I saw TRY AND CATCH ME for the first time in forever last week, and one little thing occurred to me. For such a smart person, Abigail didn't seem to take into account the idea that Edmund might have had a pen on him, or might have even found one (in a safe that had things like manuscripts in it, not just money and jewelry). And if he had just enough light to alter that title page, he could have had enough to write something. Of course, he didn't, but it might have been a little lapse in judgement on her part.

Indeed. She was rather shortsighted on several points, most notably grabbing Edmund's car keys when she should have left them right where they were. Her lawyer would never have noticed them in his haste to get out of there, and the victim's fresh prints were the only ones on them. It seems Abigail was quite correct when she said "I'm only really smart when I write."

People have always raved about this episode but i don't quite get the fuss. Its ok but not a favourite of mine. I find Abigail Mitchell a little irritating and what if she was wrong about Edmund? We never find out but the way she killed him was particularly slow and cruel by Columbo standards, its usually a quick bullet or heavy object to the head hehe

When it comes to the Columbo Murderesses i find Kay Freestone a lot more compelling to watch compared to Abigail

I agree, though as a longtime mystery fan, I do love a dying clue, and this had a pretty good one. But beyond Abigail's revenge murder being cruel, she imposed on and manipulated the people around her rather horribly. Rather than a sweet old lady, Abigail could have been seen as somewhat of a sociopath who knew how to press the right emotional buttons.

1) It was her safe, so you can assume she made sure it was free of all pens & pencils. She also broke the lightbulb to make it harder for him to do anything else, like write a message with bits of paper.

She didn't count on him having matches or realize their usefulness.

2) She tested whether he had anything to write with by giving him paper and demanding that he write down the combination. He didn't have anything so she gave him a pencil and then quickly and deliberately took it back.

I just watched the (2) scene 5 minutes ago.