"Calm yourself, Nancy, or you'll be chipping the fine china." " Imagine the trouble then!" " Don't joke at a time like this!" " Don't fret." "All will be well." " Billy, I'm worried..." " Three cups, Nancy." " Make it four." "Another's expected." "So, did you do it?" "Did you do it?" " Your tea, sir." " Oh, wonderful." "Much thanks." " Two lumps, yes?" " Yes, sir." "Oh my, lovely aroma!" " Good morning, Constable Crabtree." " Ah, sir!" "Detective, this is Mr Heward." "Mr Heward, Detective Murdoch." "Mr Heward is the butler, sir." "I take it you'll be forgoing tea, Detective?" "Yes." "That'll be all, Billy." " What have you, George?" " Sir, the housekeeper discovered..." "I'm very sorry, sir." "The housekeeper discovered the body at 8:30." "The victim's wife was the last to see him alive at quarter past." "A difference of 15 minutes." "A small window of opportunity." "Mr Heward, was there any sign of an intruder?" "No, sir." "The windows and doors were intact." "A possible murder weapon, sir." "Yes." "But there's no blood on it." "The killer could have wiped it clean." "I'll have it dusted for finger marks in any case." "Very good, George." "Gentlemen, if there's nothing further required for the moment?" "No, Mr Heward, that will be all." "Thank you." "Sir, if the house was locked up tight, the killer must live here." "Yes, we'll need statements from the staff and family, George." "I have the lads seeing to that now." "Very good." "Have you notified Dr Francis?" "He's on his way, although I fear my telephone call may have interrupted his breakfast." " I take it he was less than pleased?" " As usual, sir." "What do you think he'll have to say about the cause of Mr Jenkins' death?" "Well, with his gift for stating the obvious, he'll no doubt conclude that this was not a case of poisoning." "Men's clothes exclusively." "Yes, sir." "Mrs Jenkins has a bedroom down the hall." "I believe that's common practice with these upper-crust folks." "Yes, well, two people slept in this bed last night." "Ah, at last!" "I was running out of rooms." "Dr Francis, good morning." "Hmm." "For some it is, I suppose." "That said, if we take this gentleman..." "His condition frames my unfinished boiled egg in stark perspective." "Dead less than two hours." "Nasty little hole in the head." "Doctor, would you say the gaff from a fireplace poker could be in keeping with what you see here?" "Why not?" "I'll know better when I flush and drain the wound back at the morgue, my home away from home, away from home." " Constable Crabtree!" " Sir?" " Has the house been secured?" " It has and I've posted a man here, sir." "Very good." "What have you?" "Well, sir, we have nine people in the home at the time of the murder." "Carry on." "As you know, the deceased is Percival Jenkins." "In relation to him, we have his mother, Mrs Jenkins Senior, his wife Nora, the youngest son Nicholas and his fiancée Clara Thorn." "The older son Victor is upstairs." "Apparently, he'll be along shortly." "As for servants, we have the housekeeper Miss Allen," "Nancy Booth the scullery maid, Florence Cullwick the parlour maid and Billy Slater the footman." "Hmm." "You've left out Mr Heward, the butler." "Mr Heward was at the tailor between 8:00 and 8:30 picking up a suit for Mr Jenkins." "Or so he says." " Thank you, George." "Please confirm that." " I will do, sir." "Also, the parlour maid Florence Cullwick says that she heard Mr Jenkins and his wife" " arguing about ten past eight." " Indeed?" "Thank you, George." " Is that the new coachman?" " Hush, Mother-in-law." "Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Detective William Murdoch of the Toronto..." "I hope I haven't kept you all waiting..." "Toronto Constabulary, I believe you were about to say." "Please carry on." "How like you, Victor, the grand entrance, even on the morning of Father's death!" "I'm sure you'd prefer" "I slink in guiltily as you would have, Nicholas, but, unlike you, I didn't kill Father." " Take that back!" "You take that back!" " Boys, for God's sake!" "All right, that's quite enough, both of you." "The detective has something to say." "A man was murdered in this house." "I offer my condolences and my assurance that the constabulary will bring the perpetrator of this crime to justice." "Now, you've all given your statements." "Over the next few days, we'll be comparing those statements and gathering