A Matter of Choice

by DoctorH

A Murdoch Mysteries teleplay, just like a TV episode. Following a brutal murder, Murdoch formulates a plan by which the premeditated crime could have been committed. But the plan seems to require the cooperation of someone whose ethics are beyond reproach; otherwise the plan had to account for choices that could not possibly have been known in advance. Solution included.

4. ACT 4

ACT IV

(FADE IN: EXTERIOR STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, daytime. CUT TO: INTERIOR STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, INTERROGATION ROOM. Sitting around the table are MURDOCH, OGDEN, BRACKENREID, CRABTREE, HIGGINS.)

MURDOCH
I thought it would be most convenient if we all assembled, so that we can share the information that has been gathered. Doctor Ogden, would you please give us a brief description of the likely physical characteristics of the killer?

OGDEN
It was almost certainly a man. He was probably over six feet tall. He was extraordinarily strong, able to squeeze things tightly with his hands, and to lift a grown man into the air.

MURDOCH
Constables Crabtree and Higgins, you have questioned the volunteer students. Did any of them match that description?

(CRABTREE is silent. HIGGINS raises his hand.)

HIGGINS
I questioned two people who partly match that description, sir. One was a student named Umforth, who was male and quite tall. But he did not seem to be especially muscular, sir.

MURDOCH
And the other?

HIGGINS
He was not a student. He was Mr. Atherton, who directed the work at Building B and supervised the students. He was quite muscular, sir, although I am not sure whether he was over six feet tall.

MURDOCH
How many students did Mr. Atherton supervise, Henry?

HIGGINS
Five, sir. He needed help with moving some building materials— wood, brick, paint, waste— out of areas where construction was completed. The five students all said that there was a lot of lifting and carrying, but the work was not difficult. They were done in about two hours, well before noon. They stayed together through lunch.

MURDOCH
Did any of them notice any time period when Mr. Atherton was absent?

HIGGINS
No, sir. On the contrary, they all remarked how he worked just as hard as they did, and that he made several funny jokes. And none of the students went missing at any time, either, sir.

MURDOCH
Very well.

HIGGINS
I also spoke with a Professor Bottoms and Mr. Burlington, who work in Building B. Each of them supervised a single student in performance of some menial tasks that took a little over two hours. The students were named Daly and Berger, and they told the very same stories, sir.

MURDOCH
(to CRABTREE) George, you went to Building A. What did you find?

CRABTREE
I spoke with a Mr. Hopper, who verified that he spent the morning with two students, named Schneider and Avlon. The students tell a version of the story that matches Mr. Hopper's. Apparently Mr. Hopper was somewhat upset: he had asked Professor Newell for three students to assist him in his clean-up job, and Professor Newell sent only two. They barely finished the job before noon. The students were afraid they would miss lunch.

MURDOCH
Actually, it was Reverend Spencer who selected those students for that job, not Professor Newell.

CRABTREE
Nevertheless, Mr. Hopper was angry, and he blamed Professor Newell.

MURDOCH
Understandable, I suppose.

CRABTREE
And further, sir, I spoke to a Mr. Gibbon, who also was angry at Professor Newell.

MURDOCH
Oh? Who is Mr. Gibbon?

CRABTREE
He is the man in charge of maintenance, who was supposed to perform final fix-up operations on Building C before the start of term. As you will recall, sir, Professor Newell and Mr. Clay were supposed to inspect Building C for any maintenance issues, and prepare a list of things to be fixed.

MURDOCH
Yes.

(CRABTREE rummages for a document, and finds it, and hands it to MURDOCH.)

CRABTREE
This is the list of maintenance issues that Professor Newell and Mr. Clay made. As you can see, sir, there are only fourteen items on it, most of them minor.

MURDOCH
Yes.

CRABTREE
Mr. Gibbon, the maintenance man, was delighted when he saw that list. Those fourteen items were easy to fix.

OGDEN
So Mr. Gibbon was delighted? I thought I heard you say that he was angry, George.

CRABTREE
He was angry, Doctor. Mr. Gibbon said that this list shows all of the needed repair work for Building C's first floor, and most of the needed repair work for Building C's second floor. But is completely omits any repair problems on Building C's third floor.

MURDOCH
And this was why Mr. Gibbon was angry?

CRABTREE
Yes; because some of the problems on the second floor were overlooked. And when Mr. Gibbon went to the third floor, he saw immediately two broken light fixtures that were not on Professor Newell's list. In fact, Mr. Gibbon said he found about a dozen other maintenance issues that had been overlooked by Professor Newell. He called Professor Newell's list a "half-baked piece of work." Mr. Gibbon also said, and I quote, "I'll wager that lazy bastard never even went up onto the third floor," unquote.

BRACKENREID
I'm thinking that Gibbon is right. Newell and his boy Clay DID make a shoddy inspection of Building C; and Newell and Clay made a shoddy inspection because they spent part of their time doing something thing else: killing Trenton in Building D!

MURDOCH
But again, we come to the business of how it could have happened that Mr. Clay could have been assigned to assist Professor Newell. The evidence seems to be clear that Reverend Spencer, not Professor Newell, put the two of them together.

OGDEN
Maybe Reverend Spencer was in on the plot to kill Professor Trenton—?

BRACKENREID
That's what I wondered, too, Doctor.

MURDOCH (firmly)
I do not think so. I have checked into Reverend Spencer, and his credentials as a moral guide for students are, well, an example to us all. No jury would ever find that he participated in or in any way approved of this horrific murder.

(MURDOCH sighs.)

