Murdoch Mysteries (2008–…): Season 6, Episode 13 - The Murdoch Trap - full transcript

I forgive you, William.

I forgive you, William.

I forgive you, William.

I forgive you, William.

I forgive you, William.

I forg... y... William... William...

I for... I for... give...

_

Hello, Detective Murdoch.

Remember me? I know what you're thinking:

"Now I understand how
rats get caught in traps.



They're easy to fool!"

Welcome to the Murdoch Trap, Detective.

We are going to have so much fun!

Dr. Ogden, I have no recourse

but to sentence you to be hanged
by the neck until you are dead.

May God have mercy on your soul.

Sirs?

In here, Crabtree.

Ah. Sorry I'm late, sirs.

Chief Constable Giles has me on desk duty.
I had to wait until he left the station.

Right, then, let's get on with it, Murdoch.

So, are you sure it was Gillies
you saw in the courtroom?

Yes, I'm sure it was him.

Unfortunately, no one else saw him.



And you think he's capable of this?

We're talking about
James Gillies here, sir.

The man has escaped the noose twice.

- He's definitely capable of this.
- Well, we'll get him this time.

And this time I'll be sure he hangs.

Let's get started, shall we?

Right. First we have the telephone call

that the maid received.
She said she recognized

- Dr. Ogden's voice.
- It's Dr. Ogden.

Tell... Dr. Garland I will
come by at... six o'clock.

She said her voice was halting.

I suspect Gillies recorded
telephone conversations

of Dr. Ogden's and then edited the results

using multiple Edison
recorders and phonographs.

He figured out a way to record
her telephone line at the asylum.

- I'll look into that.
- Right, then,

we have the witness who says she
saw Dr. Ogden walk into the house.

Hello, Dr. Ogden.

What cheek.

That was Gillies,
wearing Dr. Ogden's dress.

He's assumed a woman's
appearance in the past.

Yes, but, sirs, Mrs. Smythe
said she saw Dr. Ogden's face.

She saw what she thought was her face.
He could have altered his appearance.

Using a mask, perhaps...

something moulded to his face,

possibly latex. He's capable of that.

Well, then there's the blood
spatter on Dr. Ogden's dress.

I believe Gillies was
wearing Dr. Ogden's dress

when he shot Dr. Garland,

and then discarded the dress
somewhere near her home,

knowing it would be found.

Sir, I'm not used to seeing
you drink tea in the evening.

I'm not touching a drop of whisky

until Dr. Ogden is exonerated.

- A show of faith, Murdoch.
- That's very kind of you, sir.

So you'd better catch him double-quick,

because I'm sick and bloody tired
of drinking tea of an evening.

Still,

the thumbmark on the shell
casing is a real problem.

Yes, I have a couple of
thoughts about that. George,

I'll need you to get some
of my things from the office.

Firstly, the elastic wax. And,
if you can manage it, George,

I'll need the murder
weapon out of evidence.

But only if you can manage it.

The last thing we need
is another police officer

working out of the inspector's dining room.

Sir, I'll get it. No one will be the wiser.

Yes, I've seen him before.

He works with the telephone exchange.

When was he here?

Oh, a few weeks back. He
was here a couple of times.

Did he work on Dr. Ogden's telephone?

I didn't follow him around the
building, but he could have.

- Now, if you will excuse me.
- Oh, of course, Doctor. Thank you.

- Constable Crabtree!
- Oh! Sir!

- Are you intending to leave?
- No, sir.

- What are you doing, then?
- I was just bringing

Detective Murdoch some
of his equipment, sir.

I see nothing wrong with
that. Why so guilty, Crabtree?

Well, just, I suppose

this falls outside of the
scope of my regular duties, sir.

Yes, well, consider
this your lunchtime then.

Ah.

- What's this for?
- That's silly rubber,

sir. It's an invention of the detective's.

Uh... yes.

No doubt.

Is that how he did it, then?

Sir, I don't know if wax is
the best material for the mould,

but I'm certain he used
latex rubber for the cast.

