The Murdoch Mysteries (2004) s17e04 Episode Script
Bottom of the Barrel
1
(THEME MUSIC)
(MUFFLED CHATTER)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- (SLURPING)
Don't try slinking out of
here without settling your tab.
(SCOFFS)
I'd never! Oh!
Come on, Diana, let
a man imbibe in peace.
(CHUCKLING)
Thank you.
Ah! Well, hello!
Welcome to Shuckers.
They call me Mother.
- What can I do for you?
- Table for six, please.
(WHISTLING)
Table for six!
What's the occasion?
We're celebrating this young man's
last few days of bachelorhood.
Ho, ho! Ladies!
I want you to take good care
of these handsome fellows.
A couple pitchers to start off?
- Sounds lovely.
- All right.
Thank you.
(SIGHING)
Why the sour face, Higgins? Sit down.
I still think we should
have gone to the burlesque.
This place is more respectable.
We can drink beer, eat some oysters
and none of us will get in
trouble with our indoors.
How you fellas doing?
- Well, we could use a refill.
- All right. Right up!
(CLEARS THROAT)
Uh, a garden, couple
goats and a chicken.
What would you prefer:
Goats or chickens?
All right, who's up for an arm wrestle?
Two dollars says I
can beat any man here.
Well, I'll take that bet.
- (CHUCKLING)
- (CHEERING)
(LAUGHING)
(SIGHING)
- (GROANS)
- Go on, Higgins!
- (GRUNTS)
- (LAUGHING)
Who's next?
What are you laughing at?
Not much.
Oi, I know you.
You should. You arrested me.
Then why aren't you behind bars?
It didn't stick.
(LAUGHING)
Oh, Maddie, why don't you play
something a little bit more upbeat?
(SOFT PIANO PLAYING)
(GRUNTS)
I love when you play for me.
Oh, you're good.
(GRUNTS) Hey!
You gib-faced oaf!
You need to pay for my drink! (GRUNTS)
(GRUNTS)
Tucker, that's enough! Sit down.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Pay the man for his beer.
Oh, Shucker girl!
Another round for the oyster king!
(LAUGHING)
(CLEARS THROAT) More
respectable, you were saying, sir?
Shut your trap, Higgins.
- (BELL RINGING)
- All right, boys!
It's gobblin' time!
Who will take the crown?
Ha-ha!
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Three, two, one and time.
Gentlemen, drop your oysters.
Take a break, grab a beer,
while we set up for round two.
More over here!
More here!
(THUDDING)
(SCREAMING)
Crikey.
Should have gone to the burlesque.
Poor chap was alive
and well an hour ago.
Where's Mrs. Hart?
There was no answer at her home.
We'll get her postmortem tomorrow.
Well, it looks pretty
cut and dried to me.
Someone slashed his throat
and chucked him in a barrel.
Hmm.
And then hammered the
lid back on in haste.
Was there anyone suspicious
here this evening?
Well, yes, sir. There was man with a
An elaborate moustache.
What made him suspicious?
He mocked me, sir.
And then disappeared for
the rest of the evening.
Mocking you is hardly a crime, Higgins.
More like an amusing pastime.
Look, if we're talking
suspects, I hate to say it,
but the dead fella bloodied
Constable Tucker's nose
- earlier in the evening.
- That's right.
And then Tucker was missing from
the bar for a time afterwards.
- Constable Tucker!
- Yes, sir.
A word, please.
Oh.
You look ill.
Yes, I'm sorry.
I had too much to drink.
I can see that.
Is it true that you fought
with the victim earlier tonight?
Again, I
I've behaved very badly this evening.
Hmm.
And did this bad
behaviour include murder?
Oh, of course not! I'm
an officer of the law.
I'd-I'd-I'd never do that.
You disappeared for part of
the evening. Where did you go?
Oh.
That. I, uh
I blacked out in the water closet. I
the drinks and the-the
oysters.
Would you excuse me!
(GASPING)
Henry, see to it that Constable Tucker
does not leave the premises.
You want me to guard the washroom, sir?
- Yes.
- Fine.
(CLICKS TONGUE) Poor Mick.
He was one of our best customers.
I can't believe somebody did him dirty.
- Miss Malone, is it?
- Detective. Yes.
Were you well acquainted
with the victim?
As acquainted as you
get serving a man booze.
I mean, Mick Peterson was
a bachelor. He lived alone.
He had big dreams, but not the
means to make 'em come true.
Hmm.
And were you present the entire evening?
Hovering like a hawk.
It takes a firm hand to
guide this motley crew.
What about the hour leading up
to the discovery of his body?
Oh! The music was hopping
by then. (LAUGHING)
I was having a laugh on the dance floor.
Uh. And your staff?
Oh, ask 'em yourself.
There is one known criminal in the bar.
- Oi, Madeline Tomkins!
- Uh, no.
Maddie's gone home for the night.
Then we'll need her address.
(SIGHING)
This is it.
The girls took the barrel from here.
Thank you.
No blood. No signs of a struggle.
It's possible the murder
occurred somewhere else.
And the murderer rolled the
barrel back into cold storage
- with the body inside.
- Precisely.
But everyone present tonight
claims to have an alibi.
Keeping the timeline
straight is a challenge.
The whole night is a bit
of a blur, if I'm honest.
Hmm.
Where is Hart?
We haven't been able to reach her.
Sir, might I suggest you
go home and get some rest.
I can finish up here and we will get
Miss Hart's postmortem tomorrow.
Thank you, mucker.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
I apologize for my absence last night.
Social engagement?
- As they say, all work and no play.
- Hmm.
This appears to be the fatal wound.
His carotid artery was nicked.
He would have bled out quite quickly.
Was there a lot of blood at the scene?
Not a bloody drop.
At least none visible to the naked eye.
I'll return to Shuckers and
conduct a more thorough search.
How about the murder weapon?
Um, some sort of short,
pointed instrument.
Like an oyster shucker.
You suspect one of the Shucker girls.
You bet I do.
And I know exactly which one.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Ah, I see you've put my generous
charitable donations to good use. -
Yes, thank you. We are so
grateful to all of our donors.
How can I help you today, Mrs. Pinch?
Doctor Ogden, I am at my wits' end.
Wits' end, I tell you!
My medicine has vanished
from the chemists' shelves.
Oh! Which medicine?
Hall's Coca Wine, the
keystone of perfect health.
Ah, yes, I've seen the advertisements.
Then you know of its restorative powers,
and it cures neuralgia,
sleeplessness, anemia,
and it leaves absolutely
no after-effects.
Well, actually, Mrs. Pinch,
Hall's Coca Wine contains cocaine,
which is rather addictive and harmful.
It is a miracle tonic
that keeps my spirits
high while I attend
to my many charitable commitments.
Oh, plus, it's done wonders
for my little Jenny's shyness.
Oh, I don't recommend you
give cocaine to your child.
Oh, but she was such a mopey
little thing without it!
Coca Wine has transformed
her into the liveliest
little six-year-old you've ever seen.
Yes, well, it's no longer on the shelves
because the new opium
and drug act prohibits
cocaine for non-medical use.
Which is why I've come to see you.
You can provide me with a prescription.
I cannot. Not in good conscience.
There are far healthier ways
to increase your vitality.
Oh, my goodness.
This looks very expensive.
