"Pardon me." "I'm sorry to interrupt you, Detective, but I must see you immediately on an extremely urgent matter." "Yes, of course, Doctor." "What is it?" "This." "I'm sorry, William." "I promise to exercise " "I do have another reason for this visit, a slightly more appropriate one." "I should hope so, Doctor." "I would hate to think you came all the way here just to have your way with me." "Your present." "A present?" "That's not necessary." "Oh, William, let me have my fun." "I saw it, and I simply couldn't resist." "Just open it." "A Collins bullet extractor." "It's the latest model." "I-I don't know what to say." " Do you like it?" " Yes." "Yes, of course." "I just thought, what if you needed some evidence, and I wasn't around?" "Oh." "Sir?" "Uh, terribly sorry, sir, Doctor." "Um... you're both needed." "What have we got, George?" "A man on his way to work found her facedown in the creek, sir." "And I take it you don't believe it was an accident?" "Well, sir, someone took the trouble of relieving the young woman of all her clothing, yet left behind a gold bracelet." "I thought that rather unusual." "Right, then." "Look for footprints, wheel tracks, and pieces of cloth." "Her body may have been wrapped in a sheet or a blanket for transport." "And begin the search for any possible witnesses." "Sir." "Anything else?" "See if anyone has reported any young women missing." "I suppose the only clue we have as to her identity is the bracelet." "Well, I'll try to locate its origin." "Right." "Doctor?" "There's a significant amount of bruising on the left arm and torso." "I'd say it's at least a day old." "Any idea of the time of death?" "Rigor mortis has already reversed." "The muscles are flaccid." "I believe she's been dead at least 24 hours." " There's something odd, however." " What's that?" "The body exhibits an unusual lack of lividity." "One would expect blood pooling." "But there isn't any?" "Exactly." "Her eyes are dull." "There's severe inflammation of the conjunctiva, as though she bled from them." "I'll have to examine her further, of course." "But for now, I'd venture to say our victim was somehow drained of her blood." "Ah." "Sir, Dr. Ogden is waiting for you in your office." "I'll let the men know that you are not to be disturbed." "That won't be necessary, George." "For sure, sir." "Doctor, have you a preliminary report for me?" "I do." "Shall I " " Shall I shout it?" "Uh, no, that won't be necessary." "There was no water in our victim's lungs." "Meaning she was dead before her body was placed in the drainage ditch." "The time of death was approximately 36 hours ago." "Were you able to ascertain the cause of the bruising?" "It seems to be blunt-force trauma of some sort." "And the cause of death?" "Well, determination in a case such as this is extremely difficult." "The organs are extremely pale." "The aorta and heart chambers are significantly reduced in volume." "The main pulmonary artery and superior vena cava are collapsed." "And the cause of death?" "Inconclusive." "Could she have died of a disease of some sort?" "A hemorrhagic fever, perhaps?" "It's unlikely." "They're extremely rare." "We certainly would know about it if it had been reported in the city." "And why were her clothes removed but not her bracelet?" "Perhaps the assailant was about to grab the bracelet before he was interrupted?" "With that amount of blood loss, her clothes would've been heavily bloodstained, wouldn't they?" "Soaked through, I'd imagine." "Most likely the reason that they were missing." "Someone didn't want us to know that she bled to death." "Sir." "Doctor." "We're down here, Constable." "Ah, yes." "Of course." "Sir, a Mrs. Bertha Dunn has just arrived at the station." "Apparently, her daughter is missing." "That's her." "That's my Lillie." "You say when you found her, her clothes were gone?" "That's correct." "What happened to her?" "We're trying to determine that." "No." "I-I mean was -- was she " "No, Mrs. Dunn." "She wasn't forced." "Let me take you back to the station." "I'll make you a cup of tea, and you can tell me all about Lillie." "Lillie." "That's a lovely name." "Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to harm Lillie?" "No, no, no." "No one at all." "Lillie led a very quiet life." "The demands of her job, you see." "She put in very long hours at work, and then she would come home and she would help me with my work." "I-I take in ironing." "And when was the last time you saw her, Mrs. Dunn?" "The day before yesterday." "She was leaving for work, and I was heading to the train station." "I spent that night with my cousin in Port Perry." "And when did you return?" "Yesterday afternoon." "Um..." "She often worked very late into the evening, so I-I wasn't concerned." "But then she didn't come home at all." "Mrs. Dunn, do you know if Lillie had been ill?" "Uh... actually, she