Poisoned by Love: The Kern County Murders (1993 TV Movie)

Helen Shaver: Edie Ballew

Quotes 

• Edie Ballew : There was a time you had the power to make me think that black was white. No more!

• Edie Ballew : [on phone]  I understand you're behind in your payments because you've been laid off, but who's paying for that new car I saw in your drive on my way to work? You're absolutely right, I am a nosy bitch, and thank you for noticing. And my nosy computer feeds directly into the DMV, it'll take me exactly 27 seconds to find out who owns that car. Thank you Mr. Caldwell, I look forward to seeing you.

• Steve Catlin : [going 70]  You don't come back to me, I'm gonna wrap this truck around that telephone pole down there.

  Edie Ballew : [grabs emergency brake]  You want me to drop this engine? You don't believe me? Try it.

• Edie Ballew : [answers phone]  Well hi, Martha, where are you?... Oh Mama. You want us to come right down? Are you sure? Is Steve alright? Okay.

  [hangs up] 

  Lynda : What? I bet old Joyce has seen the light and given Steve the boot. This is gonna be good!

  Edie Ballew : Joyce is dead.

• Edie Ballew : When you were married to Steve...

  Candy : Yes?

  Edie Ballew : I know he was a jerk and all, but he ever do anything rotten, or violent?

  Lynda : Excuse me?

  [slowly walks away] 

  Candy : Sweet Jesus, girl, what did he do to you?

  Lynda : A real hot day, real hot, he'd just lost his job, he was yelling at me in the car that I spent too much on groceries. He opened the door and he shoved me out, I was just lying there in the road kind of out of it. And he drove right at me. And he turned off at the last minute.

  Edie Ballew : You called the police?

  Lynda : Who'd believe me?

  Edie Ballew : You think that Steve could've poisoned Joyce?

• Edie Ballew : You wouldn't understand, you couldn't understand. You're not a woman, how could you know what he does to us? I'm gonna get him if it takes me forever!

  Bobby Ballew : No you're not! Now what you ARE gonna do is you're gonna let the cops handle this. What do you want to stick your neck out for anyway?

  Edie Ballew : The cops aren't gonna listen to me. YOU don't even listen to me.

• Bobby Ballew : Edie, what did Catlin DO to you?

  Edie Ballew : He was out of work, said he needed some money. Emptied out our account, and, I even borrowed some money from my best friend. And then one day, I came home from work early cuz I wanted to surprise him, and the house was so dark, and I walked in through the kitchen, went looking for him, found him in our bedroom. He was there, in our bed, with Joyce. I just stood there, watching them, he finally saw me, he got up and he shut the door right in my face. I stayed there listening until he finished, afterwards he come out and he didn't even bother to get himself dressed. Sat down in a chair and smiled a big old smile, he said that he was never really attracted to me, that nobody could ever love me.

  Bobby Ballew : Okay baby, stop it, just stop that. That was a long time ago, that was a whole lifetime ago.

  Edie Ballew : It's not, Bobby.

  Bobby Ballew : You left him, you got it together and you left him, baby.

  Edie Ballew : I lied to you. I didn't leave him. I did everything, I did everything that he wanted me to do, I just wanted him to love me. He left me, Bobby.

  Bobby Ballew : There's no shame in what you did, you understand me? I love you.

• Edie Ballew : Well, I guess this is the part where I have to really convince you...

  Detective Sandy Harris : No no no, Steve Catlin is a liar and a thief, I'm very interested in what you got to say.

  Edie Ballew : A thief?

  Detective Sandy Harris : I watched him steal I think it was about $160,000 worth of parts from the county auto shop. Seems whoever hired him never checked that he was a convicted auto thief.

  Edie Ballew : I was married to that man, and I understand he married a young lady from around these parts. She died a few days ago, her name was Dyna...

  Detective Sandy Harris : Emory.

  Edie Ballew : Yeah, you knew her?

  Detective Sandy Harris : Yes I did. Her father Glen was Fresno's fire chief, he was like a father to everybody. Her real name is Glenna Kaye, we all called her Dyna, short for dynamite. Why don't you talk to me?

• Detective Sandy Harris : There's one more thing.

  Edie Ballew : What's that?

  Detective Sandy Harris : Have you got a gun?

  Edie Ballew : Yeah.

  Detective Sandy Harris : Practice.

• Detective Sandy Harris : You know, the whole point was to *not* tip Catlin off. All I asked you for was a list. A simple list.

  Edie Ballew : John, go get the laundry.

  [to Sandy] 

  Edie Ballew : Look, if *you* came down here asking a bunch of questions, Steve would know about it in 10 minutes. Me? I'm just a nosy ex-wife.

  Detective Sandy Harris : Yeah, well I've got enough problems with this investigation without worrying that you're going to do some damn fool thing. Have I been clear about this?

  Edie Ballew : Yeah.