(indistinct chatter)
- Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for being present
On this very special occasion.
As president of the toronto housing company,
I could confidently state that today marks a new era
For the city of toronto.
I present to you spruce court,
Housing for the workman of modest means
That all can afford.
(applause) - seems like quite a good idea.
Hopefully, it will cut crime down in the slums by half.
- Indeed. Hopefully, disease and poverty, as well.
- For our ribbon cutting,
I'll be joined by lieutenant governor gibson,
Our philanthropists,
And chief constable brackenreid.
- Well, that's my cue. I've booked the afternoon off,
Going to spend some time with the missus.
- Happy wife, happy life.
- I've heard that.
Not sure I quite believe it.
- Hm. - Anyway,
You can take care of the rest of the tour, can't you?
(overlapping chatter)
(camera shutter clicking)
- Ah! - Arrivederci.
- Yeah, yeah. - Excuse me, kids!
- I commend the quality living conditions.
It's rare to see such respect given to the working class.
- Well, I think housing is second in importance
Only to preserving law and order.
Don't you agree, inspector?
- Mr. Byers, I could not agree more.
If this is successful, hopefully it will encourage
The government to pitch in and help out.
- That is my hope.
Excuse me.
Ladies and gentlemen, one of our tenants,
Miss mysha boyko,
Came to canada as a young maiden
And now works as a bookkeeper
At the esteemed eaton's department store.
She has a new lease on life by moving into spruce court
And kindly allowed us a tour of her new apartment.
Shall we say hello?
Miss boyko?
Miss boyko.
Miss boyko!
(tense music)
- Not the new lease on life she had hoped for.
(gasps)
(theme music)
- Time of death is between two and eight p.M. Yesterday.
I'll let you know of my findings.
- Thank you, miss hart.
- Sniffing powdered cocaine
Seems to have become very popular lately.
- Interesting how things become popular
When they're deemed illegal.
Mickson & company.
They reported a shipment of cocaine stolen two weeks ago
On its way to the hospital.
This is likely from that shipment.
- I wonder if miss boyko was involved.
- Certainly possible.
(indistinct chatter)
- And who might you be? - The police.
- Really?
Well, will wonders never cease?
I'm councillor barry tallow. This is my ward.
- Inspector albert choi, sir.
- Hm. Shame about the young lady,
But I can't say it's much of a surprise.
I told the council that housing these people
In one place was a recipe for disaster.
- What are you insinuating, councillor?
- I mean immigrant workers.
I'm not happy they'll be roaming the streets
Of my neighbourhood, right alongside children.
Surely you must want this building shut down.
- With all due respect, councillor,
I recommend an investigation take place first.
- And you're a police inspector?
- Indeed I am. - Hm.
I must say I prefer a traditional inspector.
- Councillor, did you know miss mysha boyko?
- The dead woman? - Hm.
- Of course not.
Why would I have anything to do with her?
- Then perhaps it's wise not to judge one's character
By their origin or occupation.
- Despite his assumptions, one thing is true.
Stolen drugs were found.
We need to know if miss boyko was connected to the theft.
- Yes. A robbery like this would have taken
Some organization. She likely didn't work alone.
- Continue to interview the other tenants.
- Yes, sir.
Are you a tenant here, miss...?
- Mrs. Carol robinson.
No, I am a charity worker for st. Patrick's relief society.
- Presumably a member of st. Patrick's catholic church?
- I live in the neighbourhood.
I've been asking tenants if they'd like
The secondhand furnishings that were donated to the church.
I like to look in on troubled people.
- Troubled people. - Mm.
- Like narcotics addicts?
- Some are, some aren't.
There's no shortage of reasons
Why people find themselves in distress.
- Indeed. Did you know the deceased?
- No, I, I had never met her.
But I was saddened to hear what happened to the poor soul.
No matter one's station, everyone is a child of god.
(distant dog barking)
- Thank you, mrs. Robinson.
(watts): That'll be all.
- Anything of interest?
- Miss boyko's neighbours never saw her with drugs.