had not been feeling very well at all this last week." "I thought perhaps she should see the doctor, but she refused, because she didn't..." "It's all right." "She didn't want to spend the money." "Please, take your time." "On the morning that I left," "I-I begged her to stay home, rest, but she would have nothing of it." "Miss a day of work?" "No." "Not my Lillie." "She was a very conscientious girl." "Yes, she was an extremely conscientious girl, but she was simply not cut out for the exacting demands of the insurance business." "Unfortunately, it was necessary to terminate her employment." "This Crandall New Model was simply too much for Miss Dunn." "It's quite an impressive-looking machine." "And just when did you fire Miss Dunn?" "The end of the workday, day before yesterday." "How did she take the news?" "She was disappointed, of course, but she knew that I had grounds." "Do you know where she might have gone after leaving here?" "She went to see her family physician." "Oh?" "Miss Dunn was ill?" "I suppose." "In retrospect, that would go some way to explaining why she was unable to meet our standards, yes." "Did she happen to mention the doctor's name?" "She did." "It was, um..." "Dr. Task." "No." "That's not correct." "It was..." "Tash." "Dr. Tash." "Isaac Tash?" "Yes." "That's it." "Dr. Isaac Tash." "I've heard that name before." "Wasn't he the fellow who was quite helpful during the murder at the rowing club?" "Yes." "Yes, quite an affable chap, if I remember correctly." "I suppose so." "And he's a good friend of Dr. Ogden's, isn't he?" " Yes, he is." " That's right." "I remember now." "Yes, I remember." "They were very close." "George... see if you can track Miss Dunn's final moments." "I'll go see Dr. Tash." "Yes, sir." "Detective Murdoch." "What an unexpected pleasure." "Is this a social call?" "I'm afraid not." "I'll only take up a moment of your time." "I'm here about a patient of yours -- Miss Lillie Dunn." "Miss Dunn." "Yes, of course." "Is she all right?" "Her body was pulled out of a drainage ditch early this morning." "How horrible." "Yes, and apparently the last time anyone saw her alive, she was feeling ill and on her way to see you." "I don't understand." "She didn't have an appointment." "In fact, I haven't seen her in quite some time." "I'm trying to understand what you're telling me." "Are you saying that she was ill or that she was murdered?" "Has Julia completed the postmortem?" "Dr. Ogden hasn't yet determined the cause of death." "We were hoping that perhaps you could help us." "Do you have any idea why she may have been coming to see you?" "No, none." "What were the circumstances of her previous visits?" "I feel I must remind you of doctor-patient privilege, Detective." "Surely, privilege doesn't apply under these unfortunate circumstances." "On that, we will have to disagree." "Rest assured that her visits were nothing out of the ordinary." "I'm sorry that I couldn't be of more help to you, Detective Murdoch." "All I can say is that if Miss Dunn was on her way to see me on the last day of her life," "I most certainly wish that she had made it." "Now if you'll excuse me." "I have patients waiting." "Yes, of course." "Thank you for your time, Doctor." "Yeah." "Murdoch, what have you got for me?" "It's a record of Lillie Dunn's movements, sir." "We know that she left home at approximately 7:45 a.m., the day before yesterday." "She was at work until 5:15, when she was fired." "Feeling ill, she decided to visit Dr. Tash but never did arrive at the doctor's office." "She wasn't seen again until her body was found at approximately 8:35 a.m." "So if she had been dead for 36 hours, she must have died shortly after leaving work." "So it would seem." "Ah, Dr. Ogden." "Perhaps you can shed some light." "Well, I do have some additional postmortem results." "It appears that Lillie Dunn suffered a miscarriage." "She'd been approximately eight weeks pregnant." "Which might explain why she bled to death." " Let me see that, Murdoch." " Indeed." "But the question is whether the miscarriage was spontaneous or induced." "Are you referring to the contusions on her torso?" "Yes." "That or the work of an abortionist." "There were no signs of a curettage, though there are other methods that are harder to detect." "The bruises on the girl tell us everything we need to know." "The boyfriend panics, didn't want the kid, decides the best way to get rid of it is to give her a good hiding." "Well, that may well have been a contributing factor to the miscarriage." "Course it was." "Why were her clothes taken?" "He stole the clothes to cover his tracks and confuse matters." "Listen to me, if she was was up the duff, some poor miserable sod put her there." "Now, when you find him, I'll be more than happy to give him a good hiding and show him how it's really done." "Mrs. Dunn, were you aware that