Murdoch Mysteries (2008–…): Season 13, Episode 13 - Kill Thy Neighbour - full transcript
♪ ♪
Are you off home,
then, Crabtree?
Yes, sir.
Then off to dinner with
Effie at The Dome.
That new posh place?
Are we paying you
too much, Crabtree?
Or is your lady friend
footing the bill?
What do you
think, Murdoch?
Hmm?
I said are we
paying him too much?
Nevermind. You've been
distracted all day.
I'm very sorry, sir.
Ever since Julia and I have
been staying at the hotel,
I've barely
gotten any sleep.
Has the flooding at your
house not been fixed yet, sir?
The workers we engage
keep cancelling.
Sir. Allow me.
Someone's getting paid too much.
These are lovely.
How did
the flooding happen?
Our neighbours, Goldie
and Raymond Huckabee,
put in a second water line.
At the same time,
our pipes burst.
That doesn't just happen.
I think they did
it on purpose. Thank you.
Perhaps it was just
an accident, sir.
Not where they are
concerned, George.
They've taken a disliking
to Julia and I -
[Crabtree]
No!
They've been curt,
rude, and I dare I say it -
malicious.
So where are you
off to tonight?
Toronto Mercy Hospital is having
their annual fundraising dinner.
I'm only going
for Julia's sake.
Then, in the morning,
I'm going to see Huckabee
and I'm going to make him pay.
The house is across
from Detective Murdoch's.
Yes, this is his neighbour,
Raymond Huckabee.
The two have not been
getting along well of late.
And the paperboy
called this in?
That's right, sir.
He said the door was ajar,
and when he peered in,
he saw a pool of
blood on the floor.
I hope there
wasn't a murder.
It's too lovely
a morning for a dead body.
I agree.
I just finished my breakfast.
It was unusual that
Detective Murdoch
wasn't at the Station
House this morning.
He didn't answer the telephone
at his hotel, either.
I can't remember
the last time the Detective
was late for work.
Perhaps he dipped
into the wine again.
Toronto Constabulary.
Hello?
That's Raymond Huckabee.
Murdoch must be
informed immediately.
I'll go to his
hotel myself.
I'll find the telephone
and call the Inspector.
Wait, Detective,
what's this?
Murdoch? Murdoch?
Are you in there?
-Inspector.
-What's wrong?
Do you know
how late it is?
We must have slept in...
I feel so thick-headed.
Yes.
It's called
being hungover.
No, sir. We aren't.
Look, we've got some
bad business to attend to.
Has there been a murder?
Yes, sir.
Raymond Huckabee.
What?
That can't be.
I'm afraid so.
We just came
from his house.
And we need to talk
to you about this.
Your cufflink.
And this was found
at the scene?
[Crabtree] Right next to
Huckabee's body, sir.
That's definitely
your cufflink!
[Crabtree] You were
wearing them last night.
This is ridiculous.
Yes, it may look like
one of my cufflinks,
but it isn't.
Mine are right here.
Yes. Perhaps the murderer
has the same cufflinks.
I gave those to William
as an anniversary present.
They were my father's.
I see.
One of my cufflinks
is missing.
Don't all look
at me like that.
Well, we have to ask.
Where were you last night?
[Julia] We were
together all night.
We went to the charity event,
everybody saw us there.
[Brackenreid]
And after?
We came back here,
I had room service
send up warm milk for me
and a sherry for Julia.
I'm afraid I don't
remember anything after that.
And then you overslept.
Did you take a soporific?
No...
But I feel as though
I took several.
[Murdoch] There's still some
liquid in the glasses.
I'll test them
for sedatives.
You know, Murdoch, if anyone
else was in this position,
we'd have arrested
them already.
You had motive, and your
cufflink was found at the scene.
Perhaps we should
consider that, sir,
somebody might be
trying to set you up?
It's certainly seems
that way, George.
But who?
You can't be serious.
Oh, but I am,
Mr. Crabtree.
It's all there
in your contract.
I assume you read
your contract.
But that's preposterous.
Not to mention wasteful.
I run a very small
publishing house.
We don't have room to
store every dud we print.
So you're going to pulp the
remaining copies of my book?
No store will take them.
What are we to do?
Give it some time.
Your contract states that
if the print run does not
sell out in two months,
all remaining copies
are to be destroyed.
Can I keep some copies?
You have your author's
copies already.
Good day, Mr. Crabtree.
George.
Oh. Miss Cherry.
It is not a good time.
George, I thought
we were friends.
You did?
Friends tell each
other things.
Like, the fact that
Detective Murdoch's neighbour
was gruesomely murdered
in his own home.
How do you know
that already?
It was in
the Toronto Examiner!
What?
Do you think the victim's
proximity to the Detective
had anything to
do with his murder?
Look, Louise.
Even if I wanted to help you,
Detective Murdoch
has a standing directive--
--"Not to talk to
Miss Cherry," I know.
But can you comment
on the fact that
a disproportionate amount of
people close to the Detective
end up dead?
Thank you for coming in,
Mrs. Huckabee.
Please have a seat.
What else could
I have done?
Can you tell us if there
was anyone who wished ill
on your husband?
Yes. One man and one man only.
Detective William Murdoch.
-Now, Mrs. Huckabee
-I will not be silenced!
I can tell you all about how
that man plagued my dear Ray.
Moving in beside
him and his wife
was the worst thing
we ever did.
I understand you've been staying
at your mother's this week.
Do you know what
time Mr. Huckabee
would have left the house
yesterday morning?
Yes, I spoke to him
on the telephone
before he left
for the office.
At 8 o'clock.
I didn't know it
would be the last time
I would ever hear his voice.
That man would do all
sorts of strange things.
Like, lend us his lawnmower
then take it back
in the middle
of the night.
Loosen the bolts on
our carriage wheels.
He even accused
Raymond of killing me!
That doesn't sound
like Murdoch at all.
I just knew no one
here would believe me.
Which is why
I brought this.
A dossier on
William Murdoch.
Proof of everything
I've told you.
Are you serious?
That man and his wife
are waging a campaign
of intimidation against us.
I knew no one
would believe us,
so I hired a private
investigator a few weeks ago.
It must have been
my female intuition.
I'm a little bit
psychic, you know.
Sometimes a lot psychic.
Indeed.
I've discovered that I was
indeed drugged last night.
There was a sedative
in the drink,
and I've managed
to isolate it.
It's called barbital,
it's a new substance
that's less bitter
than bromide.
So you were both drugged.
Well, I was.
I only found it in my glass.
I found nothing in
William's glass but milk.
Impossible.
I definitely felt
I'd been sedated.
You'll want to have
a look at this.
What is it?
Goldie Huckabee had you followed
by a private investigator
for the past few weeks.
It's damning
evidence, Murdoch.
Circumstantial, at best.
[Watts] Did you break
into their garden shed?
Of course not.
I tried the door,
but it was locked.
I wanted
my lawnmower back.
[Brackenreid] You loosened the
bolts on their carriage wheels.
Raymond Huckabee
asked me to tighten them.
He didn't have
the right tools.
As usual.
It's your word against
this investigator
and a grieving widow.
[Watts]
Yes.
We need to gather evidence that
points away from the Detective.
Miss Hart should be done
her postmortem by now.
Shall we?
You go on.
I'm going to
work on a timeline.
I narrowed the time
of death to between
8 and 10
o'clock at night.
We were at
the dinner at that time.
That's good news
for you, then.
He had stab wounds on
both sides of his body?
Yes, three on the front,
and these three on his back.
All made with
different weapons.
Six different
murder weapons?
One stab each.
It doesn't make any sense.
Curiouser still, all the wounds
are all at the same angle.
I also found blood
pooled in his feet,
suggesting that for a period
of time after death,
Mr. Huckabee was upright.
So he stood up for a while
after he was killed.
Then he was laid down,
or fell.
Did you find any
defensive wounds?
None.
I have an idea.
Given that it is
highly unlikely
that six different
assailants
all stabbed Mr. Huckabee
at precisely the same time,
and no, George,
I don't believe it was a team
of six kung-fu assassins.
Could have been
three of them.
If they all had
a blade in each hand.
Perhaps it's possible
there was no one there
at all when
Mr. Huckabee was murdered.
So what's this then,
some kind of murder device?
Well, it would have
required a structure
to support the blades,
attached to a trip wire,
or a switch.
Perhaps it was
triggered by the door.
When Mr. Huckabee came home,
he activated the device,
stabbing himself.
The thrust of the weapons
would have required
industrial grade springs.
It's diabolical.
