Murdoch Mysteries (2008–…): Season 7, Episode 10 - Murdoch in Ragtime - full transcript

♪ Nobody knows ♪

♪ The trouble I've seen ♪

♪ Nobody knows ♪

♪ But Jesus ♪

♪ Nobody knows ♪

♪ The trouble I've seen ♪

♪ Glory ♪

♪ Hallelujah ♪

♪ Love oh love oh careless love ♪

♪ Love oh love, oh careless love ♪

♪ Oh it's love, oh love ♪



♪ Oh careless love ♪

♪ You see what careless love has done ♪

♪ Oh it's love oh love ♪

♪ Oh careless love ♪

♪ You see what careless love has done ♪

- (dock bell clanging)
- (gull calling)

What time did you find
the body, Mr. O'Shea?

About six in the morning,
as I was finishing my rounds.

Did any of you gentlemen see anything?

They saw anything, they'd
speak up. Am I right, lads?

- Sir.
- What have you, George?

I believe our victim is
this man, Nathan Peters.

He's the founder of the Canadian
Jubilee Singers and Imperial Orchestra.

His wife reported him missing this morning.



They're currently performing, sir,

at the Grand Theatre. Quite
a popular act, most famous

for their renditions of
traditional plantation songs.

Mr. Peters' wallet is missing.

- Robbery gone wrong.
- What was a respectable

man doing down at the docks
in the middle of the night?

Respectable Negro.

That's the laugh of the morning, eh, boys?

A man's been murdered, Mr. O'Shea.

You seem to have an opinion about that.

Just saying that a
man need know his place.

If you have something
useful to say, say it.

Otherwise be quiet.

Pleasant bunch.

Hm. Pleasant enough to kill.

A renowned Negro band leader
killed at the dock lands?

Not a very good advertisement
for Toronto the Good.

You made any headway?

The dock workers were
not exactly forthcoming.

That lot stick together.

You'll be lucky if you
get anything out of them.

(knocking) Gentlemen. Am I interrupting?

- Good morning, Doctor.
- Inspector.

I'll leave you to it, Murdoch.

Keep me posted.

Julia.

- How are you?
- I'm well.

I'm very well, actually.

- I can't believe that it's...
- Over?

I know. But it is.

- James Gillies is really dead.
- You were right...

no one could have survived
the fall from the bridge,

that river. Not handcuffed.

I hardly dare to think it.

We're free of him.

Then I shall enjoy this
feeling of well-being.

You must.

It suits you.

(knocking) Sorry, sir.

Mrs. Peters is at the morgue.

Thank you, George.

I'm on my way.

Ozzy Hughes, Detective.

Mr. Hughes. Mrs. Peters,
thank you for coming.

I can do this for you, Chloe.

It is my duty, Ozzy.

Oh... (Mrs. Peters crying)

No.

Mrs. Peters, is this your husband?

This is him.

Who would do this terrible...

I am so very sorry.

Nathan is a good man.

He's a God-fearing Christian, sir.

He deserves to be treated as such. Not...

Why here, Detective?

We've avoided trouble in far
more dangerous places than this.

I'll get to work straight-away.

If you could escort Mrs.
Peters back to the theatre,

- I'll join you shortly.
- Of course. Anything we can do.

Poor woman.

Not a part of my job that I relish.

Have you a time of death, Doctor?

Based on Mr. Peters' body temperature,

- he died between 1 and 3am.
- And the cause?

There was dried blood around
a wound on his left temple.

Not much blood loss; however,

the impact led to subdural
bleeding in his temporal lobe.

That's what killed him.

The wound has a distinctive mark.

An inch and a quarter across,

crescent shaped. Perhaps
the edge of something?

Thank you, Doctor.

♪ Nobody knows ♪

♪ The trouble I've seen ♪

♪ Nobody knows ♪

♪ But Jesus ♪

♪ Nobody knows ♪

♪ The trouble I've seen ♪

♪ Glory ♪

♪ Hallelujah ♪

(harmonizing)

Thank you, Buddy.

That's Nathan's favourite song.

He was listening, I have no doubt.

