The Murdoch Mysteries (2004) s16e08 Episode Script

My goodness, Louise. This
is all very impressive.
It's remarkable how quickly
one's life can change.
Who would have thought a book
about an insane killer clown
would make Louise
Cherry a household name?
It's sold out all over town.
I still haven't had a chance to read it.
- Oh!
- Let me know what you think.
Well, thank you.
And whose idea was it to make a film?
Mine. I wrote the scenario.
Although, it's not really writing.
- Hello, Alma.
- I told you, it's Leigh.
That's the actress who plays the killer,
Leigh Iverson. She takes
her role very seriously.
Why is a man playing the other clown?
They were sisters.
Yes, but there's only one
killer in the movie version.
Jack over there plays the
part when the mask is on.
Won't the audience notice
it was a different person?
Oh, Julia.
The people who watch these things
aren't exactly the best and brightest.
- Oh.
- Louise.
A thought: in this scene,
after the clown has killed
young Miss Robbins, I want to take on
the perspective of her paramour,
watching on from the corridor.
The murder is done, the clown is fled,
but we hold as Perry watches in terror.
And we hold.
Marvelous.
Ah, forgive me.
Why would you film a scene
where one woman murders
another woman from the perspective
of a man who's merely observing?
And who are you exactly?
Claude, this is Dr. Julia Ogden.
Yes, there is a woman dead and, yes,
there is a woman who killed her,
but the scene hinges on the
inaction of this inert man,
neutered by fear and cowardice.
For the man is the
most interesting part.
Is he?
Claude, about the scene
where I fight the clown,
how scared should I be?
Scared?
Louise, were you scared when
you fought off the killer
and brought her to the police?
I wouldn't say scared.
Bravery personified!
This, dear Frances,
is the task before you:
to embody this vision
of force and beauty.
If you'll excuse us, Louise,
we must prepare for the scene.
Frances.
Well, he is certainly smitten with you.
- We're courting.
- Oh, how wonderful!
I'm so happy for you.
But did he mention
that it's your character
who fights and detains the killer clown?
Yes.
Well, that was me.
I saved that young woman's
life, not to mention my own.
Of course.
But there's only room for one heroine.
- Hm.
- Quiet everyone!
- Oh!
- It is time.
We are prepared, we are ready.
Quiet, please.
Exciting, isn't it?
Roll the camera.
Camera's rolling. Slate in!
Slate out.
Cue the lights.
And
begin.
You hear the telephone.
Rise and cross.
Good.
Good.
And answer.
Hello?
Hello?
- Hello?
- Hello?
But no one is there. It's just
music. How odd.
Replace the receiver
and the doorbell.
Oh, my!
Whoever could that be?
Now go to the door, confused.
Good.
Pause.
And now, open the door.
And
Oh, no! It's a clown!
You're scared!
Now, he's inside and you're terrified.
Where's Perry?
Call for him!
Perry? Perry, where are you?
And the knife!
Good, good! Advance on her.
She is scared.
And attack!
Yes, yes
And again.
- This is awfully real.
- Retreat.
And we hold.
No!
No, no. Something is wrong.
- Julia!
- Miss?
Miss? Are you all right?
Miss? Miss?
It's real.
The blood is
is real! She's dead.
What in God's name?
Constables are searching
everywhere for a man
in a clown costume.
And Jack Richards, no sign as yet.
It was so awful, William.
We just sat there and watched
as he killed this poor girl.
Miss Cherry,
did you know the killer, Jack Richards?
I met him briefly.
Claude knew him.
Detective, this is Claude
Cordier, the director.
Did you know Mr. Richards well?
We've worked together many times.
Had he ever displayed
any unusual behaviour?
Nothing like this.
What was his relationship
like with the deceased?
Well, as far as I know,
they'd only just met.
Can you think of any reason
why he would want to kill her?
Certainly not.
Thank you, Mr. Cordier.
Oh, and I'll be needing this film.
What's all this bloody nonsense, McNabb?
Halloween gets worse every year.
Oh! I like the owl,
though. Otherwise, eh.
Ah!
Oh, bloody hell!
Sorry, sir.
Where'd you get that?
Scared the life out of me.
Oh, they sell them all over town.
