Original subtitles

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she wanted me to take photographs of

her with men what happened after you

arrived home I could see straight away

that she was dead she is probably our

most distinguished lawyer well I think

that's arguable Hubert but she won't

make a good head of Chambers the only

person who's in a state about your

daughter coming home as you well I mean

why you even let me buy a drink you know

good some

we in love

Simon you won't become a QC as long as I

live visha always means what she

says Something's

Happened something

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terrible

well

now it was obviously someone in

Chambers who else knew where the full

bottom wig was let alone my blood I

don't believe anyone here could commit

no one in this building could have done

such a thing your remarks are tasteless

and and unhelpful do the police wouldn't

find them unhelpful and unless the

commander is dimmer than his reputation

suggests he'll come to the same

conclusion good morning

gentlemen I am sorry about the

disruption my officers will be taking

statements from all of you in due course

wouldn't you be better looking outside

rather than inside it's clear that

someone broke in the trouble with the

murder investigation Mr Lord is that you

have to begin at the end the end is here

I'd like to base myself at Paul at court

and set up an instant room here if I may

is that really necessary D you shut up

you're not head of Chambers yet the

commander can pretty much do as he likes

in the circumstances noton I'm sure we

can sort something out we can arrange

for the commander and his team for a

room that won't be a problem sir Miss

Aldridge's death is going to attract a

great deal of meteor attention it

certainly isn't going to attract a great

deal of new custom it's not funny

Desmond vena's body is still upstairs oh

I am so sorry Simon I was forgetting how

close you and she were yeah Mr

n the wig that Miss Aldridge was wearing

where did it come from oh that's

normally kept in the other rooms I

through there would you show inspector M

certainly this where

is well it's usually kept in there

right well I need to have a look up

there

ah allow

me who is the next of kin there's a

daughter Octavia but I'm afraid with a

shock we hadn't thought about her what

about the husband uh visha was divorced

over 15 years ago he was some sort of

artist there's been no contact since do

you know where the daughter lives M

she's just moved into the basement flat

at her mother's place

perhaps one of you would prefer to break

the news to her yeah perhaps we should

well none of us knows the girl I think

it might be better if one of your people

told her yes uh there's something I

should mention Octavia has taken up with

a young man Gary Ash bisha recently

defended him you may remember he was

tried for the murder of his aunt yes yes

I do venisha was sure he was after money

she was talking about trying to buy him

off I think she believed man was

dangerous a well done tale a convenient

suspect and on a plate but I still don't

see how either he or Octavia could have

known about the blood in the

refrigerator or the old wig Gary Ash was

accused of murder this is murder I'm

sorry

drale wasn't Mr Ash found not

guilty

right well I need to get some prints

taken of

course but it's always been here oh yes

yes the wiger has always been kept up

there as long as I've been here it

belonged to Mr lon's

grandfather the last time that you used

about 2 years ago that would be when Mr

montigue took

silk Mr Castello had it down on

Wednesday didn't he he was trying it on

oh where was

that well Mr costell will be the next

member of Chambers to take silk we were

talking about it they asked me if it was

still there I took it down he tried it

on it was intended as a humorous gesture

inspector thank you

sir did you like Miss

Aldridge well she was a very fine lawyer

and the respected member of Chambers

I know of no one who wish the

real

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sir venisha alridge

did

she did she suffer

no I'm sure she

didn't are you all

right you

are look don't worry all right I'm in

there you're going to be fine J he me

yeah

okay

the only reason you is to see if I've

got an alibi in it I haven't said so

must you can't P anything on Gary not

like last time we were here all

night Mrs Buckley saw

us I see why don't you ask our lover

Mark rolon

MP ask him what they were arguing about

the other

night we should be talking to everyone

who had contact with her but at this

moment I'm more concerned with how you

are

you don't even know

me oh leave me

alone there's more confusion in the

stock exchange today with the footsy

index down 64 points of the close of

trading in London the death of the

prominent QC venisha Aldridge

had

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Mrs

Carpenter yes I'm detective inspector

misin I understand you're a cleaner at

Mr singen langton's

Chambers so how was your Alibi Simon do

they really think we're the sort of

people who go out murdering our

colleagues and pouring blood over their

heads yes it was extraordinarily

insensitive it's not particularly