Should we not cancel the
show tonight, Mrs. Peters?

We'll perform in his memory.

Ozzy, will you sing the
basso solo in his place?

I'll do my best.

Let's hop to it. We'll run "Sweet Chariot."

Land sakes, do we have to?

I know that old song in my sleep.

- Just once through, Hattie.
- (She sighs.)

Detective.

Mr. Hughes. Mrs. Peters.

Please excuse the interruption.

Mrs. Peters,

do you have any idea what
your husband was doing

down at the dock area last night?

I don't know.

He was always so careful.

Was he in the habit of staying out late?

No. Nathan was very
particular about his time.

He was always at the hotel before
the doors were locked at night.

What time was this?

Midnight. To get in or out

after that require the
services of the clerk.

- You can check with him.
- When he wasn't back by morning,

I knew there was something wrong.

Did you find his trumpet, Detective?

No, no, we didn't, Mrs. Peters.

His death was a senseless act of hatred.

Hush now, Chloe.

Please find who did this, Detective.

I intend to.

And you are?

Buddy Duncan.

Mr. Duncan. Do you have any
idea what Mr. Peters was doing...

- I'm not the man's keeper.
- Hey, Buddy, relax.

(clearing his throat) Mr...

Hardy, Detective. Excuse Buddy.

He's pretty cut up about Nathan,
and he's never his best before three.

Oh, I see.

Mr. Hardy, how long have you been
playing with the Jubilee Singers?

Since the beginning. Been
playing five years now.

We started in gospel halls in Hamilton.

And Mr. Duncan?

Joined the group a year or so ago.

Detective, not to speak ill...

Chloe won't tell you,

but Nathan was fond of a game of dice,

and not particular
about who he played with.

Hm.

Ah.

Constable Crabtree.

Ah, Miss Hamilton. What a... surprise.

- Can I help you?
- I certainly hope so.

The constabulary must shut
that place down immediately.

- What place is this?
- They call it The Blind Pig,

but a den of iniquity is what it is.

They play the devil's music.

And couples dance in
a most unseemly manner.

Unseemly?

I haven't seen it with my
own eyes, thank the Lord,

but I have it on good report
that men and women are...

touching.

In public.

Well, Miss Hamilton, it's
dancing; there's going

- to be some degree of...
- But it's the way they do it.

- I see.
- I hardly dare imagine

what else goes on in that place.

Licentious music breeds all manner of vice.

It must be stopped before
the whole city is infected.

Well, I will consult with the inspector.

Please do that, Constable.

- Licentious music?
- I would like to hear that

before the Temperance
Movement has it silenced.

- Dr. Grace, good afternoon.
- Detective. I have Mr. Peters'

- postmortem results.
- Oh, thank you.

You look very fetching today, Dr. Grace.

- Thank you.
- George,

I need you to check all of
the pawn shops in the area.

See if anyone has brought
in a trumpet recently.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

And William is quite
sure that Gillies is dead.

So, you and the detective
are free to marry at last.

Dr. Ogden.

Leslie.

- I wasn't expecting you.
- I'm sorry to interrupt.

I'm about to order a mix of shrubs
for the house. Is that all right?

Yes, of course.

We have not been formally introduced.

My apologies. This is Dr. Emily Grace.

- Leslie Garland.
- Leslie is Darcy's brother.

- Pleased to meet you.
- Dr. Grace is the coroner.

What charms must a city morgue hold
to have attracted two such ladies?

Well, you shouldn't think

- of us as macabre, Mr. Garland.
- Ah, far from it.

But I will leave you to your
delightful investigations.

I have my own task:
Coaxing the Garland garden

back from the dead. A pleasure, Doctors.

I would not take him for a gardener.

It's just an arrangement
while he's in Toronto.

- So, he's here for some time.
- Yes.

I spoke with the hotel
clerk, and as his wife said,

Mr. Peters was not in the
habit of late-night outings.

So, what was he doing
at the docks last night?

Perhaps the night watchman Mr.
O'Shea knows more than he's telling.

Dockers are not known for
their racial tolerance, Murdoch,

especially Irish dockers.

