Photographer.
He was on a scientific expedition down in...
Venezuela.
Nobody'd tell me how.
- Or even let me see him to say goodbye.
- Let's go.
I had to recommend a closed coffin.
His body looked all chewed up.
Drained.
Like some vampire had had a go at him.
It was terrible.
Excuse us.
I'll be you made enough friends today
to break Sam Metcalf's death-grip.
It was wonderful.
We can't thank you enough.
Nor I you.
Freeing me from those damn pills.
I feel I could compete in a triathlon.
On the basis of your check-up,
I tend to agree.
- Bye-bye, Margaret.
- Bye, Molly.
Irv, Claire. Would you like a doggy bag?
We're fine, thank you.
Great party, Margaret!
Come on, honey. Party's over.
Happy hunting, Felix.
See you in the morning.
You'd have had too much punch
and been the life of the party.
I missed you.
Ross!
I could have killed one of you.
The nails came straight...
It's all rotten down there.
My wine cellar is...
It's probably crawling with termites.
I'm surprised
we haven't fallen through the floor.
I'll call the exterminator.
You're rather casual
about the death of my dream.
I've been trying to reach Margaret
to thank her
and her line's been busy all morning.
She's probably gabbing.
- You want me to...
- Would you?
I'll go over and check on her.
Margaret?
So what do you think, doc?
Heart attack.
Bound to happen, rather sooner than later.
She had a history of high blood pressure.
- Even with the pills I put her on...
- I took her off those.
What right did you have to do that?
She came to me. As a patient.
You didn't notice she was hypertensive?
Her diastolic reading was normal.
Her systolic elevation was below 160.
- If you'd stayed current...
- This is a very serious matter, young man.
- You may well have killed this woman.
- I don't think so. She was in fine shape.
- I want an autopsy.
- Never.
Look, she was my patient.
And mine for 40 years.
Margaret wouldn't want to be butchered.
And nobody here would want that for her.
Give it to me, Irv.
I'm satisfied if you're satisfied, doc.
You come from a big city
where people don't care about each other.
I don't expect you'd understand.
A little advice.
If you're ever going to fit in in Canaima,
learn to be sensitive to
the feelings of the people here.
I'm sorry I'm more interested
in medicine than public relations!
You know, cardiac victims
don't usually bite their tongues off.
It's as though she went
into titanic convulsions.
Until I know why, this case isn't closed.
You're damn right it's not. I believe
you may be guilty of medical malpractice.
And I intend to pursue the matter
to its conclusion.
Ross, I understand she was your patient.
Your only patient.
Why don't you come by the gym
tomorrow at 3.00?
It's a mile up the road from you.
I'll throw some business your way.
Thank you, Henry.
I appreciate that.
That was nice of him.
Think he could have said it a little louder?
A little young, isn't it?
The wine?
No, Margaret. To die at 68.
That's ten years below the life expectancy
of a Caucasian female. Did you know that?
Ross, you're a fine doctor.
I'm sure you knew exactly what you were
doing when you took her off those pills.
Like I knew what I was doing
when I chose this town?
With the country doctor from hell.
Or this fine house,
which is rotting from the ground up.
I'm gonna take care of that in the morning.
Well, Margaret's still
gonna be dead in the morning.
I still want to know what killed her.
He was nailing something in the cellar
and the wood just disintegrated.
Termites, huh?
That's what my husband thought.
- And he's an expert in these matters?
- Well... no.
Didn't think so.
I'm glad you called me.
No room for amateurs in this game.
Thank you.
What is it?
It's hard to say.
Would anybody object
if I tore this floor out?
- I would.
- False alarm, then. Lead on.
How bad is it?
I didn't find a thing. Go figure.
Then why is all the wood rotting?