It's an important football (soccer) game as the winning team gets to go to the Olympics, which doesn't impress Inspector Brackenreid as he believes everything you could want in right there in Toronto. Andrew "Nobby" Nobson is the coach and an old friend of Brackenreid's. But when a player, Robert Semple, takes a hard hit, he dies on the field and Murdoch is called in when Dr. Ogden discovers the player had been stabbed, but hours earlier. And the wound had been stitched up.
The night before both teams had attended a "smoking concert" (think a Vaudeville performance with musicians and performers along with drinks and cigars or cigarettes for the audience) after which Wesley Patten took Robert and his girl Esther Fields to a speak easy along with Harriet and Leland Harcourt and Jack Gourlay. The only thing everyone agrees with is that after everyone left, Robert Semple remained behind; and he and was not a particularly nice person even if he was a star football player.
Murdoch and Brackenreid use blue lights (ultraviolet) to follow a blood trail outside of the speakeasy. Murdoch ends up at the residence hall room of Wesley Patten's. Brackenreid follows the other trail to the hotel of his friend Nobby. Wesley claims that Robert came to him but refused to go to a hospital as he wouldn't be allowed to play in the game, so Wesley sewed the wound up. Could Esther have stabbed him for his alleged infidelities with Harriet Harcourt? Could Gourlay have done it as he was "engaged" to Harriet? Then when the murder weapon is found outside Nobby's hotel wrapped in a handkerchief with his initials, he looks like the chief suspect.
When Murdoch and Dr. Ogden confront Harriet about her alleged "dalliance" with Robert, Harriet breaks down and claims she is the killer. She claims Robert attacked her and she just defended herself. But the facts don't support her story. However, Dr. Ogden elicits the actual story. Harriet had been attacked, just not that night. It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out who the guilty party is.
There is a small subplot involving Brackenreid and his son John as to how to play football and how to be both a man and a Brackenreid. And watch for Miss James' prognostication at the conclusion.
The night before both teams had attended a "smoking concert" (think a Vaudeville performance with musicians and performers along with drinks and cigars or cigarettes for the audience) after which Wesley Patten took Robert and his girl Esther Fields to a speak easy along with Harriet and Leland Harcourt and Jack Gourlay. The only thing everyone agrees with is that after everyone left, Robert Semple remained behind; and he and was not a particularly nice person even if he was a star football player.
Murdoch and Brackenreid use blue lights (ultraviolet) to follow a blood trail outside of the speakeasy. Murdoch ends up at the residence hall room of Wesley Patten's. Brackenreid follows the other trail to the hotel of his friend Nobby. Wesley claims that Robert came to him but refused to go to a hospital as he wouldn't be allowed to play in the game, so Wesley sewed the wound up. Could Esther have stabbed him for his alleged infidelities with Harriet Harcourt? Could Gourlay have done it as he was "engaged" to Harriet? Then when the murder weapon is found outside Nobby's hotel wrapped in a handkerchief with his initials, he looks like the chief suspect.
When Murdoch and Dr. Ogden confront Harriet about her alleged "dalliance" with Robert, Harriet breaks down and claims she is the killer. She claims Robert attacked her and she just defended herself. But the facts don't support her story. However, Dr. Ogden elicits the actual story. Harriet had been attacked, just not that night. It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out who the guilty party is.
There is a small subplot involving Brackenreid and his son John as to how to play football and how to be both a man and a Brackenreid. And watch for Miss James' prognostication at the conclusion.