O'Shea might need a bit of
persuasion to cough something up.

Well sir, if you aren't busy,

I was hoping you might assist me.

Thought you'd never ask, Murdoch.

(men laughing raucously)

Constabulary's back.

- Something happen down here?
- You're a funny fella, O'Shea.

- Hmph.
- About last night.

You see anything unusual?

Yeah.

A Negro looking for trouble
where he don't belong.

Maybe he got what he came for.

Oof!

(gasping)

Having a sense of humour's
not against the law.

You there.

That cart.

- It wasn't there this morning.
- It was being used.

By working men.

Unloading from the docks over there.

Is it always put away there at night?

Cart activity's a matter
for the constabulary now?

Answer the question.

Yeah, it's left there at night. So what?

Inspector.

I find out you were involved in this,

it won't go well. You mark my words, pal.

Sir. The cart's wheel;

It's made tracks leading
away from the docks.

Let's see where they lead, Murdoch.

They seem to end here

and then turn back.

That's blood.

Maybe this was where Peters was killed.

Possibly.

But then why move the body?

(crowd cheering)

(music playing)

What's going on in there?

♪ ... going to be a meetin'
in that good good old town ♪

♪ Where you knowed everybody
and they all knowed you ♪

♪ And you got a rabbit's foot ♪

♪ To keep away the hoo-doo ♪

♪ There'll be a hot time Bloody hell. ♪

♪ In the old town tonight, my baby ♪

♪ Please oh please,
oh do not let me fall ♪

♪ You're all mine and
I love you best of all ♪

♪ And you must be my man
or I'll have no man at all ♪

♪ There'll be a hot
time in the old town ♪

♪ Tonight ♪

Yeah!

- (cheering and applause)
- Thank God for that.

Sir, the band. Three of them

are members of the Jubilee Singers.

Well, if that's an uplifting
spiritual, they've bloody murdered it.

You talk to the band, Murdoch;

I'll find out who owns this place.

Hardy, on the next solo I
want to make an adjustment.

- You gotta keep it going at the chorus.
- You come to shut us down?

No, Mr. Duncan.

I must say this music is quite a departure

- from your usual fare.
- It's all Buddy.

Take one note and put two
or three to it, he tells us.

That gives us our sound.

Oh. I'll describe it
that way to my inspector.

Perhaps he'll gain a greater interest.

A question:

Was Nathan Peters here last night?

I didn't see him.

Nathan had some notion that
ragtime degraded Negro music.

But he couldn't stop us, eh, Buddy?

- We on our own time here.
- He couldn't stop us anyhow.

Can't be stepping in the way of
progress, not even high-falutin' Nathan.

How can you say that after
everything he did for you?

Stick to singing, honey.

Don't mess when it don't concern you.

Murdoch.

One of our pals from the docks.

(men groaning)

Evening, gentlemen.

Have any of you seen
this man gambling here?

Anyone?

Maybe.

It's hard to tell one
from another. Right, boys?

(men laughing)

I could shut this place down
in a heartbeat, and you with it.

All right, he was at the game all week.

He lost more than he won.

- What about last night?
- No, he didn't show.

- You sure?
- Sure I'm sure.

(applause)

So, Nathan Peters gambled here and lost.

Though if the owner's to be
believed, he didn't play last night.

Did the band members give you anything?

No, sir. But I'm quite convinced
that they're hiding something.

Musicians. An odd lot.
Follow your nose, Murdoch.

- (new song starting)
- Oh, not more of this bloody racket.

Actually, sir, it's quite interesting.

They play three notes where
conventionally there would only be one.

- It creates a...
- Pounding bloody headache!

Unless you need me
further, I'm off to my bed.

- By the back door.
- Good night.

Good night!

One second.

Detective Murdoch.

- What brings you here?
- Doctor Grace.

I believe Nathan Peters was
killed out behind this building

and then his body was moved.

- Really?
- Yes.

I see this place attracts
modernists of all kinds.

Mr. Garland.

- Detective.
- Hello there.

- Uh, Leslie Garland...
- We've already met.

Taking a break from corpses?
You've come to the right place.

So it seems.

