The Murdoch Mysteries (2004) s18e03 Episode Script

Effie, if you don't hurry,
we're going to miss the boat.
Almost ready!
- What do you think, Tiny Tim?
- (GASPS)
Uh
Are you sure you don't want to
get dressed when we get there?
George, this whole Charles
Dickens weekend was your idea!
I thought you wanted to get
into the spirit of things.
Spirit. I see you've taken that
quite literally, Jacob Marley.
Have you done your teeth?
- Yes.
- Oh!
What do you think? Crutch or no crutch?
I have to admit I
feel a bit foolish now.
- George, we haven't got time to change!
- I know.
We've got a boat to catch.
- Right.
- Hop on!
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Remarkable!
Absolutely remarkable.
A new invention, Detective?
Ooh, ah, well, it's
an improved invention.
You may recall a device of mine
some like to refer to as the Trackizer?
Of course. An extremely
useful invention,
if somewhat conspicuous for the wearer.
Yes.
Correct, um,
this tracking prototype
allows me to determine
the precise location
of this sensor represented
by a steel ball bearing
and powered by electrical
coils and magnets.
Does it have a name?
The, uh (SNAPS FINGERS)
Map-o-Matic?!
Geographic Probability Sensor.
Hm.
And this G.P.S. you would
attach the tracking sensor
to an individual you're surveilling?
Yes.
I've installed transmitters
in all of the police call boxes.
They work together to triangulate
the location of the sensor.
They are, in turn, all connected
to one central location,
which is, in turn, affixed to the model.
And this will work?
Well, the device's range is limited,
so it would have to be someone we know
won't be walking too far away.
Henry!
Sirs?
Oh, is this some kind of maze?
I don't like mazes.
Can't see the point.
A straight line is always faster.
It's a model of our area, Henry.
I need you to walk your regular beat
and then stop somewhere
and we will use this
G.P.S. device to locate you.
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
I didn't mean you should
take off all your makeup.
It's fine.
How's your stomach?
The deckhand said
he's never seen someone
get so seasick on a river.
Well, I have a delicate
constitution, you know?
- Mm-hmm.
- Welcome!
Welcome!
You must be Mr. and Mrs. Crabtree.
Patrick Tavistock.
I am honoured to be your
host at this very special
centenary celebration of Dickens's birth
here at my very own Bleak House! Ha-ha!
Have you been here long?
(BIRDS CAWING)
Mr. Tavistock?
(BIRDS CAWING)
Mr. Tavistock?
Huh?
Did you know that Dickens
himself is said to have visited
this house on his North
American tour in 1842?
Imagine!
How wonderful!
Wonderful! Yes! Indeed.
Come in, come in!
So, Mr. Tavistock,
you're the president of
the Dickens Fellowship?
Of the Ontario Chapter.
Excellent costumes, by the way!
What do you think of mine?
Yours?
Uh, excellent. Bravo!
Edwin Drood himself,
presumed victim of Dickens's
unfinished mystery novel.
Ah! Very good.
And this, of course,
is Grip, named in honour?
Of Dickens's pet raven.
That's a very striking ring.
Thank you, my dear. Dickens's own.
Do peruse the memorabilia
case when you have a moment.
Many Dickens items from
my personal collection
on display, as well as a few
treasures on loan.
Come, come!
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- Fellow Dickensians!
I have a very exciting surprise.
- Oh?
- But first,
there is a small
matter I must attend to.
In the meantime,
please continue enjoying
the Smoking Bishop punch.
Ha-ha!
(MOANING)
Oh!
I suppose you shall be
haunting me presently.
Oh, you're, uh, dressed as Scrooge.
I am. Bertram Gower,
biographer and historian.
I'm Effie Crabtree, Crown Attorney,
and this is my husband, George.
- Ooh!
- This is Clayton Selwood.
He's a a playwright who
directs our theatricals.
Mr. and Mrs. Crabtree.
- The Artful Dodger.
- Ah, well spotted!
(CHUCKLING)
And what do you do, Mr. Crabtree?
I'm a member of the
Toronto Constabulary.
And a writer. He's published
several wonderful novels.
Oh! A fellow scribe!
You must meet Miss Lila Chester,
our group's most prodigious reader
and that is saying something. Hm?
- Ah, Miss Havisham, Great Expectations.
- Yes!
