I watched this once again the other day. And as I had mentioned in another post, it is always terrific to find something "new" that I hadn't noticed before.
It involves the keys. This is a little complicated, so I hope I can explain it properly. Greenleaf's plan was to have it look like Eddie Kane was framing him for the murder. He gives him that key which he believes will still fit the lock to Mallory's office and tells him to throw it on the floor. Greenleaf does not know that Mallory has changed the lock. Then when Columbo tells him this info, he says that Columbo should look for the person who has the new key. And then he makes up a new key to plant it on Eddie's key ring. Now, if Eddie had made up a new key, he would have known that the key he had didn't fit the lock so, if he were really framing Greenleaf why would he throw the old key on the office floor????? Do you get what I am trying to say???? I don't!!! No, trust me, really there is a point here, but I don't know if I explained it very clearly.

2 little goofs I noticed. One is the outline of the manuscript. When Columbo takes it from Greenleaf, explaining that he wants the lab to check the type and compare it to Eddie's typewriter, the manuscript is folded in threes....but just after this when he has Eileen McCrae read it over it no longer has fold marks.
Also when Greenleaf leaves Eddie Kane's 'home' (I love how Jack Cassidy says that!) he does not have the drugged champagne bottle with him. One could say that it was destroyed in the explosion, but if Eddie's little black book was still intact, I'm sure that bottle would still be ok.

I think I get what you are trying to say about the key, and it is a valid point. It doesn't make sense for Eddie to try to frame Greenleaf with a key that doesn't fit the lock and keep the new key on his keyring.

Oh Dear!! Thank you E!!!! I gave myself such a headache trying to figure out how to word that!

We were really enjoying this episode but our recording frustratingly ended at the point where Eddie has been poisoned and blown up and the 'other' key put on his ring. (We also noted the problem with keys!) We guess maybe the typewriter was only bought recently or maybe the carbon paper is found showing the letter was not written about 6 months ago. Can anyone please help us by saying briefly how it ends?

Do you really want to know how it ends? If you do I'll tell you. I am not trying to tease you, but I just would think you would want to 'see' the ending rather than just hearing it.

Yes please but only if you can say briefly what happens.

Heh-heh. That Eddie Kane. He blowed up real good!

Oh Headache!!!

Ok...as some of you know it is against my religion to say ***spoiler alert***....but just this once I will....but in protest I didn't use capital letters.

Ok Roger I will try. It turns out that Greenleaf claims that Eddie had the actual idea for the manuscript, but that Mallory saw it and wanted to write it himself. Greenleaf offered Eddie a significant money pay-off but Eddie was outraged. So the logical thing would be for Eddie to kill off Mallory and frame Greenleaf for the murder.
Eileen reads the 'supposed' Eddie Kane's outline over and says it seems as if Mallory had written this himself..it was his style....(there is a bit of a plot-hole here because she doesn't mention at that time that the ending is the ending that she helped Mallory with just a week ago....but I digress!)
Columbo tells Greenleaf of the evidence against him...the key on Eddie's key ring fits the lock on the door, but the only problem is that since the murder, Columbo had the lock changed again, and the only person he told that to was Greenleaf...so he obviously was the one to get the new key made and put it on Eddie's keychain. And he explains that the door was open, because the air conditioner was not working, and Mallory had opened the window and then the door of his office to create a cross breeze...Columbo knew this because he heard the blinds rattle on the tape, and he also heard street noises on the tape. Columbo also has the manuscript messenger guy admit that he was passing on the pages of Mallory's book to Greenleaf. But the most damaging evidence is that Greenleaf claims Eddie sent him this outline....nine months ago...but Eileen had only helped out Mallory with the ending just the past week.
Ok?? is that befuddled enough for you Roger???
If someone could make it a bit clearer I think Roger and I would greatly appreciate it!!!
Anybody got any Tylenol???????

Thank you Cassavetes (and David) for your descriptions.
Great to have found this site with so much information on it. Fascinating. Anyway, thanks again.

Oh...I forgot....Thanks to Mark Dawidziak and his wonderful Columbo Phile for helping me through that.....it is almost 11:00 pm here....so the brain is getting a bit thick!!!

Break this one down to three main timing inconsistencies:

1. Eddie Kane could not have used the key left on the floor because Mallory had changed the lock.

2. The key on Kane's key ring was for the lock that had
been changed yet again, this time at Columbo's direction.

3. The manuscript written "nine months ago" involved an ending invented just a week ago.

Well!!!....Mr. David!! Where were you when I was languishing in describing the plot??? I could have used you then. I went into this whole long thing, and you come up with such a simple, but concise reply! Thanks!