The Murdoch Mysteries (2004) s01e06 Episode Script

Acorn Media Dog coming through! [Indistinct shouting, cheering.]
Best damn ratter in the town! "You can hear the girls declare" ""He must be a millionaire"" "You can hear them sigh and wish to die" "You can see them wink the other eye" "At the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo" "La la la-la la la-la la" "La-la la la-la la la" "As I walk along the Bois Boolong" "With an independent air" "You can hear the girls declare" ""He must be a millionaire"" "You can hear them sigh and wish to die" "You can see them wink the other eye" "At the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo" All right! Time! Walter, Walter! Fetch the dog.
Philip, count the rats.
That's a good boy.
DELANEY: Come on, boy! Come on, boy! Don't forget that one over there! That's it, that's it! We have a surprise upset.
The winner Flash! Yes! You ought to know better than to mess with John Delaney's dog, boys! [Slurring.]
Hey! Hey, that's not right! Hey, hey, hey.
That dog That dog was not the best dog.
He had no hindquarters on him.
Anybody who knows anything about ratting would never have bet on that dog! Hey, what are you implying, friend? I was cheated, and I want my money back! Hey, hey! Are you calling me a cheat? You give me my money! Give me my money! Give me my money! Give me my money! No charge for that show.
Come on.
Ale and stew in the pub.
Where you going, John? John.
I've had my fill for the night.
We have to talk.
Come on.
We have to talk.
You can go home later.
Ugh! What do we have, George? Name is John Delaney.
Seems he was on his way home from a ratting match at the Manchester.
Somehow ended up in the river.
Nasty business, that ratting.
- Who found the body? - Uh, his son.
Poor soul.
Numerous blows to the back of the head.
Someone gave him quite a beating.
Seems Mr.
Delaney was a regular at the matches and apparently the big winner tonight.
Right.
Where's the prize money? CRABTREE: No, none, sir.
That's just it.
Robbery, it would seem.
Perhaps.
CONSTABLE: Over here! We've found something.
Stinking drunk, this one.
- Hey.
- [Groans softly.]
I don't know.
By the look of that hand, I'd say he was in a bit of a dustup.
Quite possibly.
Oy.
[Groans.]
CRABTREE: Sir? Everything all right? I know this man.
His name is Murdoch.
Murdoch? Harry Murdoch.
He's my father.
I'd like to be excused from this case.
Noted.
Denied.
It's highly irregular for a detective to be investigating a case involving his own father.
I'm sure he won't receive any special treatment.
Surely another detective could handle the case.
You're the only detective available right now.
If we can't man this case, we'll have to turn it over to some private detective agency, like Pinkerton's.
Perhaps that would be for the best.
Do you think for one second that they'll care how you, your father, or this police department is portrayed? Course not.
Listen, we don't want this business being made any more public than need be.
Do you understand? Sir, I simply doubt I can remain objective.
- Then be professional.
- But Don't you have interviews to conduct? Yes, sir.
Shame.
- Terrible shame.
- [Dogs barking in distance.]
John Delaney was one of my best customers.
M mh.
Tragic loss for you.
Tell me, Mr.
Newcombe, what happened last night? Well, the matches, as usual.
Then that business with the drunken fellow.
This "drunken fellow" Was he a regular of yours? I never laid eyes on him before.
Neither had John, as far as I could tell.
Did Mr.
Delaney have any enemies? Not that I'm aware of.
And what did Mr.
Delaney do after the altercation? He had a quick pint and he left.
His son uh, Philip? He found the body.
Came running into the bar shouting something about his pa being in a bad way.
No one paid any attention to it at first.
No? Why not? Well, the boy Once you talk to him, you'll understand.
Hello, Philip.
My name's Detective William Murdoch.
I'm very sorry about your father.
I need to ask you a few questions.
When you came upon your father's body, did you see anything unusual? Did you hear anything? You just found his body in the river? Was your father in any sort of trouble? Was anyone angry with him? Philip, do you have any idea what time your father left the pub? What time did you leave the pub? Four minutes past 10:00.