evidence." "Detective, are you saying that we're all suspects?" "I'm merely asking that you keep yourselves available for questioning." "That will be all for now." "Thank you very much for your cooperation." "Mrs Jenkins, if you could remain." "Will you be needing anything, madam?" " Mrs Jenkins, my sincere sympathies." " Yes." "I understand you and your husband were having an argument" " shortly before he was found dead?" " Who told you that?" "What was the argument about?" "It was a personal matter." "It had nothing to do with this." "Please answer the question." "He'd been rude and impossible, as always." "Is that enough of an answer for you?" "Did you sleep in your husband's bed I ast night, Mrs Jenkins?" "No, I did not." "Thank you for your time, Mrs Jenkins." "Oh, good, a chart." "Sir, in a case with 10 suspects, careful organisation of information is paramount." "I'll make a note of that." "First task is to determine who had opportunity to kill Mr Jenkins, of those who had motive and with evidence, hopefully that list will be narrowed down to one." "And do you have any evidence?" "No, sir." " Yes, George?" " Sir, I've confirmed the butler's alibi." "Oh, bravo, Murdoch!" "One down, nine to go." "Ha!" "Also, sir, I found two sets of finger marks on the bedroom poker, the first set belonging to Florence Cullwick, the parlour maid..." "Well, that's to be expected." "Parlour maids generally tend to the fires in the big houses." "The other set belonged to Nicholas Jenkins, the youngest son." "Yes, I used the poker, attending to the fire in my father's room last night." "Isn't that usually the job of the maid?" "How absurd to ring for the maid to do something I could so easily do myself!" "What were you doing in your father's room?" "We were having words." " About?" " He had insulted my fiancée Clara." "How so?" "One of the servants had told him that Clara had gone down to their quarters to fetch some thread instead of ringing them to bring it up." "And?" "He intimated that's where Clara belonged, downstairs." "My parents feel she's not good enough for me." "But my family, to my shame, is not nearly good enough for her." "I see." "And where were you between 8:15 and 8:30 this morning?" " In the library." " Can anyone confirm this?" "Billy brought me tea and the morning papers, but that was before 8:00." "You don't think Nicholas did his old man in then?" "Sir, the guilty rarely volunteer their motive or undercut their alibi." "More than anything, he appears to be a man in love." "That's him finished with, then!" "So that just leaves the parlour maid?" "Yes, Florence Cullwick, whom, as you said, tends to every fire in the household." "Now if the murder weapon was indeed a fireplace poker, then perhaps it just wasn't the one in Mr Jenkins' room." "George, see to it that every fire poker in the house is brought in" " and dusted for finger marks." " Sure." "Will do." "Now then, I need some certainty about this murder weapon." "Ah, Murdoch, with your usual impeccable timing." "I'm off to an early dinner with my wife, then a recital." " Musical saw and spoons, no doubt!" " I only require a moment of your time." "Cause of death, wound to the head." "Approximately three and five-sixteenth inches deep." "I think your poker theory has some merit." "Wonderful." "Could you make a mould of the wound, so I can compare it to potential murder weapons?" "I've never done such a thing" " and I'm not about to start now." " Why not?" "You know, Murdoch, there is more to life than this." "This is all of them, sir." "No two are alike." "I assume they've been checked for blood and finger marks?" "Yes, sir." "No blood, and curiously enough, most of the handles have been wiped down." "I'm wondering if the killer perhaps forgot which one he used." "I imagine the parlour maid could have cleaned all of the handles during the course of her daily duties." "So this is a model of the Jenkins house, sir?" "After a crude fashion, George." "The dark chess pieces represent the Jenkins family and the white ones stand in for the servants." "Ah!" "So this is Victor Jenkins in his bedroom?" "Yes, and Victor's brother Nicholas Jenkins in the library." "This is Clara Thorn, the fiancée, in the morning room." "And Nora Jenkins, the wife, in the conservatory and so on." "George, I think if we can determine which room the murder weapon came from, we might have our