House Detective Becker xxxxxx - [01] Single Green Feather

Summary

Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode: House Detective Becker xxxxxx - [01] Single Green Feather
Release Date: April 23, 2025

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Introduction

In the premiere episode of "House Detective Becker," titled "Single Green Feather," listeners are introduced to the enigmatic world of Becker, the house detective at the Queen of the Rockies hotel. Set against the backdrop of the Golden Age of Radio, the episode weaves a tale of mystery, avian obsession, and subtle deceit.

The Mysterious Incident

The episode kicks off with Becker and his partner, Francois, enjoying a peaceful day hiking near the hotel. However, their tranquility is shattered when they discover the fallen body of Arthur Bryson, a renowned hunter known for his impressive bird collections.

Becker (01:03): "Perhaps I was too serious. But there was a time before they built the hotel when a gunshot was a rare occurrence around here."

Becker notes the unusual circumstances surrounding Bryson's death, particularly focusing on a peculiar green feather found in Bryson's hat band—a bird Becker has never seen before.

Becker (02:35): "A green feather. Doesn't come from any bird I've ever seen."

Unraveling Clues

As Becker delves deeper into the investigation, he uncovers inconsistencies in the scene. Despite hearing the sound of a gunshot, there are no bullet wounds on Bryson's body. Additionally, six mysterious holes around the ledge suggest an external force may have pushed Bryson over.

Becker (03:50): "Unless he was sitting in a tree."

Determined to find answers, Becker seeks assistance from Whiskey Dan O'Malley, a seasoned guide with extensive knowledge of the area's wildlife.

Encounter with Dr. Chester Morrison

Becker's investigation leads him to Dr. Chester Morrison, a distinguished ornithologist and expert on undiscovered avian species residing in the hotel. However, Morrison proves uncooperative, dismissing Becker's inquiries about the elusive green feather.

Francois (06:14): "Afraid not. Damn. Don't give up so easily, Becker."

Francois hints at Morrison's dubious past, suggesting a longstanding conflict between Morrison and local hunters, including Bryson.

Breaking Through

Undeterred, Becker confronts Morrison’s daughter, Robin Morrison, who reveals her deep-seated conflict with her father's obsession with rare birds. Through a tense exchange, Robin admits her indirect involvement in Bryson's death, stemming from her desire to protect a unique bird species that Bryson sought to collect.

Becker (22:40): "Because you're a scientist, Ms. Morrison. And you're frustrated by your father's refusal to respect that Bryson's collection was going to provide the scientific credibility your father lacks."

Robin confesses that in a moment of desperation to protect the bird, she accidentally caused Bryson to lose his balance, leading to his untimely demise.

Robin (25:26): "I knocked Arthur's gun off its aim. The gun just charged and Arthur lost his balance and he disappeared over the edge."

Resolution and Aftermath

With the truth unveiled, Becker escorts Robin to Sergeant Drake, ensuring that justice is served. The episode concludes with Morrison's retirement and the hotel's affairs returning to normal, albeit with lingering mysteries about the elusive green-feathered bird.

Becker (26:21): "I haven't heard it yet."

Notable Quotes

• Becker (01:03): "Perhaps I was too serious. But there was a time before they built the hotel when a gunshot was a rare occurrence around here."

• Becker (02:35): "A green feather. Doesn't come from any bird I've ever seen."

• Robin (25:26): "I knocked Arthur's gun off its aim. The gun just charged and Arthur lost his balance and he disappeared over the edge."

Conclusion

"Single Green Feather" masterfully blends suspense with character-driven storytelling, showcasing Becker's keen investigative skills and the intricate dynamics between obsession and morality. The episode leaves listeners eagerly anticipating future adventures of House Detective Becker as he continues to unravel the mysteries that lurk within the Queen of the Rockies hotel.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Styles MacKenzie]

We interrupt this program to bring you an important Wayfair message. Wayfair's got style tips for every home. This is Styles MacKenzie helping you make those rooms sing. Today's style tip. When it comes to making a statement, treat bold patterns like neutrals. Go wild like an untamed animal. Print area rug under a rustic farmhouse table. From wayfair.com this has been your Wayfair style tip to keep those interiors superior.

[Nicole Byer]

Wayfair.

[Becker]

Every style.

[Francois]

Every home.

[Becker]

Listen, Francois.

[Francois]

What?