MURDOCH: Four minutes past.
Precisely? How do you know this? I see, I see.
That's a very nice watch.
You carry it with you all the time? Where did you get your watch, Philip? Mrs.
Jess.
She She said it would help me keep track of things inside my head.
This is my timepiece.
PH I LI P: "For W-William, on your birthday, with love.
" Who Who's Liza? She was a very special friend of mine.
Philip, what time did you find your father's body at the river? T-That's 18 minutes.
For you to get from here to the river.
Yeah.
You're You're pretty fast with time, but but not really fast like I am.
No.
Not like you.
What happened when you got to the river? It took me one minute to see that it was my pa.
Then I cried for two minutes.
It took me another minute to decide I-I should go back to the pub and tell.
I ran back.
It took me 11 minutes.
I I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm not a I'm not a very fast runner.
I'm not a very fast writer.
Jess Lacey? My name's Detective William Murdoch.
I wonder if I could ask you a few questions.
Fine.
Your husband Walter, is it? He works for Mr.
Newcombe? Yes.
He does odd jobs.
Handles the dogs.
And yourself? I help out here at the pub, do some cooking.
I'd like to ask you about the argument that Mr.
Delaney had last night.
I really didn't see much.
How well did you know the deceased? He was just one of the regulars.
Philip is a very interesting young man.
He barely said a word till he was almost 12.
Then he just started talking, like as if he'd always been able to.
I asked him, "Why didn't you say anything all those years?" You know what he said? "I was listening.
" - And his mother? - Dead.
Will he be able to care for himself? I'll do what I can for him.
I appreciate the way you were with him.
Others weren't so kind.
Others? I will not speak ill of the dead.
[Groaning softly.]
You, uh, the detective? I am.
Well, it's about time somebody came around, get me out of this mess.
What makes you think you're going to get out of it? Hey.
Do I know you? No.
No, you don't know me.
Well, anyways I'm gonna tell you what I told those other coppers.
I did not kill that man.
Why should I believe you? 'Cause I'm telling you so.
You were angry.
You accused the victim of cheating and attacked him.
Later, the man is found dead, and you're found nearby.
- How do you explain that? - Well [Groans.]
It's all a bit fuzzy.
You were too drunk to remember how you wound up in the woods.
Maybe you were too drunk to remember killing Delaney.
I did not kill that man! No? How do you know for certain if you can't remember? Or maybe you're just lying.
Well, you're not gonna hear my side of the story at all, are you? Hey.
Who are you? My name is Detective William Murdoch.
Oh, my god.
Guard.
- William! - We're finished here.
William! Willy! Willy.
Come back! Will? Willy? The victim received three deep blows to the back of the head consistent with a blunt, rigid object.
A club, then.
Perhaps a stick of wood.
No, I don't think so.
I would expect to see traces of wood fiber, dirt.
The cause of death? There was no trace of water in the lungs or in the stomach.
So the body was placed in the water postmortem.
Why would Harry do that? Perhaps the killer wasn't aware his victim was dead.
Or he wanted to make sure.
Or perhaps Harry wanted to make Delaney pay with some final indignation.
William, there's nothing linking your father directly to the murder.
He had motive, means, and opportunity.
Where's the money he supposedly stole? Hidden.
My men are searching for it now.
But that's all circumstantial evidence.
And I would point out Delaney was a big man.
Your father was very drunk.
It would seem unlikely that he could have killed Delaney and dragged his body into the river, hidden the purse, all before passing out in the woods.
You don't know my father.
William, this must be very difficult for you.
I'm fine.
CRABTREE: It's fantastic.
It's just a drawing.
Uh, no, I mean the boy's mind.
The way it works.
Ah, yes, well, the French have a term idiot savant meaning a learned idiot.
There are numerous examples of individuals who have been branded simpletons, however possess, for example, advanced mathematical skills.
There we go.
Ah, Inspector.