And like Miss Havisham, I
too have been unlucky in love.
Left at the altar.
Oh, well, that must have
been quite an ordeal.
Pfft. Twenty years ago, darling.
But at least this way I get
some use of my wedding dress.
(CHUCKLING)
That wasn't directed at you, Bertie.
Bertie and I broke things off
last year. He's a bit sensitive.
A unique interpretation of events.
Oh, the gang's all here.
- Uh-oh.
- Not again.
- Tiresome.
- Who is that?
She claims to be
Dickens's granddaughter,
but, uh, no one really believes her.
This is far more of an intimate
gathering than I expected.
Mm. I suppose the journey
was too much for some.
I don't know why we
couldn't meet in Toronto.
- Oh.
- Just because Tavistock
bought himself an island.
Bertie's still sour about
losing out at auction
to Patrick for Dickens's cameo ring.
It didn't even fit him properly!
- Bertie, oh!
- Bertie,
at least you have mementos
that Dickens's family
gave you when you were
researching your biographies.
How can a poor playwright, like myself,
ever outbid a man with
pockets as deep as Patrick's?
Where is Patrick?
He was so excited to
reveal his surprise.
- No, go on! Go on!
- (CLANKING)
Good heavens. What was that?
Fire!
- George!
- Oh!
(COUGHING)
Where's Patrick?
Are you all right?
- Yes.
- Oh!
A note!
Wha
It says, "He would
make a lovely corpse."
(THEME MUSIC)
Well, the note sounds like a threat.
"He would make a lovely corpse."
Oh! That's actually a quotation
- from Martin Chuzzlewit.
- Oh!
- Martin who?
- Oh.
I it's a Dickens novel.
Still, it's very suspicious.
And we don't know who wrote this note
and I swore I heard shouting.
- That's definitely Patrick's handwriting.
- Oh!
This must be the surprise
he was talking about!
So maybe this could be a game.
Huh. Patrick does love his
puzzles, just like Dickens.
Oh! And he was dressed as Edwin Drood.
Oh!
Who vanishes in the Dickens novel.
- Oh.
- So,
our host has contrived
his own disappearance.
Dirk Datchery, detective.
Ah, yes. The detective from
The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
Very good. But, sir, now is hardly
the time for costume playacting.
There's something
written on the other side.
It says, "So it begins"
and then "dash north."
Ah! Ah! This settles it.
We have a conundrum on our hands!
- Ooh!
- I think you're right.
- (LAUGHING)
- What's this?
It looks like a piece of grass.
- I think it's parsley.
- Aha!
I deduce our host has garnished
the scene for our delectation.
- Ooh!
- Why set fire to his own house?
Doesn't make any sense.
That is why we must puzzle it out!
Come, Mr. Crabtree.
We must solve the
mystery of Edwin Drood!
(LAUGHING)
Did Mr. Tavistock seem
worried about anything earlier?
No! Exhilarated, if anything.
Look, this case has a
six-letter pass-lock.
Ooh, hoo, hoo, hoo.
The passcode is almost certainly
connected to the Drood mystery.
Could it be the name
of the character Dickens
intended to be Drood's killer?
Well, who did Dickens
intend to be the killer?
Nobody knows.
It's Jasper. The wicked uncle.
Oh? Ha! Jasper.
Yes!
- No.
- Oh!
Try Helena, Helena Landless.
- Mm-mm.
- I know!
- It's Puffer.
- Thank you.
Princess Puffer of the opium den.
Ha!
Are these all character names?
(SCOFFS)
Uh, perhaps it's just Dickens?
I mean, he's the ultimate
killer, if you think about it.
D-I-C-K-E-N-S.
Oh, never mind.
What about the note?
Shouldn't we be focused on the note?
- Yes!
- Indeed.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
The ball hasn't moved in some time.
Henry seems to have
stopped at Scott's diner.
They have a lemon pie special today.
Then let's go have a slice.
No, I've never been.
I don't think we've met, Miss?
Dickens.
Tanis Stony Dickens,
Charles Dickens's granddaughter.
Why is it that no one believes
you're Charles Dickens's granddaughter?
Maybe because I don't look the part?
But apparently, it's because
I lack evidence to back it up.
My father Francis
sold off his heirlooms,
including a pocket
watch to Mr. Tavistock.