She worked a steady job
And volunteered with an orphanage
Doing bookkeeping work for free.
- Hardly the character of a drug thief.
- I agree.
(sighs) - the inspector and I are headed
To the morgue. Finish up what you're doing here
And we'll meet you there. - Mm.
- Llewellyn marcus watts.
- Olivia leeming? Ah!
- In the flesh. - It's been...
(exhales) ...Twenty years.
- At least! - Twenty years.
Do you live here?
- No, I just stopped in to see my friend.
By a strange twist of fate,
I run into an old friend as I lose another.
- You mean... - I knew mysha.
I can't believe what happened.
- Ah, so sorry.
May I ask you an impolite question?
- Go ahead.
- Did she ever mention her drug use?
- Not at all.
She didn't so much as take a sip of whisky.
- Mm.
- Now, may I ask you an impolite question?
- Sure.
- How did you become a police detective?
- Oh, you find that surprising? - Well, you were always
Scrawny and awkward. Not much of a fan of authority,
As I recall. - Well, they don't seem
To mind my nature.
And how 'bout you?
Have you finally gotten your paintings exhibited
At the society of artists like you'd always imagined?
- Hm, well, unfortunately ambition alone
Doesn't bring you fame and fortune.
- I should continue, but, uh,
Would you like to meet me for lunch tomorrow?
Scott's diner, 12 o'clock?
- A starving artist would never say no to a free lunch.
- All right.
- I told mrs. Penn she should plant tulips in her yard.
Look at that lawn! Nothing but weeds.
- Margaret. - Well, it brings down
The value of the neighbourhood.
- Oh! Moment of your time? - We're not interested.
- Oh, you might be, sir. Alfred hawes.
You live around here? - Hawes.
We've just walked past the vacant lot
With your sign on it on bernard avenue.
- Indeed. I plan to build a walk-up apartment building.
It'll accommodate at least 24 households.
- Twenty-four households. On this street?
- Oh, that's nothing compared to my previous development.
That had 32 units! You've heard of sussex court?
- What good will an apartment building do 'round here?
- Well, provide quality residences
For those who can't afford houses
In what I believe is the choicest
Residential district in toronto.
- Oh. Really? - Yes, indeed.
Construction will take at least a year,
But it'll be worth it. - A year?
- Well, hopefully sooner, but these things take time.
I just wanted to inform you as to what's coming.
Good day, people.
- Dust, noise, and lowlifes.
- Bloody hell. - Margaret!
- Oh.
(indistinct chatter)
- There's paratracheal edema and a small tear to the artery
In her neck. She died of strangulation, not an overdose.
- A murder. - I found blood and skin
Under the fingernails of her right index
And middle fingers.
- A result of an altercation with her killer.
- I also found a piece of lavender-coloured fibre
That got caught in a fingernail.
From what I observed under the microscope,
I'd say it was silk.
- Fibre from her own clothing?
- No, detective.
- Then likely from something the killer was wearing.
- I didn't notice this cut at the scene of the crime
'cause it was covered under her dress. It's fresh.
- Any idea what could've caused that?
- Uh, something like the head of a pin or a nail.
It's quite a deep cut, but there's no blood.
- The cut was made after lividity began?
- Yes, detective.
The cut would've been made some time after death.
- So the body was moved?
- Seems likely.
- Is there anything else, miss hart?
- Uh, yes.
This is the oddest thing I found.
They're wood splinters.
They were difficult to spot,
But there are plenty of them trapped in her hair
Like in a duster.
- How'd they end up there?
- Seems we'll need to take another look
At miss boyko's flat.
(mysterious music)
- Oh! Take a look.
Very capable of snagging a body being dragged.
- Hm.
- Nothing seems out of the ordinary here.
- Are you sure about that?
This looks similar to the wood shavings
We found in miss boyko's hair.
- So she was killed here?
- Seems likely.
(knocking)
There's something back here.
- Oh.
Cocaine.
- Someone left something behind.
- And two cots could mean two people were in here.
