"William?" "Oh, hello, Julia." "Afternoon, Dr Garland." "Well, no need for formalities, Detective." "Please, call me Darcy." "Yes, of course." "Well, a delightful event." "A country fair in the midst of a metropolis." "We just saw a horse pull." "Please, Darcy, you make it sound like a city of ruse." "On the contrary." "I find Toronto a splendidly modern city." "What are you looking at so intensely, William?" "Dollhouses?" "It's more than that, Julia." "It's a miniature Toronto streetscape." "It's unlike anything I've ever seen before." "It's won first prize." "Deservedly." "It's a most intriguing model." "The faces of the people have no features." "How curious!" "The builder seems more interested in the homes than the people who live in them." "Julia, have a look at this." "The attention to detail is quite remarkable." "It's more than remarkable, look." "Ah, good heavens." "What is it?" "The figure in that room has a rifle." "I believe we're looking at a crime scene." "The model was submitted by a Bert Howland of Cherry Lane, according to the fair's organisers." "Sir, where shall I put these little figures?" "Uh, I believe they were at the end of the street here, George." "So there's someone holding a gun." "What makes you think that anyone was shot in that room?" "Consider the accuracy of scale, the attention to detail." "I'll give you that." "The builder put a gunman in that upstairs room for a reason." "Maybe this Bert Howland fellow was having a bit of fun." "An odd joke, if that's the case, sir." "A piece of fiction, Murdoch." "Don't you have a real live case to work on?" "Morning." "Don't you walk away from me!" "And where do you think you're going now?" "You know where I'm going." "You go for lunch every day!" "Don't worry about me!" "The similarity to the model, sir, it's..." "It's uncanny." "It is indeed, George." "We're about to meet a very skilled craftsman." "I believe Mr Howland lives in number six here." " Mr Howland?" " Yeah." "Detective William Murdoch, Toronto Constabulary." "Was it you that confiscated the model?" "Yes." "Excellent craftsmanship." "A fine replica of your street here." "May I ask why you saw fit to take it to the station?" "A detail was added to the model that I find most curious." "A man holding a rifle." "A rifle?" "You sure?" "Yes, yes." "In the upstairs window of your neighbour's house." "Mr Howland, if I may, what was your intention in building the model?" "I didn't build it." "That was my sister Lydia." "Ah, may I speak with her then?" "I expect her any time." "But that's puzzling." "I don't recall her adding any man with a rifle." "Detective Murdoch, this is my sister." "Hello." "Don't mind her, she won't answer you." " Is she deaf?" " No, she's feeble-minded." "Feeble-minded?" "There's other things that she's called, but that's what it comes down to." "Yet she's capable of building such an intricate model." "Did you help her?" "I grabbed the wood and such, but she, uh, works by herself." "When did she begin to build the model?" "About a year ago." "Detective..." "Lydia?" "I'm a policeman and I need your help." "Don't..." "Don't get too near her now." "Do you recall building the model of your street?" "You don't want her upset." "Do you remember, Lydia?" "It's okay, Lydia." "It's okay, shh." "Let's go inside, come inside..." "Come inside." "It's okay, it's okay..." "I'm sorry if my questions disturbed her." "Lydia has her own ways." "She doesn't like people much." "Excuse me, I need to see her." "George, begin canvassing the neighbours." "Find out if anyone knows anything about a shooting at number seven." "Yes, sir." "A shooting?" "In my house?" "Oh, now, you're just pulling my leg, Detective." "Mrs Galbraith, Lydia Howland built a model of this street and put a man holding a gun in your upstairs room." "Lydia did that, did she?" "Yes." "Do you own a gun, Mrs Galbraith?" "My hubby Mr Galbraith does." " A rifle?" " Yes, though it's not been fired in years." "I'll need to speak with him." "He's practising at the lodge." "Practising?" "He plays the trombone in the Orange Lodge band." "Ah, well, I'll need to speak with him." "About a fictitious gunman?" "Lydia is not in her right mind, Detective." "I'm not saying Bert isn't trying his best, but his wife left him." ""It's your sister or it's me," she told him, and, frankly, I don't blame her." "That daft girl should be in one of those institutions!" "Thank you, Mrs Galbraith." "What have you, George?" "Well, sir, I've