And a complex bit
of machinery, sir.
The only person I know who
could put something like this
together would be--
Yes. Well.
I didn't.
But the circumstances of
this murder are such that
a device like this could
have been used to stab
Mr. Huckabee six times,
all at once.
Why would someone go to
the trouble of building
such a device?
So they wouldn't have to be
there at the time of the murder.
They would ostensibly
have an alibi.
But there was no
device there.
Perhaps the killer
left evidence of it.
I've got the photographs
from the scene.
[Julia] What are these marks,
on the wall?
Holes. Holes, you see.
A device could have been
bolted to the wall here.
William! Look!
I knew it!
There's our pelican.
Goldie did steal
it after all.
More importantly, these
holes prove that a device
could have been
bolted to the wall.
They would have had to put
it up earlier in the day,
then take it down again
after Huckabee was dead.
Miss Hart.
Our little ray of sunshine.
Do come in.
I thought you would want
to know, I examined some
of the skin samples that I took
from around the wounds.
What did you find?
Finely-cut grass clippings.
Grass clippings?
Didn't you and the Huckabee
fellow get into a fight
over your lawnmower?
And this deep cut here -
Could have been made
by a lawnmower blade.
Flooding seems to
have receded, sir.
Bit of a musty
smell, though.
Alright then, Crabbers.
Let the dog see the rabbit.
Bloody hell,
this is heavy.
Well sir, careful.
You need to lift with
your knees, not you back.
Don't just stand there,
Crabtree, give me a hand.
[both grunting]
Why are we not
doing this outside?
It's too bright outside.
We need darkness.
Alright then.
[Julia]
William. It can't be!
There's blood all
over this blade, sir.
Not only the blade.
Bloody hell, Murdoch.
If I didn't know you
quite so well -
I would look very,
very guilty.
You do believe him,
don't you?
That someone is
setting him up?
Of course.
Murdoch wouldn't murder anyone.
We know that.
But we can't keep all this
under our hat much longer.
Louise Cherry is already
asking questions.
What about
Goldie Huckabee?
-What about her?
-She did steal my pelican.
She's obviously of
the criminal persuasion.
Perhaps she killed
her husband?
She was in Unionville
all day with her mother.
I checked.
She told me herself that
their previous neighbours
in Kingston died under
mysterious circumstances.
I'll send Parker to Kingston.
See if he can dig anything up.
Do you really think she
could have done something
like this?
Yes, well, this murder did
take planning and ingenuity.
I wonder if she has
the mental capacity.
Has anyone spoken to this
private investigator?
Mrs. Huckabee
gave me his card.
Private Investigations, Inc.
[man]
Come in.
[Murdoch] We're looking for
a private investigator.
Ralph Fellows.
Detective Murdoch.
We meet again.
You can't arrest me.
[Brackenreid]
Oh yes we can.
This is what's
gonna happen.
You'll spend time
in our cells.
Then you'll go to trial.
And then you'll hang.
For what, exactly?
Mr. Fellows, we know you
were responsible
for the multiple
murders last year
inspired by my Police manual.
And now we have reason
to believe that you are
guilty of murdering
Raymond Huckabee.
Did I work for the wife? Yes.
Did I kill her husband? No.
Why would I?
To frame Detective Murdoch,
that's bloody well why.
Because you're
a crackpot.
Where were you yesterday,
Mr. Fellows?
I was working on a case.
I have a very successful
business, you know.
In fact, I don't
have time for this.
I have an another
engagement.
The only place you're
going to is the cells.
Do you feel alright, Detective.
Getting enough sleep?
[Brackenreid]
Shut up. Come on.
I cannot arrest Ralph Fellows
for the murders last year.
He'll have to be freed.
-But he's guilty!
-According to whom?
Detective Murdoch merely
has a feeling that
Mr. Fellows committed
those crimes.
No hard evidence.
I'm sure if given
enough time -
We cannot keep men locked up
until we build a case
against them out
of whole cloth.
I trust Murdoch.
Not only do you have
no hard evidence
that Mr. Fellows
committed those murders,
you now have no evidence
he murdered Mr. Huckabee.
The man tried to set up his own
sister for murder last year.
He's diabolical.
From what you've
told me already,
all the clues you've
uncovered point to yourself,
Detective Murdoch.
That's what he
wants you to think.
Can you tell me why he is
going through such trouble
to implicate you?
Ever since we met,
the man has been jealous
of my superior intellect.
His only goal in life
is to see me disgraced.
You sound ridiculous.
Sort this out, Inspector.
And Detective Murdoch,
stay out of this.
Before I have to
charge you myself.
The Detective isn't going
to walk me out himself?
He will most
definitely be in touch.
Your briefcase.
This will prove my
whereabouts two days ago.
I was on a job,
following this fellow,
as he left a bawdy house.
I'll have to talk to him.
His name is on the back.
I am very thorough.
I can't believe
he won't be arrested
for the previous murders.
So we'll get him on
the Huckabee murder.
We need to find out precisely
when this murder contraption
was installed.
And when it
was taken down.
I'll talk to everyone I
can in your neighbourhood,
and anyone who had access
to the Huckabee house.
[Crabtree] Sir, we should have
the lads check your house.
Fellows might have
left behind fingermarks
when he brought the bits and
bobs of the contraption back.
Very good, George.
Be quick about it, lads.
They won't let us keep
this investigation
going on much longer.
Together we'll solve this.
Don't worry, William.
Miss Louise Cherry,
if I'm not mistaken.
Toronto Telegraph?
I am she.
I have some information
on the Huckabee case.
Oh?
The murderer is none other
than Detective Murdoch.
That seems very
hard to believe.
I have proof.
How?
Do you want the
exclusive or not?
Should be the last of it.
George!
Did you see the latest article
about the Huckabee case?
By Louise Cherry?
Look, anything Louise Cherry
writes in the newspaper
should be taken
with a grain of salt.
She says your book
is un putdown-able.
She gets it
right sometimes.
Apparently, Raymond Huckabee's
boss was so taken
with your book,
he couldn't stop reading it
all throughout the day.
Really?
Which is why he remembers
the exact time
Mr. Huckabee left work.
He only looked up only when Mr.
Huckabee said goodbye, at 5:35.
At least somebody
read my book.
Wait a minute,
how did Louise Cherry
come to be speaking
to Huckabee's boss?
She has quite a bit
of information.
She writes of Detective Murdoch
being both suspect and sleuth.
How did she know that?
"Mr. Ralph Fellows,
a private investigator
who has intimate knowledge of
this case, gave me the details."
Unbelievable.
The Huckabee's housekeeper
was at the house all day
until 2 o'clock.
Mr. Huckabee left
work at 5:35.
He then proceeded
to a restaurant,
where he dined
alone until 7:30.
Afterwards,
he arrived home,
greeting his
next-door neighbour,
Mrs. Hager,
at approximately 8 p.m.
Miss Hart said he was killed
between 8 and 10 o'clock.
So the contraption had
to have been installed
between 2 and 8 p.m.
Mrs. Hager told me she
sat on her front porch
between just after
6 o'clock and 8 o'clock,
and saw no one matching
Fellows' description.
Well, that
narrows it down.
Mrs. Hager also pointed
me in the direction
of Mrs. Schmidt, who was able
to tell me that she was
gardening between
half past 4
and 6:00 o'clock
and saw nothing.
Narrowing it down further.
Do you think my neighbours
believe I'm guilty?
That's of no consequence.
It is if I have to
see them every day.
Well, if they believe
you to be a killer
at least you will
have your privacy.
I have an appointment
with the fellow
that Fellows was following.
I'll go see if he was
indeed at the bawdy house
between 2 o'clock
and half past four
on the day of the murder.
Fortunately,
I can definitively say
where I was at that time.
Excellent.
I was interviewing
an eye witness
in the Osbourne
robbery case.
I left here at 1:30.
It was an hour ride to his home,
and we spoke for twenty minutes.
And hour ride back and I
spent the rest of the day
here at the Station House.
[knock on the door]
Mr. Templeton.
Do I look like a fool to you,
Detective Murdoch?
No, sir.
I was just leaving.
Why was I just
accosted by a reporter,
and asked why the lead suspect
in the Huckabee murder
was also the lead detective?
Sir. I can explain.
I should hope so.
You remember I told you
that this Ralph Fellows
has a personal
vendetta against me?
Yes, and you
sounded paranoid.
I can prove it to you.
I just need a bit
more time.
You've got six hours.
Promise me the evening edition
will have a different headline.
-Murdoch--
-Nevermind.