MURDOCH
And yet, without Reverend Spencer's involvement, this murder plot could not have been carried out.

MURDOCH sighs again.)

MURDOCH
I need to think things through a little more. And there is an errand I need to attend to. Thank you all for your assistance. I will talk to you if I need anything further.

(MURDOCH stands, and others follow suit. The meeting is adjourned. CUT TO: ESTABLISHING SHOT OF A TORONTO CITY STREET, daytime. CUT TO: ESTABLISHING SHOT OF A BOOKSTORE, same time. CUT TO: INTERIOR OF THE BOOKSTORE. There are books on shelves all around. At a counter stands Albert MILTON, owner of the shop. MURDOCH stands on the other side of the counter. MILTON is reviewing a list, and holds it so that MURDOCH can see the list as well. MURDOCH points to the first item on the list.)

MURDOCH
I found this book in the public library. It is mostly for readers who are children.

(MURDOCH points to the second item on the list.)

MURDOCH
But I cannot seem to find this book, and I was wondering whether you could help me.

(MILTON looks at the list and frowns.)

MILTON
Well, Detective, I can tell you that I do not carry this book. I do have a friend, however, who dabbles in this sort of thing, and he might know where you could get a copy. He may even have a copy in his own extensive collection, though I doubt he would sell it to you.

MURDOCH
I do not want to buy it. I would just like to borrow it. If he would be so kind.

MILTON
I will telephone him right now. He only lives a short distance from here.

(CUT TO: EXTERIOR STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, daytime. CUT TO: INTERIOR STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, BRACKENREID'S OFFICE. BRACKENREID sits behind his desk, reviewing a document that he holds in his hand. The desk is otherwise clear of documents. The office door opens; MURDOCH peeks his head in and knocks.)

MURDOCH
Sir, if you have a few minutes, I'd like to show you something.

BRACKENREID
Show me what?

(MURDOCH enters the office and closes the office door. From his pocket, MURDOCH takes a small packet of playing cards. BRACKENREID sets aside the document in his hand and wonders what MURDOCH is up to. MURDOCH lays out on the desk all ten playing cards in a row, face down.)

MURDOCH
Sir, would you please divide these ten cards into two groups of five, in any way you wish.

BRACKENREID (playing along)
All right.

MURDOCH
Do not let me influence you in your decision in any way!

(BRACKENREID slides five of the cards from the row toward himself. MURDOCH collects the five cards not slid out and furthest from BRACKENREID, and puts them in his pocket, leaving five cards face down on the table.)

MURDOCH
Now, from the cards you selected, please divide them into a group of three, and a group of two.

(BRACKENREID does so. The group of three is closest to him.)

MURDOCH
Now indicate whichever of the two groups you like.

(BRACKENREID, with a smirk, points to the group of two cards furthest away from him. Without missing a beat, MURDOCH collects the other three cards and places them in his pocket, leaving two cards on the table.)

MURDOCH
You like those two? Excellent, sir. Now, if you will, please, sir. Place your finger (speaking slowly) on any card you like—

(MURDOCH draws out the word "like," as if his sentence is not complete. Before MURDOCH completes his sentence, BRACKENREID puts his finger on a card. With no break in rhythm, MURDOCH completes the sentence that he was starting.)

MURDOCH
— And I will put THAT card in my pocket with the others. This one, sir? Very good.

(MURDOCH slides the card from under BRACKENREID's finger and puts the card in his pocket, leaving one card face down on the table. BRACKENREID withdraws his hand, and stares at the card.)

MURDOCH
Would you agree that the card in front of you was freely selected, sir?

BRACKENREID
I would.

MURDOCH
You have selected the ace of diamonds.

(BRACKENREID turns over the card. It is the ace of diamonds.)

BRACKENREID
Ace of diamonds.

(MURDOCH seems pleased with himself. BRACKENREID is a bit puzzled but hardly amazed. He thinks he's figured out the trick.)

BRACKENREID
The cards were marked!

MURDOCH
No, sir, they were not.

BRACKENREID (proposing another solution)
You memorized all of the cards and kept track of them as I made my selections!

MURDOCH
No, sir.

BRACKENREID (trying again)
Every single one of those cards was an ace of diamonds! It didn't matter which one I'd pick!

(MURDOCH pulls the cards from his pocket and tosses them on the table, face-up. No other card is an ace of diamonds, and it turns out that the other nine cards are all clubs and spades, with no red cards at all.)

MURDOCH
No, sir; but I must congratulate you, for this trick can indeed be performed using each of those very techniques! But I used none of those techniques.

BRACKENREID
You played the odds, then. One time out of ten, I'd pick the right card.

MURDOCH
Sir, if I performed this trick for Constable Crabtree, he would select the ace of diamonds. If I performed this trick for Constable Higgins, he too would select the ace of diamonds. The trick is sure-fire.

BRACKENREID (now baffled)
But how? I made free choices! You told me not to let you influence me in my decisions, and I did not.

MURDOCH
And if you had to, you'd swear to that court? You'd swear that you made all choices freely? You'd swear before God?

(It seems an odd question; BRACKENREID takes a moment to answer.)

BRACKENREID
Yes!

(MURDOCH smiles. BRACKENREID is now mixing a little irritation with his puzzlement.)

BRACKENREID
Well, Murdoch? Are you bloody going to tell me how you did it!?

MURDOCH
I did it in the same way that Professor Newell made certain that he would be paired with Mr. Clay. That pairing was NOT random. It was sure-fire.

(MURDOCH smiles subtly; BRACKENREID is befuddled. FADE OUT.)