Dickens's son, Francis Dickens,
was a member of Canada's
Northwest Mounted Police,
but he died, childless, at 42.
It's well-documented.
George.
I think those two must
be sweet on each other.
- Who? Him and her?
- Yes, they keep lurking around one another.
Mr. Datchery.
He's never been to one
of these things before.
Maybe "dash north" means
we should search the island?
But the door was locked,
and it leads south.
- Oh, damn!
- No, no, no!
We need to be clever.
Patrick loves word play.
What if "dash north" is an anagram?
Oh! (LAUGHING)
Uh
Shorthand.
"Dash north" is an
anagram for shorthand.
Well, there's no shorthand written here.
Unless there is.
Invisible ink.
(LAUGHING)
That's Dickens's shorthand!
Uh, hm? What's that?
When Dickens was a
parliamentary reporter,
he developed his own
notation, unreadable to anyone!
This must be why Tavistock
insisted I bring my own documents.
I have Dickens's only
extant shorthand key.
Come, everyone, it's
in the display case.
Is this supposed to be open like this?
(SIGHING)
- (GASPS)
- No!
Patrick promised us he
would keep it locked.
Is anything missing?
Dickens's pocket watch is gone.
It's the only item missing.
It must be another clue from Patrick!
In The Mystery of Edwin
Drood, Drood's watch and chain
were the only traces of him ever found
after his mysterious disappearance.
Tavistock must have
planted the watch somewhere
to further hint at his location.
Are you sure it's not simply a robbery?
I deduce if it were truly a robbery,
the glass would be smashed.
Not to mention all my valuable
memorabilia is still here,
including the shorthand key.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Henry.
Where's your uniform?
Well, uh
It was stolen, sir.
Are you eating pie?
Well, couldn't very well go out
in this state of undress, could I?
There's a couple slices
left if you're interested.
It's good.
So, the missing pocket watch,
that belonged to your father?
So she claims.
Yes.
He inherited it from Charles.
Then shortly before my father's death,
he sold it to Mr. Tavistock.
Yes, and at the price
Patrick says he paid,
I could almost have afforded it myself!
What I wouldn't give.
So you really wanted that watch?
Oh, oh. Desperately!
But I didn't steal it! (LAUGHING)
Maybe your line of work has given you
a suspicious nature, Mr. Crabtree.
But I am certain this
is all simply a game.
Is that another L?
Are you acquainted with Mr. Datchery?
L, L. All!
No. No, no. I, uh,
I-I've only met him today.
This one could be an R.
Oh! Yes, it is!
Uh, so this could be year.
And this is the symbol
for round, or around.
All year round.
(GASPS)
(TOGETHER): All The Year Round!
(LAUGHING)
That's one of Dickens's periodicals!
Tavistock is sure to keep
bound volumes in the library.
Oh, ho.
- (BIRD CAWING)
- Ah! Oh! Oh!
(GASPS)
Oh! Ha, ha! A dead Drood!
Oh! Patrick has really
outdone himself this time.
(CHUCKLING) We must now investigate
who has done this dastardly deed!
And congratulations, my friend,
on a superb entertainment.
(LAUGHING)
I'm afraid this is no entertainment.
Huh?
Our host is dead.
Mr. Tavistock was acting irrationally.
Do you think he was ill?
I'm afraid not.
He was bludgeoned with a heavy object.
No, no weapon is
apparent, Mrs. Crabtree,
this most certainly was murder,
murder most foul, as
foul as a killer's dark
Murder. Yes, Mr. Datchery.
The culprit must be one of us.
There's nobody else in the house.
One of us?!
We all left the den at least once.
You left to look for the raven,
Mr. Gower left to fetch pipe tobacco.
I myself left innocently twice.
Indeed, Miss, yes.
Any one of us could have
committed this wretched crime
and I intend to find out who.
- You?
- Ah, yes.
I am a detective, after all.
Rest easy, Mrs. Crabtree.
I will solve this mystery
and ensure Mr. Tavistock's
killer is found.
He still has his billfold and a key.
The key is for the memorabilia case.
But look, his ring is missing.
And the missing pocket watch
isn't on his person, either.
- I wonder if the killer
- Killer took them!
Look!
Here's a volume of All the Year Round.
And there's another note inside.
"When it all began."
Mr. Datchery, the game is over.
- Now, this candlestick
- This calendar is askew.
