A Friend in Deed story
When Hugh Caldwell accidentally kills his wife during a fight, he calls his friend and neighbor, LAPD Deputy Commissioner Mark Halperin. Halperin helps Caldwell cover up the crime, then forces him to assist the following night in the drowning-murder of Halperin's own wife, a wealthy heiress whose money Halperin covets. Halperin arranges the situation to make it seem that a cat burglar, who has recently been active in their neighborhood, is the culprit in both killings, and orders Columbo to tailor his investigation to that theory. Final clue/twist: Columbo enlists the burglar's help in trapping the true murderers. Columbo creates fake files for the "burglary investigation" on which Halperin had ordered him to concentrate. While perusing the file, ostensibly to help Columbo, Halperin notes the burglar’s address. He hides jewelry taken from one of the murder scenes there, and shortly thereafter leads a raid on that apartment. Columbo confronts Halperin and accuses him of being involved in the murders. Halperin threatens Columbo’s job, and is triumphant when the planted jewelry is found in the searched apartment. However Columbo reveals that he himself is renting the apartment, that the burglar has no connection to it. Since only Columbo and Halperin knew that address, Halperin must have planted the jewelry there, which in turns means he must have been involved in the murders. The first murder victim, Janice Caldwell, is killed before the episode begins, and is seen only as a corpse. The actress playing the part is unknown. Directed by: Ben Gazzara. Story by: Peter S. Fischer.
24 total · 3 choice · 9 major · 12 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| gold digging | choice | Mark coveted his wife's wealth. He hatched a plot to kill her and inherit her fortune before she succeeded in giving the lion's share of it away to charity. |
| how to murder someone and get away with it | choice | When Hugh came to Mark for help after Hugh had accidentally killed his wife in a rage, Mark quickly hatched a plot to rid himself of his own disfavored life partner: He simply strangled her in her bath, then cajoled Hugh into making it look like the robber had come back to silence a witness. |
| spouse murder | choice | When Hugh came to Mark for help after Hugh had accidentally killed his wife in a rage, Mark quickly hatched a plot to rid himself of his own disfavored spouse. |
| blackmail | major | Columbo staged for Artie to blackmail Hugh as part of a plot to expose Richard's involvement in the murders. |
| burglary | major | The first murder was framed as a burglary gone wrong, and the crime was pinned on a professional burglar who mentioned three other burglaries that he had, in fact, committed. |
| covering up a crime to save a friend | major | Mark seemed like a true friend to Hugh when he helped Hugh cover up the accidental killing of his wife. Alas, Mark had the ulterior motive of seeing an opportunity to use Hugh to dispose of Mark's own disfavored wife. |
| framing someone for a crime | major | Richard tried to pin two murders on an area burglar. |
| friendship | major | Mark seemed like a true friend to Hugh when he helped Hugh cover up the accidental killing of his wife. Alas, Mark had the ulterior motive of seeing an opportunity to use Hugh to dispose of Mark's own disfavored wife. |
| husband and wife | major | Mark and his wife went through the motions of being affectionate all the while sniping sarcastically at each other. Then Mark killed her to get her heiress money. |
| law enforcement | major | The bumbling but sharp-witted homicide detective Lt. Columbo was tasked with the following murder mystery: Was Hugh's wife really slain by a burglar who later came back to silence LAPD Deputy Commissioner Mark's wife for being a witness, or was there a conspiracy afoot? |