[Becker]

The bird. You can just hear it.

[Francois]

What? The sound.

[Becker]

The sound of civilization.

[Francois]

Perhaps you are a bit too serious, my friend.

[Becker]

Perhaps I was too serious. But there was a time before they built the hotel when a gunshot was a rare occurrence around here. Now, the Queen of the Rockies offers a variety of game unmatched on the continent. And the hunters are encouraged to blast away at everything from grouse to grizzlies. As long as they don't break the windows, that is. Or bring down the guests. Once they do that, it's my responsibility. I'm Becker, the house detective. There it is again.

[Francois]

C'est drei belle. Tres demange.

[Becker]

I've never heard anything like it. Well, let's go.

[Francois]

Is it much further?

[Becker]

You're not getting tired already?

[Francois]

No, no. It's a beautiful walk. It is also a perfect day for fishing. Ah, Becca. That is the music to die to.

[Becker]

Watch out. Where'd he is he. I must be about 60ft up to that ledge. You think that that's the only possible place? Unless he was sitting in a tree.

[Francois]

This is not funny, Becker. Someone has shot this man.

[Becker]

Well, let's have a look.

[Francois]

Oh, bon Dieu. See, Monsieur. Brison. Brison Bryson. He is a big hunter. We have often prepared his birds. He cannot mammon a sea.

[Becker]

He wasn't shot, but we heard no bullet wounds. What do you make of this?

[Francois]

The hat.

[Becker]

This feather in his hat band.

[Francois]

A green feather.

[Becker]

Doesn't come from any bird I've ever seen.

[Francois]

You think it is a clue?

[Becker]

Who knows? We just heard a bird we've never heard before. And now we have a feather we've never seen before. You better get some help.

[Francois]

Me?

[Becker]

Yeah. The fishing will have to wait.

[Francois]

Wait. Where are you going?

[Becker]

Up there alone. I'll see you back at the hotel. Francois was right. It was a perfect day. Hot and dry, not a cloud in the sky. Perfect for fishing, Lousy for tracking. The ground was too dry to hold an impression. The trail itself rose steeply until suddenly it widened out into a table overlooking the tops of the trees, growing Below, it would have been a spectacular view if it wasn't for the man in front of me leaning out over the edge. Looking for who are you? Becker, House detective at the hotel.

[Francois]

Oh, I'm. I'm Sturgis. J. Sturgess.

[Becker]

I'm looking for my partner, Arthur Bryson.

[Francois]

I heard a shot.

[Becker]

You think your friend was shot? I don't know what to think. We were camping up the trail. Have you ever seen this before? What?

[Francois]

That feather.

[Becker]

You know where it came from?

[Nicole Byer]

Didn't you hear me?

[Francois]

I said I heard a shot. Don't you think we should be looking?

[Becker]

No need.

[Francois]

What do you mean?

[Becker]

You see how the branches are broken on that pine? That one there, about six feet out? Yes. That's where your friend's body hit on his way down. My God. Down there. Someone pushed him very hard.

[Francois]

But I heard a shot.

[Becker]

So did I, but he wasn't hit.

[Francois]

Are you certain?

[Becker]

Yep. What do you make of this?

[Francois]

Those holes.

[Becker]

Six of them.

[Francois]

What's that got to do with anything?

[Becker]

Arthur's dead, Mr. Becker. What's anything got to do with anything? I don't know. Sometimes I think you fasten on a detail to prevent the shivers. I was guessing that feather meant a lot to Arthur Bryson. It might tell me why he was on that ledge and why he ended up 60ft below it. If I could get it to talk. Well, I knew one man who just might speak its language. Whiskey. Dan O'Malley. Who's there?

[Francois]

For God's sake.

[Becker]

Becker.

[Francois]

Becker. Becker. I might have known. Who else would wake a man so early? What time is it? No, don't tell me. Sit down. Sit down. It's good to see you.

[Becker]

It's good to see you too, Dan. I was afraid you'd be out on the trail.

[Francois]

Influenza. I don't suppose your body draft is.

[Becker]

Something medicinal with you? I have been dry for over a year.

[Francois]

Here it is. Costen.

[Becker]

Becker.

[Francois]

I wonder.

[Becker]

You can bury yourself mordants next time. I'll consider that a promise.

[Francois]

Now, what did you say you wanted?

[Becker]

I want you to look at this.