Half the city's dressing
as a clown this year, sir,
because of the clown killing
all those people last year.
- How charming.
- It's funny.
It's not funny, Henry.
The clown killings have resumed.
The killer, a Jack Richards,
is an actor who was
playing the killer clown.
Wasn't the clown a pair of sisters?
Movie magic, or so I'm told.
Does this new killer know them?
There seems to be no direct connection,
aside from the film and the story.
Heather and Leigh Iverson
have been sentenced
and are in prison
awaiting their hangings.
A copycat, then. No sign of him?
Constables have his
photograph and are searching
the streets as we
speak. In the meantime,
I have evidence of the killing itself.
Murdoch, don't you have your own tailor?
Oh, I was going to surprise Julia
with a Halloween costume this year,
but it seems I'll be working.
There we are.
Hm.
What is it?
His shoe.
Something on it? Dirt? Mud?
Blood?
I'm responsible for every
piece of every costume.
I would never have allowed him
in front of the camera
with dirtied shoes.
Ah.
When was the last time you
saw him prior to the scene?
A few minutes before.
There was nothing on his shoe.
Where might Mr. Richards have gone
while he waited for the scene to begin?
There's a small dressing
room down the hall there.
Oh.
Thank you, Miss Canmore.
Henry!
Have you found anything?
No sign of anything that could
have mussed up his shoes, sir.
All right. Come with me.
Sir, I hesitate to state the obvious,
but this man murdered someone.
Does it really matter
how his shoes got dirty?
You could be right, Henry.
Maybe nothing.
Help, sir! Get him
off me! Get him off me!
Henry, this is
Jack Richards.
Oh.
He was hit on the head,
likely hard enough to knock him out.
And what about the other blood?
Stabbed multiple times.
So presumably, the
killer knocked him out,
stole his costume, then stabbed him.
This is looking more and more
like the killings from last year.
I hate to admit it, but
they'll likely kill again.
Five bedrooms, three bathrooms,
two parlours, two telephones
and a swimming pool.
Ah! It's marvelous.
It's rather grand for
one person, isn't it?
- Claude and I will soon marry.
- Oh?
There's no telling how many
additions to the family will follow.
It's hard to imagine Louise
Cherry as a family woman.
I would have said the same
thing about Julia Ogden
- not too long ago.
- Oh!
Oh! Beg your pardon.
Hello?
Hello? Is someone there?
Is this is some sort of joke?
Fire cleans the sins.
What? What does that
Hello?
Hello?
What was it?
What was that?
I don't know.
A voice, low.
What did they say?
He said, "Fire cleans the sins."
Do you think it could
have been the killer?
I need to check the doors.
Easy, easy.
Louise, what's the matter?
- I thought you were
- We just had a call.
We think it could have been the killer.
"Fire cleans the sins."
- And that's all he said?
- Yes.
He spoke slowly.
His voice was distorted.
Distorted how?
Strange, deep, eerie.
I've never heard anything quite like it.
And there was no music
box, like last year.
No. Just the voice.
And you have no idea
who might have done this?
I wrote the book on
this case, Detective.
There are countless readers
who might want to torment me.
The knife used on both
bodies is the same:
at least eight inches in length,
two inches at its widest point.
Matching the knife that was
found by the actress' body.
It's a common size, but it does happen
to be identical to the
size of the weapon used
- in last year's murders.
- Of course.
Thank you, Mrs. Hart.
It's a copycat then, like I said.
But the telephone call
to Miss Cherry was lacking
any of the hallmarks
from last year's calls.
No music box.
And instead, "Fire cleans the sins",
followed by what Miss Cherry
describes as terrible moaning.
We've got two dead actors and a
threat to the writer, Miss Cherry.
It must have something to
do with the moving picture.
Every person that was on
that film set is a suspect.
And I have constables guarding
each of the cast members,
save for one who's unaccounted for.
A Jesse Fraser, playing
one of the "teener" victims.
He could be at risk.
Or could be the killer.
Sirs.
I checked the fingermarks
on the murder weapon
against those of the suspects
in last year's killings.
- We have a match.
- Who?
That's the thing, sir.
It isn't one of the suspects, per se.
- It's one of the killers.
