The Murdoch Mysteries (2004) s01e01 Episode Script
Power
Acorn Media [Cheers and applause.]
Thank you! Wow! OGDEN: Quite the turnout for a scientific demonstration.
More of a spectacle, I should say.
Shall we move closer to the stage? Yes, of course.
What have you got there? Are we having a picnic? Well, I thought since we are in a park.
PRATT: First, I'd like to thank each and every one of you.
CRABTREE: People, please stand back.
There's a very dangerous electrical demonstration about to take place.
That includes you, miss.
I'm giving him his last meal, if you don't mind.
Well, I'm going to have to insist They're going to execute him.
Did you know that? That's not really my It's criminal is what it is.
Now, look here, constable.
I'm from the Toronto Humane Society, and I demand that you do something about this.
- Such as? - Arrest them.
M y name is Daniel Pratt.
I'm the owner and manager of Toronto Electric and Light.
For the last 10 years, we have been safely lighting the streets of Toronto with direct current.
But that contract expires next year, and a new and very dangerous form of electricity is being considered by city council.
It's called alternating current, and it's a killer.
What M r.
Pratt isn't saying, of course, is that he's made his entire fortune off of direct current.
So, this exhibition is really about money.
And the desire to keep it.
PRATT: It is up to us, the responsible citizens of Toronto, to not let that happen.
To that end, I've arranged a demonstration by M r.
Allen Fawkes, one of Thomas Edison's top engineers, from New York City.
FAWKES: Thank you.
PRATT: Joining M r.
Fawkes on stage is Alderman Edwin Dodd, chairman of the Street Lighting Commission.
[Applause.]
And, of course, the very lovely Alice Howard, newly crowned M iss Toronto Electric and Light.
M r.
Fawkes, you have the stage, sir.
Thank you, Daniel.
Ladies and gentlemen, as we speak, a generating plant is being built at Niagara.
One that will harness the power of the Falls and convert it into alternating current.
Now, M r.
Thomas Edison has brought electricity into your homes via direct current at 110 volts, the maximum he considers to be safe.
But these Niagara people would send their alternating current into our city at 20, 000 volts.
[Electricity crackles.]
Goodness.
Mere parlor tricks.
FAWKES: Ladies and gentlemen, we are honored to have a distinguished visitor in our midst.
None other than the man who invented this killer system, M r.
Nikola Tesla.
M URDOCH: That's really him.
You recognize Tesla? Yes.
He's one of my heroes.
FAWKES: M r.
Tesla, would you care to step up on the stage? No? Perhaps M r.
Tesla realizes the mistake he has unleashed.
Rubbish.
FAWKES: So that you, too, are also aware, I will now demonstrate to you the dangers of alternating current.
We are going to pass 1, 000 volts of alternating current through a living animal.
That's 1/20 of what M r.
Tesla and his cronies are proposing to bring to our city.
GARR ISON: This is not a demonstration.
This is an execution.
Now, what did this dog ever do to deserve this? CRABTREE: M iss, you have to stay back.
They're going to execute a harmless animal! - I sympathize, but - A harmless animal! I sympathize, but I can't let you hurt yourself.
- I can't let that happen.
- I'm sorry.
Ladies, please, you need to stay back.
They should electrocute you, M r.
Fawkes! - CRABTREE: M iss, please.
- M iss Howard.
[Electricity crackling.]
Turn off the power! [Screaming.]
Jesus! It's clearly a case of electrocution.
Why did the current run through her and Not through the dog.
This is exactly the type of tragedy you can expect with these sorts of high voltages.
It's why I've never made a secret of my support for direct current.
It's safer, and the safety of my constituents is paramount.
I agree with M r.
Dodd's sentiments.
I n fact, you're safer cuddling up to a cobra than to alternating current.
Hey, stop! That's my dog! What do you think you're doing? Officer, I want you to arrest this woman for theft.
And I want you to arrest him for cruelty to animals.
What, the fifth demonstration of ours you've tried to disrupt? Yes! And you shall continue to see me again and again, so long as you insist on executing poor, defenseless creatures.
Sir, might I have a word? - That dog belongs to me.
- Absolutely.
However, given the publicity that may arise from this incident, don't you think it wise to be seen as merciful? Yes, fine, let her have the damn thing.
The dog's all yours, ma'am.
Take good care of him, or I'll have to arrest you.
- Thank you, constable.
- Crabtree.
George Crabtree.
Edna Garrison.
- Come on.
- [Barks.]
Come on.
[Sighs.]
OGDEN: What's the matter? Well, the current came through here.
When she brought the handle down, the power should have flowed through these wires to the dog.
Unless Unless what? Rubber.
Someone put an insulator between the contacts, preventing the handle from closing the circuit.
So, if the rubber insulator saved the dog, why didn't the switch's rubber handle save M iss Howard? That's a very good question.
BRACKENREl D: Well, this has turned into a right cock-up.
What have we got? Well, we know why the dog didn't die.
Sod the dog.
What's happened to the girl? She was electrocuted.
Whether it was intentional or not Are you suggesting murder? The stakes are certainly high enough.
You're talking about the street-lighting contract.
M illions of dollars could be won or lost, by either side.
But how does this poor dead girl fit in, then? That's what I intend to find out.
Be careful when you go dancing, M urdoch.
There are some people who don't like their toes being stepped on.
Alderman Dodd, I nspector Thomas Brackenreid.
I can assure you, sir, that we'll get to the bottom of this.
Well, you bloody better.
This is an outrage.
Why would someone want to tamper with this switch, M r.
Fawkes? Clearly, someone was out to embarrass us.
By killing a young woman? By causing the demonstration to fail.
I can't imagine even Tesla intended his prank to kill.
Why would the inventor of alternating current want to discredit his own invention, M r.
Fawkes? Because he'd do anything to undermine M r.
Edison and direct current, that's why.
The man carries a grudge like no one I've ever met.
Oh, come, now, M r.
Fawkes.
If anyone stood to gain from this young woman's death, it's you.
- Me? - M URDOCH: Yes.
You go around the country putting on these dog-and-pony shows to discredit alternating current.
Well, I'm convinced.
It's dangerous.
We electrocute dogs, Detective.
A few curs, strays, to save thousands of lives.
The idea that I would electrocute an innocent girl for the sake of publicity, it's monstrous.
A fortune hangs in the balance, M r.
Fawkes.
Not my fortune.
Your career, then.
You're barking up the wrong tree, Detective.
Very well.
We shall have to see where the evidence leads us.
The switch box was stored at one of my facilities, but I fail to see how that matters.
M r.
Pratt, a young woman was killed today using equipment stored in your warehouse during a demonstration you helped organize.
Are you implying Why are your hands shaking, M r.
Pratt? I can't help thinking about what happened to poor Alice.
Well, then, for poor Alice's sake, answer the questions that are put to you.
Who had access to the switch box? M r.
Fawkes, myself, some of my employees.
- Was it guarded? - PRATT: I ntermittently.
A night watchman patrols three of my generating stations in the East End.
But any effort to break and enter would have triggered an alarm.
You have an alarm system? Designed by no less than M r.
Thomas Edison himself, in consultation with the Pinkerton Agency.
Was an alarm triggered? Alarm events are recorded in a log book at the guard station.
George, I need you to fetch the security logs for the Toronto Electric and Light station on Shuter.
- Right away, sir.
- Thank you.
Sir? I was thinking, what if the motive behind the tampering was simply to save the dog.
One of the advocates for the humane treatment of animals.
Well, I got the sense that their group leader, M iss Garrison, was very committed to the cause.
If you thought it worthwhile, I could drop by M URDOCH: Excellent idea, George.
Yes, bring her in.
Sir, I was thinking I could conduct the interview myself, save you the trouble.
No, no.
Bring her in.
While you fetch her, I have a call to make.
[Knock on door.]
Hello? M r.
Tesla? Hello? M r.
Tesla? Hello? Stop! Please step out of the circle and put your left hand in your pocket.
