Frank Gibney looked like a jolly white haired grandfather, if you got past the cold calculation in his eyes and the cruel turn of his lips. Murdoch disliked him on sight. Even more at the total lack of reaction on finding his child had been murdered. Sadly much as Murdock wanted to throw this monster into a cell, Gibney could not have killed his daughter because he'd spent most of the previous evening at the polices station having his daughters beau arrested. Which also took the beau off the suspect list, not that the absolute devastation on Jack Naders face could have been faked.
Murdoch left the room barely resisting the urge to slam the door. It appalled him that his usual calm distance was gone. He felt raw and exposed, and very very much on edge.
"So it's not the father or the boyfriend, what does that leave us?" Brackenreid asked, following him into Murdoch's office. Murdoch studied the board, there was so very little on it, but he knew it was early yet the deeper they dug the more would be revealed.
George had pinned a detailed map of the footprints to one of the boards, and Murdoch studied that for a moment. Crabtree was right, there was something odd about the footprints but the more he looked at the drawing, the more elusive the odd something became. When the image started to blur he shook his head and decided to come back to it another time.
"I'm on my way to the Coroner, I'm hoping Doctor Ogden will have more information." He said absently, then turned to George, "Constable organise Henry and some others to canvas the houses near that graveyard, question everyone if they saw anything even slightly out of place."
"You might also try and question her friends, people she's had dealings with and find out more about the man her father wanted her to marry. Maybe he did not like his future fiancé running off with another." Brackenreid ordered.
Music echoed from the small gramophone player in the corner, and as William approached he could see her foot tapping in time to it. Julia was hunched over the desk deeply engrossed in writing what he assumed was his report.
"Doctor Ogden?"
She looked up and gave him a half smile, it was distant and vague as if she was not really seeing him, but her eyes were sad.
"Detective. Just in time." She rose and closing the file handed it to him, then she took the clipboard and preceded him down the ramp.
"Cause of death was as we suspected. The C2 vertebra was fractured. However there was something else," she lifted the sheet and showed him a small cut on the body, "her kidney has been removed." She said handing him a small test tube.
"I found liquid in the wound. A very small amount, but I think the wound itself was packed in ice," she stated then covered the body again before turning to him, "the incision was done surgically, and could only have been done by a skilled surgeon," here for the first time Julia hesitated, then going back to the table handed him what looked like a medical journal entry.
"That was released a few months ago, Darcy was fascinated and brought it home for me from a conference in New York."
Murdoch frowned and glanced it over, it was filled with a lot of medical jargon but he understood that it was about transplanting the body part of one person into another.
"It's pure speculation at this stage if that could be done as there are too many factors that could go wrong, but what stood out for me was the reference to packing the organ in ice to keep it from deteriorating," she moved closer to him looking over his shoulder, her jasmine scent drowned out the formaldehyde and death.
He tried to keep his mind on what he was doing but she made it almost impossible. It was self-preservation that made him move a step away. That and the fact that he was enjoying being so close to her just a little too much.
Julia noticed and turned towards the mortuary, "there is something else I think you should see," she waited for him to join her and gently lifted the sheet a small fraction off the legs. There were long wicked looking scars that criss-crossed Dorothy's thighs, "it's worse on her back and buttocks."
"Constable Crabtree suspected that her father was rough with her, but I do not imagine anyone knew how badly he treated her," Murdoch said, then "how skilled a surgeon?" He asked, nodding to the incision when she looked confused. "How skilled would the surgeon need to be to do that?" He clarified.
"Extremely, I imagine there are only a handful that gifted in Toronto," then with a small smile she headed back to her office, "I'll draw up a list of names," she said knowing him well enough to know that would have been his next request.
"I will have it brought over to the precinct when I am done. I'm afraid I'm not as up to date on the local talent as Darcy is, may I consult with him on this?" She asked, not looking at him. Murdoch grit his teeth together but nodded.
Julia went to the little coat hanger and took down her hat and jacket and Murdoch was by her side instantly, taking the short jacket that matched her skirt from her and helping her into it. His hand brushed the back of her neck and she felt the heat rush up her face, she could not stop her body from trembling at his touch.
He followed her out the door, the silence between them far from comfortable. It was filled with unspoken emotions and old and new hurts never acknowledged. When they reached the street he summoned her a carriage but did not get into it with her.
The lights were on all over the house as Julia climbed the last steps into the warmth that awaited her with a small weary sigh. It was always hard when the victims were young, and Dotty Gibney had been very young, and very healthy.
She was just about to take her hat off and hand it to Jarvis when something else nudged at her mind. She stood frozen, her arms raised for a good minute.