As much as it
pains me to admit,
Ralph Fellows has done
an excellent job
of making me look
guilty of murder.
These are the
weapons and tools
used to make the contraption.
Then he put them
in your house?
He didn't just
put them there, sir,
he built the contraption out of
items already in my home.
My screwdriver,
my door hinges.
Even the springs from my
automated day bed mechanism...
I've been cross-referencing
the tools with the wounds.
There are five here,
and I've matched them
with wounds here,
here, here, and here.
What's this one? Looks odd.
[Julia] Yes, I've not seen
this particular shape before.
The weapon must have
had a short blade.
The puncture is
only four inches,
and there is bruising
all around in a circle.
A circle with lines
intersecting in a star pattern.
I know what it is.
You do?
Yes.
When Margaret heard about
Higgins snow skiing,
she wanted to try it.
So she made me
buy all the gear.
This bruise is made by the
thingy at the end of a ski pole.
Why would Ralph Fellows
use a ski pole?
Because it's distinctive.
And there's only one place
in Toronto that sells them.
Yes, I've got
it right here.
Let's see...
We did sell a
pair of ski poles.
I thought it was odd,
being summer.
And it was you
who sold them?
No, that would be
my lazy son-in law.
I know the day we
sold them - ah!
Here it is.
One pair of ski poles,
sold to a...
William Murdoch.
Sir! That's an
awfully good forgery.
[Murdoch] As you can clearly
see, that is not my signature.
They look the same to me.
If Murdoch says it's a forgery
then it's a forgery.
The man most qualified to
discern forgeries
is also the man under
suspicion of murder.
Tell me what you've discovered
in the past six hours.
What of Fellows' alibi?
The subject of Mr. Fellows'
surveillance confirmed
he was outside the bawdy
house at 3 o'clock
on the day of the murder.
Therefore,
so was Mr. Fellows.
Well, unless Mr. Fellows
paid someone else
to take photographs.
Mr. Templeton, you must
believe that I'm being framed.
The man is obsessed
with my downfall,
all he wants
is to destroy me.
I assure you that in time,
we can prove that
Murdoch is innocent.
Time is up.
The word is out
everywhere.
It'll be my head
if I don't do something.
William Murdoch,
having reviewed the evidence,
I must council you
to retain a lawyer,
and to keep silent
at the risk
of incriminating
yourself further.
I have no choice but to
remand you into custody
and charge you with the murder
of Raymond Huckabee.
This Fellows is getting
the better of us.
Everywhere we turn,
he's one step ahead.
He must have been
planning this for months.
I've half a mind to kill him
myself and be done with it.
Supposing Murdoch
was guilty...
It's hardly a disloyal
hypothesis, George.
He's suspected each of us of
murder at one time or another.
There's no telling
what darkness lurks
in the heart of a man, Crabtree.
Sir, I know what lurks in the
heart of William Murdoch,
it is a passion of justice,
a respect for science,
and a desire to create
ingenious automated machines
that one day might save us
from doing housework.
He has more integrity
than any man I know,
and he would sooner
move house to Mars
than kill a vexatious
neighbour.
And you know, that's it.
I refuse to hear any
more on the subject.
Yes.
No doubt you're
exactly right, George.
But what I mean to say is
that if we put our minds
to examining the case
against Murdoch,
it will surely fall apart.
Yes?
Yes. Right.
Surely it will.
Let us do that, then.
[reporters]
Mr. Fellows!
Sources say Detective
Murdoch has been arrested
for the murder of
Raymond Huckabee.
Can you comment,
Mr. Fellows?
The investigation is
in the capable hands
of the Constabulary.
Why would Detective
Murdoch kill his neighbour?
Well, having worked with
the great Detective before,
I can only assume that
if Detective Murdoch
committed this act,
he must have been driven to it.
You're saying the victim
provoked this heinous crime?
No, no, no, my dear.
You must understand.
Men of genius are
prone to obsession.
It's obvious, Detective Murdoch
fell into the grip
of an obsession
with Mr. Huckabee,
leading to tragic
consequences.
Good day.
I agree with Watts.
Track my movements
the night of the murder.
You came home from the party,
drugged your wife,
then snuck out to take
the stabbing machine apart,
then put the pieces
back in your workshop.
The night staff at the hotel
would have seen you leave
after I fell asleep.
That would have been at
approximately midnight.
Doctor, shall we interview
the hotel staff?
Very good.
That leaves us with
the afternoon on the day
of the murder,
when the contraption
would have been installed.
Yes, I've drawn you a map
to the cabin near Mount Dennis
where Mr. Smith lives.
-You bicycled?
-You can't miss it.
It's the first cabin
past that crossing.
Mr. Smith keeps
a tidy house.
He gave me
a glass of cold tea.
We'll have him come in
to confirm your alibi.
Then all this nonsense
will be over.
Oh no, sir.
Mr. Smith doesn't
come into town.
And he doesn't
have a telephone.
You'll have to go there.
You must have read
the map wrong, Watts.
I don't think so.
It's very clear, and this
fits the directions exactly.
What the bloody hell
is Murdoch playing at?
No one has been
here in years.
So much for
Murdoch's alibi.
Yes, I was on duty from
eight in the evening
until eight that morning.
And did you see
Detective Murdoch at all?
I remember he came in
after dinner, with the Doctor.
I recall you came in with
the Detective at about eleven.
You asked for warm milk
and sherry to be sent up
to your room,
which we promptly did.
Yes. And who exactly had
access to our drinks?
The rest of the staff
was done for the night.
So I warmed the milk and
poured the sherry out myself.
[Julia]
Very kind of you.
Before you brought them up,
were the drinks left unattended
at any time?
I shouldn't think so.
Did anyone ask you to
interfere with our drinks?
This is important.
If someone paid you to put
something in our cups,
you won't be in any trouble.
We just need to
know who it was.
Joe was otherwise occupied,
so I brought the tray
up to your room.
The Detective asked that
I leave it on the table.
I did so.
I went back out again.
I was washing up.
Did you see him leave his room
at any time after that?
No.
-Alright, then.
-Thank you very much.
But if he wanted to leave
without anyone noticing,
he would have used
the staff entrance.
Excuse me, sir.
Toronto Constabulary.
What time do you
load out your deliveries?
Start at midnight
most nights.
[Julia] So you were
working here two nights ago?
Yes, that's right.
Did you see anyone
come out of the hotel
after about
midnight that night?
The night porter came out
for a cigarette around then.
That's all?
Nobody else?
Yeah. Sure.
There was one other fellow I
didn't recognize from the hotel.
Could you describe
him for us?
Dark-haired fellow.
Nice Homberg hat.
Oh for heaven's sake!
The baker saw me in the alley
outside the hotel?
William, why would you wear
your own hat to commit a murder?
Well, I wouldn't... I didn't.
Well, clearly it was an imposter
with an imposter hat,
and it was all part
of the plot to entrap you.
[Watts]
Speaking of...
How did you come to
interview Mr. Smith
in the Osbourne case?
I received a tip.
I suppose it could have
been Ralph Fellows.
Sir, what I don't
understand is if Mr. Smith
was at that cabin
just two days ago
with a stew on the stove
and flowers on the porch,
how could the place look
completely abandoned
two days later?
The place was covered
in cobwebs, Murdoch.
Spiderwebs can
be spun in a day.
Dust everywhere.
I took a sample.
Oh, very good.
Grains are very fine,
completely uniform.
All of them less
than 0.1 microns.
Clay would be my guess.
From pottery perhaps.
This is absurd.
Spiders. Clay. Pottery.
Nobody is going
to believe this.
Oh, Butch.
What did you find out
about Goldie Huckabee?
Other than she is
a liar and a thief.
Because of the pelican?
They didn't say anything
about a pelican in Kingston.
What did you find?
Is there any reason to believe
she's a homicidal maniac?
Station House Four owes you
a sincere apology, Mr. Fellows.
Let's have a drink.
I look forward to
hearing it, Inspector.
Pray, continue.
We no longer believe that
you had anything to do
with Raymond
Huckabee's murder.
It takes a big man
to admit when he's wrong,
and I respect you
the more for it.
Yes, we were very wrong
about you, Mr. Fellows,
and I do regret it.
Take a seat.
To think you arranged an entire
frame job on Detective Murdoch.
Fantastical.
When, if anything, you were
a patsy in the whole affair.
Well, now your apology
is blundering somewhat.
You see, we have reason
to believe that your client,
Goldie Huckabee, was using
you in a plot of her own.
Mrs. Huckabee?
It seems she moved to Toronto
this year to flee suspicion
in a double murder.