your daughter was pregnant?" "How could I..." "not have known this?" "Let me get you a glass of water." "I suppose that explains why she was ill, doesn't it?" "It could." "Do you have any idea who the father was?" "Mrs. Dunn?" "Uh, no, no." "No one." "Lillie didn't have any suitors." "Are you absolutely certain this is true?" " I am." " Thank you." "But I don't understand." "Are you telling me... this man beat her until she lost her child?" "It's a possibility." "Who would do that to such a precious girl?" "That's what we intend to find out." "In the meantime, it would help if we could search Lillie's room." "What's that smell?" "Insect repellent, I believe." "Aha!" "Ah, a diary could prove useful." "Let's hope so." "I used to hide mine under the bed." "You kept a diary, George?" "I find that rather hard to believe." "Oh, I had my secrets, sir." "There doesn't seem to be any mention of a suitor or even gentleman friends." "However, she does mention a flea infestation." "Well, that would explain the insect repellent." "Sir, in my personal experience, a boring diary was an excellent way to keep a nosy mother in the dark." "While keeping your true secrets hidden elsewhere." ""Countess Fausta's Female Regulators." "They do what a woman needs done."" "Sir, my understanding of this regulator business is that it has to do with a woman's monthly flow." " You know, her moon time." " Yes, George." "Well, perhaps this had something to do with the blood loss." "Perhaps." "See what you can find out about these pills -- where they're made and where they can be obtained." "Never met a countess before." "It's not likely you will." "Doctor." "Have you analyzed the contents of the pills?" "I have." "So far, I've identified rue, savin, black cohosh, and cotton-root bark." "And all can be used as abortifacients?" "Yes." "But even in combination, they could not have caused her massive blood loss." "The dosage of these pills is far too low." "What if she was desperate?" "Took an overdose?" "I suppose it's possible." "Though, brewing these herbs for tea is far more potent." "And even then, she would have had to drink an enormous amount." "And if she did, could that have caused the hemorrhaging?" "In theory." "Let's say that she did." "She would have begun to bleed." "And grow steadily weaker." "Which would explain her sickness at work." "So, concerned, she finally decided to visit her doctor." "Tragically, she never made it." "Or so the doctor says." "And you don't believe him?" "Who is this doctor?" "Isaac Tash." "Isaac?" "You didn't tell me." "Well, the opportunity never arose." "Oh, William." "You know him." "He's beyond reproach." "And I don't doubt that." "However, when I spoke with him, he seemed not totally forthcoming." "He cited doctor-patient privilege." "I'm sure if there was anything of importance, he would've divulged it." "Regardless, I'll continue to perform additional tests." "I'll let you know my findings as soon as I can." "Very good." "I demand to see the Russian ambassador!" "Unhand me, you miserable Cossack!" "I will lodge a formal complaint with the Russian Embassy!" "Detective." "Countess Fausta." "This man dragged me through street like common criminal!" "I have done nothing wrong." "Now, I want to speak to your superior this instant." "Ah." "Sir, I believe you're being summoned." "Am I, now?" "Ah." "Well, well, well." "If it isn't Countess Fausta Feodosia, otherwise known as Sally Smoot, the Siren of Sumach Street." "Nice to see you, too, Tommy boy." "Is all this really necessary?" "I'm afraid so, Sal." "Tommy, what am I doing here?" "I'm strictly on the up-and-up these days." "I'm not so sure about that." "My pills?" "My pills are not illegal." "Sal, it's me you're talking to." "Tommy Brackenreid." "We both know what promises you're making the girls who buy these pills, don't we?" "Tommy, I never tell those girls that these pills will make them abort." "And you never tell them they won't, do you?" "We fished a young woman out of a drainage ditch." "Name of Lillie Dunn." "She was pregnant." "Isn't that right, Detective?" "Yes." "Well, she lost the baby." "Seems she bled to death." "We don't know why." "All we do know is that she had a bottle of your pills in her possession." "My pills could never do something like that." "Why should we believe you?" "Because that's the whole point, isn't it?" "When those girls find out that the pills are no good and that their only option is to have an abortion, then they might hear the name of a doctor." "A doctor who doesn't ask too many questions." "A doctor who doesn't leave you helpless with your legs cocked up in the air demanding an extra $50 to finish the job." "And perhaps you get a referral fee if you happen to mention this doctor's name?" "Well, if someone wants to show you their gratitude, it'd be rude not to let them, wouldn't it, Tommy?" "And did