Synopsis

Dr. Albright used his scheduled appointment with his physician as a convenient alibi. From there, he dialed his home, reaching the man who had been his wife’s lover. The phone call initiated the first part of a conditioning reflex in his dogs; the second was the utterance of the word "Rosebud" by the deceased. When Lieutenant Columbo arrived, Dr. Albright displayed a remarkably sympathetic demeanor when the officers mentioned the possibility of having to euthanize his dogs. Yet, Columbo observed