Party of Five (TV Series)

Where There's Smoke (1995)

Richard Fancy: Sam Arbogast

Quotes 

• [Charlie, Kirsten and Claudia are waiting in the restaurant for Mr. Arbogast to finish the investigation of the cause of the fire] 

  Kirsten Bennett : What are they doing in there, anyway?

  Charlie Salinger : Planting evidence, with my luck.

  [he sees Mr. Arbogast approaching] 

  Charlie Salinger : Finally.

  Sam Arbogast : Mr. Salinger.

  Charlie Salinger : Yeah. Can we please get on with this now?

  Sam Arbogast : I'm afraid not. The fire marshal was wrong. It wasn't a short in the outlet.

  Charlie Salinger : Well, what was it?

  Sam Arbogast : Somebody left your coffee machine on. And, um, you were the last one here.

  Charlie Salinger : Well, it was, uh... It was 3 o'clock in the morning. I mean, I guess I just forgot.

  Kirsten Bennett : But that proves it was an accident. You don't intentionally burn down a building by leaving a coffeepot on.

  Sam Arbogast : Well, you do if you shove a box of paper up next to the heating element.

  Charlie Salinger : Paper? That was a box of menus. That does not prove anything.

  Sam Arbogast : Except... you shut off the water valve.

  Charlie Salinger : What?

  Sam Arbogast : You didn't shut off the machine, but you shut off the water valve so that there was no water in the urn to absorb the heat when you left the burner on.

  Charlie Salinger : No, I can explain that. That

  Kirsten Bennett : That's my fault.

  [Charlie looks at her, surprised] 

  Kirsten Bennett : I helped Charlie close up. And he showed me how to clean the coffee urn. But I... I guess I must have forgot to turn the water back on. And then I... I went home before Charlie did, so he didn't know. I feel so stupid!

  Charlie Salinger : [to Kirsten]  Hey. I mean. You didn't know. You didn't know.

• [Charlie goes to the insurance company, and reaches Mr. Arbogast] 

  Charlie Salinger : Mr. Arbogast.

  Sam Arbogast : You shouldn't be here, Mr. Salinger.

  Charlie Salinger : Do you have any idea how much your company's made off Salinger's in the past 15 years?

  Sam Arbogast : This is highly inappropiate.

  Charlie Salinger : Ninety-seven thousand, six hundred and forty-one dollars and twelve cents, for insurance.

  Sam Arbogast : I should not be talking to you without a lawyer present, please.

  Charlie Salinger : Only that doesn't mean anything, even though we've never filed a claim, not once. And now, now that we need it, now that we're entitled to half of what we paid you, you bend over backwards to find some way to make sure we don't get it.

  Sam Arbogast : We don't pay when circumstances are suspect, now please leave.

  Charlie Salinger : I used to have people who trusted me, and now they don't anymore because you accused me of something that I didn't do. And you've got nothing to back that up. But why should you give a damn about that?

  [looking at the office, and the employees] 

  Charlie Salinger : Just as long as you can save your company a few more dollars. I just want you to know something. That restaurant was my father's. And that doesn't mean anything to you, and you don't care, but if you had any idea how much it means to me, how it is the only thing that I have left of him, there is no way that you would accuse me of burning it down.

  [he turns around to leave] 

  Charlie Salinger : There's no way.