Uh, well, yes.
It's a blood pressure monitor
- and it's rather expensive.
- Oh.
Mrs. Pinch, I really don't think cocaine
- is the answer
- I need my Coca Wine!
- Mrs. Pinch!
- I need it.
Mrs. Pinch, you need healthy food
and exercise, but you
do not need cocaine.
If you're not going to help me,
then why did I donate all that money
to this stupid clinic of yours?
- Ooh!
- Sorry.
What was that about?
(SCOFFS)
I suppose you know why
I've brought you in.
I do and I'm shocked.
Aren't you a married man?
Don't get cheeky with me.
I know a career criminal when I see one.
Constance Weatherly
was murdered to save you
- from an arranged marriage.
- Not by me, she wasn't.
By your criminal acquaintances.
I have loyal friends. Is that a crime?
No, but stabbing a man in the
neck with an oyster shucker is.
Poor Mick.
Don't know why anyone would deal
him such a fate, but wasn't me.
I wasn't even there when that happened.
- So you claim.
- And to God.
Finished my shift at
the piano and went home.
Have you any witnesses to that?
No. But I wasn't at the bar.
- Ask anyone.
- I will.
All right, then.
Well, what's this
supposed to prove then?
This device uses ultraviolet
light in order to detect evidence
that may not be visible
to the naked eye.
(CHUCKLING) (GASPING)
(WOMAN): Huh!
Mm, look at those pretty colours.
These "pretty colours" are
traces of where blood has been.
This was a group stabbing?
No, you git.
Shucking's risky business.
Show him your scars.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. It's no mystery
why those knives are bloody.
Right.
I would like to have another look
at your cold storage room, please.
(SIGHING) Here as well.
- Wait. Come back.
- What is it?
Hmm.
Appears to be a buildup of
residue from dirty palm prints.
That's a strange place to
be gripping the wall, sir.
Indeed.
Perhaps that's because
it's not just a wall.
(KNOCKING)
Ah! Toronto Constabulary!
Open up! (KNOCKING)
(FOOTSTEPS RECEDING)
(GRUNTS)
Police! Halt!
Sir, it's him! The moustache man!
Oh, sir, look.
Blood.
(PANTING)
- Your name, sir?
- Harry Hayes.
And what is your role here?
Protecting the girls.
Prote from what?
The customers?
If necessary, yeah.
- Was it necessary last night?
- No. No, no, no.
Um, last night was easy as pie.
Not for Mick Peterson.
Yeah.
Poor Mick.
Well, I guess that was
his blood on the stairs?
Anyways, a bloody staircase
is bad for business,
so when I noticed it today,
I figured I'd mop it up.
Did you happen to hear any voices
or commotion coming from here?
No, that door's pretty thick.
And you didn't see the
bloody stairs last night?
Nah. No, uh, we use the front staircase.
Customers use the ba ack.
What exactly is upstairs?
(CLEARS THROAT) My
office is the red door
at the end of the corridor.
And these other rooms?
They appear to be
sleeping quarters, sir.
Right.
That's it. I mean, sleeping quarters.
For when the girls get
sleepy.
All right! It's a bordello.
Henry, search the rooms.
You didn't mention a
bordello last night.
Yeah, because my girls
aren't hurting anybody!
This place keeps them off the streets.
Ms. Malone, I assure
you I am only interested
in finding Mr. Peterson's killer.
So, you're not arresting me
for running a bawdy house?
Not if you cooperate.
Well, what do you want to know?
The names of the clients that
were upstairs here last night.
Names? (SCOFFS)
I barely know their faces!
They all look the same to me.
And I wasn't up here.
Ask anybody.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Miss Mackeen?
Did you see Mother Malone
at the bordello last night?
What bordello?
There is no need for deception.
I have a fairly good idea
of what's going on here.
Now, did you see her?
I quit working upstairs a while ago.
I'm strictly behind the bar now.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Ladies!
I am aware that there
is a bordello operating
on the second floor here.
Now, I am willing to
overlook this illicit activity
if you provide me with
the names of the clients
you had upstairs with you last night.
The killer must have tilted
the barrel against the stairs,
and then rolled Peterson's
body down into it.
And there's a bordello
on the second floor.
Yes, but none of the women will
divulge the identities of their clients.
Doesn't matter. I
know who the killer is.
Thank you, Higgins.
I barely got settled in my cell
and you're already
dragging me back here.
He's smitten.
You never told me about the bordello.
You want to schedule a romp?
You lied to me.
You weren't at home
the night of the murder.
- You were upstairs.
- You got me.
I'm a working girl. Surprise, surprise.
But I'm not a murderer.
- I don't believe you.
- Fair enough.
Maybe you'll believe him.
- Constable Tucker?
- Yeah.
Who do you think I went upstairs with?
Oh
Higgins, take this one back to
the cells 'til I sort this out.
Tucker, in here now!
I gotta go. The boss needs
me. All right, sweetie.
Sharpish!
Is that your fiancée?
Yes, sir.
We just spoke to Madeline Tomkins.
- Is there something you'd like to
- I'm sorry I lied!
I wasn't blacked out in
the loo. I-I was with her.
Th-that woman, I
Please don't tell my fiancée.
You should be more concerned
with the prospect of going to prison.
Prison?
- For what?
- Murder.
You fought with Peterson that night.
Yeah, he bloodied my nose,
but I probably deserved it.
I didn't kill him.
You had no further
dealings with Mr. Peterson?
No.
Except I passed him
later in the corridor.
What corridor?
Upstairs.
- Was he with a woman?
- No.
No, alone.
Heading towards the red
door at the end of the hall
when I was heading back downstairs.
I didn't kill him, Detective Murdoch.
Sir, you gotta believe me.
No, I don't "gotta believe"
anything, Constable Tucker!
You've already lied to me, therefore,
I will be holding you in our cells
until we find out who
killed Mr. Peterson.
It makes me want to weep.
Makes me want to wring
Eleanor Pinch's neck.
What's wrong? (SCOFFS)
Mrs. Pinch gave a slanderous account
of her alleged mistreatment
here at the clinic.
"'Dr. Ogden was
dismissive of my condition
and refused to treat me, '
said the tearful Mrs. Pinch."
- Ugh.
- "So I sought help
from Dr. Jasper Katz at Toronto General,
who provided me with the medication
I so desperately required."
That's ridiculous!
She doesn't desperately require cocaine!
This part boils my blood.
"The beleaguered charity
organizer further describes
profound regret for donating money
to the new women's
clinic, which she regards
as a 'haven for quacks'."
What are you going to do, Dr. Ogden?
(SIGHING)
Well, I guess I'm
going to keep my chin up
and continue to serve the medical
needs of the women of Ontario.
What else can I do?
Well, if it were up to me,
I'd march down to that
gaudy mansion of hers
and smack Mrs. Eleanor Pinch
right across her smug little face.
(CHUCKLING)
Well, that's not a course of action
that I would recommend, Margaret.
- However tempting.
- Hmm.
Madeline Tomkins and Constable Tucker
- have corroborated each other's alibis.
- Right.
So, they were upstairs "at it".
You know, Murdoch?
"At it", bone to bone, flesh on flesh.
Indulging in the bit of the old
I believe I understand
what you're grinding at.
