Mystery Island (2023) Movie Script
1
[MUSIC PLAYING]
And so, ladies and gentlemen, we
have arrived, at
last, to the person
responsible for the murder
of Mr. Kensington Culpepper.
The killer is Loretta St. John.
Am I correct, Fredericks?
I'm sorry, Lady Alcott, but no.
Seriously?
I'm afraid so, Baroness.
Would anyone else care to try?
JANE: And this is my ninth
case on Mystery Island.
And I seriously cannot believe
that I still haven't once
correctly solved a whodunit.
I'm sorry, Janie, but it
is only a fictional murder.
Well, yes, but given
what I've told you,
do you want to hazard a
guess at who the killer is?
I suppose I'd say, what's
his name, the tennis player.
Marcelo.
Yes, you're right.
OK, I need to ring off
and go through security.
Are you psychoanalyzing
a real murderer today?
That's what I'm
here to find out.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Inspector Hawthorn believes
you killed your wife, Ken.
Then he should prove
it, and instead of wasting
my time with a headshrinker.
Psychiatrist.
You don't like "headshrinker"?
Only because it's inaccurate.
I have no interest in making
anyone's mind smaller.
[SCOFFS] Funny.
Did your wife make
you feel like that, Ken?
Because she was the breadwinner,
did she make you feel small?
Or should I say, shrunk?
[HANDCUFFS CLATTERING]
I know people on the outside,
doctor, people that know you
and your family.
OK.
Wait.
Sorry.
Did that make you feel small?
[MUSIC BUILDING]
[DOOR BANGING]
[PHONE RINGING]
Hi.
JANE: I came straight
from Heathrow
as soon as I got your text.
What did that
monster say to you?
He said he had people on the
outside, people that know me
and my family.
That's it.
You have got to stop
working for the police.
Believe it or not, I've
had the same thought.
What, truly?
I thought I was going to
have to fight you on this.
I actually told Hawthorne
I need to take a break.
Fantastic!
Starting now?
Too much on the docket
already, but in three weeks.
Splendid!
You can come to Mystery Island.
You're going back so soon?
Oh, invitation for
some of the investors.
What do you say?
I say I, unlike you, didn't
inherit a disposable income.
It's my treat!
Janie.
Emilia!
Just say you'll think about it.
I leave in three weeks.
You can tell me the day of.
Hmm?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I cannot believe
I said yes to this.
Well, at risk of
sounding like your mother,
you should take a vacation
more than once every decade.
It's only been six years, but
that did sound like my mother.
[LAUGHS] Well, be
grateful I didn't add,
you'll never have a full life
without a man by your side.
[LAUGHTER]
Oh!
- Sorry, I didn't see you there.
- No worries.
Oh, you're an American.
Guilty.
You are on vacation as well?
I think he lives here.
How did you reach
that conclusion?
Well, you're tan, for starters,
and the fact that you
just got off a boat
in the morning wearing a suit.
Oh, I think you
got it right, yeah.
I think she did, yeah.
Well, you are going to
crush it on Mystery Island.
You're going to Mystery Island?
Yes.
Have you ever been?
Yeah, I have.
Shame.
I thought he wanted to carry
on that conversation with you.
[CHUCKLES] And vice versa.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Lady Alcott.
Fredericks.
This is...
Dr. Emilia Priestly.
Yes, we received your
email last night.
Ladies, welcome
to Mystery Island.
[CHUCKLES]
Thank you.
[CLINKING]
[LAUGHING]
FREDERICKS: Your luggage will
be in your usual room, Baroness.
JANE: Thank you, Fredericks.
Let us show Dr. Priestly
around, shall we, Janie?
Yes, please.
[CHUCKLES]
Our beautiful conservatory.
EMILIA: Someone
has a green thumb.
FREDERICKS: That would be Lucia.
Every group of visitors has
a unique mystery to solve.
Here's the opening weekend.
Exactly five years ago today.
JANE: The last time
John was on the island.
This weekend is for investors.
How much did you put in?
Only 5%, same as everyone else...
Other than John, of course.
He's got 80%.
A wonderful place
to research clues.
Every Evelyn Murtaugh
whodunit, all first editions.
The dining room.
Conservatory,
library, dining room.
This game room is just
missing a billiards table.
It's pretty much Clue.
JANE: John Murtaugh, the
founder of Mystery Island.
Is he...
Evelyn Murtaugh's son.
FREDERICKS: Mrs.
Murtaugh purchased
this island over two
decades ago and built
this as a vacation home.
Evelyn hoped that John would
carry on her legacy writing
whodunits, but when she died,
John had the brilliant notion
to turn this place into
a destination vacation,
where people could live
inside the murder mysteries,
like the ones his mother
could only put on the page.
When do I get to meet him?
Mr. Murtaugh lives in Montana.
John hasn't come
back to the island
since the opening ceremony.
He's, uh, eccentric,
but of course, genius.
He has an IQ of 180.
I imagine he told you that.
What?
Does that look mean
you think he's lying?
I think people who
need to tell others
how smart they have a
healthy ego, which may
be masking deep insecurities.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
EMILIA: Who's that?
Ah.
Pleased to meet you.
EMILIA: Emilia.
Carlos Del Fuego.
My wife, Morgan.
How do you guys know each other?
We were students
together at Oxford.
No way.
So were Carlos and John.
Are you and Mr.
Murtaugh still close?
I wouldn't go that far.
Excuse us.
He runs the biggest
hedge fund in New York.
Oh.
Oh, looks like Phoenix made it.
Is that...
Phoenix Green.
I don't mean to
sound like a fan girl,
but I've been doing your
workout videos for years.
Well, if so, you
should show some skin.
As I say in my
workouts, flaunt it.
You've worked hard for it.
Excuse me.
I need to refresh my daiquiri.
Ugh.
What is it they say?
Never meet your heroes.
EMILIA: I didn't
know you knew her!
JANE: Well, I try
to forget I do.
Carlos brought her in.
Oh, this next investor
is my favorite.
Emilia.
Jay Carrington Ellis.
Retired Royal Marine
Sergeant Major.
Pleasure.
Do I call you Jay or Carrington?
We like to call him Sarge.
He is the only four-time
winner in the history
of Mystery Island.
Impressive.
Thank you.
So there are two
non-investors here then.
Riley Peel.
I'm with onthebrinkofbeyond.com,
the travel website.
I'm here to cover for
the anniversary weekend.
So, Baroness, as one of
the original investors,
how involved are you in the
running of Mystery Island?
Well, not at all, thankfully.
So you just stay
at home and collect
the investment returns then?
[DOOR OPENING]
[LAUGH]
[DOOR CLOSING]
[GENTLE CLINKING]
My fellow investors, friends,
and our first-time visitors,
let us celebrate the first
five years of Mystery Island.
May there be 100 more.
And to John.
May he someday return to
this magical place he built
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Wow.
Ladies and gentlemen,
your rooms are ready.
Please deposit your mobile
phones in the basket.
Is he serious?
Oh, completely.
It's to prevent cheating
by accessing the internet,
though no one ever gets
service here anyway.
The game's afoot.
Each room has a
space for building
a murder board, which we can
use once we know who's dead.
Mr. John Mariner requests your
presence for supper at 7:00 PM.
Is John Mariner...
It's a good chance he'll
be the murder victim, played
by an actor, although sometimes
the host is a misdirect,
and one of the
staff ends up dead.
Or sometimes the
victim is a guest.
But you know all the guests.
Not the reporter.
And he seems like
an actor to me.
How much of the mystery
is worked out in advance?
Oh, I really don't know.
That's John's department.
He tailors every mystery
to the specific people
that are here, based on
profiles we all provided.
- I didn't provide a profile.
- Tut.
I took care of that for you.
But I just decided
to come here yesterday.
Well, I took the precaution
three weeks ago, in case
you came to your
senses, which you did.
Well, we better get
dressed for dinner.
But... [SCOFFS]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[GONG]
Ladies and
gentlemen, Mr. Mariner
has instructed us to
play this for you.
Just like And Then
There Were None.
JOHN MARINER (ON RECORDING):
Good evening, all, and welcome.
My name is John Mariner.
I won't be joining
you all tonight.
I'm otherwise engaged with my
old friend, Sheridan Le Fanu.
Mr. Who?
Le Fanu.
He's an Irish mystery.
JOHN MARINER (ON
RECORDING): But remember,
my door is always open to you.
You need only knock thrice.
Sheridan and I are
occupied with a riddle,
my friends, one that vexes me.
I'm counting on you to solve it.
Here we go.
JOHN MARINER (ON RECORDING):
Hickory dickory dock.
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one.
The mouse ran down.
Hickory dickory dock.
You may think you know
the rhyme my voice
has uttered, but look back.
When a killer wishes
to strike, beware.
Timing, dear ladies and
gentlemen, is your concern.
The face has numbers
set among numbers.
It remained my business to
save what us, Mother and I,
had built. But I fear that a
wolf has crept into the flock.
Set free your eyes
and dare to see them.
Either man or
woman, I can't tell.
The next time is fire.
JANE: Well, the game is afoot.
So what do we do now?
Eat, drink, wait for
someone to drop dead.
[CHUCKLING]
[GLASSES CLINKING]
Mm.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Oh, I'll remember that.
More for me, breadcrumbs.
You're literally on a trap door.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]
Oh, yes.
Oh, yeah, yes.
So did you get it?
[DRINKS POURING]
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC]
RILEY: Yes, it's important.
There's a lot going on here.
I like it.
RILEY: We'll BRB.
PHOENIX: No.
JAY: You go.
Well, I'm going to stay.
Fredericks.
Where's Fredericks?
Indisposed.
Can I be of any assistance?
Have you got a corpse with you?
LUCIA: No, sir.
JAY: Right.
Well, I'm off to bed.
I trust that John will
provide us a body by dawn.
Yes, we should
all get some rest.
Have you ever had to
wait this long for a body?
Yes, my second trip.
The corpse didn't appear until
midway through the Saturday,
although we did
have several clues
before somebody was murdered.
[GASPS] Do you think
that's happening now?
Well, I certainly
think that a big clue was
that John Mariner mentioned
a mystery writer who's
been dead for over a century.
Sheridan Le Fanu.
Indeed.
We read him in book
club last year.
The novel was called A
Passage in the Secret History
of an Irish Countess.
That's an absurd title.
Well, it's also the
original locked room mystery.
It predates Poe's Murders in
the Rue Morgue by three years.
And the first game
we played here...
Was a locked room mystery.
Well, who was the
killer in that game?
Fredericks, actually.
Stop.
The butler did it?
Well, John loves
nothing more than playing
with preconceptions.
Sometimes the correct
answer is the obvious one.
Oh.
Well, maybe we should
check the dock.
The dock where the
transport picked us up?
Yeah, Mariner is from
"marinus," "of the sea."
I really should
have minored in Latin
with you at old Oxford.
Speaking of, is there
an OED in that library?
Yeah, there are several
dictionaries, actually.
[GASPS] I thought so.
Murtaugh is Anglicized
Gaelic for Mariner.
And John is the
English version of John.
John Murtaugh put
himself into the game.
[GASPS]
[LAUGHS] Perhaps this
means he plans to return
to the island after all.
[SCREAMING]
A secret passage!
Triggered by the use
of that dictionary.
Oh, there's a lamp.
See if it works.
OK.
Oh, ow.
Sorry.
[GASPING]
[LAUGHING]
Go, go.
Shall we go?
Yes.
Oh, God, OK.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
It's a staircase.
[LAUGHING]
[GASPING]
[LAUGHING]
Oh.
OK.
There's no knob!
[SCOFFS]
Sheridan Le Fanu!
It's a locked room mystery!
The... the body must be in there!
I suspect there's a
triggering mechanism somewhere.
What did the Mariner say after
he mentioned Sheridan Le Fanu?
[GASPS] My door is
always open to you.
Well, clearly not.
No.
But then he said something
that jumped out at me.
You only need knock thrice.
[KNOCKING]
[DOOR OPENS]
[LAUGHING]
I knew you would
do brilliantly here!
Shall we go?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hmm.
It certainly seems like
the room of a Mariner.
[GASPING]
Found the body.
[GIGGLING]
I guess the butler
didn't do it this time.
I can't seem to
find a murder weapon.
Oh!
Maybe he was stabbed.
Help me turn him over.
[GASPING] Janie!
[GASPS] Oh, the record!
Ah!
Whoa!
That's two murders.
It's a double murder!
We haven't gotten one
of those in three years!
[GIGGLING]
Oh.
[GROANS]
JANE: Fredericks?
FREDERICKS: [GROANS]
JANE: Fredericks?
FREDERICKS: Oh, Lady Alcott.
You're... you're not dead.
FREDERICKS: Uh, no.
JANE: [SCOFFS]
He is.
Just the one victim then?
No.
Janie, this man is
really and truly dead.
I... I think that might
be the murder weapon.
I don't understand.
Do you see that?
Is that a false beard?
EMILIA: His nose might
be false as well.
[GASPING]
Oh, it's...
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[KNOCKING]
Yeah, come in.
Evening, detective.
Gloria.
Sorry about the hour.
But you look awake.
I am, yeah.
The case?
I thought your vacation
started tonight.
So then I guess you wouldn't
mind if I pulled you back in?
Goaz broke his ankle tonight
playing beach volleyball,
and we got a homicide.
Jason, the body's on
Mystery Island, deceased.
It's John Murtaugh.
I know you have some
history with him.
Well, that history is ancient.
I haven't seen or spoken
to Murtaugh in six years.
Good.
Pinera took her
vacation for real,
so you're stuck with your
chief as your partner.
I'll manage.
[ENGINE ROARING]
Chief Espinoza,
thank you for coming.