What?
And we've been able to deduce
that some clay dust was planted
to obscure
Murdoch's alibi,
and it came from a potter
located near the house
where Mrs. Huckabee
was staying last week.
Well, I...
I find this difficult
to understand.
Goldie Huckabee
is the criminal mastermind
we've been looking
for all along.
And it seems all of us,
you included sir,
have been played for dupes.
Bottoms up.
[Brackenreid] You wouldn't guess
it to look at her, would you?
No. No, indeed not.
Women are wily creatures.
Surely you are not
pursuing a theory
that Mrs. Huckabee
murdered her husband with
a custom-made murder machine,
and then framed
Detective Murdoch?
As you know, spouses are often
to blame in these cases.
Now I would love to
see any notes you have
on your meetings with
Goldie Huckabee, Mr. Fellows.
One lawman to
another of course.
Certainly.
Inspector.
We found the sedative
used to drug Dr. Ogden.
It was in
Mrs. Huckabee's suitcase.
Excellent work,
Detective Watts.
I can see the noose tightening
around her neck as we speak.
Yes.
The only thing missing
is the spring mechanism
for that dastardly machine.
She must have kept
them for some reason.
But where?
Where indeed.
Where?
George, look!
I suppose Mr. Spencer
didn't get the news.
The rest of my books are
destined to be pulped.
He said he sold
ten copies today
and phoned to
the publisher for more.
Really?
Effie, maybe my book
won't be a failure.
Maybe all it needed
was to be mentioned
in the newspaper.
George, everyone's read
Miss Cherry's article
about Detective Murdoch
murdering that man.
Your book will
be a sensation!
That would be
wonderful, but Effie,
you know Detective Murdoch
didn't murder that man, right?
And you filed the report?
Not--
As you requested,
Inspector.
I believe you'll find
all of my meetings
with Mrs. Huckabee accounted
for in my case notes.
Thank you, Mr. Fellows.
That's very sporting of you.
I only want to see
justice served.
Inspector.
I have good news.
I tracked down Detective
Murdoch's alibi witness.
Really?
I would have thought
that fellow would be
in a shallow grave by now.
Indeed.
It is fortunate
that is not the case.
He was spending
time with relatives.
And he has quite a story.
Mr. Smith, if you don't
mind, tell the Inspector
what you told me.
Firstly, let me assuage
any fear you may hold
as to my character.
I am but
a humble philosopher.
Oh. Is that so.
What can you tell us
regarding your whereabouts?
Last week,
a woman approached me
to ask that I speak with a
policeman on a designated day,
and then abandon my hermitage.
What explanation did she
offer for this request?
No explanation, sir.
Only a purse which, given how
little philosophy is valued,
was most welcome.
Mr. Smith,
do you recall the woman's name?
Indeed.
It was Mrs. Goldie Huckabee.
Do you
recognize Mrs. Huckabee
among these women?
This.
This is the selfsame lady.
Surely this
is not credible.
Excellent work, Crabtree.
I think you just saved Detective
Murdoch from the noose.
I'll go and tell Crown
Attorney Templeton
the news straight away.
He'll definitely
want to hear this.
Thank you for meeting me,
Miss Cherry.
You said you
have information
about the Huckabee
investigation.
I'm afraid I have reason
to believe Station House Four
is fabricating evidence
for the purpose
of framing Goldie Huckabee
for her husband's murder.
That's a very
serious allegation.
That's a very
serious crime.
I suppose I wouldn't put it past
Detective Murdoch's friends
to try to frame
an innocent woman,
if it meant saving him.
Loyalty run amok.
So you'll write about it?
Corruption at the most storied
Station House in Toronto?
It would be the
exclusive of the year.
But what proof
do you have?
The evidence against
Mrs. Huckabee
is so far circumstantial.
If you look into it,
you'll discover
how easily it was faked up.
That doesn't seem
too sensational...
Don't worry.
Now that I know the truth,
I will be able to
shake the trees.
Something will fall out.
Constable Crabtree.
Detective Murdoch
languishes in a jail cell.
Detective Murdoch is innocent,
and we will prove it.
How far would you go to
protect your close friend
from the noose?
Watch what you imply,
Miss Cherry. I warn you.
There are libel laws
in this country.
It's not libel if
there is proof.
Yes. Well, I'll have you know,
our proof implicates
Mrs. Huckabee.
"Our proof."
Don't you find it inappropriate
that Station House Four
is investigating a case with its
own detective at the center?
I'm warning you, Miss Cherry,
don't interfere--
Let me warn you,
Constable.
Once the full light of
my journalistic inquiry
shines on this case,
Crown Attorney Templeton
will send an unbiased team
to do a full search
of the Murdoch home.
Unbiased?
You've never liked
William Murdoch.
I am acting as an
objective observer.
It's also my understanding
that a crucial piece
of the murderous contraption
is still missing.
Yes, well I don't mind
telling you that it's true
that we searched
the Detective's home for it
and did not find it.
Or perhaps you didn't
want to find it.
[clears throat]
[Julia]
Well, Mr. Fellows.
It seems you can come and go
from my home with ease.
And look at that, you've
found the elusive springs.
Almost as if you knew
exactly where to look.
[Watts] Planning to move
them somewhere more likely
to be discovered, were you?
I must thank
Miss Cherry for her help.
You needn't
all be so smug.
Have you forgotten
I have an alibi
for the afternoon
of the murder?
I looked into
that further.
The man in your
photographs told me
he goes to the same bordello
at the same time every week.
You took the pictures
a week earlier.
It's not over yet.
I could just say
you've set me up.
It's clear who set all
of this up, Mr. Fellows.
[sighs]
How did you come to decide
on Mr. Huckabee
as your victim?
I'd been watching you,
listening to your conversations.
I knew you
didn't like them.
I was going to make
you a murderer,
Mr. Huckabee would
become the victim.
Listening to us?
You we were
inside our home?
You broke into their house
as well as the Huckabees'.
I manipulated
Goldie Huckabee to hire me
as their private detective.
Then I burst
your water main.
Once you had decamped
to the hotel,
I had free access to your
house as well as theirs.
You were in our hotel room,
as well, you drugged my wife.
I drugged you both on
the night of the murder.
Then I switched your
cup for a clean cup
when I was returning
to collect
the incriminating cufflink.
All of this just to see
Detective Murdoch hang?
No.
To prove he is not
the smartest man in the world.
That I am your peer!
You see?
I can go toe-to-toe
with you and win!
It was the pinnacle
of my life's work.
A brilliant scheme.
Every detail worked out.
Admit it, Murdoch:
There were times when even you
doubted your own innocence.
We caught you.
Well, not everything
went according to plan.
I did not expect
to get caught.
But at least that
dolt Goldie Huckabee
won't get any credit.
She never would have.
The case against her was
only ever for your benefit,
Mr. Fellows.
Blasted worms!
Admit it, Murdoch.
I almost had you.
I am your peer.
And I can give credit
where credit is due.
You came up with a plan
to catch me, and it worked.
Oh, actually that
wasn't my plan.
No, you see, that idea
came from George Crabtree.
Yes, it seems even my
constable has outwitted you.
Now that you're going to
hang for this murder,
will you admit to committing
the multiple murders last year?
Those were quite
ingenious.
How does it feel to
have crimes modelled
after your own book
go unsolved?
We both know who did it.
Whatever do you mean?
[Julia] Unfortunately,
because of our work,
Detective Murdoch and I attract
some very unstable people.
We feel truly terrible
that your husband became
one of their victims.
If there's anything at
all we can do, Goldie,
please don't hesitate to ask.
Your husband is
a homicidal lunatic.
I'm sure he called in favours
to get out of trouble,
but I know he
killed my husband.
And you,
you have some nerve.
I'm sorry you
feel that way.
Don't come back
here again.
As you wish.
Could I get my
pelican back though?
Gentlemen, lady,
I give you all George Crabtree,
author of the
smash hit literary novel,
"A Man Alone."
Which the Globe book
reviewer this morning called,
"The deeply moving
and skillfully wrought story
of a man in search of love
in the modern world."
To George!
Thank you!
Thank you very much!
I couldn't have
done it without you all.
Now that audiences have
discovered George's book,
a second print
run is underway.
And the publisher wants
George to go on a book tour.
Across the country,
Halifax to Vancouver.
Well, let's hope you're still
standing at the end of it.
[Murdoch] You'll come back
to us, won't you, George?
Yes, of course.
The tour is only a month.
Besides, I shudder to think
what you'd all do without me?
Could I have an autograph?