Lillie Dunn get the name of this commendable doctor?" "Sal, you're not doing yourself any favors, darling." "Miss Smoot, I am not interested in your business, and I'm not interested in judging the young women who come to you for help." "What I am interested in, however, is who would throw a young woman's body in a drainage ditch like so much trash?" "Now, please, help me." "The doctor's name." "His name is Ralph Fitch." "Taking the easy way, right?" "You come after me just because I've had a spot of trouble in the past." "Indeed you have." "Arrests for public drunkenness, receiving stolen property, forgery." "That one was dismissed." "The list goes on." " That's all behind me." " Really?" "I believe you still need money for gambling debts, so much so, in fact, that you've begun performing abortions." "Abortion is against the law, Detective." "And you would never break the law." "Not anymore." "I'm a changed man." "Then let's return to my original question." "Have you ever treated a young woman named Lillie Dunn?" "No, I've never met anyone by that name." "Perhaps I can refresh your memory." "I see a lot of these young girls for all kinds of reasons." "They come in with no appointment." "A lot of them use a false name." "And why would they do that?" "They're scared is why." "So I don't make it worse for them." "I just help them when I can." "And exactly what kind of help is it you provide?" "I instruct them about French letters and such, and that is all I do." "Which is in itself a criminal act." "Sure, sure." "But for things like this, most of you fellows look the other way." "Most of you." "What I want to know is whether you were involved in Lillie Dunn's death." "I-I'm telling you, I never even met that girl." "And further, I don't care what you've heard." "I am not an abortionist." "Then tell me who Lillie Dunn may have gone to if she didn't come to you." "Well, I don't have any proof, of course." "It's only a rumor." "I'm not saying it's so." " Dr. Fitch." " All right." "But you understand, it's only hearsay." "Just say it." "Isaac Tash." "What are you doing sitting here in the dark, Murdoch?" "Having one of your deep thinks about the meaning of it all?" "Not exactly." "Good." "So, what did Tash have to say for himself?" "I haven't yet gone back to question him." "Why not?" "You think Fitch can't be trusted?" "Of course the slimy little sod can't be trusted." "But we still act on a bit of information when it corroborates with a bit we got before." "Sir, the situation with Tash is complicated." "Yes, he did us a good turn in the past." "But Lillie Dunn deserves justice." "So why don't you go and do what you do best, me old mucker?" "Step on some toes and upset people." "I told you, Detective." "I cannot violate doctor-patient privilege." "Dr. Tash, I can only assume that you are trying to preserve Lillie Dunn's good name." "And you can rest assured that unless it pertains to this case," "I will divulge nothing of our conversation." "Now, let me ask you again " "Did you know Lillie Dunn was pregnant?" "All right." "I did know that pregnancy was a possibility." "And exactly what does that mean?" "It means that your question has been asked and been answered." "Fine." "Then I will pose another." "Did Lillie Dunn inquire about an abortion?" "That would be against the law." "Yes, against the law." "But I asked if she inquired about it." "All conversations with my patients, Detective " "Are strictly confidential." "Dr. Tash, your elusiveness is becoming quite tiresome." "I'm sorry, Detective, but that is the way it must be." "Women come to me knowing they can seek medical attention without exposing themselves to the actions of the authorities." "And just what kind of medical attention is it you provide, Doctor?" "We know Lillie Dunn left work ill, heading for your office." "She died shortly after of a massive hemorrhage." "Now, I will ask you again." "Did you provide her with an abortion?" "No, I did not." "Fine." "Tell me why Dr. Ogden was here." "W" "Julia and I have a personal relationship, as you well know." "So it was a social call, then?" "She wasn't here to discuss this case?" "I believe she would have informed me if she owed you an explanation as to her whereabouts or her behavior." "I believe I've taken up enough of your time today, Doctor." "We shall no doubt speak again soon." "I'm sorry to disrupt you, Julia." "That's quite all right." "Uh, Lillie Dunn's postmortem results." "She suffered from chronic parenchymal liver damage." "Resulted in a deficiency in her blood's ability to coagulate." "This explains why she bled to death, but it doesn't address what caused the hemorrhage in the first place." "Well, it's very difficult to do anything but speculate when liver abnormalities are involved." "There's no reference to the stomach contents." "That's very unlike you." "Well, the discovery