Murdoch Mysteries (2008–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Let Loose the Dogs - full transcript

Dog coming through!

Best damn ratter in the town!

All right!
Time!

Walter, Walter!
Fetch the dog.

Philip, count the rats.

That's a good boy.

Come on, boy!
Come on, boy!

Don't forget
that one over there!

That's it, that's it!

59 rats.

We have a surprise upset.
The winner... Flash!



Yes!

You ought to know better
than to mess with

John Delaney's dog, boys!

Hey!
Hey, that's not right!

Hey, hey, hey.

That dog...
That dog was not the best dog.

He had no hindquarters on him.

Anybody who knows
anything about ratting

would never have bet
on that dog!

Hey, what are you implying,
friend?

I was cheated,
and I want my money back!

Hey, hey!
Are you calling me a cheat?

You give me my money!

Give me my money!
Give me my money!



Give me my money!

No charge for that show.

Come on.
Ale and stew in the pub.

Where you going, John?
John.

I've had my fill for the night.

We have to talk.
Come on. We have to talk.

You can go home later.

Ugh!

What do we have, George?

Name is John Delaney.

Seems he was on his way home

from a ratting match
at the Manchester.

Somehow ended up in the river.

Nasty business, that... ratting.

- Who found the body?
- Uh, his son.

Poor soul.

Numerous blows
to the back of the head.

Someone gave him
quite a beating.

Seems Mr. Delaney was a regular
at the matches

and apparently
the big winner tonight.

Right.
Where's the prize money?

No, none, sir.
That's just it.

Robbery, it would seem.

Perhaps.

Over here!

We've found something.

Stinking drunk, this one.

Hey.

I don't know.

By the look of that hand,

I'd say he was
in a bit of a dustup.

Quite possibly.

Oy.

Sir?

Everything all right?

I know this man.

His name is Murdoch.

Murdoch?

Harry Murdoch.

He's my father.

I'd like to be excused
from this case.

Noted.

Denied.

It's highly irregular for a
detective to be investigating

a case involving his own father.

I'm sure he won't receive
any special treatment.

Surely another detective
could handle the case.

You're the only detective
available right now.

If we can't man this case,
we'll have to turn it over

to some private detective
agency, like Pinkerton's.

Perhaps that would be
for the best.

Do you think for one second
that they'll care

how you, your father, or this
police department is portrayed?

Course not.

Listen, we don't
want this business

being made any more public
than need be.

Do you understand?

Sir, I simply doubt
I can remain objective.

- Then be professional.
- But...

Don't you have interviews
to conduct?

Yes, sir.

Shame.

Terrible shame.

John Delaney was one of
my best customers.

Mmh.
Tragic loss for you.

Tell me, Mr. Newcombe,
what happened last night?

Well, the matches, as usual.

Then that business
with the drunken fellow.

This "drunken fellow"...
Was he a regular of yours?

I never laid eyes on him before.

Neither had John,
as far as I could tell.

Did Mr. Delaney
have any enemies?

Not that I'm aware of.

And what did Mr. Delaney do
after the altercation?

He had a quick pint and he left.

His son... uh, Philip?

He found the body.

Came running into the bar

shouting something about his pa
being in a bad way.

No one paid any attention
to it at first.

No? Why not?

Well, the boy...

Once you talk to him,
you'll understand.

Hello, Philip.

My name's
Detective William Murdoch.

I'm very sorry
about your father.

I need to ask you
a few questions.

When you came upon
your father's body,

did you see anything unusual?

Did you hear anything?

You just found his body
in the river?

Was your father
in any sort of trouble?

Was anyone angry with him?

Philip, do you have any idea

what time your father
left the pub?

13 minutes before 10:00.

13 minutes.

What time did you leave the pub?

Four minutes past 10:00.

Four minutes past.
Precisely?

How do you know this?

I see, I see.
That's a very nice watch.

You carry it with you
all the time?

Where did you get your watch,
Philip?

Mrs. Jess.

She... She said it would help me

keep track of things
inside my head.

This is my timepiece.