spoken to several people." "Uh, Mr Caruso lives in number five with his wife." "He's very particular about his peach tree, which I find suspicious in itself." "Peach trees are very difficult to care for in our climate..." "George, carry on." "Uh, the Carusos haven't heard any gunshots." "Who lives in number three?" "That would be Felix Roach, a bachelor." "He repairs furniture." "Uh, the Draper family lives in number two, and there was no answer at number four." "Seems like a very close community where everybody's very trusting, nobody locks their doors, and nobody knows anything about a shooting." "Hmm." "Mr Galbraith at number seven does own a rifle." "So do a lot of people, Murdoch." "I've checked the police records." "There's no report of any shooting at 7 Cherry Lane." "I find it very hard to believe that such a precise model was built by an imbecile." "Ooh, sir, I believe people such as Lydia are no longer referred to as "imbecile"." "It's felt to be demeaning." " The correct term nowadays is "moron"." " Oh." "Well, I'm not sure either term fits in this particular instance." "Isn't it likely that she invented this gunman character?" "Someone would've heard a gunshot on such a small street as Cherry Lane." "Just return it to its rightful owner, Murdoch, and get on with some proper police work." " Yes, sir." " I'll pack it up, sir." "Just a moment, George." "What are you looking at, sir?" "The figure holding the gun, George." "He seems disproportionate compared to the other people on the street." "Why would that be?" "Let's pay another visit to Cherry Lane, and we'll need to access the armoury." "Yes, sir." "Right, move further back, George." "Counter clockwise." "Now left." "Your other left, George." "No." "The figure in the model is completely different." "Much smaller." "George, please ask Mrs Galbraith to grace us with her presence." "Yes, sir." "So, right here, Mrs Galbraith?" "Yes, I moved the mirror a month or so ago." "What of it?" "We appreciate your help, Mrs Galbraith." "Well, just remember you're carrying it back downstairs before you leave." "So, sir, how did you know there was a mirror in the room?" "It's the only logical explanation for the small man, George." "Lydia saw the shooter reflected in the mirror." "Why would that make him small?" "Well, George, the apparent distance of a reflected object is always greater when seen through a mirror." "Lydia was across the street." "Therefore the reflected object she saw, in this case the shooter, appeared smaller." "So then, sir, if she saw the reflection of the shooter that means he was not actually standing here at the far side of the room, but rather..." "Over here, hidden from the street." "Yes, George, raise the rifle, if you would, please." " Oh, but then the angle is wrong." " Hmm." "Completely wrong." "Sir, if Lydia depicted the back of the shooter, he would be more like..." "Exactly, that's it, George." "Don't move a muscle." "The putty around this pane is a different colour." "So this pane has been replaced." "Let's see if the owner can shed some light on the situation." "I don't know anything about a broken window, Detective." "How long have you resided here, Mrs Gordon?" "Eight months." "And who lived here previously?" "It used to be a boarding house." "And do you know who the previous owners were?" "Yes, she lives across the street." " Oh." "Which house?" " Number five." "She married Mr Caruso." "He's Italian." "A fruit pedlar." "Wooed his wife with his peaches, so the neighbours say." "May we come inside, Mrs Gordon?" "So, if the bullet travelled without interference, this would be the trajectory." "But, sir, what if the bullet entered the victim and struck bone?" "Would that not change the path of the bullet?" " Well, yes, George." " Uh, like, say..." "This!" "Or, sir, quite conceivably, even, uh, that." "Yes, conceivably, George." "Assuming that there even was a victim, sir." "But if it missed its intended target..." "Uh, sir, if I may..." "What if the bullet entered the victim and lodged there?" "It would still be inside him or her." "Yes, George, but if it missed its target..." "Or went through a soft, fleshy part of the poor devil." "Then I might find it..." "Supposed it could have missed the breast bone exiting between ribs..." "Or even, sir, if he was sitting next to the window, perhaps in through one temple and straight out through the other." "I suppose, then, there would be an off-chance" " that the bullet would end