After all your boss
has done to support
the Police Benevolent
Association,
the least I can do.
Just the three of you?
We have eight cops
on the mainland.
Only three of them
are detectives.
One just flew up on vacation.
One has a broken ankle.
This is Ray Romeo, the coroner.
And I think you know
Detective Trent.
Mr. Fredericks.
Pardon me, but considering
Detective Trent's
history with Mr. Murtaugh...
History which compels me
to ask about your whereabouts
at the time Murtaugh was killed.
I was unconscious,
having been rendered
as such by an unseen assailant.
I've taken great care not to
wash up so that you may detect
the chloroform that was used.
I'd like to meet the
guests who found the body.
Oh, at last.
Oh, it's you.
Detective Jason Trent.
This is Chief of
Police Gloria Espinoza.
Hi, I'm Baroness Jane Alcott.
And this is my dearest
friend, Dr. Emilia Priestly,
who happens to be an official
consultant for the Metropolitan
Police in London
and was the one that
discovered the secret door,
which led us to poor John.
And we are ready
to be interviewed.
Thank you, Ms. Alcott.
Lady Alcott.
Lady Alcott, but I need
to review the scene first.
How many times has this passage
been used in one of your games?
This is the first time.
No one knew about it other
than myself and Mr. Murtaugh.
And the people who built it.
Well, yes, but they haven't
been here since the renovation
six years ago.
I'll need to make sure of that.
I'll need the
contact information
for your contractor.
Now, this is my
assistant, Lucia Camarera.
She's been making sure no
one goes near the body.
Time of death?
Between 9:00 and 10:00.
Poison?
It has to be.
No redness around the wound, so
it was fired from a distance.
How much of a distance?
I'd say a good
10 feet, at least.
How quickly would he have died?
Oh, well, depending on
the poison, several minutes,
possibly up to half an hour.
Could he have made
it if his phone rang?
I can't say for sure
until I've done the autopsy.
Speaking of which,
I should start
prepping the body for transfer.
I'll need another pair of hands.
I will assist you.
Thank you.
Where's the drone?
Take this to the mainland,
get it to Lorenzo at IT.
Mr. Fredericks.
FREDERICKS: Sir.
You didn't see through
Murtaugh's disguise?
I haven't seen Mr.
Murtaugh in person
since the island's
opening weekend.
Why?
Like many geniuses, he
had his eccentricities.
He believed that if he were ever
to return to Mystery Island,
something terrible
would come to pass.
And evidently, he was right.
Any bad blood between
the guests and Murtaugh?
I do know that Mr.
Ellis, also known as Sarge,
fancies himself a
mystery novelist.
He's written several
books, all self-published,
and he flew to Montana
several months back
and demanded of Mr.
Murtaugh that he
be included in the writing
of the games of the island.
And Murtaugh wasn't
game to collaborate
on his murder stories.
Mm.
Have you read the story
he wrote for this weekend?
Only the first part...
The discovery of the body,
which was supposed to be me.
What's supposed to happen next?
Mr. Murtaugh's
instructions were
that I was not to read any
further until after one
of the guests had found me.
Where's the document?
The safe, in my office.
Should I wake Janie?
Not yet, no.
What kind of police consultant
are you, Dr. Priestly?
A psychiatrist.
My mom's a psychiatrist.
My father's a policeman.
What kind of
consulting do you do?
I specialize in talking
to murder suspects.
Wow.
Maybe I can put you to use.
Only if you clear
me as a suspect.
Those are the profiles
the guests provided us.
And now the story document.
[DOOR OPENING]
No, it's not possible.
What?
The document, it's gone.
I'm the only one with the
combination to the safe.
- Not Murtaugh.
- Yes, of course.
What about Lucia?
Well, I certainly
didn't give it to her.
Someone didn't just
steal the document.
No.
This is our only
connection to the internet.
I need to see your
security camera footage.
- There is none.
- What?
People who pay $10,000 a day
for this resort expect privacy.
How are we doing?
Not good.
Someone stole the
story document,
and the router's been destroyed.
Our killer is very detailed.
We transferred the
body to the boat.
I'll be back in the
morning with forensics.
Guest profiles.
I don't have internet,
so get these to Goaz.
Tell them to run everyone down...
Social media, public bios.
Check to see if there's
any lies in there.
I need to commandeer
your office.
And then Em put the book back
on the shelf, which triggered
the secret door to open.
And we went up and found
Fredericks and John.
And where were you
and the other guests
between 9:00 and 10:00 PM?
We came in here,
straight from dinner.
At half past 8:00.
And we stayed in
here, playing games,
until Lucia told us that
Fredericks wasn't returning.
Which was about 10:00.
To be accurate,
though, Janie, not
everyone remained in this room.
And how do you know that?
Because I was the only one
who didn't leave the room.
Well, I only went to the loo.
Can't have been gone
more than five minutes.
Phoenix also went
to powder her nose,
but she was gone for
nearly half an hour.
Sarge went searching
for the body,
and he was gone for
easily 20 minutes.
Carlos and Riley left in
search of vintage brandy,
and they were gone
for quite a while.
Morgan went looking for them and
came back after they returned...
Brandyless.
Well, I hate cliches.
Otherwise, I might say something
about an apple and a tree.
Good thing you loathe
cliches, so you don't have to.
So, everyone had
a chance to sneak
upstairs and commit murder.
Well, I swear I wasn't more
than five minutes in the loo.
Gotcha.
Thanks, ladies.
I suggest you get
some rest, and please
don't talk to your fellow guests
until we meet for breakfast.
For someone who might
walk away from their work
consulting in murder,
you seemed quite
ready to assist in this one.
Just trying to be helpful.
Trying and succeeding.
Detective Trent should get
you to analyze the suspects.
I'll suggest it.
Janie.
What was that apple
and tree business?
Oh, he just meant the apple
doesn't fall far from the tree.
Well, yes, I got that.
- He was talking about my dad.
- Well, yes, I got that as well.
How did he know that
your dad was a copper?
We chatted while
you were sleeping.
He told me his mom's
a psychiatrist.
Well, I daresay
that I was correct.
About what?
About you two on the dock.
See, now, I don't hate cliches.
Like, for instance, the one
about first sight, love.
Oh, Janie.
Oh, and the other one about
men who like to marry women
who are like their mothers.
There's no data on that.
Tell that to Dr. Freud
and Detective Trent.
I'm going to get ready for bed.
[CHUCKLES]
It's horrific.
Devastating.
I'm in shock.
I'm not.
I knew it wouldn't
end well for John.
Fredericks, call the boat.
Carlos and I will be leaving
as soon as we're packed.
Mrs. Del Fuego,
Chief Espinoza and I
need to interview all of you.
MORGAN: You're not
suggesting we...
Are suspects?
Yes.
That's exactly what
he's suggesting.
That's ridiculous.
We're all friends of John
and investors in his vision...
Well, except for those two.
What are you
suggesting, Phoenix?
It's not complicated.
Look, detective, if
we're not under arrest,
then we're leaving.
If you go, there might not
be anything to come back to.
Excuse me?
Well, look how ready to run you
all are, and you're investors
with a stake in this place.
I can't imagine anyone
would want to spend 10
grand a night to stay somewhere
where they might be murdered,
and the original
investors can't be
bothered to care who'd done it.
Detective, I've solved a record
four cases here on
the island should
you require my assistance.
Thank you.
Sergeant, we're going to start
with fingerprints and DNA.
Chief Espinoza and I will talk
to each of you separately.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
When everyone's in their rooms,
why don't we do some
snooping for clues?
Because it's illegal.
More illegal than the murder,
which we're trying to solve?
I'm not trying
to solve anything.
That's the detective's job.
Fine.
I shall return.
No... Janie, you can't.
Come over here.
We have to go.
- Come on.
- I... look...
Did you ask
Fredericks for a copy
of the John Mariner message?
I did, and apparently,
Murtaugh wrote the only copy.
My notes, if you'd
like to make a copy.
Thank you, Sergeant.
I believe the key to solving
this is in that message.
I think that John said something
that forced the killer's hand.
We'll look into it.
Is it true that you offered your
services as a mystery writer,
and Murtaugh rejected them?
Yes, but I knew
he'd come around.
And sure enough, he
called me a few weeks ago
to make certain that I'd
be here for the weekend.
The journalist is nobody, but I
know that Janie's friend works
with psychopaths and murderers.
Maybe they rubbed off on her.
CARLOS: Oh, I don't
know, Phoenix.
Oh, come on!
Look at how fast
she found the body.
I'm going to tell the
detective that I heard
her saying at dinner
she's always wanted
to commit the perfect murder.
CARLOS: Did you?
PHOENIX: Maybe I did.
And listen, there's a
dart gun in my room.
We could plant it in hers.
Hang on.
You want to frame
her for murder?
If she's innocent, it'll
all come out of the trial.
CARLOS: Do you think
the detective will
just believe she said that?
Right, good point.
We need some kind of evidence.
You all right?
Fine, yeah.
I, um...
I'm gonna get some fresh air,
if anyone comes looking for me.
Right.
Mr. Del Fuego?
John and I have been
friends since we were 18.
Naturally, we've had
our ups and downs.
But I'm invested
in Mystery Island,
and that means being
invested in John Murtaugh.
Hello, Jane.
[GASPS]
You think I'm the killer, and
there's evidence in my room.
I was planning on
checking all the rooms.
Launching your own
investigation, I admire that.
Well, search.
I'll wait.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
You should know that
Janie's shrink friend said
at dinner last night
that she'd love
to commit the perfect murder.
So you think she's the
killer, not someone who actually
knew Murtaugh, like yourself.
Oh, but she knew John.
This fell out of her purse
last night, in the game room.
That is John's handwriting.
We'll confirm that.
It's clear that
she was jilted by him
and contrived to come
here to take revenge.
Thank you, Ms. Green.
I'd like to know more about
your relationship with Murtaugh.
Oh, I haven't seen
John in forever.
And we really had
no relationship.
I can't say the same about
him and Morgan, however.
Morgan Del Fuego?
That's right.
She and John were
having an affair.
It all came out last year
at John's Christmas party
in Montana.
I couldn't find
anything incriminating.
It's because there's
nothing to find.
Or because you knew
you'd be searched,
and you hid the evidence
elsewhere, which is why
you could freely let me search.
Either way, I think we
should work together on this.
Even though you don't trust me.
Precisely because I don't.
Keep your suspect close.
Jane, you're finally starting
to think like a detective.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I'm convinced that John
Mariner's message is the key.
Why don't we compare the notes
we both took on the recording?
Do you realize that if we solve
the murder of one
of the most famous
mystery figures on the planet...
We'd be heroes.
Yeah.
No, come on, Riley.
Listen to me.
OK?
[GASP]
We were not having an affair.
But I don't expect
you will believe me
any more than my husband did.
When's the last
time you saw Murtaugh?
At his Christmas
party in Montana,
when he drunkenly told me
he was in love with me.
Who told you?
Carlos?
No, it was Phoenix, wasn't it?
We used to be best friends
when she and John were dating.
When was that?
He ended it six months ago,
a few weeks before Christmas.
She wasn't happy.
Detective.
A word?
Have a seat, Mr. Peel.
I'll be right there.
What is it, doctor?
Emilia, please.
In the game room, Mr. Peel
found a message in his pocket
and went outside.
I followed him, and
he met up with Lucia
for a heated conversation.
About what?
I wasn't able to get
close enough to hear,
but I also wanted to ask
if Phoenix Green told
you that I allegedly
said I wanted
to commit the perfect murder.
[LAUGHS]
What would make
you think she did?
I overheard her saying she
was going to tell you that.
It's a lie.
Did you have a relationship
with John Murtaugh?
I never met the man in my life!
So this didn't fall out
of your purse last night?
[SCOFFS] No, it
certainly did not.
Well, we're going to test
it for your prints and DNA.
Good.
You won't find them.
I'm being set up.
Phoenix Green give
you that as well?
Excuse me, Emilia.
Of course.
Forensics found a match for
a fingerprint on the dart gun.
It belongs to Phoenix Green.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Oh.
Ah!
I know you don't want to get
involved in the investigation.
I've changed my mind.
Oh.
Why?
Wait.
What were you going to say?
Sarge and I are
joining forces because we
both have a vested
financial interest
in catching the killer.
Unless he is the killer.
Well, yes, of course,
but if we work together,
it'll be much easier
to see if he's meddling
with the investigation.
Good point, yeah.
Well, I thought so.
Yeah.
Now, what changed your mind?
One of your fellow investors is
trying to frame me for murder.
What?
Shh!
Who?
Phoenix Green.
She's given Detective
Trent this breakup note,
supposedly from Murtaugh to me.
But you don't even know John!
[GASPS] Do you?
No!
Of course I don't!
But if this story
gets back to London,
do you realize what it
will do to my reputation
with Scotland Yard?
But I thought you didn't
want that work anyway.
[SIGHS] Me not wanting
it isn't the same
thing as it being
taken from me due
to a desperate smear campaign.
Well, I will talk to
Phoenix straight away.
The police are
already on their way
to do that because
they found her prints
on the murder weapon.
What?
What are we waiting for?
Come on!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
PHOENIX: Yes, I can explain it
because I touched the gun when
it was hanging right there.
You can see the
hook where it was.
Why didn't you
mention it was missing?
I didn't know John died by
poison dart until an hour ago.
And I didn't notice it
was missing till now.
Are you saying you touched
it yesterday, but didn't
notice it was gone today?
I touched half of these things.
They're fun to handle.
Ms. Green, did
Murtaugh actually
write this letter to you?
Did it say, "Dear, Phoenix,"
on the part that's torn off?
[SCOFFS] Don't be absurd.