Just in time.
Oh, Jesus, not another chart.
All right, then.
Give me the gist.
- Would you? - Right.
Harry was kicked out of the ratting match at 35 past 9:00.
Delaney left the pub Now, Harry is drunk, angry.
Decides to get even.
He follows Delaney down to the river, kills him.
He then stashes the winnings somewhere, crosses the river and passes out in the woods.
Doesn't look very good for your father.
I'm sorry, sir.
Well, this is all fine and dandy, but you don't have any proof.
Nothing concrete, but I can assure you Murdoch, you daft bastard, I'm trying to help you.
Your old man could hang.
Oy, bugalugs, have you got something you could be doing? Yes, sir.
A man and his father might not always see eye-to-eye on certain matters.
But with something as serious as this, you don't want to be left wondering if you should have done something differently.
I'll keep that in mind, sir.
[Chuckles.]
Murdoch, you're not thinking clearly.
It's plain to see you need a helping hand, me old mucker.
Have you ever bet on anything in your life, Murdoch? - Well - No.
Thought not.
How's the new tie look? Could I pass for a dandy? - Very sharp, sir.
Very sharp.
- Good.
Now, I've spent time at various race courses around the world.
You get to hear stories, a little pepper on the arse, stuff like that.
I'm not sure of the connection to the case, sir.
Well, if the ratting matches were fixed, suddenly we've got a roomful of losers, all with motive.
That'll work in your father's favor.
Now all we have to do is find out how they're doing it.
Shouldn't we get a search warrant? A mere technicality.
Watch and learn, Murdoch.
Watch and learn.
She was 50 yards behind at the quarter.
It was all over but the shouting.
Then when they hit the final stretch, that's when she made her move.
It was as if all those other raggedy-ass nags were standing still.
[Barking.]
Then in '90 when I was at the Derby - The Kentucky Derby? - M mh.
- You were there? - Yes.
Glorious day.
I thought the track was muddy that year.
The track.
It was muddy that year.
I think you're right, yeah.
Don't know what I was thinking.
Slick.
Terribly slick.
[Dog growls.]
I took one look at Kingman, and I knew that was the horse to beat.
Wasn't it Riley that won? Kingman took it the next year.
[Dogs barking.]
Now, dogs That's my one true love.
- What's got into them? - It's probably just a barn cat.
Anyway, I was no more than a young pup myself when my father took me to a greyhound meeting in Wales.
[Dog growling.]
[Chuckles.]
The Welsh just love their dogs.
Bartender! Another beer, please.
Walter, see what has those dogs riled up.
It's probably nothing.
Ever been to Wales? Barren but majestic.
Aah! What the hell is going on in here? Someone in here? Show yourself or you're getting it upside the head.
[Neighs.]
- Chloral hydrate in tincture.
- Chloroform.
- This is opium in tincture.
- Laudanum.
And cocaine in tincture.
Two sedatives and one stimulant.
The dogs were being drugged.
Your father is correct.
So it appears.
Perhaps he's telling the truth about the murder as well.
William, you seem single-minded about your father's guilt.
I'm no such thing.
In any other case you would thoroughly investigate all possibilities before assuming a suspect's guilt.
And surely your father deserves the same treatment.
My father deserves nothing.
HARRY: Why don't you ever look after that kid? I WOMAN: Don't you [Indistinct shouting.]
MURDOCH: So how do they do it? HARRY: Well, you, uh slip the favorite a little sleeping potion.
And, uh, that'll take the starch out of his Nebuchadnezzar.
Then the crowd bets the favorite, and the house cleans up on the underdog.
So Will you be releasing me? No.
The fact that there was cheating just confirms your motive.
It's a terrible thing when a boy distrusts his father so much.
Yes.
And whose fault would that be? After the nuns took you, I meant to write you.
But I never knew where.
Well, that would have been difficult.
I know.
I should have found you.
But, um, well you wouldn't have liked the man I become.
As opposed to the upstanding citizen you are now.