Well, of course.
It's not for me.
Oh.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Are you off home,
then, Crabtree?
Yes, sir.
Then off to dinner with
Effie at The Dome.
That new posh place?
Are we paying you
too much, Crabtree?
Or is your lady friend
footing the bill?
What do you
think, Murdoch?
Hmm?
I said are we
paying him too much?
Nevermind. You've been
distracted all day.
I'm very sorry, sir.
Ever since Julia and I have
been staying at the hotel,
I've barely
gotten any sleep.
Has the flooding at your
house not been fixed yet, sir?
The workers we engage
keep cancelling.
Sir. Allow me.
Someone's getting paid too much.
These are lovely.
How did
the flooding happen?
Our neighbours, Goldie
and Raymond Huckabee,
put in a second water line.
At the same time,
our pipes burst.
That doesn't just happen.
I think they did
it on purpose. Thank you.
Perhaps it was just
an accident, sir.
Not where they are
concerned, George.
They've taken a disliking
to Julia and I -
[Crabtree]
No!
They've been curt,
rude, and I dare I say it -
malicious.
So where are you
off to tonight?
Toronto Mercy Hospital is having
their annual fundraising dinner.
I'm only going
for Julia's sake.
Then, in the morning,
I'm going to see Huckabee
and I'm going to make him pay.
The house is across
from Detective Murdoch's.
Yes, this is his neighbour,
Raymond Huckabee.
The two have not been
getting along well of late.
And the paperboy
called this in?
That's right, sir.
He said the door was ajar,
and when he peered in,
he saw a pool of
blood on the floor.
I hope there
wasn't a murder.
It's too lovely
a morning for a dead body.
I agree.
I just finished my breakfast.
It was unusual that
Detective Murdoch
wasn't at the Station
House this morning.
He didn't answer the telephone
at his hotel, either.
I can't remember
the last time the Detective
was late for work.
Perhaps he dipped
into the wine again.
Toronto Constabulary.
Hello?
That's Raymond Huckabee.
Murdoch must be
informed immediately.
I'll go to his
hotel myself.
I'll find the telephone
and call the Inspector.
Wait, Detective,
what's this?
Murdoch? Murdoch?
Are you in there?
-Inspector.
-What's wrong?
Do you know
how late it is?
We must have slept in...
I feel so thick-headed.
Yes.
It's called
being hungover.
No, sir. We aren't.
Look, we've got some
bad business to attend to.
Has there been a murder?
Yes, sir.
Raymond Huckabee.
What?
That can't be.
I'm afraid so.
We just came
from his house.
And we need to talk
to you about this.
Your cufflink.
And this was found
at the scene?
[Crabtree] Right next to
Huckabee's body, sir.
That's definitely
your cufflink!
[Crabtree] You were
wearing them last night.
This is ridiculous.
Yes, it may look like
one of my cufflinks,
but it isn't.
Mine are right here.
Yes. Perhaps the murderer
has the same cufflinks.
I gave those to William
as an anniversary present.
They were my father's.
I see.
One of my cufflinks
is missing.
Don't all look
at me like that.
Well, we have to ask.
Where were you last night?
[Julia] We were
together all night.
We went to the charity event,
everybody saw us there.
[Brackenreid]
And after?
We came back here,
I had room service
send up warm milk for me
and a sherry for Julia.
I'm afraid I don't
remember anything after that.
And then you overslept.
Did you take a soporific?
No...
But I feel as though
I took several.
[Murdoch] There's still some
liquid in the glasses.
I'll test them
for sedatives.
You know, Murdoch, if anyone
else was in this position,
we'd have arrested
them already.
You had motive, and your
cufflink was found at the scene.
Perhaps we should
consider that, sir,
somebody might be
trying to set you up?
It's certainly seems
that way, George.
But who?
You can't be serious.
Oh, but I am,
Mr. Crabtree.
It's all there
in your contract.
I assume you read
your contract.
But that's preposterous.
Not to mention wasteful.
I run a very small
publishing house.
We don't have room to
store every dud we print.
So you're going to pulp the
remaining copies of my book?
No store will take them.
What are we to do?
Give it some time.
Your contract states that
if the print run does not
sell out in two months,
all remaining copies
are to be destroyed.
Can I keep some copies?
You have your author's
copies already.
Good day, Mr. Crabtree.
George.
Oh. Miss Cherry.
It is not a good time.
George, I thought
we were friends.
You did?
Friends tell each
other things.
Like, the fact that
Detective Murdoch's neighbour
was gruesomely murdered
in his own home.
How do you know
that already?
It was in
the Toronto Examiner!
What?
Do you think the victim's
proximity to the Detective
had anything to
do with his murder?
Look, Louise.
Even if I wanted to help you,
Detective Murdoch
has a standing directive--
--"Not to talk to
Miss Cherry," I know.
But can you comment
on the fact that
a disproportionate amount of
people close to the Detective
end up dead?
Thank you for coming in,
Mrs. Huckabee.
Please have a seat.
What else could
I have done?
Can you tell us if there
was anyone who wished ill
on your husband?
Yes. One man and one man only.
Detective William Murdoch.
-Now, Mrs. Huckabee
-I will not be silenced!
I can tell you all about how
that man plagued my dear Ray.
Moving in beside
him and his wife
was the worst thing
we ever did.
I understand you've been staying
at your mother's this week.
Do you know what
time Mr. Huckabee
would have left the house
yesterday morning?
Yes, I spoke to him
on the telephone
before he left
for the office.
At 8 o'clock.
I didn't know it
would be the last time
I would ever hear his voice.
That man would do all
sorts of strange things.
Like, lend us his lawnmower
then take it back
in the middle
of the night.
Loosen the bolts on
our carriage wheels.
He even accused
Raymond of killing me!
That doesn't sound
like Murdoch at all.
I just knew no one
here would believe me.
Which is why
I brought this.
A dossier on
William Murdoch.
Proof of everything
I've told you.
Are you serious?
That man and his wife
are waging a campaign
of intimidation against us.
I knew no one
would believe us,
so I hired a private
investigator a few weeks ago.
It must have been
my female intuition.
I'm a little bit
psychic, you know.
Sometimes a lot psychic.
Indeed.
I've discovered that I was
indeed drugged last night.
There was a sedative
in the drink,
and I've managed
to isolate it.
It's called barbital,
it's a new substance
that's less bitter
than bromide.
So you were both drugged.
Well, I was.
I only found it in my glass.
I found nothing in
William's glass but milk.
Impossible.
I definitely felt
I'd been sedated.
You'll want to have
a look at this.
What is it?
Goldie Huckabee had you followed
by a private investigator
for the past few weeks.
It's damning
evidence, Murdoch.
Circumstantial, at best.
[Watts] Did you break
into their garden shed?
Of course not.
I tried the door,
but it was locked.
I wanted
my lawnmower back.
[Brackenreid] You loosened the
bolts on their carriage wheels.
Raymond Huckabee
asked me to tighten them.
He didn't have
the right tools.
As usual.
It's your word against
this investigator
and a grieving widow.
[Watts]
Yes.
We need to gather evidence that
points away from the Detective.
Miss Hart should be done
her postmortem by now.
Shall we?
You go on.
I'm going to
work on a timeline.
I narrowed the time
of death to between
8 and 10
o'clock at night.
We were at
the dinner at that time.
That's good news
for you, then.
He had stab wounds on
both sides of his body?
Yes, three on the front,
and these three on his back.
All made with
different weapons.
Six different
murder weapons?
One stab each.
It doesn't make any sense.
Curiouser still, all the wounds
are all at the same angle.
I also found blood
pooled in his feet,
suggesting that for a period
of time after death,
Mr. Huckabee was upright.
So he stood up for a while
after he was killed.
Then he was laid down,
or fell.
Did you find any
defensive wounds?
None.
I have an idea.
Given that it is
highly unlikely
that six different
assailants
all stabbed Mr. Huckabee
at precisely the same time,
and no, George,
I don't believe it was a team
of six kung-fu assassins.
Could have been
three of them.
If they all had
a blade in each hand.
Perhaps it's possible
there was no one there
at all when
Mr. Huckabee was murdered.
So what's this then,
some kind of murder device?
Well, it would have
required a structure
to support the blades,
attached to a trip wire,
or a switch.
Perhaps it was
triggered by the door.
When Mr. Huckabee came home,
he activated the device,
stabbing himself.
The thrust of the weapons
would have required
industrial grade springs.
It's diabolical.
And a complex bit
of machinery, sir.
The only person I know who
could put something like this
together would be--
Yes. Well.
