A young dead man is found is a lake swan boat. In his pocket is a card with the "Let's get acquainted for fun and results" written on it. It's a flirtation card usually handed out to a woman you want to meet or by a woman to a man. But it appears the man was poisoned. He is identified as Cameron Fellows, and his wife is out looking for him as he hadn't returned home from a work meeting with Robert Roth.
Roth claims he was just covering for his friend. To help Murdoch identify the rouge found on the young man, Julia takes him to a discreet store that sells cosmetics (still thought wicked) and the owner, Oscar Ducharme, recognizes it one worn by Crabtree's girlfriend Nina Bloom.
A second victim is found, Robert Roth. And like his friend he has been poisoned and has a small nick on his upper lip. All we know of the woman involved is that she is blond and has a fine figure. The method of poisoning appears to be in the lip rouge the woman was wearing; but how did she insure her own safety.
And poor George, who has made great headway with Nina, now is uncomfortable as she is Murdoch's chief suspect. A situation made worse when a third body show ups. A businessman named Mr. Neilson who according to his secretary, Miss Petrie, was a tyrant who so belittled his previous secretary by reducing her to tears, Doris Strong, that she quit. Next school children discover the body of their teacher, Morris Sneider, on the school lawn. A man who was popular and set to retire at end of the term.
An old school picture shows the class of 1894 with a young Sneider as the teacher but also in the picture as pupils are Roth, Fellows, and the future Mrs. Fellows. But as Mrs. Fellows goes over students in the picture, she recalls a girl who the boys and the teacher made fun of, "Donkey" Doris.
Crabtree has his own theory because swans are at the sight of every murder, he is reminded of the old fairy tale The Ugly Duckling. But Murdoch has been dismissive about George and his swan theory, until now.
A rather sad episode overall.
As a subplot Constable Henry Higgins has been making life miserable for colleagues and so they slip him a flirtation card and offer suggestions as to who might have given it to him. But the prank doesn't go as expected. That is until George gives Higgins a boost.
Roth claims he was just covering for his friend. To help Murdoch identify the rouge found on the young man, Julia takes him to a discreet store that sells cosmetics (still thought wicked) and the owner, Oscar Ducharme, recognizes it one worn by Crabtree's girlfriend Nina Bloom.
A second victim is found, Robert Roth. And like his friend he has been poisoned and has a small nick on his upper lip. All we know of the woman involved is that she is blond and has a fine figure. The method of poisoning appears to be in the lip rouge the woman was wearing; but how did she insure her own safety.
And poor George, who has made great headway with Nina, now is uncomfortable as she is Murdoch's chief suspect. A situation made worse when a third body show ups. A businessman named Mr. Neilson who according to his secretary, Miss Petrie, was a tyrant who so belittled his previous secretary by reducing her to tears, Doris Strong, that she quit. Next school children discover the body of their teacher, Morris Sneider, on the school lawn. A man who was popular and set to retire at end of the term.
An old school picture shows the class of 1894 with a young Sneider as the teacher but also in the picture as pupils are Roth, Fellows, and the future Mrs. Fellows. But as Mrs. Fellows goes over students in the picture, she recalls a girl who the boys and the teacher made fun of, "Donkey" Doris.
Crabtree has his own theory because swans are at the sight of every murder, he is reminded of the old fairy tale The Ugly Duckling. But Murdoch has been dismissive about George and his swan theory, until now.
A rather sad episode overall.
As a subplot Constable Henry Higgins has been making life miserable for colleagues and so they slip him a flirtation card and offer suggestions as to who might have given it to him. But the prank doesn't go as expected. That is until George gives Higgins a boost.
