Beth Chadwick: Thank you.
- Columbo: Really beautiful. Beautiful. I suppose you have to order those things weeks in advance, don't you?
- Beth Chadwick: Yes, that's right.
- Columbo: Yeah, that's right. Boy. Real change of pace for you, isn't it?
- Beth Chadwick: Well, I felt like something racy, as they say in advertising. A new image.
- Columbo: Yeah. Well y'now, I can understand that... I'm sorry... because it's a natural thing I think, after a death in the family... to want to break loose.
- Beth Chadwick: That's one way of putting it.
- Columbo: Gee, that's funny though.
- Beth Chadwick: What?
- Columbo: If you had to order the car some time ago...... that would mean you knew in advance you were going to change your style.
- Columbo: You see, according to your story, you were asleep at night... the alarm woke you up, you reached for a gun... and you shot what you thought was a burglar.
- Beth Chadwick: Which is exactly what happened.
- Columbo: Couldn't be. Because Mr. Hamilton, who was driving up outside... at the time, he heard both the shots and alarm.
- Beth Chadwick: Of course he did. What difference does that make?
- Columbo: Oh, big difference. He heard the shots first, then the alarm. That's the cart before the horse. I mean, how could the alarm wake you if the shots came first?
- Beth Chadwick: You always surprise me.
- Peter Hamilton: Well, that's better than being predictable, right?
- Mrs. Chadwick: You aren't even capable of running your own life.
- Beth Chadwick: I've never been allowed to run my own life.
- Beth Chadwick: I'm warning you. No more questions.
- Columbo: I wasn't going to ask a question, ma'am. I just wanted to return your bulb.
- Columbo: I couldn't sleep last night. There were a couple of points that... were bothering me so I thought I'd come over here and clear 'em up.
- Beth Chadwick: What kind of points?
- Columbo: That newspaper.
- Beth Chadwick: Newspaper?
- Columbo: Uh, yes. The one that I noticed on the table in the foyer. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't I hear you say that you... were home all day yesterday?
- Beth Chadwick: That's right.
- Columbo: See that's what puzzles me. How did that newspaper get there?
- Beth Chadwick: Haven't you ever heard of home delivery?
- Columbo: Oh, yeah. Yeah, I have a newspaper delivered to my house every morning.
- Beth Chadwick: There's your answer.
- Columbo: No. No, that won't answer it. No. No, the newspaper on the foyer table, that was a late edition. I mean, I even saw racetrack results in it.
- Beth Chadwick: I'm afraid I don't quite follow you.
- Columbo: Well, if you were home all day who brought home the newspaper?
- Beth Chadwick: Well, Bryce must have brought it home.
- Columbo: Yes, but Bryce came in through your room, he didn't come in through... the front door. I mean, he was shot on that side of the house. How did that newspaper get to the other end of the house?
- Columbo: Now, you figured that your brother had to walk around... the side of the house like this. Is that right?
- Beth Chadwick: I figure it. And so did the coroner's jury.
- Columbo: Right. Now you see you had to walk on grass.
- Beth Chadwick: Is there some point to this?
- Columbo: Yes, ma'am, there is. You see, now this grass is kind of dry because the sun's been out. Uh, well, today's Thursday. And the gardener cuts the grass on Thursday. Excuse me a minute. You see? Grass.
- Beth Chadwick: Yes. Well, that's only natural.
- Columbo: It certainly is. But you know there was no grass on your brother's shoe?
- Beth Chadwick: I'm afraid I don't quite understand.
- Columbo: Your brother was shot a week ago. On Thursday. And I looked at the... photographs of the body, I even had them blown up... and for the life of me, I just couldn't see any grass... on the soles of his shoe. And I couldn't figure that out. Why? It was freshly cut... and it was sticky because it was at night and there was dew.
- Columbo: When I was over at your house there the other day... and I was climbing up and down that ladder... I tell you, I had a thought, something else occurred to me... that's been keeping me awake at night.
- Beth Chadwick: Oh. What might that be?
- Columbo: Well, I was wondering about that burned out bulb... in front of your house. And I went over there this morning to take a look at it. And...
- Beth Chadwick: You brought it with you!
- Columbo: Oh yeah. I didn't think you'd mind.
- Beth Chadwick: No.
- Columbo: This is a hundred watt bulb. Hundred watt? Got a life 750-800 hours. Now, if your house is anything like... my house then you'll burn the outside light 8-10 hours a day. So that means it would last two, two and a half months. Is that right?
- Beth Chadwick: I'll concede to your knowledge. I don't know.
- Columbo: Thank you very much. Uh, now this is what I got to thinking. I hate to change bulbs outside my house... because no matter how tight I get that up in the lamp... you see, they attract a lot of dirt and goop and they're full of... dead bugs and I just don't even like to go up there and touch them.
- Beth Chadwick: Would you get to the point?
- Columbo: Uh, why is that bulb dirt and dust free? That bulb is clean as a whistle. Now I think that's kind of strange, don't you? Hanging there long enough to burn out, but not hanging there long enough to get dirty.
- Beth Chadwick: We're a fastidious family. If the bulb is clean it's because servants cleaned it.
- Columbo: They cleaned a burned out bulb?
- Beth Chadwick: They work in the daytime. So how would they know?