Death of a Thief

by DoctorH

A Murdoch Mysteries teleplay. A professional thief is shot and killed, and the deceased's brother fears (with good reason) that he will now be targeted for death. There are odd aspects to the case, including an unusual reconstruction of the shooting by Dr. Ogden, and Murdoch finds it a challenge to sort through the evidence. As always, a solution to the mystery is included.

2. Act 2

(FADE IN. Establishing shot of Toronto. CUT TO: Ext. of Station House Number Four. CUT TO: Int. of Station House Number Four, Brackenreid's office. BRACKENREID is at his desk, holding a file. MURDOCH stands.)

BRACKENREID
So this fellow who calls himself Johnson is really (indicating the file) Johnny Teller? You're certain?

MURDOCH
A search of the room turned up papers indicating that Johnson was actually Teller, and the exact match of Teller's finger marks to those of the man in the morgue confirms it.

BRACKENREID
(looking through the file) Johnny Teller: professional thief. Two convictions for jewellery theft; suspected of theft of automobiles, livestock, works of art. You name it, he steals it. It says here he was a very clever fellow; also says he is known to work with his younger brother, Calvin.

MURDOCH
Calvin Teller was arrested last year for theft of an automobile, but was never charged. Calvin is suspected of aiding and abetting his brother in other thefts. I have asked the constables to find Calvin Teller and bring him in for questioning.

BRACKENREID
You think Calvin had anything to do with his brother's death?

MURDOCH
It's too early to say; but he may be a good source of leads on potential suspects. According to a neighbour named Magee, who lived below Johnny Teller, Johnny and his brother were worried about being found by someone, and killed. And Mister Magee also said that they weren't hiding from the Constabulary so much as they were hiding from some other person or persons unknown; persons who intended to do them harm.

BRACKENREID
This neighbour heard it all, eh?

MURDOCH
Actually, he says he heard only a few bits and pieces, mostly when voices were raised. On the whole, he did not hear very much. He did say that, yesterday, he heard Johnny Teller and his brother being very alarmed that someone would find them. Mister Magee also said that, at the time of the shooting, he did not hear any loud voices, but he did hear a gunshot.

BRACKENREID
Just a gunshot? He didn't hear anything else? Such as a body striking the floor?

MURDOCH
I did not have the opportunity to question Mister Magee at length; he claimed that he would be in trouble with his employer if he did not report for work. He promised me he will be return later today for more questioning in depth. (nodding) I strongly suspect that Mister Magee DID hear something else this morning, other than a gunshot and a falling body.

BRACKENREID
And this Magee didn't see anyone fleeing the scene?

MURDOCH
He did not, and neither did anyone else, apparently. There were two doors through which the killer may have exited the building, and there also may have been at least three open windows. Regardless of what path the killer used for egress, the killer was not seen leaving.

BRACKENREID
Have you talked to Doctor Ogden?

MURDOCH
Yes, briefly. She expects to finish her post-mortem examination shortly. When you and I are finished here, I will be going to the morgue to see what Julia may have found.

BRACKENREID
Right. How about finger marks?

MURDOCH
There are no finger marks on the weapon that was found near the body. That is, there appear to be partial finger marks on parts of the weapon, but none from which we could make a positive indentification. The trigger and butt in particular reveal no useful finger marks. Constable Crabtree is checking the room for other finger marks as we speak.

BRACKENREID
Sounds like we don't have much, but it's early in the game. Right. Get to the morgue, Murdoch.

MURDOCH
Yes, sir.

(CUT TO: Establishing shot of the morgue. CUT TO: Int. of the morgue. The slab is vacant and clean. OGDEN is making some notes. A close-up of the notes shows a cluttered diagram with a human figure near a wall. A line angles down from the wall through the neck of the human figure. Lengths and rough angles are marked on the diagram. There are handwritten scribbles at various places on the diagram, such as 'Is this distance correct?' and 'How far?' and 'What is this angle?' MURDOCH enters. OGDEN sees him and smiles.)

MURDOCH
Julia! It looks like you're finished with your examination?

OGDEN
Yes, I am. I may still need to do some reconstruction and some mathematical computations, however, before I can prepare a formal report. But here is a general account of what happened.

(OGDEN stands.)

OGDEN
The deceased Mister John Teller was facing the weapon when he was shot. He was shot just once. (pointing to her throat) The bullet entered the neck here, tore open a major artery, and exited (pointing to the back of her neck, higher up than the entrance wound) here. The shot caused massive, rapid blood loss. Unconsciousness followed within seconds, and he collapsed where he stood. Death from blood loss followed within minutes.

(MURDOCH indicates the pointed-out entrance wound and exit wound sites on OGDEN's neck.)

MURDOCH
The exit wound was higher than the entrance wound?