- (CLEARS THROAT)
- (CHUCKLING)
My point is
that Constable Tucker saw
Peterson on the second floor.
Why was Peterson upstairs?
That is unknown,
but Tucker did see him
near Mother's office.
So, I'm bringing her in
for questioning tomorrow.
Good.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
I very much enjoyed
our dinner last evening.
Well, and I very much
enjoyed our dessert.
Perhaps after we visit the Starbright,
we can adjourn to my house.
For more dessert?
Oh, my sweet tooth is ravenous.
- Ooh.
- Are you cold?
Here, take my jacket.
I left a shawl at work.
It's just around the corner.
- Wait outside. I'll only be a second.
- Okay.
(SIGHING)
(CLATTERING)
Is someone here?
(FOOTSTEPS RECEDING)
Hello?
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Hey, you!
What's wrong?
(SIGHING) Isaiah!
Violet! Are you all right?
Yes, just a bit shaken.
- Who was that?
- I don't know.
(GASPS)
(SIGHING)
As you can see, the intruder
sliced into Mr. Peterson's torso.
For what purpose?
Let's find out.
Ew. And this is where I take my leave.
Good evening, Violet.
Until next time, Isaiah.
Was desecrating the corpse
a form of retaliation?
Was the killer making a statement?
Or was this an ill-conceived
attempt at concealing
some particular form of poison.
This can't be.
What is it?
This man is a human oyster.
Your husband is a police detective?
Toronto's finest.
And you are?
Uh, Millicent Drysdale, sir.
Miss Drysdale is observing me as
a part of her medical education.
Oh!
Well, then you must know that Dr. Ogden
is truly Toronto's finest.
Why would you X-ray a bunch of pearls?
Well, there's something odd about these.
Pearls typically are irregular
in shape and vary in sizes.
These are all perfectly
spherical and identical in size.
- Where are they from?
- From the murdered man,
who was found at the bordello
where Constable Tucker's
bachelor party was being held.
Bordello?
But
Thomas organized that party.
I believe so.
Huh. (CHUCKLING)
My husband took his
constables to a bordello!?
(SCOFFS)
(LAUGHING)
(SIGHING)
Where did you obtain these pearls?
From the stomach of a murder victim.
Good heavens. Oh, my
- Are these pearls valuable?
- That depends.
Natural pearls are rare
and extremely valuable.
Cultured pearls were
invented by the Japanese
and are slightly less so.
I find this whole
matter quite distasteful.
Yes, it was a gruesome discovery.
I was referring to pearl cultivation.
Can you imagine the unwashed throats
of the hoi polloi draped
in cheap, cultured pearls?
It makes me want to vomit.
(COUGHS)
These are cultured.
Who supplies cultured
pearls here in Toronto?
There is only one man I know of
who is trying to sell these locally.
I booted him from my shop.
- What's his name?
- I didn't ask.
He was a tall, beer-bloated
ruffian who reeked of fish.
Any idea where he's from?
He said Prince Edward Island.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Uh, excuse me.
Hey! Wh-what were you doing
outside the morgue last night, huh?
Let me go!
Help! This man's trying to kidnap me!
- Help!
- Police!
Mr. Buchanan, what's going on here?
(SIGHING)
(GROANS)
Good afternoon, Miss Mackeen.
Is it?
You're unwell?
(SIGHING)
Just a touch of the bottle ache.
Comes with the territory.
Here you go, darlin'! Hair of the dog.
Fix you right up.
- (CHUCKLING)
- Thank you, Mother.
Mm-hmm.
Oh!
(SCOFFS)
(CHUCKLING)
That child cannot handle her liquor.
What can I do for you, Detective?
Who supplies your oysters?
Ah. A Mr. Dabney
Firkser supplies us. Why?
Does he also deal in pearls?
Does this look like a
jewelry store to you?
Our coroner found 20 cultured pearls
in Mr. Peterson's stomach.
He swallowed pearls? Why?
I mean, Mick wasn't the
sharpest pin in the cushion,
but surely, he-he
I believe he stole them
and was hiding them.
From you.
(CHUCKLING) Really?
Where'd you cook up that
giant pot of twaddle?
Mr. Peterson was seen near your office
- the night of his murder.
- Hmm.
Well, Mick was always hurting for money.
Could've been trying to steal from me.
But if I had a hoard
of pearls stashed away,
would I still be slinging cheap whisky
for a bunch of drooling drunks?
What about this Mr. Firkser?
Did Mr. Peterson know him?
Uh, you know, come to
think of it, I think he did.
And was this Mr. Firkser here
the night of Mr. Peterson's murder?
I didn't see him. I mean, could've been.
It was pretty busy that night.
Hmm.
Where might I find him?
Sir, Buster Farley is waiting
for you in the interview room.
Just give me one minute.
(LAUGHING)
Margaret! To what do I owe the pleasure?
You took your constables to a bordello?!
I took them to an oyster bar.
So, you're telling me
Detective Murdoch lied to me?
Because I distinctly remember
him saying "bordello"!
Well, you see, Margaret, it was both.
And I didn't know
about the bordello part.
How could you not know? You
are the police inspector.
I just didn't!
And even if it is part bordello,
I didn't partake in anything
but oysters and whisky.
Oh, I find that very
difficult to believe.
The world is full of things that
you find difficult to believe
and I can't relieve you
of that burden right now
because I have to go
interrogate an eight-year-old.
- (GROANS)
- Now if you'll excuse me?
(GASPS)
(GROANS)
(SIGHING)
An eight-year-old?
Wha ?
Oh, I didn't do nothing wrong.
I wasn't near no morgue.
You better not lie to me, son.
Or what?
You'll hang.
You wouldn't.
My hangman has got this tiny wee noose
that would fit perfectly
around your neck
and he's just itching to test it.
I was paid a pack of bellboys
to stand there and be a lookout.
A lookout?
But you were just approaching
the morgue when you were spotted.
- Had to bum a light.
- Oh, I see.
I'll tell you what:
I'll let you go if you
can describe who hired you.
I can even draw you a picture.
Perfect.
- For a quarter.
- (LAUGHING)
Let's see what we've got.
There you go! I'll get
you a pencil and paper.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Dabney Firkser? Toronto
Constabulary. We'd like a word.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Mr. Firkser!
This is your final warning!
And that's when I found
Firkser at the flophouse.
From the looks of it, he'd
been dead several days.
So, we may be talking double murder.
Have you lost your mind,
telling my wife about the bordello?
Can we finish discussing the
Peterson murder case first?
I've already solved the
bloody Peterson murder.
Margaret is furious.
What were you thinking?
I'd assumed you'd told
her about the bordello.
And how did you solve the murder case?
Have you met my wife?
Why the hell would I tell
her about the bordello?
I solved the murder based
on an eyewitness description.
I found her, Inspector!
I didn't kill Mick Peterson.
But you admit that you
desecrated his corpse.
Yeah.
Sorry about that.
So, you knew about the pearls.
(SIGHING)
I caught Mick upstairs counting 'em.
He said he was gonna cash
the pearls in to buy a house.
Then I said, "you got so many,
why aren't you giving me some of those?"
Which is when he gulped
the whole lot down!
- Where did he get them?
- He wouldn't say.
But after he was dead,
I thought to myself,
"Bleedin" 'ell! Mick
don't need 'em anymore.
