Original subtitles

- (Bell tolls) LUCY: She's dead We were too late.

JEAN: What did you think it would be like, Susan?

- I didn't think it would be so... PRIEST: ..at a life so cruelly cut short.

- (Screams) - We must try to let her live in our memories...

- Did you see the cigarette butts on the floor? - What does it matter?

It matters because it means he took his time in there. He stops for a smoke, for God's sake!

RADIO: More news on the oil price crisis later today

No arrest has yet been made in the case of the murder of Mary Lawrence

whose death is linked to that of four other young women.

Police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward and aid them in their inquiries.

Deputy Commissioner Wainwright of Scotland Yard said

that any information will be treated in strictest confidence.

Elsewhere in the city Bacon rations...

- How was it? - Grim.

- Right. How are we getting on? - It's down to seven suspects.

That's with engineering work on the Leeds service?

No, we're doing that now.

They were closing the lines off in pairs.

You get schedule changes fortnightly.

- Yes, I see. - That takes these two out straightaway.

And Peter Lakes. He was on the Midland mainline service before. Didn't they move him?

He was part of the crew pulling alternate shifts back in February.

So he comes off. And Oliver Cartwright. He was part of the P19 shift.

- I thought he was P6. - Only until...

April 8th.

Good. Right. Three names and a week to go.

- Running out of time. - We need to hand it over.

Mrs Gray? The Deputy Commissioner can see you now.

(Knock on door)

Hello again, Mrs Gray. I believe you have some more information for us.

Yes, I've analysed the journeys the girl made

and they connect in some way to the 6.15 slow train from St Pancras to Barking.

I think the man you're looking for is a ticket inspector or a guard on that service.

Well, why a guard? Why not a passenger?

Because he'd have to lure them off the train without a struggle.

It'd have to be someone they trust, someone in authority.

- (Knock on door) - Um... Come in!

- Sir, Mr Reynolds is here. - I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me.

Do tell DCI Compton everything you can.

So you were saying, er... guard or a ticket inspector.

Because of the journeys the girls made on the days they were abducted.

We've been... I've been working out the schedules for all 87 guards who work there,

and we can narrow it down. There were engineering works at St Pancras.

Right.

They were chopping and changing staff schedules.

Guards were doing duties on other trains because their usual service was cancelled.

How does that relate to the murdered girls?

Before we factored in the engineering work we did have 38 possible solutions

but when we added in the altered rail services,

it gave us a whole new set of variables, the number of suspects suddenly changed.

What's this got to do with trains? Only one girl was found under a railway arch.

No. No, it's not to do with where they were found,

it's to do with how he targets them.

The journeys the girls made on the days they were abducted

is the only link between them.

Perhaps if I could have five minutes with...

Mrs Gray, the Deputy Commissioner is very busy at the moment.

- I'll pass your ideas on to him. - They're not just ideas.

- You've got evidence? - Yes, I've got evidence.

This is the evidence. (Clears her throat)

These are the names: Tommy Casterwell, Antony Cross, Gerald Wiggins-

it's one of these three. You've only got three days left.

I promise we'll look into it.

Thanks again for your trouble.

Now, I really must get back to my men.

- It was a disaster. - They did take the names?

They didn't take it seriously. Patterns and data- it's not how they work.

They want evidence, not theory.

If we could just take them one name, not three...

We have cross-correlated everything.

- What if we did a factor analysis? - How?

Remember at Bletchley when the Germans kept shifting their code sequence?

We worked the data looking for incremental changes, we tracked changes to the pattern.

Doing a vector analysis on a crime scene is going to take forever and a day.

I know, so we'd better crack on.

There must be something. No vector variation at all, they're identical.

Doesn't that show he's done the same thing every time? We know that.

- There must be something, even if it's small. - There's no change, no anomalies.

Not even in the first one?

- First time you baked a cake, what happened? - I don't bake cakes.

- Mine fell. - They often do to start with.

Everything comes with practice. The first time with anything it's a mess.

The vectors are straight. He's already good at this.

- He's done it before. - We'd have heard of other murders.

What if they were years ago or somewhere other than London?

How about the British Library at Collingdale?

They keep an archive of all the regional newspapers.

Come on, Lucy. I need you and your memory.

Good luck.

- What are you doing? - The police knock on doors, why shouldn't we?

What?

They won't be there, we've got their schedules.

We can go round and talk to their wives, their neighbours,

get an idea of who these men are.

Come on.

- How far have you got? - Halfway through 1948 now

but I'm only scanning the headlines.