Sorry.
Potential for great injury.
How? You are standing in a high-frequency electrical field.
That's how a light bulb can be powered without wires.
But my left hand? Should the electricity have entered your left hand, it would have exited via your left foot, passing through and quite possibly stopping your heart on its journey.
Ah.
We wouldn't want that now, would we? Now, how can I help you? M r.
Tesla, I'm Detective M urdoch of the Toronto Police.
Pleased to make your acquaintance, Detective M urdoch.
Please stand right there while I transmit my last digits.
[Electricity crackling.]
Sorry.
Very sorry.
I should have warned you.
Hold on.
[Footsteps.]
Ah, there.
That's it.
Now you can arrest me or do whatever it is you came to do.
I'm not here to arrest you.
[Telephone rings.]
Excuse me.
Yes.
Okay, yes, go.
[Laughs.]
What great joy! Thank you, thank you.
That was my laboratory in New York.
They received my message.
You sent a message to New York City through the air? Uh-huh.
The first six digits of pi, back to front.
M y Serbian humor.
How is this possible? Well, simply modulating the electrical waves transmitted and received At the same resonant frequency.
Yes, exactly.
A police officer and a man of science.
Well, I dabble.
But this invention of yours, imagine the possibilities.
Yes, ships will be able to send telegrams while at sea.
You could send voice over airwaves.
Why stop at voice? If you were to capture an image, you could modulate the signal depending on the amount of light reflected.
- Transmit images.
- M m-hmm.
You could call it a telekinetascope.
Too many syllables.
Call it, uh, tele vision.
Huh.
But I have more important things to do, as I'm sure you have.
I presume you are here about the accident at the demonstration today.
Yes, well, it was no accident.
The switch box had been tampered with.
M r.
Fawkes suggested that you might have wanted to disrupt his demonstration.
Yes, of course, he would.
That's how little imagination he has.
But please tell M r.
Fawkes from me that if I had wanted to disrupt his silly demonstration, I would have fired a million-volt pulse at his generator, thereby disabling it.
You could do that? I would need to build the prototype first, but, yes.
Ah, well, at any rate, where were you last night, M r.
Tesla? I was dining with the Serbian consul who are here to see my work at Niagara.
Then I spent the night in my hotel.
Thank you.
M r.
Tesla, I wonder if you would assist me in determining how the victim was killed.
Huh.
Of course, Detective M urdoch.
I have a few meetings and shall drop by your office.
Station number four.
TESLA: Great.
Thank you.
[I ndistinct conversations.]
Constable Crabtree? Hello, again, M iss Garrison.
Do come in.
Sorry.
Hey, there, fella.
Oh, good boy, good boy.
Okay, d No, down, down.
- Good boy.
- He's a she, actually.
Oh.
Does she have a name? No.
No, not yet.
So, what brings you here? Have you come to call on me? Actually, ma'am, I'm here to escort you to the station for questioning.
Sir, I have the security logs as you asked.
And? There was an alarm tripped at 7 minutes past 1:00 a.
M.
, but nothing was damaged or stolen.
Or so it seemed.
And M iss Garrison is waiting for you in the interview room.
Thank you.
Sir, if you're busy, I could conduct the interview.
Thank you, George.
I'm sure I'll be fine.
Of course.
I care for animals.
Is that a crime? No, but sabotage is, especially when it ends in the electrocution of a woman.
Are you accusing me of murder? Did you tamper with the equipment? No, of course not.
I would never do such a thing.
M URDOCH: No? Not even to save the life of a poor, innocent dog, M iss Garrison? As much as I would have liked to, I wouldn't have even known how.
Where were you between midnight and 2:00 a.
M.
? I was asleep in my bed, of course.
M URDOCH: Can anyone vouch for this? Yes.
I live in M iss Beezley's Boarding House on Queen Street East.
The doors are locked at 10:00 sharp.
Oh, sorry.
So, M iss Garrison is not involved, then? She could have spent the night out.
Have someone verify her story with the landlady.
But when I saw her at the stage, she seemed very bright-eyed and perky.
I mean, she didn't seem like somebody who had spent the night breaking into buildings and whatnot.
George, are you sweet on this girl? No.
And I would never let my personal feelings cloud my judgment.
See that you don't, because until proven otherwise, M iss Garrison remains a suspect.
M urdoch, there's some tosser in the booking area.
Says he knows you.
And he's a bloody nuisance.
M r.
Tesla.
Detective M urdoch.
So, you do know each other.
Now, why doesn't that surprise me? What the choffin' hell are you doing to the telephone? I've been thinking about Detective M urdoch's idea of transmitting voice over airwaves.
Voice over airwaves.
TESLA: Yes, and a thought struck me while I waited here.
I believe with slight modifications, I could convey a telephone signal using my transmitter.
Would you care to assist me? I'd be honored.
This is a telephone transmitter.
You've been working on the idea, as well.
Yes, however, my motives are much more selfish than yours.
I've been trying to eavesdrop on criminal conversation.
The problem is the wires.
How can you transmit surreptitiously when you have wires going everywhere? This is why you were asking me about wireless voice transmission.
Yes, in part.
However, that can wait.
This is the switch box.
Yes, it is the switch handle we want to look at.
The problem with using rubber as an insulator is that, in time, it will crack.
Yes, I've thought of that, but this rubber is clearly new.
If I wanted to kill somebody, I would cut through to the metal, the underlying metal, and fill the slit with a conductor.
Such as? Graphite powder, one of the best conductors there is.
And it's black, like the rubber.
The victim never would have known that the handle had been tampered with.
The current would cause the graphite to burn and the rubber to fuse Erasing the evidence.
But if that's the case, some graphite should remain imbued in the rubber.
Very good, Detective M urdoch.
Shall we test your hypothesis? May I suggest your lamp? Rubber is an effective insulator.
A thin slice would stop a strong current.
But if this rubber is imbued with the conductor, as we suspect, then it should allow the current to go through.
You may plug the lamp back in, M r.
Tesla.
It would seem the young lady was murdered.
The only question now is "Why?" New addition to your staff? Sometimes I desire a little more companionship.
Doctor, have you a post-mortem report for me? Yes.
I'm sorry it took so long, but I rarely get the chance to examine an electrocution victim.
Yes, I suspect it will become less rare in the next while.
No doubt.
Still, I was curious to know the path the electricity took.
And? Well, it entered her right hand, traveling through her spinal cord, which I suppose makes sense.
It passed through her liver, and then flowed down her right leg, exiting via the heel.
Electricity taking the easiest path to ground.
But how does it know what that is? Nature at its most efficient.
It's fascinating.
Yes, however, I have determined that M iss Howard was murdered.
- OGDEN: Have you a motive? - Not yet.
Well, I don't know if this helps, but I did find one thing.
I n following the electrical path, I dissected the uterus.
I found a small distension.
So small I almost missed it.
- A distension? - Yes.
Actually, an immature placenta.
M iss Howard was five weeks pregnant.
Up the duff, was she? Well, there's a motive for you.
Whoever killed M iss Howard knew about electricity, knew where the equipment was stored, and knew the victim would be pulling the switch.
I believe the father is either Daniel Pratt or Edwin Dodd.
Jesus, M urdoch! Pratt's a bloody millionaire, and Dodd is the most powerful man in city government next to the mayor.
Either of 'em could eat you for breakfast and probably will.
What about old Guy Fawkes? He fits the bill.
Ah, Fawkes.
Very good, sir.
I believe he has far less motive.
- Motive? - M URDOCH: You said it yourself.
Pratt is a millionaire, a married one.
Dodd is a prominent public figure.
An illicit relationship could cost them both dearly.
And Fawkes had nowhere near the stature of the other two.
You do insist on playing with fire, don't you? Hopefully, I will get to the bottom of matters quickly.
Alice and I shared a small flat for the last two years.
So, you knew her well, then? As well as anyone, I suppose.
She worked days.