- What?
- How's that possible?
- I don't know, sir.
But the fingermarks
belong to Leigh Iverson.
The murders happened
on the set of a film
based on Louise Cherry's book.
They're making a movie? About us?
Yes.
Oh my.
Did you hear that, Heather?
The killer used the same murder
weapon that you used last year.
In fact, your fingermarks were on it.
Were they?
Do you have any idea
how that came to be?
I'm locked up, Detective.
They refuse to hang us, you know.
They say we're too mad.
I'm aware you aren't
the killer, Miss Iverson.
But did you perhaps
give the knife to someone
prior to your incarceration?
We had many knives.
And what about you, Miss Iverson?
Why should we tell you anything?
I'd prefer if your sister answered.
She can't.
Why not?
The custodian left
some cleaning solution.
She tried to kill herself again.
But the acid only burned
away at her throat.
I'm sorry.
Please answer the question.
I remember the knife.
I know where it is.
Before I tell you,
I want you to do something for us.
What?
We'd like to see the movie.
That's not possible.
It isn't finished yet. Someone
was murdered during the filming.
I can provide you with
other scenes, if you like.
What scene were they filming?
When the murder happened?
The re-enactment of your first murder.
Irene.
Yes.
We enjoyed that one.
How was this girl killed?
- I can't disclose
- Detective
How can I trust you with
what I know about the knife
if you won't trust me with
the details of the murder?
She was stabbed during
the filming of the scene.
The killer wore a facsimile
of your clown costume.
How many times?
I beg your pardon?
How many times was she stabbed?
Several.
And everyone
watched her die?
Yes.
I left the knife in my house.
It was hidden in the
pantry beside the stove.
So this is the Iverson house?
Mm-hmm.
It's been boarded up since we
found the parents' bodies inside.
Apparently no one's wanted to buy it.
Small wonder.
If the knife's already gone,
what are we hoping to find?
Perhaps whoever took it has
left some evidence behind.
There's no knife in the pantry, sir.
We'll need to look for fingermarks.
Food. And this tea's warm.
Someone's here.
Hello.
How kind of you to stop
by and visit me at home.
- What is your name, miss?
- Leigh Iverson.
Uh
Leigh Iverson is in an
asylum. She's a murderer.
I'm not in an asylum.
I live with my sister
in our parents' house.
I see. And where is your sister now?
That house is empty.
It's abandoned, because
the Iverson sisters
- don't live there anymore.
- No.
You're playing the role of
Leigh Iverson in a movie.
Your name is Alma Greenway.
Yes!
Then why are you pretending
to be Leigh Iverson?
Because I want to be Leigh Iverson.
I want to feel everything that she feels
so that I can become her onscreen.
Miss Greenway, how long have you
been living in the Iverson house?
A few weeks.
Did you happen to find
a knife in the pantry?
- What knife?
- A large kitchen knife.
No.
Well, someone has.
And it's likely that
someone used that knife
to kill two people on
the set of your film,
"acting" as Leigh Iverson.
So, you can see why you make
a very compelling suspect.
Do you know when we'll resume filming?
Thank you, Detective.
I knew I could trust you.
I'll see to it that the warden
provides you with a film projector.
Now
do either of you know
a Miss Alma Greenway?
- Who?
- She's an actress.
She was to play you in the film.
Do you recognize her?
What do you think?
Miss Iverson, please.
This woman has been
living in your old home.
She impersonates you. She seems
to believe that she is you.
You think she's the killer.
That's what I'm trying to ascertain.
You're smarter than that, Detective.
Look at her.
She's a fake.
That doesn't mean she
isn't the murderer.
Of course it does.
In my experience, anyone can kill,
if the circumstances are right.
This killer isn't just anyone.
This killer looked into the
dying eyes of a human being
and stabbed her again and again
until the light went out.
You've only seen her photograph.
How do you know what she's capable of?
She writes to us.
Her letters expose her nature.
She's a rich little daddy's girl
pretending that life is hard.
What's this?
The letters.
From Miss Greenway?
Amongst others.
We have many admirers.
This holiday's too much bloody trouble.
Ah, it's just a bit of fun, sir.
What harm is there in dressing up
and getting into a little mischief?