killer." "Sir, I can imagine this to be some sort of board game." "Players would get clues pertaining to certain suspects." "Whoever figured out the murderer, would be the winner." "George, I'm sure people would find murder far too grave for it to be the subject of frivolous entertainment." "Oh, I hope not, sir." "I'm 12 pages into my murder mystery." "I've set it in Toronto where an ancient Egyptian curse wreaks havoc on a..." "George, have a look at this." "From this position, the black queen can see anyone entering or exiting this hallway area from either set of stairs." "Who's the black queen, sir?" "Mrs Jenkins, you were in your chair this morning having your tea." " Do you remember?" " Of course I remember." "Why shouldn't I?" "Did you happen to see anyone go into or come out of your son's bedroom?" "Yes, it was Alma going to stoke the fire." "Alma was a maid here many years ago." "Your ladyship, Alma's been gone a very long time." "It was Alma." "Has everyone gone stupid except for me?" "Percy always liked Alma." "Pretty, she was." "Looked like a swan but walked like a duck." "Oh, where is Percy anyway?" "He was supposed to take me to the opera." " Mrs Jenkins does get confused at times." " I see." "Thank you very much for your..." "What are you doing?" "I was just looking for my father's watch." " Oh, and here it is." " Please put that back." " And you, Miss Cullwick..." " I asked Florence to assist me." "You have no business being in this room." "This is a crime scene." "Quite off limits." "Apologies." "I had no idea." "Mr Jenkins, in your written statement you say that you were in bed between 8:15 and 8:30 this morning?" "Sleeping off a drinking binge, I'm afraid." "And, Miss Cullwick, you say you were in the morning room, cleaning when Mr Jenkins Senior was killed?" "Yes, sir." "Oddly, Miss Thorn made no mention of seeing you there in her statement." "I work so quietly, I'm sure she didn't notice me." " Are we free to go?" " No." "Mr Jenkins, what did you mean when you said to your brother," ""Unlike you, I didn't kill Father"?" "I was getting a rise out of him." "Nicky could no more kill Father than he could swear in front of a woman." " Anything else?" " Yes." "Stay out of this room." " Julia!" " Detective!" "I thought I might see you here." "It's wonderful to see you, though somewhat unexpected." "Yes, I know, it must be." "I dropped by to offer my condolences." "Our families are acquainted." "But you couldn't have come from Buffalo in such a short time?" " No." "I was already in town." " Oh." "Yes." "For the rest of the week, actually." "To introduce Darcy to my family." "Your fiancé." "Yes, of course." "He's just saying goodbye to Mrs Jenkins." "William, they're saying that Mr Jenkins was murdered." "What have you found?" "The cause of death was a single blow to the head." "I believe a fire poker was used." "I've asked Dr Francis to take a cast of the wound." "Yes, to determine the murder weapon." " But he's refused." " Why?" "It's simple enough." "The brain matter will cling to the plaster, so you can only do it once, but..." "Might there be another casting material that would not disrupt the victim's brain tissue?" " What are you suggesting?" " If Dr Francis were to never find out..." "William!" "I couldn't." "Such conspiratorial whispers!" "Darcy, I believe you know Detective Murdoch." " A pleasure to see you again, Detective." " And you." "Detective Murdoch was asking me to help him with a case, but I'd like to remind him that the last time he did that, the feathers quite hit the fan!" "Yes." "Well, Dr Francis has gone home..." "I would love to help you, but I can't." "My family is expecting us for dinner." "Oh, nonsense." "You can tell them you've been called away." "And I'll charm them so completely, they won't even notice you're not there." "Darcy, that's lovely but..." "I can see you want to do this." "Go on, darling." "Well, Detective, I think I may know of the perfect moulding material." " Jell-O?" " It's made of gelatine." "It should take the form of the wound without adhering to the brain tissue." "And you say this Jell-O is served as dessert?" "It's all the rage in Buffalo." "I brought some home for my family." " Hmm." "How long does it take to set?" " Not too long, if refrigerated." " Julia..." " Yes?" "It's agreeable to see you working here again." "You are missed." "Yes, of course." "You're