A scene from “Unfinished Business”

Teddy Graves: [after Jessica exposes him as the murderer] I never meant to kill Ben. Honest. I was working on the last batch of phony strips.

Jessica Fletcher: And wearing those white gloves to prevent leaving fingerprints on the drawings?

Teddy Graves: Yeah. I'd been working about an hour and a half. My eyes were tired; my back was starting to complain. I needed to stretch. I figured I had plenty of time before he was due to appear, so I took a break and went to the kitchen for some coffee. Then suddenly I heard the front door being unlocked. It was Ben. He wasn't supposed to get there for another hour. He saw the false strips and knew something was fishy. Then I accidentally bumped something, and he turned. Ben had a black belt in karate, and he looked like he was ready to kill, so I grabbed the Reuben Award and swung at him. Then I realized how much trouble I'd be in if they found Ben on the floor of Stan's studio, so I decided to fake his suicide. There was a commotion in the street. If the police stopped me and asked me questions, I didn't want the glove found on me, so I hid it then and there.

Jessica Fletcher: Why, Teddy? Stan Hatter told me that you're brilliantly talented, that you were on your way to a superstar career in the comic strip business.

Teddy Graves: Maybe in ten, fifteen years. Eight months working as Stan's gofer and I had it up to my skull. And that music he played, day after day. Mrs. Fletcher, that phone message you left for Stan, about how the police knew it was murder and were coming in to really go over the studio tomorrow morning...

Jessica Fletcher: It was really a message for you, Teddy. I was counting on you calling in to Stan's machine because the only way that we could prove that you were the killer was if you incriminated yourself.

Teddy Graves: That's pretty good, Mrs. Fletcher. That's pretty good.