"Miss Julia?" Jarvis might have been hired by her father to watch her, but he'd been with her family since she was a child, the concern in his voice was clear.
"She was well muscled Jarvis, I think she might even have been an athlete." She murmured. Jarvis raised one eyebrow, but aside from handing her back her coat he said nothing.
"Thank you," she smiled as she headed for the door.
"Doctor Garland was here earlier, he left a message." Jarvis handed her the folded card with Darcy's elegant handwriting on it. Julia nodded and slipped it into her pocket. She waited until she was in the carriage before she opened it.
"Darling Julia, Please accept my deepest apologies for my appalling behavior. I will call on you tomorrow. Yours always, Darcy."
Julia sighed and slipped it into her pocket, she looked down at the ring on her finger and realized she had some hard decisions to make.
Back at the mortuary she pulled out Dotty's body and paid closer attention to her musculature, which confirmed her thoughts. Julia called the precinct, but Murdoch had already left. It was only as she replaced the receiver that she realized there had been no need for her to rush back here tonight. The fact that Dotty was athletic was not that vital that she had to come dashing back, or that just for a moment, she'd been tempted to go to Murdoch's boarding house home to tell him her findings.
She closed up and went into her office, her mind strangely still. It was as if her heart had finally managed to be heard and now her head had nothing more to say. Julia slipped the ring off her finger and studied it. Darcy was a good man, and he deserved a lot better than marrying a woman in love with someone else.
She carefully placed it in her coat pocket and turned off the lights.
Murdoch looked up as Julia was walking into the station the next morning. It was like being punched in the gut only more painful. She had on another of those little hats set at a jaunty angle on her curls, and he'd yet to figure out why she wore them since they had absolutely no useful purpose that he could see.
She was pale, there were darker circles under her eyes and she looked sad. It suddenly occurred to him that even when they had been involved, he'd never just taken her in his arms and held her. Why then suddenly was that all he wanted to do?
"Good Morning Doctor Ogden, you are well?" He rose as she came in, but kept the desk between them. Julia frowned but nodded.
"I'm fine Detective, I have new findings on Dorothy Gibney," she handed him a file, "it appears she was athletic, though I have no idea in what sport."
Murdoch looked at the report in the file, "excellent work," he murmured already trying to figure out where Dotty would have developed that kind of physique.
"May I ask you a personal question?" Julia's question caught his full attention instantly. He put the file down and focused on her.
"Of course." It annoyed him that she would even ask.
"I should imagine you would allow, perhaps even encourage your wife to work?"
His insides turned into knots, trying to understand what she was trying to say to him. What hidden meaning did her words have?
"It would depend on my wife. It's not something I have given a great deal of thought to, but it is widely assumed most women wish to dedicate themselves to their husbands and home after marriage." He said carefully.
Julia nodded then straightened and sighed. "I have not managed to finish the list of surgeons, but I should have it for you by this evening." Julia said, not looking at him. Murdoch frowned at her, confused by the jump in topic, he said the first thing that popped into his head.
"That list is extremely important Julia, it's not like you to be tardy on something like this." He could have bitten his tongue almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Her eyes snapped up at him and there was a distinct snarl to her lips.
"I know William, however unlike myself, Darcy is not available twenty four hours of the day for your investigation." With that she turned to storm out of the door and William was around the desk and behind her before he even realized it.
"Julia stop!" He ordered, grasping her arm and swinging her around. Julia stumbled as her skirts tangled around her legs and William clamped an arm around her waist to steady her, but the moment her body brushed against him he could not stop himself from pulling her closer.
"Release me Detective, I wish to return to my office," She snapped at him, her voice breathless. Murdoch could see the color moving up her cheeks. It brought his focus up to her mouth, soft and pink, he knew how it would feel pressed against his, and thanks to one glorious absinth induced memory, how it would taste.
He moved his hand up to cup her face, using his thumb to gently press her chin until her lips parted, he could almost hear her gasp of aroused shock as the hand he had curled around her hip tightened and drew her flush against him. Her breasts were pressed against his chest and he groaned with the need to feel them skin-to-skin. Gently so very slowly, careful to give her enough time to push him away, he lowered his mouth to hers...
"Murdoch! Where the bloody hell are you!" Brackenreid's bellow brought Murdoch tumbling back to reality. Only in this reality he still had his hands around Julia's waist and, even more surprising, she had hers curled into his lapels.
"Julia you have to let go." He said as he gently pried her fingers loose, she blinked twice then nodded.
"Yes, I do." She said softly, and he was suddenly very sure she was not talking about her grasp on his coat.