OGDEN
Correct. The wounds indicate an upward path by the bullet. Upon exiting, the bullet then struck the wall at a place higher than the exit wound, further indicating an upward path.

(MURDOCH pretends to hold a gun with his arm extending straight out.)

MURDOCH
So it would appear that the killer was not holding the pistol in this fashion, which would produce a level trajectory rather than an upward trajectory.

OGDEN
I agree. Bullet paths can deflect upon striking an object, of course; but as far as I am able to determine the bullet struck no bone or anything else that would lead to a significant deflection of its path.

(MURDOCH lowers his arm.)

OGDEN
Also, the shot was not fired from very close range. I should say it was fired from at least four feet away, perhaps farther. There is one other odd thing. The victim's right hand was bloody, as he apparently brought his right hand to his throat wound after being shot. When the blood was washed away from his hand, however, I found a straight-line shallow laceration.

(OGDEN demonstrates on her own right hand.)

OGDEN
The laceration extended from here to here. One possibility for such a wound is that the bullet that struck the victim in the throat first grazed his right hand. (sigh) I haven't yet satisfied myself that I know the approximate positions of the victim, or the location of the killer, or from where the shot was fired.

(MURDOCH tries pantomiming or demonstrating various scenarios.)

MURDOCH
Given what you've told me, perhaps the victim raised his hand defensively in anticipation of the shot. Perhaps the killer held the pistol at hip or waist level and fired upward. Perhaps the killer fired immediately upon drawing the pistol and did not take time to aim. (sigh) There are many other possibilities. If you are able to perform a reconstruction, I would expect we would be able to eliminate some of those possibilities.

OGDEN
I hope so. (very concerned) I must say, William, that I cannot quite see in my mind's eye HOW this shot could have been fired; but I will go over all of my notes and distill what I do know, and hopefully things will make more sense. (sigh) But at this time, I CAN state with reasonable certainty that there was one wound inflicted, that the wound that was inflicted was fatal, and that the time of death is consistent with witness reports of a gunshot at about seven-ten this morning.

MURDOCH
It was seven-ten in the morning. Yet Mister Teller was dressed for the day.

OGDEN
Not only was he dressed, I can also say that he had washed himself that morning.

MURDOCH
Suggesting, perhaps, that he was expecting to meet with the person who would later shoot him.

OGDEN
One more thing, William. When I removed his clothing, I found that Mister Teller was armed with a pistol, concealed in his coat pocket. I've given the pistol to Constable Higgins for storage. Constable Higgins tells me that the pistol was loaded but had not been fired.

MURDOCH
Suggesting, perhaps, that Mister Teller thought he might need a firearm to defend himself. And if his weapon was in his coat pocket, that may suggest that he did not perceive an immediate threat to himself, and that he was shot by surprise.

(CUT TO: Ext. of Station House Number Four, later the same day. CUT TO: Int. of Station House Number Four, Murdoch's office. MURDOCH is perusing a file, when CRABTREE knocks on the door. MURDOCH puts down the file and waves CRABTREE in.)

MURDOCH
Come in, George.

CRABTREE
Thank you, sir. I wanted to let you know about what I've found so far, with regard to the scene of the shooting this morning.

MURDOCH
Proceed.

(CRABTREE hands MURDOCH some sheets of paper.)

CRABTREE
I have made detailed measurements of the room including the locations of various object in the room, including the bullet hole. I have made two copies of these measurements, and gave one copy to Doctor Ogden.

(MURDOCH examines the documents.)

MURDOCH
Yes. Yes. Very good, George.

(MURDOCH puts the documents on his desk. CRABTREE hands MURDOCH an envelope, which MURDOCH opens and looks into; he sees a bullet.)

CRABTREE
I have determined that the bullet entered the wall at an upward angle but with very little sideways motion. I have also recovered a single bullet from the wall. It is of a kind and caliber that can be fired by the weapon found at the scene.

MURDOCH
As we suspected.

CRABTREE
I have further recovered a number of finger marks from the bed stand, the table, the desk, and the chair. As best I am able to tell, all of the finger marks belong either to the deceased, Johnny Teller, or to his brother, Calvin Teller. I can find no clear finger marks of any other person. As I reported earlier, there were no useful finger marks on the weapon found at the scene, just fragments.

MURDOCH
Whoever the killer was, he left no obvious traces of his identity at the scene.

CRABTREE
That seems to be the case, sir.

(There is a knock on the office door. MURDOCH and CRABTREE turn to see HIGGINS, who is grinning a bit.)

HIGGINS
Begging your pardon, sir. I've brought Calvin Teller to the Station House; he is in the Interview Room.

MURDOCH
Good work, Henry! You found him!

HIGGINS
Actually, sir, he found me. He called me into an alleyway and identified himself. I of course immediately told him he was under arrest, and he said that was exactly what he wanted.