You'd have thought after the war

people would have had enough of killing each other.

I've got 19 murders here.

- Any underground or strangled? - No. Nothing like that.

Nothing that fits.

Oh. Me neither.

Life insurance?

In case your husband has an accident at work.

The policy would compensate for his salary and ensure your family was provided for.

- What is your husband's occupation? - He's a ticket inspector on the railways.

- So if he got ill or injured... - What kind of ill? He's already got asthma.

Oh, I'm sorry. Does that affect his ability to work?

I don't know how much longer he'll stick it, with all the smoke and fumes.

- How serious is it? - He can't lift, can't run.

Some days it's that bad, he can't pick the baby up, he's so puffed.

That doesn't mean you can't insure him, does it?

Thank you.

Jean, I think I've got something.

Hereford Times, 4th November 1949.

Strangled. They found her in a storm drain near the gas works.

Oh, good Lord. I think I've found one, too.

Oh, no, we haven't missed a match in 15 years.

Every Tuesday and Thursday. I go with him, you see, for support.

You should write that down.

Regional darts champion for the Southeast.

That's wonderful. That's all we need.

- Oh. - Thank you. Bye -bye.

- Why are we leaving? - Matches on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Jane Hart went missing on the 7th of February, Patricia Harris on the 28th.

- Yes, they're both Thursdays. - Just an hour till the last one gets off shift.

We'd better get a move on.

Another seven victims all over the country, strangled and hidden like the five in London.

How could the police miss that?

They didn't. These cases were solved.

The murderers were either hanged or went to jail.

James Lowell, caught in Hereford in 1949.

He kept clothing from the girl he killed.

Marco Giacommi, convicted in Birmingham, 1950.

Dropped his wrist watch at the scene of the second murder.

Terry Hudson's lighter was found under the seventh girl's body.

Maybe he's making it look like other people did it,

placing false evidence at the crime scenes that point to someone else,

like the wrist watch.

So one man who's killed 12 girls.

All around the country, over and over...

fooling the police, fooling everyone.

- Getting away with it. - You think it's impossible.

I don't know. (Sighs) I mean, look at all these cases.

If this was the work of one man, he'd have to plan three steps ahead of everyone else,

every single detail with military precision as if he were...

As if he were what?

As if he were deceiving the enemy.

What did that newspaper say about Terry Hudson and the ration coupons?

Erm... "Upon searching Hudson's house in Derby Street

police also discovered forged ration coupons

which they believe Hudson was selling on the black market.

- Doesn't it strike you as odd? - Not really.

It also said he was feeble -minded.

- Yes. - They can't have it both ways.

Feeble -minded and impulsive enough to kill, and running a forged coupons racket.

No, it doesn't fit.

Terry Hudson wasn't clever enough to be a forger. Our killer is.

So... where would he have learnt to do that?

I think there's someone we should talk to.

Jean McBrian. My goodness.

- Hasn't it been a long time? - It certainly has.

- This is Lucy Davies. - Would you like to come to my office?

So what brings you to the Central Records Office anyway?

I, er...I have a favorite ask.

- Oh, yes? - It's regarding favorite during the war.

What kind of favour?

Lucy was at Bletchley at me, she understands these things.

Ah. What kind of things exactly?

Keeping things...secret.

Oh, of course.

Angela, when I was at Special Operations Executive,

- there were...rumours. - Mm-hm. What kind of rumours?

A special department within Electra House handling misinformation and deception

and the rumour was you worked for them.

I'm afraid you've got that quite wrong. No, I was general clerical.

- Weren't we all, dear? - Mm-hm.

I wouldn't ask, except it's important.

Well, Jean, I'd love to help you, you know that, but I was only at Electra briefly.

They sent me here just after you went to Bletchley.

My mistake.

This is it, Gerald Wiggins, flat 22, fifth floor.

Hello?

- What are you doing? - There's no -one here.

Two clocks.

This isn't what we're supposed to be doing.

- This is not normal. - Come on!

(Thud)

I...

(Door closes)

(All gasp)

Who are you? What are you doing in Gerald's flat?

I'm so, so sorry. We were looking for Mr Wiggins.

He's back from work any minute.

- How did you get in? - The door was open.

Oh, that was me. I came in to give Patrick his seeds, but I'd left them.

I feed him while Gerald's out.

I'm sorry if I was a bit brusque there, but you caught me by surprise.

What was it you wanted with Gerald?

Oh, we're offering life insurance.

- Gerald don't know what to do with that. - What do you mean?