- Miss boyko had two accomplices.
The three of them used the stolen cocaine here,
Dragged her body up the stairs past the nail,
And posed miss boyko's body at the front door
To make it appear as though she were to blame.
- You mean they turned on her.
Or she had no part in the theft at all.
The two criminals simply stashed the cocaine here.
They moved in and out through...
Those doors there.
Miss boyko discovered this den
And walked in on two strangers who strangled her,
Then dragged her body upstairs
To prevent drawing attention to this place.
- Whether or not she was an accomplice,
The people that were staying in this room are the killers.
Did you find anything?
- This space is unique to this apartment.
No other cellars have similar partitions.
- Mm. Have a look at this.
- Oh.
Graffiti of some kind?
- Any idea what it is?
- Looks almost like...
Spectacles.
- Mm. Paint...
Is still malleable.
You think miss boyko painted this?
- Or someone else.
- Right.
We need to speak with the toronto housing company,
Find out who worked on this apartment
And built these partitions. - Mm.
- Mr. Hawes, do come in. Have a seat.
Now, since our conversation, I've been thinking.
I don't want a walk-up apartment.
- Oh? And why's that?
- I have my reasons.
I would like you to build a house instead,
For a single family.
- Is this an official request?
- No, no, no, no, no.
I'm just a concerned citizen
Who enjoys the peace and tranquility
Of his neighbourhood after a long day catching criminals.
- Uh, mr. Brackenreid. I'm a businessman.
I, I can't afford to take a loss on this land.
- Give me the bottom line.
How much would it cost me to buy the entire lot?
- Mm...
- As you can see, no partitions were ever part of the plans.
Here are the original architectural drawings.
- Oh.
Right.
Do you have the names and addresses
Of all of the people who worked on this project?
- You can call into my office and check,
But many manual labourers don't have fixed addresses.
Tracking them down would be no small feat.
- Indeed.
Thank you, mr. Byers.
- I hope that you can bring this to a quick conclusion.
- We'll do our best, mr. Byers.
- I was very close to having the council agree
To co-fund my next development.
Miss boyko's unseemly death has put a halt to that.
City council no longer considers housing a priority.
- Immanuel kant would say housing is a prerequisite
To human flourishing.
It's a matter of principle, not just the consequence.
- Tell that to barry tallow.
He's the one that led the movement
To put the kibosh on any further development.
- Watts, mr. Byers has a list of labourers in his office.
We need to have a look at that list.
- We'll look at that list, uh, after lunch.
- Oh! Uh... - Just trust me.
- Thank you for coming in, mrs. Robinson.
- Hm.
What is it, detective?
- We believe some construction workers
May be involved in our case.
- Mm. - So, we're asking
Some of the neighbours.
Have you seen anyone matching that description
Around the spruce court project after its completion?
- I do recall a couple of workers
Who were around that flat.
- What did they look like?
- I remember a chinese man
With a goatee,
And a short, dark-haired man was with him.
- Any idea where they came from?
- Odds are the ward.
Most of the able-bodied men down there
Work as day labourers.
That is, when they work at all. (chuckles)
- What could a toronto police detective have for me?
- Mm.
All right, so I was told by the man
At the art supply store that these
Are his finest watercolours.
- Thank you, llewellyn. - Mm.
So, have you made any progress on mysha's case?
Do you know where she got the cocaine?
- We do know it wasn't an overdose.
We believe she was murdered.
- Murder? That's ridiculous! Who would...
(whispers): ...Kill mysha?
- I was hoping you might have some insight into that.
Did you spend any time with her in her new place?
- No.
- You sure?
- Of course I'm sure. Why are you asking me that?
- There's... In the cellar, on the wall,
Uh, some graffiti, a painting.
I was wondering if-- - I told you...
That I was never in her place.
- Right. - I can't believe this.
- I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please, don't leave.
(male customer): You know, it's funny you should say that.
- It's just...
(clears throat)
When I get on a case, I, uh...
- You get obsessed.
I remember that about you. - Right, right.