Maybe I could buy myself a house."
So, you tried to rob the corpse.
Not my proudest moment.
What about Dabney Firkser?
Did you kill him?
Who?
The man who supplied the
oysters to Mother Malone.
How could I kill someone I never met?
"An anonymous source tells the Telegraph
that Mrs. Eleanor
Pinch was not, in fact,
ill when she demanded
cocaine from Dr. Julia Ogden,
unless one would call
the depraved appetite
of a drug addict an illness."
Well, actually, I would call it that.
So this at least casts doubt.
Well, I don't care about that, William.
Patient confidentiality, on
the other hand, is sacred!
Someone at the women's
clinic has violated
all professional
standards by leaking this.
And do you know who that someone is?
Unfortunately, yes.
I believe I do.
Mr. Firkser was strangled.
Have you established a time of death?
I can't say precisely, but he was dead
at least four days before you found him.
Well before Mr. Peterson's death.
You think the same man killed
both Peterson and Firkser, sir?
It's possible.
Miss Hart, has your
postmortem revealed any clues
as to our murderer's identity?
Well, as the bruises indicate,
the killer was quite strong
and strangled Mr. Firkser
with his bare hands.
And these distinctive
indentations reveal
he was wearing several rings.
So, our killer had strong
hands and wore rings.
I know someone who
fits that description.
But she's all woman.
You want me to do what?
Wrap your hands around
the clay and squeeze.
Like this.
(SIGHING)
How's that?
Let's try again.
And this time, stop when I say so.
Hmm.
Arts and crafts day, is it?
Just do it.
(SIGHING)
Enough!
As I suspected.
You suspected that clay
is mushy? (CHUCKLING)
Crackerjack work, pally.
You killed Dabney Firkser.
The marks left on his
neck match the indentations
caused by the rings on your fingers.
You strangled him to death.
I hate a braggart, don't you?
I find hate counterproductive.
Well, la-de-dah, Saint
Murdoch. (CHUCKLING)
Anyhow, Loudmouth Dabney
kept blabbing on about
his precious pearls
and how much money he was
going to make off of 'em,
and as I was saying,
I hate a braggart.
But I love money.
So I stole them.
He caught me doing it
and he attacked me.
- He attacked you?
- Yeah.
So I strangled him to
death in self-defence.
We'll let the courts decide
the validity of those claims.
So, you killed Firkser.
You then discovered that Peterson
had stolen the pearls from you.
- So, again
- (SCOFFS)
Whoa, there.
I did not kill Mick.
He was annoying as hell,
but a true kind soul.
Can't believe he stole from me.
I didn't think he had it in him.
When we examined his dead body,
he literally had the pearls in him.
Well, that could have been why he
was following me around all night,
trying to figure out where I'd hid them.
Lately, he'd been going on and on about,
you know, saving money
to start a family.
And I'd say to him, "if that's the case,
why are you spending like a drunken
sailor at my oyster bar then?"
And the last patient we'll see on
our rounds today is Mrs. Takahara.
Who is recovering
from a caesarian section.
Yes. And I was thinking that you
could perform the examination.
- Oh, could I?
- Mm-hmm.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR) Julia,
you wanted to see me?
Yes. Please come in and
close the door behind you.
Take a seat.
Oh. (SIGHING)
What's this?
I think you know.
And I appreciate what
you were trying to do
- by giving that interview.
- Interview?
However, it was a violation
of patient confidentiality.
Unfortunately, Margaret, I'm
going to have to dismiss you
from your position here.
But I didn't give any interview.
I know you did it with
the best of intentions,
but I just can't sanction
that kind of behaviour.
I did no such thing.
I am appalled that you would accuse me.
If it wasn't you, then who, Margaret?
(SIGHING)
(DOOR CLOSING)
(SIGHING)
So Mother Malone killed
Firkser. What about Peterson?
She claims she didn't.
She says she didn't even
know he had the pearls.
Well, then, it's gotta
be Madeline Tomkins.
I'm not so sure about that.
He said he was gonna cash
the pearls in to buy a house.
Lately, he'd been going on and on about,
you know, saving money
to start a family.
I quit working upstairs a while ago.
I'm strictly behind the bar now.
(CHUCKLING)
(SNIFFING) Oh!
So, who killed Peterson?
Madeline Tomkins or Mother Malone?
Maybe neither one of them.
Detective Murdoch.
- What can I do for you?
- Miss Mackeen.
How far along are you in your pregnancy?
Pregnancy? What are you on about?
I think you know precisely
what I am "on about".
This is an interesting device.
It's a bung starter.
Used to open the whisky barrels.
Also used to hammer shut oyster
barrels containing dead bodies?
No, I don't know what you're
Why would you kill the
father of your child?
Mick Peterson?
Some father he'd have been.
Drunk and penniless.
Spouting phony declarations
of undying love.
Then I see him following
Mother around like a
Like a drooling pervert.
Canoodling with Maddie
right under my nose.
That made you angry.
Furious.
So, I, uh
I followed him upstairs to have a word.
He was all apologies.
"Oh, Diana
I'm gonna marry you and buy us a house."
The liar.
I couldn't take the
empty promises no more.
I lost my temper, and then I
swung at him with my shucker,
but I didn't mean to kill him!
(CRYING)
Not all of his promises were empty.
He could have bought you a
house with the pearls he had.
Pearls?
What pearls?
That's excellent news. Thank you.
I've brought you the inmate, sir.
Thank you, Higgins.
The inmate who's been locked
up in a jail cell for days now.
That's generally where the
inmates are kept, Higgins.
Locked up like an animal.
- Eating jail food.
- Higgins, that's enough. Dismissed.
Oh, can't I watch?
Get out and shut the door!
(SIGHING) And put the kettle on!
- Yes, sir.
- Have a seat, Constable Tucker.
I guess you know what I'm about to do?
Please don't fire me, sir!
- Don't humiliate yourself.
- Please. I need this job.
A constable needs to conduct
himself with dignity and integrity.
I was drunk. I'm sorry.
Please, I'd never even been
with a woman before that night.
I don't even know that I did it right.
Jeez.
Please.
I'll become a better man. I promise.
Please give me a second chance.
It's not me you need to be begging to.
What's she doing here?
Waiting for an explanation as
to why you were in our cells.
What am I supposed to tell her?
That's up to you.
(SIGHING)
Thomas?
Margaret.
Oh. What's the occasion?
I need to tell you the honest
truth about that bachelor party.
I didn't know about the bordello
when I took the lads there.
I was naive.
I'm sorry that I upset you.
No, Thomas, I'm sorry for accusing you.
I know what it's like to be
blamed for something you didn't do.
I quit my job today.
Why? What happened?
Uh, sorry for the interruption.
Tom, may I have a word with your wife?
Of course.
Ladies.
I'm so sorry, Margaret.
I jumped to the wrong conclusion.
We won't be working with
Millicent any longer.
Ah. (CHUCKLING)
William.
Hello, Julia.
Is Susannah asleep?
- Down for the night.
- Ah.
What's all this?
You've been working very
hard running the clinic.
Tonight, you should relax
and enjoy some oysters.
What a nice surprise. Are they raw?
They are.
I've heard that oysters
have aphrodisiac properties.
Uh, I don't think that
is scientifically proven.
I don't either.