- Any luck at the asylum?
- Oh, Gillies was there all right. Twice.

Once to set up the recording device,

- a second time to remove it.
- Bloody Gillies.

Well, at least our
suspicions are confirmed.

Sirs, I managed to bring the gun.

No sooner did I get it than
Chief Constable Giles stopped me.

Well, I just about laid an egg,

but he was distracted then by
your, uh, silly rubber there.

- Where shall I put this, sir?
- In the corner.

Wait, wait, George. Did the
Chief Constable touch this?

Yes, sir. He got his thumb
stuck in it. Look right there.

George, I have another job for you.

What are you doing?

I'm trying to figure out how Gillies

planted blood spatter on Dr. Ogden's dress.

Well, he did it by wearing the
dress when he shot Dr. Garland.

Then why were there no powder
burns on Dr. Garland's face?

- From the gunshot?
- Yes.

I never thought about it before,
but if Gillies was standing

close enough to get blood
spatter on the dress...

Then he should have been close
enough to get gunpowder residue

onto Dr. Garland. Exactly.

I see your point.

You had to know, didn't you?

That if you hadn't
check for her fingermarks

on the cartridge she would have gone free.

I knew you would, of course.
You're just so... curious.

You must wonder:

how does she feel, knowing it
was your doubt of her innocence

that will see her hang?

Gillies was behind all this?

Yes, and I believe Gillies made
a latex mask resembling you.

But to do this, he would've had to
have taken a plaster mould of your face.

When would he have done that?

I don't know, but I believe he did.

Now, Julia, think back.
Can you recall anything...

anything unusual?

William, I never told you this...

but about two months ago
I suffered a memory lapse.

One moment I was sitting at
my desk, and the next moment

I woke up on my couch. I just
thought I'd been working too hard.

How much time had elapsed?

Maybe one or two hours.

Powder residue.

- And that's two-and-a-half feet.
- May I shoot the next one?

I don't know, Emily. That's
an official police ordinance.

All right, just this once.

So, this will be two feet.

All right. Both feet planted firmly, and...

Good shot.

Dr. Grace, I think we've
just proven our case.

What in blazes is going on?

We are conducting an
experiment that will prove

that Dr. Ogden was wrongfully convicted.

- Indeed.
- Chief Constable, blood spatter travels three feet.

Now, given that spatter was found 12 inches

up the sleeve of the dress,

we can surmiset hat the gun was
within two feet of our victim.

A distance that should have
left visible gunpowder residue

- on Dr. Garland's face.
- But there was none.

How do you know how far
blood spatter travels?

Detective Murdoch and I
conducted an experiment

- on a previous case.
- On a human being?

No, a pig.

You shot a living pig?

Dead, actually.

And as a result of this, you've determined

that the blood spatter
was artificially applied.

Well, this was applied with
what, um, the flick of a brush?

And this.

It's rather uneven, isn't it?

Multiple applications
with a perfume sprayer?

This, on the other hand,
is real blood spatter

from the explosive displacement

following a bullet striking
well-vascularized flesh.

There's no faking this.

So whoever was wearing
this dress... shot somebody

other than Dr. Garland.

And who would that be?

It's a matter of time before...

There's always some emergency.

It's a matter of... some... urgency.

How is it going?

George managed to record
seven minutes of conversation.

- Will that be enough?
- It'll have to be.

What do you want me to do
with this plaster of Paris?

Put it on my face.

I came as soon as I could.

What's the problem?

- Judge Matthews.
- Well, you just telephoned me.

You said it was a matter of some urgency.

I never telephoned you.

W... we spoke. It was your voice.

I don't know what you're talking about.

I do.

We've found another fingermark

on the weapon that killed Dr. Garland.

You're under suspension. You can't be here,

- either of you.
- Chief Constable,

have you had occasion to handle
this weapon with your bare hands?

Of course not.

Then how do you explain
your thumbmark on the gun?

Oh, very resourceful, Detective.

