Ivy

Ivy
Actor	Ashley Leggat
Seen	Blood and Circuses
Mentioned	Murdoch in Toyland
Gender	Female
Status	Criminal, (arrested; hanged)
Job	Circus performer

Ivy, formerly Liz, the Queen of Swords, from Calgary, is a performer in a circus introduced in Season 3 of Murdoch Mysteries, portrayed by Ashley Leggat.

Appearances and Mentions

Blood and Circuses

• Liz was once part of the Ringling Brothers circus as the Queen of Swords. When Count Leoline joined the circus, Liz became infatuated with him, but he rejected her, claiming that he was a circus freak and she was a "normal", and thus they could not be together. Heartbroken, Liz began to falter in her act. Eventually, she attempted to commit suicide by cutting her wrists. When her wrists healed, she then came up with the idea to mutilate herself, cutting her beauty away in the pattern of ivy, making herself a freak so that Leoline would accept her. She even adopted a Southern accent.
• Taking the name Ivy, she joined Barbette's Royal Traveling circus, giving the ringmaster a false story about being conceived out of wedlock in a patch of poison ivy, in which the ivy crept into her mother's womb. Liz was hired on the spot. She then attempted to seduce Leoline, who didn't recognize her, only to learn that he was engaged to Kitty Walker, the tiger tamer and a normal.
• Deciding to get rid of the competition, Ivy befriended Kitty, learned her routine with Saber the tiger. In the meantime, Jake the Magician fell in love with her, but Ivy had eyes for Leoline. Subtly, she stole Saber's meals, slowly starving the tiger. Then, before Kitty's performance, just as she was comforting Saber, Ivy then slit her throat, killing her and the resulting blood loss prompted Saber to eat his tamer. Barbette found Saber gorging himself on Kitty and attempted to scare him away with a broom, only for the tiger to get loose and cause a panic. Constables George Crabtree and Henry Higgins attempt to stop the tiger before the animal master shot Saber dead. While Kitty's remains were brought to the Toronto morgue, the circus assumed that it was a tragic accident and swiftly packed up and left. However, Detective William Murdoch suspected foul play and arrested the entire troupe and brought them to Station House Four.
• Ivy was personally questioned by Murdoch, having been identified by Barbette as Kitty's best friend. After a brief discussion about her (false) history, she attempted to put blame on Leoline. But later, she privately confronted Leoline, promising to tell the truth that she saw him walk by her caravan and give him an alibi to clear him of suspicion, if he would have her. But once again, she was rejected, as Leoline proclaimed that he'd rather hang, so she couldn't take his rejection anymore. As the troupe were kept in the cell for the night, Ivy used her knife-throwing skills, hitting a sleeping Leoline in the chest so he'd die without alerting the other occupants. Athena the monkey then retrieved the switchblade and passed it to Jake, who swallowed it so it wouldn't be found. However, Jake made a mistake of insulting Kitty before Mr. Selby, who punched him in the stomach, triggering the spring, thus killing the magician from the inside.
• Ivy was later interrogated by Murdoch, suspecting her of being a knife-thrower and her motive was revenge for being rejected by Leoline. She tried to deny his accusations, but made the mistake of revealing the scars on her left wrist. Murdoch then suspected that she was the same woman Leoline mentioned who tried to commit suicide at his last circus, but Ivy refused to answer his questions. Murdoch later came forward with confirmation of her identity as the Queen of Swords, having obtained a photo of her from the Toronto Telegraph from the last time the Ringling Brothers came through Toronto. She then confessed to murder. When asked by Murdoch if it was worth it giving up her identity, her beauty and her life for Leoline, Ivy stated that she had to try and asked Murdoch if he would do anything for the one he loves.
• Ivy is hanged for her crimes, confirmed in Murdoch in Toyland.