Pleasant having one's blood taken I very

much dislike the needle I shall have to

cancel my operation and start all over

again for God's sake Desmond what does

your pint of blood matter we've got a

murder in Chambers I know Dale it would

have been more convenient if she'd been

murdered somewhere

else they're taking her

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away

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yes this is

C tell me what happened and when you got

here last

night

well there were no lights showing in any

of the rooms only in the hall and the

front door was locked what time was that

8:00 did you see Miss old I didn't think

anyone was in

Chambers what about our room oh the door

was locked and no light was visible

no did you know that Mr rrick had a bag

of his own blood in the refrigerator

yes well was it there last night I don't

know oh he made such a fuss about the

blood I decided not to clean out the

fridge till it was

gone as Mr rri's blood got something to

do with Mr alridge

Mrs Carpenter I'd like you to think

carefully while you're cleaning here

could anyone leave the building Without

You noticing well I suppose someone who

was in the B basement when I was

upstairs could have

left I do the basement

last

oh someone had been in the ladies not

long before I went

down

really how do you know the sink takes a

long time to drain

away I have spoken to Mr Norton about it

but nothing's been

done there was still some

water I it was probably miss Aldridge

before she

left Miss Aldridge didn't leave did she

no the murderer made very sure of

that

murderer I'm sorry Mrs Carpenter didn't

you know Miss alridge has been

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murdered so who could have been in

Chambers last night

the Secretary of Valerie Coral no she

was at at a club with friends what about

the chief clerk uh what's his name oh

Harry Norton Harry Norton yeah the first

of many to tell us what a fine lawyer

visha alridge was seems everyone

shorthand for not liking her very much

she wouldn't have kept him on after

retirement age if she'd become head of

Chambers true but he was back home by

7:4 Simon

Castello he left early his wife got in

just after 6 they had a meal and watch

television Mrs Castell confirms that but

my friend Valery says that Costello had

a r with venisha that afternoon Costello

didn't remember the argument till I

reminded him he said he slipped his mind

he claimed venisha Aldridge wanted his

support but he was more inclined to give

it to Lord it was the other way around I

think Lord wanted to stop her taking the

job that's why he was with her later

discussion about the future he called it

I'd say another r

opinion seems to be that Lord wanted

head of Chambers very badly badly enough

to kill well he expected to get it until

she threw a hat in the

ring what about Lord's alivi does it

stand up he said he was at the theater

the seavoy alone it's not a long walk

from

chambers rri also spent the evening

alone he left Chambers at 7:15 and went

home to drop off his briefcase and then

went to a restaurant rules in Maiden

Lane for dinner it was his birthday and

apparently that's what he always does

and Langton was home in Kensington by

700 that too is confirmed by his

wife so the only person we know for

certain was in the building at the time

of death was the cleaner was his

Carpenter so did anyone else come into

Chambers someone we don't know the

killer knew the place knew about rri's

blood knew where the wig was she was

stabbed with her own paper knife and

died instantly the killer was either

luck or just knew what he was doing the

head was then decorated with the wig and

the blood from the

refrigerator there's something about

what was done to the

body I find it more shocking than the

murder

itself do you know there's a question we

haven't

asked is there necessarily a connection

between the wig and the blood and the

murder go

on well it speaks of a depth of hatred

that's

frightening I mean so far we've been

looking at professional jealousies

rivalries but the desecration of a body

goes deeper than

that I think the truth's

hidden hidden in a dark corner of

someone's

life

sorry

sir watch I'm out Valerie remember that

the police want information not gossip I

don't know what you mean Mr Norton I

mean that the business of these Chambers

is not their business so just you be

careful

yes can I help you um Mr newon wasn't

here this morning when you got him was

he went for a walk

apparently sing's closer to

it why is that Miss aldrid gave him a

ticking off yesterday called him an

anachronism

well that's how she was you know what

she said to him once

what Charles Dickens was a client here

going back a bit right Miss Aldridge

reckoned if Charles Dickens came back

from the grave you think Mr Norton was

the same Chief Clark as last time he was

here so you liked her

then I don't know about like her I like

the way she got all the men here running

around she frighten The Living Daylights

out of them

good night Mr

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lton

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there not many of you that walk into a