This candlestick seems
to be one of a pair.
I wonder if the missing one is our
Murder weapon!
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- How many thieves were there?
- Were four.
Gigantic brutes!
Mm, most of them, anyway.
When I tried to arrest them, sir,
they laughed at me and
they stole my clothing.
- Oh, well, that's good.
- Good?
Yes. It means they've unwittingly
stolen the G.P.S. sensor.
And we can track them
using your new invention.
(CHUCKLING) Come along, Constable.
Uh, we'll have to get you a new uniform.
Uh, will I have to pay for that, sir?
(CLEARS THROAT)
Are you satisfied?
Yes, thank you.
So nobody has the watch or the ring.
- Or the candlestick.
- (GRUNTING)
Good Heavens! What are they doing?!
I asked them to move the body.
It was distressing the ladies.
It's compromising evidence, man!
Sir, there is no need for concern.
I have a photographic recollection.
I've committed all the
relevant details to memory.
Ha!
He is no master sleuth.
He is Dr. Carmichael Doughty,
the lout who jilted me at
the altar twenty years ago!
I recognized you at once, Carm.
The name is Datchery
and do you blame me for
coming fully in costume
knowing this is the reception I'd get?
So you lied about not knowing him.
Well, clearly, I never knew him,
or else I wouldn't
have been standing alone
at the altar on our wedding day!
(CLEARS THROAT) Right, then.
Now that everybody has been searched,
I will comb through the rest
of the house for the watch,
the ring, and the candlestick.
- I will assist you.
- Oh, no, you will not.
In fact, Effie will escort
everybody into the den.
- And keep them there.
- Of course.
I'll see what else I can find out.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
I think it's stopped.
I know that building.
It's an abandoned furniture warehouse.
- Should we bring them in?
- No.
If they've stolen a police uniform,
they may have something bigger
in mind than robbing a diner.
And if we leave now, they might depart
- while we're not watching.
- Precisely.
That's why there's another
device I think we should use.
Most of you were acquainted
with Mr. Tavistock.
Can you think of any reason
someone would wish him harm?
Bertie was obsessed with
Patrick's cameo ring.
Of course she accused me.
Miss Chester is just bitter!
- Oh!
- Maybe she went after Tavistock herself!
We all know she has a fiery temper!
Bertie, don't! Please.
Mr. Gower was jealous
that Mr. Tavistock gave me
Dickens's tortoiseshell
match case just last month.
(GASPS)
Maybe he did kill poor Patrick!
- Ah, that's absurd. I'm not a killer!
- Neither am I!
The two of you probably did it together.
- How dare you!
- Together?
- Oh, never!
- Do stop quarrelling, please!
I'd sooner do away with
Bertie than Patrick any day!
And I'd sooner die
alone than be with you!
- I hope you do die alone
- Here.
- What's this?
- A Dickens adaptation.
It's the only thing
that will calm them down.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
The target has started
to move again, Inspector.
It's time to go.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(BIRD SQUAWKING SOFTLY)
Oh, for Pete's sake!
I thought I told you to stay out of it?
I didn't want to deprive you
of my powers of observation.
Ooh. What have you gathered?
Ah! Wig glue, I see.
Yes.
Yes, that's mine.
I found this in Tanis Dickens's room.
I'm not quite sure what
it's supposed to be.
Another Drood costume, I believe.
Princess Puffer.
Perhaps she planned to wear it
and then thought better of it.
I found all these Dickens
portraits in Mr. Gower's room.
This one was under his pillow.
He loves his Dickens.
- Perhaps a little too much.
- Mm.
(MOANING)
- Good grief.
- Oh.
'Tis a day to be remembered
when Master Copperfield pays us a visit.
I trust you are well, Mrs. Heep.
Thank you, Master Copperfield.
We've looked forward to
your visit for a long while.
We had feared our
'umbleness stood in the way.
I assure you that's not the case, ma'am.
- Boo! Boo!
- Shh!
Why should I humour a man
who may well be the killer?
- Huh!
- This horrendous performance reminds me:
Tavistock bad-mouthed
your last two flops
to all our mutual friends.
My plays are very well-respected!
Nobody likes your plays, Mr. Selwood.
Least of all any critics.
Nobody likes you, you fabulist!
And yet you keep insisting on
showing up to our gatherings
in some sort of p-p-perverse
display of defiance!