I told you, it fell out of that
psychopathic psychiatrist's
purse last night.
[SCOFFS]
Ms. Green, we know
you're lying about not
seeing Murtaugh for years.
We know you were dating him.
Morgan blabbed, huh?
I didn't lie, detective.
I said I hadn't
seen him in forever,
which translates to
a few weeks when you
live a life as busy as mine.
And it's true.
We have no
relationship, but it's
good to know that
my so-called friend
is trying to get me arrested.
Morgan is a sociopath.
Did she happen to
mention that at all?
This whole room
needs to be processed.
I think I'd like to
talk to Mrs. Del Fuego.
He's going to talk to Morgan.
OK, let's go.
Duh!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MORGAN: She told you
I was a sociopath?
Why didn't you call one
of the shrinks she's fired
and ask them what she is?
So you're suggesting she's...
She's a narcissistic sociopath
with borderline personality
disorder.
Did you ever see her
and Murtaugh together?
He hated New York.
She usually flew to Montana.
Said the day they broke up,
he showed up at her apartment
when I was there.
I said I'd leave,
but he said it wasn't
necessary, that it wouldn't take
long, and told her it was over.
[TENSE MUSIC]
He flew to New York
just to break up with her.
Did she take it?
MORGAN: She said
if I see you again,
I won't be responsible
for what I do.
Morgan!
Get over here!
Morgan!
Whoa, whoa, calm down!
Let go of me!
What did you tell him?
The truth.
Ms. Green, did you say to John
Murtaugh, if I see you again,
I won't be responsible
for what I do?
I only meant that I would
beg him to get back together.
But he'd already
moved on to her.
[SCOFFS]
Lock her in one of
the storage rooms.
You know Murtaugh didn't
send me that note, right?
Like I said, I
got to check it out.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Carlos!
Go back inside!
I'm doing this for
the both of us!
Police!
Stop what you're doing!
Step away from the papers!
Hey!
Oh!
Oh, come on, Emilia!
Ah!
Ugh!
EMILIA: Help!
Please help!
That sounded like Em.
Help!
Help!
Help!
Help!
Please!
Help!
Emilia, what's going on?
This woman stole my property!
Property he went deep
into the jungle to burn!
What are they?
Well, they appear to
be love letters from John
Murtaugh to Morgan Del Fuego.
Dr. Priestly found Mr. Del
Fuego trying to burn these.
That's a bit incriminating.
Yeah.
I think I'd like to
talk to Mrs. Del Fuego.
Do you mind?
Come on, sir.
We can chat inside.
On the letter front,
your prints and DNA
were not on a scrap of
the one Phoenix gave me.
Ah, but I bet hers were, right?
I'd like to officially offer
my services to help you
correctly identify the killer.
What, you're not convinced
the killer is the woman
who tried to frame you?
I think she wanted
to get off the island,
but I'm not convinced it was
to avoid a murder conviction.
Sergeant, I would
like to help as well.
Or we could just listen
in, as we did when you were
talking to Phoenix and Morgan.
MORGAN: I told you I wasn't
having an affair with John,
but that didn't stop
him from sending
me hand-written love letters,
which I never responded to.
But you brought the love
letters to the island.
No, those are copies of the ones
he sent me, which
Carlos found in here.
It is Carlos' favorite novel.
He noticed it on the shelf after
you all had left with Phoenix.
He picked it up
and found a letter.
He had a fit.
Searched all the books.
I heard you two arguing.
Yes.
I suggested we bring this
to you, Detective Trent.
Carlos said they had nothing
to do with the murder.
It was just John
playing mind games.
Would John have known this was
your husband's favorite novel?
Absolutely.
Hang on.
Secrets hidden in books
and secret passageways
triggered by books.
This isn't just a mind game.
This is part of the murder game.
Detective, there must be
some other clue hiding in
some other book on this island.
That thought had occurred to me.
Oh.
Oh, this is light.
Hello.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[RUSTLING]
[BIRDS CALLING]
Oh, it's you.
JOHN MARINER (ON RECORDING):
Good evening, all, and welcome.
My name is John Mariner.
I won't be joining
you all tonight.
I'm otherwise engaged with my
old friend, Sheridan Le Fanu.
Uh, he's the author of the
first locked room mystery.
Ladies and gentlemen,
dinner will be served at 6:00.
Detective, I have places
for you and Chief Espinoza.
And I have a tuxedo for you.
Seriously?
Yeah, I'm in the middle
of a murder investigation.
The victim himself would
insist on a formal dinner, sir.
Yeah, he's right.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Ladies.
Where's Morgan?
Not feeling too well.
Can I get you another refill?
Good idea.
I'm all right.
Oh!
You clean up well.
Thank you.
So do you.
Isn't dinner that way?
Yes, but Carlos told me
Morgan wasn't feeling well,
so I was going to
go check on her.
I'll join you.
[KNOCKING]
Carlos said you're ill.
Uh, I'm just...
It's just a summer cold.
It often happens a day or
two after a long flight.
I'll be fine.
Heading to bed.
You lost a nail.
Did I?
It must have been when I
was reshelving the books.
All right then.
Good night.
She didn't sound
like she had a cold.
No, and the hand
through the hair?
Suspects tend to do that a lot.
Nice work spotting
the missing nail.
I just got off
the phone with Goaz.
Riley Peel doesn't work
for onthebrinkofbeyond.com.
He's never done
any travel writing.
But that's not all.
Lucia didn't turn up for dinner.
No one has seen her
since this afternoon.
I'm going to start
a search for Lucia.
I'll talk to Riley.
Are you headed to dinner?
Uh, I suppose so.
You'd rather come with me to
talk to Riley, wouldn't you?
Guilty.
What kind of consulting did
you do for the London police?
I talked to people
they've arrested
to assess their
psychological character
and determine whether or
not they are likely to have
committed murder.
It's rough work,
but you must enjoy it.
I did.
I'm not sure I still do.
Janie offered me this weekend
away to consider my future.
Did something happen?
I was threatened by
a killer in custody.
Emilia.
It's happened once before.
I was stalked and my
family threatened,
but the truth is, I was already
feeling worn down by the work,
and I just feel like I need
to reconsider everything.
Well, you seem quite good at it.
It'd be a shame if
you walked away.
Then I suppose I'm coming
with you to talk to Riley.
[KNOCKING]
Not coming for
dinner, Mr. Peel?
Um, just running behind.
Would you mind if Dr.
Priestly and I have a word?
Not at all.
Does every room have
a different decor?
Yeah, they're all
inspired by the settings
on the different
Emily Murtaugh novels.
They're completely
renovated twice a year.
Ah, that can't be cheap.
Is that something you'll
include in your article
for On the Brink of Beyond?
Yes.
Except you don't work for On
the Brink of Beyond, Mr. Peel.
You lied to police
officers in the course
of a homicide investigation.
Hang on.
I did pitch this story for
On the Brink of Beyond.
They said if I could
get onto the island
and if I could get
some good stuff,
they'd probably
publish my story.
Who got you here?
It was Lucia, wasn't it?
[LAUGHS]
You notice that, detective?
TRENT: Hand through the hair.
Indicates deception.
I saw you meeting with
Lucia in the jungle.
You looked quite upset.
Well, of course, I was upset.
The subject for my story
had just been murdered.
Oh, the story is about
Murtaugh, not the island?
My story is no puff piece.
It's an expos to how this place
isn't what it appears to be,
this whole indulgent
enclave for the super rich,
but it is, in fact, an
overextended failure.
What do you mean?
Murtaugh's supposedly
this creative genius,
and maybe he is, but
he's a financial idiot
that's made this place
cost 10 times as much
to run as it earns.
He's taking on debt like
a third world country.
And if he continues
this way, he'll be
forced to declare bankruptcy.
So his investors...
Lose their investments?
Yeah.
TRENT: Do you believe him?
About the article?
Yeah.
But he's not telling
us everything.
I got that, too.
And I stand by my
apple and tree comment.
My dad would be
happy to hear that.
I'm happy to tell him.
Dad passed away last year.
I'm so sorry, Emilia.
Thank you.
He was at work.
He'd just made an arrest.
And he had a...
A massive coronary at his desk.
He loved his work, so it's...
I just mean, I think he would
be quite happy to know that was
how he left this world.
I just wish...
Yeah.
[LAUGH] I thought I was
finished with the tears part.
I don't mind.
No, I can see that.
Thank you, Detective.
Jason.
Jason.
And your parents?
Alive and well,
living in Boston.
So I got to ask, how did
you end up down this way?
Well, my mentor in Boston,
Detective Ruiz, he grew up
here... on the mainland, I mean.
Eight years ago, he retired,
came home, and was murdered.
And you took the
job on the mainland.
To find his killer, yeah.
Still looking.
Do you really want to
go to this fancy party?
I'm going to imagine you
don't miss the Boston winters.
The weather down
here is pretty great,
but I couldn't convince
my ex-wife of that.
Oh, I'm sorry.
No, it's cool.
High school sweethearts who
probably shouldn't try to make
it last past graduation.
And you?
I notice there's
no wedding band.
Was there ever one?
There wasn't.
There was an engagement ring.
Mysterious.
Tell me more.
He would have told you I
loved the work more than him.
Would you disagree?
No.
I mean, not then.
Back then, I really did love it.
It's funny.
My engagement ended
on an island, Crete.
I clearly didn't
want to be there.
And as we were having
another argument,
I realized it wasn't just
the place I didn't want.
It was him.
I haven't been on
a vacation since.
Six years.
It's been six years
since I was on this island.
And that wasn't a vacation.
Someone was assaulted.
Murtaugh assaulted Fredericks.
What?
It's how Fredericks
got the eye patch.
[GASP]
Murtaugh was a champion
fencer at Oxford.
And I guess he didn't
like that his butler
beat him three days in a row.
I went to the hospital
after Frederick's surgery
to see if he'd press charges.
Let me guess, Murtaugh
gave him a big fat raise,
and Fredericks
decided to let it go.
Yeah.
I pushed him, but my boss,
the chief before Gloria,
reminded me that Murtaugh
gives a lot of money
to the Police
Benevolent Association.
Wow.
I can see why you're
not a fan of this place.
I just don't like people turning
murder into a puzzle game.
So then I suppose you're
not a fan of the Evelyn
Murtaugh books either.
Never read one.
My dad was the same.
Mystery writers, try as they
might, they never get it right.
He's right.
Yeah.
I think he would have
liked you very much.
I think I'd have
felt the same way.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
Jason, is that...
That's Lucia.
Is it possible
it was an accident?
She was an excellent swimmer.
And she was hit on the head.
Jason said the
coroner is on the way,
and he'll be able to
determine whether that
happened pre or post-mortem.
It doesn't make sense.
First murder was well-planned.
This one is sloppy.
What?
What is it?
What happened?
Lucia has been killed.
What?
[FOREBODING MUSIC]
What?
Oh.
Fredericks, wait.
No, no, wait, wait, no.
[CRYING]
FREDERICKS: There, there.
Jason, you smell that?
Chloroform.
Did she knock out
Fredericks and kill Murtaugh?
Jason.
We met a few years ago.
Her brother, Miguel,
and I, we went
to the same writing program.
She came to visit,
and we connected.
I'm sorry.
It's all right.
You've been together since then.
We wanted to get married.
But my student
loans, how could I
ask her to leave this and come
live with me in a shoe box?
So I had to get my
career breakthrough.
And you thought the
expos on Mystery Island
would have been that.
Yeah.
So Lucia was your source for
all the dirt about this place?
And did she change her
mind about the expos
after Murtaugh was killed?
Is that why you
two were arguing?
Not exactly.
Meaning?
She... well, she found
a way to make money,
more money, real money,
a lot more than what
the expos would have paid.
What way?
Blackmail.
She said she had something
on one of the guests.
Who?
I don't know.
I told her I didn't
want to know.
A man had already been killed,
and I just wanted us to...
[CRYING]
[KNOCKING]
I'm pegging time of
death between 4:00 and 5:00
this afternoon.
You saw the blunt force
trauma on her head.
Cause of death?
I'll know once I've gotten
the body back to the lab.
Riley asked to be left alone.
Here, Murtaugh autopsy results.
It was cyanide.
It would have killed
him up to 30 minutes
after a dart hit him.
Then why just sit there?
Why not try to get
downstairs for help?
Maybe the murderer made
sure he couldn't go anywhere.
Emilia said no one left the game
room for more than 30 minutes.
Well, I said up to 30 minutes.
Maybe it was faster
for Murtaugh.
He had a tumor in his stomach
the size of a grapefruit,
and I found cancer
cells in his bones.
No traces of chemo or radiation.
So I called his
doctor in Montana.
Apparently, Murtaugh
is a doctorphobe.
He hadn't seen the
guy in over a year.
Wouldn't he be in a lot of pain?
Oh, sure.
And he was on a
very healthy diet of
over-the-counter painkillers.
I've seen this before.
The guy thinks he's got
an ulcer or something,
doesn't go to the doctor.
Two months later, he's dead.
Anyway, the forensic
guys are waiting
with the body on the boat.
I'll walk you out.
Lucia was killed while we
were searching the library.
Well, that means Janie
and Sarge are in the clear,
and Phoenix, of course.
For this killing anyway.
We need to check alibis.
I was alone in my room.
You don't think I?
I have to ask.
FREDERICKS: Between
4:00 and 5:00,
I was overseeing dinner
preparations with the staff.
When did you notice
Lucia was missing?
Lucia... pardon me.
Lucia said she had a
headache around 3:00
and wanted to lay down.
In the staff dormitory.
I assume so, yes.
But you didn't see her go there.
CARLOS: After my interrogation
with Chief Espinoza,
I returned to my room.
