Callous widow Mrs. Richards
Mrs. Richards (Ann Turkel) is the villainess from "Epitaph," the third segment from episode 3.04 of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (airdate June 16, 2000). She is the widow of wealthy John L. Richards, and she was shown approaching gravestone craftsman Otto Shankel regarding her late husband's headstone.
To Otto's surprise, Mrs. Richards demanded a cement headstone with just her husband's name, year of birth, and year of death, making the demand while asking (on more than one occasion) about the price. Otto was creating the small headstone when he was later encountered by Richards' representative, Nathan Dunbar, who stated that the widow had a change of heart and opted for something more elaborate. Not one to ask questions, Otto did as instructed and worked tirelessly on the new stone, and on the day of John Richards' funeral, Otto proudly presented the headstone, which drew shock and anger from Mrs. Richards.
Mrs. Richards lashed out at Otto over the fact that the headstone was not the one she selected. Otto responded with the fact that Mr. Dunbar apporached him and ordered the change to the stone, but in a twist, Mrs. Richards introduced the man next to her as the actual Nathan Dunbar, and after pointing out a photo of the man on the wreath as the representative, Mrs. Richards coldly stated that the man was her late husband. As revealed in the end of the segment, Richards signed the contract for the new stone three days before his passing; however, Mrs. Richards callously went against her husband's wishes and attempted to buy a cheaper stone, establishing herself as a greedy and cold-hearted widow. Mrs. Richards' heel persona was shown when she gave an ominous snarl while gazing at the photo of her late husband, and as revealed in Otto's narration, the evil Mrs. Richards ended up paying the full price of the stone: $48,000.
Trivia[]
- This story was revealed as a work of fiction in the end of the episode.
- Ann Turkel also played recurring villainess Adrianne Margeaux on Knight Rider.
