Murder, She Wrote Season 1 quotes

Kitty Donovan: It's a pleasure, Mrs. Fletcher. Grady's told me so much about you.

Jessica Fletcher: Isn't that a coincidence? Grady has told me absolutely nothing about you.

Chief Roy Gunderson: Folks don't go around having half their heads blown off for no reason. I'm looking for motive.

Peter: For killing Caleb McCallum? Surely, you jest. Half the country had reason to kill him. The other half didn't know him.

Preston Giles: [after Jessica exposes him as the murderer] He insisted I meet him by the pool at 11:00. The subject was blackmail. I couldn't go through that, not after all these years. I was in a blind rage. I took a gun and shot him. When I realized how easily I could have been seen ... If anyone had been outside, they could have heard the shot. Many years ago, I was betrayed by three partners in a business venture. An apartment house we built collapsed. Several people were killed. Although I had nothing to do with the construction end, I was made the scapegoat. They got off free, and I was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. After two years, I managed to escape. Don't ask the details, but the police assumed I died in the attempt.

Jessica Fletcher: Like the Count of Monte Cristo.

Preston Giles: As you well know, my favorite fictional character. Well, not everyone was convinced that I was dead. A hotshot detective, third-grade, had a hunch that I was still alive. He became even more positive when, over the next couple of years, like the Count of Monte Cristo, I financially destroyed my three ex-partners from a safe distance. Saturday was the first time I'd seen him in twenty-two years, and I didn't recognize him. But, obviously, he recognized me. He'd changed his name, as I had. But I knew that if the police ever started poking around his files, sooner or later, they'd come across me.

Jessica Fletcher: Yes, the files. That's why you dressed Baxendale up in the Sherlock Holmes outfit. To make the police think that the killer had intended to kill Caleb. You had to divert attention away from Baxendale.

Preston Giles: Yes. He was a slimy blackmailer, Jess. He threatened to destroy my life. Morally, it was a case of self-defense.

Jessica Fletcher: Preston, even if I could bring myself to believe that, there's no way that you can justify the murdering of Caleb McCallum. And you did kill him, for the same reason. To divert suspicion from yourself.

Preston Giles: Caleb wasn't much of a human being, either.

Jessica Fletcher: Oh, but he didn't deserve killing. No one deserves killing. Oh, Preston! I'm so angry! I don't know whether to scream or cry. All the way to the railway station, I was thinking about you. Twice, I nearly turned around and came back. Then, when I realized, when I read that newspaper...

Preston Giles: I'm sorry, Jess. I truly am. Another time, a different place, we might have had something. I'm going to talk to Gunderson. Would you go with me?

Jessica Fletcher: Yes. I'd like to very much.

Sheriff Amos Tupper: A hundred million dollars is a whale of a motive!

Captain Ethan Cragg: Amos, you've been reading too many of Jessica's books.

Sheriff Amos Tupper: Well, that's how much you know, Ethan. I haven't read any of them.

Ralph: An empty head is almost as bad as an empty belly.

Maggie Earl: [after Jessica exposes her as the murderer] You're very clever, Mrs. Fletcher.

Jessica Fletcher: Merely logical. You're the clever one, Maggie. Taking advantage of your father's plan, actually confessing to shooting him, knowing full well that the police investigation would exonerate you.

Maggie Earl: I hated him for what he did to me. My whole life was spent catering to that man, Mrs. Fletcher. Keeping the peace, running his home, and for what? Love? Appreciation? The only one that got any real love was Nan. And, yes, I hate her too. He should have loved me. I'm the one who gave him everything.

Lt. Floyd Novack: Would you mind doing me a great big favor?

Jessica Fletcher: I'll do absolutely anything I can to help.

Lt. Floyd Novack: Would you please get out of here?

Howard Griffin: Mrs. Fletcher, do you know how hard it is to sit in someone's living room when they'd rather be watching television and tell them how rich they're gonna be after they're dead?

Freddy York: [after Jessica exposes him as the murderer] It's my luck. It's my dumb luck. Half the people in this club wanted Drake dead, and your niece's boyfriend's gotta get tagged for it. I knew you were trouble as soon as I saw you. What was I gonna do? Spend the rest of my life workin' in this rinky-dink club? You ever try to tell jokes when someone's got their hands on your throat?

Jessica Fletcher: Surely murder isn't the answer.

Freddy York: Yeah, well, you call it murder. I call it a career move. Look at me. What do you see? I'm not just another comedian. I'm Freddy York. I'm the first guy that did his own rim shots. I'm like the Edison of comedy. I'm Robert Fulton on the drums. So Al Drake sees me one Sunday night. He says, "Kid, you're good. Here's a long-term contract. It's your shot, your big break." He broke my spirit. That man broke my heart. I couldn't let him do that. I'm a creative genius. Fair is fair. He gave me a shot. I gave him a shot. Ba-dum-bum. Should've shoved you under that stage light.

Lt. Floyd Novack: Why did you rig that?

Freddy York: Why don't you ask her?

Jessica Fletcher: I think Mr. York was afraid the charges against Howard would be dropped. They weren't strong enough. So he thought perhaps another murder attempt, particularly against himself, would point to someone else.

Freddy York: Boy, you are good. I mean, you are really, really good. You ever think of taking your act on the road? You should play Vegas. That reminds me. I better cancel my tickets. Doesn't look like I'm gonna be going. It's too bad. I could've knocked 'em dead.

Jessica Fletcher: I'm sure you would have.

Allan Gebhart: In this town, Mrs. Fletcher, we have two kinds of people. Those who are working and those in development. The ones in development spend a lot of time in the unemployment office.

Eve Crystal: [after confessing to the murder] You know, it's funny. I never wanted to be a movie star. It was all Jerry's idea. I would've done anything for him. Jerry. Scott. I sure know how to pick 'em, don't I, Mrs. Fletcher?

Dr. Edmund Gerard: [while picking up Jessica from the Seattle airport] I wasn't sure you'd do it. You're a very famous person these days.

Jessica Fletcher: Oh, no, Edmund. Elizabeth Taylor, now that is famous. Me? I still have to take a number at Hooper's Bakery, same as ever.

Amelia Brown: [after Jessica exposes her as the murderer] I went to see Lila Tuesday evening. To confront her. As I pulled up, she was just leaving. Her actions seemed strange, so I followed her. I wanted to see what she was up to. I was afraid she might have been meeting Edmund. I followed her into the warehouse. She saw me. She knew why I was there. She laughed. She threatened to tell Edmund. And I just lost my temper. I reached for the longshoreman's hook, and I just lashed at her! I ran!

Dr. Edmund Gerard: Amelia, for God's sake, why?

Amelia Brown: Because I love you.

Dr. Edmund Gerard: I had no idea.

Amelia Brown: No. None at all. Even after all these years, even after Gwen died. And then when you started up with...

Dr. Edmund Gerard: Amelia, Lila didn't mean anything to me. That was a passing thing. I could have handled it.

Amelia Brown: Are you sure?

David Tolliver: Send me a copy of the book when it's finished?

Jessica Fletcher: I may do better. You may end up being a character.

David Tolliver: What would I be? A victim? A suspect? Killer?

Jessica Fletcher: I don't know. I haven't made up my mind yet.