The Lt. Columbo Forum

An area where fans from all over can ask each other questions and voice their own ideas and opinions on anything Columbo.

This Forum is fondly dedicated in memory of  "cassavetes45"  (Carleen Zink),
Columbo's greatest fan and a great friend to us all.
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The Lt. Columbo Forum
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Re: Abagail Mitchell and the Keys

Thinking about this more carefully it occurred to me Abigail was fortunate that Edmond left his car keys on the table, because if he had been locked inside the safe with them, he could have scratched messages all over the interior of the safe - too obvious by far. The keys were always going to be part of the plot, the Achilles heal for Abigail. She didn't foresee any problems after murdering him, except those darned keys. She couldn't think what to do... and by burying them in the butt tray she then left herself wide open to suspicion and ultimately blackmail by Veronica. Some viewers may have imagined Abigal making a clumsy effort to throw them in the sea. I argue this was a clever scriptwriter ratcheting up the pressure on our main suspect. Abigail was clumsy and offered a typical stereotyped response about old age and forgetfulness. Just as she did in that superb final scene and of course Columbo was far too professional to be taken in by her pleading.