The Murdoch Mysteries (2004) s08e10 Episode Script

I've found it.
I have found it.
The secret is to make the bait look like dinner.
That's why we use live ones.
Does that hurt him? It's a worm! You want to make it land with a plop.
The plop grabs their attention.
They think supper has landed.
Why would a worm just go plop in the middle of the river? - Does it matter? - This is boring.
- Worms live in the ground.
- Who cares? - I got a bite! - Pull! Reel it in! - It's a big one! - It's not boring now, is it? - It's really big! - I think it's snagged on something.
Oh, chuffing hell! - Sir.
- Murdoch.
- What have we, Dr.
Grace? - Male, early forties.
Murder victim.
We pulled him out of the river this morning.
Isn't it also possible he simply drowned? I'm quite confident in my supposition.
Oh.
It looks like an arrow, but it's made of metal.
It wasn't fired from a bow.
Maybe a crossbow? Nothing with a string.
See, no notch here at the back.
It appears to fit - into a mechanism of some sort.
- Hmm I also found these in his pocket.
Emily, I've just Oh, sorry.
Am I interrupting? - And you are? - Lillian Moss, this is Detective Murdoch.
I've heard a great deal about you.
- Oh? - Lillian, if you could just - wait outside - Of course.
That's quite alright, Doctor.
I believe we're finished here.
- Yes.
- Miss Moss.
Is that the man Dr.
Ogden surrendered - her political aspirations for? - He is.
Bit of a stick in the mud.
So what's so important? Official nomination meeting has been set for tomorrow.
- Oh.
- Margaret Haile will finally have a proper platform to address the voters.
We must be prepared to support her.
Then we'll need more pamphlets, signs.
Perhaps, I could recruit some of the constables to attend.
This is really happening.
A female candidate for the Provincial Parliament.
These are great times we're living in.
Sir! What have we? A receipt of some sort.
"Dry"? - Dry Cleaning? - No, I suspect it's - Dry Goods.
- Mark? Mark's Dry Goods? Here we are.
Have a look at where the river where we found the body originates.
"Markham.
" I've always liked this town, sir.
Do you remember - the last time we were here? - Oh yes! I believe we were in search of Martians? Sir, that was naive of me, I admit.
Their gravity on Mars is one third of ours; a Martian wouldn't be able to stand up here.
Now, I still think Venusians are a viable George, thank you.
What is that? What is that you're doing there with those little cans there? And straighten those out.
I told you 4 times already! - You've got to straighten them - Excuse me.
Detective William Murdoch, Toronto Constabulary.
Could I see one of your blank receipts, please? What is this regarding? - _ - A short while ago, thank you George, this man came in and purchased these items.
I remember him.
But he looked a little better when I saw him.
- How long ago was that? - Two weeks, give or take.
Came in with another man.
They were looking for the temple.
- The temple? - It's a local legend.
Some building like the Taj Mahal in the woods to the west.
The Taj Mahal? Out here? Don't know if it actually exists.
But they were intent on finding it.
Can you describe the other man? Older, slightly.
Not a foreigner like this one.
It's about all I can tell you.
They only came in the one time.
Thank you.
George, ask around town after these two men.
This can't be the only place where they stopped.
And see what you can find out about this temple.
Right, sir.
Detective! The temple he talked about, - it's not just a legend.
- You've seen it? When I was a child, we played there a few times.
- Oh.
Where is it? - Out in the woods west of town.
I can't remember exactly where.
Are you going to look for it? - Possibly.
- Be careful.
The building is guarded by a troll.
A troll? I've seen him myself.
Bug-eyed crazy, lives on rats.
He can't speak but he can scream like a banshee.
He used to chase us away if we got too near.
- Thank you very much.
- Sir! - What have you, George? - A great deal, sir.
I spoke to the woman who rented out those two men a room.
- Did you get their names? - Yes, sir.
Steven Hayes and Bashar Kaba.
Bashar Kaba is that Arabic? Turkish, apparently.
But, sir, these two went looking for the temple two weeks ago.
Haven't been seen since.
What did you find out about the temple? Well, sir, the locals call it the Temple of Death.
They say that nobody who's ever gone inside - has made it out alive.
- Indeed? Apparently it was built a couple of decades back by an eccentric millionaire.
And, sir, rumour has it that he killed his entire family and buried them in there.
Now, other people say that one of his sons now guards the place.
During the construction of the temple, it's said that he was hit on the head by a falling brick and now he's a bit, ah We have to find this building, George.
Agreed, sir.
But how? I have an idea.
What the bloody hell! - Murdoch? - Sorry, sir, - but I have to test the device.
- What device? - It's a camera.