But we should at least
test out the theory.
(CHUCKLING)
(THEME MUSIC)
(MUFFLED CHATTER)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- (SLURPING)
Don't try slinking out of
here without settling your tab.
(SCOFFS)
I'd never! Oh!
Come on, Diana, let
a man imbibe in peace.
(CHUCKLING)
Thank you.
Ah! Well, hello!
Welcome to Shuckers.
They call me Mother.
- What can I do for you?
- Table for six, please.
(WHISTLING)
Table for six!
What's the occasion?
We're celebrating this young man's
last few days of bachelorhood.
Ho, ho! Ladies!
I want you to take good care
of these handsome fellows.
A couple pitchers to start off?
- Sounds lovely.
- All right.
Thank you.
(SIGHING)
Why the sour face, Higgins? Sit down.
I still think we should
have gone to the burlesque.
This place is more respectable.
We can drink beer, eat some oysters
and none of us will get in
trouble with our indoors.
How you fellas doing?
- Well, we could use a refill.
- All right. Right up!
(CLEARS THROAT)
Uh, a garden, couple
goats and a chicken.
What would you prefer:
Goats or chickens?
All right, who's up for an arm wrestle?
Two dollars says I
can beat any man here.
Well, I'll take that bet.
- (CHUCKLING)
- (CHEERING)
(LAUGHING)
(SIGHING)
- (GROANS)
- Go on, Higgins!
- (GRUNTS)
- (LAUGHING)
Who's next?
What are you laughing at?
Not much.
Oi, I know you.
You should. You arrested me.
Then why aren't you behind bars?
It didn't stick.
(LAUGHING)
Oh, Maddie, why don't you play
something a little bit more upbeat?
(SOFT PIANO PLAYING)
(GRUNTS)
I love when you play for me.
Oh, you're good.
(GRUNTS) Hey!
You gib-faced oaf!
You need to pay for my drink! (GRUNTS)
(GRUNTS)
Tucker, that's enough! Sit down.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Pay the man for his beer.
Oh, Shucker girl!
Another round for the oyster king!
(LAUGHING)
(CLEARS THROAT) More
respectable, you were saying, sir?
Shut your trap, Higgins.
- (BELL RINGING)
- All right, boys!
It's gobblin' time!
Who will take the crown?
Ha-ha!
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Three, two, one and time.
Gentlemen, drop your oysters.
Take a break, grab a beer,
while we set up for round two.
More over here!
More here!
(THUDDING)
(SCREAMING)
Crikey.
Should have gone to the burlesque.
Poor chap was alive
and well an hour ago.
Where's Mrs. Hart?
There was no answer at her home.
We'll get her postmortem tomorrow.
Well, it looks pretty
cut and dried to me.
Someone slashed his throat
and chucked him in a barrel.
Hmm.
And then hammered the
lid back on in haste.
Was there anyone suspicious
here this evening?
Well, yes, sir. There was man with a
An elaborate moustache.
What made him suspicious?
He mocked me, sir.
And then disappeared for
the rest of the evening.
Mocking you is hardly a crime, Higgins.
More like an amusing pastime.
Look, if we're talking
suspects, I hate to say it,
but the dead fella bloodied
Constable Tucker's nose
- earlier in the evening.
- That's right.
And then Tucker was missing from
the bar for a time afterwards.
- Constable Tucker!
- Yes, sir.
A word, please.
Oh.
You look ill.
Yes, I'm sorry.
I had too much to drink.
I can see that.
Is it true that you fought
with the victim earlier tonight?
Again, I
I've behaved very badly this evening.
Hmm.
And did this bad
behaviour include murder?
Oh, of course not! I'm
an officer of the law.
I'd-I'd-I'd never do that.
You disappeared for part of
the evening. Where did you go?
Oh.
That. I, uh
I blacked out in the water closet. I
the drinks and the-the
oysters.
Would you excuse me!
(GASPING)
Henry, see to it that Constable Tucker
does not leave the premises.
You want me to guard the washroom, sir?
- Yes.
- Fine.
(CLICKS TONGUE) Poor Mick.
He was one of our best customers.
I can't believe somebody did him dirty.
- Miss Malone, is it?
- Detective. Yes.
Were you well acquainted
with the victim?
As acquainted as you
get serving a man booze.
I mean, Mick Peterson was
a bachelor. He lived alone.
He had big dreams, but not the
means to make 'em come true.
Hmm.
And were you present the entire evening?
Hovering like a hawk.
It takes a firm hand to
guide this motley crew.
What about the hour leading up
to the discovery of his body?
Oh! The music was hopping
by then. (LAUGHING)
I was having a laugh on the dance floor.
Uh. And your staff?
Oh, ask 'em yourself.
There is one known criminal in the bar.
- Oi, Madeline Tomkins!
- Uh, no.
Maddie's gone home for the night.
Then we'll need her address.
(SIGHING)
This is it.
The girls took the barrel from here.
Thank you.
No blood. No signs of a struggle.
It's possible the murder
occurred somewhere else.
And the murderer rolled the
barrel back into cold storage
- with the body inside.
- Precisely.
But everyone present tonight
claims to have an alibi.
Keeping the timeline
straight is a challenge.
The whole night is a bit
of a blur, if I'm honest.
Hmm.
Where is Hart?
We haven't been able to reach her.
Sir, might I suggest you
go home and get some rest.
I can finish up here and we will get
Miss Hart's postmortem tomorrow.
Thank you, mucker.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
I apologize for my absence last night.
Social engagement?
- As they say, all work and no play.
- Hmm.
This appears to be the fatal wound.
His carotid artery was nicked.
He would have bled out quite quickly.
Was there a lot of blood at the scene?
Not a bloody drop.
At least none visible to the naked eye.
I'll return to Shuckers and
conduct a more thorough search.
How about the murder weapon?
Um, some sort of short,
pointed instrument.
Like an oyster shucker.
You suspect one of the Shucker girls.
You bet I do.
And I know exactly which one.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Ah, I see you've put my generous
charitable donations to good use. -
Yes, thank you. We are so
grateful to all of our donors.
How can I help you today, Mrs. Pinch?
Doctor Ogden, I am at my wits' end.
Wits' end, I tell you!
My medicine has vanished
from the chemists' shelves.
Oh! Which medicine?
Hall's Coca Wine, the
keystone of perfect health.
Ah, yes, I've seen the advertisements.
Then you know of its restorative powers,
and it cures neuralgia,
sleeplessness, anemia,
and it leaves absolutely
no after-effects.
Well, actually, Mrs. Pinch,
Hall's Coca Wine contains cocaine,
which is rather addictive and harmful.
It is a miracle tonic
that keeps my spirits
high while I attend
to my many charitable commitments.
Oh, plus, it's done wonders
for my little Jenny's shyness.
Oh, I don't recommend you
give cocaine to your child.
Oh, but she was such a mopey
little thing without it!
Coca Wine has transformed
her into the liveliest
little six-year-old you've ever seen.
Yes, well, it's no longer on the shelves
because the new opium
and drug act prohibits
cocaine for non-medical use.
Which is why I've come to see you.
You can provide me with a prescription.
I cannot. Not in good conscience.
There are far healthier ways
to increase your vitality.
Oh, my goodness.
This looks very expensive.
Uh, well, yes.