Morgan wasn't feeling
well, so we had a nap.
How well do you know Lucia?
I see her a few times a
year, whenever I came back.
And your wife?
Is sick in bed, where
she's been all afternoon.
I told you.
Are we done?
I'd like to go and check on her.
Sure.
Two dead now.
And one of these
people is the killer.
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one.
The mouse ran down.
Excuse me, Baroness.
What is it, Fredericks?
Would either of you
care for a cup of tea?
Oh.
Yes, please.
No, thank you.
Fredericks, did Lucia
have access to the record
before John played it
to us on Friday night?
She's the one who tested it
on the player when it arrived.
Lucia had the record for
days, and what if she managed
to decode the message
and then confronted
the killer on the beach?
I mean, has Detective
Trent thought of this?
Not that he mentioned.
Well, when we
crack it, I promise
we'll go straight
to him, as Holmes
and Watson would with Lestrade.
Lorenzo says he was
flown from Mystery Island
to about two miles west in
the middle of the ocean.
Ray, can you ask
Officer Martinez
to take his diving
gear out to that spot
and see if he finds anything?
You bet.
Now to Lucia, she has
some subdermal scratches
on her face, so there may
be someone in that island
with Lucia's DNA
under her fingernails.
She was fighting
before the fatal blow.
Right.
And there were some
chips of some sort
of volcanic rock or
sediment in her head wound,
though the blow wasn't fatal.
So she did die from drowning.
Yes, but it's fresh water.
What if her body
came down the river
here and out to the ocean?
It's likely.
If Frederick saw her at
3:00, and she was killed just
after 4:00, then where on
that river takes about an hour
or so to walk to from here?
Got something!
Several pieces of glass.
And it smells like chloroform.
There's a lot of
volcanic rock and sediment.
Is that blood?
It sure looks like it.
We need to get samples of that.
On it.
Jason.
Chief.
Are you going to deny
this nail is yours?
The chief is going to
scrape your other nails,
and we're going to find
Lucy's DNA on them, aren't we?
Do you mind rolling
up your sleeves?
Lucia found the bottle of
chloroform here in your room,
didn't she?
Yes, but it wasn't
mine, which I told her.
She brought the
bottle back to her room
as she decided what to do.
Option one would be
to tell us, the police.
Option two would
be to blackmail you,
which is what she proposed
when she met you at the river,
wasn't it?
I told her I didn't believe
that the chloroform was
in my room.
She said maybe my
husband brought it.
But either way, she
was going to be paid.
I told her she was a fool.
She got aggressive, shoving
the bottle into my face.
So I found this in your room.
I swatted it away.
[SHATTERING]
It smashed.
Then she lost it.
She grabbed me,
scratched my arm.
Ow!
We struggled.
[GASPS]
She slipped and fell,
hit her head on a rock
and fell into the river.
If it was an accident,
why not come forward?
I didn't think anyone
would believe me.
You told Carlos, and he agreed
to cover for you, didn't he?
TRENT: And your wife?
Is sick in bed, where
she's been all afternoon.
He said it was an accident.
And we have enough bad press
for the island already.
He could lose millions.
I thought he was
just a 5% shareholder.
No, not anymore.
We know Murtaugh
was overextended.
Mystery Island was going to
have to declare bankruptcy,
but you bailed him
out, even though he
was trying to seduce your wife.
You wouldn't understand.
Explain it to me then.
I love Mystery Island.
I think it's a brilliant idea
that its brilliant creator
didn't know how to manage
from a financial standpoint.
I did bail John out secretly.
I set up an angel
investment group
to buy the controlling
shares to try to save
the island from its creator.
So Murtaugh had no idea
you were the island's savior.
Not at first, but
he's very clever.
He found out, confronted
me at his Christmas party.
I've never seen him so angry.
He told me I was a Philistine
who only cared about money,
that I would ruin
everything that is
special about Mystery Island.
How would you do that?
Volume.
We do 10 weekends a year now.
We increase that to 52.
We become profitable.
That's a lot of original
mysteries to write.
Obviously, we'd
do some recycling.
All this made John furious.
He said he wouldn't let
me destroy the island.
He'd destroy me.
And that's when he
started to pursue Morgan.
Did you find out Murtaugh would
be here for the anniversary,
then plan to come here
and kill him?
No!
John and I, I've told you,
we've been friends since Oxford.
I was used to him losing his
mind, doing stupid things.
And I knew to just wait
until he came to his senses.
Mr. Del Fuego, I'd
like for you to come
with us back to your room.
I found traces of
chloroform in here.
Yeah, different lengths.
I noticed that.
It's a built-in storage box.
I've never seen that before.
Mr. Del Fuego, you
need to come with us.
That isn't mine.
I'm being set up.
Sir, there are two people dead.
I can put you in handcuffs,
like I did with Ms. Green,
if you like.
[PHONE RINGING]
Detective Trent.
Goaz, what do you got?
That's terrific.
Thank you, Martinez.
Officer Martinez found
the drone in the water?
The coordinates of the
remote said it would be.
It certainly seems
like Carlos is your man.
Yeah.
So why don't I feel
right about it?
Maybe because Carlos
doesn't feel small?
You're not talking
about his height, are you?
The killer in custody,
he'd killed his wife
because she was successful
and he wasn't, and she
made him feel small.
Yeah, Carlos...
Is an incredibly
wealthy self-made man.
By contrast, Murtaugh
inherited his money,
and he squandered it.
What about Morgan,
Murtaugh, the letters?
Yeah, what about the letters?
If Murtaugh was pursuing
Morgan, why write her letters?
Actual mailed letters?
He was a recluse.
But then he flies
himself to New York
to break up with Phoenix?
Yeah, that is strange.
What if he went to New
York for a different reason?
We need to rearrange this.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
He said yes.
So he did it.
Em!
Well, who done it?
Well, we were hoping to assemble
everyone in the main
room and reveal it there.
Seriously?
It's on brand, detective.
You know what?
Why not?
Wonderful.
JAY: The key to this
case is right here.
The John Mariner message...
We found a second record
hidden in these books.
This message reveals that
John expected to be killed.
Not killed effectively,
killed in reality.
JANE: John foresaw
his own death,
like the genius that he was.
JAY: 180 IQ.
JOHN MARINER (ON RECORDING):
Good evening, all, and welcome.
My name is John Mariner.
I won't be joining
you all tonight.
I'm otherwise engaged with my...
Em figured out the
beginning of the clue,
that John Mariner
translates to John
Murtaugh, which led us to the
secret room and to John's body.
But this name code wasn't
only about the secret room.
It is the key to the entirety
of a longer coded message.
JANE: But beginning
with the hidden name,
Em, what language is Murtaugh?
Gaelic, from Scotland.
JOHN MARINER (ON RECORDING):
Hickory dickory dock.
The mouse ran up the clock.
Hickory dickory dock.
Why that rhyme?
He wanted us to pay
attention to time?
Misdirection.
Remember the key to the code.
A name contained in a book.
[CLEARS THROAT]
"Hickory Dickory Dock"
was a popular rhyme
in Scotland, but not
exclusively for children.
Scottish shepherds used the
rhyme as a counting scheme
to keep track of their flock,
except they began the rhyme
using the Gaelic words, "Hevera,
Devera, Dick," or 8, 9, and 10.
Now, Mariner said
that he was counting
on us to solve his riddle.
The name code has led us to the
number key, eight, nine, 10.
- Sorry I'm late.
- Oh, that's fine.
I'm sure that
Detective Trent will
catch you up to speed, Chief.
Sorry, I'm confused.
What does eight, nine, 10
have to do with anything?
Well, let us enlighten you.
So this is the entirety
of John's message
after the nursery rhyme.
Now, when I first
heard it, I thought
it was just doggerel
that John was
just trying to sound poetic.
It verges on nonsense, but that
is a clue, of course, that
it contains a hidden message.
You just need to know the code.
Hickory dickory dock.
Hevera, Devera, Dick.
8, 9, 10.
Now, if you count out every
eighth, ninth, and 10th word,
it reveals a hidden message.
My killer is among
us a free man fire.
What does that mean?
Well, fire is your
surname, Morgan, Fuego.
Do you think I...
Sorry, no, we
haven't finished yet.
So, this has brought us full
circle back to the name book.
Free man is...
What my name means.
Charles, Carlos, free man.
That's right.
John knew Carlos
was going to kill him
as revenge for John's
affair with Morgan
for the last six months.
So you are the
reason John left me.
We were not having an affair.
Well, whether you were
or you weren't, Carlos
believed that you were.
Lucia found the chloroform
bottle in your room,
and the police found the
poison and the darts.
Hang on.
So you're saying Murtaugh knew
Carlos was going to kill him.
He was a genius.
Right, 180 IQ, I remember.
So this genius came
to Mystery Island,
where he knew Carlos would be.
And that I'd be
to solve the crime.
And me.
Yes, Janie has been
surprisingly helpful.
You're right that Murtaugh
needed you here because you
are part of the story.
Story.
Carlos, what's your IQ?
I have no idea.
But you're clever enough to
know not to hide incriminating
evidence in your own room.
Are you suggesting that
Carlos isn't the killer?
We are, yes.
Now, there is no question
that what you have laid out
is very on brand
for Mystery Island.
You've got an elaborate
game, a secret hiding
spot for a murder
weapon, and the very
human motive of revenge.
But the real solution
to this crime
features the same elements...
Elaborate game, hiding spot
for a murder weapon, revenge.
I'm sorry.
Real solution?
The job of an actual detective,
not people playing games,
is to look for the seemingly
dull, simple details,
like why is there
a drone remote control 3
feet away from a dead man
with no drone to go with it?
We found this
offshore, intentionally
crashed in the water.
Even genius killers
make simple mistakes.
This killer should
have found out a way
to destroy the remote control
because it has been the undoing
of the entire mystery.
But... sorry, what
are you talking about?
That Carlos did
something with the drone?
No, not Carlos.
He's not the killer.
So who is?
Well, let's go back.
Who knew about
the secret passage?
No one else other than
myself and Mr. Murtaugh.
The story that Murtaugh wrote,
starting with the secret room,
was stolen from the safe
in Frederick's office.
I'm the only one with the
combination to the safe.
Not Murtaugh.
Well, yes, of course.
So Fredericks did it.
The butler did it, just
like the first weekend.
And you said the
motive was revenge...
For his eye.
The killer did want
revenge for having something
taken from him, not an eye.
An island.
Murtaugh's supposedly
this creative genius,
and maybe he is.
But he's a financial idiot.
I set up an angel
group of investors
to buy the controlling
shares and try to save
the island from its creator.
But he found out
what Carlos had done.
He said he wouldn't let
me destroy the island.
He'd destroy me.
Murtaugh thought of
himself as a creative genius.
He feared Carlos's
focus on the bottom line
would turn his precious creation
into a generic tourist trap.
Carlos had control and money.
He made Murtaugh feel so small.
The only way for Murtaugh
to take back control
was to make Carlos a criminal,
to frame him for murder.
TRENT: Murtaugh knew the
combination to the safe.
He built the desk
in Carlos's room.
EMILIA: He built
the secret room.
TRENT: He waited
for Fredericks to go
up there, sticking to the
script, and chloroformed him.
But he couldn't shoot himself
at close range with a dart.
It wouldn't work for the story.
The drone.
[BUZZING]
TRENT: He shot himself, released
the gun over the railing,
and flew the drone out
to sea and crashed it.
That's a locked
room mystery twist
worthy of Sheridan Le Fanu.
He was meticulous
in his planning,
but life doesn't
work like a game.
He didn't predict that
Lucia will go digging
for evidence in
the rooms and find
the chloroform before we did.
Or that she would try
to blackmail Morgan.
No, I warned her.
I didn't kill her, I swear.
She attacked me when
I said I wouldn't pay.
Lucia fell.
Her death was an accident.
GLORIA: Murtaugh
also couldn't have
expected Detective
Goaz to break his ankle
and that Jason will be here.
Or that Emilia would
be here and be as helpful
as she's been, including calling
her friend at the number one
oncology center in New York.
What now?
The autopsy revealed
Murtaugh had terminal cancer.
What if the doctorphobe
finally realized it might not
be an ulcer, and he flew
to the top cancer hospital
in the world?
Tony, it's Emilia Priestly.
I have a deceased
patient, and I'm
wondering if he might have come
to you guys for a diagnosis.
That's why Murtaugh
was in New York,
not to break up
with you, Phoenix.
So, John Murtaugh
found out he was dying,
and he used what time he had
left to concoct a scenario
to get revenge on the
man that he believed
would destroy his dream.
Well done, you two.
[LAUGHS]
If you ever come to the UK,
you have a room in my castle.
Thank you.
Ciao.
She own a castle?
More than one.
I wanted to thank you.
You're thanking me?
The proper response
is, you're welcome.
What are you thanking me for?
Well, for reminding
me that what I do,
as hard as it can
be, matters, and I'm
not walking away from it.
Well, you're welcome.
And thank you.
I couldn't have done
this without you.
Listen, I owe you two a lot.
And I want to say
that for a genius,
John could be pretty stupid.
I'm not going to
change Mystery Island,
just make it profitable.
And I'm not going to be CEO.
Fredericks is.
Congratulations.
Thank you, ma'am.
But I'll need someone
to craft the mysteries.
I'm sure Sarge is ready to go.
And Janie.
I was actually thinking
of the two of you.
I appreciate that,
but I have a job.
As do I.
You'd be consultants.
You could do it
over the weekends.
And the pay...
Oh, my goodness.
We'd split this.
No, that's for each of you.
Think about it.
It's quite flattering.
And I guess you'd have to
come down here every so often.
So that we could meet.