up..." " Here." "A slug from a rifle." "George, go to number seven and collect Mr Galbraith's rifle." "Yes, sir." "That's not a sound you'd forget in a hurry, sir." "No." "Yet everyone on Cherry Lane claims they didn't hear the sound of a gunshot." "We have a match." "So Mr Galbraith's rifle fired the shot." "Yes, George, but we still need evidence of foul play." "But, sir, if Mrs Gordon is telling the truth, then that bullet has been in the wall for the last eight months." "I can't imagine we'll find any evidence on it." "Well, perhaps what is hidden to us, a little science can reveal." "I suppose this is the science, sir?" "Yes, George, it's part of it." "A chemical." "Thi-nitrothol hydrozide." "In this case, it's reduced to an amino group with sodium dithionite." "Now, the chemical lies dormant until it's activated again." "In this case, with an oxidant making chemi-phosphoro-luminescence." "And I suppose we're looking for traces of blood, sir?" "Indeed, George." "Now, this compound was recently synthesised, but I managed to acquire a small sample." "Now, if any chemical traces of blood remain the solution will react with the iron in the haemoglobin." "In the haemo-goblin." "Sir, this bullet went through somebody." "Yes, George, but the question is, who?" "Mr Galbraith, we found a bullet fired from your rifle with blood on it." " Where?" " Across the street from your house." "I don't know anything about that." "My wife had no business giving my gun to you." "Your rifle may have been used as a murder weapon, Mr Galbraith." " How do you explain that?" " I have never fired the thing, not once." "I find that difficult to believe, sir." "It belonged to my father!" "It was his hunting rifle." "Ask anyone on the street." "Partial to rabbit stew, he was." "In this case, the victim may have been human." "Well, tell me then, who did I kill, when did I do it and why?" "The man has a point." "You don't have a timeline, you don't have a motive, and apart from a rifle slug with a modicum of blood on it, you don't even have proof that a crime was even committed." "You need a body, Murdoch." "Sirs, have a look at this." "There's a darker patch of earth right here." "If that represents freshly-turned soil, it could be a grave." "What's the logic of that?" "Well, sir, if Lydia saw the shooting take place, perhaps she also saw the body being buried." "Excellent reasoning, George." "Thank you, sir." "I'll fetch a shovel." "Oh, my!" "My goodness!" "Well, it's a body, all right." " Looks like a..." " What are you doing with my cat?" "Calm yourself, Mr Roach, we're just continuing our investigation." "He lived to a ripe old age and he deserves his rest." "I wonder..." "George!" " Sir?" " Have a look at this." "It's unbelievable." "Her attention to minutia is staggering." "Or perhaps, sir, she's just fond of cats." "She is childlike in some regards." "Perhaps she has an affinity toward animals." "They can't speak either." "Hmm." "Doctor." "Constable." "So, you discovered a murder took place on your model street after all." "Yes, I've determined a murder weapon and a vague timeline, but no body." "That's inconvenient." "Did you find out who built this?" "Yes." "The model was built by a young woman named Lydia Howland." "Feeble-minded, it's believed." "Yet she's capable of extraordinary skill and focus, as you can see." "I heard of such a case when I was at the children's hospital." "I wonder if your Lydia is an idiot savant." "She's deficient, yet possesses one area of brilliance." "Really." "It would explain why her figures have no features." "How do you mean?" "I've been haunted by these blank faces, now I understand." "She can't read emotion." "Human faces cause her great confusion, so she simply ignores them." "You and I communicate with eye contact, but Lydia can't do that." "Uh, thank you very much, Julia." "This has been very helpful." "Clearly I went about my first meeting with Lydia all wrong." "And you think that she witnessed a murder?" "Yes, but I have no body." "Well, I'll start searching for unidentified shooting victims in the morgue records." "Thank you." "I'll try to narrow my timeline." "Sir, the shooting occurred before the Gordons bought the former boarding house at number four." "Assuming Mrs Gordon was telling the truth." "Well, I checked with city records, sir, and Mrs Caruso did sell the house eight months ago." "We need to determine which boarders left without notice prior to that date." "Looking for