of her liver condition gave me my diagnosis." "It wasn't necessary to look further." "I see." "And just how long have you known of this parenchymal liver damage?" "What do you mean?" "Did you determine it before or after your visit to Dr. Tash?" "William." "Were you following me?" "I went to his office to question him." "My timing was inopportune." "Well, I don't believe that my visit to Isaac should have any bearing on this case." "I agree." "It shouldn't." "But if it was believed that you apprised him of your findings because you suspected that he had given her an abortion " "William, what are you insinuating?" "It could be perceived as dereliction of duty." "Perceived by whom?" "Julia, I just don't want you taking any chances." "Well, I appreciate your concern." "Sir!" "This isn't the best time, George." "I think you might want to hear this, sir." "Very well." "Even though we identified Miss Dunn," "I continued to try to locate the shop in which the bracelet was bought." "You might say I had a hunch." "A hunch, George?" "Yes, a hunch, sir." "Something all the young people are saying these days." "You know -- that feeling where you have a push toward something, but you can't really explain why." "I see." "Anyway, I'd been looking in the wrong places." "I thought the bracelet was just some inexpensive trinket." " But it wasn't." " Exactly." "So I followed my hunch to some of the more exclusive shops." "As it turns out, the bracelet is a very costly item made for an exacting customer who's bought a half dozen of them, each time for, and I quote, "A very special young lady."" "Interesting." "And did your hunch lead you to the identity of this man?" "It did indeed, sir." "Mr. Bixby is at an extremely important appointment." "He's a very busy man, you know." "My, that's a lovely bracelet." "A gift from an admirer?" "As a matter of fact, it is." "I received it just today." "Did you, now?" "Excuse me, Inspector." "I'm sorry to bother you." "Not at all, Doctor." "Have a seat." "Actually, I have a rather unusual request." "I wonder if I might be able to chat with the prisoner?" "The odor from her stomach contents was overpowering." "Minty, but then something underneath that." "Something reminiscent of camphor." "Well, I don't know what you want from me." "You're the doctor." "And you're the expert." "Camphor and mint." "I " " Well, if the poor little thing was as desperate as she seemed to me," "I suspect she swallowed pennyroyal oil." "Pennyroyal?" "I know it as a -- a remedy for stomach disorders." "Yes, but it can be lethal if it's cooked down to an oil." "I remember when I was a youngster." "My mother used to soak rags in it and stuff them into holes to try to keep the rats away." "What we women do to ourselves." "We?" "You were born with a silver spoon stuck up your ass." " What do you know about it?" " I just " " I " "Look, just because you've seen a few dead bodies doesn't mean you have any idea about what those butchers put women through." "And I'd bet my last dollar on that, Doctor." "Well, in that case, you'd be all out of money..." "Countess." "Sit down a minute." "Now, tell me about the effects of pennyroyal oil." "I only saw one woman." "She just had a teaspoon." "She bled from her eyes, from her ears, and from every place else that you can imagine." "There was nothing that anybody could do for her." "Disseminated intravascular coagulopathy." "If you say so." "It's just a horrible death." "I've seen a lot of women die horrible deaths." "It just seems to come with the territory." "Miss Binscarth, when is my next appointment?" "Oh." "Well, what in the world is this?" "It seems Miss Binscarth discovered that she and Miss Dunn had the same taste in jewelry." "I see." "Mr. Bixby, I know that Miss Dunn was pregnant, and I know you were the father." "Well you know what these young career women are like, don't you?" "Actually, no, I don't." "They throw themselves at a man, and then they can't handle it when the inevitable happens." "Don't you think you had some obligation to Miss Dunn?" "I was scrupulously honest with her from the start." "I told her marriage was out of the question and I had absolutely no interest in a child." "And did that convince her of your resolve, or did you need to resort to a more physical form of persuasion?" "What are you implying?" "It seems Miss Dunn was severely beaten shortly before dying." "No." "That is not the way it happened." "Once she knew I was serious, she threw herself down the stairs, hoping to bring about a miscarriage." "Right here in my place of business." "Can you imagine that?" "Actually, I can." "I realized that I had to do something to help this poor girl, so I offered to contact a doctor for her." "Do you know the punishment for procuring an abortion?" "Life imprisonment is not out of the question." "You're not listening to me." "I said that I