I didn't.
But the circumstances of
this murder are such that
a device like this could
have been used to stab
Mr. Huckabee six times,
all at once.
Why would someone go to
the trouble of building
such a device?
So they wouldn't have to be
there at the time of the murder.
They would ostensibly
have an alibi.
But there was no
device there.
Perhaps the killer
left evidence of it.
I've got the photographs
from the scene.
[Julia] What are these marks,
on the wall?
Holes. Holes, you see.
A device could have been
bolted to the wall here.
William! Look!
I knew it!
There's our pelican.
Goldie did steal
it after all.
More importantly, these
holes prove that a device
could have been
bolted to the wall.
They would have had to put
it up earlier in the day,
then take it down again
after Huckabee was dead.
Miss Hart.
Our little ray of sunshine.
Do come in.
I thought you would want
to know, I examined some
of the skin samples that I took
from around the wounds.
What did you find?
Finely-cut grass clippings.
Grass clippings?
Didn't you and the Huckabee
fellow get into a fight
over your lawnmower?
And this deep cut here -
Could have been made
by a lawnmower blade.
Flooding seems to
have receded, sir.
Bit of a musty
smell, though.
Alright then, Crabbers.
Let the dog see the rabbit.
Bloody hell,
this is heavy.
Well sir, careful.
You need to lift with
your knees, not you back.
Don't just stand there,
Crabtree, give me a hand.
[both grunting]
Why are we not
doing this outside?
It's too bright outside.
We need darkness.
Alright then.
[Julia]
William. It can't be!
There's blood all
over this blade, sir.
Not only the blade.
Bloody hell, Murdoch.
If I didn't know you
quite so well -
I would look very,
very guilty.
You do believe him,
don't you?
That someone is
setting him up?
Of course.
Murdoch wouldn't murder anyone.
We know that.
But we can't keep all this
under our hat much longer.
Louise Cherry is already
asking questions.
What about
Goldie Huckabee?
-What about her?
-She did steal my pelican.
She's obviously of
the criminal persuasion.
Perhaps she killed
her husband?
She was in Unionville
all day with her mother.
I checked.
She told me herself that
their previous neighbours
in Kingston died under
mysterious circumstances.
I'll send Parker to Kingston.
See if he can dig anything up.
Do you really think she
could have done something
like this?
Yes, well, this murder did
take planning and ingenuity.
I wonder if she has
the mental capacity.
Has anyone spoken to this
private investigator?
Mrs. Huckabee
gave me his card.
Private Investigations, Inc.
[man]
Come in.
[Murdoch] We're looking for
a private investigator.
Ralph Fellows.
Detective Murdoch.
We meet again.
You can't arrest me.
[Brackenreid]
Oh yes we can.
This is what's
gonna happen.
You'll spend time
in our cells.
Then you'll go to trial.
And then you'll hang.
For what, exactly?
Mr. Fellows, we know you
were responsible
for the multiple
murders last year
inspired by my Police manual.
And now we have reason
to believe that you are
guilty of murdering
Raymond Huckabee.
Did I work for the wife? Yes.
Did I kill her husband? No.
Why would I?
To frame Detective Murdoch,
that's bloody well why.
Because you're
a crackpot.
Where were you yesterday,
Mr. Fellows?
I was working on a case.
I have a very successful
business, you know.
In fact, I don't
have time for this.
I have an another
engagement.
The only place you're
going to is the cells.
Do you feel alright, Detective.
Getting enough sleep?
[Brackenreid]
Shut up. Come on.
I cannot arrest Ralph Fellows
for the murders last year.
He'll have to be freed.
-But he's guilty!
-According to whom?
Detective Murdoch merely
has a feeling that
Mr. Fellows committed
those crimes.
No hard evidence.
I'm sure if given
enough time -
We cannot keep men locked up
until we build a case
against them out
of whole cloth.
I trust Murdoch.
Not only do you have
no hard evidence
that Mr. Fellows
committed those murders,
you now have no evidence
he murdered Mr. Huckabee.
The man tried to set up his own
sister for murder last year.
He's diabolical.
From what you've
told me already,
all the clues you've
uncovered point to yourself,
Detective Murdoch.
That's what he
wants you to think.
Can you tell me why he is
going through such trouble
to implicate you?
Ever since we met,
the man has been jealous
of my superior intellect.
His only goal in life
is to see me disgraced.
You sound ridiculous.
Sort this out, Inspector.
And Detective Murdoch,
stay out of this.
Before I have to
charge you myself.
The Detective isn't going
to walk me out himself?
He will most
definitely be in touch.
Your briefcase.
This will prove my
whereabouts two days ago.
I was on a job,
following this fellow,
as he left a bawdy house.
I'll have to talk to him.
His name is on the back.
I am very thorough.
I can't believe
he won't be arrested
for the previous murders.
So we'll get him on
the Huckabee murder.
We need to find out precisely
when this murder contraption
was installed.
And when it
was taken down.
I'll talk to everyone I
can in your neighbourhood,
and anyone who had access
to the Huckabee house.
[Crabtree] Sir, we should have
the lads check your house.
Fellows might have
left behind fingermarks
when he brought the bits and
bobs of the contraption back.
Very good, George.
Be quick about it, lads.
They won't let us keep
this investigation
going on much longer.
Together we'll solve this.
Don't worry, William.
Miss Louise Cherry,
if I'm not mistaken.
Toronto Telegraph?
I am she.
I have some information
on the Huckabee case.
Oh?
The murderer is none other
than Detective Murdoch.
That seems very
hard to believe.
I have proof.
How?
Do you want the
exclusive or not?
Should be the last of it.
George!
Did you see the latest article
about the Huckabee case?
By Louise Cherry?
Look, anything Louise Cherry
writes in the newspaper
should be taken
with a grain of salt.
She says your book
is un putdown-able.
She gets it
right sometimes.
Apparently, Raymond Huckabee's
boss was so taken
with your book,
he couldn't stop reading it
all throughout the day.
Really?
Which is why he remembers
the exact time
Mr. Huckabee left work.
He only looked up only when Mr.
Huckabee said goodbye, at 5:35.
At least somebody
read my book.
Wait a minute,
how did Louise Cherry
come to be speaking
to Huckabee's boss?
She has quite a bit
of information.
She writes of Detective Murdoch
being both suspect and sleuth.
How did she know that?
"Mr. Ralph Fellows,
a private investigator
who has intimate knowledge of
this case, gave me the details."
Unbelievable.
The Huckabee's housekeeper
was at the house all day
until 2 o'clock.
Mr. Huckabee left
work at 5:35.
He then proceeded
to a restaurant,
where he dined
alone until 7:30.
Afterwards,
he arrived home,
greeting his
next-door neighbour,
Mrs. Hager,
at approximately 8 p.m.
Miss Hart said he was killed
between 8 and 10 o'clock.
So the contraption had
to have been installed
between 2 and 8 p.m.
Mrs. Hager told me she
sat on her front porch
between just after
6 o'clock and 8 o'clock,
and saw no one matching
Fellows' description.
Well, that
narrows it down.
Mrs. Hager also pointed
me in the direction
of Mrs. Schmidt, who was able
to tell me that she was
gardening between
half past 4
and 6:00 o'clock
and saw nothing.
Narrowing it down further.
Do you think my neighbours
believe I'm guilty?
That's of no consequence.
It is if I have to
see them every day.
Well, if they believe
you to be a killer
at least you will
have your privacy.
I have an appointment
with the fellow
that Fellows was following.
I'll go see if he was
indeed at the bawdy house
between 2 o'clock
and half past four
on the day of the murder.
Fortunately,
I can definitively say
where I was at that time.
Excellent.
I was interviewing
an eye witness
in the Osbourne
robbery case.
I left here at 1:30.
It was an hour ride to his home,
and we spoke for twenty minutes.
And hour ride back and I
spent the rest of the day
here at the Station House.
[knock on the door]
Mr. Templeton.
Do I look like a fool to you,
Detective Murdoch?
No, sir.
I was just leaving.
Why was I just
accosted by a reporter,
and asked why the lead suspect
in the Huckabee murder
was also the lead detective?
Sir. I can explain.
I should hope so.
You remember I told you
that this Ralph Fellows
has a personal
vendetta against me?
Yes, and you
sounded paranoid.
I can prove it to you.
I just need a bit
more time.
You've got six hours.
Promise me the evening edition
will have a different headline.
-Murdoch--
-Nevermind.
As much as it
pains me to admit,
Ralph Fellows has done
an excellent job
of making me look
guilty of murder.