"For William,
on your birthday, with love. "

Who... Who's Liza?

She was a very special friend
of mine.

Philip, what time did you find
your father's body at the river?

10:22.

That's 18 minutes.

18 minutes.

For you to get
from here to the river.

Yeah.

You're... You're pretty fast
with time,

but... but not really fast
like I am.

No.
Not like you.

What happened
when you got to the river?

It took me one minute
to see that it was my pa.

Then I cried for two minutes.

It took me
another minute to decide

I- I should go back to the pub
and tell.

I ran back.
It took me 11 minutes.

I... I'm... I'm... I'm...

I'm... I'm... I'm not a...
I'm not a very fast runner.

I'm not a very fast writer.

Jess Lacey?

My name's
Detective William Murdoch.

I wonder if I could ask you
a few questions.

Fine.

Your husband...
Walter, is it?

He works for Mr. Newcombe?

Yes. He does odd jobs.
Handles the dogs.

And yourself?

I help out here at the pub,
do some cooking.

I'd like to ask you
about the argument

that Mr. Delaney had last night.

I really didn't see much.

How well did you know
the deceased?

He was just one of the regulars.

Philip is
a very interesting young man.

He barely said a word
till he was almost 12.

Then he just started talking,

like as if
he'd always been able to.

I asked him, "Why didn't you say
anything all those years? "

You know what he said?

"I was listening. "

- And his mother?
- Dead.

Will he be able
to care for himself?

I'll do what I can for him.

I appreciate
the way you were with him.

Others weren't so kind.

Others?

I will not speak ill
of the dead.

You, uh, the detective?

I am.

Well, it's about time
somebody came around,

get me out of this mess.

What makes you think
you're going to get out of it?

Hey.

Do I know you?

No.
No, you don't know me.

Well, anyways...

...I'm gonna tell you
what I told those other coppers.

I did not kill that man.

Why should I believe you?

'Cause I'm telling you so.

You were angry.

You accused the victim of
cheating and attacked him.

Later, the man is found dead,
and you're found nearby.

- How do you explain that?
- Well...

It's all a bit fuzzy.

You were too drunk to remember
how you wound up in the woods.

Maybe you were too drunk
to remember killing Delaney.

I did not kill that man!

No?

How do you know for certain
if you can't remember?

Or maybe you're just lying.

Well, you're not gonna hear

my side of the story at all,
are you?

Hey.

Who are you?

My name is
Detective William Murdoch.

Oh, my god.

Guard.

- William!
- We're finished here.

William!

Willy!

Willy.
Come back!

Will? Willy?

The victim received three deep
blows to the back of the head

consistent with
a blunt, rigid object.

A club, then.
Perhaps a stick of wood.

No, I don't think so.

I would expect to see
traces of wood fiber, dirt.

The cause of death?

There was no trace of water
in the lungs or in the stomach.

So the body was placed
in the water postmortem.

Why would Harry do that?

Perhaps the killer wasn't aware
his victim was dead.

Or he wanted to make sure.

Or perhaps Harry
wanted to make Delaney pay

with some final indignation.

William, there's nothing

linking your father
directly to the murder.

He had motive, means,
and opportunity.

Where's the money
he supposedly stole?

Hidden.
My men are searching for it now.

But that's all
circumstantial evidence.

And I would point out
Delaney was a big man.

Your father was very drunk.

It would seem unlikely that
he could have killed Delaney

and dragged his body
into the river,

hidden the purse, all before
passing out in the woods.

You don't know my father.

William, this must be
very difficult for you.

I'm fine.

It's fantastic.

It's just a drawing.

Uh, no, I mean the boy's mind.
The way it works.

Ah, yes, well, the French
have a term... idiot savant...

meaning a learned idiot.

There are numerous examples
of individuals

who have
been branded simpletons,

however possess, for example,
advanced mathematical skills.

There we go.

Ah, Inspector.
Just in time.

Oh, Jesus, not another chart.

All right, then.
Give me the gist.

- Would you?
- Right.