wayward boarding-house tenants?" "Now, there's a bloody needle in a haystack." "George, check with Mrs Caruso." "See if she has a good memory of past boarders." " Sir, will do." " Oh, and, sir," "I'm bringing Lydia down to the station." "What for?" "She can't tell you anything." "Perhaps she can communicate in other ways." "Our small street is the only world she knows." "Without any features on the figures, how does she know who belongs where?" "She has an order in her head." "Maybe it's the way she dresses each one, I don't know." "Do your neighbours know how talented your sister is?" "No, they ignore her, at best." "Some complain of her walking up and down the street, but God knows she doesn't disturb anyone." "She hasn't talked in 25 years." "She spoke as a child?" "Yeah, she seemed normal for the first year or so, apparently, and then she gradually withdrew." "She hasn't uttered a word since." "No doctor could provide an explanation, and my parents went to their graves not knowing what was wrong." "When did she add the detail of the gunman to the model?" "I don't know." "I never noticed the figure until you showed me." "And it just shocks me to think that image was in her head." "It's all right, my dear." "It's all right." "It's all right, my dear." "It's all right." "It's all right." "Let's pick up those chess pieces." "It's all right, it's all right." "Let's pick these up." "That's it, let's pick up these chess pieces." "You see, there you go, Lydia, everything is fine." "Everything is fine." "That's it." "She likes simple tasks." "They calm her." "That's it." "That's extraordinary." "She's putting back every piece as it was." "You know, she has excellent recall." "She memorised the game?" "That's it." "Shh." "It's clear that Lydia is very sensitive to sudden, loud noises." "Like the gunshot?" "Yes, I believe the gunshot so traumatised her, that when she made the model, she recreated the shooting exactly how she saw the street, at that moment." "Even though she didn't understand the meaning of the sound." "That's correct." "So now what?" "She'll build a model of the station house at the exact moment that the two clumsy constables bumped into one another?" "Oh, I don't think so, sir." "Bert was there to calm her and distract her with the chess pieces." "When the shooting occurred, she was all alone." "Making the event an even greater trauma." "I believe so." "I still can't fathom Lydia building this by herself." "Well, sir, it's not without precedent." "Have a look at this." "That's bloody impressive." "This model was built by James Henry Pullen." "A man believed to be an imbecile who couldn't hear or speak." "He built it while living in an English insane asylum." "And you think Lydia has the same ability?" " So it would seem, sir." " Hmm." "Can you tap into what she's thinking?" "I don't know if anyone can do that, sir." "Well, if your theory's correct, Murdoch, there may be clues within the model that you haven't yet seen." "What are you all looking at?" "Mrs Caruso was very helpful, sir." "I have a list of all the tenants who left the boarding house without notice." "Sir." "Sir!" "Yes, George?" "I'm afraid there are seven of them, sir." "The inspector was right, tracking them all down will be next to impossible..." "Did any of them leave on or around June 22, 1897?" "That's a very specific date, sir." "May I ask why?" "George, when was the last time there was bunting in the streets of Toronto?" "Well, I suppose that would be Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee." "Did anyone leave the boarding house around June 22nd?" "Yes, sir." "A Grant Abrahams." "I remember it like it was yesterday." "All of us gathered at the end of the street to watch the parade." "All except the anti-royalist Abrahams." "He was miserable to the core." "He stayed behind in his room." "And when did you discover he had gone?" "He left that night." "Broke a window and stole a carpet." " A carpet?" " Yes, a good one." "Did you see the broken window that night?" "No, it was the next morning." "It was shattered glass everywhere." "Do you know of anyone who may have wanted to harm him?" "Well, Abrahams did odd jobs for Mrs Galbraith in number seven when Mr Galbraith was at work." "Now, I can't say exactly what those jobs were, Detective, but when Mr Galbraith found out, there was a real set-to between the men right in the middle of the street." "What it is?" "I was just talking to the detective, Angelo." "Talk, but