- For what? Aerial photography.
Ah.
George! Sir, are you sure we're going the right way? According to my calculations, yes.
- Sir.
- Yes, this is definitely an old foot path.
Sir, you should come look at this.
Sir, it really does look like the Taj Mahal, doesn't it? Actually, George, it's more like the Hagia Sophia.
Ah, yes.
The church built by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century.
The greatest in all of Christendom for over a thousand years.
Sir, I've been researching early Christianity for my new novel.
I see.
George, the Hagia Sophia was built in Constantinople, wasn't it? And our victim was Turkish.
Do you think there's a connection? It's possible.
Uh, sir, are you intending to go inside? I'm just saying, sir, they call it the Temple of Death! Not the Temple of Doom or the Temple of Dread.
Death.
It appears to be open.
See, sir, I dare say, they're not trying to keep us out; they're wanting to lure us inside.
Sir, this place is It's magnificent! It's very Byzantine.
Sir, I can't believe a building like this would just be left abandoned.
I don't believe it is, George.
This has been cleaned by someone recently.
Perhaps by the man who's said to guard the place.
Hmm Sir, what do these mean? It's Christian iconography, George.
The apostles mainly.
- How can you tell? - Well, look at this one.
Three bags of money represent Matthew, the tax collector.
Sir.
I've seen this symbol before.
Sir, there's someone in here.
Toronto Constabulary! Show yourself! Flank him, George! Stop! Stop! Sir, calm down.
Identify yourself, please.
What is your name? E E Enoch.
- What language is this, sir? - No, George, I believe that's his name.
Enoch? - Is that it? That's your name? - Yeah.
Sir, if this is the guardian of the temple we've heard about, is it possible he's our killer? Yes, George, it's possible.
Um, do you have the photograph of Mr.
Kaba? Sir, do you recognize this man? Uh Dead.
Yes, yes, he is dead.
How did he die? Did you kill him? G G God.
God killed him? He was with another man, wasn't he? Did the other man kill him? G God, God kill.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega.
The first and the last.
The beginning and the end.
" - Sir? - It's a biblical reference, George, it signifies God Himself.
G G God kill.
There seems to be something inside these symbols, George.
God, God, God kill! Sir! Well, George I believe we've found our killer.
You say the building killed him? The building is mechanized to kill whomever performs a specific sequence of actions.
- What the hell for? - I have no idea, sir.
According to local lore, it was built by a wealthy landowner.
You say his son is the guardian of the place.
Does he have anything to offer? He clearly suffers the effects of some kind of brain injury.
Find out who owns the land.
We already did.
It was bequeathed to Enoch, the son, by Arden, the father, in 1878.
This Arden McPhee didn't build the temple by himself.
He must have used stonemasons, artisans.
If there's stained glass and plaster icons, people made them.
- People with addresses.
- Good point, sir.
We need to find out more about this Arden McPhee.
- Ladies.
- Julia.
I'm afraid Margaret can't make it.
She's busy writing - her nomination speech.
- Isn't this exciting? The first woman in the British Empire to stand on the hustings as a candidate.
Will the press be there? - Of course.
- I arranged a meeting with Mr.
Magnus Sinclair.
He's prepared to underwrite - the cost of Margaret's campaign.
- Julia, that's wonderful.
One doesn't need to be in the spotlight to bring about change.
And, of course, by staying behind the scenes, one risks a lot less.
Shall we? Sir, I found an obituary.
Arden McPhee was an archaeologist.
He lived abroad mostly, which is why no one remembers him.
- Where abroad? - Well, according to the obituary, he returned from Constantinople in 1877, - a year before he died.
- How did he die? A lingering illness is all it said.
But, sir, he was predeceased by his wife and two daughters.
I checked their records.
They all died in 1877.
Some illness they brought home with them? Sir, each death was ruled accidental.
- Really? How strange.
- Strange indeed.
Should I return to Markham, see what I can find? No, George, I think we should turn our attentions to Mr.
McPhee's archeological career.
- Right.
- Sir I found the plasterer who made the icons for the temple.
His name is Silas Renton.
- Did you bring him in? - He's passed on, sir.
But I do have the name of the architectural firm - who hired him for the job.
- We never built the temple.
We only did some of the interior work.
There were at least three other firms involved.
And we all worked independently of each other.
- That must have been difficult.
- It was, but McPhee insisted on absolute secrecy.
Any communication between the firms had to go through him, and all the architectural drawings had to be surrendered to him upon completion.
Did you know the building was being armed? Good God, no.
Never saw a master plan.
And if one existed, I suspect it was all in McPhee's head.