I worked nights.
So we only saw each other on Sundays.
Even then, we were very different people.
How so? Well, I'm shy, especially when it comes to men.
Alice wasn't at all.
Men doted on her.
Please.
Thank you.
I know this sounds terrible, but, well, I suspect some of them were married.
Was she seeing anyone special? There was one.
It was all very secret.
But, well, she seemed to be in love with him.
She told you this.
A woman can always tell.
I spoke to him several times on the telephone.
He had a nice voice.
Um, do you recognize either of these men? I'm sorry, no.
I never met any of her beaus.
M URDOCH: Would you remember his name? Alice was very discreet.
She never mentioned names.
I have M iss Howard's personal effects.
However, we've been unable to reach her next of kin.
She has a sister in Kingston.
I could see that she gets them.
M URDOCH: Do you know what this is? PETUN IA: Her latest boyfriend gave her that.
Did he, now? [Knock on door.]
Yes? Ah, Detective.
Please have a seat.
Would you like an orange? No, thank you.
They're very hard to find, grown in Florida.
Thank you.
I just need to ask you a few questions.
Certainly.
Go ahead.
Well, um, what was the nature of your relationship with M iss Howard? She was a member of my clerical staff.
Oh? I thought she was M iss Toronto Electric and Light.
She was far too beautiful to remain a clerk.
Is that why you were having sexual relations with her? I beg your pardon.
M URDOCH: You gave this to her? I've never seen this before.
I expect your wife had her suspicions.
Perhaps I'll ask her.
PRATT: Wait.
All right.
Yes.
Alice and I were briefly involved.
But it's been over now for weeks.
When did she tell you she was with child? - With child? - Yes.
M iss Howard was five weeks pregnant.
- But you knew that.
- M y child? That's impossible.
Yes, M r.
Pratt, your child.
That's why you killed her, isn't it? Killed her.
No.
It was an accident.
It wasn't an accident.
M iss Howard was murdered.
Thank you.
Oh, sir.
Is there anything else you'll be needing this evening? I believe that's all.
Thank you, George.
Okay.
Well, I'll see you tomorrow.
George.
Is that lavender I smell? Cleanliness, sir.
Next to godliness.
I'll remember that.
[Knock on door.]
Does your detective wish to interrogate me further? Actually, miss, my interests here are strictly personal.
I'm afraid my own interests in that regard have waned.
M iss, I'm well aware that the ship between us has sailed.
I n fact, these flowers were not meant for you.
- They're not? - No.
This is very awkward now, but I was hoping to make the acquaintance of your dog.
Does she like violets? You've come to call on my dog? Yes.
I was hoping she would walk with me.
I n fact, I'd be very obliged if you could join us, maybe as chaperone.
Will you wait downstairs? M r.
Fawkes, what brings you by? Daniel Pratt came to see me this afternoon.
The man was beside himself.
It's understandable.
His mistress is dead.
And you suspect he killed her? I do.
And I intend to prove it.
I don't think you could be more wrong, Detective.
Oh.
Why is that? Because the original plan wasn't for M iss Howard to throw the switch.
So, who was supposed to throw the switch, then? Alderman Dodd, of course.
If anyone was the intended victim, it was him.
You look beautiful.
And your owner's not so bad either.
She has to be back by 10:00.
Does she have a name yet? Yes.
Violet.
That's a pretty name.
Pretty flowers.
Well, Violet, shall we? [Doorbell rings.]
M r.
Dodd? Hello? Hello? DODD: Put your hands on your head.
Slowly.
Now, turning around.
Again, very slowly.
It's you.
You're Detective William M urdoch.
Toronto Constabulary.
Detective, what, in God's name, are you doing prowling around in the middle of the night? Do you make a habit of brandishing weaponry each time someone chances to visit, M r.
Dodd? This? This is my father's birding gun.
I've never even touched it before this evening.
So, why bring it out now? You bloody well know why.
Someone tried to electrocute me.
But, sir, why would someone try to kill you? That's just it.
I've no idea.
I'm a politician.
A noble calling, to be sure, but you can't please everyone, can you? But, M r.
Dodd, you are also the chairman of the Street Lighting Commission, are you not? I'm just one of five men on that committee.
Yes, but it's my understanding you cast the deciding vote if there were to be a tie.
I n effect, you decide whether or not alternating current comes to Toronto, making you a very powerful man.
M y position is known by all, and I've never wavered.
I have no idea why someone may want to harm me.
BRACKENREl D: Oh, I don't know, M urdoch.
Something's not quite right about this.
I agree.
But who would have stood to profit from Dodd's death? The A.
C.
Camp, I suppose.
But, then, why do it in such a way to discredit their own system? Yes, and, furthermore, cities everywhere are adopting the A.
C.
System.
Toronto may not this time, but they will have to soon or face being left behind.
Then, maybe it was someone from the D.
C.
Side.
That wouldn't make sense either.
Dodd supported D.
C.
Or so he says.
But in my experience, dealing with people like Edwin Dodd, what they say and what they do are two totally different things.
Well, if anything, the A.
C.
Camp would want to sway his vote.
Bribery? Which may explain Do you have today's paper? Niagara A.
C.
M URDOCH: What is it? BRACKENREl D: The stock rose from 76 to 95 cents.
After M iss Howard's death, I would have thought the stock would have dropped.
Yeah, but, instead, it rose by almost 25%.
Probably the A.
C.
People buying it.
Which seems to indicate that the fix was in.
So it would seem.
But how did you know about the stock, sir? I ntuition.
Really? Well, I can't bloody well retire on a copper's salary, can I? So I've been following the markets.
Something that you'd be well-advised to look into, me old mucker.
Perhaps I will, after I look into this bribery situation.
Hurry! CRABTREE: I can't.
I have a stitch.
[Laughs.]
- [Doorknob rattles.]
- Oh, no.
- CRABTREE: It's locked? - What time is it? Two minutes past the hour.
Two minutes.
Damn that woman's dark soul.
Should you knock? No.
I've got two demerits this month.
One more and I'm out.
Come on.
- [Static.]
- M URDOCH: Hello? M r.
Tesla? Hello? M r.
Tesla? TESLA: Hello.
Hello? TESLA: I said hello.
Hello, M r.
Tesla.
TESLA: You must hold down the switch on the side of the box to speak.
Then release it to listen.
Hello.
Hello, M r.
Tesla? TESLA: That's it.
Hello, Detective M urdoch.
M r.
Tesla, where are you? TESLA: I am dining at the Grand Hotel.
How did you know I was here? TESLA: You tripped a switch when you came through the door.
M r.
Tesla, I have some questions.
TESLA: Of course you do.
There is much to know.
Essentially, what I have done is taken a conventional telephone signal and passed it through a coil and condenser set No, M r.
Tesla.
I have questions about the murder.
I need to speak with you in person.
TESLA: Yes, very well.
I always leave the latch open.
Pass me Violet.
Good girl.
Are you coming? You want me to come in? Just for tea.
I mean, you can leave by the back stairs.
All right.
All right.
Oh, my! Oh, dear.
You are accusing me of bribing a civic official.
Not you, M r.
Tesla.
Perhaps someone in your camp.
I am a scientist, Detective M urdoch.
I do not sully my hands with the sordid details of business.
But if I may speak frankly Of course.
TESLA: Alternating current doesn't need to bribe its way into the future.
The forces of logic and history compel it to.
Many inventions have been ahead of their time, M r.
Tesla.
Consider the works of Da Vinci alone.
Even your hometown of New York has been slow to adapt to your system.
TESLA: I reiterate.
I We did not bribe M r.
Dodd.
Then, M r.
Tesla, how do you explain the fluctuating stock prices? It should have gone down after what happened.
I shall get to the bottom of this.
Dodd's banking information.
Cost me a bottle of my finest Scotch.
- Hope it was worth it.
- See for yourself.
[Whistles.]
$20, 000 deposited last Monday.