Willy.
Why are you really here? - For the truth.
- Well, I t-told you the truth.
I did not kill that man.
We both very well know what you're capable of when you've been drinking.
What? What are you talking about? You know precisely what I'm talking about.
Let's go over this again, Mr.
Lacey.
Why do you have chloroform, laudanum, and cocaine in your kennel? There's nothing illegal about them.
Maybe not.
But I think your boss and his clientele might have something to say if they discovered you were drugging the dogs.
Wouldn't they, George? What if word were to get out? Accidentally, sir.
I don't see how that's possible.
Only you and I know.
But if it did.
MURDOCH: Here's how it looks to me Doping the dogs was easy.
But you needed a partner.
Someone to lay the bets.
Delaney.
But something happened between the two of you, didn't it? - Maybe over the cut.
- WALTER: Look I didn't have anything to do with Delaney getting killed.
I just doped the animals for them.
"Them"? Delaney and Newcombe.
They came up with the doping scheme.
[Door opens.]
Hello, Philip.
Have you seen Mr.
Newcombe? He left.
T-Twelve minutes ago.
Twelve minutes ago.
Thank you.
Philip Did you see Mr.
Newcombe and your father together that night after the matches? Yes.
Oh, you did? And what were they doing, Philip? They were in Mr.
Newcombe's office.
J ust leave me bel Leave mel They were yelling at each other.
And what are you staring at, you great-eyed You will not be striking your son.
Philip? What time did this argument take place? A quarter to 10:00.
And Mr.
Newcombe What time did he leave the pub the night your father was killed? Four minutes before 10:00.
Well, Philip, thank you very much.
You've been very helpful.
- I have? - You have.
When When I When I tried to help before, my pa said I was stupid.
Well, he was very wrong to say that.
Very wrong.
[Door opens.]
Delaney and Newcombe have their argument at quarter to 10:00.
Delaney leaves the pub two minutes later.
Now, we know it's an 18-minute walk to the crime scene which puts the murder at around five minutes after 10:00.
However, we know Newcombe left the pub at four minutes to 10:00.
Then he only had nine minutes to get to the crime scene.
Exactly.
Could he have made it? Well? If I take an average of your five runs allowing for superior conditioning, now compensated for by exhaustion Let's see.
Seven It's quite possible to make it here in nine minutes.
Right, then.
Once again.
You and Delaney were arguing.
Maybe you wanted a bigger cut of the winnings.
Delaney disagreed.
Or maybe you wanted the entire purse for yourself.
So you followed him down to the river and took it.
That's fantastic.
Brilliant.
Wrong.
All right.
Correct me, then.
We did argue.
It wasn't over the money.
What was it over, then? John was getting greedy.
He wanted to run the con again right away.
I wanted to stop.
I thought the fixes were becoming too obvious.
So your partner was becoming a problem.
- Is that why you killed him? - I didn't kill him.
Why did you leave the pub early that night? It was a long day.
I went home.
I left Walter to close up.
And which way is home? - It's past the river.
- The same as Delaney.
Yes.
And did you see the body? No.
CRABTREE: Sir? There's no way Newcombe missed seeing the body when he passed by.
Well, then, he's lying.
Yes.
Could be.
But I'm much more interested in the possibility that he could be telling the truth.
Sir? Think about it, George.
If Newcombe left the pub after Delaney but never did see his body when he came across the river Then Delaney wasn't there at that time He was still alive.
MURDOCH: Very good, George.
And if that's the case, then Then where was he? We have to find out what John Delaney was up to during those missing moments and if that's the reason he was murdered.
You showing up here hasn't made my life any easier.
Well, hasn't worked out so well for me neither.
If that's the case, then you'd better start remembering something about that night.
Did you see Delaney leave the pub? Uh Uh, I Eh, I can't remember.
Think! Did you see anything? I was I was drunk, I tell you.
Oh, for God's sake, man, stop using that excuse.
It's your neck.