So you surrendered the plans upon completion? Yes but we did keep a copy in the company safe, you know, in case matters of a legal nature arose.
I suspect the other firms would have done the same.
Do you know what other architectural firms were involved? That was supposed to be a secret as well.
But it's a small world, and I can give you the names of at least two of them.
- Success, George? - Sir, I found some articles.
It's rather dry reading for the most part.
He did most of his digging in the near east.
In this article, he claims to have found the lost city of Arimathea.
Indeed! This was co-written by Mahmoud Bajjali.
- You know him, sir? - Not of Mahmoud, but we know an Iris Bajjali.
The woman at the Egyptian exhibit - with the fondness for snakes! - One and the same.
I wonder I'm sorry, this part of the museum is off-limits.
Dr.
Bajjali.
William Murdoch.
To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure? Mahmoud was my father.
He specialized in artifacts from the Holy Land.
Did you know an Arden McPhee? I met him once, actually, when I was very young.
Six or seven, I think.
He and my father worked together for a few years - until they had a falling out.
- What happened? I don't know.
Arden McPhee was very intense.
I didn't like him much.
Why the sudden interest in him? Let me show you.
Full dome flanked by two half domes of the same diameter, an obvious reference to the Hagia Sophia.
Why would McPhee build such a thing? To kill people, apparently.
The building is rigged with lethal traps.
- There's one man dead already.
- Who? Bashar Kaba.
Do you know him? Never heard of him.
Look at the iconography.
That's odd.
Why are there two of Matthew? The icons are the same, but the frieze above is different.
Hmm What does it mean? We don't know.
I know.
Oh my.
Sir, the novel that I'm working on now is about an archaeologist, but he's sort of a swashbuckling archaeologist.
A swashbuckling archaeologist, George? Yes, sir, he's introverted but rugged, incredibly brave but he has an Achilles' heel.
What is it? Butterflies.
He's terrified of them.
And of course, at the end of the novel he has to crawl in a cave full of them.
What sort of man is afraid of butterflies? Your point, George? Sir, I contend that my protagonist and Arden McPhee were after the same thing.
I believe this icon of money bags is not a second representation of Matthew, but rather of Joseph of Arimathea.
He was wealthy, he was also the disciple that caught Jesus' blood in a cup, known by legend - as the Holy Grail.
- George, I hardly think Sir, he found the city of Arimathea! - Nevertheless - He could be right.
- What? My father was obsessed with the Holy Grail.
It's why he was working with Arden McPhee.
Sir, McPhee must have found it.
Perhaps in Constantinople.
That's why this place is full of booby traps.
Hidden somewhere in this building is the Holy Grail.
The Holy Grail? In Markham? Ontario? - We're positing a theory, sir.
- A very compelling theory.
I'm not entirely convinced myself, but Good, because it's bloody crackers.
That's what King Arthur and his knights were after, isn't it? - According to legend, yes.
- Then, what's it doing in bloody Markham!? What was it doing in bloody England? Ha! There are a number of reasons to consider this theory, sir, predominant of which is the lack of a compelling alternative.
And the building was booby-trapped to kill people following clues to something.
So what's the case then? We can't exactly throw a building in jail.
Is this just a treasure hunt now? A search that could end in the Holy Grail.
And how are you gonna go about that? Well, sir, I've asked the architectural firms who built the temple to provide me with their drawings.
Well, Margaret's preparing Lancashire hotpot and that trumps some old cup any day of the week.
Dr.
Bajjali.
And what are you doing for dinner? My wife will be expecting me.
- Your wife.
- Yes, I Well, we - Why don't you join us? - Oh, no - Yes, I insist.
- I would love to.
I don't understand.
We always have eat dinner promptly at 7 o'clock.
I'm sure she will be here soon enough.
Yes.
Oh! Hello? Yes.
Yes.
Of course, of course, that's fine.
All right, we'll see you later.
Julia won't be joining us.
Oh.
- Just the two of us, then? - So it appears.
So let's eat.
I always understood it to be the cup Christ used at the Last Supper.
Yes, a common misconception.
But, as your constable said, the Grail is associated with Joseph of Arimathea.
The man who collected Christ's body - after the trial and execution.
- Exactly.
Most experts believe it was the vessel used by Joseph to capture Jesus' blood as it drained from his body.
That's why it was thought to be holy.
- So what happened to it? - There are reports that both the Grail and the burial shroud were taken by Joseph to Edessa.
I always understood that - Joseph brought it to Britain.
- Another common misconception.
Joseph brought it to a palace in Edessa called Britium.
Oh.
So how did it end up in Constantinople? I imagine it was brought there for safe-keeping after the Islamic conquest.