It's a blood pressure monitor
- and it's rather expensive.
- Oh.
Mrs. Pinch, I really don't think cocaine
- is the answer
- I need my Coca Wine!
- Mrs. Pinch!
- I need it.
Mrs. Pinch, you need healthy food
and exercise, but you
do not need cocaine.
If you're not going to help me,
then why did I donate all that money
to this stupid clinic of yours?
- Ooh!
- Sorry.
What was that about?
(SCOFFS)
I suppose you know why
I've brought you in.
I do and I'm shocked.
Aren't you a married man?
Don't get cheeky with me.
I know a career criminal when I see one.
Constance Weatherly
was murdered to save you
- from an arranged marriage.
- Not by me, she wasn't.
By your criminal acquaintances.
I have loyal friends. Is that a crime?
No, but stabbing a man in the
neck with an oyster shucker is.
Poor Mick.
Don't know why anyone would deal
him such a fate, but wasn't me.
I wasn't even there when that happened.
- So you claim.
- And to God.
Finished my shift at
the piano and went home.
Have you any witnesses to that?
No. But I wasn't at the bar.
- Ask anyone.
- I will.
All right, then.
Well, what's this
supposed to prove then?
This device uses ultraviolet
light in order to detect evidence
that may not be visible
to the naked eye.
(CHUCKLING) (GASPING)
(WOMAN): Huh!
Mm, look at those pretty colours.
These "pretty colours" are
traces of where blood has been.
This was a group stabbing?
No, you git.
Shucking's risky business.
Show him your scars.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. It's no mystery
why those knives are bloody.
Right.
I would like to have another look
at your cold storage room, please.
(SIGHING) Here as well.
- Wait. Come back.
- What is it?
Hmm.
Appears to be a buildup of
residue from dirty palm prints.
That's a strange place to
be gripping the wall, sir.
Indeed.
Perhaps that's because
it's not just a wall.
(KNOCKING)
Ah! Toronto Constabulary!
Open up! (KNOCKING)
(FOOTSTEPS RECEDING)
(GRUNTS)
Police! Halt!
Sir, it's him! The moustache man!
Oh, sir, look.
Blood.
(PANTING)
- Your name, sir?
- Harry Hayes.
And what is your role here?
Protecting the girls.
Prote from what?
The customers?
If necessary, yeah.
- Was it necessary last night?
- No. No, no, no.
Um, last night was easy as pie.
Not for Mick Peterson.
Yeah.
Poor Mick.
Well, I guess that was
his blood on the stairs?
Anyways, a bloody staircase
is bad for business,
so when I noticed it today,
I figured I'd mop it up.
Did you happen to hear any voices
or commotion coming from here?
No, that door's pretty thick.
And you didn't see the
bloody stairs last night?
Nah. No, uh, we use the front staircase.
Customers use the ba ack.
What exactly is upstairs?
(CLEARS THROAT) My
office is the red door
at the end of the corridor.
And these other rooms?
They appear to be
sleeping quarters, sir.
Right.
That's it. I mean, sleeping quarters.
For when the girls get
sleepy.
All right! It's a bordello.
Henry, search the rooms.
You didn't mention a
bordello last night.
Yeah, because my girls
aren't hurting anybody!
This place keeps them off the streets.
Ms. Malone, I assure
you I am only interested
in finding Mr. Peterson's killer.
So, you're not arresting me
for running a bawdy house?
Not if you cooperate.
Well, what do you want to know?
The names of the clients that
were upstairs here last night.
Names? (SCOFFS)
I barely know their faces!
They all look the same to me.
And I wasn't up here.
Ask anybody.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Miss Mackeen?
Did you see Mother Malone
at the bordello last night?
What bordello?
There is no need for deception.
I have a fairly good idea
of what's going on here.
Now, did you see her?
I quit working upstairs a while ago.
I'm strictly behind the bar now.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Ladies!
I am aware that there
is a bordello operating
on the second floor here.
Now, I am willing to
overlook this illicit activity
if you provide me with
the names of the clients
you had upstairs with you last night.
The killer must have tilted
the barrel against the stairs,
and then rolled Peterson's
body down into it.
And there's a bordello
on the second floor.
Yes, but none of the women will
divulge the identities of their clients.
Doesn't matter. I
know who the killer is.
Thank you, Higgins.
I barely got settled in my cell
and you're already
dragging me back here.
He's smitten.
You never told me about the bordello.
You want to schedule a romp?
You lied to me.
You weren't at home
the night of the murder.
- You were upstairs.
- You got me.
I'm a working girl. Surprise, surprise.
But I'm not a murderer.
- I don't believe you.
- Fair enough.
Maybe you'll believe him.
- Constable Tucker?
- Yeah.
Who do you think I went upstairs with?
Oh
Higgins, take this one back to
the cells 'til I sort this out.
Tucker, in here now!
I gotta go. The boss needs
me. All right, sweetie.
Sharpish!
Is that your fiancée?
Yes, sir.
We just spoke to Madeline Tomkins.
- Is there something you'd like to
- I'm sorry I lied!
I wasn't blacked out in
the loo. I-I was with her.
Th-that woman, I
Please don't tell my fiancée.
You should be more concerned
with the prospect of going to prison.
Prison?
- For what?
- Murder.
You fought with Peterson that night.
Yeah, he bloodied my nose,
but I probably deserved it.
I didn't kill him.
You had no further
dealings with Mr. Peterson?
No.
Except I passed him
later in the corridor.
What corridor?
Upstairs.
- Was he with a woman?
- No.
No, alone.
Heading towards the red
door at the end of the hall
when I was heading back downstairs.
I didn't kill him, Detective Murdoch.
Sir, you gotta believe me.
No, I don't "gotta believe"
anything, Constable Tucker!
You've already lied to me, therefore,
I will be holding you in our cells
until we find out who
killed Mr. Peterson.
It makes me want to weep.
Makes me want to wring
Eleanor Pinch's neck.
What's wrong? (SCOFFS)
Mrs. Pinch gave a slanderous account
of her alleged mistreatment
here at the clinic.
"'Dr. Ogden was
dismissive of my condition
and refused to treat me, '
said the tearful Mrs. Pinch."
- Ugh.
- "So I sought help
from Dr. Jasper Katz at Toronto General,
who provided me with the medication
I so desperately required."
That's ridiculous!
She doesn't desperately require cocaine!
This part boils my blood.
"The beleaguered charity
organizer further describes
profound regret for donating money
to the new women's
clinic, which she regards
as a 'haven for quacks'."
What are you going to do, Dr. Ogden?
(SIGHING)
Well, I guess I'm
going to keep my chin up
and continue to serve the medical
needs of the women of Ontario.
What else can I do?
Well, if it were up to me,
I'd march down to that
gaudy mansion of hers
and smack Mrs. Eleanor Pinch
right across her smug little face.
(CHUCKLING)
Well, that's not a course of action
that I would recommend, Margaret.
- However tempting.
- Hmm.
Madeline Tomkins and Constable Tucker
- have corroborated each other's alibis.
- Right.
So, they were upstairs "at it".
You know, Murdoch?
"At it", bone to bone, flesh on flesh.
Indulging in the bit of the old
I believe I understand
what you're grinding at.
- (CLEARS THROAT)
- (CHUCKLING)
My point is
that Constable Tucker saw
Peterson on the second floor.