Everybody's dressed
as a clown! What? What?
I don't have any bloody candy!
What is it?
Sir, look. Is that a
Yes, it is.
Call the fire brigade, Higgins.
Sir.
Everyone get away! Now.
Judging by the width of the
pelvis, I believe he's a male.
But the body is too badly burned
to glean anything else at this stage.
Do you think there's any chance
of determining the cause of death?
I'm not optimistic, but I will
continue with the post-mortem.
Miss Greenway's in our cells.
Does this mean she's not our killer?
I suppose she could have
killed whoever this is
prior to our arresting her.
I'll do my best to
determine the time of death.
Thank you, Mrs. Hart.
It may be a late night.
"Fire cleans the sins."
Miss Cherry's caller.
Do you think he was talking about this?
If he was, what was this man's sin?
All right, that's enough.
Come, come, Louise.
We'll marry soon enough.
And I am saving myself until
that time has come to pass.
You're cross with me, are you?
On the contrary.
This is precisely why I adore you so.
You're not like the
other women I've courted.
I should hope not.
- Not like one of your actresses.
- Indeed.
I love you, Louise Cherry.
Oh.
Oh, my.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
I'm going to freshen up.
Hello?
Who is this? Why are you calling me?
You have to die.
You all have to die.
Hello?
Claude?
Claude, you were out of the
room last time he called.
If you have anything to do
with this, I swear I will
Did you make that call?
You didn't.
Did you kill those people?
Damn it, Claude, answer me!
Get away from me!
Who are you?
The Clown charged
at me. We fought.
He was about to kill
me, so I took the knife
out of Claude to defend myself.
That's when he backed off.
Then he ran and I called you.
You pulled the knife out of Mr. Cordier?
Yes.
Uh, there was a telephone call
- prior to the Clown appearing?
- Same as before.
But this time he said, "You have to die.
You all have to die."
He clearly has some unfinished business,
which would suggest
that he will call again.
Perhaps we could use
that to our advantage.
Any calls to your home
will be rerouted here.
The Inspector and I will
listen in on separate receivers.
All the switchboard
operators have been apprised.
Any incoming call asking for you
and they'll contact the forwarding
operator to locate the caller.
What do you need from me?
When he calls, talk to him
for as long as possible.
The longer that you
can keep him talking,
the better chance we
have of getting to him
before he hangs up and runs off.
Appeal to him.
Ask him what he wants, tell
him what he wants to hear.
But whatever you do,
keep him on the line.
I'm a journalist.
I know how to get people to talk.
Miss Cherry.
We can suspend our endeavour
if you are in need of sleep.
I want this to be over.
I'd sit by the telephone
for days if it would help.
Operator?
We're on.
Hello?
Hello, who is this?
You know who this is.
Tell me what you want. I can help.
I want you to die.
Why? Why do you want me dead?
You know what you did.
What did I do?
What was that?
Nothing.
Who's there?
I knocked something over.
No
Hello? Hello?!
The forwarding operator lost the caller.
He was routed through another exchange.
- We were so close.
- I'm sorry, sir, I did not
I thought I told you to
get rid of that bloody mask!
It was an accident, sir.
Oh!
We're on again. Right?
Hello?
I know who you're with.
I'm not with anyone.
Liar!
You think you're so innocent.
But you're not.
You're right.
So, let me tell the truth for once.
Let me tell your story. The
world deserves to hear it.
Yes! Brilliant.
Just tell me what you
want. Tell me who you are!
What was that?
Excellent work, Miss Cherry.
We have the address.
No one. He ran before we got here.
He must have known we were coming.
- Whose house is this?
- We're looking into it.
Crikey! Look at all this stuff.
The killer left plenty
of evidence behind.
Sir, this is a child's toy
and it's coupled to the telephone.
Hello.
Disguising his voice.
And these papers and articles
are filled with information
about last year's murders.
- Correspondence.
- Yes.
- From who?
- Unsigned.
But they all appear to
be from the same person.
They're collaborating with the killer,
providing him with
information, encouraging him.
Encouraging him to kill?
Oh, my.
What's this?
A piece of correspondence
between you and the clown killer.
That's impossible. I didn't write that.