Will someone please apprise
me of what is going...

Detective Murdoch has
demonstrated that someone

could have fabricated some of
the evidence against Dr. Ogden...

the telephone call, and the fingermark.

However, he has yet to
demonstrate how it is

- that someone saw her walk...
- Good God.

Constable Crabtree, I presume?

And who do you think
fabricated the evidence

- against the accused?
- We know who it is.

- It's Gillies.
- And who the devil is that?

James Gillies is a very dangerous young man

who wishes to destroy Detective Murdoch.

Murdoch saw him in the courtroom.

Ah. Well, since we're
entertaining theories,

is it not equally possible that
you orchestrated all of this?

- Me?
- Yes.

You commit the crime, you set up Dr. Ogden,

then you set about proving
Dr. Ogden's innocence

by conjuring a personal nemesis.

You present me with proof

that Dr. Ogden is innocent,
and I'll stay the execution.

If not, justice will take
its course as scheduled.

You have subverted my authority,

you have disregarded the
terms of your suspensions.

- Sir, you are proceeding on a...
- Silence!

Until this matter is resolved,
you are both... reinstated.

Well, what are you standing about for?

If Dr. Ogden is innocent,

we haven't got much time to prove it.

No doubt you figured out
how I recorded her voice,

put her fingermarks on
the gun. And the mask.

Well, by now you know all about the mask.

Ah. Your Dr. Ogden has a beautiful face.

I quite enjoyed wearing it.

You should see the looks I got.

Now, now, Detective.

This film is my confession
to the murder of Dr. Garland.

All the evidence you'll
need to exonerate Dr. Ogden.

Show yourself!

Here I am.

Now, I know what you're
thinking: "How many mirrors?

How far away is he?" Well, I'll tell you.

I have five mirrors, each
with a concavity of 5%.

Oh, look at you thinking.

What is the function?

You're in the house next door.

To the south.

Bravo! Well, I must say, it
is such a pleasure to have,

well, such a capable
partner in this endeavour.

Endeavour?

To get Dr. Ogden exonerated.

I don't want her to hang.

I'm fascinated by the
idea of love, Detective.

What will a man sacrifice
for the woman he loves?

We have three days to
prove Dr. Ogden's innocence.

And to do that, we need
to confirm her alibi.

The woman, the one Dr.
Ogden took to Port Credit.

Or at least the driver.

You think Penelope was
working with James Gillies?

I believe both she and the
driver were working with Gillies.

It's a clever way to make
sure you have no alibi.

Things she told me...

details about what her
husband had done to her...

it rang true, William.

She told me he once pushed
her face in horse manure.

It's despicable, to be sure,
but hardly beyond imagining.

He did it in front of a
constable, and it cost him

two months in jail.

I don't think she made it up, William.

Perhaps that's why Gillies chose her.

It's easier to lie about
things that you've lived.

If that's the case, then
her husband does exist,

not as Desmond Irwin,
perhaps, but he's out there.

Time to go.

I want you to go through every case

of wife beating in the last five years.

We're looking for a man
who shoved his wife's face

in horse manure, among other things.

- From Toronto, sir?
- From all of bloody Ontario.

Sir, that'll be hundreds of cases.

Have you got something
better to do, Higgins?

We don't know where she's from, Henry.

Start with the cases that
resulted in conviction.

Of those, pull out the ones
where the husband's been released.

That should help narrow down the search.

Right, get on with it.

George, I want you to concentrate your
energies on finding the coach driver.

Sir, what if Gillies was the coach driver?

Bloody hell, Crabtree.

If Gillies was the coach driver,
who was shooting Dr. Garland?

Well, I didn't think it
all the way through, sir.

No, the mouth was slightly wider I think.

That's more like it.

Any facial hair?

He had a beard. Same colour as his hair.

Long?

About an inch, I'd say, and not very thick

around the cheek area.

That's him.

Are you sure.

Excellent.

Well, this will give
us soetething to go on.