[Francois]

A feather. Oh, this is a beauty. Where'd you find it?

[Becker]

In a hat band.

[Francois]

Whose hat band?

[Becker]

Well, it doesn't matter, Dan. He's dead. Arthur Bryson. How do you know? Word gets around fast, Becker. Besides, I've got a small interest in Mr. Arthur Bryson. He wanted me to find him a bird.

[Francois]

Tells me I'm the first guide he's ever approached.

[Becker]

And I says I'm flattered, but I'm.

[Francois]

Not about to help you with that.

[Becker]

It Turned him down.

[Francois]

If a bird's so rare I haven't seen it, it's definitely too rare to kill.

[Becker]

So you can't identify this feather?

[Francois]

Afraid not. Damn. Don't give up so easily, Becker. There's one man staying in the hotel knows almost as much as me.

[Becker]

His name's Morrison.

[Francois]

Dr. Chester Morrison.

[Becker]

All right.

[Francois]

Thanks, Dan.

[Becker]

But, Becker, you treat that old man like fine china.

[Francois]

I've guided for a lot of men, and he's one of the few this side of the grave I respect. What are you doing, Becker?

[Becker]

You don't happen to know the number of Dr. Morrison suite, do you?

[Francois]

Are you detecting again, Becker?

[Becker]

I need him to identify a bird. A bird you are hired to protect, Becker, not detect. I know.

[Francois]

And you should also know to think twice before you intrude on a guest as distinguished as Dr. Chester Morrison.

[Becker]

Just how distinguished is that, Mr. Hickey?

[Francois]

Dr. Morrison is one of the world's noted experts on undiscovered avian species. I have clippings on him that go back to my first days as manager of this hotel.

[Becker]

You keep scrapbooks, Mr. Hickey? Archives. Becker, do you have anything on an Arthur Bryson?

[Francois]

You're not planning to involve Dr. Morrison?

[Becker]

I could pass my questions on to Sergeant Drake. Drake? The police, if you won't let me.

[Francois]

Dr. Morrison is in 618, but if I hear so much as a word of complaint.

[Becker]

Well, maybe you could check your scrapbooks for Mr. Bryson. Who knows? You just might find something.

[Francois]

I doubt that.

[Becker]

Well, you never know.

[Francois]

Well, I'll have a look if I get a moment.

[Becker]

We might even pack this up before the sergeant arrives. Becker over.

[Francois]

Optimistic as usual. Becker.

[Becker]

Morning, Mr. Hickey.

[Francois]

Sergeant Drake.

[Becker]

I've come to steal your watchdog. Got something to show you, Becker. At the scene of the crime, Mr. Hickey?

[Francois]

Go ahead. Go ahead. But, Becca, Discretion, please.

[Becker]

That's a bit of a climb. Good for you. So, what do you got over here? What do you think? Very handsome rifle. Where'd you find it? Hooked in the branches. One of those pine trees down there. He must have fallen with it. Or someone threw it after him. So he might have fired the shot. I heard himself. What do you make of these holes? Hiking pole, maybe? You think? What about this Sturgis? Yeah, maybe you should check him out. What's up, Becker? I've got an idea I want to check out. I'll see you back at the hotel. And, Becker, watch your back. Half an hour later, I was invited into Dr. Chester Morrison's suite by an anxious woman in her early 40s. She asked me to wait in the living room while she went to rouse her father. Obviously she mistook me for someone else. However, I wasn't about to say anything. Particularly as she left me staring at a corner full of cameras and a heavy tripod with a spike on the end of each of its three legs.

[Nicole Byer]

Are you a photographer, doctor?

[Becker]

Not photographer, nor a doctor. Ms. Morrison.

[Nicole Byer]

I beg your pardon?

[Becker]

Name's Becker. Hotel detective. I was hoping I might have a few minutes with your father.

[Nicole Byer]

Father is expecting the doctor.

[Becker]

Oh, Nothing serious, I hope.

[Nicole Byer]

He sprained his ankle a few days ago. He's really too old to be carrying around heavy equipment like that.

[Becker]

Tripod, you mean?

[Nicole Byer]

That's just the start of it. My father is a field photographer, Mr. Becker.

[Becker]

Oh, I was told he was a scientist.

[Nicole Byer]

Strictly speaking, my father takes pictures of birds. Would you like to see some of his work while you're waiting?