Well, he's not all there.

He got a head wound in the war. Still got a piece of shrapnel in there.

So, well, he's a bit simple now. I help him out on and off.

- Things he can't manage. - But he still goes to work?

Oh, yes, on the railways.

Timetables, dates, numbers, anything like that he comes alive.

That's what he loves. It's the rest of life he has trouble with.

We've always said he's working to a timetable. He loves them.

- But she seemed to know him so well. - Maybe he's not as harmless as she thinks.

- We've got it all wrong. - Thank you.

Let's talk inside.

- Seven other girls? - All around the country.

He chooses a scapegoat, makes all the evidence point to them.

- He orchestrates the whole thing. - Then it can't be Wiggins.

- Doesn't fit. He can hardly plan for himself. - This man plans everything.

But Gerald Wiggins is the one who's going to hang for this.

He's the one they're going to pin it on.

Ah, excuse me. Mrs Gray. I'm pleased you're here. I have good news.

We made an arrest this afternoon, and it's thanks to you.

- What? - Those names you gave our DCI,

it took a while to follow them up, but it's a good job we did.

We found items from the girls hidden in a locker of a ticket inspector.

- Gerald Wiggins. - Oh, no.

- What's wrong? - It's not him.

I beg your pardon?

Well... I was wrong, it's not Gerald Wiggins.

Mrs Gray...

You've been an enormous help but it's over now. We've got him.

No.

I'm not making the arrest public until I have a full confession.

No, you must. If he hears it on the wireless, he won't take anyone else.

Susan, please. Excuse me.

Thanks again. What you did helped us immensely.

So he'll be on the 6.15 tonight?

Yes, and now they've got Wiggins in a cell there'll be no-one to catch him.

There must be something we can do.

We know he'll be on that train, we know he's looking for someone.

We know what kind of girl he's looking for, what she wears, what she looks like.

- Yes? - What if we...

Give him what he's looking for?

What are you suggesting?

She means be bait.

Put on the right clothes, right lipstick and make -up, get on the train, try to catch his eye.

No. You'd be putting yourself in his path.

You're a bright girl, Susan, but that is downright idiotic.

- You were backroom girls. - Jean, we were backroom girls.

We never had to make this kind of choice.

What kind of choice is that?

Whether to put yourself at risk to save someone else,

even if you're not good at it, even if you're scared,

because you know it's the right thing to do because...it's the only thing to do.

- In the war, people did that every day. - This is extremely dangerous.

I'll be careful.

Millie, it won't work, you're tall and confident.

- He's picking on younger girls. - It's me, isn't it?

It has to be me.

Here, let me.

There.

You can keep it, you might need to touch it up later.

I'll be in the next compartment. I'll be watching, all right?

Millie and Jean will be at Harringay Park and Blackhorse Road.

- If nothing happens by then, we'll call it off. - Got it.

- Where did you get this stuff? - Oh, ask me no questions...

- There. - How is it?

You look...

it's... it's going to be fine.

- Wedding ring. - Oh.

And...

- Oh, my God. - Oh, God, that smell, it was in the cellar.

I recognised it when we were down there.

It's French. Charme D'or. You used to be able to get it in the War.

You most certainly did not.

- You did if you knew who to ask. - Where did you get it?

I know someone.

I recommend people to him, he gives me a cut of what he sells.

It helps pay the bills.

I just thought it would add to the effect. We don't all have Timothy's career to support us.

This is how he gets them off the trains.

We thought the killer was an authority figure, a guard.

He tells them to go with him and they do because he's wearing a uniform.

But he's not a guard, is he?

They choose to go with him... because he has something they want.

Perfume, nylons, anything you can only get on the sly.

You think these girls went along with a man they didn't know, for stockings?

I know you wouldn't, Jean. I wouldn't.

But they'd done it before. That's how they got their lipsticks and nylons by taking that risk.

That's who he is. That's who you're looking for.

Hm.

We'll be right there, remember.

It's going to be fine.

One more thing...

I haven't loaded it yet.

- I don't think that's necessary. - I do.

When I was travelling alone, this was the best companion for a single girl.

- I don't know how. - It's easy, you just point and pull the trigger.

(Click)

Remember, he needs to get you off the train, so pretend you're interested.

The moment you're on the platform, drop your bag, try to slow him down.

I'll be behind you, and either Millie and Jean will be in front.

Scream blue murder and get the guards on him in no time.

- How do you feel? - Fine.

Scared.

Thank you.