Dr. Ogden...

when I had to testify against
you, I felt such a traitor.

- I'm so sorry.
- George.

You were compelled by law.

This has been hard on all of us.

Well, Detective Murdoch will
come through. I'm sure of it.

He'd do anything... he'd
give his life for you.

Doesn't every man tell his
lover he would die for her?

But how many truly would?

Would you? I know you'd fight for her,

to the death if necessary, but
to actually trade your life?

That is my experiment, Detective.

That phone is connected
to the telephone exchange.

Simply lift the receiver,

have the operator
connect you to the police,

and then tell them where to
find you and the evidence.

BUT... if you lift the receiver,
it activates an automatic valve

which will fill the room
with carbon monoxide.

- Do you know what that is?
- Of course I do.

You will lose consciousness
within a minute.

Death will follow minutes after.

So, Detective,

what will it be?

I'll let you know once I've decided.

These are quite detailed.
Very good, George.

I found him!

Sirs, his name is Harold Long.
He was convicted in Toronto

of assault, sentenced to six months.

How do we know it's him?

He shoved his wife's face
into horse manure, sir.

Toronto Constabulary.

Do you recognize this woman?

That's Dolly,

- my wife.
- Dolly?

Where can we find her?

I don't know. Uh, she and I...

- we had a falling out.
- Oh, is that what you call it?

You beat her till she bled

and then you pushed her face
into a pile of horse crap.

I've done some terrible things,

but I've since fallen
under the light of the Lord.

Oh, well, that's all very fascinating.

- We just want to find her.
- I came back to an empty house.

Her sister told me she'd left the country.

She has a sister?

When she heard he was being
released, she came to live

with us, but we both knew he'd find her.

- Where is she?
- Hamilton.

Do you have an address?

She ran out of money.

I would have helped her, but I couldn't.

She ended up...

selling herself on the streets.
I don't know where she is now.

Thank you.

Wait.

Would a photograph of her help?

This is Dolly Long, also
known as Penelope Irwin.

I want each of you to take
a copy of the photograph

and a train ticket to Hamilton.

According to her sister,
she's walking the streets,

so we're going to concentrate our search

on the dock areas and lower downtown.

Remember to dress in your civvies.

I don't want any run-ins
with the Hamilton police.

Right, then, chop-chop!

- I understand you know this woman.
- You two friends of hers?

It's important we find her.

Her name is Dolly.

Haven't seen her for a bit.
She keeps a room upstairs.

- It's Dolly Long, sir.
- There goes Dr. Ogden's alibi.

Why would he bury her in salt?

I believe because he didn't
want the body discovered

- until the end of the trial.
- And, sir, look. Gunpowder burns.

That's how Gillies got blood spatter
on Dr. Ogden's dress. It's her blood.

So he took Dr. Ogden's
dress, shot her alibi,

and then dumped the dress in her rubbish.

Sir, if that's the case,

then she was shot the
same day as Dr. Garland

George, interview the
tenants in the building.

See if anyone recalls
hearing a shot that night.

Sir.

Sir.

Thirty-eight revolver. Conveniently placed.

We'll need to take this with us.

And the body too.

That would be a serious
breach of jurisdiction.

We don't have time to mess around
with the Hamilton police and coroner.

Sir, what I mean to say is that
it needn't be your decision.

Sod that.

We'll hang together,
after we clear her name.

Given the state of the
decay of the exposed hand,

I'd estimate it was about a month ago.

So she could have been killed
the same day as Dr. Garland.

That would certainly
be within the timeframe.

- Did you recover the bullet?
- I did.

- Thirty-eight calibre?
- Yes.

Detective? Ah, sir.

Two tenants in Dolly Long's
building heard a single shot

about a month ago. One of them claims

that a woman in a green dress left
the building shortly thereafter.

Gillies in disguise.

Check the weapon for fingermarks.

Sir, will do. Also,

Chief Constable Giles is at the station.

He wants you to report in.

Thank you.

Is there no law that you won't break?

No rule that you won't see
fit to bend to your own ends?

