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.

5. ACT 5

(WARNING: This chapter includes an explanation of a secret technique used by magicians and conjurors. If you do not wish to know this secret, do not read this chapter. Oh, who are we trying to kid? If you've read the story this far, OF COURSE you're going to want to see the solution.)

ACT V

(FADE IN. BRACKENREID'S OFFICE, seconds later, everything the same as it was before. BRACKENREID points at the face-up ace on the desk.)

BRACKENREID
You say, Murdoch, that I would be absolutely certain to select THIS card, and not any of the others, and that the technique would be the same one that Professor Newell to made absolutely certain that he would be paired with Mr. Clay, and not any of the other students?

(MURDOCH nods.)

BRACKENREID
But Newell didn't make any choices at all! Reverend Spencer made all the choices!

MURDOCH
Just as you made all of the choices with respect to the cards, sir. And just as you would be willing to say under oath that you made all of your choices freely, so too would Reverend Spencer.

(Light dawns, BRACKENREID starts to understand.)

BRACKENREID
And you're saying that this was just a trick. Reverend Spencer thought he was making free choices, but in reality, he was not. That Clay would be assigned to Newell was guaranteed!

MURDOCH
Correct. Professor Newell intended from the very outset to be partnered with Mr. Clay, but he wanted the partnership to be perceived as a matter of chance, or something over which he had no control. He allowed Reverend Spencer to believe that that pairing was Reverend Spencer's choice, rather than his own.

BRACKENREID
So— how'd Newell do it?

(MURDOCH lays out the ten cards on the desk again, in a row. He turns all cards face down, except the ace of diamonds, which is face up. The ace of diamonds is eighth in the row from MURDOCH's point of view, third in the row from BRACKENREID's point of view.)

MURDOCH
Professor Newell knew, of course, the person with whom he would like to be paired. In my version of the trick, I knew that this card—

(MURDOCH indicates the ace of diamonds, which he turns face down.)

MURDOCH
— Is the card I wanted you to select. My job is to keep track of that card, no matter what choices you make. In Professor Newell's case, he merely kept track of Mr. Clay—

(MURDOCH turns the ace of diamonds face up.)

MURDOCH
— Who was not hidden from him in any way.

BRACKENREID
All right. The first thing you had me do was divide the cards into two groups of five. Just as Newell told Reverend Spencer to divide the group of ten students into two groups of five.

(BRACKENREID divides the cards into two groups of five.)

MURDOCH
Yes. No matter how the selection is made, one group of five includes Mr. Clay (pointing to the ace), and one group of five does not. And then Professor Newell sent the group that did NOT include Mr. Clay to perform the moving job in Building B.

(BRACKENREID is catching on. BRACKENREID scoops up the group of five cards that does not include the face-up ace, and sets those cards aside.)

BRACKENREID
So those five people are now out of the picture, and Reverend Spencer thinks that he is the one that selected the group for the moving assignment.

MURDOCH
Yes.

BRACKENREID
Right! And then you had me divide the cards into a group of three and a group of two. Just as Newell divided the remaining five students into a group of three and a group of two!

(BRACKENREID divides the cards into a group of three and a group of two. The face-up ace is in the group of two.)

MURDOCH
Yes, sir. And regardless of whether Mr. Clay winds up in the group of three or the group of two, the group WITHOUT Mr. Clay is sent to do clean-up in Building A. This is the secret of the trick: whatever I do is dependent upon whatever choices you make. No matter what choices you make, I never award Mr. Clay any job EXCEPT that of my assistant, and yet, you think you are selecting each person for each job, and all this all seems quite logical to you!

BRACKENREID
I think that I am making the choices. But in reality, you are narrowing down my options, making the choices!

MURDOCH
Yes. Now, according to the students, Mr. Clay WAS placed in the group of three, rather than in the group of two, as you have it. If Reverend Spencer had placed Mr. Clay in the group of two, then the group of three would be sent off to do clean-up. But Reverend Spencer placed Mr. Clay in the group of three, so the group of two was sent off to do clean-up.

BRACKENREID
And the bloke in charge of clean-up was angry, because he expected to get three students instead of two.

(BRACKENREID switches the ace with an indifferent face-down card, so that the ace is in the group of three. BRACKENREID then sets the group of two cards aside. The only cards on the desk are the face-up ace two face-down cards.)

MURDOCH
Reverend Spencer would then make a choice to select one student.

BRACKENREID
And what if he picked the wrong one?

MURDOCH
He couldn't pick the wrong one. If Reverend Spencer had picked Mr. Clay, then Professor Newell would have said something like, "Fine, you are going to be my assistant." If Reverend Spencer had picked another student, then Professor Newell would have said something like, "Fine, you are going to help reorganize a library in Building A." You see? The consequences of the choice were never explained in advance, so Reverend Spencer thought he was selecting people to perform particular tasks, even though he was not.

(BRACKENREID muses over this trick, and starts to smile. He gathers up the playing cards and holds them in his hand.)