Harry was kicked out of the
ratting match at 35 past 9:00.

Delaney left the pub
12 minutes later.

Now, Harry is drunk, angry.

Decides to get even.

He follows Delaney
down to the river, kills him.

He then stashes
the winnings somewhere,

crosses the river...

...and passes out in the woods.

Doesn't look very good for
your father. I'm sorry, sir.

Well, this is
all fine and dandy,

but you don't have any proof.

Nothing concrete,
but I can assure you...

Murdoch, you daft bastard,
I'm trying to help you.

Your old man could hang.

Oy, bugalugs, have you got
something you could be doing?

Yes, sir.

A man and his father

might not always see eye-to-eye
on certain matters.

But with something
as serious as this,

you don't want to
be left wondering

if you should have done
something differently.

I'll keep that in mind, sir.

Murdoch,
you're not thinking clearly.

It's plain to see you need
a helping hand, me old mucker.

Have you ever bet on anything
in your life, Murdoch?

- Well...
- No. Thought not.

How's the new tie look?
Could I pass for a dandy?

- Very sharp, sir. Very sharp.
- Good.

Now, I've spent time at various
race courses around the world.

You get to hear stories,

a little pepper on the arse,
stuff like that.

I'm not sure of the connection
to the case, sir.

Well, if the ratting matches
were fixed,

suddenly we've got a roomful
of losers, all with motive.

That'll work
in your father's favor.

Now all we have to do is
find out how they're doing it.

Shouldn't we get
a search warrant?

A mere technicality.

Watch and learn, Murdoch.
Watch and learn.

She was 50 yards behind
at the quarter.

It was all over
but the shouting.

Then when they hit
the final stretch,

that's when she made her move.

It was as if
all those other raggedy-ass nags

were standing still.

Then in '90
when I was at the Derby...

- The Kentucky Derby?
- Mmh.

- You were there?
- Yes. Glorious day.

I thought the track
was muddy that year.

The track.
It was muddy that year.

I think you're right, yeah.
Don't know what I was thinking.

Slick.
Terribly slick.

I took one look at Kingman,

and I knew that was
the horse to beat.

Wasn't it Riley that won?
Kingman took it the next year.

Now, dogs...
That's my one true love.

- What's got into them?
- It's probably just a barn cat.

Anyway, I was no more than
a young pup myself

when my father took me to
a greyhound meeting in Wales.

The Welsh just love their dogs.

Bartender!
Another beer, please.

Walter, see what
has those dogs riled up.

It's probably nothing.

Ever been to Wales?
Barren but majestic.

Aah!

What the hell
is going on in here?

Someone in here?

Show yourself or you're getting
it upside the head.

- Chloral hydrate in tincture.
- Chloroform.

- This is opium in tincture.
- Laudanum.

And cocaine in tincture.

Two sedatives and one stimulant.

The dogs were being drugged.
Your father is correct.

So it appears.

Perhaps he's telling the truth
about the murder as well.

William, you seem single-minded
about your father's guilt.

I'm no such thing.

In any other case

you would thoroughly investigate
all possibilities

before assuming
a suspect's guilt.

And surely your father
deserves the same treatment.

My father deserves nothing.

Why don't you
ever look after that kid?!

Don't you...

So how do they do it?

Well, you, uh...

...slip the favorite...

...a little sleeping potion.

And, uh, that'll take the starch
out of his Nebuchadnezzar.

Then the crowd bets
the favorite,

and the house cleans up
on the underdog.

So...

Will you be releasing me?

No.

The fact that there was cheating
just confirms your motive.

It's a terrible thing when a boy
distrusts his father so much.

Yes.

And whose fault would that be?

After the nuns took you,
I meant to write you.

But I never knew where.

Well, that would have
been difficult.

I know.
I should have found you.

But, um, well...

...you wouldn't have liked
the man I become.

As opposed to the upstanding
citizen you are now.

Willy.

Why are you really here?

- For the truth.
- Well, I t-told you the truth.

I did not kill that man.

We both very well know

what you're capable of
when you've been drinking.

