Frances Murphy (Annie Corley) is the villainess of "Loves Me Not", episode 5.10 of Crossing Jordan (airdate January 8, 2006). She ran the Lucy Carver Inn in the small town of Littleton Village, a murder mystery-themed inn based off the murders committed by Lucy Carver, Frances' great-great grandmother.
Years prior to the episode, Frances was engaged to be married to Bill Laramie, with their wedding being a big event for the small town and the couple making plans of buying a farm in Missouri. But when Bill left her waiting at the alter, the scorned Frances killed Bill and stored his corpse in a hidden room at the inn.
During the episode's events, Bill's brother Jimmy became a guest at Frances' inn, posing as a novelist named James Rivers in order to find proof that Frances killed his brother. When Jimmy discovered Bill's body, the evil Frances (realizing Jimmy's true identity) killed him with a strike to the head, later killing inn caretaker Morton as well to cover her tracks by poisoning his flask with cyanide. When investigating M.E. Jordan Cavanaugh discovered the poisoned flask, Frances claimed that Sheriff Davey Correll (who was investigating with Jordan and detective Woody Hoyt) had given the flask to Morton, framing him.
Frances' villainous reveal began when Woody learned from mechanic Alice about Frances' past connection to Bill Laramie and how she was rumored to have killed him despite official word being that he left town. She was officially revealed when Jordan discovered the hidden room with Bill's corpse (now just a skeleton) inside. As she made the discovery, Frances appeared behind Jordan with a pistol and confirmed that she had killed her former fiancee. The villainess then led Jordan at gunpoint out to the nearby barn, all the while ranting of how Bill had hurt her and boasting of how she had also killed Jimmy and had set everything up to paint Davey as having committed the murders to make his first big case. But just as Frances prepared to kill Jordan, she was distracted by Woody calling out for Jordan, giving her the opportunity to fight against Frances, disarming her and knocking her out with a hubcap. Frances was then arrested (offscreen).
Trivia[]
- Annie Corley previously played villainess Liz White on Murder, She Wrote and the evil Joanne McKay from CSI.
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