(sighs) - well, thank you for the meal,
And for the supplies, but I had nothing to do
With mysha's death.
And if you find anything, please...
- Yes, I will let you know.
So, where are you living now?
- Here and there.
I'm actually having tough luck finding a roof over my head,
Llewellyn. I've gotta make do with what I have, I suppose.
These new art supplies, they are a luxury,
Especially when living on a dime. I...
I am grateful for it.
- You're welcome. You know,
I could look and see if I could find
Some sort of job, something promising.
- Well, promises are but ropes of sand.
- But one can find gold in the sand.
- Ooh.
- Where have you been?
- Just, uh, chasing a suspicion. But it was nothing.
- Hm. Mrs. Robinson gave us the description
Of two construction workers she saw lurking
Behind the building.
They could be in the ward.
- So it seems a trip is in order.
- This might interest you.
Just received a report from station house one.
They confiscated some of the mickson cocaine
Three days ago. No arrests, though.
The thieves fled before the police arrived.
- Were the drugs found?
- Inside a shed behind, uh, 5100 baldwin street.
- Well, we're heading that way now.
(playful music)
(indistinct chatter)
(splashing) - ooh, ooh. Oh!
- I know nothing.
- There were stolen drugs
In the shed just next door to you.
- News to me.
- We're investigating a murder in spruce court.
Do you know anything about that?
- I don't know anyone at spruce court.
I've no interest in that place.
- Why's that?
- The people who run the place,
They only want to rent to those who have
Proven themselves to be morally upright.
- Mm. - They want reference letters
From someone who's a homeowner.
If I knew any homeowners, you think I'd be living here?
- I haven't seen anyone around that shed.
Not recently, anyway.
- Oh? Uh, when then?
- Ah, let me think.
Maybe a couple of months ago?
No, it was last week. Hm.
(children laughing)
(boy): Ow!
- Uh, excuse me a moment.
Detective watts, toronto constabulary.
- Good for you. What do you want?
- Did you two work
On the construction of spruce court?
- For a while. Quit a couple months back.
- Why? - Why do you want to know?
- We quit because that frank byers
Is a cheap bastard.
- And you say you quit months ago?
- You calling me a liar?
- A neighbour recalls seeing two construction workers
That match your description,
And we found a cap that matches
This shirt at the crime scene,
An underground den.
Know anything about that?
Oh!
(tense music)
Uh, detective murdoch! They're headed your way.
- Excuse me.
(men grunting)
- I just washed those!
- Please have them cleaned and send the bill
To station house number four.
Gentlemen... Let's have a chat.
Vincenzo tamanini and jerry lin.
The two of you worked for frank byers.
- Your fingermarks match those we found in the underground den.
- Had nothing to do with drugs, or murder.
- You built the den in secret,
Stored stolen cocaine there
And when miss boyko stumbled upon it, you killed her.
- This is a cock-and-bull story.
- Two of us did build that place, but that's all we did.
- You built it for the purpose of hiding stolen drugs.
- No! We just needed a place to stay during the winter.
We told you, frank byers underpaid us.
We couldn't afford work boots, let alone proper rooms.
We haven't set foot in the damn place
Since winter ended.
- The graffiti in the den was fairly fresh
And the workers said they haven't been there since winter.
- But their only alibi is each other.
- Apparently, they've been working on a job
Outside of the city. I highly doubt
They've been near spruce court recently.
- So you believe them?
- I think someone else knew about that place.
- I would tend to agree.
- Uh, detective murdoch.
Do you mind explaining this laundry bill?
- Ah! That is the cost
Of arresting our current suspects.
- Hm.
(playful music)
(effie): Chief constable.
- Ah, mrs. Crabtree. What brings you here?
- I just need to check on some arrest reports
Filed by station house one.
- Anything I need to be concerned about?
- No, no, just routine.
- And how is mr. Crabtree faring?
- He's, um...
Well, he's on chapter two,
So, it's a slog, but he's happy.
- Have you heard about this apartment building
On bernard avenue? - No.