[Becker]

I'd be fascinated.

[Nicole Byer]

This is his last book.

[Becker]

Oh, these are wonderful. How did he get so close?

[Nicole Byer]

Patience, mostly.

[Becker]

Extraordinary. Are they identified in another volume?

[Nicole Byer]

Very observant, Mr. Becker. The birds are in fact unidentified.

[Becker]

Because?

[Francois]

Because I am engaged in a perpetual war with the hunters, sir. And I have no intention of providing them with any more targets.

[Nicole Byer]

Sit down, father. I'm sure Mr. Becker's not interested.

[Francois]

You may have noticed that this pains my daughter. She's an ornithologist, a scientist. And scientists are not convinced by people who refuse to provide proper documentation.

[Nicole Byer]

I only want you to get the respect you deserve.

[Francois]

I don't need the respect of a bunch of puffed up academics who think me a romantic.

[Nicole Byer]

There's a bit more to science than that, Mr. Pecker.

[Becker]

Oh, yes.

[Nicole Byer]

The birds in the book you're holding are legitimate objects of study. I have years of observation. Habitats, life cycles, mating rituals.

[Francois]

Irrelevant. Irrelevant? Irrelevant. A means of providing sinecures to mediocrities who've never listened to a bird sing, never seen its bright eye sparkling in the shadows. Or its feathers gleaming in the morning light.

[Nicole Byer]

Bad poetry is no substitute for precise science.

[Francois]

The truth is, Robin, we're opening people's eyes to the beauty of the world. And that's more than enough. Now, what can I do for you, Mr. Becker?

[Becker]

I have a bird feather here. I was hoping you might be able to identify it.

[Francois]

You understand that it's something of a feat to reconstruct a whole bird from a single feather. A rare cream, isn't it?

[Nicole Byer]

If you ask my opinion, I'm afraid.

[Francois]

I can't help you. And frankly, I wouldn't if I could.

[Becker]

Not even to solve a murder.

[Francois]

Whose murder?

[Becker]

A Mr. Bryson.

[Francois]

Arthur Bryson.

[Becker]

You knew him?

[Francois]

No, but I heard he had an impressive collection of stuffed birds. If you find his murderer, give him my heartiest congratulations.

[Nicole Byer]

Father. That'll be Dr. Cobb.

[Francois]

Well, let him in, Robin, and let Mr. Becker out when you do.

[Becker]

So. Becker, what have you got? Not much yet, but. Well, you can quit looking. Sturgis inherits the whole business. What business? Bryson and Sturges Brokerage. Sounds good, Neil. It's a sure thing.

[Francois]

I think this is what we're looking for.

[Becker]

Scrapbooks.

[Francois]

My personal archives. Sergeant Drake, I have here a newspaper dated September 14, 1920. It reports on a speech given by Dr. Morrison to the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto in which he denounces hunters.

[Becker]

Well, he hasn't changed his tune.

[Francois]

But particularly those hunters who have taken to following him around in hopes of bagging an unknown species.

[Becker]

Bryson.

[Francois]

It's just what I thought.

[Becker]

Becker.

[Francois]

So I checked the hotel records and I found that Mr. Arthur Bryson's residency coincides with Dr. Morrison's on three out of four occasions.

[Becker]

So Bryson was following this Morrison around. And Morrison knew it. Looks like the odds are changing, Neil. There's a real frustration in being a hotel detective. You can't press too hard. I mean, I couldn't run back to Dr. Morrison, grab him by the throat and demise. Man, the whole truth, it wouldn't have worked on him anyway. He was a tough old bird who wasn't about to sing. Well, perhaps he was just protecting his flock. But then maybe he had something else to protect. It was time to seek some help from my friend Jimmy. Jimmy's got a knack for keeping an eye out. And being a four foot tall bellhawk, he's very rarely noticed.

[Francois]

It's 10 o'clock at night, Becker, and.

[Becker]

You'Re doing something important.

[Francois]

I suppose I'm halfway through the beautiful.

[Becker]

And damned sounds Steamy Scott Fitzgerald.

[Francois]

He should give him a try.

[Becker]

All you got to do is keep an eye on the old man.

[Francois]

I only follow him to the doors, Becker. I don't do so well outside.

[Becker]

Well, in this case you're not likely to have a problem seeing as how he sprained his ankle. So? So if he is walking, leave a message with Francois. Thanks Jimmy. Hold on, Becker.