How much does an alderman make? $300 a year, if he's lucky.
So, if Niagara A.
C.
Had bought off Dodd They had no reason to kill him.
So I suppose somebody from the D.
C.
Camp must have done it.
What if Pratt had found out? And he still was under the assumption that Dodd was his man.
Well, if it was me, I'd want to kill the bastard.
Honest to goodness, how can a police officer be so clumsy? Well, breaking and entering with grace is not exactly part of my job.
Well, don't worry about the mess.
I'll make us a pot of tea.
Um, I have a confession to make.
It wasn't your dog I was sweet on.
I mean, she's really great, but Did that hurt? It hurt really nice.
- I should go make some tea.
- Yeah.
He's supposed to be working, and it's almost midnight.
His wife said he likes to keep late hours.
Huh.
I bet that M iss Howard did, too.
[Laughs.]
What's wrong with the lights? Daniel Pratt? M r.
Pratt? BRACKENREl D: M r.
Pratt? Wait, sir, don't! - What? - Don't touch him.
I believe he's been electrocuted.
Had you touched him or the telephone, you might also be dead.
As you suspected, another electrocution.
Yes, except, this time, the current flowed directly through the heart.
Yes, it stopped dead.
How did you know that? The killer was quite ingenious, really.
As soon as the earpiece was lifted, the electrical current flowed through the arm, across the chest, and out the other arm.
It's not my place, but would M r.
Dodd have the knowledge to do this? It's quite simple, actually.
The earpiece was wired directly to the power outlet.
The next call that came for M r.
Pratt proved to be deadly.
- Uh, sir? - Yes, George? There's something I need to speak with you about.
- It will have to wait.
- Oi, bugalug, shift.
- Sir, we need to arrest Dodd.
- Not without evidence.
We have evidence.
We might have got him on corruption, but not murder.
Do you not think he did it? BRACKENREl D: One electrocution for another.
An eye for an eye.
It's bloody poetic.
Who else could have done it? Actually, sir, there is someone.
Where did you get that? M URDOCH: How did a schematic for an A.
C.
Generator end up in your possession, M iss Garrison? You had your constable spy on me? M ust I repeat the question? I needed it, to sabotage the demonstration.
So you broke into M r.
Pratt's warehouse and tampered with the handle.
Uh, no, I was at the warehouse, but we didn't do anything.
We? There were three of us.
We had to make sure that those bastards didn't kill any more innocent animals, at least not for that day.
What happened, then? Well, when the alarm went off, we just panicked and ran.
Nothing more? Nothing more.
[Camera shutter clicking.]
CRABTREE: Sir, you believe M iss Garrison, then? It would explain why the alarm went off but the security guard found no one.
Well, that's a relief.
So, you let the girlfriend off, eh? I nspector, my relationship with M iss Garrison is strictly professional.
Hey, Romeo, it's me you're talking to.
Of course it is.
So, we're back to Dodd, are we? It has to be him.
Dodd's a D.
C.
Man.
BRACKENREl D: He starts taking bribes from the other side.
M URDOCH: Pratt finds out, stands to lose a fortune, decides to eliminate Dodd.
Sees his chance at the demonstration.
Slips into the warehouse his own warehouse, no one asks a question does some friggin' and jiggin' with the generator.
But at the last minute, M iss Howard steps into Dodd's place.
And all Pratt can do is look on as his mistress flicks the switch.
Yes.
Dodd finds out that Pratt's onto him, decides to seek his own revenge.
Plausible.
Bloody plausible.
How do we prove it? I have an idea.
The transmittable distance will depend on power.
You're saying it must be transportable? Yes, something roughly the size of a suitcase.
It will be heavy.
He doesn't have to carry it far.
Still a challenge.
It's my understanding that you enjoy a challenge.
That, I do.
You want me to blackmail Edwin Dodd? Yes, but only as a means of making him admit his guilt.
I don't know.
He's already killed one man.
What's to stop him from killing me? You'll be in a public place, and we will record your conversation.
How? That's impossible.
No longer, M r.
Fawkes.
- M r.
Fawkes.
- M r.
Tesla.
I understand congratulations are in order.
The engagement isn't official yet.
Still, an heiress.
I suppose if you can't earn a fortune, it helps to marry into it.
- I will not work with this man.
- Likewise.
Gentlemen, gentlemen, please.
I will ask that you put aside your personal differences.
I left the receiver in my lab with my assistant to test the range of the device.
M r.
Fawkes, if you will say something in the direction of the briefcase What should I say? Whatever comes to mind.
It need not be pithy.
Little M iss M uffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey.
Well, your device seems a bit underwhelming.
- [Telephone rings.]
- Just a moment.
Yes.
Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey.
You've outdone yourself, Nikola.
Actually, I must share the credit with Detective M urdoch.
- M r.
Fawkes.
- Have a seat.
- What's this? - M y new suitcase.
Very stylish.
Not very, but it is surprisingly practical.
Now, I don't have much time.
What is this all about? I know what you did last night.
What are you talking about? FAWKES: I know everything, Edwin.
You took 20, 000 from Niagara A.
C.
Pratt was onto you.
Is that why you killed him? I don't need to sit here and listen to this.
It's up to you, but if you walk away, I will go to the police.
How much? Half.
$ 10, 000.
I don't have $ 10, 000.
FAWKES: Well, that's too bad.
The amount's non-negotiable.
DODD: All right.
But I'll need some time.
I spent it all on Niagara A.
C.
Stock.
Shall I play the rest of the conversation, M r.
Dodd? What do you want? A full confession.
OGDEN: So, is it case closed? That's a good expression, case closed.
It's strong.
I should remember it.
Dodd confessed to killing Pratt and to taking bribes from Niagara A.
C.
You sound disappointed.
I only wish I'd gotten a confession from Pratt himself that he, in fact, rigged the switch.
Well, be grateful that you're not still trying to prove he wanted to kill M iss Howard.
Why is that? Because I don't think he had motive.
What makes you say that? M r.
Pratt's pubic bone was severely broken.
It's a green break, probably happened in childhood.
Both seminal vessels were crushed.
So, then He couldn't have impregnated M iss Howard.
- But if he didn't - Who did? Probably someone who shouldn't have.
Perhaps Dodd wasn't the target after all.
Perhaps it was M iss Howard.
Her latest boyfriend gave her that.
I've never seen this before.
Pratt was telling the truth.
What are you talking about, William? Pratt never gave M iss Howard the pendant.
But she was in love with someone in the electric business.
M iss Howard.
It was Fawkes.
He had access to the warehouse.
He knew M iss Howard would be throwing the switch.
And why would he want to kill M iss Howard? He was about to marry into a very wealthy family.
Her pregnancy would have ruined everything.
That's monstrous.
How will you prove it? Luckily, I have a witness.
FAWKES: I know everything, Edwin.
You took 20, 000 from Niagara A.
C.
That's him.
That the voice I heard on the telephone calling for Alice.
I'd recognize it anywhere.
You visited Toronto five weeks ago in preparation for your demonstration.
M iss Howard was five weeks pregnant.
Shall I go on? I think I'd like to speak with a barrister.
Hello, miss.
I didn't expect I'd see you again.
Well, Violet violated M iss Beezley's slippers.
Oh, is that right? I'm sorry to hear that.
I've no one to take her.
Would you? Yes, of course, of course.
Um, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry about what happened.
So am I.
Perhaps I could pay her a visit, to ensure she's being treated well.
I think that would be the responsible thing to do, ma'am.
[Clicks tongue.]
Come on.
Come on, girl.
M URDOCH: Hello? M r.
Tesla? M r.
Tesla? Hello? TESLA: Detective M urdoch.
You are the first to receive a wireless transmission from New York.
I came to thank you and TESLA: Do not attempt to transmit in return.
The power of this unit is far too weak.
While I do think this is a splendid invention, I have other ideas of much greater importance that must be explored.
We are men of the future, Detective M urdoch.
And what a future it shall be.