These are the
weapons and tools
used to make the contraption.
Then he put them
in your house?
He didn't just
put them there, sir,
he built the contraption out of
items already in my home.
My screwdriver,
my door hinges.
Even the springs from my
automated day bed mechanism...
I've been cross-referencing
the tools with the wounds.
There are five here,
and I've matched them
with wounds here,
here, here, and here.
What's this one? Looks odd.
[Julia] Yes, I've not seen
this particular shape before.
The weapon must have
had a short blade.
The puncture is
only four inches,
and there is bruising
all around in a circle.
A circle with lines
intersecting in a star pattern.
I know what it is.
You do?
Yes.
When Margaret heard about
Higgins snow skiing,
she wanted to try it.
So she made me
buy all the gear.
This bruise is made by the
thingy at the end of a ski pole.
Why would Ralph Fellows
use a ski pole?
Because it's distinctive.
And there's only one place
in Toronto that sells them.
Yes, I've got
it right here.
Let's see...
We did sell a
pair of ski poles.
I thought it was odd,
being summer.
And it was you
who sold them?
No, that would be
my lazy son-in law.
I know the day we
sold them - ah!
Here it is.
One pair of ski poles,
sold to a...
William Murdoch.
Sir! That's an
awfully good forgery.
[Murdoch] As you can clearly
see, that is not my signature.
They look the same to me.
If Murdoch says it's a forgery
then it's a forgery.
The man most qualified to
discern forgeries
is also the man under
suspicion of murder.
Tell me what you've discovered
in the past six hours.
What of Fellows' alibi?
The subject of Mr. Fellows'
surveillance confirmed
he was outside the bawdy
house at 3 o'clock
on the day of the murder.
Therefore,
so was Mr. Fellows.
Well, unless Mr. Fellows
paid someone else
to take photographs.
Mr. Templeton, you must
believe that I'm being framed.
The man is obsessed
with my downfall,
all he wants
is to destroy me.
I assure you that in time,
we can prove that
Murdoch is innocent.
Time is up.
The word is out
everywhere.
It'll be my head
if I don't do something.
William Murdoch,
having reviewed the evidence,
I must council you
to retain a lawyer,
and to keep silent
at the risk
of incriminating
yourself further.
I have no choice but to
remand you into custody
and charge you with the murder
of Raymond Huckabee.
This Fellows is getting
the better of us.
Everywhere we turn,
he's one step ahead.
He must have been
planning this for months.
I've half a mind to kill him
myself and be done with it.
Supposing Murdoch
was guilty...
It's hardly a disloyal
hypothesis, George.
He's suspected each of us of
murder at one time or another.
There's no telling
what darkness lurks
in the heart of a man, Crabtree.
Sir, I know what lurks in the
heart of William Murdoch,
it is a passion of justice,
a respect for science,
and a desire to create
ingenious automated machines
that one day might save us
from doing housework.
He has more integrity
than any man I know,
and he would sooner
move house to Mars
than kill a vexatious
neighbour.
And you know, that's it.
I refuse to hear any
more on the subject.
Yes.
No doubt you're
exactly right, George.
But what I mean to say is
that if we put our minds
to examining the case
against Murdoch,
it will surely fall apart.
Yes?
Yes. Right.
Surely it will.
Let us do that, then.
[reporters]
Mr. Fellows!
Sources say Detective
Murdoch has been arrested
for the murder of
Raymond Huckabee.
Can you comment,
Mr. Fellows?
The investigation is
in the capable hands
of the Constabulary.
Why would Detective
Murdoch kill his neighbour?
Well, having worked with
the great Detective before,
I can only assume that
if Detective Murdoch
committed this act,
he must have been driven to it.
You're saying the victim
provoked this heinous crime?
No, no, no, my dear.
You must understand.
Men of genius are
prone to obsession.
It's obvious, Detective Murdoch
fell into the grip
of an obsession
with Mr. Huckabee,
leading to tragic
consequences.
Good day.
I agree with Watts.
Track my movements
the night of the murder.
You came home from the party,
drugged your wife,
then snuck out to take
the stabbing machine apart,
then put the pieces
back in your workshop.
The night staff at the hotel
would have seen you leave
after I fell asleep.
That would have been at
approximately midnight.
Doctor, shall we interview
the hotel staff?
Very good.
That leaves us with
the afternoon on the day
of the murder,
when the contraption
would have been installed.
Yes, I've drawn you a map
to the cabin near Mount Dennis
where Mr. Smith lives.
-You bicycled?
-You can't miss it.
It's the first cabin
past that crossing.
Mr. Smith keeps
a tidy house.
He gave me
a glass of cold tea.
We'll have him come in
to confirm your alibi.
Then all this nonsense
will be over.
Oh no, sir.
Mr. Smith doesn't
come into town.
And he doesn't
have a telephone.
You'll have to go there.
You must have read
the map wrong, Watts.
I don't think so.
It's very clear, and this
fits the directions exactly.
What the bloody hell
is Murdoch playing at?
No one has been
here in years.
So much for
Murdoch's alibi.
Yes, I was on duty from
eight in the evening
until eight that morning.
And did you see
Detective Murdoch at all?
I remember he came in
after dinner, with the Doctor.
I recall you came in with
the Detective at about eleven.
You asked for warm milk
and sherry to be sent up
to your room,
which we promptly did.
Yes. And who exactly had
access to our drinks?
The rest of the staff
was done for the night.
So I warmed the milk and
poured the sherry out myself.
[Julia]
Very kind of you.
Before you brought them up,
were the drinks left unattended
at any time?
I shouldn't think so.
Did anyone ask you to
interfere with our drinks?
This is important.
If someone paid you to put
something in our cups,
you won't be in any trouble.
We just need to
know who it was.
Joe was otherwise occupied,
so I brought the tray
up to your room.
The Detective asked that
I leave it on the table.
I did so.
I went back out again.
I was washing up.
Did you see him leave his room
at any time after that?
No.
-Alright, then.
-Thank you very much.
But if he wanted to leave
without anyone noticing,
he would have used
the staff entrance.
Excuse me, sir.
Toronto Constabulary.
What time do you
load out your deliveries?
Start at midnight
most nights.
[Julia] So you were
working here two nights ago?
Yes, that's right.
Did you see anyone
come out of the hotel
after about
midnight that night?
The night porter came out
for a cigarette around then.
That's all?
Nobody else?
Yeah. Sure.
There was one other fellow I
didn't recognize from the hotel.
Could you describe
him for us?
Dark-haired fellow.
Nice Homberg hat.
Oh for heaven's sake!
The baker saw me in the alley
outside the hotel?
William, why would you wear
your own hat to commit a murder?
Well, I wouldn't... I didn't.
Well, clearly it was an imposter
with an imposter hat,
and it was all part
of the plot to entrap you.
[Watts]
Speaking of...
How did you come to
interview Mr. Smith
in the Osbourne case?
I received a tip.
I suppose it could have
been Ralph Fellows.
Sir, what I don't
understand is if Mr. Smith
was at that cabin
just two days ago
with a stew on the stove
and flowers on the porch,
how could the place look
completely abandoned
two days later?
The place was covered
in cobwebs, Murdoch.
Spiderwebs can
be spun in a day.
Dust everywhere.
I took a sample.
Oh, very good.
Grains are very fine,
completely uniform.
All of them less
than 0.1 microns.
Clay would be my guess.
From pottery perhaps.
This is absurd.
Spiders. Clay. Pottery.
Nobody is going
to believe this.
Oh, Butch.
What did you find out
about Goldie Huckabee?
Other than she is
a liar and a thief.
Because of the pelican?
They didn't say anything
about a pelican in Kingston.
What did you find?
Is there any reason to believe
she's a homicidal maniac?
Station House Four owes you
a sincere apology, Mr. Fellows.
Let's have a drink.
I look forward to
hearing it, Inspector.
Pray, continue.
We no longer believe that
you had anything to do
with Raymond
Huckabee's murder.
It takes a big man
to admit when he's wrong,
and I respect you
the more for it.
Yes, we were very wrong
about you, Mr. Fellows,
and I do regret it.
Take a seat.
To think you arranged an entire
frame job on Detective Murdoch.
Fantastical.
When, if anything, you were
a patsy in the whole affair.
Well, now your apology
is blundering somewhat.
You see, we have reason
to believe that your client,
Goldie Huckabee, was using
you in a plot of her own.
Mrs. Huckabee?
It seems she moved to Toronto
this year to flee suspicion
in a double murder.
What?