Why was Peterson upstairs?
That is unknown,
but Tucker did see him
near Mother's office.
So, I'm bringing her in
for questioning tomorrow.
Good.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
I very much enjoyed
our dinner last evening.
Well, and I very much
enjoyed our dessert.
Perhaps after we visit the Starbright,
we can adjourn to my house.
For more dessert?
Oh, my sweet tooth is ravenous.
- Ooh.
- Are you cold?
Here, take my jacket.
I left a shawl at work.
It's just around the corner.
- Wait outside. I'll only be a second.
- Okay.
(SIGHING)
(CLATTERING)
Is someone here?
(FOOTSTEPS RECEDING)
Hello?
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Hey, you!
What's wrong?
(SIGHING) Isaiah!
Violet! Are you all right?
Yes, just a bit shaken.
- Who was that?
- I don't know.
(GASPS)
(SIGHING)
As you can see, the intruder
sliced into Mr. Peterson's torso.
For what purpose?
Let's find out.
Ew. And this is where I take my leave.
Good evening, Violet.
Until next time, Isaiah.
Was desecrating the corpse
a form of retaliation?
Was the killer making a statement?
Or was this an ill-conceived
attempt at concealing
some particular form of poison.
This can't be.
What is it?
This man is a human oyster.
Your husband is a police detective?
Toronto's finest.
And you are?
Uh, Millicent Drysdale, sir.
Miss Drysdale is observing me as
a part of her medical education.
Oh!
Well, then you must know that Dr. Ogden
is truly Toronto's finest.
Why would you X-ray a bunch of pearls?
Well, there's something odd about these.
Pearls typically are irregular
in shape and vary in sizes.
These are all perfectly
spherical and identical in size.
- Where are they from?
- From the murdered man,
who was found at the bordello
where Constable Tucker's
bachelor party was being held.
Bordello?
But
Thomas organized that party.
I believe so.
Huh. (CHUCKLING)
My husband took his
constables to a bordello!?
(SCOFFS)
(LAUGHING)
(SIGHING)
Where did you obtain these pearls?
From the stomach of a murder victim.
Good heavens. Oh, my
- Are these pearls valuable?
- That depends.
Natural pearls are rare
and extremely valuable.
Cultured pearls were
invented by the Japanese
and are slightly less so.
I find this whole
matter quite distasteful.
Yes, it was a gruesome discovery.
I was referring to pearl cultivation.
Can you imagine the unwashed throats
of the hoi polloi draped
in cheap, cultured pearls?
It makes me want to vomit.
(COUGHS)
These are cultured.
Who supplies cultured
pearls here in Toronto?
There is only one man I know of
who is trying to sell these locally.
I booted him from my shop.
- What's his name?
- I didn't ask.
He was a tall, beer-bloated
ruffian who reeked of fish.
Any idea where he's from?
He said Prince Edward Island.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Uh, excuse me.
Hey! Wh-what were you doing
outside the morgue last night, huh?
Let me go!
Help! This man's trying to kidnap me!
- Help!
- Police!
Mr. Buchanan, what's going on here?
(SIGHING)
(GROANS)
Good afternoon, Miss Mackeen.
Is it?
You're unwell?
(SIGHING)
Just a touch of the bottle ache.
Comes with the territory.
Here you go, darlin'! Hair of the dog.
Fix you right up.
- (CHUCKLING)
- Thank you, Mother.
Mm-hmm.
Oh!
(SCOFFS)
(CHUCKLING)
That child cannot handle her liquor.
What can I do for you, Detective?
Who supplies your oysters?
Ah. A Mr. Dabney
Firkser supplies us. Why?
Does he also deal in pearls?
Does this look like a
jewelry store to you?
Our coroner found 20 cultured pearls
in Mr. Peterson's stomach.
He swallowed pearls? Why?
I mean, Mick wasn't the
sharpest pin in the cushion,
but surely, he-he
I believe he stole them
and was hiding them.
From you.
(CHUCKLING) Really?
Where'd you cook up that
giant pot of twaddle?
Mr. Peterson was seen near your office
- the night of his murder.
- Hmm.
Well, Mick was always hurting for money.
Could've been trying to steal from me.
But if I had a hoard
of pearls stashed away,
would I still be slinging cheap whisky
for a bunch of drooling drunks?
What about this Mr. Firkser?
Did Mr. Peterson know him?
Uh, you know, come to
think of it, I think he did.
And was this Mr. Firkser here
the night of Mr. Peterson's murder?
I didn't see him. I mean, could've been.
It was pretty busy that night.
Hmm.
Where might I find him?
Sir, Buster Farley is waiting
for you in the interview room.
Just give me one minute.
(LAUGHING)
Margaret! To what do I owe the pleasure?
You took your constables to a bordello?!
I took them to an oyster bar.
So, you're telling me
Detective Murdoch lied to me?
Because I distinctly remember
him saying "bordello"!
Well, you see, Margaret, it was both.
And I didn't know
about the bordello part.
How could you not know? You
are the police inspector.
I just didn't!
And even if it is part bordello,
I didn't partake in anything
but oysters and whisky.
Oh, I find that very
difficult to believe.
The world is full of things that
you find difficult to believe
and I can't relieve you
of that burden right now
because I have to go
interrogate an eight-year-old.
- (GROANS)
- Now if you'll excuse me?
(GASPS)
(GROANS)
(SIGHING)
An eight-year-old?
Wha ?
Oh, I didn't do nothing wrong.
I wasn't near no morgue.
You better not lie to me, son.
Or what?
You'll hang.
You wouldn't.
My hangman has got this tiny wee noose
that would fit perfectly
around your neck
and he's just itching to test it.
I was paid a pack of bellboys
to stand there and be a lookout.
A lookout?
But you were just approaching
the morgue when you were spotted.
- Had to bum a light.
- Oh, I see.
I'll tell you what:
I'll let you go if you
can describe who hired you.
I can even draw you a picture.
Perfect.
- For a quarter.
- (LAUGHING)
Let's see what we've got.
There you go! I'll get
you a pencil and paper.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Dabney Firkser? Toronto
Constabulary. We'd like a word.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Mr. Firkser!
This is your final warning!
And that's when I found
Firkser at the flophouse.
From the looks of it, he'd
been dead several days.
So, we may be talking double murder.
Have you lost your mind,
telling my wife about the bordello?
Can we finish discussing the
Peterson murder case first?
I've already solved the
bloody Peterson murder.
Margaret is furious.
What were you thinking?
I'd assumed you'd told
her about the bordello.
And how did you solve the murder case?
Have you met my wife?
Why the hell would I tell
her about the bordello?
I solved the murder based
on an eyewitness description.
I found her, Inspector!
I didn't kill Mick Peterson.
But you admit that you
desecrated his corpse.
Yeah.
Sorry about that.
So, you knew about the pearls.
(SIGHING)
I caught Mick upstairs counting 'em.
He said he was gonna cash
the pearls in to buy a house.
Then I said, "you got so many,
why aren't you giving me some of those?"
Which is when he gulped
the whole lot down!
- Where did he get them?
- He wouldn't say.
But after he was dead,
I thought to myself,
"Bleedin" 'ell! Mick
don't need 'em anymore.
Maybe I could buy myself a house."