- Time was of the essence, sir.
- I'm aware of your constraints,

but I too am constrained by
the dictates of my profession.

And that may mean
nothing to you scoff-laws,

- but it means a great deal to me.
- We'll take full responsibility.

Oh, you will do more than
that. You will, both of you,

compose a sincere letter of apology

to the Chief Constable of Hamilton

and to the coroner. And you will
return the evidence forthwith.

After we've finished with it, of course.

You're in no position
to bargain, Inspector.

We're not bargaining, sir; we're asking.

You have until the end of day.

Sirs, I've found fingermarks on the weapon.

- Whose are they, George?
- Dr. Ogden's.

Of course they are.

Mr. Gillies is nothing if not thorough.

So, where does that leave us, then?

Well, we can't take this
evidence to Judge Matthews.

He'll simply think that
Dr. Ogden was the killer.

- But why would she kill her own alibi?
- It doesn't matter.

Judge Matthews has no vested interest
in seeing Dr. Ogden exonerated.

He believes that she killed her husband,

and this evidence will only
serve to cement that impression.

With the woman dead, you have
to find the carriage driver.

What do you two want this time?

This man.

Sorry.

I seen him.

You have?

He used to pick up Dolly, and only Dolly.

If she was with someone, he'd wait,

but he never went upstairs with her.

- Do you know who he is?
- No.

- But you're sure it was him
- It was him all right,

except he had shorter hair.

Call it a night, Murdoch.
You'll need your wits about you

if we're to find Gillies.

I'll try to get some
sleep, you have my word.

It was him all right,
except he had shorter hair.

If Gillies was the coach driver,

who was shooting Dr. Garland?

Darcy.

Darcy.

Darcy.

Darcy.

Darcy.

Darcy?

So, what will it be, Detective?

Will she die, or will you?

The clock on the wall reads eight o'clock,

so either it's wrong or
you've been here for...

Twenty hours. How?

There's a new drug developed
by the Bayer company.

It's used to put dogs
down, but in a lower dosage

it puts humans in a temporary coma.

That means she hangs in less than 12 hours.

By the time the clock comes back to eight,

she'll be dead.

Sir, I've been to the
courthouse, City Hall, the jail.

There's no sign of the detective anywhere.

Jackson! Where the
bloody hell have you been?

- I was... I was off duty, sir.
- Off duty?

Dr. Ogden has got 12 hours to live.

- Were you at this desk last night?
- Yes, sir.

- So did you see Murdoch leave?
- About 10 o'clock, sir.

- Well, where he was going?
- He didn't say.

Why the hell didn't you ask?

I gather you haven't heard anything.

No.

Then I think we should
assume for the purposes

of this investigation that Murdoch is dead.

- Dead?
- I can think of only one

scenario where Murdoch would
fail to make communication:

he found out where Gillies
was and left to confront him.

You can draw your own conclusions
as to how that turned out.

- You cold-blooded bastard.
- Whatever Murdoch's fate,

the thrust of this investigation
must be to exonerate Dr. Ogden.

Godspeed,

gentlemen.

Sir...

I think he's right...

in that Detective Murdoch
went to confront Gillies.

He found something, sir,
something we're missing.

Bloody hell. This is
what Murdoch figured out.

Gillies was driving the coach.

Sir, that means he was with Dr. Ogden

at the time of the
murder. If that's the case,

who shot Dr. Garland?

William is missing?

I wondered why he hadn't come.

I should have told you earlier,

but I was hoping he would
have returned by now.

He must be in trouble.

Perhaps he simply hasn't had time
to communicate what he's found.

He'll come through.

He always does.

You want me to believe in miracles.

Why not?

The absurdity of it all.

There's so much I wanted do with my life.

I pray William's all right.

I just can't figure it, Crabtree.

How did he do it?

Sir.

- That's Detective Murdoch's hat.
- Murdoch!

Right, let's search the
whole house, top to bottom.

Sir!

Sir?