I heard music like this in
a little place I frequented

in New York City. Such
an intoxicating sound.

Mr. Garland, Doctor,

I bid you good evening.

It's all in the syncopation.

Syncopation?

The essence of what you're hearing.

The emphasis on the weaker beat
gives the music its ragged rhythm.

- Thus...
- Ragtime. Exactly, Emily.

- A little forward, Mr. Garland.
- Oh, look around.

Everyone's breaking the rules.

- It's what we came to do, is it not?
- I was simply curious.

That's an excellent first step.

May I buy you a drink...

Emily?

I'm under pressure from Miss Hamilton

and the Temperance mob to
close down The Blind Pig.

- I'm of half a mind to do it.
- Protecting the city's morals?

Protecting the city's eardrums, more like.

What did you get from those musicians?

I spoke to the clerk, and
none of them left the hotel

after midnight on the night of the murder.

- So, we're no further ahead.
- Sirs.

Nathan Peters' trumpet.
His wife confirms it.

I just found it at McGinnis's Pawn Shop.

- Who hocked it, Crabtree?
- Mick O'Shea.

Got the bugger!

You rolled Nathan Peters for
his wallet and his trumpet!

- Not me!
- Teaching him a lesson

- about being uppity, was you?
- I swear I wasn't!

- Only the robbery got out of hand, didn't it, eh?!
- No!

Peters died and now you're
facing the noose. Come here!

You disgust me, O'Shea!

All right, all right. I pawned the trumpet.

- Where's the wallet?!
- What wallet?

Ahh! Ooh!

Come here!

Where's the wallet?! All right! All right.

But I didn't kill him. I swear!

That's a lie!

I found it near the warehouses.

- You've got to believe me.
- Where?

Tossed in an alley, behind some crates.

- When was that?!
- Around...

11 o'clock that night.

I swear to God I didn't know

it was the dead man's!

(door opening)

(door closing)

Nathan Peters was killed between 1 and 3 am.

If Mr. O'Shea says he found
the wallet and trumpet at 11pm,

the timing just doesn't fit.

That's if he's telling the truth.

Oh, he's telling the truth, Murdoch.

Trust me.

It's like nothing you've
ever heard before, George.

The rhythm of the music is
altered, it becomes ragged,

so ragtime.

Well, if there's no beat,
then how does the band know

- what to play?
- There's still a rhythm;

It just becomes more... unexpected.

Ah. Sort of as if

- the beat were in the background?
- Exactly.

You know an awful lot about music, Emily.

I'm not without some ability.

I have a tin ear myself.

But it sounds like you had a lot of fun.

I did. It was so exciting.

So modern. (She laughs.)

Detective.

I was just explaining ragtime
music to the constable.

Dr. Grace,

a question about Nathan Peters.

Yes. How can I help?

I'm confused by the timing of his death.

He died between 1 and 3 am.

- Of that I am certain, Detective.
- Yes,

but could have been assaulted earlier?

Perhaps around 11pm?

- What are you thinking, sir?
- Well, George,

what if Mr. Peters' assailant
assumed that he was dead

- at the time he moved his body?
- But he didn't actually die

- until the early hours of the morning.
- Exactly.

The post-mortem evidence
would support that theory.

But, sir, if that were the case,

if Nathan Peters was
assaulted before midnight,

before the hotel doors were locked...

A fellow member of the Jubilee Singers
could be responsible for his death.

We been friends

since we were boys, Nathan and I...

fished in the same river,
sang in the same choir.

Why, that's where he met Chloe.

It was Nathan's idea
that we form the Singers.

But Nathan is dead.

And now, Mr. Hughes,
you are the new leader.

Are you suggesting that
I killed my best friend?

Everyone here is now a suspect,

Mr. Hughes.

Did Mr. Peters clash with
Buddy Duncan, Mr. Hardy?

No man wants to be told by his juniors.

But he tussled most with Buddy.

Buddy wanted to modernize our repertoire;

Said it would improve our audiences,

- but Nathan wouldn't allow it.
- Why not?

We are a spiritual group.

My husband had no use for modern music.

But then... ticket sales were waning.