CRABTREE
He wanted to be placed under arrest?

HIGGINS
Yes, he did.

(CUT TO: Interview Room. CALVIN is in the chair, guarded by HIGGINS and questioned by MURDOCH.)

MURDOCH
Why did you want to be placed under arrest, Mister Teller?

CALVIN
Because I need protection. I'd rather be in jail than be dead! Whoever killed my brother will be coming after me. So I am willing to confess to the crime of burglary.

MURDOCH
(somewhat bemused) Which burglary would that be?

CALVIN
(flustered) Any burglary! If you show me a list of all of your unsolved burglaries, I'm certain to find one on the list that's 'mine.' And I'll confess to it.

MURDOCH
Tell me what you know about your brother's death.

CALVIN
I heard he was shot this morning. Shot and killed. In his room.

MURDOCH
Yes, he was. Where were you at the time?

CALVIN
(nervously suspicious) Am— am I a suspect?

MURDOCH
I just want to know where you were at about seven-ten this morning.

CALVIN
I have a room on Richmond Street. I was there. It's about a ten-minute walk from my brother's room.

MURDOCH
You've been to your brother's room?

CALVIN
Yes, many times.

MURDOCH
When was the most recent time?

CALVIN
Yesterday. After supper. (lowers his eyes) My brother and I talked that night about the people who were threatening us and what we could do about it.

MURDOCH
Who was threatening you?

CALVIN
(with grit) We were worried about three men. Arthur Farrell. Henry Boothe. (ominously) And Edgar Winstone.

MURDOCH
Do you know whether your brother was planning to meet with any of those three men this morning, or that your brother was planning to meet with anyone else this morning?

CALVIN
As far as I know, Johnny wasn't planning to meet anyone this morning.

MURDOCH
But you think that Messrs. Farrell, Boothe, and Winstone acted together to kill your brother, and now want to kill you?

CALVIN
No! I need to explain. I don't think these three fellows are in league with each other. I doubt they even know each other! But I'd wager one of them murdered Johnny.

MURDOCH
Can you tell me why these men would want to kill your brother, or you?

CALVIN
Different reasons. Farrell, he's a competitor of ours. He earns money stealing valuable things. He's angry that Johnny and I got a job that he wanted. But I don't remember what job it was.

MURDOCH
(unimpressed) I see. And Mister Boothe?

CALVIN
Boothe, he wanted us to steal a work of art, a painting. Paid us part of the price in advance. But we couldn't steal the painting, and the fact that we tried to steal it tipped off the owner that the painting was at risk, so he secured the painting so that it couldn't be stolen.

MURDOCH
(still unimpressed) And this Mister Boothe wants his money back?

CALVIN
Yes. Which we don't have. (pause) The one who I'm most afraid of is Winstone. My brother and I had heard that Winstone had obtained a pistol, and he was hunting for us. He wants revenge; he thinks we stole something from him.

MURDOCH
Did you?

CALVIN
(taking a breath) Yes. A ledger. Why that ledger was so valuable, I don't know, but Johnny and I swiped it and gave it to a Mister Grey, whose real identity we don't know. We got paid pretty well for that job. Somehow, someone found out that it was Johnny and me that took Winstone's ledger, and Winstone has been after us ever since.

MURDOCH
(skeptically) None of these strikes me as being especially strong motives for murder, Mister Teller.

(CALVIN is unhappy to hear MURDOCH say this.)

CALVIN
I tell you: they were after my brother and me! They got my brother! And now they'll be after me! Please put me in jail so that they can't kill me!

(CUT TO: Ext. of the morgue, later in the same day. CUT TO: Int. of the morgue. OGDEN has a skeleton on a stand, near a wall. Extending from the wall is a wooden dowel that is affixed near the vertebrae in the neck of the skeleton. The right hand of the skeleton has affixed to it a shorter dowel. OGDEN checks the measurements and her notes, makes a modest adjustment to the model, and makes her own measurements with a measuring stick. OGDEN is satisfied that the reconstruction is accurate; she nods; but she is still puzzled. She takes the right hand of the skeleton and tries to position its dowel along the alignment of the longer dowel. She is unsatisfied with her efforts at positioning the hand, although some positions seem more natural than others. She drops the skeleton's hand and steps away from the model, and makes some notes. A closeup of her notes shows a diagram different from the one seen before, but still cluttered with measurements and handwritten notations and questions. This diagram has two body outlines in two slightly different positions and two lines of gunshot and various distances and angles. OGDEN makes some notes and puts down her pencil.)

OGDEN
(to herself) Well, that seems a bit odd. But is it consistent? (after a long pause) Looks like I'm going to have to do some trigonometry. (looking around) Where is that handbook? And where did I leave my slide rule?