offered, but she told me that she already knew of someone." "So you see, none of this has anything to do with me." "I mean, what I mean is that I'm not guilty of a crime." "That's true, isn't it?" "What is true is that I find your actions deplorable." "You're one sanctimon" "Give me the name of the abortionist Lillie Dunn went to." " I don't know it." " The name!" "It's Fitch." "Ralph Fitch." "Yes." "Yes, I remember her now." "She wanted to know why those pills she was taking hadn't worked." "I told her the sad truth." "They're no better than snake oil, pure and simple." "Then, as per your agreement with Countess Fausta, you counseled her on how to abort the child." " For a fee, of course." " No, no." "That was it." "She left." "I didn't see her again." "I never counseled her or performed a procedure on her or gave her a thing, and that is the God's honest truth." "Then perhaps you told her how to make her own concoction?" "I would never recommend that a girl try and make her own mixture." "The herbs are too unpredictable." "Several witnesses saw Miss Dunn enter your building on the night of her death, I believe." "They said that she appeared quite distressed and very ill." "Yes, that's correct, sir." "They did say that." "All right." "Um, but it -- it's not what you think." "You have to understand my situation." "No, Dr. Fitch." "We absolutely don't have to do any such thing." "Now, you will tell us why Lillie Dunn came to see you." "And keep in mind that what you say may decide whether or not you face the noose." "All right." "All right." "She was pounding on my door." "Please, please let me in." "Please let me in!" "Please!" "She was still alive, but just barely." "It was clear she had tried to rid herself of the child." "She was hemorrhaging." "Her blood pressure was practically nonexistent." "Her heart was giving out." "I knew it would be over in moments." "So I did the only thing that I could do." "I stayed with her... until the end." "This isn't right!" "I didn't do anything!" "Didn't do anything?" "!" "You took off her bloodstained clothing and threw her in a drainage ditch!" "What was I supposed to do?" "Leave a dead body lying in the hallway?" "Of course not." "That would have been bad for business." "If I had told the police, you wouldn't have believed me, none of you!" "I am paying the price for what others get away with every day!" "If I had a fancy address and catered to the upper crust, you wouldn't do this to me!" "And you know it's true!" "You know it!" "William." "Julia." "I have some additional information for you." "Information that will support my initial findings as to the cause of Lillie Dunn's death." "Further investigation indicates that she consumed approximately one teaspoon of pennyroyal oil -- which has a component that has an extremely toxic effect on the liver." "What's that smell?" " It's used " " Insect repellant." "Insect repellent." "You already knew." "Well, I didn't know until just now." "Well, it -- it's all there in the final report." "I believe that's everything, then." "Uh, no." "No, it isn't." "What do you mean?" "There is one more matter to be resolved." "Tell me that your visit to Dr. Tash had nothing to do with this case." "Julia..." "Please, William." "I'm asking you to just let this go." "How can I?" "Oh, I'm sorry yet again." "That's quite all right, Constable." "I was just leaving." "Sir, I thought I might pay Mrs. Dunn a visit myself." "Let her know how her daughter died." "Oh, yes." "Of course." "That's very kind of you, George." "I've just spoke with the solicitor for the Crown." "He believes we have Fitch on interference with a dead body and perhaps we can charge him with failure to provide aid as well." "But you know what really upsets me is that the boyfriend's still out there probably buying more bracelets as we speak." "Perhaps there's something to be done about that." "It's not against the law to be a bounder, Murdoch." "Case is closed." "We didn't get the result we wanted." "Sometimes that's just the way it turns out." "Sir, a girl is dead." "Do you think I don't know that?" "If I could hold someone responsible, I'd wipe the floor with him." " Someone is responsible." " For her death?" "She swallowed insect repellant." "And from what Crabtree tells me, she more than likely got it from her own mother's cupboard." "You want to throw Mrs. Dunn in jail?" "If so, I suggest you wait until after the funeral." "But, sir, how did she know to take the pennyroyal oil?" "I don't suppose we'll ever know." "Someone must have counseled her." "That could be anyone." "A friend, a neighbor." "Maybe she read about it." "The important thing is that Fitch goes to jail and Sally Smoot is out of business." "But, sir, if we accept this, is Fitch not right?" "About what?" "That we haul his kind off to jail and never bother to question the actions of someone like