Yes.
What a future it shall be.
Acorn Media
Thank you! Wow! OGDEN: Quite the turnout for a scientific demonstration.
More of a spectacle, I should say.
Shall we move closer to the stage? Yes, of course.
What have you got there? Are we having a picnic? Well, I thought since we are in a park.
PRATT: First, I'd like to thank each and every one of you.
CRABTREE: People, please stand back.
There's a very dangerous electrical demonstration about to take place.
That includes you, miss.
I'm giving him his last meal, if you don't mind.
Well, I'm going to have to insist They're going to execute him.
Did you know that? That's not really my It's criminal is what it is.
Now, look here, constable.
I'm from the Toronto Humane Society, and I demand that you do something about this.
- Such as? - Arrest them.
M y name is Daniel Pratt.
I'm the owner and manager of Toronto Electric and Light.
For the last 10 years, we have been safely lighting the streets of Toronto with direct current.
But that contract expires next year, and a new and very dangerous form of electricity is being considered by city council.
It's called alternating current, and it's a killer.
What M r.
Pratt isn't saying, of course, is that he's made his entire fortune off of direct current.
So, this exhibition is really about money.
And the desire to keep it.
PRATT: It is up to us, the responsible citizens of Toronto, to not let that happen.
To that end, I've arranged a demonstration by M r.
Allen Fawkes, one of Thomas Edison's top engineers, from New York City.
FAWKES: Thank you.
PRATT: Joining M r.
Fawkes on stage is Alderman Edwin Dodd, chairman of the Street Lighting Commission.
[Applause.]
And, of course, the very lovely Alice Howard, newly crowned M iss Toronto Electric and Light.
M r.
Fawkes, you have the stage, sir.
Thank you, Daniel.
Ladies and gentlemen, as we speak, a generating plant is being built at Niagara.
One that will harness the power of the Falls and convert it into alternating current.
Now, M r.
Thomas Edison has brought electricity into your homes via direct current at 110 volts, the maximum he considers to be safe.
But these Niagara people would send their alternating current into our city at 20, 000 volts.
[Electricity crackles.]
Goodness.
Mere parlor tricks.
FAWKES: Ladies and gentlemen, we are honored to have a distinguished visitor in our midst.
None other than the man who invented this killer system, M r.
Nikola Tesla.
M URDOCH: That's really him.
You recognize Tesla? Yes.
He's one of my heroes.
FAWKES: M r.
Tesla, would you care to step up on the stage? No? Perhaps M r.
Tesla realizes the mistake he has unleashed.
Rubbish.
FAWKES: So that you, too, are also aware, I will now demonstrate to you the dangers of alternating current.
We are going to pass 1, 000 volts of alternating current through a living animal.
That's 1/20 of what M r.
Tesla and his cronies are proposing to bring to our city.
GARR ISON: This is not a demonstration.
This is an execution.
Now, what did this dog ever do to deserve this? CRABTREE: M iss, you have to stay back.
They're going to execute a harmless animal! - I sympathize, but - A harmless animal! I sympathize, but I can't let you hurt yourself.
- I can't let that happen.
- I'm sorry.
Ladies, please, you need to stay back.
They should electrocute you, M r.
Fawkes! - CRABTREE: M iss, please.
- M iss Howard.
[Electricity crackling.]
Turn off the power! [Screaming.]
Jesus! It's clearly a case of electrocution.
Why did the current run through her and Not through the dog.
This is exactly the type of tragedy you can expect with these sorts of high voltages.
It's why I've never made a secret of my support for direct current.
It's safer, and the safety of my constituents is paramount.
I agree with M r.
Dodd's sentiments.
I n fact, you're safer cuddling up to a cobra than to alternating current.
Hey, stop! That's my dog! What do you think you're doing? Officer, I want you to arrest this woman for theft.
And I want you to arrest him for cruelty to animals.
What, the fifth demonstration of ours you've tried to disrupt? Yes! And you shall continue to see me again and again, so long as you insist on executing poor, defenseless creatures.
Sir, might I have a word? - That dog belongs to me.
- Absolutely.
However, given the publicity that may arise from this incident, don't you think it wise to be seen as merciful? Yes, fine, let her have the damn thing.
The dog's all yours, ma'am.
Take good care of him, or I'll have to arrest you.
- Thank you, constable.
- Crabtree.
George Crabtree.
Edna Garrison.
- Come on.
- [Barks.]
Come on.
[Sighs.]
OGDEN: What's the matter? Well, the current came through here.
When she brought the handle down, the power should have flowed through these wires to the dog.
Unless Unless what? Rubber.
Someone put an insulator between the contacts, preventing the handle from closing the circuit.
So, if the rubber insulator saved the dog, why didn't the switch's rubber handle save M iss Howard? That's a very good question.
BRACKENREl D: Well, this has turned into a right cock-up.
What have we got? Well, we know why the dog didn't die.
Sod the dog.
What's happened to the girl? She was electrocuted.
Whether it was intentional or not Are you suggesting murder? The stakes are certainly high enough.
You're talking about the street-lighting contract.
M illions of dollars could be won or lost, by either side.
But how does this poor dead girl fit in, then? That's what I intend to find out.
Be careful when you go dancing, M urdoch.
There are some people who don't like their toes being stepped on.
Alderman Dodd, I nspector Thomas Brackenreid.
I can assure you, sir, that we'll get to the bottom of this.
Well, you bloody better.
This is an outrage.
Why would someone want to tamper with this switch, M r.
Fawkes? Clearly, someone was out to embarrass us.
By killing a young woman? By causing the demonstration to fail.
I can't imagine even Tesla intended his prank to kill.
Why would the inventor of alternating current want to discredit his own invention, M r.
Fawkes? Because he'd do anything to undermine M r.
Edison and direct current, that's why.
The man carries a grudge like no one I've ever met.
Oh, come, now, M r.
Fawkes.
If anyone stood to gain from this young woman's death, it's you.
- Me? - M URDOCH: Yes.
You go around the country putting on these dog-and-pony shows to discredit alternating current.
Well, I'm convinced.
It's dangerous.
We electrocute dogs, Detective.
A few curs, strays, to save thousands of lives.
The idea that I would electrocute an innocent girl for the sake of publicity, it's monstrous.
A fortune hangs in the balance, M r.
Fawkes.
Not my fortune.
Your career, then.
You're barking up the wrong tree, Detective.
Very well.
We shall have to see where the evidence leads us.
The switch box was stored at one of my facilities, but I fail to see how that matters.
M r.
Pratt, a young woman was killed today using equipment stored in your warehouse during a demonstration you helped organize.
Are you implying Why are your hands shaking, M r.
Pratt? I can't help thinking about what happened to poor Alice.
Well, then, for poor Alice's sake, answer the questions that are put to you.
Who had access to the switch box? M r.
Fawkes, myself, some of my employees.
- Was it guarded? - PRATT: I ntermittently.
A night watchman patrols three of my generating stations in the East End.
But any effort to break and enter would have triggered an alarm.
You have an alarm system? Designed by no less than M r.
Thomas Edison himself, in consultation with the Pinkerton Agency.
Was an alarm triggered? Alarm events are recorded in a log book at the guard station.
George, I need you to fetch the security logs for the Toronto Electric and Light station on Shuter.
- Right away, sir.
- Thank you.
Sir? I was thinking, what if the motive behind the tampering was simply to save the dog.
One of the advocates for the humane treatment of animals.
Well, I got the sense that their group leader, M iss Garrison, was very committed to the cause.
If you thought it worthwhile, I could drop by M URDOCH: Excellent idea, George.
Yes, bring her in.
Sir, I was thinking I could conduct the interview myself, save you the trouble.
No, no.
Bring her in.
While you fetch her, I have a call to make.
[Knock on door.]
Hello? M r.
Tesla? Hello? M r.
Tesla? Hello? Stop! Please step out of the circle and put your left hand in your pocket.
Sorry.
