mr. tannen?
i'm sorry to be here right now, but whenever there's an apparent suicide we are required to do an investigation to rule out homicide.
it's really just a formality.
of course we--
but i do need to ask just a few simple questions before i go.
what about trying to revive your wife?
so your wife did this sometime between 8:00 and 11:33 when you placed the 911 call?
may i ask why you left your wife alone when she had been acting in such an unstable state?
of course. so this was your wife's car?
was it in the garage when you left for dinner or did she drive it in?
was it in the garage when you left?
and no one drove it during those three days?
we are going to have to impound it for a few days to take it to the crime lab.
again, purely routine.
have you found a note yet?
a suicide note? the deceased usually leaves one.
mind if i take a look around?
minerva tannen, detective garson, i don't know if you remember me?
so, mr. tannen is your stepfather?
again, i am sorry about that night, but it is policy that we get the preliminary facts as soon as possible.
i need to ask you a few more questions about your mother's death. m
it's a little early for the prom, isn't it?
perfectly legal. so, anyway, we got the preliminary coroner's report. although the pills knocked her out, she died of the carbon monoxide poisoning from the exhaust.
well, it's just a little unusual for a suicide victim to use two methods. her choices seemed, i don't know how to put it.  improvisational.
clearly. but dying from carbon monoxide poisoning is actually pretty painless, you just basically pass out.
i suppose you're right. also we checked the phone records and there was a 911 call placed at 8:12. it was a hang up and when the 911 dispatcher called back a few minutes later, there was no answer.
any idea why she'd call 911?
not a problem, will he be home tonight?
i really appreciate you taking the time to help us out. there's just a few loose ends we want to tie up.
mr. tannen, i'd really like to just finish this up, i've got real homicides that need attention. how about if i just ask you some questions and the one's you don't want to answer, we'll just skip?
terrific. now, the preliminary blood report indicated she had ritalin in her system.
neither was her physician, he had never prescribed it.
i know, but it's an odd drug to be taking. it's mostly given to adults and children with attention deficit disorder to calm them. but in people who don't need it, it has the reverse effect, making them incredibly hyper and agitated.
fair enough. mr. tannen, were you and your wife close?
i see.
yes, but what i'm still unclear about is her time of death.
after dinner you saw a movie that night?
what did you see?
ahh. my buddy told me the end is crazy.
that's okay. where did you see it?
and you got home at?
no, that about wraps it up for now.
us?
thanks again for your time.
mini, this tape was shot a week before your mother's death.
the next day, the school nurse reported two bottles of ritalin missing from the medicine cabinet.
we've lifted two prints from the door and the inside of the medicine cabinet. they don't match the nurse.
she's free to go.
ah, mr. tannen, we were just coming up to see you. have you got a minute?
i think you'd better call him.
there's a small discrepancy that i can't quite figure out and i was hoping you might be able to explain it.
the final toxicology report came back and your wife definitely didn't die from the pills. she wasn't conscious past 9:30, but it was the fumes that killed her.
see, here's what i needed to ask you. the gas tank in the jag was almost full, just a gallon had been used.
well, if she was unconscious by 9:30, that means the car must have been running for at least two hours when you found her. an unconscious person can't turn on a car, right?
well, here's where i get confused, see, that particular model idling for two hours will burn at least four gallons of gas.
so, there's really no way the tank could be almost full if it was running for two hours. is there?
so, i guess what i'm asking is, whose idea was it to put her in the car?
now, mr. tannen, you clearly had the most to gain from her death, but i've learned from a number of your wife's friends that she and mini had a strained relationship.
i'd like mr. tannen to know that if he's trying to be a protective father by covering up something mini did, i'd be careful. the district attorney is viewing this case as an opportunity to show the public that the rich don't get away with murder in this town.
it's a strong possibility. but he wants mr. tannen to know he will go for the maximum sentence if he doesn't. no manslaughter, no plea bargains, nothing.
look, the fact that the marriage was unhappy and there was no pre- nup gives all the motive to martin.
if it was his idea, give me one reason you should take the fall?