still at odds with Dr Francis." "True, but aside from Dr Francis, I meant." "Actually, he and I are making headway." " Oh." "Really?" " Yes." "At last!" "How well did you know the Jenkins?" "My mother and Mrs Jenkins were bridge partners." "I'd sometimes be left over there to play." " What were they like?" " Victor was a hellion." "He was mean to me and even meaner to poor Nicholas." " And the parents?" " Mrs Jenkins was ruthless, her mother even worse." "They treated their servants shamefully." " And Mr Jenkins?" " I stayed away from him." " He was disturbing." " How so?" "Well, one day I was in the upper hallway during a game of hide and seek." "Mr Jenkins' bedroom door opened and a maid ran out sobbing." "When I turned around, Jenkins was standing there in a state of partial undress." "I see." "Good." "I think he's done." "Now let's see what we have." "It's somewhat stubborn." " What exactly is going on in here?" " Dr Francis..." " Dr Ogden." " At last!" "The famous Dr Ogden!" "You know, I've grown to expect duplicity from Murdoch, Doctor, but from a colleague..." "Yes, it's quite unforgivable." "I've come to make that mould you asked me for earlier, but I see you didn't trouble yourself to wait." "You told me you had no intention of making the mould." "I said I had no intention of making it at that moment!" "Surely, even here on the edge of civilisation, a man has the right to dine with his wife?" "I misunderstood." "You know, Detective, from the first day I arrived, you have, almost without exception, shown a complete lack of faith in me." "I'd like to ask you now, why the hell that is?" "It's not a lack of faith in you." "Look..." "I see." "I..." "Fifteen years in Scotland Yard to reach the top of my profession, all gone to reward of black flies and snowstorms, all in the service of my wife's happiness." "I've moved to her hometown." "I valued that above all else, her happiness, or once did." "I should never have left." "I don't belong in Toronto." "You can have your morgue back, Dr Ogden." "No, Dr Francis, that's not what I'm here for." "I've no doubt you actually believe that." "But we belong where we belong." "Good evening to you." "I was the one who convinced the top brass to bring Dr Francis over here in the first place." "Now, thanks to you, I look like a bloody fool!" "He's booked his passage home." "His wife telephoned Chief Constable Stockton in tears." "Well, sir, if Dr Francis was truly not happy..." "Of course he's not happy here, Murdoch, but he might not have noticed if it wasn't for you!" "And why does everyone want to be happy these days anyway?" "Besides which," "I don't care if Dr Francis is as happy as a pig in its own filth." "I care if I'm happy and I'm bloody well not!" "And..." "Bloody hell, I've lost my train of thought!" "Well, then, sir, perhaps we should discuss the Percival Jenkins murder case." "Aside from dancing the two-step with Dr Ogden, you'd best have something to show for this." "I do, sir." "The murder weapon from the main floor parlour." " Who said the killer was in the parlour?" " No one, sir." "The point is, the shape of the gaff is the same as that of the mould that Dr Ogden took." "Any finger marks?" "Yes, sir, a thumb print on the shaft here, belonging to Clara Thorn." " So she's your murderer, then." " I don't think so." "Of course not." "Sir, Clara Thorn was in the morning room, as observed by the footman who was serving tea at the time." " She could have snuck out." " Yes, sir." "But the handle was wiped clean of marks." "If Miss Thorn was the killer, she likely would have wiped off the entire poker, one would think." "So who wiped off the marks from the handle?" "The killer." "You've lost me." "Sir, I believe the killer wiped off several of the fireplace pokers to obscure which room he came from and which poker he used." "But we know which poker was used and we're still not further ahead!" "So, now, I've got a missing coroner and you've got nothing!" "Actually, sir, there is something else." "Percival Jenkins had been taking liberties with some of the female servants." "Right, well, the big toad in the puddle, eh?" "Someone shared Percival Jenkins' bed the night that he was killed." "Maybe she's our killer." "You'll need a name." "May I announce you, Detective?" "Before you do, Mr Heward, I have a question." " A rather sensitive one." " Of course." "I suspect that Mr Jenkins