My husband wasn't killed

because we no longer play
to full houses, Constable.

Yes, we disagreed about music.
He didn't hear what I hear.

He didn't approve of you
playing at The Blind Pig?

Nathan and me, we were like father and son.

It was something I had to break from.

That's just nature taking its course.

Buddy comes across as
skittish, but his horn,

it talks smooth as silk stockings.

Skittish and fond of a drink.

His mind gets troubled, Constable.

He needs the oblivion the
bottle brings, I guess.

Nathan hiring him was the
best thing could happen;

Saved him from his worst excesses.

- So, Nathan Peters hired him?
- Yes.

Saw his talent and
picked him up right away.

But Buddy's no good at being tied...

not the way Nathan wanted.

You're a good friend of Buddy Duncan's.

I look out for him, yes.

So, maybe you took care of
Nathan Peters to free him.

That's crazy talk.

Last night at the club, you mentioned

what Nathan Peters had
done for Buddy Duncan.

What did you mean?

Nathan hired Buddy after
what happened in Buffalo.

What was that?

Nothing.

Miss Carter, what happened in Buffalo?

Nothing. That's just where
Buddy joined the group is all.

I have to go.

- We're rehearsing.
- But as I recall, you said

you knew all of these
old numbers in your sleep.

We are planning something new.

I get the impression they're
struggling financially, sir.

And they all seem... almost secretive.

I mean, I suppose they feel
like outsiders, being Negro.

George, look into the background
of the Jubilee Singers.

Anything in particular, sir?

Yes. Look into the
night they played Buffalo

- about a year ago.
- Sir.

The Jubilee Singers have quite
taken leave of their senses.

Well, I thought they were very
respectable, Miss Hamilton,

your kind of entertainment.

You cannot rely on anyone these days.

Instead of those charming plantation songs,

they're now performing acts of lewdness.

- Lewdness?
- On stage, no less.

Sounds like a matter for
the detective to investigate.

(She giggles.)

Mr. Peters' assailant likely moved the body

before checking to see
if he was indeed dead.

Perhaps he or she panicked,
which would suggest that

the killing was not premeditated
but a spontaneous act.

Yes, but what was the motivation?

Could it be unrelated to
the Jubilee Singers entirely?

Possibly. But I know
they're hiding something.

George is looking into

- the group's past now.
- I warn you, Constable.

The good citizens of Toronto
will not permit this depravity.

Yes, of course, Miss Hamilton, of course.

(Murdoch sighs.)

Allow me to purchase the tickets, William.

We demand a return to decency! Purity!

Virtue!

Miss Hamilton hasn't dampened
the public's enthusiasm.

Nor mine.

(Hamilton): ... is
unacceptable. Here, take this.

(She giggles.)

(applause and cheering)

Wonderful!

- They loved it!
- Girl, you were on fire.

- (musicians laughing)
- The box office receipts have

certainly benefited
from your new repertoire.

It seems Buddy was right.
We can pay some bills now.

Not something your husband
would have staged, I presume.

Did you approve, Mrs. Peters?

I always stood by Nathan, Detective.

I gave in to the group's
wishes with some reluctance.

And now Buddy Duncan is

- your new musical director?
- It was his idea all along.

He was pushing Nathan to try it.

Offers are pouring in.

Come on!

- Let's go!
- Come on!

Whether I like it or not, it
seems the future is ragtime.

That swirling silk and
those flowing movements.

How wonderful to see a
woman's body liberated

from the restriction of a corset.

Nathan Peters would be appalled.

Queen Victoria is no
doubt turning in her grave.

I found it very sensuous.

Hmm.

Mr. Peters was clinging to the past,

and Buddy Duncan was pushing for change.

Now he's dead, Buddy wins.

Do you think creative differences
could be motive for murder?

Buddy murders so that Hattie
Carter can show off her lovely legs?

That seems unlikely.

- Passions run high among these artist types.
- Yes.

Artists do have all the fun.

It doesn't seem fair.

(She giggles.)

Well, thank you very much for your time.

Sirs, I've gleaned some information

on the Jubilee Singers. Before they left

for England, they played in Buffalo.