[Francois]

It's a little matter of my.

[Becker]

We interrupt this program to bring you an important Wayfarer message. Wayfair's got style tips for every home.

[Nicole Byer]

This is Nicole Byer helping you make those rooms flyer. Today's style tip.

[Styles MacKenzie]

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[Becker]

To keep those interiors superior.

[Nicole Byer]

Wayfair Every style, every home.

[Styles MacKenzie]

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[Francois]

The Americans, my friend, they are so proud of their simplicity. But they demand such impossible dishes.

[Becker]

What is it?

[Francois]

Poulet a la Betyras. A terrible thing to do to a chicken.

[Becker]

It's a bad time to be a bird.

[Francois]

You're still carrying that feather?

[Becker]

Yep. Nobody, including Chester Morrison, can identify it.

[Francois]

Dr. Morrison?

[Becker]

He's a photographer of birds. Unknown birds. It's possible that Bryson was following Morrison around like a hyena.

[Francois]

You think this Dr. Morrison.

[Becker]

I don't know. He's a very old man. But there were six holes on the ledge that Bryson fell from.

[Francois]

Holes?

[Becker]

They looked random, but if you joined them together, you could make two overlapping triangles. And each of those triangles might match up with the holes left by the spikes on the legs of a tripod.

[Francois]

A tripod? Yeah.

[Becker]

There's a tripod with spiked legs leaning against the wall in Morrison's suite. Ah. And that tripod could have been on the ledge. Morrison could have been photographing a bird. And that would explain why Bryson was there as well.

[Francois]

For the bird.

[Becker]

Now all I gotta do is find it.

[Francois]

Perhaps it flew away.

[Becker]

Well, Bryson was a collector. He wouldn't put a Feather in his hat till it belonged there.

[Francois]

You've looked in his game bag.

[Becker]

He didn't have one.

[Francois]

Yes.

[Becker]

Yes, he did.

[Francois]

He used to bring in birds for the table.

[Becker]

So where is it? Early next morning, I returned to the ledge and began working my way slowly up the mountain towards the meadow where Sturgis and Bryson had camped. It was midday before I came to a small cave where the ground had been disturbed and some rocks had been piled up against the wall to form a kind of cairn. I began pulling the rocks away one by one, carefully, as if I were opening a tomb. The back of my neck began to tingle. Then the game bag appeared, wedged into a hollow at the base of the wall like a small coffin. I pulled it out, took a deep breath and opened the lid. Inside lay the corpse of a tiny bird not 4 inches long. Its head was bent at an angle it could never have achieved in life. Its emerald green feathers were already losing their luster. It had been so beautiful and it was so dead. I wondered when I'd see you again, Mr. Becker. Drink. You recognize this bag, Mr. Sturgis? Is Arthur's. I found it hidden off the trail just below your campsite. Do you know what was in it? Let me guess. A very rare bird.

[Francois]

He had quite a collection, you know.

[Becker]

Really? And how did Arthur build his collection? He use a guy? Not that I know of. He just seemed to have an instinct. He wasn't following Dr. Morrison around.

[Francois]

Morrison?

[Becker]

You mean the Birdman? You know him? Arthur had some of his books. I think he regarded them as a personal challenge.

[Francois]

He did have a lot of the birds Morrison found.

[Becker]

So he might have been. I really don't think so. Arthur was planning to exhibit his collection in the autumns. You wouldn't do that if they weren't yours, would you? An exhibition.

[Francois]

The Bryson Collection. Undiscovered treasures from four continents. It will cause quite a stir among the hunters.

[Becker]

Not to mention the scientists. I suppose so.

[Francois]

I don't know much about scientists.

[Becker]

Neither did Arthur.

[Francois]

What do you mean?

[Becker]

I think he underestimated them. Fatally. Hey, Packer. Hey, Becker.

[Francois]

Jimmy. Yeah? You forgot about me, you big palooka.

[Becker]

Jimmy, have you been watching?

[Francois]

22 hours you owe me. And I thought I was watching an old man. Becker.

[Becker]

So? I get paid more for dames.

[Francois]

Becker.

[Becker]

Where'd she go, Jimmy?

[Francois]

Straight to the door. Damn.

[Becker]

Thanks, Jimmy. I owe you.

[Francois]

You don't want to know where she went.