had carnal relations with some of the female servants." " Can you confirm this?" " I really cannot say, sir." "But you have your suspicions?" "Forgive me, Detective, if I appeared to imply that." "Heward!" "Is that that nosy police detective?" "Yes, madam!" "Mrs Jenkins has her moments of lucidity." "Rather unpredictably." "Interesting." " Might I announce you now, sir?" " Yes, yes." " I'll speak with the female servants." " Very good." "Yes, Mr Jenkins came to my room once." "I told the old coot I'd scream the house down if he ever tried it again." " And did he, Miss Cullwick?" " No." "He left me alone after that." "However, I believe there were others who weren't so lucky." "Forced himself on me?" "Why would you ask such a thing?" "Miss Booth, I believe Mr Jenkins made advances toward you." "I understand you fear for your employment in speaking to me of this..." "If Mr Jenkins made advances towards anyone, it was Miss Allen." "Miss Allen the housekeeper?" "I saw him put his hand on her bottom once." "She let him keep it there." "What utter nonsense!" "Mr Jenkins conducted himself with absolute decorum at all times." " He never made advances toward you?" " Never." " Yet he did toward some of the maids." " Did he?" "Perhaps you should ask his widow." "My principal preoccupation is the smooth operation of a large household." "Certainly not my husband's frivolous urges." " You knew nothing?" " Emphatically not." "Do you have any further questions?" "Yes." "What were you and your husband fighting about yesterday?" "I've already answered that question." "Mrs Jenkins, we only have your word that your husband was still alive when you left that room." "That makes you a likely suspect in this murder investigation." "Now what were you fighting about?" "My husband told Nicholas he'd be disinherited if he married Clara." "Nicholas threatened to move to Boston." "I couldn't have that." "Clara's family wasn't aristocratic enough." "What presumption!" "Clara is educated." "She's intelligent." "She cares for the less fortunate." "Now what's more important, the pedigree of a prospective wife or her character?" "But your father threatened to disinherit..." "I didn't want the old bastard's money!" "Nicky." "We would have made do." "And did you feel the same way, Miss Thorn?" "Of course." "I come from humble circumstances, Detective." "In fact, I'm not much at ease in this world." "At any rate, I doubt my father would have disinherited me." "He needed to leave his wealth to someone and he had already disinherited Victor." "Did he?" "My brother is a gambler." "He would have squandered the entire estate." "Of course I have debts." "And expediting your inheritance would be one way of resolving them." "Perhaps, but I didn't kill my father." "Certainly not at that ungodly hour." "Besides, my father had already disinherited me." "I would have nothing to gain by his death." "Unless you were to destroy the will." "That's what you were looking for in your father's room, not a watch." "Very good, Detective." "Yes, that's exactly what I was doing, but I'm not so stupid as to kill my father without having found and destroyed the will first." "Nevertheless, your father's room is right next to yours and you have no alibi." "I told you I was in bed at the time of my father's murder." "I never said I had no alibi." "So Victor the lush was milking the maid, was he?" "Florence Cullwick." "Yes." "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." "Well, sir, at least now we know why Miss Cullwick didn't mention seeing Clara Thorn in the morning room." "We also know why she said she heard the Jenkins arguing." "Victor's room is right next door to Mr Jenkins." "Carry on, Murdoch." "Detective?" "Souvenirs from the victim's pillow." "Trace evidence, George." "Thank you." "Grey ones are presumably the victim's." "And these longer ones, I believe I recognise the shade." "Also, sir, we found this handkerchief in the housekeeper's fireplace." "Sir, I think it was used to wipe the blood from the murder weapon." "Hmm." " It's monogrammed." " Yes, sir." "VA." "George..." "Bring Miss Allen in for questioning." "Why would I burn it?" "It's not even mine." "Your initials are stitched into the corner of it, Miss Allen." "Good Lord!" "My late aunt embroidered this." "I haven't seen this in I don't know how long." "Years." "I didn't kill Mr Jenkins." "Why would I?" "We