Dr. Tash." "Fine." "Make a few last inquiries." "But, Murdoch, tread carefully." "There's a line here you may be sorry you crossed." "I thought the matter of Lillie Dunn's death had been resolved." "Not to my satisfaction." "Well, I have no new information for you, Detective." "I don't think I can be of any further help." "I'm now exploring the possibility that someone advised Miss Dunn to ingest pennyroyal oil." "Your persistence borders on persecution, Detective." "I'm duty-bound to explore the possibility, you understand." "Very well." "No responsible physician would ever advise such a thing." "But an abortionist might." "We've been over this, Detective." "New information has surfaced." "A direct allegation that you are, in fact, an abortionist." "A direct allegation from whom?" " I cannot divulge " " Oh, of course not, no." "How convenient." "Even if my source turns out to be less than reliable," "I have another reason to suspect you." "And what would that be?" "Dr. Ogden's visit." "What of it?" "I highly doubt that Dr. Ogden would leave an important postmortem investigation without a very good reason." "And what would that reason be?" "Perhaps she feared that you had been negligent in your treatment of Miss Dunn, or she suspected that you had provided her with an abortion." "Perhaps she simply came to visit a friend." "And as a friend, gave you the opportunity to square your story with her postmortem results." "And if that's the case, then Dr. Ogden is guilty of a grave miscarriage of justice." "Julia did no such thing." "Then why did she visit you?" "There are laws, Dr. Tash." "And if Dr. Ogden broke one of them, she will have to pay." "And if she broke one because of you," "I will ensure that you pay as well." "I don't want her involved." "Then all you have to do is tell me whether or not you are an abortionist." "Answer me now, or I will be forced to bring Julia before the courts, where she will have no choice but to tell me the truth." " You would do that to her?" " If that's what it takes." "You're going to wish you had left this alone." "I'll be the judge of that." "If a woman comes to me needing or wanting an abortion," "I do not turn her away, whatever her reasons -- poverty, abuse, ignorance, illness." "I ask no questions." "I make sure the procedure is done safely, properly, with the least amount of trauma to the patient." "You realize what you're doing by telling me this?" "I do." "And I may soon find myself dragged out of here in chains for all the world to see." "But the truth is, if Lillie Dunn had come to see me, she'd be alive today." "I know it." "You know it." "And Julia knows it." "Now you have your truth." "What happens next is entirely up to you." "Julia." "William." "It's good of you to come." "I'm very happy that you called." "You should know that I have done nothing about charging Dr. Tash." "It would involve investigating his clients " "And others?" "And others." "About the past, it's why I wanted to speak with you." " It's not necessary." " Oh, but it is." "Isaac and I were not lovers in university." "We were just good friends." "But there was someone else." "And like Lillie Dunn I found myself in an untenable situation." "And I had no desire to marry the man." "I wanted to be a doctor, William." "It was everything to me." "I had fought so hard for so long." "Wanting a medical career was difficult enough, but with a child..." "It was a choice of convenience, then." "It was anything but convenient." "It was what I had to do." "I went to Isaac and asked for his help." "He refused." "He would absolutely not consider breaking the law despite his personal convictions." "I was desperate." "So I went elsewhere." "The procedure was an unimaginable nightmare." "I almost died." "I would have died if it wasn't for Isaac." "He saved my life." "And after that, I know that he -- he hoped never to have to watch another woman go through what I did." "He saved your life, and for that," "I am more grateful to him than I can ever possibly say." "But he's still a criminal to you, isn't he?" "Of course he is." "But this has nothing to do with you and I." "We can put all of this behind us." "But how do you propose we do that?" "Are you willing to forgo your principles, your values, your... your faith?" "I don't think that's necessary." "Don't you?" "I thought upholding the law was everything to you." "And that will never change." "What does that mean?" "Now that you know the truth, that I freely procured an abortion will you jail me for life?" "Should I hang?" "No, of course not." "So then you'll make an exception for me." "I-I'll do what I have to do." "But that's just it, William." "I don't want to be an exception." "I don't want your pity or your mercy." "Do you regret it?" "No." "Now tell me nothing has changed between us." "I can't promise you that." "I'm sorry, William." "I truly am."