1895 Story. Murdoch Mysteries.

Chapter 8: Power 1

EVELYN

It was a crisp morning as David and I strolled toward Station House No. 4, a building that was now as familiar to us as any from our own time. We had somehow become "consultants" for Detective William Murdoch. Not exactly the future we'd planned, but there was something undeniably thrilling about stepping into real cases with a detective who was practically a legend.

We were almost at the station when Murdoch appeared, striding purposefully out the door with a look that meant only one thing: he had a lead.

"Ah, Evelyn, David," he greeted us. "There's been... an incident, and I'd like you to come along."

Before I could ask, he gestured to a set of bicycles propped against the station wall. "We'll need to ride these," he said, as if that were perfectly normal.

I glanced at David, watching his face go from confusion to realization with pure horror in his eyes. I couldn't help but grin. "So, David... do you actually know how to ride a bike?"

"Of course I do!" he shot back, though I could see the doubt flicker across his face. He gave a very unconvincing shrug. "I mean, it's just like... riding a bike."

Suppressing my laughter, I hopped onto mine, ready to follow Murdoch. After a few wobbles, David finally managed to join us, and we pedaled through Toronto's busy streets, narrowly dodging carriages and bewildered pedestrians. As we got closer, the hum of the crowd became louder, filling the air with tension.

We arrived at the scene to find a sea of faces and a general sense of unease. People craned their necks to get a view of the platform, where city officials were frantically muttering to each other. Among the crowd, protesters held up signs decrying the use of animals in experiments, chanting about the cruelty of using a live dog for a demonstration.

But it was what lay on the stage that grabbed my attention: the limp body of a young woman, dressed in a bright sash that read Miss Toronto Electric and Light. It took me a moment to process the horror of it—her vacant eyes staring into the sky, her skin still somehow faintly glowing, as though she'd absorbed the electricity. I could feel the bile rising in my throat.

Beside me, David had gone white. He stared at the girl with wide eyes, his mouth half-open in disbelief. I nudged him gently. "David," I whispered, "maybe don't look so hard."

He nodded, but his gaze stayed fixed. It was the first time either of us had seen a body like this. Murdoch, however, was already examining the setup around her with a clinical eye, as if he'd done this a hundred times before. His calm was almost contagious, though I still had to fight the urge to look away.

A constable mentioned that the body would be sent to the morgue for examination. As we followed it there, I tried to shake off the image of her lifeless form, but it clung to me. I caught David muttering to himself, probably trying to make sense of what he'd seen, and for once, I didn't tease him for it.

At the morgue, we met Dr. Julia Ogden, who seemed like she had the same unflappable resolve as Murdoch. She greeted us with a nod, calm and collected as though this were an everyday occurrence. Murdoch gestured to her. "Dr. Ogden, these are my consultants, Evelyn and David."

Dr. Ogden extended her hand, her expression warm and genuine. "A pleasure to meet you both."

David, clearly intrigued by her, took her hand with slightly too much eagerness. "Doctor... would it be alright if I assisted you?"

Julia raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Certainly," she replied with a small smile. I gave David a subtle thumbs-up as he followed her, leaving me alone with Murdoch.

Our next stop was a place I'd only read about—Tesla's laboratory. I could feel my pulse quicken as we walked in, my eyes darting around the room. It was packed with strange devices, gears, and coils buzzing with electricity. The air seemed charged, both figuratively and literally. There was a strange, glowing lightbulb suspended in the air on a stand, shining without any wires attached. I could hardly contain my amazement.

Murdoch seemed equally fascinated and, perhaps forgetting his manners, reached out a hand to touch it.

"That would be quite unwise, Detective."

I practically jumped out of my skin at the sound of the voice. Turning, I saw the man himself: Nikola Tesla, arms crossed, regarding us with the faintest smirk. Nikola Tesla! I was about to pinch myself just to be sure I wasn't dreaming.

Tesla arched an eyebrow. "If you had touched it, Detective, the electricity would have exited through your left foot," he explained calmly. "A direct route to your heart."

Murdoch withdrew his hand, a bit embarrassed, before stepping forward to introduce us. "Mr. Tesla, I am Detective William Murdoch. This is my assistant, Miss Evelyn."

I tried to keep my composure as Tesla nodded politely in my direction, but my brain was running in circles. This is Nikola Tesla. We are talking to the man who basically invented the future. David is going to be so jealous.

"We're investigating a tragic accident that happened at a public demonstration," Murdoch explained. "It appears there may have been some tampering with the equipment."

Tesla's eyes narrowed. "Toronto is still trapped between the dangers of direct current and the promise of alternating current," he muttered. "I'm here to show the advantages of AC."

Murdoch's mind was already spinning. "Imagine a world where electricity could power machines from afar, even without wires," he mused. "Or if messages could be sent through the air—like ships communicating across the ocean..."

Tesla's eyes lit up. "And why stop at voices?" he replied, a spark of excitement in his voice. "If we could capture images and send them through airwaves, entire scenes could be transmitted over distances."

Murdoch seemed lost in thought, almost like he was inventing alongside Tesla. "What would we call such a device? A... telekinetascope, perhaps?"

Tesla chuckled, shaking his head. "Too many syllables. Something simpler—tele-vision."

I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing. The irony was delicious, and part of me wanted to pull Murdoch aside and tell him, Yes! Yes, all of this is going to be real! You're both right! But I kept my mouth shut, because explaining the future to Murdoch would only complicate things.

While Murdoch and Tesla continued to talk, my mind whirled. I was standing in a room with two geniuses, witnessing the birth of ideas that would reshape the world. It was incredible—and, frankly, a little terrifying. Here I was, a girl from the 21st century, pretending to know my place in the 19th.

Murdoch leaned over and whispered to me. "Evelyn... all of this... will it actually happen someday?"

I looked at him, seeing the spark of curiosity in his eyes, and smiled softly. "Detective," I replied, keeping my answer cryptic, "the future has a way of turning dreams into reality."

For now, I'd keep my secrets. But inside, I couldn't help feeling a rush of pride, knowing that the world they imagined would one day come to be—and that David and I had the privilege of seeing it all unfold.