This was about a year ago.

Before, their popularity was waning,

- but it seems...
- Get on with it, Crabtree.

Sirs. They played at the Adelphi Theatre.

It was one night, and seemingly uneventful,

except for one strange occurrence:

Near the theatre, a man
by the name of Sam Brooks

was beaten to death.

- Was he coloured?
- No, sir, he was quite white.

I just got off the telephone with his
widow. The murderer was never found.

Perhaps the death of Sam Brooks is
the secret the group is trying to hide.

Didn't Mr. Peters hire
Buddy Duncan in Buffalo?

He did.

Mr. Duncan, why did you
join the Jubilee Singers?

Nathan saw Buddy playing
with a group on the same bill.

He was impressed with his
talent and he hired him. So what?

Why doesn't Mr. Duncan answer for himself?

Uh... Buddy's not so
good with authority ...

uh, police and such.

Maybe there's a good reason.

The night Buddy joined the
Jubilee Singers in Buffalo,

a man name Sam Brooks

was murdered.

- His killer is still at large.
- We know nothing of a killing.

I'm not sure I believe you, Mrs. Peters.

Miss Carter?

Have you something you'd care to add?

Perhaps the Buffalo Police
Department would be interested

in Mr. Duncan's sudden

departure the night that
Sam Brooks was murdered.

- Not Buddy.
- We've said all there is to say.

Then you leave me no choice, Miss Carter.

I can't tell you anything.

Then my constables will arrest
Mr. Duncan within the hour

and escort him back to Buffalo.

- You can't do that!
- I most certainly can.

- Constable.
- Stop!

It's not what you think.

Buddy was ambushed outside the
Buffalo theatre by a white man.

Did Buddy kill Sam Brooks?

Nathan heard the commotion
and came to Buddy's aid.

But it was too late. Brooks
lay dead from fighting.

Buddy didn't mean

to kill him.

A man has the right to defend himself,

and a Negro man has the same right, sir.

Did everyone in the group
know what Mr. Duncan had done?

You don't know what it is
to live in black skin, sir.

He's no killer.

It was self-defense.

So, you've all harboured him ever since.

Nathan prayed for guidance.
What choice was there?

He rescued Buddy from sure death.

A mob or the courts, they'd
both put a noose around his neck.

(knocking on door) Sir.

Excuse me. There's someone
you have to see here.

Sir, this is Cora Brooks,
widow of Sam Brooks.

Tell me where he is and I won't
waste any more of your time.

She's looking for Buddy Duncan, sir.

What business do you have with him?

Uh, this...

this is our boy.

Buddy Duncan is your child's father.

I know what it looks like,

a white woman with a coloured baby.

I don't ask you to understand.

Buddy was something special, so alive.

Not like Sam, my husband.

He could be cold and cruel.

Tell me what happened

that night in Buffalo, Mrs. Brooks.

Buddy and I, we were...

we're were going to run away together.

But Sam figured out what was going on.

He stormed off to the theatre.

I was scared he would do harm to Buddy,

kill him and me both.

I hid at my sister's.

But Mr. Brooks never returned home?

I never knew what happened.

I tried to find Buddy, but he was gone.

Did you know you were
carrying Buddy's child?

I realized soon after he left.

Did anyone else from the
group know about your son?

Yes, I told Mr. Peters.

When was this?

A few nights ago. I
learned the Jubilee Singers

were back and playing in
Toronto, so I took the train up,

but by the time I got here

there was no one was no one
at the theatre but Mr. Peters.

And you told Mr. Peters your story?

Yes. He was pretty upset about the baby.

And did you see Buddy Duncan?

Mr. Peters told me he'd left the group.

He sent me back to Buffalo
without a kind word.

Mrs. Brooks, why have you
now returned to Toronto?

I got the telephone call
from Constable Crabtree

asking about Sam's murder.

He mentioned Buddy's name.

That's when I realized
Mr. Peters lied to me.

Buddy was still in Toronto.

Why would he do that?

Why not tell me Buddy was here?

That night in Buffalo,
Nathan Peters hears a fight.