news agent and ask for 50 quids worth of

magazines no matter what they are as

long as I got

pictures she got real crazy yeah well I

don't care what people think anymore you

see we can do whatever we want

now too right

mate hold on here Chuck on

there hey give us a kiss I'll let you

out oh come

on

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trouble

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for

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[Applause]

ro ro it Ro It Rock It Rock It Rock It

Rock

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Gary did you do

these

yeah young

s you're really

good

where is it look it don't matter right

just give

some we put this up in I say

right and maybe won't even

bother look it's just a place I went to

and I was a

kid you know like you know like a

special

place one day I'll take you there if you

want

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it was the right speech

darling absolutely right so not a great

speech H great speech about Primary

School sports facilities save it till

the Prime Minister gives you a proper

job Mr Ralston

Commander D GLE and detective inspector

mkin Scotland Yard I spoke to S I've

been too busy to get back to you I

thought perhaps it would be more

convenient to come down to the house I'm

sure I can answer your questions

Commander this is my wife Lucy this is R

anything you need to say can be said to

both of us we Have No

Secrets well perhaps we should make a

path for The Honorable members

h

I uh I did see visha would you know

that well done thank

you the affair ended almost a year

ago it was she who ended

it if she hadn't I would have taken the

initiative and there was no bitterness

absolutely

none did you know her Mrs rollston not

well we met from time to time mainly at

law

functions she had a beautiful speaking

voice I always wondered if she was a

singer did she sing

darling I never heard her you went to

see her at her home the other night why

was

that she said she had something urgent

to discuss fine speech Rolston thank

you it seems she wanted to talk about

trying for the bench whether or not it

would help to take over his head of

Chambers I decided that she probably

wanted to talk about something else but

either she changed her mind or concluded

that I couldn't help you have no idea

what it was

no I

see thank

you by the way why did you

quarrel Venicia was cynical about the

new government and about

me as she said I'd abandoned the

Socialist principles she herself loathed

in pursuit of

ambition I said that was cool coming

from a woman who' virtually abandoned

her own child in pursuit of her

career yes it was then that we saw

Octavia standing in the dining

room I do feel for the

daughter where were you between 7:30 and

10 the night before

last I'm I left my own Chambers at

Lincoln's in at about

6 I then met a journalist Pete Maguire

with whom I had a drink at The Wig and

Pen I then came back to the house where

I met four of my constituents at

8 if you need to check I shall expect

T of course if your relationship with

Miss Aldridge has nothing to do with my

investigation then no one need know I

don't want the malicious attentions of

the press directed at my wife or

telescopic lenses pointed at our window

can't believe that every single press

Baron has led a life of impeccable

Chastity before marriage and Fidelity

afterwards surely there must be a limit

to

hypocrisy I haven't found

one Mr

rman thank

you

Boston's a liar yes but he's not a

murderer what about Gary

as he was a Pam place with the daughter

Octavia what do you make of Mrs

Carpenter she's not the sort of woman

you'd expect to work as a

cleaner did forensic check the singer

the one in the lady's labry yeah yeah

but they found nothing but Valerie

Cordell told me Mrs Carpenter sometimes

does some cleaning at hel in place

helping out Mrs

she seems to work very hard at a

relationship with

an help it

[Applause]

thanks talk to Mrs Buckley about him if

she was so self assured why did the idea

of murder come as such a surprise well

surprise was genuine enough surely that

puts her low on the list of suspects

she's holding something back well who

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isn't so Mrs carpenter has been working

at the ins of court for over two years

now yes uh Janet started work at another

Chambers then moved to miss aldes a few

months later do you know anything about

her background very little I she's a

widow from Winchester she moved to

London when her husband

died she's a very private woman I

can't I can't understand why you want to

know all this it gives me a clearer

picture Mrs Buckley that's

all so how did she come to work

here well not sure I wasn't really

looking for

anyone oh I

remember she asked Miss Aldridge if we

ever needed an extra pair of hands she

said if we did she'd be happy to help

out oh so the suggestion was hers oh yes

oh well I I didn't know you see I

suppose you want to speak to o no no not

at the moment good we just leave it eh

cuz I mean she can't tell you anything

in up oh you ain't got any decent

scissors on you have you these ones

ready I'll find some and bring them down

yeah well don't take D B will you um

don't suppose your friend there it is

we're working on it me you ain't got no

bloody idea in it

don't feel comfortable with that man in

the

house there's something about him

I but Octavia won't hear a word against

him she's

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boted my grandfather first brought me