Will, what do you got against me? You've got the gall to ask me that after what you did to her? She drowned.
You know that.
Do you know what a concussion is? It's a medical term describing a lingering brain injury caused by a blow to the head.
It causes dizziness and faintness.
If you hadn't hit her, she never would have fallen into the water.
Well, you seem to know so much about it.
Why don't you tell me what happened? All right.
You came home drunk.
You started laying into me for making a mess of the firewood.
HARRY: [Slurring.]
Right, right.
Oh, are you having fun, huh? Huh? WOMAN: Don't you touch him, you bloody drunkl Mother tried to stop you.
I'm gonna take him, and we're leavingl [Indistinct shouting.]
- Go on and hit mel - Moml You're disgustingl Don't you You hit her.
Moml She was only trying to protect me.
Will That's not what happened.
Now, you let me explain.
When I came home that night, you - W-What? - [Knocks on door.]
Surely a-any police officer worth his salt would be interested in hearing the other side of the story.
Will? Willy? Willy! Oh, Dr.
Ogden was by earlier.
She left that note for you.
Oh, well, I guess I'll be leaving, sir.
- [I nhaling sharply.]
- DR.
OGDEN: And out.
And in.
Out.
And in.
And out.
Last one.
I n.
And out.
Very good.
I'll see you next week.
Breathing exercises, eh? Meant to strengthen the lungs and help ward off consumption.
If you believe the experts.
Well, it can't hurt.
[Sighs.]
Dr.
Ogden.
Julia.
I've been somewhat distracted recently.
Even rude at times.
Perhaps this case has affected me more than I care to admit.
Is that an apology? A very awkward one, but yes.
Apology accepted.
I reexamined Delaney as you requested, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.
The only thing I found was a small abrasion on his penis.
It appeared to be recent.
That might explain where he disappeared to.
What do you mean? There's an unexplained gap between when Delaney left the bar and when his body ended up in the river.
Perhaps he had a rendezvous.
I would suggest a vigorous one.
[Clears throat.]
Yeah, John always had an eye for the ladies.
MURDOCH: Anyone in particular? I don't like to gossip.
I remind you, you are not yet beyond suspicion.
I think he was sniffing around Jess Lacey.
I already told you.
I didn't have anything to do with Delaney's murder.
I had nothing against the man.
No? Not even jealousy? Why would I be jealous? The man was after your wife.
What? We already know John Delaney had sexual relations just shortly before he was killed.
Did you happen upon them in the act, fly into a jealous rage? - She would never.
- Some men wouldn't blame you.
Look, I didn't kill Delaney, all right? But if I found him with Jess, I might have.
Blood, Mr.
Lacey? From the rats.
We shall see.
Dr.
Ogden, I need your assistance.
Are we going to kill something? Oh.
Sorry.
I need to determine whether the blood on this is human or animal.
That's not possible.
Actually, I've been doing some reading.
- A little room.
- Sorry.
Could you pass me those vials? So if the antibodies in the rabbit serum react to the human blood cells, then a visible line should appear across the middle of the slides when the two solutions meet.
So you came across this process in your readings? Yes.
No matter how many books I read, I never seem to find anything as fascinating as yours.
So will this evidence stand up in court? I only need enough evidence to satisfy myself.
[Dogs barking.]
Tearing the place apart! You have no right! Right, sir.
Here we are.
I found this stuffed under some burlap sacks.
First the murder weapon, and now the prize money.
That's justification enough to tear this place apart, I'd say.
I have no idea how that got in here.
George, we'll have to take Mr.
Lacey down to the station.
But I didn't do it.
I don't understand.
There'll be no need for that.
Mrs.
Lacey? My husband is innocent, Detective.
What makes you so certain? Because I killed John Delaney.
Tell me, Mrs.
Lacey, what happened? He started coming to me after the matches.
I made it clear to him that I wasn't interested.
DELANEY: [Grunting.]
That night, he didn't take no for an answer.
He left me lying on the ground like so much dirt.
Something in me snapped.
