Murdoch Solves a Murder in the 21st Century

by DoctorH

A complete teleplay, just like an actual Murdoch episode. Murdoch's detective skills help break open a case that occurs over a hundred years later. No time travel is involved, there are no departures from the canon; it's a mystery with a touch of humour. Solution(s) included. I'd love it if they actually made an episode like this!

2. ACT 2

ACT II

(FADE IN. STATION HOUSE NO. 4, early afternoon. CUT TO: BRACKENREID'S OFFICE. MURDOCH, BRACKENREID and CRABTREE are there, all standing. MURDOCH and CRABTREE are making a preliminary informal report to BRACKENREID. MURDOCH holds some unopened files. CRABTREE has his notebook out, and refers to it.)

CRABTREE
William O'Casey, known to neighbours as "Oak." He lived in a room in the building next to the alley where he was killed. I spoke to four of his neighbours. They say he is unmarried and has no known family. They also say that they were not close friends of his, but they did give me several leads as to where I might find some people who knew Mr. O'Casey better.

MURDOCH
Julia is doing her post-mortem now. All we know right now is that Mr. O'Casey was knifed multiple times, and that death probably occurred at about nine o'clock this morning. From the layout of the scene, Mr. O'Casey was apparently called into the alley, or lured into the alley, and attacked. There are no eyewitnesses to the attack. Mr. O'Casey's body was quite bloody, and I deem it likely that the attacker him came away with blood on his body, but no one saw any person with bloody clothes or bloody hands leaving the scene.

BRACKENREID
Do we have anything on this O'Casey?

MURDOCH (holding up the files)
Possibly. We have criminal records for two men by the name of William O'Casey. We do not know whether our victim is either of them.

BRACKENREID
Was this a robbery?

MURDOCH
That is quite possible. There was no money found on the body.

(A CONSTABLE knocks on the office door, enters, and hands a paper to MURDOCH. The CONSTABLE departs. MURDOCH checks the files in his possession, and looks at the paper again, and singles out one file.)

MURDOCH
Ah. Finger mark analysis. We have a positive identification, and it seems (holding up one of the files) Mr. O'Casey does have a criminal record. (Looks at the file) William O'Casey, born 1878; previously arrested for burglary in Port Hope while a minor; arrested last year for assault, pleaded guilty, but served no time in prison. He was arrested again six months ago on suspicion of being involved in a burglary, and was arrested again four months ago on suspicion of being involved in another burglary; charges were laid but were subsequently dismissed in both cases.

BRACKENREID (frowning)
Sounds like "Oak" may've been a bad boy. Why were the burglary charges dismissed?

MURDOCH (looking at the file)
That's not exactly clear.

BRACKENREID
And now he's dead. Maybe one of his victims decided to take revenge.

MURDOCH
Possibly. George, you and I will check into that.

(MURDOCH and CRABTREE collect their things in preparation to exit BRACKENREID'S OFFICE.)

CRABTREE
Yes, sir.

MURDOCH
Let's go see whether we can find some of those people who knew "Oak" a little better.

(CUT TO: A city street, the front of a shop. Mr. KARRAS, a young man wearing shopkeeper garb and an apron, and holding a wet cloth, was apparently cleaning the front window of the shop. MURDOCH and CRABTREE are talking to KARRAS. CRABTREE has his notebook out, taking notes.)

KARRAS
Yeah, I know "Oak." He grew up two houses away from me. We keep in touch.

MURDOCH
I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Mr. O'Casey has been killed. He was stabbed.

KARRAS (mildly surprised)
Somebody killed "Oak?" Had to be Ted Wallace. He's your man. Ted hated Oak, even said one day he'd kill him.

MURDOCH
Why? What was the nature of their dispute?

KARRAS
There's been bad feeling between them for some time. If I remember right, it started a couple of months ago when Oak won some money from Ted in a card game. Oak told me he won the money fair and square, but Ted thought Oak cheated. So Ted killed Oak's dog. Oak had his dog tied up to a post while he did some business inside a store somewhere, and Ted came up in broad daylight, distracted the dog with a piece of meat, then stabbed the dog. Oak saw Ted do it and run away. Oak loved that dog. But Oak couldn't go to the police, because he'd, uh, had some trouble with the police in the past. So Oak retaliated by— (stops talking, moves eyes down)

MURDOCH
He retaliated how? (seeing KARRAS's reluctance to talk) Mr. Karras, "Oak" is dead. If he retaliated by doing something illegal, he can no longer be criminally punished for it.