not gossip, huh?" "I don't think the Galbraiths have the best marriage." "Mr Galbraith," "I now believe the murder victim on Cherry Lane is a man named Grant Abrahams, a man you had reason to kill." "Don't be ridiculous." "You deny he had designs on your wife?" "Designs on her?" "No, he had his hands on her." "I saw it with my own eyes." " Well, how did you respond?" " I beat him soundly." "Cuffed him, good and proper, right in the street." "But you continued to harbour resentment toward him." "Any man would, Detective." "Let's talk about Jubilee Day and the parade." " Jubilee Day?" " Yes." "The Jubilee parade went by Cherry Lane, did it not?" "Yes." "And everyone gathered at the end of the street to watch the parade." "Everyone but Abrahams." "Well, the lecher made no secret of his disliking the monarchy." "You knew he wouldn't be watching the parade." "What are you getting at?" "While everyone was distracted by the festivities, you returned to your house..." "Begging your pardon, Detective." "And shot Abrahams with your hunting rifle." "You're right." "I wasn't watching the parade." "Just as I suspected." "I play in the Orange Lodge band, Detective." "I was in the parade." "I remember the Orange Lodge parade on Jubilee Day." "They marched down Queen Street for three solid hours." "The only thing that Galbraith was murdering that day was The Maple Leaf Forever." "Good one, sir." "Trumpet?" "That's interesting." "According to his wife, Galbraith played the trombone." "Trumpet, trombone, triangle." "Either way, he didn't fire the rifle, so who did?" "Likely another one of the Cherry Lane residents who knew Galbraith had the gun." "And used the vantage point of the Galbraiths' house to shoot Abrahams." "Sir, I believe the murder was meant to coincide with the parade." "I checked into the parade route, sir." "It went along Queen Street East passing the end of Cherry Lane between 4:00 and 4:25 p.m." "But, if everyone was together watching the parade, will they all provide alibis for each other?" "Time to have a chat with the neighbours." "Yes, we were all at the end of the street, except for Lydia." "Did she stay at the house?" "She was sitting in her usual spot on the porch." "The commotion was overwhelming for her." "Did you know Grant Abrahams, Mr Howland?" " We all knew Abrahams." " Why is that?" "He was a troubled man who took pleasure in finding fault in everyone." " And we all seemed to annoy him." " In what way?" "Mr Galbraith played his trombone too loudly." "Mr Roach's cat sat in his windowsill too often." "Mr Caruso parked his fruit cart all wrong." "Did you argue with Abrahams?" "He didn't like Lydia walking past his window." " So you fought." " More than once." "So, if it's suspects you're looking for, I'd be on that list." "Did anyone else have reason to dislike Abrahams?" "Do you know about him and Mrs Galbraith?" "I do." "What about it?" "Well, after Mr Galbraith found out," "Abrahams turned his affections to Mrs Draper, and Mrs Galbraith was none too happy about that." "Yes, Mr Abrahams did take a shine to Mrs Draper." "Such a bird-like creature with a nervous disposition." "I never understood the attraction." "But you felt spurned." "My personal feelings are no business of the Toronto Constabulary." "They are when I'm investigating a murder, Mrs Galbraith." "Now, where were you the afternoon of Jubilee Day?" "What are you suggesting?" "I was watching my husband in the Orange Lodge band like everyone else." "Who saw you?" "Just about everyone." "If you're looking for a killer, you should talk to Mr Draper." "Why is that?" "He was very upset with Mr Abrahams." "He's very protective of his little wife." "And were the Drapers at the parade?" "Yes." "Oh..." "As I recall." "Abrahams was a cruel man." "He relished in upsetting Mrs Draper with his lewd taunts." "So you disliked Abrahams." "Couldn't stand the man." "Enough to kill him?" "God, no." "It wasn't me." "I've never used a gun in my life." "Well, someone shot Mr Abrahams, Mr Draper." "Look at Mr Caruso at number five." "He had good reason to kill Abrahams." "Oh, why do you say that?" "Well, it all started when Abrahams teased Caruso, stealing peaches from his tree." "Caruso almost stabbed him with his pruning shears, then his shed went up in flames." "He almost lost his whole house." "When did this happen?" "Well, their feud escalated over time." "The fire was last June." "Abrahams is a rude man, disrespectful of my property." "So you