Certainly, the crusaders thought it was there.
They ransacked the Hagia Sophia looking for it.
Iris, this is the Holy Grail we are speaking about.
The most sought-after artifact in all of Christendom.
What are the odds that it's here? If the Holy Grail exists, it has to exist somewhere.
Is there any reason it cannot be here? I suppose not.
If McPhee did find it, then why hide it? Why not claim the glory for himself? You said he was stricken with illness, and that he lost his family.
Perhaps McPhee believed he had angered God by removing the holy relic from its rightful place.
He could not bring it back to the Hagia Sophia.
So he built a replica on his own land and hid it there.
You make a compelling argument.
I'm glad to see I have the power to persuade you.
So, William, shall you and I go and find our Holy Grail? To tell you the truth, I'm rather torn.
I mean, I would love to find the Holy Grail, but it would certainly snuff my new book.
Why does anyone care about the Holy Grail? It's a cup.
Higgins, it's a holy relic, man! It could have supernatural powers.
- What kind of powers? - Well, who knows? God is full of surprises.
In my novel, it confers invisibility, which comes in very handy for my protagonist at a crucial point.
He's about to be eaten by a tribe of cannibals, and - Morning, sir.
- Morning, gentlemen.
Are these the plans we requested? - This is what we were given.
- Hmm Ah.
Geometry? Uh, yes, sir.
Have a look at this.
The basement of the temple is divided into two large rooms, each 27 feet wide.
But the main floor of the temple is 60 feet wide.
- So? - So 2 times 27 is 54.
Even allowing for a one-foot thickness for these two walls, that still leaves four feet unaccounted for.
- A secret passageway.
- Running right underneath the main floor.
- Sirs? - What is it, Henry? They've found another body.
Dr.
Grace.
- Another victim of the temple? - He preceded the first.
This one's been in the water at least two weeks.
The top of the his skull is partially caved in.
- Any idea what from? - Impossible to tell at this point.
I'll need to remove the scalp.
But it appears to be what killed him.
We have the right to our demands! Votes for women! Are you just going to refuse to speak to me? We can still put on a spirited debate for these people, Dr.
Beattie.
What's going on? - Why is everyone leaving? - I don't know.
Margaret? Mr.
Marter has a cold and can't speak, and Dr.
Nesbitt is refusing to speak out of sympathy.
So it appears this meeting is over.
What about you and your right to speak? They're completely indifferent to my presence here.
- This won't do.
Your platform will be heard.
- Julia, what are you doing? Ladies and gentlemen! It appears Dr.
Nesbitt and Mr.
Marter are unwilling to engage in intelligent debate.
Well, Ms.
Margaret Haile is not.
In fact, she relishes it.
And gentlemen of the press, do you not think that the city of Toronto deserves to hear a woman's words? Do you not wish to record this pivotal moment in our fair city's history? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our Socialist Candidate for the riding of North Toronto, Ms.
Margaret Haile! I think perhaps I may have misjudged your Dr.
Ogden.
Thank you Dr.
Ogden for your introduction.
And thank you all for coming out today in support of our cause.
Iris.
I telephoned the station.
You were out.
There's been another victim.
- Of the temple? - Very likely.
Oh, that's terrible.
Is it true? Have you found evidence of a secret passage? Because I think I've discovered something very interesting.
Just one moment, Doctor.
Enoch, I have a question for you.
Do you recognize this man? His face would have been thinner, but his beard and his hair are the same.
- Mm Not Not there.
- Yes, I know.
His body washed down the river.
But did this building kill him as well? Mm God.
- God - William, I think I've figured something out.
All of these saints were martyrs.
Paul himself preached the virtue of suffering like Christ.
I think the key to finding the secret passage is to suffer like Christ.
Christ was crucified.
Exactly.
What if I place my arms thus? Oh, it's working! Iris! Oh! My God You saved my life.
William, look.
Doctor, wait This building is designed to kill anyone who searches for the Grail.
I'm prepared to risk the wrath of God if you are.
Stay behind me.
Watch your head.
- It's Greek? - Byzantine.
What does it say? "Whoever passes this point shall perish and bring a curse upon their loved ones.
" Why Byzantine Greek here? I suspect it must be a replica of the curse McPhee encountered while he was searching for the Grail beneath the Hagia Sophia.
- What are you looking for? - Trip wires, anything.
Be careful.
Don't touch the walls.
What was that? Why is nothing happening? I suspect the blades won't move until I lift my foot off of the trigger.
What should we do? Try pressing your back against the wall and putting your feet up on the opposite wall.
Keep your body between the two blades.
- Ready? - Yes.
Oh my God! Are you alright? I think so.