KARRAS (eyes down, nodding)
Yeah, I guess it doesn't matter anymore. (looks up) Oak set fire to Ted's house. Nobody got hurt. But the house was pretty damaged. Oak said that made things even, but Ted didn't see it that way. Word got around that Ted was madder than ever, and he'd get back at Oak. So Oak said, "If you ever find me murdered someday, then Ted Wallace did it." Now, that's an exact quote.

(CRABTREE records what KARRAS said. CUT TO: a public house. MURDOCH, CRABTREE and a young barkeep, SHAY, sit at a table in the establishment. There are no customers in the public house.)

SHAY
Arrest Ted Wallace. He was the only enemy that Oak had, as far as I know, and we all knew we had to watch out for Wallace. Oak even said, "If somebody murders me, it was Ted Wallace that did it."

(CRABTREE records what SHAY said. MURDOCH and CRABTREE exchange glances. CUT TO: exterior of a business. MURDOCH and CRABTREE speak with LONNIGAN, who was in the process of doing some repair work on a storefront.)

LONNIGAN
Oak said this: "If I get killed, Ted Wallace did it." He said those words exactly.

(CUT TO: Upper body of Mrs. STOPPARD, a young woman with a pram, evidently speaking to MURDOCH and CRABTREE.)

STOPPARD
"Ted Wallace murdered me." That's what he said.

(CUT TO: Shoulders-up view of Mr. JONES, a professional-looking young man.)

JONES
Ted Wallace.

(CUT TO: Face of MOORE, a young man, possibly a vicar, but in any event recognizable as clergy by his collar.)

MOORE
If I were you, detectives, I'd arrest Ted Wallace.

(CUT TO: MURDOCH and CRABTREE walking down the street. They walk purposefully, as though they are going somewhere.)

MURDOCH (wryly)
Tell me, George, if you were a detective, who do you think our main suspect ought to be?

(CRABTREE laughs. CUT TO: Ext. of a rundown house, WALLACE'S HOUSE. Part of the house shows severe fire damage, which has been badly repaired. There are several trees behind the house. MURDOCH holds up a criminal record for "Edward Theodore Wallace." The criminal record includes a photograph of a man with a mustache. MURDOCH turns to CRABTREE.)

MURDOCH
This was the address he gave after he was arrested two months ago.

(MURDOCH and CRABTREE approach the house and knock on the door. The door opens and a man's face peers out. The man is WALLACE. He is clean-shaven and for a moment does not resemble the man in the photograph.)

MURDOCH
Mr. Wallace? Mr. Ted Wallace?

WALLACE (cautiously)
Yes?

MURDOCH (showing his badge)
Detective William Murdock, Toronto Constabulary. This (gesturing to CRABTREE) is Constable George Crabtree. May we speak with you?

WALLACE
What about?

MURDOCH
We're making inquiry into the death of William O'Casey.

WALLACE
Never heard of him.

MURDOCH
He was known to many people as "Oak."

(WALLACE's jaw drops. He stands still for a second or two, and then opens the door wider.)

WALLACE
Oak's dead?

MURDOCH
He is, sir.

WALLACE
I didn't do it! I just want to say that right up front! I didn't do it!

MURDOCH
May we come in?

WALLACE
Are you here to arrest me? I hated Oak, I make no secret of that. But I am not going to get hanged for something I didn't do!

MURDOCH
Mr. Wallace, where were you this morning at about nine o'clock?

WALLACE (suspicious)
Is that when Oak got killed?

MURDOCH (pressing)
Where were you at nine o'clock, sir?

(WALLACE suddenly smiles broadly, laughs, and opens up the door. Even though the door is now open, MURDOCH and CRABTREE do not enter.)

WALLACE
Where was I? I was with a COP, that's where I was! Ha! I was with a POLICEMAN!

(MURDOCH and CRABTREE exchange glances.)

MURDOCH
I presume this policeman will verify your story?

WALLACE
You can ask him yourself. His name was Bracken— something. Brackenberry? No, Bracken—

MURDOCH (stunned)
Brackenreid?

WALLACE
Yeah, that sounds right. Mustache, fat hindquarters, going bald, a Yorkshireman. A real POMPOUS ASS! But also a real COP. He's my alibi. Go talk to him!

(MURDOCH and CRABTREE exchange glances. MURDOCH looks uncomfortable. CRABTREE looks almost ill. FADE OUT.)