Brackenreid stomped into the room nearly getting bowled over as Julia shot past him out the door. Murdoch watched her disappear.
"You might as well marry that girl Murdoch, you already fight like an old married couple." He snapped. Murdoch tried to get his mind to focus on his boss, but it was racing along with his heart.
Had Julia had been as affected by their touch as much as he?
"She is engaged to someone else" he murmured.
Brackenreid's chuckle finally brought his attention back to reality, "engaged being the operative word, me old mucker, as in not married yet." He stated. Murdoch blinked and frowned trying to work out just what that meant for him.
"I can not imagine Doctor Ogden making a commitment like that lightly. If she had feelings for anyone else she would not have agreed to marry Doctor Garland." He said it, but his head kept playing her stunned and flushed face for him. Brackenreid just shook his head.
"You have a lot to learn about women."
Murdoch ignored that as he knew his boss was stating the obvious. He forced his thoughts back to his job and focused on the blackboard. He didn't have a photograph of Dotty, but he had one of her father. Frank Gibney looked like a jovial Santa. It was shocking that this merry looking man could be responsible for the terrible marks on his daughter's body.
"So what do we have so far?" Brackenreid demanded.
"Not a lot. It appears we are back to square one. Jack Nader was in lock up at the time of the murder, and the father was at the police station at the same time, which rules them both out. Doctor Ogden confirms that the kidneys could only have been removed by a trained surgeon. She's compiling a list of all the ones living in Toronto."
"You think our killer will be on that list?" The Inspector asked.
"He could be, but it is more likely that our killer is visiting Toronto," he crossed his arms as his mind raced from one fact to the next, trying to find a pattern, a connection, a clue.
I should imagine you would allow, perhaps even encourage your wife to work?
Julia's words thrust through his head, throwing him out of his thoughts and into a deep well of emotions, pain and aching need.
Why had she asked him that? What had she been trying to tell him? Was she going to stop working with him? Did she want to stop working all together? Did she want to go to work with Dr Garland at the children's hospital?
"Murdoch!" Brackenreid's shout brought him back with a jolt and he tried not to look too guilty.
"I have a feeling you are not having one of your deep thinks about the case," he snapped, Murdoch said nothing, as there was nothing he could say.
"Yes well, I thought as much. I suggest you go get that list from the good Doctor, and then perhaps you could do Dorothy Gibney the courtesy of focusing on finding her killer?"
"Yes sir." Murdoch sighed and moved to the door. Steeling himself for yet another heart slamming meeting with Julia.
Murdoch and Crabtree spent most of the morning checking schools, church halls and the woman's basketball league in the hopes of discovering what sport was responsible for Dorothy's musculature. They came up blank, as there were very little sports available to women, and those that were, like horseback riding and swimming, would have been impossible for Dorothy to hide from her father.
It was early evening before they called on Dorothy's fiancé. Geoffrey Blake and Murdoch's instincts shot into overdrive the minute they were shown into the small drawing room. The man was cold, arrogant and had a permanent sneer on his face.
"I don't know how I can help you Detectives, I hardly knew the chit." He sniffed, Crabtree stiffened beside him, and Murdoch moved to put himself between them.
"I find that hard to believe. You were engaged to marry Dorothy were you not?" Though his voice was cool, any dislike Murdoch felt was not apparent in his voice.
"Her father arranged it, I had all my dealings with him. Frankly as long as she was of good solid stock and could bear me sons, I saw no reason to spend more time with her. I would have to do enough of that after the wedding." He said it with such a cold precision that even Murdoch had to fight down the need to take a swing at him.
"I see, and where were you yesterday evening?" He had the satisfaction of seeing a flash of anger slide through Blake's eyes.
"I was at the new theater. I am a patron," he said it with a sniff. Murdoch nodded and took down the details and address to confirm his alibi. He had to give George a little nudge to move him out the door, his eyes shooting daggers at Blake the entire time.
The theater the watchman also worked as the doorman and he confirmed Blake had only left the theater long after midnight. It was late when they headed for the mortuary and Julia was not there, though she had left the list on her desk.
"Is Doctor Ogden alright sir?" Crabtree asked as they climbed into the small cramped carriage and headed back to the office. Murdoch was trying to focus on the list, but he kept seeing her face. At Georges question he frowned.
"Is there a reason why she should not be?"
"It's just that she was very sad the last time we saw her, and I thought it might have something to do with her ring."
Murdoch froze, his mind shooting him back to the office. "Stop the carriage!"
He jumped out and handed a startled George the list, "get this to the office and call it a night George. I've got something I need to do, we will start early in the morning."