(Conductor blows whistle)

(Train steam whistle)

(Conductor blows whistle)

Just take your ticket, sir. Thank you.

(Door slams)

Hello.

You look nice.

Going out somewhere?

Just to see my friend.

Boyfriend?

None of your business, is it?

I don't know. Could be.

Girlfriend, actually.

So you don't have a boyfriend?

Not right now.

That's a crying shame. A pretty thing like you.

Fancy going for a little walk?

- What, with you? - Yeah, with me.

I'll make it worth your while, if you like.

All right.

(Brakes screech)

Come on, then.

No, not that way. This way.

- Move! - For goodness' sake, be careful!

- What's this? - Freight van, and it's all ours.

(Train steam whistle)

- She's not here. - Well, what do I do?

Call the police, now!

Come on.

- Do you like my perfume? - I like your tits.

Do you know where I could get some more of it?

Come on, stop playing hard to get.

I'm sorry, there's been a mistake. I'm not interested.

- Don't worry, I'll soon have you interested. - Get off!

Police. My friend's on a train and I think she's being attacked.

(Breathing heavily) Oh.

(Screams) No!

- No! - Shut up!

- When's the train in? - Two minutes.

(Straining and panting)

(Screams)

Lucy!

Lucy!

Argh! Shit! Shit!

My nose! You've gone and broken it, you silly bitch!

Oh, my God! Lucy! What happened?

Are you all right, miss?

- I lost you. - It wasn't him.

It was just some clerk looking for a good time.

POLICE OFFICER: Coming through.

JEAN: Lucy, it's OK. It's OK.

- What time do you call this? - I'm sorry.

It's my fault, I really do apologise.

- We lost track of time. - I'm sure you're in a hurry to get going.

- We won't keep you. - Bye, darling.

Get to bed.

Sorry to keep you so late.

- Thanks again. See you soon. - Good night.

(Door closes)

(Dog barks in distance)

If I asked you what the hell was going on...

would you tell me the truth?

You were on a train to Barking. What's in Barking?

Nothing. I was...

- it's... - I don't believe you.

For the first time...

I don't believe you.

So you lost track of time?

- What are you doing losing track of time? - Nothing.

- Who are you doing nothing with? - Millie.

It was your snooker night, I didn't think you'd mind.

- Liar. - Harry, please...

- Jean. - Angela.

I don't have time for "Hello" and "How are you?"

I need to know right now, who was in charge of your department at SOE.

I told you before, I was in clerical.

Dear, you'll have to take a deep breath and tell me what I need to know.

If you don't, word might get out about that sideline you had going back in the war.

What on earth are you talking about?

Trading ration coupons.

Did you think I didn't know about that?

- For heaven's sake... - it's funny how that still carries weight.

People still care.

If you fiddled rations during the war, what might you fiddle now, eh?

Who did you work for at Electra House?

(Doorbell rings)

Jean.

Before Bletchley, I was at SOE.

Francis Cavendish headed a team there dealing with misinformation and deception.

They were based out of Electra House.

He trained people to fool the German High Command and get away with it,

just like our killer's fooling the police.

They did a lot of forgery there- bank notes, ration books-

just like they found in the innocent men's houses.

Cavendish is retired now. That's his address.

(Sighs) I don't know, Jean.

Should we carry on?

Maybe we were foolish to put Lucy on that train.

But you saw her face, how terrified she was.

How can we let other girls go through something a thousand times worse than that

when we've a chance of stopping it?

(Rings buzzer)

- Mr Cavendish? - Yes.

My name's Susan Gray. I was hoping I could I talk to you a moment.

I'm afraid, my time isn't my own this morning, Mrs Gray.

I was given your name by Angela Barker. You worked together during the war.

I'm not at liberty to talk about anything relating to that period in the war.

Because you signed the Official Secrets Act. So did I. I was at Bletchley Park.

Then you should know better.

You've heard about these women that have been killed? The murders?

It would be hard to live in London and not have heard about it. Why?

The man who is killing them has placed evidence for the police to find.

It's a trail that leads to an innocent man.

That sounds very unusual.

I think that the man responsible might have worked for you.

Mrs Gray, what you're saying is both insulting and upsetting.

As you were one of Alan's girls,

I'll extend to you a degree of professional courtesy I normally wouldn't.

- That department doesn't exist any more. - But during the war it did.

None of my men would do what you suggest.

- Kill five girls? - 12.

- What? - He's done it before, he's killed 12 women.

The police think they have their man.

My friends and I are the only people who believe...

who know that they are wrong.

12 girls, you say?