It's welded on, but, by all means, try.

Detective, do you really think
I'd use a lock you could pick?

There are only two ways out, Detective:

allow her to her hang,

and I'll let you go;

or pick up the phone, save her life,

and let your soul go free.

You're looking for me, aren't you?

My face is just a camera
obscura projection,

but that's not how I
see you. So where am I?

Very good.

Go ahead, but then you won't
get to see the rest of my film,

wiwith the evidence
that will exonerate her.

Good boy, Detective.

Sir, that's it, every inch.
There's no sign of him.

Bloody Hell.

What are you doing?

Oh, such purpose. What are you going to do?

I want to see the rest of the film.

Very good, Murdoch,

very good. You needed to blind me.

You're up to something.

- What are you planning, Murdoch?
- I'm checking to see

if you're as clever as you think you are.

Very sneaky, Murdoch.

Why did you do that?

Why did you try to blind me?

Because I could.

Well played, Murdoch.

Which is a crueller punishment:

to kill a man,

or to destroy the most
precious thing in his life?

Which hurts more?

Number, please.

Morse code?

Oh, yes, Inspector. I checked my handbook.

It repeats in three sections of five.

Someone is trying to send a message.

- When did this come in?
- Six o'clock.

It was the first call through this morning.

It's spelling the numbers 6,9,1.

It's Murdoch. I'm sure of it.
Where did the call come from?

We can identify the neighbourhood,

but we'll have to physically trace it.

It may take a while.

Get on it immediately. It's an emergency.

Six, nine, one? Six, nine, one.

There you have it, Detective Murdoch.

A full confession. All
the evidence she'll need.

The decision is yours.

Are you satisfied, Detective?

Yes.

One telephone call...

that's all it takes to save her life.

Yes, I've got it. No,
that's fine, I've got it.

Sir, they've traced the
signal to a switch box

in the Sherbourne-Jarvis area.

Jarvis? Garland lives on Jarvis St.

Yes, sir. Dr. Garland lived at 693.

The Morse code message spelled out 691.

- Next door. Crarree, break out the armoury.
- Yes, sir.

I must admit, Detective,
I am just so curious

as to what you are up to.

How do I know this telephone is working?

Well, you'll just have to trust me.

It's decision time, Detective. Who lives?

You, or your lady love?

You have one hour.

Well, then, I guess it's
goodbye, Mr. Gillies.

Operator, put me through to
Stationhouse n?4. It's an emergency.

Hello. It's Detective Murdoch.

Please listen very carefully
to what I'm about to say.

Briscoe, you two take the upstairs.

Baker, cover this floor.
Crabtree, come with me.

Aye aye, sir.

Detective Murdoch. Detective Murdoch!

Detective Murdoch!

James Gillies! Hands where I can see them!

It's too late for your
Detective, I'm afraid.

Cuff him, Crabtree.

Sir, it's Detective Murdoch.

Sir! Can you see the lock,

- Crabtree?
- Top corner, there, sir.

Got it!

Sir, are you all right?

- What time is it?
- Seven-twenty.

The... the film.

- What film?
- The projector. Get the film!

Move it, Crabtree!

A moment, gentlemen. My hair is a fright.

Do you have anything you wish to say?

If William Murdoch should ask
what my final words were...

tell him he never failed
me, and that I so loved him.

- No! No, stop!
- What...

We have the killer! This is his confession!

She's innocent.

Take the noose off her neck.

You'd better not be stalling
for time, Detective Murdoch.

I'm not, Your Honour,
I swear to you, I'm not.

It's all right.

It's all right.

Hello, Detective Murdoch. Remember me?

I know what you're thinking:

"Now I understand how
rats get caught in traps.

They're easy to fool!"

Welcome to the Murdoch Trap, Detective.

We are going to have so much fun.

Shall we go to dinner? Celebrate?

I don't know, William.

What is it?

Darcy is dead because of me...

- because of us.
- Julia...

Can you deny it?

No.

I should rest.

Some other time, then.

Yes.