attacked him?" "I tell him, stop." "He laugh." "He lucky I no stab him in his heart." "Did Mr Abrahams burn down your shed?" "Mannaggia!" "Who else do?" "Where were you at 4:00 p.m. on Jubilee Day?" "I was watching the parade." "Who saw you?" "I think Mr Roach stand with me, I no sure." "But why are you asking about Mr Caruso?" "He's a good man." " Was he watching the parade?" " Oh, yes, he was there." "What can you tell me about Grant Abrahams?" "He was a man who didn't work enough." "So he would just sit in his window and argue with everyone." "He picked on the weak." "Did you have a problem with him?" "Me?" "Oh, no, I had no personal grievance, but I was glad when he left." "Why?" "I don't like my neighbours upset, Detective, and that's exactly what he did." "He upset everyone." "He turned our street upside down." "All of the residents of Cherry Lane were watching the Jubilee Day parade." "All of them vouch for each other and most of them have motive to kill Abrahams." "A close-knit community with no shortage of motives." "Have you thought that this could be a conspiracy, Murdoch?" "Every one of them getting together to rid the streets of Abrahams." "I have given that some thought, sir." "Which would explain why no one heard the shot or saw the body removed." "They're all bloody well in on it." "Sirs." "What is it, George?" "Eight people claim they were watching the parade that day." "Mrs Galbraith, Mr and Mrs Caruso," "Felix Roach, Bert Howland, Mr Draper with his wife and son." "We know that, Crabtree." "What's your point?" "Well, look at the model, sir." "There are only seven figures at the end of the street." "If Lydia is as precise as we think she is, that means one of the residents of Cherry Lane wasn't watching the parade." "Which means the missing person is the gunman." " Or woman." " But who was it?" "Julia, I've reached an impasse in this case, yet I'm certain that Lydia holds the key to solving it." "But you can't communicate with her." "No, and that's the frustration." "I believe she sees the world differently than the rest of us." "She does." "Some areas of her mind are sharply focused while others don't seem to function at all." "Because idiot savants are oblivious to other people, they're quite single-minded and therefore capable of extraordinary accomplishments." "That describes Lydia exactly." "A mysterious combination of emotional unawareness and acute intellect." "That's a good description of someone I know." "How can I communicate across such a void?" "What about using the world she created?" " Did Lydia put herself in her model?" " No." "No, I don't believe she did." "That's interesting." "She has no concept of self?" "Julia, I think you've hit on something." " Darcy!" " Hello." "Sorry, I'm interrupting." "No!" "Not at all, I was just leaving." "Good night." "I hope our discussion was fruitful." "Good night." "This is Cherry Lane on the day of the Jubilee parade." "A street you know very well." "This is Lydia." "Lydia lives here." "Yes?" "There." "Lydia is home." "But who are the other people?" "And where do they live?" "I think" "that this is Bert." "Bert lives here with Lydia." "All right, that's not Bert." "Hmm." "This looks like a young lad." "I think this is Tommy Draper." "Tommy lives here." "Right." "Maybe this is Bert." "Mr..." "Mr Draper" "Mr Draper." "George, please, if you would?" "Then, maybe this is Bert." "Now, Bert is home." "Mrs Draper." "George, Mrs Galbraith." "Mrs Draper." "Mrs Caruso." "Mrs Draper, then." "Mrs Draper." "This must be Felix Roach." "Mr Caruso." "George." "Felix Roach?" "The only person on the street with no motive." "What if this is all some kind of a game, Murdoch?" "Sir, I don't think Lydia understands the concept of games." "Even if she's right, and Roach is the murderer, we can't arrest him without evidence, Murdoch." "You need hard facts, not some airy-fairy theory based on a woman who can't talk." "And what about his alibi?" "He was watching the parade with everyone else, was he not?" "Perhaps he wasn't." "But I've already told you where I was, Detective." "Check with Mr Caruso." "Mr Caruso's memory is somewhat foggy." "So, you saw the Orange Lodge band go by the end of Cherry Lane?" "Plain as the nose on my face." "Perhaps you can tell me, what instrument was Mr Galbraith playing?" "A trombone." "Are you sure?" "Of course." "He's played it for years." "Not on Jubilee Day, he didn't." "What do you mean?" "The trumpeter came down with influenza." "Mr