Directed by Walter Grauman
Written by Lynn Kelsey
A fan of JB Fletcher named Marge Allen poses as Jessica, is arrested and later murdered. Seeing that "she" has died, Jessica investigates!
Tropes:
- Absence of Evidence: Jessica notes that the ground where Simon McCauley supposedly fell and died seems awfully clear of blood. Analysis of a dirt sample confirms that not nearly enough blood soaked into the ground.
- Amateur Sleuth: Marge takes her Jessica Fletcher fandom a trifle too seriously and she accidentally catches a pair of killers in the middle of disposing of the body.
- Chekhov's Gun: One of the ladies laments that they're going to have a hard time replacing Simon McCauley, who was a regular blood donor and had a rare blood type. In the end, Jessica nails the killer with the knowledge, given that he had donated under Simon's name for an insurance-related blood test and had a different blood type.
- Continuity Nod: When Jessica calls Seth and asks him to spread the word in Cabot Cove that she's not dead, she suggests the easiest thing to do is tell the ladies in Loretta's Beauty Parlor.
- Little Old Lady Investigates: Not just Jessica for this, but the five ladies of the J.B Fletcher Literary Society who help her investigate.
- Loony Fan: Played With. At first glance, Marge Allen seems to be this due to her pretending to be Jessica. The truth is that she only claimed she was Jessica because she was in the middle of trying to figure out what she considered to be a major scandal, using Jessica's name to get answers under the pretext of it being research for a book. When she got arrested, she stuck to using Jessica's name because her son's a state senator, and no one needs to know his mom got arrested for breaking and entering a kennel!
- One Dialogue, Two Conversations: Marge burst into the McCauley's house right after a murder to confront the owner about a scandal involving a show dog. She told them she knew everything and would call the police if Lisa didn't... and Lisa's accomplice thought Marge was referring to the murder.
- Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Jessica has to deal with the fallout of Marge Allen's murder when the news catches wind of J.B. Fletcher supposedly dying. Her credit cards get cancelled and she has to call Seth to get him to tell everyone in Cabot Cove she's still alive.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: Marge Allen suspected Lisa Mc Cauley of being involved in a major cover-up, and she was. The problem is, Marge suspected it was a totally different cover-up and not one involving a murder.
- She Knows Too Much: Marge Allen was killed because one of Simon's killers thought she knew too much. She knew something about a much lesser scandal, but nothing about the murder.