That's just a couple blocks away from where I am.
- I know. But don't worry about it.
The builder has told me that I can purchase the entire lot.
I'm going to ask the neighbourhood residents
To take part in a fundraiser to help me out a bit.
- You're buying an empty lot? Why?
- To protect the rights of our local community
Of respectable families.
- The rights to what?
- The rights to live in peace.
A building like that will bring noise and clutter.
It won't preserve the look of the neighbourhood.
- The look of the neighbourhood?
I'm not sure what that has to do with peace.
- A building will bring in hordes of strangers all at once.
Think of the traffic!
- Well, I think apartment buildings
Are an apt solution as toronto becomes more cosmopolitan.
- Apartment buildings are fine.
Just not in our neighbourhood.
- Right.
Apt solution.
- Liberals...
- I found you a lead.
Machine operator at bryson printing.
It's the best I could do on short notice,
But the pay should be sufficient for a rooming house.
- I'm not complaining. Thank you, llewellyn.
- Mm.
- Let me show you something.
- Oh!
These are beautiful.
Hm.
(mysterious music)
Graffiti of some kind?
Why did you lie to me?
- What do you mean?
- This.
It's yours? - Yes.
They're olives.
It's a signature of mine, if you will.
- A signature also found in a concealed underground den
In your friend's flat.
We found cocaine there.
- It's a funny coincidence.
- And it's also where we suspect mysha was killed.
What were you doing there? Don't lie.
(sighs)
- I was staying there.
Last week, mysha offered me lodging
Until I found a place to live.
She found the extra space in the cellar
And thought that it would be perfect.
- And you didn't tell anyone?
- Spruce court has strict rules in place.
The flat is to be occupied by one person only,
And I enjoyed the privacy.
- Because you didn't want other tenants
To see you using cocaine?
- I indulge in the stuff.
And mysha knew this, she understood.
She was once in my shoes.
- Why didn't you tell me this before?
- Because I was embarrassed.
I was worried what you'd think.
- Cocaine was found planted on your friend's body.
- Not by me. I may not be perfect,
But you must believe that I would never kill
One of the only people who was ever kind to me.
- You say you want us to believe you,
But this vial that we found on your person
Is an exact match to the stolen drugs
From mickson's at 91% cocaine and 9% epinephrine.
- Judging by your reaction, or lack thereof,
You knew that this cocaine was stolen?
- We have every reason to believe
That you were part of this theft.
- I never took part in it.
- All right, tell us who else was behind the theft.
You could be given leniency.
- Dan kranchuk and malcolm welch.
They're pals from the streets.
- So you assisted them in the theft?
- Hardly. I let them in the den for just a few hours.
But I had no idea that they had stolen drugs with them.
- So you let them in and helped yourself to the drugs.
- No, they gave it to me.
Said that I earned it. I... Never asked for it.
- But you didn't refuse it, either,
Which could make you an accessory to the theft
After the fact.
- Uh, did the thieves murder mysha boyko?
- I would have told you if they had!
She was my friend!
Maybe they went back to mysha's place
Without telling me. - Mm-hmm.
- So where are kranchuk and welch now?
- I have no idea. And that's the truth.
- Is there anything else you can tell us, olivia?
She was your friend. You owe it to her.
- Maybe.
- Mm-hmm. What?
- The... The day before her body was found,
Mysha and I got into a quarrel.
She'd found out about the two that I'd let in
And she was livid.
She kicked me out of the house.
- So you had motive, then.
- But I didn't do it.
- S-so what relevance does this quarrel have?
- I went to see mysha later that day, to apologize.
- And did you? - N-no.
- Why not?
- I saw a gentleman enter mysha's flat
Through the front door.
- What did this gentleman look like?
- I can show you.
- She seems to have remembered this gentleman
At just the right time. Convenient.
- She was afraid of mentioning what she saw
Because that'd give away the fact that she'd been
Staying at mysha's flat.
At least that's what she told me.
- Well, if she is telling the truth,
That gives us three new suspects:
Dan kranchuk, malcolm welch,
And this unidentified gentleman.