Galbraith filled in and played the trumpet, not the trombone." "I could have sworn that he was..." "You never saw the parade, did you, Mr Roach?" "Of course I did!" "I just didn't remember that Galbraith was playing a different brass instrument." "I find that most curious, Mr Roach." "Are you going to arrest me, Detective?" "A John Doe, shot through the neck, was found in a railway car in Ottawa on June 26th." "A few days after Grant Abrahams disappeared." "This sounds promising." "The train had come from Toronto and the body was wrapped in a carpet." "That sounds like our victim." "I'm sorry I can't give you any further details," "Mr Abrahams now being a skeleton in a pauper's grave, but I'll continue to look through the file." "Thank you, Julia." "That's Grant Abrahams and that's my carpet." "Thank you, Mrs Caruso." "This is most helpful." "A body and a positive identification." "Now we're getting somewhere." "How did Roach get the body onto a train?" "Sir, I believe Roach moved Abrahams' body in his cart while everyone was asleep after the day's revelries and dumped his body in a railway car at the Booth Street railway siding half a block from Cherry Lane." "You're almost there, Murdoch." "Almost got him." "Not quite, sir." "I still don't have a motive." "William, am I interrupting?" "Julia, of course not." "I've been through the John Doe file." "I must say the Ottawa coroner was quite thorough." "Look at these." "Oh, my!" "These wounds to Abrahams' arms are quite curious." "The coroner posited they were defensive." "Could that be possible?" "Well, it's possible, but not likely." "Abrahams was shot from across the street." "Whatever happened, they were inflicted before he died." "Hmm." "Defensive wounds to both forearms." "There's also evidence of inflammation, as though Abrahams had an allergic reaction to whatever injured him." "Could it be a reaction to some kind of metal?" "Nickel, perhaps?" "I've seen a similar response, of all things, to cat scratches." "Cat?" "He lived to a ripe old age." "He deserves his rest." "Julia, I think I have another body for you to look at." "Well, the cat's hyoid was fractured." " The cat was throttled." " Yes." "Strangled to death?" "That's horrible." "The cat would have experienced the frightening sensation of air hunger and, no doubt, struggled violently." "Fighting for its life, the poor, little thing." "Clawing at the killer's arms." "Mr Roach claimed his cat died of old age." "Mr Roach's cat sat on his windowsill too often." "That's why Roach killed Abrahams." "What do you mean?" "Roach's cat annoyed Abrahams." "Perhaps Mr Abrahams strangled the cat and, in retaliation, Mr Roach shot Abrahams." "Would the death of a cat be sufficient motive for murder?" "Yes." "As a pet owner, Doctor, I'll vouch for that." "Right then, George, head down to Cherry Lane and impound Mr Roach's cart." "I'll meet you at the station house." "Yes, sir." "Once again, thank you, Doctor." "Sir!" "Felix Roach's cart." "It looks to see an awful lot of use, sir." "I can't imagine any trace evidence from a body could still be found after all this time." "Well, let's see, George." "Assuming the body was put in head-first." "Lift up the handles please, George." "Oh, yes, I see what you mean." "Blood from any wound would run down to the end there." "Precisely." "What kind of a man kills a cat with his bare hands?" "In the carriage, Mr Roach." "I did you all a favour." "You'll not say it out loud, no, but you know it." "I did you a favour!" "She made the model by herself?" "She did that." "If it wasn't for Lydia, we never would have solved the murder." "If you need a hand from time to time, Bert, any help that we can offer." "Thank you, Mrs Galbraith." "So on the afternoon that Roach killed Abrahams," "Lydia was sitting on the porch, plain as day." "Roach must have seen her." "Oh, I think he did." "But, like everyone else in this neighbourhood, he assumed she was oblivious." "And yet she remembered everything." "Do you think she was aware she was recording a murder when she made that model?" "We'll never know." "I suppose she lives in a world of her own." "Such a lonely place." "Why do you say that?" "Because she can't communicate her feelings." "You believe that makes her unhappy?" "Well, it would make me unhappy." "Hmm." "I don't think Lydia views her life the way we do." "I think there's a solace and certainty and order that sustains her." "And that's enough?" "Sometimes it has to be."