Potential for great injury.
How? You are standing in a high-frequency electrical field.
That's how a light bulb can be powered without wires.
But my left hand? Should the electricity have entered your left hand, it would have exited via your left foot, passing through and quite possibly stopping your heart on its journey.
Ah.
We wouldn't want that now, would we? Now, how can I help you? M r.
Tesla, I'm Detective M urdoch of the Toronto Police.
Pleased to make your acquaintance, Detective M urdoch.
Please stand right there while I transmit my last digits.
[Electricity crackling.]
Sorry.
Very sorry.
I should have warned you.
Hold on.
[Footsteps.]
Ah, there.
That's it.
Now you can arrest me or do whatever it is you came to do.
I'm not here to arrest you.
[Telephone rings.]
Excuse me.
Yes.
Okay, yes, go.
[Laughs.]
What great joy! Thank you, thank you.
That was my laboratory in New York.
They received my message.
You sent a message to New York City through the air? Uh-huh.
The first six digits of pi, back to front.
M y Serbian humor.
How is this possible? Well, simply modulating the electrical waves transmitted and received At the same resonant frequency.
Yes, exactly.
A police officer and a man of science.
Well, I dabble.
But this invention of yours, imagine the possibilities.
Yes, ships will be able to send telegrams while at sea.
You could send voice over airwaves.
Why stop at voice? If you were to capture an image, you could modulate the signal depending on the amount of light reflected.
- Transmit images.
- M m-hmm.
You could call it a telekinetascope.
Too many syllables.
Call it, uh, tele vision.
Huh.
But I have more important things to do, as I'm sure you have.
I presume you are here about the accident at the demonstration today.
Yes, well, it was no accident.
The switch box had been tampered with.
M r.
Fawkes suggested that you might have wanted to disrupt his demonstration.
Yes, of course, he would.
That's how little imagination he has.
But please tell M r.
Fawkes from me that if I had wanted to disrupt his silly demonstration, I would have fired a million-volt pulse at his generator, thereby disabling it.
You could do that? I would need to build the prototype first, but, yes.
Ah, well, at any rate, where were you last night, M r.
Tesla? I was dining with the Serbian consul who are here to see my work at Niagara.
Then I spent the night in my hotel.
Thank you.
M r.
Tesla, I wonder if you would assist me in determining how the victim was killed.
Huh.
Of course, Detective M urdoch.
I have a few meetings and shall drop by your office.
Station number four.
TESLA: Great.
Thank you.
[I ndistinct conversations.]
Constable Crabtree? Hello, again, M iss Garrison.
Do come in.
Sorry.
Hey, there, fella.
Oh, good boy, good boy.
Okay, d No, down, down.
- Good boy.
- He's a she, actually.
Oh.
Does she have a name? No.
No, not yet.
So, what brings you here? Have you come to call on me? Actually, ma'am, I'm here to escort you to the station for questioning.
Sir, I have the security logs as you asked.
And? There was an alarm tripped at 7 minutes past 1:00 a.
M.
, but nothing was damaged or stolen.
Or so it seemed.
And M iss Garrison is waiting for you in the interview room.
Thank you.
Sir, if you're busy, I could conduct the interview.
Thank you, George.
I'm sure I'll be fine.
Of course.
I care for animals.
Is that a crime? No, but sabotage is, especially when it ends in the electrocution of a woman.
Are you accusing me of murder? Did you tamper with the equipment? No, of course not.
I would never do such a thing.
M URDOCH: No? Not even to save the life of a poor, innocent dog, M iss Garrison? As much as I would have liked to, I wouldn't have even known how.
Where were you between midnight and 2:00 a.
M.
? I was asleep in my bed, of course.
M URDOCH: Can anyone vouch for this? Yes.
I live in M iss Beezley's Boarding House on Queen Street East.
The doors are locked at 10:00 sharp.
Oh, sorry.
So, M iss Garrison is not involved, then? She could have spent the night out.
Have someone verify her story with the landlady.
But when I saw her at the stage, she seemed very bright-eyed and perky.
I mean, she didn't seem like somebody who had spent the night breaking into buildings and whatnot.
George, are you sweet on this girl? No.
And I would never let my personal feelings cloud my judgment.
See that you don't, because until proven otherwise, M iss Garrison remains a suspect.
M urdoch, there's some tosser in the booking area.
Says he knows you.
And he's a bloody nuisance.
M r.
Tesla.
Detective M urdoch.
So, you do know each other.
Now, why doesn't that surprise me? What the choffin' hell are you doing to the telephone? I've been thinking about Detective M urdoch's idea of transmitting voice over airwaves.
Voice over airwaves.
TESLA: Yes, and a thought struck me while I waited here.
I believe with slight modifications, I could convey a telephone signal using my transmitter.
Would you care to assist me? I'd be honored.
This is a telephone transmitter.
You've been working on the idea, as well.
Yes, however, my motives are much more selfish than yours.
I've been trying to eavesdrop on criminal conversation.
The problem is the wires.
How can you transmit surreptitiously when you have wires going everywhere? This is why you were asking me about wireless voice transmission.
Yes, in part.
However, that can wait.
This is the switch box.
Yes, it is the switch handle we want to look at.
The problem with using rubber as an insulator is that, in time, it will crack.
Yes, I've thought of that, but this rubber is clearly new.
If I wanted to kill somebody, I would cut through to the metal, the underlying metal, and fill the slit with a conductor.
Such as? Graphite powder, one of the best conductors there is.
And it's black, like the rubber.
The victim never would have known that the handle had been tampered with.
The current would cause the graphite to burn and the rubber to fuse Erasing the evidence.
But if that's the case, some graphite should remain imbued in the rubber.
Very good, Detective M urdoch.
Shall we test your hypothesis? May I suggest your lamp? Rubber is an effective insulator.
A thin slice would stop a strong current.
But if this rubber is imbued with the conductor, as we suspect, then it should allow the current to go through.
You may plug the lamp back in, M r.
Tesla.
It would seem the young lady was murdered.
The only question now is "Why?" New addition to your staff? Sometimes I desire a little more companionship.
Doctor, have you a post-mortem report for me? Yes.
I'm sorry it took so long, but I rarely get the chance to examine an electrocution victim.
Yes, I suspect it will become less rare in the next while.
No doubt.
Still, I was curious to know the path the electricity took.
And? Well, it entered her right hand, traveling through her spinal cord, which I suppose makes sense.
It passed through her liver, and then flowed down her right leg, exiting via the heel.
Electricity taking the easiest path to ground.
But how does it know what that is? Nature at its most efficient.
It's fascinating.
Yes, however, I have determined that M iss Howard was murdered.
- OGDEN: Have you a motive? - Not yet.
Well, I don't know if this helps, but I did find one thing.
I n following the electrical path, I dissected the uterus.
I found a small distension.
So small I almost missed it.
- A distension? - Yes.
Actually, an immature placenta.
M iss Howard was five weeks pregnant.
Up the duff, was she? Well, there's a motive for you.
Whoever killed M iss Howard knew about electricity, knew where the equipment was stored, and knew the victim would be pulling the switch.
I believe the father is either Daniel Pratt or Edwin Dodd.
Jesus, M urdoch! Pratt's a bloody millionaire, and Dodd is the most powerful man in city government next to the mayor.
Either of 'em could eat you for breakfast and probably will.
What about old Guy Fawkes? He fits the bill.
Ah, Fawkes.
Very good, sir.
I believe he has far less motive.
- Motive? - M URDOCH: You said it yourself.
Pratt is a millionaire, a married one.
Dodd is a prominent public figure.
An illicit relationship could cost them both dearly.
And Fawkes had nowhere near the stature of the other two.
You do insist on playing with fire, don't you? Hopefully, I will get to the bottom of matters quickly.
Alice and I shared a small flat for the last two years.
So, you knew her well, then? As well as anyone, I suppose.
She worked days.
I worked nights.
So we only saw each other on Sundays.