- This is the man I saw.
- Are you sure? - I'm certain.
I have a good memory for faces.
- That's councillor tallow.
- Mr. Tallow was adamant he didn't know miss boyko.
- And yet he was seen going into her flat
The day she was murdered.
- And what do you propose we do?
(scoffs) - arrest him.
- Is your witness reliable?
- I've known her since childhood.
- That doesn't answer the question.
How could this miss boyko
And councillor tallow be connected?
- We don't know, but mr. Tallow is leading
A coalition of councillors to eliminate
Any future city-subsidized housing.
- And miss boyko's death at spruce court
Has served him well in that regard.
- So your theory is that mr. Tallow killed miss boyko
And staged an overdose to stir up controversy
And bolster his stance?
- It's a possibility. - A possibility
I'm not willing to put in front of a judge.
You're going up against a well-respected
Member of the council.
- And you only have one witness
Who, as far as we know, is a known drug user.
- Doesn't mean she's lying.
- Well then bring us proof she isn't!
- We've already lost one case against a corrupt
City councillor due to insufficient evidence.
Let's not lose another. - All right.
Last week, councillor tallow
Attended daily city council meetings,
A ribbon cutting at the opening of a public park in riverdale,
And a meeting with a charity orphanage.
- Charity orphanage. - Mm-hmm.
- Interesting. - How so?
- Uh, miss boyko was a volunteer bookkeeper at an orphanage.
- Right.
- I've been looking into councillor tallow's
Recent activities. Earlier this year,
He became one of only five managers
Of the newly formed toronto social service commission.
- That commission was formed to streamline
The efforts of local charities. - Hm.
So, both councillor tallow and miss boyko
Worked in professions related to charities.
It may be they worked together.
- Ah! No maybe about it. Look at this.
The jubilee children's home,
One of tallow's responsibilities.
Take a look at the bookkeeper.
- Miss mysha boyko.
At the very least, they knew each other
From working with this orphanage.
- Perhaps he found errors in her bookkeeping,
Or she was stealing.
- And he killed her for it?
- He might, if the situation was reversed.
- Perhaps miss boyko was aware of something
Councillor tallow was up to.
Right. Tomorrow we look into the bank records
Of everyone involved. - Mm-hmm.
- And how did you get this much money, thomas?
- Being chief constable provides considerable sway.
(sighs) - you went to our neighbours,
Like a beggar.
- Like a concerned citizen.
And they were willing to help.
There's enough there to buy that lot.
- Hm.
- What's wrong?
- I've been thinking.
Maybe it wouldn't be so awful to have different neighbours.
- What do you mean? - Well, some of the most
Well-known businessmen that we respect
Started off as machine operators.
And didn't you tell me that detective murdoch
Started off as a logger?
- Fine. The job does not make the man.
But what about our view?
- Well, that's true,
But the view doesn't belong to anyone.
(knocking at door)
- Ah! Come in. Change of heart?
- Hardly. But I thought you might be interested
In something I found out about the bernard development.
- Aha! There will be no developments on bernard avenue.
We have the money to buy the land.
- Then you are making a mistake.
- I highly doubt that.
- Uh! A mistake? What do you mean?
- Plain and simple, mr. Hawes is a fraudster.
- What are you talking about?
- Look at this.
It says redding construction is to begin work on the lot
In the next two weeks, but I know from an old case
That redding went out of business years ago.
- So what's hawes playing at?
- Mr. Hawes has done this before.
He buys an empty plot of land in a residential neighbourhood
And threatens to fill it with undesirables,
And then people like yourselves
Buy it to stop it from happening.
- Oh... I'll take that cheque, thomas,
And I'll need a list of all the neighbours
You got money from. Land's sakes!
Lovely to see you. - A pleasure.
- "people like yourselves."
- These are the bank records for the jubilee children's home.
There are a number of transfers totalling $3,250 made
To a trust fund identified by number only.
Upon cross-referencing, I found that this fund
Is registered under barry tallow's home address.
