The sheriff returns, and Sam Evans arrives shortly thereafter. Sam asks who the other men are, and the sheriff says Roger Collins' attorneys. Sam asks what Roger has done, and the sheriff says he hasn't said he's done anything at all. The sheriff notes that someone tried to run down Vicki, and Sam was the last one to see her. The sheriff asks why he asked Vicki to meet with him. He says everyone is interested in what happened to Bill Malloy. The sheriff asks what Sam did after she left. He says he had another drink, then went for a drive, and no one saw him. Sam says he didn't attempt to murder Vicki. He asks the sheriff what his motive is. Frank excuses himself, and the sheriff dismisses Sam. As he leaves, he calls for one of his deputies to keep an eye on Sam.
Vicki is alone in Collinwood, and turns on all the lights in the drawing room and closes the window. The wind howls outside, and there's a knock at the door. She reluctantly approaches it, ultimately asking who it is. When Frank calls out, she's relieved. She lets him in. Frank asks who other than Roger would try to hurt her. She says David wouldn't try to kill her. Frank asks about Sam Evans, who can't account for his location last night. She says Sam wouldn't hurt her. She did say Sam was upset that she wouldn't share what she knew about Bill's possible murder. She mentions how Burke felt Sam may have had evidence to clear him. Frank spins that into Sam being a possible suspect if Roger and Sam were working together 10 years ago. Roger might have tried to break into her room, and Sam may have tried to run her down. Frank goes heads back to the sheriff's office, but not before making dinner plans with Vicki.
Liz comes downstairs asking about David. Vicki says he's likely at the old house. Liz asks if she'll go check for him. Liz calls Matthew and asks if David is with him. He's not, so she asks Matthew to search for him by the cliff. She also says Vicki is checking for him at the old house.
Mr. Garner asks the sheriff how long it takes his men to check a simple alibi. Frank arrives and asks where Sam Evans. He tells the sheriff that Sam may have withheld information in Burke's manslaughter case. His father pulls him aside and asks him not to bring up the manslaughter case. Frank says that's a motive Sam Evans has to hurt Vicki.
Sam returns to the sheriff's office and asks why he had to come back a second time. He confirms Sam doesn't have a car. He asks why he had Maggie's car last night. Sam says he already said he has no reason to harm Vicki. The sheriff says what if Vicki had information that could harm him. Information related to the manslaughter case. Sam says Vicki has no information that can harm him. The sheriff tells Sam he thinks he's hiding something.
As Vicki explores outside the old house, Matthew pushes a stone from the roof which crashes just inches in front of her.
Our thoughts
John: How quickly Vicki forgets that David locked her in a room to die. But it turns out he may not be the only one in Collinwood (other than Roger) that might want to see her harmed.
Christine: I also thought it odd that she had no reason to suspect David after he locked her up. Vicki tells Frank she's alone in the house. I was thinking Liz must be out visiting Matthew at the cottage, but then she came down the stairs a little while later. So I guess she wasn't alone after all.
John: Frank is a regular Perry Mason. He's going to stir up the pot, unaware that his father would just as soon not dig up all of Collinwood's ghosts in the process.
Christine: Let's not lose our heads here. Frank may try to emulate Perry Mason, but he's no Mason. Perry Mason would have had Matthew pegged as a suspect right away and wouldn't be wasting time chasing down the Sam Evans red herring. Maybe it's just an excuse to hang out in Collinsport so he can get to know Vicki better over dinner. Will they be dining at The Blue Whale or The Collinsport Inn?
John: Matthew has been turning up as a possible suspect in a number of ways these past few weeks, and now we actually see him try to kill Vicki. It's only Tuesday, so I expect we're going to be seeing much more of him before the week is out. Let's just hope Vicki makes it out unscathed.
Christine: Why would Matthew want to kill Vicki? Has Roger enlisted his help to keep his own hands clean? She had a strangely subdued reaction to nearly being crushed by the urn.
It's funny how matter-of-factly Sam tells the sheriff that he had a second drink, then went for a drive! That should get him in some trouble all by itself, even if it's too late for a test.
ReplyDeletePeople might say, "Yes, but it was a different time."
And that's partly true, but I doubt that a sheriff has ever been expected to take something like that lightly.
You'd think Sam might remember that Burke Devlin spent five years in prison for killing a man while driving under the influence, though it remains to be seen if he truly was the intoxicated driver.
DeletePerhaps we might hear from our legal analyst on what the laws on drinking and driving were in 1966.
Perhaps a drunk Sam was the actual driver 10 years ago... ;)
ReplyDeleteWho tried to run Vicki over? Did anyone think it could be carolyn stoddard?
ReplyDeleteI suspect Grant might be a young man, given this comment: "And that's partly true, but I doubt that a sheriff has ever been expected to take something like that lightly."
ReplyDeleteIn the 1960s, having two drinks and then driving might very well have not caused a person any legal trouble. Everyone drank everywhere, just as everyone smoked everywhere, everyone hit their kids everywhere, and everyone walked around openly sexually harassing women everywhere. Had Sam said five or six drinks, sure. But only two? Heck, a sheriff might have had that many back at the precinct.