About work.
Right.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
And so, ladies and gentlemen, we
have arrived, at
last, to the person
responsible for the murder
of Mr. Kensington Culpepper.
The killer is Loretta St. John.
Am I correct, Fredericks?
I'm sorry, Lady Alcott, but no.
Seriously?
I'm afraid so, Baroness.
Would anyone else care to try?
JANE: And this is my ninth
case on Mystery Island.
And I seriously cannot believe
that I still haven't once
correctly solved a whodunit.
I'm sorry, Janie, but it
is only a fictional murder.
Well, yes, but given
what I've told you,
do you want to hazard a
guess at who the killer is?
I suppose I'd say, what's
his name, the tennis player.
Marcelo.
Yes, you're right.
OK, I need to ring off
and go through security.
Are you psychoanalyzing
a real murderer today?
That's what I'm
here to find out.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Inspector Hawthorn believes
you killed your wife, Ken.
Then he should prove
it, and instead of wasting
my time with a headshrinker.
Psychiatrist.
You don't like "headshrinker"?
Only because it's inaccurate.
I have no interest in making
anyone's mind smaller.
[SCOFFS] Funny.
Did your wife make
you feel like that, Ken?
Because she was the breadwinner,
did she make you feel small?
Or should I say, shrunk?
[HANDCUFFS CLATTERING]
I know people on the outside,
doctor, people that know you
and your family.
OK.
Wait.
Sorry.
Did that make you feel small?
[MUSIC BUILDING]
[DOOR BANGING]
[PHONE RINGING]
Hi.
JANE: I came straight
from Heathrow
as soon as I got your text.
What did that
monster say to you?
He said he had people on the
outside, people that know me
and my family.
That's it.
You have got to stop
working for the police.
Believe it or not, I've
had the same thought.
What, truly?
I thought I was going to
have to fight you on this.
I actually told Hawthorne
I need to take a break.
Fantastic!
Starting now?
Too much on the docket
already, but in three weeks.
Splendid!
You can come to Mystery Island.
You're going back so soon?
Oh, invitation for
some of the investors.
What do you say?
I say I, unlike you, didn't
inherit a disposable income.
It's my treat!
Janie.
Emilia!
Just say you'll think about it.
I leave in three weeks.
You can tell me the day of.
Hmm?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I cannot believe
I said yes to this.
Well, at risk of
sounding like your mother,
you should take a vacation
more than once every decade.
It's only been six years, but
that did sound like my mother.
[LAUGHS] Well, be
grateful I didn't add,
you'll never have a full life
without a man by your side.
[LAUGHTER]
Oh!
- Sorry, I didn't see you there.
- No worries.
Oh, you're an American.
Guilty.
You are on vacation as well?
I think he lives here.
How did you reach
that conclusion?
Well, you're tan, for starters,
and the fact that you
just got off a boat
in the morning wearing a suit.
Oh, I think you
got it right, yeah.
I think she did, yeah.
Well, you are going to
crush it on Mystery Island.
You're going to Mystery Island?
Yes.
Have you ever been?
Yeah, I have.
Shame.
I thought he wanted to carry
on that conversation with you.
[CHUCKLES] And vice versa.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Lady Alcott.
Fredericks.
This is...
Dr. Emilia Priestly.
Yes, we received your
email last night.
Ladies, welcome
to Mystery Island.
[CHUCKLES]
Thank you.
[CLINKING]
[LAUGHING]
FREDERICKS: Your luggage will
be in your usual room, Baroness.
JANE: Thank you, Fredericks.
Let us show Dr. Priestly
around, shall we, Janie?
Yes, please.
[CHUCKLES]
Our beautiful conservatory.
EMILIA: Someone
has a green thumb.
FREDERICKS: That would be Lucia.
Every group of visitors has
a unique mystery to solve.
Here's the opening weekend.
Exactly five years ago today.
JANE: The last time
John was on the island.
This weekend is for investors.
How much did you put in?
Only 5%, same as everyone else...
Other than John, of course.
He's got 80%.
A wonderful place
to research clues.
Every Evelyn Murtaugh
whodunit, all first editions.
The dining room.
Conservatory,
library, dining room.
This game room is just
missing a billiards table.
It's pretty much Clue.
JANE: John Murtaugh, the
founder of Mystery Island.
Is he...
Evelyn Murtaugh's son.
FREDERICKS: Mrs.
Murtaugh purchased
this island over two
decades ago and built
this as a vacation home.
Evelyn hoped that John would
carry on her legacy writing
whodunits, but when she died,
John had the brilliant notion
to turn this place into
a destination vacation,
where people could live
inside the murder mysteries,
like the ones his mother
could only put on the page.
When do I get to meet him?
Mr. Murtaugh lives in Montana.
John hasn't come
back to the island
since the opening ceremony.
He's, uh, eccentric,
but of course, genius.
He has an IQ of 180.
I imagine he told you that.
What?
Does that look mean
you think he's lying?
I think people who
need to tell others
how smart they have a
healthy ego, which may
be masking deep insecurities.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
EMILIA: Who's that?
Ah.
Pleased to meet you.
EMILIA: Emilia.
Carlos Del Fuego.
My wife, Morgan.
How do you guys know each other?
We were students
together at Oxford.
No way.
So were Carlos and John.
Are you and Mr.
Murtaugh still close?
I wouldn't go that far.
Excuse us.
He runs the biggest
hedge fund in New York.
Oh.
Oh, looks like Phoenix made it.
Is that...
Phoenix Green.
I don't mean to
sound like a fan girl,
but I've been doing your
workout videos for years.
Well, if so, you
should show some skin.
As I say in my
workouts, flaunt it.
You've worked hard for it.
Excuse me.
I need to refresh my daiquiri.
Ugh.
What is it they say?
Never meet your heroes.
EMILIA: I didn't
know you knew her!
JANE: Well, I try
to forget I do.
Carlos brought her in.
Oh, this next investor
is my favorite.
Emilia.
Jay Carrington Ellis.
Retired Royal Marine
Sergeant Major.
Pleasure.
Do I call you Jay or Carrington?
We like to call him Sarge.
He is the only four-time
winner in the history
of Mystery Island.
Impressive.
Thank you.
So there are two
non-investors here then.
Riley Peel.
I'm with onthebrinkofbeyond.com,
the travel website.
I'm here to cover for
the anniversary weekend.
So, Baroness, as one of
the original investors,
how involved are you in the
running of Mystery Island?
Well, not at all, thankfully.
So you just stay
at home and collect
the investment returns then?
[DOOR OPENING]
[LAUGH]
[DOOR CLOSING]
[GENTLE CLINKING]
My fellow investors, friends,
and our first-time visitors,
let us celebrate the first
five years of Mystery Island.
May there be 100 more.
And to John.
May he someday return to
this magical place he built
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Wow.
Ladies and gentlemen,
your rooms are ready.
Please deposit your mobile
phones in the basket.
Is he serious?
Oh, completely.
It's to prevent cheating
by accessing the internet,
though no one ever gets
service here anyway.
The game's afoot.
Each room has a
space for building
a murder board, which we can
use once we know who's dead.
Mr. John Mariner requests your
presence for supper at 7:00 PM.
Is John Mariner...
It's a good chance he'll
be the murder victim, played
by an actor, although sometimes
the host is a misdirect,
and one of the
staff ends up dead.
Or sometimes the
victim is a guest.
But you know all the guests.
Not the reporter.
And he seems like
an actor to me.
How much of the mystery
is worked out in advance?
Oh, I really don't know.
That's John's department.
He tailors every mystery
to the specific people
that are here, based on
profiles we all provided.
- I didn't provide a profile.
- Tut.
I took care of that for you.
But I just decided
to come here yesterday.
Well, I took the precaution
three weeks ago, in case
you came to your
senses, which you did.
Well, we better get
dressed for dinner.
But... [SCOFFS]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[GONG]
Ladies and
gentlemen, Mr. Mariner
has instructed us to
play this for you.
Just like And Then
There Were None.
JOHN MARINER (ON RECORDING):
Good evening, all, and welcome.
My name is John Mariner.
I won't be joining
you all tonight.
I'm otherwise engaged with my
old friend, Sheridan Le Fanu.
Mr. Who?
Le Fanu.
He's an Irish mystery.
JOHN MARINER (ON
RECORDING): But remember,
my door is always open to you.
You need only knock thrice.
Sheridan and I are
occupied with a riddle,
my friends, one that vexes me.
I'm counting on you to solve it.
Here we go.
JOHN MARINER (ON RECORDING):
Hickory dickory dock.
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one.
The mouse ran down.
Hickory dickory dock.
You may think you know
the rhyme my voice
has uttered, but look back.
When a killer wishes
to strike, beware.
Timing, dear ladies and
gentlemen, is your concern.
The face has numbers
set among numbers.
It remained my business to
save what us, Mother and I,
had built. But I fear that a
wolf has crept into the flock.
Set free your eyes
and dare to see them.
Either man or
woman, I can't tell.
The next time is fire.
JANE: Well, the game is afoot.
So what do we do now?
Eat, drink, wait for
someone to drop dead.
[CHUCKLING]
[GLASSES CLINKING]
Mm.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Oh, I'll remember that.
More for me, breadcrumbs.
You're literally on a trap door.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]
Oh, yes.
Oh, yeah, yes.
So did you get it?
[DRINKS POURING]
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC]
RILEY: Yes, it's important.
There's a lot going on here.
I like it.
RILEY: We'll BRB.
PHOENIX: No.
JAY: You go.
Well, I'm going to stay.
Fredericks.
Where's Fredericks?
Indisposed.
Can I be of any assistance?
Have you got a corpse with you?
LUCIA: No, sir.
JAY: Right.
Well, I'm off to bed.
I trust that John will
provide us a body by dawn.
Yes, we should
all get some rest.
Have you ever had to
wait this long for a body?
Yes, my second trip.
The corpse didn't appear until
midway through the Saturday,
although we did
have several clues
before somebody was murdered.
[GASPS] Do you think
that's happening now?
Well, I certainly
think that a big clue was
that John Mariner mentioned
a mystery writer who's
been dead for over a century.
Sheridan Le Fanu.
Indeed.
We read him in book
club last year.
The novel was called A
Passage in the Secret History
of an Irish Countess.
That's an absurd title.
Well, it's also the
original locked room mystery.
It predates Poe's Murders in
the Rue Morgue by three years.
And the first game
we played here...
Was a locked room mystery.
Well, who was the
killer in that game?
Fredericks, actually.
Stop.
The butler did it?
Well, John loves
nothing more than playing
with preconceptions.
Sometimes the correct
answer is the obvious one.
Oh.
Well, maybe we should
check the dock.
The dock where the
transport picked us up?
Yeah, Mariner is from
"marinus," "of the sea."
I really should
have minored in Latin
with you at old Oxford.
Speaking of, is there
an OED in that library?
Yeah, there are several
dictionaries, actually.
[GASPS] I thought so.
Murtaugh is Anglicized
Gaelic for Mariner.
And John is the
English version of John.
John Murtaugh put
himself into the game.
[GASPS]
[LAUGHS] Perhaps this
means he plans to return
to the island after all.
[SCREAMING]
A secret passage!
Triggered by the use
of that dictionary.
Oh, there's a lamp.
See if it works.
OK.
Oh, ow.
Sorry.
[GASPING]
[LAUGHING]
Go, go.
Shall we go?
Yes.
Oh, God, OK.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
It's a staircase.
[LAUGHING]
[GASPING]
[LAUGHING]
Oh.
OK.
There's no knob!
[SCOFFS]
Sheridan Le Fanu!
It's a locked room mystery!
The... the body must be in there!
I suspect there's a
triggering mechanism somewhere.
What did the Mariner say after
he mentioned Sheridan Le Fanu?
[GASPS] My door is
always open to you.
Well, clearly not.
No.
But then he said something
that jumped out at me.
You only need knock thrice.
[KNOCKING]
[DOOR OPENS]
[LAUGHING]
I knew you would
do brilliantly here!
Shall we go?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hmm.
It certainly seems like
the room of a Mariner.
[GASPING]
Found the body.
[GIGGLING]
I guess the butler
didn't do it this time.
I can't seem to
find a murder weapon.
Oh!
Maybe he was stabbed.
Help me turn him over.
[GASPING] Janie!
[GASPS] Oh, the record!
Ah!
Whoa!
That's two murders.
It's a double murder!
We haven't gotten one
of those in three years!
[GIGGLING]
Oh.
[GROANS]
JANE: Fredericks?
FREDERICKS: [GROANS]
JANE: Fredericks?
FREDERICKS: Oh, Lady Alcott.
You're... you're not dead.
FREDERICKS: Uh, no.
JANE: [SCOFFS]
He is.
Just the one victim then?
No.
Janie, this man is
really and truly dead.
I... I think that might
be the murder weapon.
I don't understand.
Do you see that?
Is that a false beard?
EMILIA: His nose might
be false as well.
[GASPING]
Oh, it's...
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[KNOCKING]
Yeah, come in.
Evening, detective.
Gloria.
Sorry about the hour.
But you look awake.
I am, yeah.
The case?
I thought your vacation
started tonight.
So then I guess you wouldn't
mind if I pulled you back in?
Goaz broke his ankle tonight
playing beach volleyball,
and we got a homicide.
Jason, the body's on
Mystery Island, deceased.
It's John Murtaugh.
I know you have some
history with him.
Well, that history is ancient.
I haven't seen or spoken
to Murtaugh in six years.
Good.
Pinera took her
vacation for real,
so you're stuck with your
chief as your partner.
I'll manage.
[ENGINE ROARING]
Chief Espinoza,
thank you for coming.