Even then, we were very different people.
How so? Well, I'm shy, especially when it comes to men.
Alice wasn't at all.
Men doted on her.
Please.
Thank you.
I know this sounds terrible, but, well, I suspect some of them were married.
Was she seeing anyone special? There was one.
It was all very secret.
But, well, she seemed to be in love with him.
She told you this.
A woman can always tell.
I spoke to him several times on the telephone.
He had a nice voice.
Um, do you recognize either of these men? I'm sorry, no.
I never met any of her beaus.
M URDOCH: Would you remember his name? Alice was very discreet.
She never mentioned names.
I have M iss Howard's personal effects.
However, we've been unable to reach her next of kin.
She has a sister in Kingston.
I could see that she gets them.
M URDOCH: Do you know what this is? PETUN IA: Her latest boyfriend gave her that.
Did he, now? [Knock on door.]
Yes? Ah, Detective.
Please have a seat.
Would you like an orange? No, thank you.
They're very hard to find, grown in Florida.
Thank you.
I just need to ask you a few questions.
Certainly.
Go ahead.
Well, um, what was the nature of your relationship with M iss Howard? She was a member of my clerical staff.
Oh? I thought she was M iss Toronto Electric and Light.
She was far too beautiful to remain a clerk.
Is that why you were having sexual relations with her? I beg your pardon.
M URDOCH: You gave this to her? I've never seen this before.
I expect your wife had her suspicions.
Perhaps I'll ask her.
PRATT: Wait.
All right.
Yes.
Alice and I were briefly involved.
But it's been over now for weeks.
When did she tell you she was with child? - With child? - Yes.
M iss Howard was five weeks pregnant.
- But you knew that.
- M y child? That's impossible.
Yes, M r.
Pratt, your child.
That's why you killed her, isn't it? Killed her.
No.
It was an accident.
It wasn't an accident.
M iss Howard was murdered.
Thank you.
Oh, sir.
Is there anything else you'll be needing this evening? I believe that's all.
Thank you, George.
Okay.
Well, I'll see you tomorrow.
George.
Is that lavender I smell? Cleanliness, sir.
Next to godliness.
I'll remember that.
[Knock on door.]
Does your detective wish to interrogate me further? Actually, miss, my interests here are strictly personal.
I'm afraid my own interests in that regard have waned.
M iss, I'm well aware that the ship between us has sailed.
I n fact, these flowers were not meant for you.
- They're not? - No.
This is very awkward now, but I was hoping to make the acquaintance of your dog.
Does she like violets? You've come to call on my dog? Yes.
I was hoping she would walk with me.
I n fact, I'd be very obliged if you could join us, maybe as chaperone.
Will you wait downstairs? M r.
Fawkes, what brings you by? Daniel Pratt came to see me this afternoon.
The man was beside himself.
It's understandable.
His mistress is dead.
And you suspect he killed her? I do.
And I intend to prove it.
I don't think you could be more wrong, Detective.
Oh.
Why is that? Because the original plan wasn't for M iss Howard to throw the switch.
So, who was supposed to throw the switch, then? Alderman Dodd, of course.
If anyone was the intended victim, it was him.
You look beautiful.
And your owner's not so bad either.
She has to be back by 10:00.
Does she have a name yet? Yes.
Violet.
That's a pretty name.
Pretty flowers.
Well, Violet, shall we? [Doorbell rings.]
M r.
Dodd? Hello? Hello? DODD: Put your hands on your head.
Slowly.
Now, turning around.
Again, very slowly.
It's you.
You're Detective William M urdoch.
Toronto Constabulary.
Detective, what, in God's name, are you doing prowling around in the middle of the night? Do you make a habit of brandishing weaponry each time someone chances to visit, M r.
Dodd? This? This is my father's birding gun.
I've never even touched it before this evening.
So, why bring it out now? You bloody well know why.
Someone tried to electrocute me.
But, sir, why would someone try to kill you? That's just it.
I've no idea.
I'm a politician.
A noble calling, to be sure, but you can't please everyone, can you? But, M r.
Dodd, you are also the chairman of the Street Lighting Commission, are you not? I'm just one of five men on that committee.
Yes, but it's my understanding you cast the deciding vote if there were to be a tie.
I n effect, you decide whether or not alternating current comes to Toronto, making you a very powerful man.
M y position is known by all, and I've never wavered.
I have no idea why someone may want to harm me.
BRACKENREl D: Oh, I don't know, M urdoch.
Something's not quite right about this.
I agree.
But who would have stood to profit from Dodd's death? The A.
C.
Camp, I suppose.
But, then, why do it in such a way to discredit their own system? Yes, and, furthermore, cities everywhere are adopting the A.
C.
System.
Toronto may not this time, but they will have to soon or face being left behind.
Then, maybe it was someone from the D.
C.
Side.
That wouldn't make sense either.
Dodd supported D.
C.
Or so he says.
But in my experience, dealing with people like Edwin Dodd, what they say and what they do are two totally different things.
Well, if anything, the A.
C.
Camp would want to sway his vote.
Bribery? Which may explain Do you have today's paper? Niagara A.
C.
M URDOCH: What is it? BRACKENREl D: The stock rose from 76 to 95 cents.
After M iss Howard's death, I would have thought the stock would have dropped.
Yeah, but, instead, it rose by almost 25%.
Probably the A.
C.
People buying it.
Which seems to indicate that the fix was in.
So it would seem.
But how did you know about the stock, sir? I ntuition.
Really? Well, I can't bloody well retire on a copper's salary, can I? So I've been following the markets.
Something that you'd be well-advised to look into, me old mucker.
Perhaps I will, after I look into this bribery situation.
Hurry! CRABTREE: I can't.
I have a stitch.
[Laughs.]
- [Doorknob rattles.]
- Oh, no.
- CRABTREE: It's locked? - What time is it? Two minutes past the hour.
Two minutes.
Damn that woman's dark soul.
Should you knock? No.
I've got two demerits this month.
One more and I'm out.
Come on.
- [Static.]
- M URDOCH: Hello? M r.
Tesla? Hello? M r.
Tesla? TESLA: Hello.
Hello? TESLA: I said hello.
Hello, M r.
Tesla.
TESLA: You must hold down the switch on the side of the box to speak.
Then release it to listen.
Hello.
Hello, M r.
Tesla? TESLA: That's it.
Hello, Detective M urdoch.
M r.
Tesla, where are you? TESLA: I am dining at the Grand Hotel.
How did you know I was here? TESLA: You tripped a switch when you came through the door.
M r.
Tesla, I have some questions.
TESLA: Of course you do.
There is much to know.
Essentially, what I have done is taken a conventional telephone signal and passed it through a coil and condenser set No, M r.
Tesla.
I have questions about the murder.
I need to speak with you in person.
TESLA: Yes, very well.
I always leave the latch open.
Pass me Violet.
Good girl.
Are you coming? You want me to come in? Just for tea.
I mean, you can leave by the back stairs.
All right.
All right.
Oh, my! Oh, dear.
You are accusing me of bribing a civic official.
Not you, M r.
Tesla.
Perhaps someone in your camp.
I am a scientist, Detective M urdoch.
I do not sully my hands with the sordid details of business.
But if I may speak frankly Of course.
TESLA: Alternating current doesn't need to bribe its way into the future.
The forces of logic and history compel it to.
Many inventions have been ahead of their time, M r.
Tesla.
Consider the works of Da Vinci alone.
Even your hometown of New York has been slow to adapt to your system.
TESLA: I reiterate.
I We did not bribe M r.
Dodd.
Then, M r.
Tesla, how do you explain the fluctuating stock prices? It should have gone down after what happened.
I shall get to the bottom of this.
Dodd's banking information.
Cost me a bottle of my finest Scotch.
- Hope it was worth it.
- See for yourself.
[Whistles.]
$20, 000 deposited last Monday.
How much does an alderman make? $300 a year, if he's lucky.
So, if Niagara A.