My skirt didn't fare so well, though.
I won't look.
Oh, my God! Iris, wait! It's a cobweb.
What's a cobweb if not a trap? Whoa! Oh! Wow - Do you think it's safe now? - No.
The gas must be expended.
Oh, it's beautiful! It's just as I imagined.
Iris, what are the chances that the Holy Grail would be just as you imagined? Ah a decoy.
Oh, William Careful Is it the Holy Grail? I'm not sure It's ceramic, which is surprising, I I thought it would be silver or brass.
But it looks first century.
So it could be? Yes, it could.
William, I think we've just found the Holy Grail.
Ah, Dr.
Grace.
I've determined the cause of death of the second victim.
- Head trauma? - Strangulation.
I thought his head was bashed in? It was, and I assumed that that was the cause of death, but once I peeled back the flesh I found that the bone had healed over long ago.
- How long ago? - By the extent of bone growth, I assume the injury occurred in childhood.
Dr.
Grace the man in your morgue must be Enoch McPhee.
So who is pretending to be Enoch? I'll be taking that, Detective.
- I don't understand.
- I do.
This isn't Enoch McPhee.
This is Mr.
Kaba's assistant, Steven Hayes.
- Pleased to make your acquaintance.
- The second victim we found - that was Enoch, wasn't it? - I'm afraid so.
- You killed him? - I had no choice.
He c c couldn't be reasoned with, poor man.
I'm hoping the same cannot be said of you.
Mr.
Hayes, is this really worth killing for? The Grail is not some artifact, Detective.
It has been imbued with the blood of Christ himself.
It has power.
Of course it's worth killing for.
Give it to me.
Now.
Now get back down the stairs.
- No! - Do as he says, Doctor.
- He's going to take the - Just do it.
He's getting away.
He's getting away with the Grail! I'm more concerned that he's getting away with murder.
What are you doing? When you pressed against the posts at the altar you tripped a wire that engaged these ratchets, allowing these counter-weights to come down and the door to open.
If we want the door to open again, we have to disengage these ratchets.
That should do it Get after him! Argh! Mr.
Hayes! Stop! Nowhere to go! - You're under arrest.
- Never! I've been searching my entire life for this.
- It's a 60 - foot drop.
But you forget; the Grail has power.
What power? God's protection.
No! Carefully, sir, it is ceramic.
So this is it then? This is the Holy Grail? - Well, we'll have to call in Milton Webb.
- Pottery expert.
But yes.
I believe it is.
Can you imagine; that cup actually touched Jesus' lips at the Last Supper.
I thought it was used to catch his blood after his death? - Uh It was both.
- Why? Were they that short of goblets back in those days? Unbelievable! Dr.
Bajjali.
If you'll just give us a moment, please.
Murdoch Look, if this is the one true Holy Grail Well, there's gonna be a bit of a hullabaloo.
International press, parade down King Street, the whole shebang.
- Yes, I suppose so, sir.
- Who owns it? Well, it doesn't belong to any person, sir, it's Well sir, if it's the genuine article, it belongs to God.
It should be in the Vatican, or at the very least the museum.
What about Dr.
Bajjali? Does she have a claim? Her claim is equal to mine.
But as I said, it doesn't belong to any person.
Right, then.
Oh, no She can't have gone far.
Taxi! Iris! - Give it back.
- I'm sorry, William.
You said yourself it's the most sought-after artifact in all of Christendom.
It's worth millions.
I could fund any expedition.
It doesn't belong to you! I was the first person to touch it.
- It belongs to me.
- It belongs to God! There is no God! Very interesting.
- "Interesting" as this is the Holy Grail? - No.
Interesting because you rarely see pieces like this.
They were only made in the first century.
You see - these markings here? - It's a squiggle.
What of it? The first century was a dangerous period for Christians.
They needed a way to secretly identify one another.
The various Christograms were well-known by the authorities.
Especially the fish symbol.
But if one were to place another cup upside-down atop the first There.
So it's Christian.
Now, is it the Grail or not? Inspector, Christianity did not begin until after Christ's death.
A cup with the symbol of the risen Christ could hardly have caught his blood.
- So my book - Sod your book.
Feel free to write it, George.
I don't think the true Grail will be uncovered - anytime soon.
- I knew it.
The Holy Grail would be made of silver or gold.
Sirs.
This could still be the cup.
What if McPhee was trying to disguise it? What better way to hide the Holy Grail than encase it in something that proves it's not? - Sir - George, we are hardly going to destroy a ceramic artifact from the first century to prove your theory.
So what becomes of it? Well, it's an interesting piece.
- I would like to have it at the museum.
- Done.
My God! My God