BRACKENREID
I'll be damned. I'm going to have to do this one down at the pub. Who knows how many free drinks I can win?

MURDOCH
I caution you, sir, that though the technique is easily understood, it does require practice to master. It usually requires some clever improvisation. Professional conjurers who use it are so skilled and so polished that no one is ever the wiser that it is being used at all! It is a technique based not upon smoke and mirrors or sleight-of-hand or gimmickry; it is based solely upon psychology. Among some conjurors, the technique is called "equivoqué."

BRACKENREID
Sounds French. Did the French come up with it?

MURDOCH
I don't know. The word almost certainly has Latin roots, but—

BRACKENREID (interrupting)
And this is how Newell did it, Murdoch?

MURDOCH
Yes. On Professor Newell's shelves in his office were two books on the subject of conjuring. I found one of those books through a dealer in rare books. That book about conjuring, a copy of which is in Professor Newell's bookcase, includes a discussion of equivoqué, and it appears that Professor Newell may have learned of the technique from this book and adapted it to his own use.

BRACKENREID (bothered)
I think I see a problem. There's no way Newell could know in advance how many student volunteers would show up.

MURDOCH
One of the pleasant things about equivoqué is that is can be applied to any number of selections, once you understand the principle.

BRACKENREID
Do the other witnesses agree this was the way it was done?

MURDOCH
The other volunteer students agree that they did not know for which assignment they were being selected until after the selection was made. They have all given sworn statements to that effect.

(BRACKENREID stands.)

BRACKENREID
Assemble four constables, Murdoch. All armed with truncheons.

MURDOCH
Four constables, to arrest Professor Newell, sir?

BRACKENREID
No, one constable to arrest Newell. Three constables to arrest Clay. From what I hear, he's big enough that we'll need at least three.

MURDOCH
Good thinking, sir.

(CUT TO: ESTABLISHING SHOT OF STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, evening. CUT TO: INTERIOR OF STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, MURDOCH'S OFFICE. The door to the office is open. MURDOCH is writing a report, but seems to be finishing up. OGDEN enters the office; MURDOCH notices.)

MURDOCH
Ah, Julia, I'm just about done.

OGDEN
I heard that you arrested Professor Newell and his assistant without incident.

MURDOCH
We did. After arresting Mr. Clay, we searched his dormitory room, and we found a garrotte. Faced with this evidence, Mr. Clay has confessed his participation. Mr. Clay, it would seem, made the acquaintance of Professor Newell more than a year ago, and Mr. Clay further says that Professor Newell offered to help him in university: help him academically, and help him financially. Apparently Mr. Clay's financial need is quite dire.

OGDEN
So for academic assistance and some money—

MURDOCH
Quite a lot of money, actually.

OGDEN
— Mr. Clay would participate in a murder.

MURDOCH
Yes. Professor Newell apparently also convinced Mr. Clay that Professor Trenton justly deserved to be severely punished, and that the two of them would never be caught if they set things up right. Professor Newell knew that the campus would be deserted in the days before start of term, and he also knew that Professor Trenton would be alone in a laboratory at the time that the student volunteer project was underway. According to Mr. Clay, Professor Newell thought that the volunteer project would offer excellent cover. According to Mr. Clay, Professor Newell had a sure-fire way of making sure Reverend Spencer would put the two men together. They would go to Building C, and when the coast was clear, they would walk to Building D, and "take care" of Professor Trenton. According to Mr. Clay, waiting for the coast to clear took more time than expected.

OGDEN
They went to the laboratory, Professor Newell opened the laboratory with his key, and Mr. Clay grabbed Professor Trenton by the wrists.

MURDOCH
According to Mr. Clay, as Professor Trenton's wrists were being held behind his back, Professor Trenton insulted Professor Newell quite, uh, personally. Professor Newell responded to the insult by striking Professor Trenton in the mouth with his cane, knocking out a tooth. Then Mr. Clay used his garrotte—

OGDEN
— And lifted Professor Trenton off the floor, strangling him, effectively hanging him. And when the deed was done, they returned to Building C, to continue on with their job.

MURDOCH
Yes. They had lost some time because of the murder, and were unable to do a very good job with the inspection in the time they had remaining.

OGDEN
Has Professor Newell confessed?

MURDOCH
No. At least, not yet.

OGDEN
And you say you are nearly done here?

MURDOCH
I am!

OGDEN
Good.

(OGDEN produces three index cards, showing no writing, and places them in front of MURDOCH.)

OGDEN
I have three options for dinner tonight.

MURDOCH
Well, knowing you as I do, Julia, I have a very good idea where you'd like to dine!

OGDEN
But I want this to be a free choice! William, I would like you to extend the index finger of your right hand, and place your finger on one of the cards—

MURDOCH (amused)
Never mind! We're going to the Country Club!

(MURDOCH turns the cards over, one after another; each card says: "Country Club.")

MURDOCH
And no matter what I may think, I don't really have a choice, do I?

(OGDEN smiles, as does MURDOCH. FADE OUT.)

THE END