What?
What are you talking about?

You know precisely
what I'm talking about.

Let's go over this again,
Mr. Lacey.

Why do you have chloroform,
laudanum, and cocaine

in your kennel?

There's nothing illegal
about them.

Maybe not.

But I think your boss
and his clientele

might have something to say

if they discovered
you were drugging the dogs.

Wouldn't they, George?

What if word were to get out?
Accidentally, sir.

I don't see how that's possible.
Only you and I know.

But if it did.

Here's how it looks to me...

Doping the dogs was easy.

But you needed a partner.
Someone to lay the bets.

Delaney.

But something happened between
the two of you, didn't it?

- Maybe over the cut.
- Look...

I didn't have anything to do
with Delaney getting killed.

I just doped the animals
for them.

"Them"?

Delaney and Newcombe.

They came up
with the doping scheme.

Hello, Philip.

Have you seen Mr. Newcombe?

He left.

T- Twelve minutes ago.

Twelve minutes ago.
Thank you.

Philip...

Did you see Mr. Newcombe
and your father together

that night after the matches?

Yes.

Oh, you did?

And what were they doing,
Philip?

They were
in Mr. Newcombe's office.

Just leave me be!
Leave me!

They were yelling at each other.

And what are you staring at,
you great-eyed...

You will not be striking
your son.

Philip?

What time did this argument
take place?

A quarter to 10:00.

And Mr. Newcombe...

What time did he leave the pub

the night
your father was killed?

Four minutes before 10:00.

Well, Philip,
thank you very much.

You've been very helpful.

- I have?
- You have.

When... When I...
When I tried to help before,

my pa said I was stupid.

Well, he was very wrong
to say that.

Very wrong.

Delaney and Newcombe
have their argument...

...at quarter to 10:00.

Delaney leaves the pub
two minutes later.

Now, we know it's an 18-minute
walk to the crime scene...

...which puts the murder...

...at around
five minutes after 10:00.

However, we know Newcombe...

...left the pub
at four minutes to 10:00.

Then he only had nine minutes
to get to the crime scene.

Exactly.

Could he have made it?

Well?

If I take an average
of your five runs...

allowing for
superior conditioning,

now compensated for
by exhaustion...

Let's see.
Seven...

It's quite possible
to make it here in nine minutes.

Right, then.
Once again.

You and Delaney were arguing.

Maybe you wanted
a bigger cut of the winnings.

Delaney disagreed.

Or maybe you wanted
the entire purse for yourself.

So you followed him
down to the river and took it.

That's fantastic.
Brilliant.

Wrong.

All right.
Correct me, then.

We did argue.
It wasn't over the money.

What was it over, then?

John was getting greedy.

He wanted to run the con again
right away.

I wanted to stop. I thought the
fixes were becoming too obvious.

So your partner
was becoming a problem.

- Is that why you killed him?
- I didn't kill him.

Why did you leave the pub early
that night?

It was a long day.

I went home.
I left Walter to close up.

And which way is home?

- It's past the river.
- The same as Delaney.

Yes.

And did you see the body?

No.

Sir?

There's no way Newcombe
missed seeing the body

when he passed by.

Well, then, he's lying.

Yes.
Could be.

But I'm much more interested
in the possibility

that he could be
telling the truth.

Sir?

Think about it, George.

If Newcombe left the pub
after Delaney

but never did see his body
when he came across the river...

Then Delaney wasn't there at
that time... He was still alive.

Very good, George.
And if that's the case, then...

Then where was he?

We have to find out
what John Delaney was up to

during those missing moments

and if that's the reason
he was murdered.

You showing up here
hasn't made my life any easier.

Well, hasn't worked out
so well for me neither.

If that's the case, then you'd
better start remembering

something about that night.

Did you see Delaney
leave the pub?

Uh... Uh, I...
Eh, I can't remember.

Think!
Did you see anything?

I was... I was drunk,
I tell you.

Oh, for God's sake, man,
stop using that excuse.

It's your neck.

Will, what do you
got against me?