And we've been able to deduce
that some clay dust was planted
to obscure
Murdoch's alibi,
and it came from a potter
located near the house
where Mrs. Huckabee
was staying last week.
Well, I...
I find this difficult
to understand.
Goldie Huckabee
is the criminal mastermind
we've been looking
for all along.
And it seems all of us,
you included sir,
have been played for dupes.
Bottoms up.
[Brackenreid] You wouldn't guess
it to look at her, would you?
No. No, indeed not.
Women are wily creatures.
Surely you are not
pursuing a theory
that Mrs. Huckabee
murdered her husband with
a custom-made murder machine,
and then framed
Detective Murdoch?
As you know, spouses are often
to blame in these cases.
Now I would love to
see any notes you have
on your meetings with
Goldie Huckabee, Mr. Fellows.
One lawman to
another of course.
Certainly.
Inspector.
We found the sedative
used to drug Dr. Ogden.
It was in
Mrs. Huckabee's suitcase.
Excellent work,
Detective Watts.
I can see the noose tightening
around her neck as we speak.
Yes.
The only thing missing
is the spring mechanism
for that dastardly machine.
She must have kept
them for some reason.
But where?
Where indeed.
Where?
George, look!
I suppose Mr. Spencer
didn't get the news.
The rest of my books are
destined to be pulped.
He said he sold
ten copies today
and phoned to
the publisher for more.
Really?
Effie, maybe my book
won't be a failure.
Maybe all it needed
was to be mentioned
in the newspaper.
George, everyone's read
Miss Cherry's article
about Detective Murdoch
murdering that man.
Your book will
be a sensation!
That would be
wonderful, but Effie,
you know Detective Murdoch
didn't murder that man, right?
And you filed the report?
Not--
As you requested,
Inspector.
I believe you'll find
all of my meetings
with Mrs. Huckabee accounted
for in my case notes.
Thank you, Mr. Fellows.
That's very sporting of you.
I only want to see
justice served.
Inspector.
I have good news.
I tracked down Detective
Murdoch's alibi witness.
Really?
I would have thought
that fellow would be
in a shallow grave by now.
Indeed.
It is fortunate
that is not the case.
He was spending
time with relatives.
And he has quite a story.
Mr. Smith, if you don't
mind, tell the Inspector
what you told me.
Firstly, let me assuage
any fear you may hold
as to my character.
I am but
a humble philosopher.
Oh. Is that so.
What can you tell us
regarding your whereabouts?
Last week,
a woman approached me
to ask that I speak with a
policeman on a designated day,
and then abandon my hermitage.
What explanation did she
offer for this request?
No explanation, sir.
Only a purse which, given how
little philosophy is valued,
was most welcome.
Mr. Smith,
do you recall the woman's name?
Indeed.
It was Mrs. Goldie Huckabee.
Do you
recognize Mrs. Huckabee
among these women?
This.
This is the selfsame lady.
Surely this
is not credible.
Excellent work, Crabtree.
I think you just saved Detective
Murdoch from the noose.
I'll go and tell Crown
Attorney Templeton
the news straight away.
He'll definitely
want to hear this.
Thank you for meeting me,
Miss Cherry.
You said you
have information
about the Huckabee
investigation.
I'm afraid I have reason
to believe Station House Four
is fabricating evidence
for the purpose
of framing Goldie Huckabee
for her husband's murder.
That's a very
serious allegation.
That's a very
serious crime.
I suppose I wouldn't put it past
Detective Murdoch's friends
to try to frame
an innocent woman,
if it meant saving him.
Loyalty run amok.
So you'll write about it?
Corruption at the most storied
Station House in Toronto?
It would be the
exclusive of the year.
But what proof
do you have?
The evidence against
Mrs. Huckabee
is so far circumstantial.
If you look into it,
you'll discover
how easily it was faked up.
That doesn't seem
too sensational...
Don't worry.
Now that I know the truth,
I will be able to
shake the trees.
Something will fall out.
Constable Crabtree.
Detective Murdoch
languishes in a jail cell.
Detective Murdoch is innocent,
and we will prove it.
How far would you go to
protect your close friend
from the noose?
Watch what you imply,
Miss Cherry. I warn you.
There are libel laws
in this country.
It's not libel if
there is proof.
Yes. Well, I'll have you know,
our proof implicates
Mrs. Huckabee.
"Our proof."
Don't you find it inappropriate
that Station House Four
is investigating a case with its
own detective at the center?
I'm warning you, Miss Cherry,
don't interfere--
Let me warn you,
Constable.
Once the full light of
my journalistic inquiry
shines on this case,
Crown Attorney Templeton
will send an unbiased team
to do a full search
of the Murdoch home.
Unbiased?
You've never liked
William Murdoch.
I am acting as an
objective observer.
It's also my understanding
that a crucial piece
of the murderous contraption
is still missing.
Yes, well I don't mind
telling you that it's true
that we searched
the Detective's home for it
and did not find it.
Or perhaps you didn't
want to find it.
[clears throat]
[Julia]
Well, Mr. Fellows.
It seems you can come and go
from my home with ease.
And look at that, you've
found the elusive springs.
Almost as if you knew
exactly where to look.
[Watts] Planning to move
them somewhere more likely
to be discovered, were you?
I must thank
Miss Cherry for her help.
You needn't
all be so smug.
Have you forgotten
I have an alibi
for the afternoon
of the murder?
I looked into
that further.
The man in your
photographs told me
he goes to the same bordello
at the same time every week.
You took the pictures
a week earlier.
It's not over yet.
I could just say
you've set me up.
It's clear who set all
of this up, Mr. Fellows.
[sighs]
How did you come to decide
on Mr. Huckabee
as your victim?
I'd been watching you,
listening to your conversations.
I knew you
didn't like them.
I was going to make
you a murderer,
Mr. Huckabee would
become the victim.
Listening to us?
You we were
inside our home?
You broke into their house
as well as the Huckabees'.
I manipulated
Goldie Huckabee to hire me
as their private detective.
Then I burst
your water main.
Once you had decamped
to the hotel,
I had free access to your
house as well as theirs.
You were in our hotel room,
as well, you drugged my wife.
I drugged you both on
the night of the murder.
Then I switched your
cup for a clean cup
when I was returning
to collect
the incriminating cufflink.
All of this just to see
Detective Murdoch hang?
No.
To prove he is not
the smartest man in the world.
That I am your peer!
You see?
I can go toe-to-toe
with you and win!
It was the pinnacle
of my life's work.
A brilliant scheme.
Every detail worked out.
Admit it, Murdoch:
There were times when even you
doubted your own innocence.
We caught you.
Well, not everything
went according to plan.
I did not expect
to get caught.
But at least that
dolt Goldie Huckabee
won't get any credit.
She never would have.
The case against her was
only ever for your benefit,
Mr. Fellows.
Blasted worms!
Admit it, Murdoch.
I almost had you.
I am your peer.
And I can give credit
where credit is due.
You came up with a plan
to catch me, and it worked.
Oh, actually that
wasn't my plan.
No, you see, that idea
came from George Crabtree.
Yes, it seems even my
constable has outwitted you.
Now that you're going to
hang for this murder,
will you admit to committing
the multiple murders last year?
Those were quite
ingenious.
How does it feel to
have crimes modelled
after your own book
go unsolved?
We both know who did it.
Whatever do you mean?
[Julia] Unfortunately,
because of our work,
Detective Murdoch and I attract
some very unstable people.
We feel truly terrible
that your husband became
one of their victims.
If there's anything at
all we can do, Goldie,
please don't hesitate to ask.
Your husband is
a homicidal lunatic.
I'm sure he called in favours
to get out of trouble,
but I know he
killed my husband.
And you,
you have some nerve.
I'm sorry you
feel that way.
Don't come back
here again.
As you wish.
Could I get my
pelican back though?
Gentlemen, lady,
I give you all George Crabtree,
author of the
smash hit literary novel,
"A Man Alone."
Which the Globe book
reviewer this morning called,
"The deeply moving
and skillfully wrought story
of a man in search of love
in the modern world."
To George!
Thank you!
Thank you very much!
I couldn't have
done it without you all.
Now that audiences have
discovered George's book,
a second print
run is underway.
And the publisher wants
George to go on a book tour.
Across the country,
Halifax to Vancouver.
Well, let's hope you're still
standing at the end of it.
[Murdoch] You'll come back
to us, won't you, George?
Yes, of course.
The tour is only a month.
Besides, I shudder to think
what you'd all do without me?
Could I have an autograph?
Well, of course.
It's not for me.
Oh.
♪ ♪
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