(CLICKING)
- Do you hear that?
- Yes. My senses are very keen.
(CLICKING CONTINUES)
(SCREAMING)
(SIGHING)
Give me that!
Who are you?
I'm the cook.
You're not cooking.
You're stealing from Mr.
Tavistock, who was just murdered.
Where have you been all night?
Hm.
He's dead, is he?
God forgive me, but I don't
much care for the new master.
And I haven't seen him all night.
Is that right?
Turn out your pockets.
(BOTH): Parsley!
Just like the parsley found in the foyer
when Mr. Tavistock disappeared.
All right.
I was in the foyer.
Mr. Tavistock let me in.
I told him I wanted more money
if I was going to cook for you lot.
He told me to go and find
and take whatever I want.
Oh, just take whatever you want?
Is that why you're smashing into
his money chest with an icepick?
With his permission!
Just couldn't find the key.
What's going on in here?
I think we may have found our murderer.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(SIGHING)
I don't see anyone in uniform.
Are you certain your device is working?
The thieves should be just ahead of you
on your left, Inspector.
I see him!
All right, very carefully,
see what he gets up to.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
George.
Hm.
- I can't sleep.
- What?
Are you sure the cook is guilty?
- Oh, Effie.
- What about the watch and the ring?
Why would she hide those
if she was openly stealing?
Effie, I don't know.
I just know I'll sleep
better with that wild-eyed,
icepick woman locked
safely away for the night.
(SIGHING)
(SIGHING)
It's no use. I need a book or something.
Maybe I will read some
Dickens, after all.
(CLOCK TICKING)
(THUDDING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
He stopped.
He's lingering behind a bank
and there's a special
fortified motor car with guards.
Stay there and keep watching.
He's watching them bring a deposit in.
But if I move, he'll see me.
He's leaving.
Uh
Right. Uh, stay with him
and I'll come find you.
That might be best.
I think they're planning
a large withdrawal.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
Is someone there?
- (THUD)
- (GRUNTING)
You make a good point.
About the coo Effie?
Help! Oh! Somebody help!
Effie?
I found her out here on the floor.
Effie, are you all right?
- George?
- What happened?
I saw a light under that doorway
and then somebody hit me.
It's locked.
(GRUNTING)
(GASPS)
Good Heavens!
It's Mr. Gower.
Is he dead?
And the missing murder weapon.
I think we've found
Mr. Tavistock's killer.
Should we let Datchery in?
He is a doctor, according to Lila.
Well, a doctor's not going
to do much now, Effie.
This certainly could
have been the weapon
used to kill Mr. Tavistock.
Mr. Gower doesn't seem to
have any sort of marks on him.
Effie.
Perhaps he took the opium
and then drowned himself?
Someone else could have drugged him.
That would explain the pyjamas.
Unless he was extremely modest.
Could we close his eyes?
His pupils are huge and staring.
I noticed Tavistock's
pupils were dilated
when he was greeting everybody,
right before he disappeared.
You know
Opium has the exact
opposite effect on pupils.
It contracts them, almost to pinpoints.
Well, if that's the case,
someone's placed this opium bottle here.
This whole scene has been staged.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
So, after witnessing the bank delivery,
you and the Inspector tracked
the thief back to the warehouse.
Yes, where our tracking
ball is now stopped.
And why aren't we
arresting the thieves now?
When we're in the position
to prevent a crime?
- Well
- Instead, we sit in judgment,
like all-seeing gods,
waiting for these flawed
mortals to fail yet again.
We are only surveilling one
person, Watts, a known thief.
I was the one that made the
decision, Detective Watts,
that it would be far more valuable
to catch them in the act.
And if Detective
Murdoch's hunch was right,
that was a main bank that the
thief was watching last night,
- so it frequently rece
- receives deposits
- from the smaller branches?
- Yes.
And I'm told the deposits
arriving this morning
are the biggest of the week.
So you think both men were
drugged with the same substance?
It stands to reason, but
I don't think it was opium.
They both had dilated pupils
and Tavistock was nearly giddy.
The cook also described
him as acting strangely.
Maybe he really did encourage her
to help herself to his money.
I recently read about
Devil's Breath tea.
It leaves one in a highly
suggestible trancelike state,
easily controlled by others.
They make a drug from the plant.