also found these hairs in Mr Jenkins' bed." "I believe they're yours." "I sometimes go to his bed in the middle of the night." "It's..." "It's shameful, I know, but..." " I was lonely and..." " In love with him?" "You see, I could never have harmed Percival." "You must believe me." " Now you don't think she did it either." " I'm not certain of that." "It is possible that, in a panic," "Miss Allen used her own monogrammed handkerchief to wipe the evidence." "But, then, to leave it half-burned in her own fireplace?" "A frame-up?" "Sirs?" "Constable Worseley just telephoned from the Jenkins' house to check in." "I mentioned this handkerchief business to him." "He swears that he saw it in the wastebasket in Percival Jenkins' bedroom." "When was this?" "When he and I first arrived at the house." " And he never mentioned it?" " He didn't want to disturb it, sir." "He assumed we'd find it during our research." "But it wasn't there, George." "We checked the waste baskets after Dr Francis left." "Who else was in that room besides Worseley and Dr Francis?" "Just Detective Murdoch and myself." " And Heward, the butler." " The butler has an ironclad alibi." "I'm very sorry, sir." "George, Billy Slater the footman." " You recognise this?" " Should I?" "I would have thought so, Mr Slater." "We believe that the killer moved this from Mr Jenkins' bedroom into Miss Allen's fireplace to frame her." "I'll take your word for it." "One of my constables saw this in the wastebasket in Mr Jenkins' room before I arrived there." "Only you and Mr Heward were in that room while we were there." "Mr Heward has an alibi that rules him out as the killer." "That leaves only you." "Why would I kill Mr Jenkins?" "Because he made sexual advances toward your sweetheart Nancy Booth." " She's not my sweetheart." " I saw the two of you linking hands." "All right." "I took the handkerchief, but it weren't me that killed Mr Jenkins." "Then why did you move evidence?" "I saw it there in the waste paper basket and I said to myself," " "I'll get that old cow. "" " Miss Allen?" "You dislike her enough to frame her for murder?" "I sincerely dislike her." " You've got Billy Slater in the cells?" " Yes." " But you don't think he's the killer?" " No." "Go ahead." "Consider, sir, if Mr Slater is the killer and planned to frame Miss Allen with her monogrammed handkerchief, placing it in the wastebasket would have done the trick." "Why then move it from the wastebasket to the fireplace in Miss Allen's room?" " Why frame her twice?" " Exactly." "He's a footman, Murdoch." "Not many geniuses in that line of work." "I don't believe Mr Slater for a minute when he says he moved the evidence out of a sincere dislike for Miss Allen." "But if he's not the killer, as you say, he took an awfully big chance to frame her." "He gets caught with that bloody thing, he could hang for that." "So either Mr Slater is a reckless fool or he had motive for moving the evidence that he hasn't admitted to." "Why would Billy do such a thing?" "I've never done him any wrong." "Then perhaps you've wronged someone Billy was partial to?" "No." " Nancy Booth comes to mind." " I might have done." "She's the reason I went to talk to Mr Jenkins when I found him dead." " Nancy was proving to be unsuitable." " Oh?" "How so?" "She wasn't doing her job properly." "I've forgotten the cutlery." "She's lying." "There's no harder worker than Nancy." "She does whatever Miss Allen asks and more." "Then why would she want Nancy dismissed?" "Nancy wouldn't have been the first." "From what I've heard, they've fired more than a few girls over the years who have found themselves in trouble." "Three months, I'd say." "Has your morning sickness subsided yet?" " Mmm-hmm." " Who is the father, Miss Booth?" "Was it Percival Jenkins?" " And Miss Allen knew?" " Of course I knew." "Nancy was sick in the mornings and looking fuller in the face, weren't you, dear?" "I've seen that too many times in this house not to recognise it." "That's why you went to speak to Percival Jenkins?" "You knew he was responsible?" "He certainly was not." "Nancy is no better than all the other dolly mops who paraded themselves in front of him all these years." "Seducing him with their glances and their smiles." "These dolly mops, as you call them, were coerced and made pregnant by a man you are so eager to defend, then thrown out onto the streets with