Da Vinci's Inquest/Doing the Chicken Scratch

Doing the Chicken Scratch
Season 5, Episode 8
Airdate	January 19, 2003
Written by	Chris Haddock & Frank Borg & Alan Di Fiore
Directed by	Stephen Surjik
← 5x07 God Forbid We Call It What It Is	5x09 → For Just Bein' Indian
Da Vinci's Inquest — Season Five

Doing the Chicken Scratch is the eighth episode of the fifth season of Da Vinci's Inquest, and the sixtieth episode overall.

Nicholas Campbell (Dominic Da Vinci), Donnelly Rhodes (Detective Leo Shannon), Ian Tracey (Detective Mick Leary), Venus Terzo (Detective Angela Kosmo), Kim Hawthorne (Detective Rose Williams), Sarah Strange (Helen), Alex Diakun (Chick Savoy), Sarah-Jane Redmond (Sergeant Sheila Kurtz), Suleka Mathew (Dr. Sunita "Sunny" Ramen), Gerard Plunkett (Chief Coroner Bob Kelly) (credit only)

Also Appearing: Colin Cunningham (Detective Brian Curtis), Emily Perkins (Sue Lewis), Camille Sullivan (Detective Suki Taylor)

Enid-Raye Adams (Laura Maitland), Linda Darlow (Barbara Westerbrook), Garry Davey (Richard Westerbrook), Glen Gould (Rob), Tom Heaton (Ken Folkstone), Scott Heindl (Tommy), Allison Hossack (Annie), Balinder Johal (Clerk), Robin J. Kelley (Dispatcher), Joyce Krenz (Nadia), Travis MacDonald (Shoeshine), Stuart Pierre (Kerry), James Purcell (Albert Macy), Kimani Ray Smith (Cab Driver), Doug Leaf (Man #1), Steven Cree Molison (Native Skipper), Warren Takeuchi (Wayne 'The Deiner'), Nicholas W. Von Zill (Bartender), Jaimie Yochlowitz (Man #2)

Plot Overview

After a break in the Moorehouse investigation, Dominic hears some disturbing testimony on the history of Ravenhood, and that Steadman has hired a consultant to look into the autopsy of his daughter.

Mick tries to hunt down his gun after a late-night altercation, leaving Rose and Leo to continue their robbery investigation.

Suki gets put into a corner when she comes to grips with the possibility that her partner, Brian Curtis, maybe responsible for killing their informant.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Laura Maitland asks Kurtz about getting on the force and requests a personal recommendation. When coming home, Kurtz finds Maitland in the garage, claiming she got a call about her car lights being on, a scenario similar to when she was attacked before. Kurtz mentions they've recently installed a camera, which seems to slightly upset Maitland, telling Kurtz that she should have told her.

• Chick tells Dominic about a pipe from the stove recovered that is clearly unscrewed and that they're going to arrest Moorehouse. Dominic later informs the Westerbrooks.

• The shoeshiner catches Dominic and asks again about his friend Lamont. Helen finds him in the morgue.

• Suki learns from Brian that their informant asked for protection, which she wasn't aware of. She suspects that he's setting her up to take the fall.

• A pathologist from Washington state meets with Dominic to inform him that Steadman is his client and has asked him to look at his daughter's autopsy. He also plans to exhume the body and needs Dominic to sign a disinterment order.

• The Walkers learn Vern's been off to the bush and they've got cops asking for him. They arrange to meet him with the skipper to bring Vern back. Leo catches them and follows them in their car. The Walkers make a sharp turn to avoid a truck and go flying into the water.

• Dominic learns from one of the former patients that Josh had named the groundskeeper Ken as one of his abusers. She also saw Josh having hung himself from a tree that others hung themselves. Sunny finds all the extra bodies were marked as runaways. The former patient later shows Dominic pictures, showing Josh was on the grounds crew along with two others who hung themselves and the fourth ran away.

Characters

• Mick is out drinking when he's bitten by a dog and is hit by his owner. He later realises he lost his gun and goes about trying to find it.

• Mick later meets with Josie's sister to talk.

• Leo reveals that he met Lana at a dance to celebrate joining the force. She was at a blind date that wasn't working out and the two danced and have been together ever since.

Referbacks

• Rose mentions to Leo that the head nurse he was talking to in "Ass Covering Day" is her mother.