It's a, an anesthetic used
in surgeries. Scopolamine.
George, do you think
somebody could have snuck it
into Mr. Gower's tobacco?
There's his pipe.
Which means this is his teacup.
Look!
Not just leaves, as in our
cup, but seeds and stems.
What do you think?
I think Tavistock and Gower
were drugged with Devil's Breath tea,
making them easier to kill.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Our vantage point here is
not ideal, Detective Murdoch.
We can't see what's happening
without revealing our position.
Yes.
Here, use this, Inspector.
Oh. Ooh.
IT'S MY INVENTION: a circumscope.
Oh my! I can see everything!
Shh, shh.
The thief is distracting the driver!
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
His accomplices are taking the money.
- Should we move in?
- Not yet.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(GRUNTING)
They're going to drive away!
Now, Henry!
(TIRES POPPING)
Toronto Constabulary!
(GRUNTING)
The thief is getting away!
(PANTING)
(GRUNTING)
(PANTING)
Brains and brawn.
I'm impressed.
Thank you, sir.
I'll be wanting that uniform back.
I just got those pants broken in.
Mr. Gower did not take his own life.
He was killed by the same
person who killed Mr. Tavistock.
We believe both men were
drugged before they were killed.
- Now
- I have deduced what truly happened!
Mr. Tavistock planned
this entire weekend
around Dickens's Edwin Drood,
and Drood is exactly what
it all comes back to.
Now, the "all the year round" clue
actually points to this calendar,
which is set to the wrong date.
Did nobody notice?
The next clue,
"when it all began," is a hint
to the date we should turn to:
Dickens's birthdate, of course.
That's February the 7th.
Ah!
(GASPING) "EDROOD."
Why? Because Tavistock
imagined that Edwin Drood
faked his own murder to expose
his uncle's deadly designs.
And perhaps Tavistock knew
exactly what Dickens intended
because hidden inside the briefcase
is the real ending of Edwin Drood!
- (ALL GASPING)
- Dickens finished it, after all.
Tavistock acquired it,
and someone here was
willing to kill for it.
But who?
Why, the failed dramatist,
of course, Selwood.
Selwood had flop after flop.
His only success is in
staging Dickens adaptations.
And what a coup to mount
the first complete Drood
with Dickens's original ending!
Well, tha that-that's
not the real ending!
Why, why, it's, it's typed on
a typewriter, for pity's sake!
No, it's probably the one Tavistock
was writing six months ago!
Wh-Why would I kill for it?
Personally, I prefer my own!
(CHUCKLING) You, you have to believe me.
Well done, Mr. Datchery.
You may not have unmasked the killer,
but you've solved Mr.
Tavistock's parlour game
with the greatest of ease.
But perhaps too much ease?
The murderer must've
been privy to the game
that Mr. Tavistock was playing with us,
for the killer needed
inside knowledge of his plan.
Specifically, how Tavistock
was able to disappear.
And these murders weren't about Drood.
They were about love.
Several times since
arriving at Bleak House
I've felt cold drafts.
First, in the foyer,
shortly after Tavistock's disappearance,
and again, here,
when I was examining a
very strange row of books.
Have any of you ever
heard of Lard Times?
The Old Curiosity Slop?
- Huh.
- No?
- David Lobsterfield?
- (CHUCKLING)
I may not know much about Dickens,
but I do know that
these are not real books,
and this is not a real bookcase.
It's a secret passage.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(GASPING)
The killer knew that Tavistock
used the secret passage to disappear.
So, he slipped in afterward
and caught him by surprise.
Being a doctor in real life,
Mr. Datchery knew of a
drug called scopolamine.
Is that right?
He used it to make
his victims compliant.
These murders were really
about Datchery's love for Lila.
He came to win her back,
but first he needed to clear
the field of his rivals:
Tavistock, who was wooing her
with Dickens's memorabilia,
and Gower, whom he feared
was hoping to reconcile.
'Tis true. I, I did attend this weekend
because I love Miss Chester
and I've always regretted leaving her,
but I did not kill those men.
For two decades, I have
suffered for my mistake
in leaving the most enchanting
woman I have ever known.
Miss Chester,
I hope I can persuade you to forgive me.
There's nothing to forgive, Carm.
- Really?
- You don't believe this, George.
Surely you don't!
Well, you and Mr. Datchery
tell interesting tales, Effie,
but what about the missing
ring, the missing pocket watch?