After all your boss
has done to support
the Police Benevolent
Association,
the least I can do.
Just the three of you?
We have eight cops
on the mainland.
Only three of them
are detectives.
One just flew up on vacation.
One has a broken ankle.
This is Ray Romeo, the coroner.
And I think you know
Detective Trent.
Mr. Fredericks.
Pardon me, but considering
Detective Trent's
history with Mr. Murtaugh...
History which compels me
to ask about your whereabouts
at the time Murtaugh was killed.
I was unconscious,
having been rendered
as such by an unseen assailant.
I've taken great care not to
wash up so that you may detect
the chloroform that was used.
I'd like to meet the
guests who found the body.
Oh, at last.
Oh, it's you.
Detective Jason Trent.
This is Chief of
Police Gloria Espinoza.
Hi, I'm Baroness Jane Alcott.
And this is my dearest
friend, Dr. Emilia Priestly,
who happens to be an official
consultant for the Metropolitan
Police in London
and was the one that
discovered the secret door,
which led us to poor John.
And we are ready
to be interviewed.
Thank you, Ms. Alcott.
Lady Alcott.
Lady Alcott, but I need
to review the scene first.
How many times has this passage
been used in one of your games?
This is the first time.
No one knew about it other
than myself and Mr. Murtaugh.
And the people who built it.
Well, yes, but they haven't
been here since the renovation
six years ago.
I'll need to make sure of that.
I'll need the
contact information
for your contractor.
Now, this is my
assistant, Lucia Camarera.
She's been making sure no
one goes near the body.
Time of death?
Between 9:00 and 10:00.
Poison?
It has to be.
No redness around the wound, so
it was fired from a distance.
How much of a distance?
I'd say a good
10 feet, at least.
How quickly would he have died?
Oh, well, depending on
the poison, several minutes,
possibly up to half an hour.
Could he have made
it if his phone rang?
I can't say for sure
until I've done the autopsy.
Speaking of which,
I should start
prepping the body for transfer.
I'll need another pair of hands.
I will assist you.
Thank you.
Where's the drone?
Take this to the mainland,
get it to Lorenzo at IT.
Mr. Fredericks.
FREDERICKS: Sir.
You didn't see through
Murtaugh's disguise?
I haven't seen Mr.
Murtaugh in person
since the island's
opening weekend.
Why?
Like many geniuses, he
had his eccentricities.
He believed that if he were ever
to return to Mystery Island,
something terrible
would come to pass.
And evidently, he was right.
Any bad blood between
the guests and Murtaugh?
I do know that Mr.
Ellis, also known as Sarge,
fancies himself a
mystery novelist.
He's written several
books, all self-published,
and he flew to Montana
several months back
and demanded of Mr.
Murtaugh that he
be included in the writing
of the games of the island.
And Murtaugh wasn't
game to collaborate
on his murder stories.
Mm.
Have you read the story
he wrote for this weekend?
Only the first part...
The discovery of the body,
which was supposed to be me.
What's supposed to happen next?
Mr. Murtaugh's
instructions were
that I was not to read any
further until after one
of the guests had found me.
Where's the document?
The safe, in my office.
Should I wake Janie?
Not yet, no.
What kind of police consultant
are you, Dr. Priestly?
A psychiatrist.
My mom's a psychiatrist.
My father's a policeman.
What kind of
consulting do you do?
I specialize in talking
to murder suspects.
Wow.
Maybe I can put you to use.
Only if you clear
me as a suspect.
Those are the profiles
the guests provided us.
And now the story document.
[DOOR OPENING]
No, it's not possible.
What?
The document, it's gone.
I'm the only one with the
combination to the safe.
- Not Murtaugh.
- Yes, of course.
What about Lucia?
Well, I certainly
didn't give it to her.
Someone didn't just
steal the document.
No.
This is our only
connection to the internet.
I need to see your
security camera footage.
- There is none.
- What?
People who pay $10,000 a day
for this resort expect privacy.
How are we doing?
Not good.
Someone stole the
story document,
and the router's been destroyed.
Our killer is very detailed.
We transferred the
body to the boat.
I'll be back in the
morning with forensics.
Guest profiles.
I don't have internet,
so get these to Goaz.
Tell them to run everyone down...
Social media, public bios.
Check to see if there's
any lies in there.
I need to commandeer
your office.
And then Em put the book back
on the shelf, which triggered
the secret door to open.
And we went up and found
Fredericks and John.
And where were you
and the other guests
between 9:00 and 10:00 PM?
We came in here,
straight from dinner.
At half past 8:00.
And we stayed in
here, playing games,
until Lucia told us that
Fredericks wasn't returning.
Which was about 10:00.
To be accurate,
though, Janie, not
everyone remained in this room.
And how do you know that?
Because I was the only one
who didn't leave the room.
Well, I only went to the loo.
Can't have been gone
more than five minutes.
Phoenix also went
to powder her nose,
but she was gone for
nearly half an hour.
Sarge went searching
for the body,
and he was gone for
easily 20 minutes.
Carlos and Riley left in
search of vintage brandy,
and they were gone
for quite a while.
Morgan went looking for them and
came back after they returned...
Brandyless.
Well, I hate cliches.
Otherwise, I might say something
about an apple and a tree.
Good thing you loathe
cliches, so you don't have to.
So, everyone had
a chance to sneak
upstairs and commit murder.
Well, I swear I wasn't more
than five minutes in the loo.
Gotcha.
Thanks, ladies.
I suggest you get
some rest, and please
don't talk to your fellow guests
until we meet for breakfast.
For someone who might
walk away from their work
consulting in murder,
you seemed quite
ready to assist in this one.
Just trying to be helpful.
Trying and succeeding.
Detective Trent should get
you to analyze the suspects.
I'll suggest it.
Janie.
What was that apple
and tree business?
Oh, he just meant the apple
doesn't fall far from the tree.
Well, yes, I got that.
- He was talking about my dad.
- Well, yes, I got that as well.
How did he know that
your dad was a copper?
We chatted while
you were sleeping.
He told me his mom's
a psychiatrist.
Well, I daresay
that I was correct.
About what?
About you two on the dock.
See, now, I don't hate cliches.
Like, for instance, the one
about first sight, love.
Oh, Janie.
Oh, and the other one about
men who like to marry women
who are like their mothers.
There's no data on that.
Tell that to Dr. Freud
and Detective Trent.
I'm going to get ready for bed.
[CHUCKLES]
It's horrific.
Devastating.
I'm in shock.
I'm not.
I knew it wouldn't
end well for John.
Fredericks, call the boat.
Carlos and I will be leaving
as soon as we're packed.
Mrs. Del Fuego,
Chief Espinoza and I
need to interview all of you.
MORGAN: You're not
suggesting we...
Are suspects?
Yes.
That's exactly what
he's suggesting.
That's ridiculous.
We're all friends of John
and investors in his vision...
Well, except for those two.
What are you
suggesting, Phoenix?
It's not complicated.
Look, detective, if
we're not under arrest,
then we're leaving.
If you go, there might not
be anything to come back to.
Excuse me?
Well, look how ready to run you
all are, and you're investors
with a stake in this place.
I can't imagine anyone
would want to spend 10
grand a night to stay somewhere
where they might be murdered,
and the original
investors can't be
bothered to care who'd done it.
Detective, I've solved a record
four cases here on
the island should
you require my assistance.
Thank you.
Sergeant, we're going to start
with fingerprints and DNA.
Chief Espinoza and I will talk
to each of you separately.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
When everyone's in their rooms,
why don't we do some
snooping for clues?
Because it's illegal.
More illegal than the murder,
which we're trying to solve?
I'm not trying
to solve anything.
That's the detective's job.
Fine.
I shall return.
No... Janie, you can't.
Come over here.
We have to go.
- Come on.
- I... look...
Did you ask
Fredericks for a copy
of the John Mariner message?
I did, and apparently,
Murtaugh wrote the only copy.
My notes, if you'd
like to make a copy.
Thank you, Sergeant.
I believe the key to solving
this is in that message.
I think that John said something
that forced the killer's hand.
We'll look into it.
Is it true that you offered your
services as a mystery writer,
and Murtaugh rejected them?
Yes, but I knew
he'd come around.
And sure enough, he
called me a few weeks ago
to make certain that I'd
be here for the weekend.
The journalist is nobody, but I
know that Janie's friend works
with psychopaths and murderers.
Maybe they rubbed off on her.
CARLOS: Oh, I don't
know, Phoenix.
Oh, come on!
Look at how fast
she found the body.
I'm going to tell the
detective that I heard
her saying at dinner
she's always wanted
to commit the perfect murder.
CARLOS: Did you?
PHOENIX: Maybe I did.
And listen, there's a
dart gun in my room.
We could plant it in hers.
Hang on.
You want to frame
her for murder?
If she's innocent, it'll
all come out of the trial.
CARLOS: Do you think
the detective will
just believe she said that?
Right, good point.
We need some kind of evidence.
You all right?
Fine, yeah.
I, um...
I'm gonna get some fresh air,
if anyone comes looking for me.
Right.
Mr. Del Fuego?
John and I have been
friends since we were 18.
Naturally, we've had
our ups and downs.
But I'm invested
in Mystery Island,
and that means being
invested in John Murtaugh.
Hello, Jane.
[GASPS]
You think I'm the killer, and
there's evidence in my room.
I was planning on
checking all the rooms.
Launching your own
investigation, I admire that.
Well, search.
I'll wait.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
You should know that
Janie's shrink friend said
at dinner last night
that she'd love
to commit the perfect murder.
So you think she's the
killer, not someone who actually
knew Murtaugh, like yourself.
Oh, but she knew John.
This fell out of her purse
last night, in the game room.
That is John's handwriting.
We'll confirm that.
It's clear that
she was jilted by him
and contrived to come
here to take revenge.
Thank you, Ms. Green.
I'd like to know more about
your relationship with Murtaugh.
Oh, I haven't seen
John in forever.
And we really had
no relationship.
I can't say the same about
him and Morgan, however.
Morgan Del Fuego?
That's right.
She and John were
having an affair.
It all came out last year
at John's Christmas party
in Montana.
I couldn't find
anything incriminating.
It's because there's
nothing to find.
Or because you knew
you'd be searched,
and you hid the evidence
elsewhere, which is why
you could freely let me search.
Either way, I think we
should work together on this.
Even though you don't trust me.
Precisely because I don't.
Keep your suspect close.
Jane, you're finally starting
to think like a detective.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I'm convinced that John
Mariner's message is the key.
Why don't we compare the notes
we both took on the recording?
Do you realize that if we solve
the murder of one
of the most famous
mystery figures on the planet...
We'd be heroes.
Yeah.
No, come on, Riley.
Listen to me.
OK?
[GASP]
We were not having an affair.
But I don't expect
you will believe me
any more than my husband did.
When's the last
time you saw Murtaugh?
At his Christmas
party in Montana,
when he drunkenly told me
he was in love with me.
Who told you?
Carlos?
No, it was Phoenix, wasn't it?
We used to be best friends
when she and John were dating.
When was that?
He ended it six months ago,
a few weeks before Christmas.
She wasn't happy.
Detective.
A word?
Have a seat, Mr. Peel.
I'll be right there.
What is it, doctor?
Emilia, please.
In the game room, Mr. Peel
found a message in his pocket
and went outside.
I followed him, and
he met up with Lucia
for a heated conversation.
About what?
I wasn't able to get
close enough to hear,
but I also wanted to ask
if Phoenix Green told
you that I allegedly
said I wanted
to commit the perfect murder.
[LAUGHS]
What would make
you think she did?
I overheard her saying she
was going to tell you that.
It's a lie.
Did you have a relationship
with John Murtaugh?
I never met the man in my life!
So this didn't fall out
of your purse last night?
[SCOFFS] No, it
certainly did not.
Well, we're going to test
it for your prints and DNA.
Good.
You won't find them.
I'm being set up.
Phoenix Green give
you that as well?
Excuse me, Emilia.
Of course.
Forensics found a match for
a fingerprint on the dart gun.
It belongs to Phoenix Green.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Oh.
Ah!
I know you don't want to get
involved in the investigation.
I've changed my mind.
Oh.
Why?
Wait.
What were you going to say?
Sarge and I are
joining forces because we
both have a vested
financial interest
in catching the killer.
Unless he is the killer.
Well, yes, of course,
but if we work together,
it'll be much easier
to see if he's meddling
with the investigation.
Good point, yeah.
Well, I thought so.
Yeah.
Now, what changed your mind?
One of your fellow investors is
trying to frame me for murder.
What?
Shh!
Who?
Phoenix Green.
She's given Detective
Trent this breakup note,
supposedly from Murtaugh to me.
But you don't even know John!
[GASPS] Do you?
No!
Of course I don't!
But if this story
gets back to London,
do you realize what it
will do to my reputation
with Scotland Yard?
But I thought you didn't
want that work anyway.
[SIGHS] Me not wanting
it isn't the same
thing as it being
taken from me due
to a desperate smear campaign.
Well, I will talk to
Phoenix straight away.
The police are
already on their way
to do that because
they found her prints
on the murder weapon.
What?
What are we waiting for?
Come on!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
PHOENIX: Yes, I can explain it
because I touched the gun when
it was hanging right there.
You can see the
hook where it was.
Why didn't you
mention it was missing?
I didn't know John died by
poison dart until an hour ago.
And I didn't notice it
was missing till now.
Are you saying you touched
it yesterday, but didn't
notice it was gone today?
I touched half of these things.
They're fun to handle.
Ms. Green, did
Murtaugh actually
write this letter to you?
Did it say, "Dear, Phoenix,"
on the part that's torn off?
[SCOFFS] Don't be absurd.
