Father Dowling Mysteries

Come on, guys.

What'll it be?

Uncle Willie, you're killing me with tension.

Where's the courage, gentlemen?

I'll take one.

Here you go.

Two.

You opened... you name it.

Thou.

Finally got lucky.

Not lucky enough.

Ah.

See you next week.

Alex, I have to get back to work.

With what you took from me tonight,

you guys could retire.

I'm not good at losing.

Especially when the game ends so early.

Tell you what, Harlan...

Give you another crack at me.

Friday, 9:00, here.

Friday, 9:00.

Where's Alex?

I don't know. He's around here someplace.

Thanks.

Hey, Alex?

Alex?

Marilyn find you?

Uh... no, she didn't.

Where is she? Do you know?

- Looking for you. - Ah, thanks.

Hey, girls.

You have another 15 minutes out there.

What are you doing here?

Come on, let's go to work, please!

Hi, Marilyn.

What's the matter, baby?

Uh, you just startled me.

Aw. Something troubling you?

No, I'm just, uh, tired.

- My feet are killing me. - Oh, sure.

You know, somebody told me

that you were actually looking for me.

Is that true, darling?

I was going to ask you if I could have a few days off.

- Oh. - Um, I have a sick aunt in Detroit,

and... well, it's not important.

Sure, it is.

Why don't we get a drink and talk it over?

- What do you think? - Tomorrow, huh?

I... I really just need to go home.

Oh.

Okay.

See you.

That's it.

Not exactly the life I planned on my Communion day.

I guess not.

Is there anything else?

I'm afraid.

Of what?

There's a man.

I had an affair with him.

I mean, we're still friends and everything,

but a lot of people say that he's a gangster.

A bad guy.

But he's always been real nice to me.

Anyway, I...

he didn't want to marry me or anything, but...

He was at the club tonight.

And when he left, I...

I saw something.

Something I wasn't supposed to see.

The guys who run the club...

they're up to something.

I...

I feel I ought to warn him.

But you're afraid to.

The guys at the club, they...

they'd kill me if I warned Harlan.

Well, I-I can't tell you to put yourself in danger.

I don't know.

I don't know what to do.

Why don't we go to my office,

and maybe I can help you think this thing out.

Unless you're concerned that I might know who you are.

Father, you know who I am.

I'm Marilyn Kemp.

I... I dance naked.

Privacy isn't my thing.

Look...

this is my problem.

I'll...

I'll figure it out.

Anyway, thanks.

Well, I'm here if you need me.

Thanks.

Hi. It's Marilyn.

Yeah. Is Harlan there?

Uh, I-look.

Can... can you tell him that I called?

Uh, it's important.

Tell him that it's, um... it has to...

What did you do with the household money?

Me? Father, you dipped into the till

to buy the new uniforms for the parish basketball team.

Well, I promised the boys those uniforms last year,

along with these sweatshirts.

And they look terrific, don't they?

Show them to McMurtry down at the grocery store.

Maybe he'll take basketball tickets instead of cash.

Hey, now, now, wait a minute.

Now, now, this... this grocery bill,

it just can't be right.

Now, look at that... 12 cans of tuna.

Marie, you know I don't like tuna.

Father Prestwick loves it, and since you're always

inviting him to lunch and dinner...

I don't invite him.

Oh, Steve.

I was just going over the household counts with Marie.

I just heard some really bad news on the car radio.

Marilyn Kemp, she's dead.

Yeah, the guy on the radio said that she killed herself.

Her next door neighbor heard the car

running in her garage when he went to take out the trash.

He found her behind the wheel.

The engine was still running.

Carbon monoxide poisoning.

But you didn't find a note.

- No. - Well, why are you

so certain it was suicide?

Well, the way she died, for one.

The man who runs the club where she worked

said that she's been despondent for quite some time.

He doesn't know why.

You know, Marilyn was in the church last night.

She say anything to you?

No. She-she was on...

No.

What was the name of the man

who told you that Marilyn might have been suicidal?

Alex Slater.

And the neighbor who found her?

Murray Lieberman.

Mmm. Thanks, Clancy.

Let's go, Steve.

I saw her go into the confessional last night.

- Steve. - I'm not asking for anything.

- Good. - So where are we going?

Back to the rectory.

I have to make arrangements for Marilyn's funeral.

Isn't that gonna be a problem with the Bishop?

Steve, Marilyn Kemp was a member

of our church for six years. I knew her.

I don't believe she committed suicide.

I think she was murdered.

I came out to get my trash cans,

and heard the motor running in Marilyn's garage.

So I opened the door.

You found her in the car?

Yeah. Real shame. Nice girl.

Always said hello.

Was that light on?

- No. - You sure?

Absolutely.

Well, Father, I'm next door if there's anything you want.

Real shame.

Thank you, Mr. Lieberman.

What does the light have to do with it, Frank?

Frank, I can't see.

Neither could Marilyn.

Now, if Marilyn killed herself, who turned off the light?

Right. Whoever killed her.

My thought exactly. Come on.

Is it locked?

- Just give me a moment, Father. - Oh, not again.

Sister Stephanie, breaking and entering...

Frank, if you want evidence, this is the place to look.

Steve...

Look, Frank, it was open, after all.

What are we looking for, Frank?

Oh, I don't know, maybe we'll find a diary or something.

Hey, Frank, look at this.

She left a list for the milkman for today.

Huh?

Huh. Hardly symptomatic for a suicide, is it?