The stories are good,
but there are plot holes.
(BIRDS SQUAWKING SOFTLY)
I think I have it.
Mr. Datchery, you were right.
The evening was intended
to be about Drood.
Tavistock was excited
to unveil the new ending
he'd written for Dickens's
unfinished mystery,
and he'd laid out an elaborate
puzzle to entice his guests.
I imagine he planned to
plant the pocket watch
as a later clue,
probably before revealing
the secret passage.
Effie, you were right.
Tavistock used that
passage to disappear.
- Oi!
- But he was startled
when he was confronted by the cook.
You have to pay more!
Gimme more money!
More money. Fine! Fine! Help yourself.
Being in a highly suggestible
state from his drugged punch,
he agreed with her that
she should help herself
to more money, but, uh,
being in this muddled state,
he also dropped his
lantern, starting a fire.
The killer later followed Tavistock
through the secret passage and
killed him here in the library.
The Devil's Breath tea
would have made that easy.
Just as Gower's drugged tea
would have made it easier
for the killer to suggest to him a bath
and then drown him
with little resistance.
The killer then left two items
at the scene of Gower's death.
One, a candlestick
suggesting it was Gower
who murdered Tavistock and, two,
a vial of opium suggesting he
had then taken his own life.
But how did the killer know
about the secret passage?
For that, it either had to be
someone who'd been here before,
or someone who'd known
someone who'd been here before.
Dickens had been here before in 1842.
He knew about the secret passage.
From Dickens, that information
was passed on to his son, Francis,
and from Francis, it was passed on
to his daughter.
You hated Gower.
He'd always denied your birthright,
always said that you
weren't truly a Dickens.
And you were infuriated with Tavistock
for buying the pocket watch
which you believed was properly yours.
In fact, that's why among all
sorts of valuable memorabilia,
the only item stolen
was that pocket watch.
As for the ring, the culprit
is someone else entirely.
Gower told us the ring
didn't properly fit Tavistock,
and when he was killed,
it fell from his finger
onto the floor, and being a bright,
shiny object, it was collected by
Grip.
(GASPING)
I did know about the passage.
My father mentioned it to my mother,
who told me about it.
And you're right.
I was angry.
Gower sneered at my claim.
And Tavistock bought
my legacy for a song
when my father was down on his luck.
(GASPING)
You people all idolize my grandfather.
He wasn't always that nice of a man.
He only gave his pocket
watch to my father
because he considered him a
wastrel who was always late.
I brought a costume,
but I didn't need to dress up.
None of you could ever see
me for all that I really am:
A proud daughter of my ancestors.
And a true descendant
of Charles Dickens.
Did that breakfast gruel
taste a little off to you?
Well, I don't think the cook was
thrilled about being locked up.
Huh. I, I think perhaps
next year, we'll go back
to our usual Dickens birthday
brunch in the city, hm?
Perhaps an occasion for my
new production of Edwin Drood.
Hm.
Best of luck.
And? What of you two?
Well, we are to be
wed as soon as possible
before he runs away again! (LAUGHING)
I deduce I've waited
much too long as it is.
Come along, dear.
Farewell.
George.
How is it you knew so much
about Devil's Breath tea?
Actually, I've been doing
a little bit of research
into poisons and the like.
I hope I can trust your intentions.
Of course you can.
But I've been thinking
You want to write another book.
I do.
Ah, seeing these people
so profoundly influenced
by the work of a writer.
It's been strange, but inspiring.
You need to get back to writing.
Even if that means going away somewhere
for a while to get
your head back into it.
If I did, I'd miss you.
Terribly.
I'd miss you, too.
But telling stories is
a part of who you are.
What will it be about?
It will be a fictionalized
account of some of the cases
the Detective and I
have worked on together.
Ah. Like Holmes and Watson?
Uh, somewhat, but in my telling,
the assistant will be the clever one.
I mean, all the best fiction
is based somewhat in reality.
Detective Murdoch.
A moment of your time, please.
(SIGHING)
Yes?
There's something I need you to see.
Follow me.
Constable, hit the switch.
(EPIC MUSIC)
I thought your devices
deserved a room of their own.
Thank you, Inspector.
This is wonderful.
A place for your amazing inventions.
And for all the new ones yet to come.
(THEME MUSIC)