I caught up with him at the river.
I hit him hard.
And how did he end up in the water? He was laying there.
Still breathing.
I couldn't bring myself to strike him again, so I pushed him in.
And let the water finish him off? Yes.
And the money? I took it.
To make it look like a robbery.
I hid it above the dog kennel.
I'll sign the papers for your father's release.
You can deliver the good news yourself.
I would never have put her in the frame for it.
Maybe that's because she didn't kill John Delaney.
Murdoch! What are you talking about? - The woman just confessed.
- She's lying.
She claims to have put Delaney's body in the river while he was still breathing.
But we know he was already dead.
Why would she put her own neck in the noose? I've been asking myself the same question.
The answer's in the timeline.
Philip.
I need your help.
My help? M m-hmm.
With the times.
You see, I've been over and over them.
I still can't quite make sense of one thing.
Here's the problem, Philip.
Mrs.
Jess.
She's confessed to killing your father.
No.
She says she killed him here by the river and then returned to the pub.
But if you were on this path, as you say you were, then surely you must have seen her.
No.
You kept such careful track of when everyone else came and went that night.
What about Mrs.
Jess? When did she leave? When did she return? - I I don I don't know.
- You don't know? How can you not know? You kept such careful track of everyone's comings and goings that night.
But not hers? The one person who cares for you? What if something happened to her? What if someone had been trying to hurt her? Philip! Is that what happened, Philip? Did you see someone hurting her? I know what it's like when you want to protect someone you love so much, but you can't.
I know how angry that can make you.
Is that what happened, Philip? How could you do that to him?! And I will keep at it, Mrs.
Lacey, until you tell me the truth.
How about I tell you what I think happened that night? Delaney did attack you.
But Philip happened by.
DELANEY: [Grunting.]
He saw everything.
The man who should have loved him had harmed the only person in the world who did.
He was enraged.
JESS: [Sobbing.]
So he followed his father.
I should have stopped him.
Only when I came upon him Ohl Nol No.
Philip.
Oh, God.
Why didn't I stop him? Sometimes I wonder if I didn't because I wanted John dead so badly.
For what he'd done to you.
To Philip.
What'll become of him? I don't know.
Maybe he'll be better off without his father.
May I see him? Yes.
[Door opens.]
Philip.
Philip.
I I I-I think I-I said something I wasn't supposed to, Mrs.
Jess.
Oh, no.
No.
You didn't.
You were so good.
You were so good.
So good.
You come to see me off? [Chuckles.]
I thought not.
You say it happened differently.
Yeah.
Tell me.
All right.
You had made a mess of the woodpile.
I come home, and I was drinking.
And it doesn't take much to set a drinker off.
Your mother protected you.
She always loved you.
You know that, don't you? Well, she had a sharp tongue.
I didn't.
We were a poor match.
But that day was the worst.
She She threatened to leave me and take you with her.
And I don't think I've ever been so angry in my life.
But I never hit her.
She come at me.
You are pathetic, Harryl - She slipped.
- Ohl And, she, uh She hit her head on the hearth.
You all right? You never hit her? No.
I never hit her.
Why should I believe you? Do you ever remember me hitting you? No.
You don't.
Because I never did.
I've done a lot of things wrong in my life, but I never hit my boy.
Or my wife.
I know this may be hard for you to believe I loved her.
[Sighs.]
Well I guess, uh, I'd best be off.
Where will you go? They say, uh, a lot of good opportunities out West.
[Door opens.]
[Door closes.]
I thought you might like to see today's newspaper.
It would seem the paper is intent on building public sentiment behind Philip.
It will likely save him from the gallows.
I thought you'd be pleased.
I am.
I am.
It's just Did things not go well with your father? I have a lot to think about.
I find Toronto Island a-a lovely place to go when I need to think.
A walk along the shoreline is most relaxing.
Are you offering to accompany me, Doctor? Well, you have been rather confused of late.
I wouldn't want you to get lost among the lagoons.
Excellent.
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