In the final scene, as clumsily tries to perform a card trick to cheer up the theatre staff, Inspector Brackenreid storms in and declares, “I’ve had enough magic for one lifetime. Next person who says ‘abracadabra’ is coming down to the station.” Murdoch quietly notes to Julia, “The only real illusion is believing we can escape our past.” Julia smiles. “Or each other.”
arrives with Detective George Crabtree , who’s thrilled to be at a theatre (“A murder at a magic show, William! It’s like a novel by that new writer, Gaston Leroux!”). Dr. Julia Ogden examines the body and finds traces of atropine in Dante’s blood—a muscle relaxant that would have prevented him from holding his breath or untying the knots. The real cause of death: a thin wire garrote pulled from inside the tank. murdoch mysteries season 09 dthrip
In the darkened theatre, alone on stage, a single playing card flips over by itself: the ace of spades. In the final scene, as clumsily tries to
As Murdoch investigates, he discovers that “Dante the Divine” was actually a former Toronto lock expert turned con man. The “DTH Rip” wasn’t just a stage name—DTH stood for The murder weapon (the wire) matches a piano string from the theatre’s old upright, and the atropine came from a belladonna plant in Evelyn’s garden. It’s like a novel by that new writer, Gaston Leroux
But during the final dress rehearsal for a charity gala, the trick goes horribly wrong. Instead of escaping, Dante is found dead inside the tank—not drowned, but with a precise, surgical incision across his throat. The water is tinted red. The clockwork blade is clean.
The prime suspect is Dante’s beautiful assistant, (real name: Mabel Higgins), who was supposed to release the safety catch on the blade. She swears she did, but the catch was found locked. Also in the wings: the jealous stage manager Horace Pringle , who hated Dante’s arrogant demands; a rival illusionist known as The Great Aldini , who attended the rehearsal disguised as a reporter; and Dante’s estranged wife, Evelyn Ripley , who recently discovered he’d faked his own death in a train wreck five years ago to collect insurance.