(scoffs) - embezzlement.
And from an orphanage, no less.
Great work, watts. - Ah, ah, there's more.
I looked up the bank record for this trust fund.
In the past three months, there were transfers
From the toronto temperance union,
The dominion education fund, the benevolent association,
And 11 other toronto charities,
All of which went to mr. Tallow.
- And miss boyko's accounts?
- Oh. I've looked up her bank records.
Unless poverty is a crime, she did nothing wrong.
- Miss boyko must have discovered that mr. Tallow
Was siphoning off funds.
- She found out, so he killed her.
- Time to make an arrest.
- No need. He's already on his way in.
- Never been so humiliated in my life!
- Well, I'm aware that a strip search
Isn't traditional,
But it seemed a good way to find any defensive wounds
Miss boyko may have left.
- I didn't touch her.
(murdoch): So you've said.
- What goes around comes back around, mr. Tallow.
- What?
- You embezzled from charities,
Committed murder to cover it up,
Then planted drugs on an innocent woman
To cover that up. For all this, you'll be hanged.
- I will not.
(laughing)
- I'd like to see you try to convince me that's so.
I've dealt with men like you my entire life,
And I am prepared to hold you in the cells
For as long as it takes.
- You can't hold me without charging me.
- I certainly can.
I'll deny you're even here.
Tell us the truth.
(ominous music)
- Fine.
Last week, miss boyko came to see me in my office.
She pointed out the discrepancy in accounts payable
For the children's home. - And then?
- I gave her all the money in my wallet
For her to keep this a secret.
- Did she take it?
- No. She threw the money back in my face.
A few days later, I received a letter from her
That said she intended to come forward with the truth.
- And so you killed her.
- No.
I only wanted to speak to her in private.
- You went into her home the day that she died.
What happened?
- She didn't answer the door,
So I went inside and looked for her.
The front door was unlocked.
I found the body in the cellar.
- Did you also find a bottle of cocaine there?
- I did.
I dragged the body upstairs
And I covered her face in the powder.
- Because you knew the unveiling ceremony
Was the next day, and reporters would be
Tripping over each other trying to snap photographs.
- And what did you do after you posed the body?
- On my way out, I saw the back door open.
I shut and locked the back door
So it looked like no one was ever there.
- Making it appear to the entire world
That miss boyko took her own life.
- You let a killer go free. - I closed a door.
- And hindered a police investigation!
You are under arrest for obstruction of justice.
- And we will be adding all of these embezzlement charges,
As well.
(sighs)
- No. The councillor would have walked into
Miss boyko's immediately after she was murdered.
- His story doesn't completely exonerate him.
I do wonder why he mentioned that the back door was open.
- No. When I surveyed the flat,
After the body was found, the back door was locked.
- I hate to say this, but what if mr. Tallow
Is telling the truth?
That might mean the real killer fled through the back door.
- We should have another look. - Mm-hmm.
(playful music)
- Ah, mr. Hawes. - Ah.
I'm here to pick up the cheque.
- Take a seat. The cheque's there.
- This cheque says just one hundred dollars.
- Yes, it does. You'll take it and you'll thank me.
- What's going on?
- We know about your little scam.
- And we've done our homework to back it up.
- We've tracked your land purchases
Over the last 12 months.
You purchased three parcels of land,
But didn't build anything on them,
And then sold them within months at nearly double the cost.
- You're cheating honest residents,
Trying to get us to stump up wads of cash.
- Oh, please. I never committed any fraud.
Locals talk business to me of their own will
And they are always happy to offer me money.
You lot are the ones at fault.
You're always so delicate about seeing
Fresh faces in the neighbourhood.
- You shouldn't take advantage of honest people.
I've a good mind to run you out of town!
- I would still be the legal deed holder
Even if you did force me out of town.
- You'll accept that cheque or I'll find a way to charge you.
- I doubt that. - Try me.
(chuckles)
- Very well.
- Good day.
So, you've bought yourself an empty plot of land.
What are you going to do with it?