[Becker]

I thought you didn't go out.

[Francois]

I got friends, Becker. I got friends. And you're gonna owe them a Lot.

[Nicole Byer]

It's not convenient right now, miss.

[Francois]

Let him in, Robin. You'll convince him we have something to hide.

[Becker]

I know you have something to hide, Dr. Morrison.

[Francois]

Just what does that mean, Mr. Becker?

[Becker]

What were you doing on the ledge today, Ms. Morrison?

[Nicole Byer]

What ledge?

[Becker]

The ledge Arthur Bryson fell from.

[Nicole Byer]

What are you talking about?

[Becker]

Did you notice the holes? There are holes in the ground up there, Ms. Morrison. Holes that were made by a large tripod. That one perhaps.

[Francois]

I'm afraid I haven't been quite honest with you, Mr. Becker.

[Nicole Byer]

We don't have to tell him anything.

[Francois]

I'm an old man, Robin. I don't want to live the rest of my life under suspicion. It wasn't my daughter who made the holes, Mr. Becker.

[Nicole Byer]

Father.

[Francois]

I was on that ledge the day before the accident. I was photographing a bird.

[Becker]

The green feather.

[Francois]

Exactly. But as you know, it is not my policy to reveal the location of my finds. I'm afraid I couldn't answer your questions honestly without doing just that. I don't know if that helps.

[Becker]

It doesn't tell me why a man fell.

[Nicole Byer]

He doesn't know, Mr. Becker. He told you. It was a different day.

[Becker]

You were only there once.

[Francois]

That is correct.

[Becker]

And you set up your tripod.

[Francois]

The bird had nested in a fir tree about six feet out from the edge.

[Becker]

And you. You pushed the spikes into the ground. Hard ground.

[Francois]

I'm still fit.

[Becker]

Then you noticed that the camera was in the wrong position.

[Francois]

Do you think that I'm an amateur, Becker?

[Nicole Byer]

This is all beside the point.

[Francois]

The nest was in plain sight.

[Becker]

You didn't have to move the camera.

[Francois]

No.

[Becker]

So the second set of tripod holes were made by someone else at another time.

[Francois]

Second set?

[Nicole Byer]

Mr. Becker's suggesting.

[Francois]

I know what he's suggesting, Rob.

[Becker]

Did you go back again, sir?

[Francois]

Yes, I'm afraid yes. I was there the day Bryson fell, but I was gone long before.

[Becker]

It must have taken some resolution to climb a 60 foot ledge with a sprained ankle.

[Francois]

I told you, I was split. Becker.

[Nicole Byer]

Oh, stop it. Just stop it.

[Francois]

Robin.

[Nicole Byer]

Don't you see? He knows. He knows I was on that ledge. Is that what you wanted to hear, Mr. Becker?

[Francois]

Be quiet, Robin. My daughter would not recognize Bryson if she saw him.

[Becker]

Oh, she would, sir. She's been providing him with information for years.

[Francois]

Information?

[Nicole Byer]

What are you talking about?

[Becker]

Birds, Ms. Morrison. Birds and where to find them.

[Nicole Byer]

That's ridiculous.

[Becker]

Then how is it that Bryson has an extensive private collection of your father's discoveries?

[Francois]

Perhaps we've not been as careful as we thought.

[Becker]

She's been Helping Arthur Bryson. For a long time she's been.

[Francois]

This is impossible. Robin, tell him this is impossible.

[Nicole Byer]

That's what I am telling him. Why would I do that, Mr. Becker?

[Becker]

Because you're a scientist, Ms. Morrison. And you're frustrated by your father's refusal to respect that Bryson's collection was going to provide the scientific credibility your father lacks.

[Francois]

I don't care about scientific credibility.

[Becker]

But your daughter does. My guess is that she had an agreement with Bryson that would have returned the collection to her sometime in the future.

[Francois]

When I was dead, Robin.

[Becker]

But something went wrong, didn't it, Ms. Morrison? You found out Bryson was about to hold an exhibition of his collection, the Bryson Collection. He was going to rob you of all possible credit. He might even have exposed you to your father.

[Nicole Byer]

So I pushed him over a cliff?

[Francois]

No.

[Becker]

But you refused to give him any further information.

[Nicole Byer]

And how did you arrive at that assumption, Mr. Becker?