How have you got this far?

By doing what we did at Bletchley, treating the crimes like a code.

Applied pattern analysis to all the facts of the case we could gather.

That's very clever, but it won't give you the full picture.

You need to understand the psychology of your target.

What drives him, what makes him tick. Try and get inside his head.

- That was my speciality. - How do I do that?

Well, what do you know about him?

Er...well, nothing now.

You know what he does to his victims.

He lures them off trains by gaining their trust.

He gets them alone, kills them.

Lots of people kill. What does he do specifically?

Er...

He takes them somewhere dark...underground.

It's strange. They're such pretty girls yet he wants them in the dark.

Go on.

He strangles them, he waits until they're dead and then rapes them.

What else does he do? Tell me.

They wear perfume.

He puts them in cellars, Anderson shelters, confined spaces, things like that.

The smell of it becomes almost unbearable.

You know who he is, don't you?

What I'm going to tell you goes no further.

- It's entirely confidential. - Mm-hm.

But if there have been 12 deaths, I think I must tell you.

There was a man, he worked for me.

Good at his job.

Very clever, very careful,

and then...a bomb hit the building where he was working

and everyone was killed.

We thought...

But he wasn't dead.

He was buried in the rubble under a stairwell.

He survived, you see...

for three days in the dark until they dug him out.

And there was a girl in there, too.

But she was dead.

- They were trapped. - For three days?

We sent him to a psychiatrist...

because he was...different afterwards.

Still good at his job... almost too good, but different.

I often feared what might have happened down there.

But the psychiatrist said he was fit to work and I needed him, so...

Where is he now?

(Sighs)

There was a fire.

We found his body.

His signet ring, his keys.

No face, of course.

I chose not to pursue it, not to question it.

I was almost relieved when I heard.

I'll let you have all the paperwork I've got on him.

There's not much, I'm afraid.

There's been some sort of accident.

(Knock on door)

Hello.

Harry.

The doctor's seen her, nothing's broken, but the bruising's pretty bad.

She can stay here for now.

RADIO: This is the BBC Home Service News at one o'clock This is Alvar Lidell

Police have arrested a man and charged him with the murders of five women in London.

Gerald Wiggins, a railway ticket inspector, was apprehended at his home yesterday

Inspector Lawley of Scotland Yard said that Wiggins appears to be mentally frail

Police believe they have found evidence linking him to all five murdered women.

The petrol and fuel oil shortages at home maybe worsening...

That's it, isn't it? He's gone.

Lucy, I'm so sorry.

It's not your fault. Did he take anyone from the train?

Not that we know of.

No -one's been reported missing.

- The police must have scared him off. - That's something.

That's a lot.

- That's a life you saved. - I know, but he's still out there.

We still don't know who he is.

I do know who he is, actually. (Clears her throat) He's Malcolm Crowley.

- You got a name from Cavendish? - Who's Cavendish?

He headed up a classified department during the war.

He trained Crowley. Jean found him.

So we have a name and whatever else is in there.

Bloody hell.

- How's your friend? - Recovering.

- What happened to her? - Harry beat her.

It's not the first time.

Good God.

Er...Lucy's the little one?

Yes.

- And her husband did that to her? - It happens.

Does this have something to do with the other day?

Yes.

- But you don't want to talk to me about it? - I can't.

All right.

I...

I understand.

- You do? - She's your friend.

Whatever you were trying to do for her, get her away from him,

to...Barking, whatever...

Even if it didn't work that...was a good thing for a friend to do.

- Timothy... - No, no, I understand.

I didn't before.

But...

I do now.

Thank you.

- I was hoping to see her at the end of the day. - Yes, well, you must.

- You will be back in time for this... - Yes, of course.

- He was in the rubble for three days? - With her body, yes.

Jesus!

- Who was the psychiatrist they sent him to? - Dr Tremaine at the Meredith Hospital.

We should talk to him, see if he remembers Crowley.

If he knows what happened to him.

The Meredith's not far from here. Why don't you go?

Are you sure?

Don't worry, I'll look after her.

(Rings bell)

- Can I help you? - I'm looking for a Dr Tremaine.

I'm afraid Dr Tremaine no longer works here.

- The hospital's being shut down, I'm sorry. - I...I... Sorry, Mr...?

Croft. Andrew Croft.

Mr Croft, I'm Susan Gray.

I'm trying to trace one of his patients from the war.

Are there any records, addresses, anything?

- What name was it? - A Malcolm Crowley.

I think you'd better come inside, Mrs Gray.