It bears your signature.
And the handwriting is a match.
Someone must have copied it.
- In it, you explicitly request
- I didn't write it!
The author explicitly requests
that the clown kill Claude Cordier.
Why would I want Claude dead?
The author says that
Cordier was a sinner
and that he had betrayed you.
He would never.
He was having an affair
with Frances Turner,
the young woman playing you in the film.
Frances?
She adored Claude, but he was
finished with her ages ago.
So, you don't believe
they were continuing
- to see one another?
- No.
Therefore, you have no reason to doubt
Mr. Cordier's loyalty to you.
None.
Then why were you so
unaffected by his death?
What do you mean?
You saw the man killed
before your own eyes.
You pulled the knife out of his back.
My emotions are my own.
I reveal them only
when I choose to do so.
Miss Cherry,
all of this correspondence
appears to be from you
petitioning the recipient to adopt
the clown killer persona and
continue with the murders.
- Why would I do that?
- You say so yourself!
You needed another hit
book with you at the centre.
You were writing your own sequel.
You believe her?
Miss Cherry has proven time and again
that she's willing to sacrifice
her morals for her career.
If she was behind it,
why did the killer nearly
murder her in her own home?
It's also suspicious that the caller
knew to flee before we
arrived and conveniently
left a mound of evidence
specifically implicating her.
Gentlemen.
Ah, Mrs. Hart.
Have you completed the
post-mortem on our burn victim?
I have. The fire burned him so badly
there was little left to learn.
But his left arm fared
better than his right.
The top layer of skin was charred,
but underneath I found scar tissue.
What kind of scar?
A neat slice on his left forearm.
- Left forearm, you say?
- That's correct.
I'll need a photograph
of that scar, Mrs. Hart.
Oh. Of course.
- The scars are the same.
- Meaning?
This is a photograph
that we took last year
of Perry Balfour's arm,
Irene Robbins' paramour.
He was there when she was killed,
but if you recall, he was
too scared to do anything
and then inflicted this
wound on his own arm.
Irene Robbins was the clown's
first victim last year.
And the clown's first victim this year
is the woman who played her in the film.
So, she's the connection.
Someone's avenging her death.
And anyone who exploited it,
such as the writer of the book,
the director of the film.
Have Higgins look into
her family and friends.
One of them may be the killer.
There is something else, sir.
I've been reading the letters
that the Iverson sisters received.
Admittedly, most of
them are from admirers
who are smitten with
them, but one is different.
The writer vows revenge and
wrote, "You all must die."
Just like the caller.
- Anonymous?
- Unfortunately, yes.
But the Iverson sisters may have
some idea of the author's identity.
Right. I need to see to Miss Greenway.
- The actress?
- The same.
Her father's a crown attorney.
He wants his daughter out of the cells
and we've got no reason to hold her,
given that she was locked up when
Miss Cherry's beau was killed.
She may not be the killer,
but she could be in danger.
I'll keep an eye on her.
Do you recognize this letter?
What does it say?
It's from someone who accuses
you of murdering their child.
Unfortunately, it's anonymous.
So, you no longer believe
the actress did it?
No.
The killings have continued.
How would I know more than what
you're seeing in front of you?
Perhaps whoever wrote you this letter
has written you others.
I told you, Detective.
Lots of people write to us.
Maybe whoever wrote it is a parent,
or maybe they're just a lunatic.
- What's this?
- What's what?
- Guard!
- Oh.
- Guard!
- Nothing.
Turn on the lights!
Good God.
What have you done?
It's what she wanted.
Sir?
- Sir, are you all right?
- Henry. Yes. What have you?
Irene Robbins' family left
Toronto after the murder.
They moved to Hamilton.
- Have you been able to contact them?
- Uh, not directly.
They don't have a
telephone in their home.
But I was able to track
down Mr. Robbins' employer.
He worked a full shift today
at Woodbridge Electric Company.
Sir?
Henry,
part of this contraption Yes.
It was made in that factory.
But sir, he was at work all day.
Perhaps his employer was mistaken.
Henry, go and find the
inspector and alert him.
I'll telephone the Hamilton police
and have them go around
to the Robbins' home.
Yes, sir. The Robbins'
file's on my desk.