I told you, it fell out of that
psychopathic psychiatrist's
purse last night.
[SCOFFS]
Ms. Green, we know
you're lying about not
seeing Murtaugh for years.
We know you were dating him.
Morgan blabbed, huh?
I didn't lie, detective.
I said I hadn't
seen him in forever,
which translates to
a few weeks when you
live a life as busy as mine.
And it's true.
We have no
relationship, but it's
good to know that
my so-called friend
is trying to get me arrested.
Morgan is a sociopath.
Did she happen to
mention that at all?
This whole room
needs to be processed.
I think I'd like to
talk to Mrs. Del Fuego.
He's going to talk to Morgan.
OK, let's go.
Duh!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MORGAN: She told you
I was a sociopath?
Why didn't you call one
of the shrinks she's fired
and ask them what she is?
So you're suggesting she's...
She's a narcissistic sociopath
with borderline personality
disorder.
Did you ever see her
and Murtaugh together?
He hated New York.
She usually flew to Montana.
Said the day they broke up,
he showed up at her apartment
when I was there.
I said I'd leave,
but he said it wasn't
necessary, that it wouldn't take
long, and told her it was over.
[TENSE MUSIC]
He flew to New York
just to break up with her.
Did she take it?
MORGAN: She said
if I see you again,
I won't be responsible
for what I do.
Morgan!
Get over here!
Morgan!
Whoa, whoa, calm down!
Let go of me!
What did you tell him?
The truth.
Ms. Green, did you say to John
Murtaugh, if I see you again,
I won't be responsible
for what I do?
I only meant that I would
beg him to get back together.
But he'd already
moved on to her.
[SCOFFS]
Lock her in one of
the storage rooms.
You know Murtaugh didn't
send me that note, right?
Like I said, I
got to check it out.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Carlos!
Go back inside!
I'm doing this for
the both of us!
Police!
Stop what you're doing!
Step away from the papers!
Hey!
Oh!
Oh, come on, Emilia!
Ah!
Ugh!
EMILIA: Help!
Please help!
That sounded like Em.
Help!
Help!
Help!
Help!
Please!
Help!
Emilia, what's going on?
This woman stole my property!
Property he went deep
into the jungle to burn!
What are they?
Well, they appear to
be love letters from John
Murtaugh to Morgan Del Fuego.
Dr. Priestly found Mr. Del
Fuego trying to burn these.
That's a bit incriminating.
Yeah.
I think I'd like to
talk to Mrs. Del Fuego.
Do you mind?
Come on, sir.
We can chat inside.
On the letter front,
your prints and DNA
were not on a scrap of
the one Phoenix gave me.
Ah, but I bet hers were, right?
I'd like to officially offer
my services to help you
correctly identify the killer.
What, you're not convinced
the killer is the woman
who tried to frame you?
I think she wanted
to get off the island,
but I'm not convinced it was
to avoid a murder conviction.
Sergeant, I would
like to help as well.
Or we could just listen
in, as we did when you were
talking to Phoenix and Morgan.
MORGAN: I told you I wasn't
having an affair with John,
but that didn't stop
him from sending
me hand-written love letters,
which I never responded to.
But you brought the love
letters to the island.
No, those are copies of the ones
he sent me, which
Carlos found in here.
It is Carlos' favorite novel.
He noticed it on the shelf after
you all had left with Phoenix.
He picked it up
and found a letter.
He had a fit.
Searched all the books.
I heard you two arguing.
Yes.
I suggested we bring this
to you, Detective Trent.
Carlos said they had nothing
to do with the murder.
It was just John
playing mind games.
Would John have known this was
your husband's favorite novel?
Absolutely.
Hang on.
Secrets hidden in books
and secret passageways
triggered by books.
This isn't just a mind game.
This is part of the murder game.
Detective, there must be
some other clue hiding in
some other book on this island.
That thought had occurred to me.
Oh.
Oh, this is light.
Hello.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[RUSTLING]
[BIRDS CALLING]
Oh, it's you.
JOHN MARINER (ON RECORDING):
Good evening, all, and welcome.
My name is John Mariner.
I won't be joining
you all tonight.
I'm otherwise engaged with my
old friend, Sheridan Le Fanu.
Uh, he's the author of the
first locked room mystery.
Ladies and gentlemen,
dinner will be served at 6:00.
Detective, I have places
for you and Chief Espinoza.
And I have a tuxedo for you.
Seriously?
Yeah, I'm in the middle
of a murder investigation.
The victim himself would
insist on a formal dinner, sir.
Yeah, he's right.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Ladies.
Where's Morgan?
Not feeling too well.
Can I get you another refill?
Good idea.
I'm all right.
Oh!
You clean up well.
Thank you.
So do you.
Isn't dinner that way?
Yes, but Carlos told me
Morgan wasn't feeling well,
so I was going to
go check on her.
I'll join you.
[KNOCKING]
Carlos said you're ill.
Uh, I'm just...
It's just a summer cold.
It often happens a day or
two after a long flight.
I'll be fine.
Heading to bed.
You lost a nail.
Did I?
It must have been when I
was reshelving the books.
All right then.
Good night.
She didn't sound
like she had a cold.
No, and the hand
through the hair?
Suspects tend to do that a lot.
Nice work spotting
the missing nail.
I just got off
the phone with Goaz.
Riley Peel doesn't work
for onthebrinkofbeyond.com.
He's never done
any travel writing.
But that's not all.
Lucia didn't turn up for dinner.
No one has seen her
since this afternoon.
I'm going to start
a search for Lucia.
I'll talk to Riley.
Are you headed to dinner?
Uh, I suppose so.
You'd rather come with me to
talk to Riley, wouldn't you?
Guilty.
What kind of consulting did
you do for the London police?
I talked to people
they've arrested
to assess their
psychological character
and determine whether or
not they are likely to have
committed murder.
It's rough work,
but you must enjoy it.
I did.
I'm not sure I still do.
Janie offered me this weekend
away to consider my future.
Did something happen?
I was threatened by
a killer in custody.
Emilia.
It's happened once before.
I was stalked and my
family threatened,
but the truth is, I was already
feeling worn down by the work,
and I just feel like I need
to reconsider everything.
Well, you seem quite good at it.
It'd be a shame if
you walked away.
Then I suppose I'm coming
with you to talk to Riley.
[KNOCKING]
Not coming for
dinner, Mr. Peel?
Um, just running behind.
Would you mind if Dr.
Priestly and I have a word?
Not at all.
Does every room have
a different decor?
Yeah, they're all
inspired by the settings
on the different
Emily Murtaugh novels.
They're completely
renovated twice a year.
Ah, that can't be cheap.
Is that something you'll
include in your article
for On the Brink of Beyond?
Yes.
Except you don't work for On
the Brink of Beyond, Mr. Peel.
You lied to police
officers in the course
of a homicide investigation.
Hang on.
I did pitch this story for
On the Brink of Beyond.
They said if I could
get onto the island
and if I could get
some good stuff,
they'd probably
publish my story.
Who got you here?
It was Lucia, wasn't it?
[LAUGHS]
You notice that, detective?
TRENT: Hand through the hair.
Indicates deception.
I saw you meeting with
Lucia in the jungle.
You looked quite upset.
Well, of course, I was upset.
The subject for my story
had just been murdered.
Oh, the story is about
Murtaugh, not the island?
My story is no puff piece.
It's an expos to how this place
isn't what it appears to be,
this whole indulgent
enclave for the super rich,
but it is, in fact, an
overextended failure.
What do you mean?
Murtaugh's supposedly
this creative genius,
and maybe he is, but
he's a financial idiot
that's made this place
cost 10 times as much
to run as it earns.
He's taking on debt like
a third world country.
And if he continues
this way, he'll be
forced to declare bankruptcy.
So his investors...
Lose their investments?
Yeah.
TRENT: Do you believe him?
About the article?
Yeah.
But he's not telling
us everything.
I got that, too.
And I stand by my
apple and tree comment.
My dad would be
happy to hear that.
I'm happy to tell him.
Dad passed away last year.
I'm so sorry, Emilia.
Thank you.
He was at work.
He'd just made an arrest.
And he had a...
A massive coronary at his desk.
He loved his work, so it's...
I just mean, I think he would
be quite happy to know that was
how he left this world.
I just wish...
Yeah.
[LAUGH] I thought I was
finished with the tears part.
I don't mind.
No, I can see that.
Thank you, Detective.
Jason.
Jason.
And your parents?
Alive and well,
living in Boston.
So I got to ask, how did
you end up down this way?
Well, my mentor in Boston,
Detective Ruiz, he grew up
here... on the mainland, I mean.
Eight years ago, he retired,
came home, and was murdered.
And you took the
job on the mainland.
To find his killer, yeah.
Still looking.
Do you really want to
go to this fancy party?
I'm going to imagine you
don't miss the Boston winters.
The weather down
here is pretty great,
but I couldn't convince
my ex-wife of that.
Oh, I'm sorry.
No, it's cool.
High school sweethearts who
probably shouldn't try to make
it last past graduation.
And you?
I notice there's
no wedding band.
Was there ever one?
There wasn't.
There was an engagement ring.
Mysterious.
Tell me more.
He would have told you I
loved the work more than him.
Would you disagree?
No.
I mean, not then.
Back then, I really did love it.
It's funny.
My engagement ended
on an island, Crete.
I clearly didn't
want to be there.
And as we were having
another argument,
I realized it wasn't just
the place I didn't want.
It was him.
I haven't been on
a vacation since.
Six years.
It's been six years
since I was on this island.
And that wasn't a vacation.
Someone was assaulted.
Murtaugh assaulted Fredericks.
What?
It's how Fredericks
got the eye patch.
[GASP]
Murtaugh was a champion
fencer at Oxford.
And I guess he didn't
like that his butler
beat him three days in a row.
I went to the hospital
after Frederick's surgery
to see if he'd press charges.
Let me guess, Murtaugh
gave him a big fat raise,
and Fredericks
decided to let it go.
Yeah.
I pushed him, but my boss,
the chief before Gloria,
reminded me that Murtaugh
gives a lot of money
to the Police
Benevolent Association.
Wow.
I can see why you're
not a fan of this place.
I just don't like people turning
murder into a puzzle game.
So then I suppose you're
not a fan of the Evelyn
Murtaugh books either.
Never read one.
My dad was the same.
Mystery writers, try as they
might, they never get it right.
He's right.
Yeah.
I think he would have
liked you very much.
I think I'd have
felt the same way.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
Jason, is that...
That's Lucia.
Is it possible
it was an accident?
She was an excellent swimmer.
And she was hit on the head.
Jason said the
coroner is on the way,
and he'll be able to
determine whether that
happened pre or post-mortem.
It doesn't make sense.
First murder was well-planned.
This one is sloppy.
What?
What is it?
What happened?
Lucia has been killed.
What?
[FOREBODING MUSIC]
What?
Oh.
Fredericks, wait.
No, no, wait, wait, no.
[CRYING]
FREDERICKS: There, there.
Jason, you smell that?
Chloroform.
Did she knock out
Fredericks and kill Murtaugh?
Jason.
We met a few years ago.
Her brother, Miguel,
and I, we went
to the same writing program.
She came to visit,
and we connected.
I'm sorry.
It's all right.
You've been together since then.
We wanted to get married.
But my student
loans, how could I
ask her to leave this and come
live with me in a shoe box?
So I had to get my
career breakthrough.
And you thought the
expos on Mystery Island
would have been that.
Yeah.
So Lucia was your source for
all the dirt about this place?
And did she change her
mind about the expos
after Murtaugh was killed?
Is that why you
two were arguing?
Not exactly.
Meaning?
She... well, she found
a way to make money,
more money, real money,
a lot more than what
the expos would have paid.
What way?
Blackmail.
She said she had something
on one of the guests.
Who?
I don't know.
I told her I didn't
want to know.
A man had already been killed,
and I just wanted us to...
[CRYING]
[KNOCKING]
I'm pegging time of
death between 4:00 and 5:00
this afternoon.
You saw the blunt force
trauma on her head.
Cause of death?
I'll know once I've gotten
the body back to the lab.
Riley asked to be left alone.
Here, Murtaugh autopsy results.
It was cyanide.
It would have killed
him up to 30 minutes
after a dart hit him.
Then why just sit there?
Why not try to get
downstairs for help?
Maybe the murderer made
sure he couldn't go anywhere.
Emilia said no one left the game
room for more than 30 minutes.
Well, I said up to 30 minutes.
Maybe it was faster
for Murtaugh.
He had a tumor in his stomach
the size of a grapefruit,
and I found cancer
cells in his bones.
No traces of chemo or radiation.
So I called his
doctor in Montana.
Apparently, Murtaugh
is a doctorphobe.
He hadn't seen the
guy in over a year.
Wouldn't he be in a lot of pain?
Oh, sure.
And he was on a
very healthy diet of
over-the-counter painkillers.
I've seen this before.
The guy thinks he's got
an ulcer or something,
doesn't go to the doctor.
Two months later, he's dead.
Anyway, the forensic
guys are waiting
with the body on the boat.
I'll walk you out.
Lucia was killed while we
were searching the library.
Well, that means Janie
and Sarge are in the clear,
and Phoenix, of course.
For this killing anyway.
We need to check alibis.
I was alone in my room.
You don't think I?
I have to ask.
FREDERICKS: Between
4:00 and 5:00,
I was overseeing dinner
preparations with the staff.
When did you notice
Lucia was missing?
Lucia... pardon me.
Lucia said she had a
headache around 3:00
and wanted to lay down.
In the staff dormitory.
I assume so, yes.
But you didn't see her go there.
CARLOS: After my interrogation
with Chief Espinoza,
I returned to my room.
Morgan wasn't feeling
well, so we had a nap.