child by you!" "How many were there, hmm?" "What became of them?" "It appears that in the Jenkins' household there is a history of young girls meeting this fate as Nancy Booth." "What options would such a girl have?" "Not many." "More than likely take to the streets." "George!" "Sir?" "Find out what you can about young women that have been dismissed from service in the Jenkins' household." " I'll make some inquiries." " To what end, Murdoch?" "There's no law against dismissing a pregnant maid." "No justice to be found here." "Except the one that would put a noose around Nancy Booth's neck." " You think she did it?" " She certainly had motive." "Her life was about to be destroyed." "Scullery maids don't normally go upstairs." "She'd be taking a hell of a risk." "Not if Billy Slater made sure the coast was clear." "He was serving tea at the time, he would have known everyone's whereabouts." "Why let Nancy do the old man in?" "And why let her walk in full view of old Mrs Jenkins?" "They probably thought she was too senile and nearsighted to be a reliable witness." "Was she?" "Mrs Jenkins has her moments of lucidity." "Sir, it's possible that old Mrs Jenkins knows more than we've been led to believe." "Ah, Detective Murdoch, there's been a development." "Yes." "Thank you." "Bye-bye." "Well, you've got your wish." "The College of Physicians and Surgeons is granting Dr Ogden special dispensation, just for this case." " Excellent." "Thank you, sir." " You've got some cheek." "Sir?" "Dr Ogden is calling for you at the morgue." "Very good." " It's only temporary, Murdoch." " Yes, sir." "Dr Ogden, what have you?" "Well, Detective, as I suspected, Mrs Jenkins' heart did indeed give out." "She died of natural causes?" "I thought so, initially, but then I found petechial haemorrhages on the surface of the lungs." "Asphyxiation?" "Well, usually in the case of smothering the haemorrhages appear around the face and the eyes." "But, with her age, the trauma likely induced a heart attack before she actually suffocated." "Murder then?" "Thank you, Doctor." "Excellent work, as usual." "My pleasure, I'm sure." "Murdered?" "Bloody marvellous." "Actually, sir, assuming the same person committed both murders, anyone lacking opportunity to kill old Mrs Jenkins can be stricken off our list for the first murder." "Billy Slater was in our cells, so he couldn't have done it." "What have you, George?" "Sir, I've confirmed that Nancy Booth and Miss Allen were in the kitchen at the time of old Mrs Jenkins' death." "Victor Jenkins was drinking in a pub." "Nicholas and Clara Thorn were in the library with Nora Jenkins discussing funeral arrangements." "Leaving only Mr Heward." "The butler is the only one with an alibi for Percy Jenkins' murder." " This is a waste of chalk." " My theory might be flawed." "Really?" "Well, sir, also I obtained the servant records from Nora Jenkins." "Not without protest, I might add." "But over the past twenty years or so, seven girls have been dismissed from the household." "On what grounds?" "Two for insubordination, two for poor work habits and three for loose morals." "Meaning they were pregnant." "Unfortunate, but irrelevant, Murdoch." "I'm not so sure, sir." "Have a look at the third name on the list." "Alma Parsons, dismissed August 30th, 1876." "It was Alma!" "Has everyone gone stupid except for me?" "I haven't seen this in I don't know how long." "Years." "George." "Find out what's become of Alma Parsons." "Sir." "Then I'm going to return to the Jenkins' mansion." "What's going on, Murdoch?" "Sir, I believe I know who committed both murders." "Good afternoon." "I have asked you all here because an arrest in these murders is at hand." "Miss Allen, you told me that it had been decades" " since you last saw this." " It's true, I swear it." "What day, specifically, did you last see it?" "What day?" "Could it be August 30th, 1876, by any chance?" " Do you recall what happened that day?" " But how would I?" "It was so long ago." "Hmm." "Alma Parsons, were she here, would be able to tell you." "Because, that day, Alma Parsons was relieved of her duties at this house." " By you." "Do you remember that?" " Yes." "It was such a flood of tears." "I gave her the handkerchief to mop up her face." "I just couldn't have her leaving this house in that state." "Do you know what became of Alma Parsons, Miss Allen?" "I heard that she