A Stitch in Crime story
Cardiac surgeon Dr. Barry Mayfield and Dr. Edmund Hiedemann have pioneered a major medical breakthrough that Mayfield wants to publish about immediately, but Hiedemann wants to wait and do more tests. When Dr. Hiedemann's heart condition worsens, requiring the insertion of a heart valve, Mayfield performs the surgery using non-permanent sutures, that will kill his partner when it dissolves in his body. Nurse Sharon Martin, a friend of Hiedemann, who has never trusted or liked Mayfield, uncovers a suspicious piece of suture, which she takes with her from the operating room. Mayfield observes her doing this and later kills Martin in the hospital garage parking area, staging it as an apparent mugging. He later tries to pin the crime on her ex-boyfriend, a former drug addict, whom he kills as well. This episode contains one of the rare occasions when Columbo loses (or appears to lose) his temper; suddenly slamming a coffee pot down onto Mayfield's desk he angrily warns him that if Hiedemann dies, the police will have his body autopsied to check what sutures were used in his operation. Final clue/twist: Mayfield operates on Heidemann again, ostensibly for medical reasons but actually to replace the dissolving sutures. As soon as the procedure is completed, police swarm the operating suite and search for the removed sutures. Mayfield loses his composure, demanding to be allowed to leave the operating room and shoving Columbo in the process. Just as it seems that no sutures are to be found and that Mayfield is in the clear, Columbo re- enters the doctor's office and reveals that he was puzzled as to why Mayfield, always so calm and collected, would have shoved him, then realized that Mayfield used the scuffle to rid himself of the sutures. Here, Columbo pulls the sutures from the pocket of the surgical scrubs he, Columbo himself, had worn in the operating room - "the only thing not searched". The hitherto impassive Mayfield shows the first signs of distress. Nita Talbot plays Marsha, Sharon Martin's roommate. Apart from season 10's "No Time to Die", which had no murderer and is a vast divergence from the series formula, this is the only Columbo episode in which a murderer fails to kill his intended target. Directed by: Hy Averback. Story by: Shirl Hendryx.
14 total · 3 choice · 4 major · 7 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| how to murder someone and get away with it | choice | Heart surgeon Dr. Barry Mayfield found himself presented with an opportunity to ingeniously get rid of one his senior colleagues that was standing in the way of his career: Dr. Mayfield was called on to perform heart surgery on said colleague. While doing so, he clandestinely replaced the normal sutures to be used with dissolving sutures dyed to look the same. These would have dissolved a few days later and the patient would have died of heart failure that would have been hard to pin on anyone. He would surely have gotten away with it had it not been for the timely intervention of Lieutenant Columbo. Dr. Mayfield also murdered a hospital nurse and a recovered drug addict to cover his tracks. |
| medical occupation | choice | The story is set in a hospital and showcases the working life of doctors and nurses. We even see surgeons at work. |
| the desire for professional success | choice | Dr. Mayfield tried to commit murder because he wanted to advance his career more quickly. He wanted to announce success in his research project, but Dr. Hiedemann stood in the way. |
| boss and employee | major | Nurse Sharon was stuck in an awkward situation when she began suspecting that Dr. Barry might be trying to botch his surgery on Dr. Edmund. |
| doctor and patient | major | Dr. Mayfield and Dr. Hiedemann became a stereotypical doctor and patient couple, quarreling about the latter's environment and what was good for him. |
| drug abuse | major | Dr. Mayfield tried to lead Columbo astray by planting purloined morphine bottles in nurse Sharon's apartment so it would seem like she was abusing it or supplying another addict or both. Dr. Mayfield made it look like Tom, a recovered heroin addict, died of an overdoes of the stuff. |
| medical risk taking | major | The research colleagues Dr. Mayfield and Dr. Hiedemann were at odds over whether to announce their apparent medical breakthrough immediately or wait for the results of more tests. Dr. Mayfield was eager to publish their result. The elder partner, Dr. Hiedemann, had a more cautious attitude, and insisted on performing some additional tests. Dr. Mayfield resorted to an elaborate attempt on Dr. Hiedemann's life in a bid to get his way. |
| anger management issues | minor | Columbo flew off the handle and slammed a coffee pot down on Dr. Mayfield's desk causing the latter to perform open heart surgery. |
| coping with having a chronic condition | minor | Dr. Hiedemann had a bad ticker. |
| coping with the death of someone | minor | Sharon's roommate nearly broke down in tears upon being informed of her violent death. |