Miss Greenway, I'd feel
much more comfortable
escorting you to your home.
- This is my home.
- Your real home.
I feel comfortable here.
Thank you, Inspector.
Now, when can I have my clothes back?
Your clown costume is evidence.
Constable Evans here will keep
an eye on you 'til the morning.
Ma'am.
There's no one there.
Bloody hell. She's gone! Evans!
Yes! Robbins! R-O-B-B-I-N-S.
That's right.
Thank you, Detective.
Stop!
- Any sign of her?
- No, sir.
Ah, she's gone.
Do you think she might
be the killer, sir?
There's no telling what's going on.
It's only me, sir.
Bloody hell, Higgins.
Did you see Miss Greenway?
No, sir.
Is this what Irene would have wanted?
Your daughter was murdered
and that isn't right.
But would she want her
father to become a murderer?
Stop!
Stop! Stop!
Toronto Constabulary. Stop!
Henry, there he is! Grab him!
Catherine Canmore?
You're the costume lady.
No.
You're Irene Robbins' mother.
That's right.
And she would have wanted me
to kill every last one of them.
I don't regret a thing.
I wanted everyone involved
in Irene's death to pay,
starting with that coward
who watched her die.
Perry Balfour.
You should have seen his face.
He knew what he'd done.
When the knife went in,
he knew he deserved it.
Why go after the others?
They didn't murder your daughter.
They sought money and fame,
paid for with Irene's blood.
I had to stop them.
And yet, you didn't pursue
the killers themselves.
It was Leigh Iverson and her sister
who killed your daughter.
You were supposed to hang them.
You failed her.
That's why I came for you.
I'm only tasked with arresting criminals
and providing evidence to the Crown.
They should be dead!
Four bodies.
All your fault, Detective.
I hope it was enough.
I hope Irene can rest now.
Revenge, plain and simple.
There is one question that remains, sir:
why concoct evidence
implicating Louise Cherry?
She blamed Cherry as much
as the rest of the victims.
That's why she tried to
kill her. Why do both?
Sirs.
Bad news. We've found another
body. It's Jesse Fraser.
The actor that we couldn't find.
He was found stabbed in an alley
a few blocks from the film set.
When? How long has he been dead?
A witness saw a clown run from
the scene about an hour ago.
Mrs. Robbins could have done
it before we arrested her.
Sir, she only confessed to four murders:
the two actors, Perry
Balfour, Mr. Cordier.
Mr. Fraser would make five.
Maybe she didn't kill this one?
Or maybe she didn't
kill one of the others.
Then someone else is out there killing.
Are you going to be all right, Louise?
I don't know.
I just can't believe
that Claude is gone.
It's truly awful.
I never should have written that book.
This house, everything it bought
it's blood money.
You can't blame yourself.
You're a victim of this madness!
Louise!
No!
Louise, are you all right?
No. Are you?
You're badly hurt. Let's
get you to the hospital.
Not yet.
Who the hell are you?
Frances?
You killed Claude, didn't you?
You're damn right I did.
And now, I'll kill you!
What the hell is wrong with you?
He left me for you, because
you're so pure and perfect!
Now can we get you to the hospital?
I want you dead!
You first!
So, you've resumed filming already?
We're about to. The show
must go on, as they say.
All new actors?
Hardly had any choice there.
Who's going to direct?
Me. It's what Claude would have wanted.
And you know how to do that?
It's just telling people what to do.
How hard can it be?
- Ah.
- Oh! And tell William thank you.
- Oh, for what?
- He gave me an idea.
I'm going to write the sequel.
Well, it might be difficult to recapture
the success of the original.
However, in light of us
vanquishing Miss Turner together,
I imagine there might be
a character based on me.
I think it will play better
if I just kill her myself.
Oh.
What are we waiting on?
Why aren't we rolling?
William, I'm home!
Oh! Uh, stay right there.
Whatever are you doing back there?
It's a little Halloween surprise.
What Halloween was weeks ago.
I wanted to do something special
and we were both a
little preoccupied.
Well, hurry up, whatever it is,
and where is Susannah?
- Oh my!
- Thank you for coming.
What do you think?
It's perfect.
Ah, yes.