You've got the gall to ask me
that after what you did to her?

She drowned.
You know that.

Do you know
what a concussion is?

It's a medical term describing
a lingering brain injury

caused by a blow to the head.

It causes dizziness
and faintness.

If you hadn't hit her,

she never would have
fallen into the water.

Well, you seem to know
so much about it.

Why don't you tell me
what happened?

All right.

You came home drunk.

You started laying into me for
making a mess of the firewood.

Right, right.

Oh, are you having fun, huh?
Huh?

Don't you touch him,
you bloody drunk!

Mother tried to stop you.

I'm gonna take him,
and we're leaving!

- Go on and hit me!
- Mom!

You're disgusting!
Don't you...

You hit her.

Mom!

She was only trying
to protect me.

Will...

That's not what happened.

Now, you let me explain.

When I came home
that night, you...

W- What?

Surely a-any police officer
worth his salt

would be interested in hearing
the other side of the story.

Will? Willy?

Willy!

Oh, Dr. Ogden was by earlier.
She left that note for you.

Oh, well,
I guess I'll be leaving, sir.

And out.

And in.

Out.

And in.

And out.

Last one. In.

And out.

Very good.

I'll see you next week.

Breathing exercises, eh?

Meant to strengthen the lungs
and help ward off consumption.

If you believe the experts.

Well, it can't hurt.

Dr. Ogden.

Julia.

I've been
somewhat distracted recently.

Even rude at times.

Perhaps this case has affected
me more than I care to admit.

Is that an apology?

A very awkward one, but yes.

Apology accepted.

I reexamined Delaney
as you requested,

keeping an eye out for anything
out of the ordinary.

The only thing I found was
a small abrasion on his penis.

It appeared to be recent.

That might explain
where he disappeared to.

What do you mean?

There's an unexplained gap

between when Delaney
left the bar

and when his body
ended up in the river.

Perhaps he had a rendezvous.

I would suggest a vigorous one.

Yeah, John always had
an eye for the ladies.

Anyone in particular?

I don't like to gossip.

I remind you, you are not yet
beyond suspicion.

I think he was
sniffing around Jess Lacey.

I already told you.

I didn't have anything to do
with Delaney's murder.

I had nothing against the man.

No?
Not even jealousy?

Why would I be jealous?

The man was after your wife.

What?

We already know John Delaney
had sexual relations

just shortly before
he was killed.

Did you happen upon them in the
act, fly into a jealous rage?

- She would never.
- Some men wouldn't blame you.

Look, I didn't kill Delaney,
all right?

But if I found him with Jess,
I might have.

Blood, Mr. Lacey?

From the rats.

We shall see.

Dr. Ogden,
I need your assistance.

Are we going to kill something?

Oh. Sorry.

I need to determine

whether the blood on this
is human or animal.

That's not possible.

Actually, I've been doing
some reading.

- A little room.
- Sorry.

Could you pass me those vials?

So if the antibodies
in the rabbit serum

react to the human blood cells,

then a visible line
should appear

across the middle of the slides
when the two solutions meet.

So you came across this process
in your readings?

Yes.

No matter how many books I read,

I never seem to find anything
as fascinating as yours.

So will this evidence
stand up in court?

I only need enough evidence
to satisfy myself.

Tearing the place apart!
You have no right!

Right, sir.
Here we are.

I found this stuffed
under some burlap sacks.

First the murder weapon,
and now the prize money.

That's justification enough to
tear this place apart, I'd say.

I have no idea
how that got in here.

George, we'll have to take
Mr. Lacey down to the station.

But I didn't do it.
I don't understand.

There'll be no need for that.

Mrs. Lacey?

My husband is innocent,
Detective.

What makes you so certain?

Because I killed John Delaney.

Tell me, Mrs. Lacey,
what happened?

He started coming to me
after the matches.

I made it clear to him
that I wasn't interested.

That night, he didn't take no
for an answer.

He left me lying on the ground
like so much dirt.

Something in me snapped.

I caught up with him
at the river.

I hit him hard.