C.
Had bought off Dodd They had no reason to kill him.
So I suppose somebody from the D.
C.
Camp must have done it.
What if Pratt had found out? And he still was under the assumption that Dodd was his man.
Well, if it was me, I'd want to kill the bastard.
Honest to goodness, how can a police officer be so clumsy? Well, breaking and entering with grace is not exactly part of my job.
Well, don't worry about the mess.
I'll make us a pot of tea.
Um, I have a confession to make.
It wasn't your dog I was sweet on.
I mean, she's really great, but Did that hurt? It hurt really nice.
- I should go make some tea.
- Yeah.
He's supposed to be working, and it's almost midnight.
His wife said he likes to keep late hours.
Huh.
I bet that M iss Howard did, too.
[Laughs.]
What's wrong with the lights? Daniel Pratt? M r.
Pratt? BRACKENREl D: M r.
Pratt? Wait, sir, don't! - What? - Don't touch him.
I believe he's been electrocuted.
Had you touched him or the telephone, you might also be dead.
As you suspected, another electrocution.
Yes, except, this time, the current flowed directly through the heart.
Yes, it stopped dead.
How did you know that? The killer was quite ingenious, really.
As soon as the earpiece was lifted, the electrical current flowed through the arm, across the chest, and out the other arm.
It's not my place, but would M r.
Dodd have the knowledge to do this? It's quite simple, actually.
The earpiece was wired directly to the power outlet.
The next call that came for M r.
Pratt proved to be deadly.
- Uh, sir? - Yes, George? There's something I need to speak with you about.
- It will have to wait.
- Oi, bugalug, shift.
- Sir, we need to arrest Dodd.
- Not without evidence.
We have evidence.
We might have got him on corruption, but not murder.
Do you not think he did it? BRACKENREl D: One electrocution for another.
An eye for an eye.
It's bloody poetic.
Who else could have done it? Actually, sir, there is someone.
Where did you get that? M URDOCH: How did a schematic for an A.
C.
Generator end up in your possession, M iss Garrison? You had your constable spy on me? M ust I repeat the question? I needed it, to sabotage the demonstration.
So you broke into M r.
Pratt's warehouse and tampered with the handle.
Uh, no, I was at the warehouse, but we didn't do anything.
We? There were three of us.
We had to make sure that those bastards didn't kill any more innocent animals, at least not for that day.
What happened, then? Well, when the alarm went off, we just panicked and ran.
Nothing more? Nothing more.
[Camera shutter clicking.]
CRABTREE: Sir, you believe M iss Garrison, then? It would explain why the alarm went off but the security guard found no one.
Well, that's a relief.
So, you let the girlfriend off, eh? I nspector, my relationship with M iss Garrison is strictly professional.
Hey, Romeo, it's me you're talking to.
Of course it is.
So, we're back to Dodd, are we? It has to be him.
Dodd's a D.
C.
Man.
BRACKENREl D: He starts taking bribes from the other side.
M URDOCH: Pratt finds out, stands to lose a fortune, decides to eliminate Dodd.
Sees his chance at the demonstration.
Slips into the warehouse his own warehouse, no one asks a question does some friggin' and jiggin' with the generator.
But at the last minute, M iss Howard steps into Dodd's place.
And all Pratt can do is look on as his mistress flicks the switch.
Yes.
Dodd finds out that Pratt's onto him, decides to seek his own revenge.
Plausible.
Bloody plausible.
How do we prove it? I have an idea.
The transmittable distance will depend on power.
You're saying it must be transportable? Yes, something roughly the size of a suitcase.
It will be heavy.
He doesn't have to carry it far.
Still a challenge.
It's my understanding that you enjoy a challenge.
That, I do.
You want me to blackmail Edwin Dodd? Yes, but only as a means of making him admit his guilt.
I don't know.
He's already killed one man.
What's to stop him from killing me? You'll be in a public place, and we will record your conversation.
How? That's impossible.
No longer, M r.
Fawkes.
- M r.
Fawkes.
- M r.
Tesla.
I understand congratulations are in order.
The engagement isn't official yet.
Still, an heiress.
I suppose if you can't earn a fortune, it helps to marry into it.
- I will not work with this man.
- Likewise.
Gentlemen, gentlemen, please.
I will ask that you put aside your personal differences.
I left the receiver in my lab with my assistant to test the range of the device.
M r.
Fawkes, if you will say something in the direction of the briefcase What should I say? Whatever comes to mind.
It need not be pithy.
Little M iss M uffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey.
Well, your device seems a bit underwhelming.
- [Telephone rings.]
- Just a moment.
Yes.
Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey.
You've outdone yourself, Nikola.
Actually, I must share the credit with Detective M urdoch.
- M r.
Fawkes.
- Have a seat.
- What's this? - M y new suitcase.
Very stylish.
Not very, but it is surprisingly practical.
Now, I don't have much time.
What is this all about? I know what you did last night.
What are you talking about? FAWKES: I know everything, Edwin.
You took 20, 000 from Niagara A.
C.
Pratt was onto you.
Is that why you killed him? I don't need to sit here and listen to this.
It's up to you, but if you walk away, I will go to the police.
How much? Half.
$ 10, 000.
I don't have $ 10, 000.
FAWKES: Well, that's too bad.
The amount's non-negotiable.
DODD: All right.
But I'll need some time.
I spent it all on Niagara A.
C.
Stock.
Shall I play the rest of the conversation, M r.
Dodd? What do you want? A full confession.
OGDEN: So, is it case closed? That's a good expression, case closed.
It's strong.
I should remember it.
Dodd confessed to killing Pratt and to taking bribes from Niagara A.
C.
You sound disappointed.
I only wish I'd gotten a confession from Pratt himself that he, in fact, rigged the switch.
Well, be grateful that you're not still trying to prove he wanted to kill M iss Howard.
Why is that? Because I don't think he had motive.
What makes you say that? M r.
Pratt's pubic bone was severely broken.
It's a green break, probably happened in childhood.
Both seminal vessels were crushed.
So, then He couldn't have impregnated M iss Howard.
- But if he didn't - Who did? Probably someone who shouldn't have.
Perhaps Dodd wasn't the target after all.
Perhaps it was M iss Howard.
Her latest boyfriend gave her that.
I've never seen this before.
Pratt was telling the truth.
What are you talking about, William? Pratt never gave M iss Howard the pendant.
But she was in love with someone in the electric business.
M iss Howard.
It was Fawkes.
He had access to the warehouse.
He knew M iss Howard would be throwing the switch.
And why would he want to kill M iss Howard? He was about to marry into a very wealthy family.
Her pregnancy would have ruined everything.
That's monstrous.
How will you prove it? Luckily, I have a witness.
FAWKES: I know everything, Edwin.
You took 20, 000 from Niagara A.
C.
That's him.
That the voice I heard on the telephone calling for Alice.
I'd recognize it anywhere.
You visited Toronto five weeks ago in preparation for your demonstration.
M iss Howard was five weeks pregnant.
Shall I go on? I think I'd like to speak with a barrister.
Hello, miss.
I didn't expect I'd see you again.
Well, Violet violated M iss Beezley's slippers.
Oh, is that right? I'm sorry to hear that.
I've no one to take her.
Would you? Yes, of course, of course.
Um, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry about what happened.
So am I.
Perhaps I could pay her a visit, to ensure she's being treated well.
I think that would be the responsible thing to do, ma'am.
[Clicks tongue.]
Come on.
Come on, girl.
M URDOCH: Hello? M r.
Tesla? M r.
Tesla? Hello? TESLA: Detective M urdoch.
You are the first to receive a wireless transmission from New York.
I came to thank you and TESLA: Do not attempt to transmit in return.
The power of this unit is far too weak.
While I do think this is a splendid invention, I have other ideas of much greater importance that must be explored.
We are men of the future, Detective M urdoch.
And what a future it shall be.
Yes.
What a future it shall be.
Acorn Media