So, you tried to rob the corpse.
Not my proudest moment.
What about Dabney Firkser?
Did you kill him?
Who?
The man who supplied the
oysters to Mother Malone.
How could I kill someone I never met?
"An anonymous source tells the Telegraph
that Mrs. Eleanor
Pinch was not, in fact,
ill when she demanded
cocaine from Dr. Julia Ogden,
unless one would call
the depraved appetite
of a drug addict an illness."
Well, actually, I would call it that.
So this at least casts doubt.
Well, I don't care about that, William.
Patient confidentiality, on
the other hand, is sacred!
Someone at the women's
clinic has violated
all professional
standards by leaking this.
And do you know who that someone is?
Unfortunately, yes.
I believe I do.
Mr. Firkser was strangled.
Have you established a time of death?
I can't say precisely, but he was dead
at least four days before you found him.
Well before Mr. Peterson's death.
You think the same man killed
both Peterson and Firkser, sir?
It's possible.
Miss Hart, has your
postmortem revealed any clues
as to our murderer's identity?
Well, as the bruises indicate,
the killer was quite strong
and strangled Mr. Firkser
with his bare hands.
And these distinctive
indentations reveal
he was wearing several rings.
So, our killer had strong
hands and wore rings.
I know someone who
fits that description.
But she's all woman.
You want me to do what?
Wrap your hands around
the clay and squeeze.
Like this.
(SIGHING)
How's that?
Let's try again.
And this time, stop when I say so.
Hmm.
Arts and crafts day, is it?
Just do it.
(SIGHING)
Enough!
As I suspected.
You suspected that clay
is mushy? (CHUCKLING)
Crackerjack work, pally.
You killed Dabney Firkser.
The marks left on his
neck match the indentations
caused by the rings on your fingers.
You strangled him to death.
I hate a braggart, don't you?
I find hate counterproductive.
Well, la-de-dah, Saint
Murdoch. (CHUCKLING)
Anyhow, Loudmouth Dabney
kept blabbing on about
his precious pearls
and how much money he was
going to make off of 'em,
and as I was saying,
I hate a braggart.
But I love money.
So I stole them.
He caught me doing it
and he attacked me.
- He attacked you?
- Yeah.
So I strangled him to
death in self-defence.
We'll let the courts decide
the validity of those claims.
So, you killed Firkser.
You then discovered that Peterson
had stolen the pearls from you.
- So, again
- (SCOFFS)
Whoa, there.
I did not kill Mick.
He was annoying as hell,
but a true kind soul.
Can't believe he stole from me.
I didn't think he had it in him.
When we examined his dead body,
he literally had the pearls in him.
Well, that could have been why he
was following me around all night,
trying to figure out where I'd hid them.
Lately, he'd been going on and on about,
you know, saving money
to start a family.
And I'd say to him, "if that's the case,
why are you spending like a drunken
sailor at my oyster bar then?"
And the last patient we'll see on
our rounds today is Mrs. Takahara.
Who is recovering
from a caesarian section.
Yes. And I was thinking that you
could perform the examination.
- Oh, could I?
- Mm-hmm.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR) Julia,
you wanted to see me?
Yes. Please come in and
close the door behind you.
Take a seat.
Oh. (SIGHING)
What's this?
I think you know.
And I appreciate what
you were trying to do
- by giving that interview.
- Interview?
However, it was a violation
of patient confidentiality.
Unfortunately, Margaret, I'm
going to have to dismiss you
from your position here.
But I didn't give any interview.
I know you did it with
the best of intentions,
but I just can't sanction
that kind of behaviour.
I did no such thing.
I am appalled that you would accuse me.
If it wasn't you, then who, Margaret?
(SIGHING)
(DOOR CLOSING)
(SIGHING)
So Mother Malone killed
Firkser. What about Peterson?
She claims she didn't.
She says she didn't even
know he had the pearls.
Well, then, it's gotta
be Madeline Tomkins.
I'm not so sure about that.
He said he was gonna cash
the pearls in to buy a house.
Lately, he'd been going on and on about,
you know, saving money
to start a family.
I quit working upstairs a while ago.
I'm strictly behind the bar now.
(CHUCKLING)
(SNIFFING) Oh!
So, who killed Peterson?
Madeline Tomkins or Mother Malone?
Maybe neither one of them.
Detective Murdoch.
- What can I do for you?
- Miss Mackeen.
How far along are you in your pregnancy?
Pregnancy? What are you on about?
I think you know precisely
what I am "on about".
This is an interesting device.
It's a bung starter.
Used to open the whisky barrels.
Also used to hammer shut oyster
barrels containing dead bodies?
No, I don't know what you're
Why would you kill the
father of your child?
Mick Peterson?
Some father he'd have been.
Drunk and penniless.
Spouting phony declarations
of undying love.
Then I see him following
Mother around like a
Like a drooling pervert.
Canoodling with Maddie
right under my nose.
That made you angry.
Furious.
So, I, uh
I followed him upstairs to have a word.
He was all apologies.
"Oh, Diana
I'm gonna marry you and buy us a house."
The liar.
I couldn't take the
empty promises no more.
I lost my temper, and then I
swung at him with my shucker,
but I didn't mean to kill him!
(CRYING)
Not all of his promises were empty.
He could have bought you a
house with the pearls he had.
Pearls?
What pearls?
That's excellent news. Thank you.
I've brought you the inmate, sir.
Thank you, Higgins.
The inmate who's been locked
up in a jail cell for days now.
That's generally where the
inmates are kept, Higgins.
Locked up like an animal.
- Eating jail food.
- Higgins, that's enough. Dismissed.
Oh, can't I watch?
Get out and shut the door!
(SIGHING) And put the kettle on!
- Yes, sir.
- Have a seat, Constable Tucker.
I guess you know what I'm about to do?
Please don't fire me, sir!
- Don't humiliate yourself.
- Please. I need this job.
A constable needs to conduct
himself with dignity and integrity.
I was drunk. I'm sorry.
Please, I'd never even been
with a woman before that night.
I don't even know that I did it right.
Jeez.
Please.
I'll become a better man. I promise.
Please give me a second chance.
It's not me you need to be begging to.
What's she doing here?
Waiting for an explanation as
to why you were in our cells.
What am I supposed to tell her?
That's up to you.
(SIGHING)
Thomas?
Margaret.
Oh. What's the occasion?
I need to tell you the honest
truth about that bachelor party.
I didn't know about the bordello
when I took the lads there.
I was naive.
I'm sorry that I upset you.
No, Thomas, I'm sorry for accusing you.
I know what it's like to be
blamed for something you didn't do.
I quit my job today.
Why? What happened?
Uh, sorry for the interruption.
Tom, may I have a word with your wife?
Of course.
Ladies.
I'm so sorry, Margaret.
I jumped to the wrong conclusion.
We won't be working with
Millicent any longer.
Ah. (CHUCKLING)
William.
Hello, Julia.
Is Susannah asleep?
- Down for the night.
- Ah.
What's all this?
You've been working very
hard running the clinic.
Tonight, you should relax
and enjoy some oysters.
What a nice surprise. Are they raw?
They are.
I've heard that oysters
have aphrodisiac properties.
Uh, I don't think that
is scientifically proven.
I don't either.
But we should at least
test out the theory.
(CHUCKLING)