How well do you know Lucia?
I see her a few times a
year, whenever I came back.
And your wife?
Is sick in bed, where
she's been all afternoon.
I told you.
Are we done?
I'd like to go and check on her.
Sure.
Two dead now.
And one of these
people is the killer.
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one.
The mouse ran down.
Excuse me, Baroness.
What is it, Fredericks?
Would either of you
care for a cup of tea?
Oh.
Yes, please.
No, thank you.
Fredericks, did Lucia
have access to the record
before John played it
to us on Friday night?
She's the one who tested it
on the player when it arrived.
Lucia had the record for
days, and what if she managed
to decode the message
and then confronted
the killer on the beach?
I mean, has Detective
Trent thought of this?
Not that he mentioned.
Well, when we
crack it, I promise
we'll go straight
to him, as Holmes
and Watson would with Lestrade.
Lorenzo says he was
flown from Mystery Island
to about two miles west in
the middle of the ocean.
Ray, can you ask
Officer Martinez
to take his diving
gear out to that spot
and see if he finds anything?
You bet.
Now to Lucia, she has
some subdermal scratches
on her face, so there may
be someone in that island
with Lucia's DNA
under her fingernails.
She was fighting
before the fatal blow.
Right.
And there were some
chips of some sort
of volcanic rock or
sediment in her head wound,
though the blow wasn't fatal.
So she did die from drowning.
Yes, but it's fresh water.
What if her body
came down the river
here and out to the ocean?
It's likely.
If Frederick saw her at
3:00, and she was killed just
after 4:00, then where on
that river takes about an hour
or so to walk to from here?
Got something!
Several pieces of glass.
And it smells like chloroform.
There's a lot of
volcanic rock and sediment.
Is that blood?
It sure looks like it.
We need to get samples of that.
On it.
Jason.
Chief.
Are you going to deny
this nail is yours?
The chief is going to
scrape your other nails,
and we're going to find
Lucy's DNA on them, aren't we?
Do you mind rolling
up your sleeves?
Lucia found the bottle of
chloroform here in your room,
didn't she?
Yes, but it wasn't
mine, which I told her.
She brought the
bottle back to her room
as she decided what to do.
Option one would be
to tell us, the police.
Option two would
be to blackmail you,
which is what she proposed
when she met you at the river,
wasn't it?
I told her I didn't believe
that the chloroform was
in my room.
She said maybe my
husband brought it.
But either way, she
was going to be paid.
I told her she was a fool.
She got aggressive, shoving
the bottle into my face.
So I found this in your room.
I swatted it away.
[SHATTERING]
It smashed.
Then she lost it.
She grabbed me,
scratched my arm.
Ow!
We struggled.
[GASPS]
She slipped and fell,
hit her head on a rock
and fell into the river.
If it was an accident,
why not come forward?
I didn't think anyone
would believe me.
You told Carlos, and he agreed
to cover for you, didn't he?
TRENT: And your wife?
Is sick in bed, where
she's been all afternoon.
He said it was an accident.
And we have enough bad press
for the island already.
He could lose millions.
I thought he was
just a 5% shareholder.
No, not anymore.
We know Murtaugh
was overextended.
Mystery Island was going to
have to declare bankruptcy,
but you bailed him
out, even though he
was trying to seduce your wife.
You wouldn't understand.
Explain it to me then.
I love Mystery Island.
I think it's a brilliant idea
that its brilliant creator
didn't know how to manage
from a financial standpoint.
I did bail John out secretly.
I set up an angel
investment group
to buy the controlling
shares to try to save
the island from its creator.
So Murtaugh had no idea
you were the island's savior.
Not at first, but
he's very clever.
He found out, confronted
me at his Christmas party.
I've never seen him so angry.
He told me I was a Philistine
who only cared about money,
that I would ruin
everything that is
special about Mystery Island.
How would you do that?
Volume.
We do 10 weekends a year now.
We increase that to 52.
We become profitable.
That's a lot of original
mysteries to write.
Obviously, we'd
do some recycling.
All this made John furious.
He said he wouldn't let
me destroy the island.
He'd destroy me.
And that's when he
started to pursue Morgan.
Did you find out Murtaugh would
be here for the anniversary,
then plan to come here
and kill him?
No!
John and I, I've told you,
we've been friends since Oxford.
I was used to him losing his
mind, doing stupid things.
And I knew to just wait
until he came to his senses.
Mr. Del Fuego, I'd
like for you to come
with us back to your room.
I found traces of
chloroform in here.
Yeah, different lengths.
I noticed that.
It's a built-in storage box.
I've never seen that before.
Mr. Del Fuego, you
need to come with us.
That isn't mine.
I'm being set up.
Sir, there are two people dead.
I can put you in handcuffs,
like I did with Ms. Green,
if you like.
[PHONE RINGING]
Detective Trent.
Goaz, what do you got?
That's terrific.
Thank you, Martinez.
Officer Martinez found
the drone in the water?
The coordinates of the
remote said it would be.
It certainly seems
like Carlos is your man.
Yeah.
So why don't I feel
right about it?
Maybe because Carlos
doesn't feel small?
You're not talking
about his height, are you?
The killer in custody,
he'd killed his wife
because she was successful
and he wasn't, and she
made him feel small.
Yeah, Carlos...
Is an incredibly
wealthy self-made man.
By contrast, Murtaugh
inherited his money,
and he squandered it.
What about Morgan,
Murtaugh, the letters?
Yeah, what about the letters?
If Murtaugh was pursuing
Morgan, why write her letters?
Actual mailed letters?
He was a recluse.
But then he flies
himself to New York
to break up with Phoenix?
Yeah, that is strange.
What if he went to New
York for a different reason?
We need to rearrange this.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
He said yes.
So he did it.
Em!
Well, who done it?
Well, we were hoping to assemble
everyone in the main
room and reveal it there.
Seriously?
It's on brand, detective.
You know what?
Why not?
Wonderful.
JAY: The key to this
case is right here.
The John Mariner message...
We found a second record
hidden in these books.
This message reveals that
John expected to be killed.
Not killed effectively,
killed in reality.
JANE: John foresaw
his own death,
like the genius that he was.
JAY: 180 IQ.
JOHN MARINER (ON RECORDING):
Good evening, all, and welcome.
My name is John Mariner.
I won't be joining
you all tonight.
I'm otherwise engaged with my...
Em figured out the
beginning of the clue,
that John Mariner
translates to John
Murtaugh, which led us to the
secret room and to John's body.
But this name code wasn't
only about the secret room.
It is the key to the entirety
of a longer coded message.
JANE: But beginning
with the hidden name,
Em, what language is Murtaugh?
Gaelic, from Scotland.
JOHN MARINER (ON RECORDING):
Hickory dickory dock.
The mouse ran up the clock.
Hickory dickory dock.
Why that rhyme?
He wanted us to pay
attention to time?
Misdirection.
Remember the key to the code.
A name contained in a book.
[CLEARS THROAT]
"Hickory Dickory Dock"
was a popular rhyme
in Scotland, but not
exclusively for children.
Scottish shepherds used the
rhyme as a counting scheme
to keep track of their flock,
except they began the rhyme
using the Gaelic words, "Hevera,
Devera, Dick," or 8, 9, and 10.
Now, Mariner said
that he was counting
on us to solve his riddle.
The name code has led us to the
number key, eight, nine, 10.
- Sorry I'm late.
- Oh, that's fine.
I'm sure that
Detective Trent will
catch you up to speed, Chief.
Sorry, I'm confused.
What does eight, nine, 10
have to do with anything?
Well, let us enlighten you.
So this is the entirety
of John's message
after the nursery rhyme.
Now, when I first
heard it, I thought
it was just doggerel
that John was
just trying to sound poetic.
It verges on nonsense, but that
is a clue, of course, that
it contains a hidden message.
You just need to know the code.
Hickory dickory dock.
Hevera, Devera, Dick.
8, 9, 10.
Now, if you count out every
eighth, ninth, and 10th word,
it reveals a hidden message.
My killer is among
us a free man fire.
What does that mean?
Well, fire is your
surname, Morgan, Fuego.
Do you think I...
Sorry, no, we
haven't finished yet.
So, this has brought us full
circle back to the name book.
Free man is...
What my name means.
Charles, Carlos, free man.
That's right.
John knew Carlos
was going to kill him
as revenge for John's
affair with Morgan
for the last six months.
So you are the
reason John left me.
We were not having an affair.
Well, whether you were
or you weren't, Carlos
believed that you were.
Lucia found the chloroform
bottle in your room,
and the police found the
poison and the darts.
Hang on.
So you're saying Murtaugh knew
Carlos was going to kill him.
He was a genius.
Right, 180 IQ, I remember.
So this genius came
to Mystery Island,
where he knew Carlos would be.
And that I'd be
to solve the crime.
And me.
Yes, Janie has been
surprisingly helpful.
You're right that Murtaugh
needed you here because you
are part of the story.
Story.
Carlos, what's your IQ?
I have no idea.
But you're clever enough to
know not to hide incriminating
evidence in your own room.
Are you suggesting that
Carlos isn't the killer?
We are, yes.
Now, there is no question
that what you have laid out
is very on brand
for Mystery Island.
You've got an elaborate
game, a secret hiding
spot for a murder
weapon, and the very
human motive of revenge.
But the real solution
to this crime
features the same elements...
Elaborate game, hiding spot
for a murder weapon, revenge.
I'm sorry.
Real solution?
The job of an actual detective,
not people playing games,
is to look for the seemingly
dull, simple details,
like why is there
a drone remote control 3
feet away from a dead man
with no drone to go with it?
We found this
offshore, intentionally
crashed in the water.
Even genius killers
make simple mistakes.
This killer should
have found out a way
to destroy the remote control
because it has been the undoing
of the entire mystery.
But... sorry, what
are you talking about?
That Carlos did
something with the drone?
No, not Carlos.
He's not the killer.
So who is?
Well, let's go back.
Who knew about
the secret passage?
No one else other than
myself and Mr. Murtaugh.
The story that Murtaugh wrote,
starting with the secret room,
was stolen from the safe
in Frederick's office.
I'm the only one with the
combination to the safe.
Not Murtaugh.
Well, yes, of course.
So Fredericks did it.
The butler did it, just
like the first weekend.
And you said the
motive was revenge...
For his eye.
The killer did want
revenge for having something
taken from him, not an eye.
An island.
Murtaugh's supposedly
this creative genius,
and maybe he is.
But he's a financial idiot.
I set up an angel
group of investors
to buy the controlling
shares and try to save
the island from its creator.
But he found out
what Carlos had done.
He said he wouldn't let
me destroy the island.
He'd destroy me.
Murtaugh thought of
himself as a creative genius.
He feared Carlos's
focus on the bottom line
would turn his precious creation
into a generic tourist trap.
Carlos had control and money.
He made Murtaugh feel so small.
The only way for Murtaugh
to take back control
was to make Carlos a criminal,
to frame him for murder.
TRENT: Murtaugh knew the
combination to the safe.
He built the desk
in Carlos's room.
EMILIA: He built
the secret room.
TRENT: He waited
for Fredericks to go
up there, sticking to the
script, and chloroformed him.
But he couldn't shoot himself
at close range with a dart.
It wouldn't work for the story.
The drone.
[BUZZING]
TRENT: He shot himself, released
the gun over the railing,
and flew the drone out
to sea and crashed it.
That's a locked
room mystery twist
worthy of Sheridan Le Fanu.
He was meticulous
in his planning,
but life doesn't
work like a game.
He didn't predict that
Lucia will go digging
for evidence in
the rooms and find
the chloroform before we did.
Or that she would try
to blackmail Morgan.
No, I warned her.
I didn't kill her, I swear.
She attacked me when
I said I wouldn't pay.
Lucia fell.
Her death was an accident.
GLORIA: Murtaugh
also couldn't have
expected Detective
Goaz to break his ankle
and that Jason will be here.
Or that Emilia would
be here and be as helpful
as she's been, including calling
her friend at the number one
oncology center in New York.
What now?
The autopsy revealed
Murtaugh had terminal cancer.
What if the doctorphobe
finally realized it might not
be an ulcer, and he flew
to the top cancer hospital
in the world?
Tony, it's Emilia Priestly.
I have a deceased
patient, and I'm
wondering if he might have come
to you guys for a diagnosis.
That's why Murtaugh
was in New York,
not to break up
with you, Phoenix.
So, John Murtaugh
found out he was dying,
and he used what time he had
left to concoct a scenario
to get revenge on the
man that he believed
would destroy his dream.
Well done, you two.
[LAUGHS]
If you ever come to the UK,
you have a room in my castle.
Thank you.
Ciao.
She own a castle?
More than one.
I wanted to thank you.
You're thanking me?
The proper response
is, you're welcome.
What are you thanking me for?
Well, for reminding
me that what I do,
as hard as it can
be, matters, and I'm
not walking away from it.
Well, you're welcome.
And thank you.
I couldn't have done
this without you.
Listen, I owe you two a lot.
And I want to say
that for a genius,
John could be pretty stupid.
I'm not going to
change Mystery Island,
just make it profitable.
And I'm not going to be CEO.
Fredericks is.
Congratulations.
Thank you, ma'am.
But I'll need someone
to craft the mysteries.
I'm sure Sarge is ready to go.
And Janie.
I was actually thinking
of the two of you.
I appreciate that,
but I have a job.
As do I.
You'd be consultants.
You could do it
over the weekends.
And the pay...
Oh, my goodness.
We'd split this.
No, that's for each of you.
Think about it.
It's quite flattering.
And I guess you'd have to
come down here every so often.
So that we could meet.
About work.
Right.
[MUSIC PLAYING]