And how did he end up
in the water?

He was laying there.

Still breathing.

I couldn't bring myself
to strike him again,

so I pushed him in.

And let the water
finish him off?

Yes.

And the money?

I took it.

To make it look like a robbery.
I hid it above the dog kennel.

I'll sign the papers
for your father's release.

You can deliver
the good news yourself.

I would never have put her
in the frame for it.

Maybe that's because
she didn't kill John Delaney.

Murdoch!
What are you talking about?

- The woman just confessed.
- She's lying.

She claims to have put
Delaney's body in the river

while he was still breathing.

But we know he was already dead.

Why would she put her own neck
in the noose?

I've been asking myself
the same question.

The answer's in the timeline.

Philip.
I need your help.

My help?

Mm-hmm.
With the times.

You see,
I've been over and over them.

I still can't quite make sense
of one thing.

Here's the problem, Philip.

Mrs. Jess.

She's confessed
to killing your father.

No.

She says she killed him here
by the river

and then returned to the pub.

But if you were on this path,
as you say you were,

then surely
you must have seen her.

No.

You kept such careful track

of when everyone else
came and went that night.

What about Mrs. Jess?
When did she leave?

When did she return?

- I... I don... I don't know.
- You don't know?

How can you not know?

You kept such careful track

of everyone's comings and goings
that night.

But not hers?

The one person
who cares for you?

What if something
happened to her?

What if someone
had been trying to hurt her?

Philip!

Is that what happened, Philip?

Did you see someone hurting her?

I know what it's like...

...when you want to protect
someone you love so much,

but you can't.

I know how angry
that can make you.

Is that what happened, Philip?

How could you do that to him?!

And I will keep at it,
Mrs. Lacey,

until you tell me the truth.

How about I tell you what
I think happened that night?

Delaney did attack you.

But Philip happened by.

He saw everything.

The man
who should have loved him

had harmed the only person
in the world who did.

He was enraged.

So he followed his father.

I should have stopped him.

Only when I came upon him...

Oh!

No!

No.

Philip.

Oh, God.
Why didn't I stop him?

Sometimes I wonder if I didn't

because I wanted John dead
so badly.

For what he'd done to you.

To Philip.

What'll become of him?

I don't know.

Maybe he'll be better off
without his father.

May I see him?

Yes.

Philip.

Philip.

I... I... I-I think
I- I said something

I wasn't supposed to, Mrs. Jess.

Oh, no.
No. You didn't.

You were so good.

You were so good.

So good.

You come to see me off?

I thought not.

You say it happened differently.

Yeah.

Tell me.

All right.

You had made a mess
of the woodpile.

I come home, and I was drinking.

And it doesn't take much
to set a drinker off.

Your mother protected you.

She always loved you.

You know that, don't you?

Well, she had a sharp tongue.

I didn't.
We were a poor match.

But that day was the worst.

She... She threatened to
leave me and take you with her.

And I don't think I've ever been
so angry in my life.

But I never hit her.

She come at me.

You are pathetic, Harry!

- She slipped.
- Oh!

And, she, uh...

She hit her head on the hearth.

You all right?

You never hit her?

No.

I never hit her.

Why should I believe you?

Do you ever remember me
hitting you?

No. You don't.

Because I never did.

I've done a lot of things wrong
in my life,

but I never hit my boy.

Or my wife.

I know this may be hard
for you to believe...

I loved her.

Well...

I guess, uh, I'd best be off.

Where will you go?

They say, uh, a lot of
good opportunities out West.

I thought you might like to see
today's newspaper.

It would seem the paper
is intent

on building public sentiment
behind Philip.

It will likely save him
from the gallows.

I thought you'd be pleased.

I am. I am.
It's just...

Did things not go well
with your father?

I have a lot to think about.

I find Toronto Island
a- a lovely place to go

when I need to think.

A walk along the shoreline
is most relaxing.

Are you offering
to accompany me, Doctor?

Well, you have been
rather confused of late.

I wouldn't want you to get lost
among the lagoons.

Excellent.