The Mysterious Case of Lester and Dr. Fong - Production & Contact Info (original) (raw)

The fourth "Lester" episode is a pilot for what would have been a spin off "Fong and Hodges" series. (Sadly, the episode's relatively low ratings may have been the tipping point in ABC deciding to cancel "Harry O." Harry receives a note ...See moreThe fourth "Lester" episode is a pilot for what would have been a spin off "Fong and Hodges" series. (Sadly, the episode's relatively low ratings may have been the tipping point in ABC deciding to cancel "Harry O." Harry receives a note from Simon Applequist, asking Harry to come to a meeting at Applequist's palatial mansion. Applequist is a fabulously successful businessman who made more enemies than even he could count. Applequist greats Harry and introduces him to his various relatives -- one of whom is Lester Hodges. Then he fixes a baleful glare on the group and announces someone has sent him a threatening audiotape. Applequist puts the tape on and sits back as a whispered death threat plays. As the voice hisses: "Wait to die! Wait to die!" that's what Applequist does. Officially he suffered a heart attack, but Lester and his oft-mentioned mentor, Dr. Creighton Fong find that Applequist was poisoned by a venom found in the skin of an Amazon River basin alligator. At the reading of the will, Applequist's attorney reveals that Applequist has left almost everything to his brother-in-law Edward Tabor. Lester pokes around and gets everyone to whisper the same word to him, which he records. Dr. Fong finds that the word was uttered by Tabor. Lester goes to Tabor and confronts him, seeing his lab of various exotic poisons. Sure enough, Tabor has a nearly-empty vial of caimanol, the poison, in his collection. But the moment Lester points this out to Tabor, who is sipping a drink, Tabor drops dead in his tracks -- the caimanol was planted in the drink. As Harry (who is off screen for most of this episode) leaves to check out the backgrounds of the suspects, one heir after another gets a lethal dose of caimanol in various fashions, until only two suspects are left. And Lester is one of them. Written by Peter Harris See less