(CUT TO: Ext. of Station House Number Four, same day. CUT TO: Int. of Station House Number Four, Interview Room. MAGEE is on the chair, questioned by a seated MURDOCH, with CRABTREE taking notes.)

MAGEE
Like I said, I heard a shot. Then I heard what sounded like a body hitting the floor. That's pretty much all I heard.

MURDOCH
About how long was the time interval between the sound of the shot and the sound of the falling body?

MAGEE
(imitating the sounds) Bang! Kung! (pause of about three seconds) Frump! About like that. Then maybe ten or fifteen seconds later, I heard footsteps of someone leaving in a hurry.

MURDOCH
All right. That is very helpful. I noticed that you said the shot was two noises: bang-kung. Does that mean—?

MAGEE
Oh, yeah. The bang was the shot. The kung was something hard hitting the floor.

MURDOCH
The gun dropping to the floor, perhaps?

MAGEE
Yeah, that's what it had to be. The two noises came close together.

MURDOCH
Now, before the sound of the shot, and things falling to the floor, did you hear anything else?

MAGEE
Some voices. Couldn't make out what was said, though.

MURDOCH
Whose voices? Did you recognize any voice?

MAGEE
One was Johnson, I suppose. Can't be sure. The other one, I don't know.

MURDOCH
Only two voices? More than two?

MAGEE
At least two. That's about all I can say for sure. I think it was only two.

MURDOCH
Were you able to hear anything that may have been said?

MAGEE
(almost apologetic) No, not really.

MURDOCH
Might you have heard any names?

MAGEE
(straining to recall) Not that morning.

MURDOCH
You heard names on earlier occasions?

MAGEE
Maybe. Not sure. Names like what?

MURDOCH
How about the name Brackenreid?

MAGEE
(trying to remember) No, I don't think so.

MURDOCH
Higgins?

MAGEE
No.

MURDOCH
Farrell?

(MAGEE stiffens. That name rings a bell.)

MAGEE
Farrell. Yeah. I think I have heard Johnson say that name a time or two.

MURDOCH
How about Boothe?

MAGEE
(nodding uncertainly) Maybe. That name sounds familiar, too.

MURDOCH
Myers?

MAGEE
No.

MURDOCH
Pendrick?

MAGEE
No.

MURDOCH
Winstone?

(MAGEE's eyes go wide.)

MAGEE
Yeah. Winstone! I've heard that name! I'm sure! Johnson was worried about somebody named Winstone! That name I can say I heard for sure!

(CUT TO: Murdoch's office, later that afternoon. MURDOCH is reviewing his notes as OGDEN approaches and knocks. OGDEN is carrying several notes with a diagram and annotations and computations; she looks fatigued. The diagram includes a drawing that is different from the drawings seen earlier; there is an outline of the victim's body with several lines and arcs, with distances and angles being shown. The diagram is very detailed. There are also several pages of mathematical computations. MURDOCH looks up to see OGDEN, smiles, rises, and beckons her in.)

OGDEN
I hope I'm not intruding.

MURDOCH
Not at all! (indicating reports on his desk) We have identified three suspects, and an independent witness confirms that he heard the names of these suspects being spoken. Constables Crabtree, Higgins, and Pearson are in the process of finding these three men. I hope to question all three tomorrow.

OGDEN
I thought I would show you my reconstruction of the shooting of Johnny Teller.

(MURDOCH clears a space on his desk as OGDEN lays out the documents. MURDOCH is noticeably impressed by the work that has been done; he focuses on the diagram showing the drawing of the victim.)

OGDEN
I have used George Crabtree's measurements of the distances involved to compute other distances and to compute these angles. My computations are here (pointing to the pages of computations) in case you want to check my maths.

MURDOCH
(impressed) Excellent.

OGDEN
There were aspects of this shooting that were unclear to me. I hoped this diagram would help clarify things.

MURDOCH
It would seem that it did. (examining the diagrams) It would appear that we have some ranges of distance and angles?

OGDEN
Correct. The most likely scenario is between the extremes.

MURDOCH
Wait a moment. This arc, it represents?

(MURDOCH points to an arc centred on the drawing of the victim's body.)

OGDEN
It represents the minimum distance from which the weapon was fired.

(MURDOCH is befuddled. He points to places on the drawing.)

MURDOCH
That would mean that the fatal shot was fired from less than two feet above the floor. About eighteen inches above the floor.

OGDEN
Yes. Perhaps a bit higher; but more likely, lower.

MURDOCH
But certainly below waist height. I had assumed that the killer had fired upward from waist height. But if your computations are correct, the killer would have fired from well below waist height. The shot would have been fired from near the floor. Why would the killer do that?

(MURDOCH is puzzled; he now understands why OGDEN had a hard time understanding what happened. OGDEN shrugs a little. FADE OUT.)