[Becker]

Because he did something he had never done before. He sought the services of a guide. Whiskey Dan O'Malley.

[Francois]

Whiskey Dan O'Malley.

[Becker]

But Whiskey Dan refused to help him, so Mr. Bryson was forced to wait.

[Nicole Byer]

I've had nothing to do with this.

[Becker]

Then your father sprained his ankle and that was the clue he needed.

[Nicole Byer]

We moved a long way before I went for help, Becker.

[Becker]

But you couldn't move far enough, could you? Bryson simply set up camp in the highest spot within a few miles of where our hotel staff picked you up from that meadow. He could watch you from the moment you stepped onto the trail.

[Nicole Byer]

This is ridiculous. You can't prove a thing. You haven't got one shred of real evidence.

[Becker]

You've forgotten the game bag.

[Nicole Byer]

The game bag?

[Becker]

Arthur Bryson's game bag. The one you hid, remember? The one you were looking for today. Is that enough proof for you, Ms. Morrison?

[Nicole Byer]

Don't patronize me, Becker. And it's Dr. Morrison, if you don't mind. My father is Mr. Morrison.

[Francois]

Dr. Morrison.

[Nicole Byer]

It's honorary father from a faculty of arts. It's not serious. Nothing about you is serious. Except your passion for birds and your contempt for everything I believe in.

[Francois]

You've betrayed me, Robin.

[Nicole Byer]

I had to.

[Francois]

And the birds, Robin? And the birds?

[Nicole Byer]

They're specimens. I had to have them.

[Francois]

How can you be so cold, so hard, so scientific? Yes, so scientific.

[Becker]

Let's get back to Arthur Bryson.

[Nicole Byer]

This isn't your concern, Becker.

[Becker]

Oh, yes, it is. When a body falls across my path, Dr. Morrison, it's my concern.

[Nicole Byer]

Arthur Bryson was about to ruin everything.

[Francois]

You've ruined everything.

[Nicole Byer]

Don't say that. You have no right to judge me?

[Becker]

Why don't you just tell me what happened?

[Francois]

Why?

[Nicole Byer]

You think it's good for my soul? Becker, I'm a scientist. Didn't you hear my father? Cold, hard.

[Becker]

So tell me what happened as a scientist or can't you look at it?

[Nicole Byer]

The day after my father sprained his ankle, he asked me to complete the photography.

[Francois]

Five years I've been chasing that bird. Sometimes I'm lucky. But I wasn't lucky with him.

[Nicole Byer]

Well, I was lucky that morning. The male actually lit a few feet from the camera right there in front of me. So close my hands were shaking. I'd never done this before. I completed my focus. Then it was as if I'd blinked and he disappeared from the frame. Suddenly, just like that, Arthur Bryson. Arthur Bryson sauntered down the trail, grinning like a cat with a mouthful of feathers. He picked up the dead bird and held it out, offering it, tempting me to reach. And then he dropped it into his game bag. He knew he'd won. I wanted to scream when the female began to sing sadly. Sitting on the nest about six feet from the ledge, Arthur turned and raised his gun.

[Francois]

Robin.

[Nicole Byer]

I ran towards him. I didn't know what I was going to do. All I really wanted was to protect the bird. He'd already collected one specimen. Maybe I wanted to save one for my father. I don't know. Maybe I wanted one for myself. I'd never seen one of them shot before. I knocked Arthur's gun off its aim. The gun just charged and Arthur lost his balance and he disappeared over the edge. I packed up the equipment, took the game bag, climbed up the trail and hid in a small cave off the path. Arthur's friend went running past. Then nothing. I waited until later and found my way down. You know, Becker, when I think of that bird and my father here and Arthur Bryson falling off the ledge, Bryson is the thing I feel least concerned about.

[Francois]

Oh, Robin.

[Becker]

And that was it. I took Dr. Robin Morrison down the hill to Sergeant Drake and she made a statement admitting her involvement in the death of Arthur Bryson. She left out a good deal of the story, but since she was prepared to admit her guilt, the sergeant wasn't concerned to ask her too many more questions. Not long after, the honorary Dr. Morrison announced his retirement with the sad reflection that his researches inevitably attracted hunters. After a while the whole incident was forgotten by everyone except Whiskey Dan, who was convinced that I was the reason for Morrison's retirement. And me. I keep listening for that sad bird with the shining green feathers. I haven't heard it yet.

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