He steps outside to find Buddy Duncan
standing over a dead Sam Brooks.

Mr. Duncan claims self-defense
in a racial attack.

Nathan Peters is a good Christian man;

Empathetic to a fellow Negro,
he takes him into the group.

But a year later, he learns
the truth from Cora Brooks.

Sam Brooks set upon Buddy Duncan because
the man was having relations with his wife.

Nathan's very upset with Buddy now.

Buddy didn't give him the whole story.

And now that a white
woman is looking for him,

the police can't be far behind.

Nathan goes to The Blind
Pig to confront him.

Buddy Duncan kills Nathan Peters.

Mrs. Peters. A moment.

Where is Mr. Duncan?

I wish we knew.

He's gonna miss the train
if he doesn't show soon.

- Face it, Hardy, he's taken off on us.
- What do you want with Buddy?

I'm here to arrest him for the
murder of your husband, Mrs. Peters.

You're wrong. Buddy's no murderer.

I know he killed Sam Brooks in Buffalo.

Thanks to Hattie's big mouth.

That was different. He
was defending himself.

- That man meant to kill him.
- Buddy wouldn't harm Nathan.

His sudden disappearance
would suggest otherwise.

What are you doing here, Detective?

He thinks Buddy murdered Nathan.

You're looking at the wrong people.
Why would we harm one of our own?

Mr. Hughes.

Why would you kill your best friend?

What are you talking about?

You're under arrest, Mr. Hughes.

Ozzy, what's he saying?

Your trombone case.

I believe it'll match the
wound that killed Mr. Peters.

Ozzy?

It was an accident.

Please forgive me, Chloe. I...

How could you?

Wait, you don't... no, you can't think

I meant to kill him. No. I...

I saw him outside the theatre
talking to a white woman.

- We have a child together.
- I don't care. No!

(Ozzy): And he was upset,
so I knew something was up.

I followed him to The Blind Pig,

And then Nathan told me that...

Why, he said Buddy had to leave the band.

So I pleaded with him not
to fire Buddy. We needed him.

What's going on with that lady back there?

But he just wouldn't listen.
He kept being his old... well,

you know how stubborn he was.

So we argued, and he grabbed
me, I lost my balance.

My case must have accidentally
swung up and hit him,

but...

I didn't realize I hit him that hard.

Buddy was our future.

Without him,

the Jubilee Singers were
finished. You all know that.

I didn't want Nathan to die.

He was my best friend.

Your best friend?

He was my husband.

And you tossed him away
like a piece of garbage?

What did you think? No
one would ask questions?

He was just a dead Negro
no one would care about?

Please forgive me, Chloe.

No. Never.

Sam Brooks was outraged

that a Negro man was
sleeping with his wife.

He attacked, and Buddy Duncan fought back.

Each defending his male pride.

Buddy Duncan may have killed
Sam Brooks in self-defense,

but he set in motion a
series of tragic events.

Including Cora Brooks and her child.

- She seemed determined to find him.
- Well, of course.

She's in love with him.

Women in love can be quite tenacious.

Yes, they can.

Where is everyone?

They all left with Buddy and his band.

I'm delighted to see

you enjoying wholesome
entertainment, Constable.

Yes indeed, Miss Hamilton.

I fear it may be a long while
before we hear ragtime again.

Well, perhaps you and I can
take a trip to one of these

Buffalo clubs I've read about in
the newspaper. Or even Chicago.

George, it may not be that long after all.

May I?

Absolutely.

To think those hands cut up corpses.

I'm afraid I play poorly.

- Good enough for ragtime.
- Thank you, Mr. Garland.

It's Leslie.

(Emily laughing)

(Leslie and Emily laughing)

I love it.

That's it.

(Emily laughing)

Announcer: All new Murdoch, next Monday...

You really think somebody

tunnelled up from the
earth to rob a jeweller?

Life exists inside the
hollows of the earth.

I've been at the jeweller's
all day waiting for a...

Waiting for what, George?

Waiting for a man to arrive

from beneath the earth.

Announcer: Murdoch Mysteries,

next Monday at 8:00 on CBC.