- Maybe I'll donate it to the city.
Turn it into a park.
- You should name it after margaret,
Get back into her good graces.
- You're very astute.
- A woman's gift.
(both chuckle)
- Wonder where the killer went from here.
- Mm. Perhaps we should speak with that neighbour.
She may have seen something unusual.
Excuse me, ma'am?
Hello!
Oh! Mrs. Robinson. I, I, I didn't realize
You lived just here.
- Hello, detective. What are you doing here?
- We're just following up on the death in spruce court.
- Did you happen to see anything unusual
At miss boyko's back door on the day she was killed?
- Was killed?
I thought she died overindulging in cocaine.
- That was not the case. Did you see anything unusual?
- No.
- Nobody going in or out the back door?
- No, I, I don't make it a habit to spy on my neighbours.
- Mrs. Robinson, may I see your hands?
- My h... My hands. What for?
- If you would, please.
- Hm. What are these wounds from? Look quite recent.
- Oh, it was a stray cat.
I was, I was just trying to feed the poor thing.
- You do have to be careful with strays.
They carry all sorts of disease.
Is that your lavender scarf, mrs. Robinson?
- Yes.
- And did you use it to strangle miss boyko?
- We found in your study this letter from mysha boyko
Requesting a reference for her tenancy application.
And you gave one.
- And?
- You told us you didn't know her at all.
But this letter would suggest you've known her for years.
- Mm. You knew miss boyko
From your work as a relief worker.
You even helped her overcome a drug habit years ago.
- Dimitri had nowhere to go. I didn't...
(murdoch): I suspect miss boyko confided in you
That she was letting olivia leeming
Stay in her spare room in her cellar.
You deduced that miss leeming must be a drug user.
- ...A drug user!
I'll admit...
I was upset that mysha offered to take someone in
Who could be a drug addict,
But all I did was tell her to send her friend away.
- But you didn't believe that she would
Send her friend away.
So, you went back to see her again.
You wanted to check for yourself.
- No, no, no, no.
(murdoch): When you got downstairs in the cellar
That day, you saw evidence
That miss boyko had indeed
Offered lodgings to miss leeming.
You saw cocaine in that room,
And you were furious.
The two of you had a physical altercation.
She gave you those scratches.
But that didn't stop you.
Anger took a hold of you.
And you strangled her to death.
(gasping)
- Mysha was only alive and healthy in the first place
Thanks to me.
I brought her to redemption.
I was so proud of myself.
And I trusted her!
Yet there she was, about to undo my work.
She had been proof that I had god's touch.
- This isn't about god.
It's about control.
You tended to those in need and cared for their welfare,
But mysha chose to do something you didn't agree with,
So you deemed it acceptable to take her life.
- They're all the same.
Drug addicts and coke fiends.
I thought mysha was better, but she was just one of them.
She was going to have drug addicts
Crawling in and out of that place.
(scoffs)
That can happen elsewhere, not in my back yard!
- If mrs. Robinson hadn't been so blinded by fury
And prejudice, miss boyko might still be alive.
Mysha had already kicked olivia out
When robinson discovered the den.
- Good news from the crown attorney's office.
Councillor tallow will be going to trial
On his embezzlement charges.
- And what of his plan to scrap
Government investment in housing?
- From what I hear, the other councillors
In his little coalition will be picking up that mantle.
- So the only winners are the landlords.
- Isn't that usually the way?
- I'm off, gentlemen.
I am in need of some hopeful news.
- Guess what?
- They hired you?
- They did. - Oh!
- And they actually asked me to design some advertisements.
- I'm not surprised. You have a talent.
And how are you doing... Otherwise?
- I haven't given into the craving in over a week now.
- If you need help, you know where to find me.
- Thank you, llewellyn.
And I have something for you, too.
- Oh. It's unusual.
- I don't know. You are a man of many facets.
- Oh, indeed, but...
I don't think I'm that handsome.
- Hm. Call it creative license.
- Hm.
- 'til next time, llewellyn.
(soft music)
(theme music)