passed away a couple of years ago." "But I can't see that this has nothing to do with a former servant girl." "Well, Mrs Jenkins, Alma Parsons was sent from this house for having the audacity to become pregnant by your husband, very much against her will." "Police reports from the day confirm that Alma turned to prostitution so that she and her child could eat." "That's what this has to do with a former servant girl." "Now old Mrs Jenkins was adamant that it was Alma she saw walking down the hall." "But her eyesight was too poor to make out any detail from that distance, so why did she think she saw Alma?" "We all know that we inherit our physical appearance, as well as our mannerisms, the way we speak, smile, the way we walk." "It wasn't Alma returning from the grave to avenge the wrongs that she'd endured at the hand of your husband." "No, it was the child that Alma bore." "And, by my count, she would be 23 years old now." "Isn't that right, Miss Thorn?" "This is absurd!" "Clara is not a murderer." "Sit down, Mr Jenkins." "Miss Thorn, you never imagined that the woman who was too blind and senile to even recognise you would mistake you for your own mother." "Pretty, she was." "Looked like a swan, but walked like a duck." "I was in the morning room with Nicky and his mother when she died." "I didn't kill her." "Yes, I know you didn't, but someone did." "Someone who recognised you as Alma's child the moment you walked in this house." "Mr Heward, would it be correct to state that you came to care for Miss Parsons" " during the time that she was here?" " Yes, sir." "Very deeply." "And that's why you felt the sense of responsibility to protect her daughter." "You'd overheard my instructions to dust the fireplace pokers for finger marks." "That's why you wiped down the ones in the upstairs, not knowing which one Clara had used." "Then when you and I witnessed that unpredictable moment of lucidity from Mrs Jenkins, it must have occurred to you that Clara's secret would never be safe." "So when I telephoned to say I wanted to re-interview Mrs Jenkins, you killed her to ensure her silence." "I'm sorry for all of it, Nicky." "I truly am." "Come along." "We mustn't keep the detective waiting." "You didn't have to do this for me, Heward." "On the contrary, Miss Clara." "It revolted me, what Mr Jenkins did to Alma." "But we lived in such fear of him and there seemed nothing to be done." " Nothing?" " Yes, I know." "If I'd gone with her, or helped in some other way..." " Were you there the day Alma was let go?" " Yes." "Coward that I was, I stood mute." "The murder of an old woman is hardly an act of bravery." "She knew what her son was doing to those poor girls all those years." "She raised him into what he became." "She gave the carnage he caused not a second thought." "In other words, Detective Murdoch, she deserved it." "My mother kept that handkerchief because she didn't want to forget." "After she died, I swore I'd get revenge on those responsible for the life she endured." "So you hatched a plan." "When I read Nicholas was at Harvard, I moved to Boston, encountered him, by chance, and allowed him to pursue me." "I genuinely came to care for him." "Of all of them, he's the only one that didn't deserve to be hurt." "But that was the price of keeping my promise." "Constable." "William?" "We've come to say goodbye." "It may be some time before we're in Toronto again." "We still need a coroner, Julia." "Are you certain I can't convince you to extend your leave a little while longer until we find a suitable replacement?" " I'm sorry." " Julia, please answer me honestly." "If it were possible, would you want to come back here to this work?" "Darcy, my future is with you in Buffalo." "You don't seem entirely happy there." "At least, not as happy as you seem here." "The Victoria Hospital for Sick Children here is one of the best in the world." "They've approached me in the past and I'm sure I could secure a position." "But your home is in Buffalo." "My home is wherever you are." "And, from what I've seen, you belong here." " Are you sure?" " Absolutely sure." "In that case, I would love to stay on." "I would have to apply for the job, of course." "There'd be a process." "I'm certain the inspector would give you a strong recommendation." "Well, Detective." "It appears we'll be seeing a great deal more of each other." "I look forward to it."