here when I was

eight he was head of Chambers then

I drank in the history romance the

Traditions it's taken me a lifetime to

understand the spirit of this place

recent years that Spirit was exemplified

best by

Venicia some people may disagree with

some of the things she did myself among

them but whatever she did it she did it

because she believed in the law with a

great

passion

I think sometimes she believed in the

principle that testing the evidence

testing it again was more important than

the outcome of the individual

cases

I lied to you about the night of vena's

death

Commander I didn't get home till

8 I asked my wife to say that I was an

now

earlier I

see

and where were you

really I think I was

here you think you were

here some weeks ago in

court I was coming to the middle of my

closing argument suddenly language

deserted

me I could remember nothing not the name

of the judge or the parties or the

opposing

Council for a long

minute I could say

nothing and somehow I spoke some words I

don't even remember what they

were since then there have been other

lapses of

memory

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longer what happened on the night of the

murder

remember leaving the office I remember

Paul

called the next thing I knewed was an

hour

later I'm sitting in

here this empty church in

darkness

H that's

fantastic we made a good te didn't we

you bet we do this is going to be

spectacular these are all I could

find thank

you well do you like

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it

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can I help you

um you are Commander

delish yes I'd like to talk to you about

the murder of Miss Venicia Aldridge

QC her father ran a boy's Prep School

Danford I was his Deputy

Headmaster however the study of criminal

law has been my hobby and I used to

discuss cases with

Venicia he was

14 when we began our

lessons I can say without conceit Mr D

that I was chiefly responsible for

making her a criminal lawyer have you

any information about her death not

directly but about her life with murder

the two are indissolubly linked now we

lost touch after Aldrich gave up in

school vena's career has been my

absorbing passion for the last 20 years

now everything is here all all her

important cases I believe the mystery of

her death might lie with her

professional

life look do

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yes have you been in contact with her

since you left the school I've seen her

only from the public Gallery time

intervene and I would not have been

welcome at the old Rich home after the

tragedy at

Danford what was that Clarence orid was

a

sadist I protested to him constantly

about the severity with which the boys

were

beaten but even I didn't know how bad it

was one of the pupils hanged himself by

his pajama cord from the

banisters naturally after Young orrick's

Death School had to close rrick yes yes

Marcus

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olrick of course I knew that Aldridge

had a daughter named Venicia and the age

was right I was naturally curious when

she joined Chambers all those years ago

and I asked her but it was a matter of

slight interest no more can you remember

the conversation well I told her that I

was the elder brother of Marcus rrick

She made no comment for a moment and

then said I thought there might be a

relationship it's not a common name and

I said I don't think either of us need

talk about the past we never spoke about

it

again what happened to your

mother it must be gratifying to have a

job that can be used to justify what in

others might seem intrusive curiosity

Marcus was 11 years old my father and my

mother were abroad I was at Oxford my

father had lost money Danford seemed a

satisfactory but relatively cheap

School my parents would have found it

inconvenient to

discover that Aldridge liked beating

small boys and your brother said nothing

to

them alridge used to prescribe a number

of

strokes and then delivered them

publicly it was the threat of that daily

humiliation and pain that Marcus

couldn't face he hanged himself now it

wasn't a quick

death he

suffocated the Scandal finished the

school and finished alridge it was

vena's Father's Misfortune that she had

to live with

too obviously you believe he was

responsible for your brother's

death the responsibility for Marcus's

death is a heavy one but it was never

venicius and if I felt an obligation to

kill venisha you know on some

Preposterous eye for an eye basis I

would have done so 15 years

ago you should have told me this

earlier well since it has no bearing

whatsoever on your investigation I make

no apology I don't know what has a

bearing on this investigation and what

hasn't until I've heard it too many

people in these Chambers are deciding

for themselves what I should or

shouldn't consider

relevant that's not very

helpful

thank you do realize that now there's no

reason why anything should stand in the

way of me taking

silk as soon as

possible

sooner we aim to please oh it's hardly

down to you darling we still aim to

please you have told me

everything look I'm capable of a great

deal Lois but you know do you really

think i'

murder just so you can continue to

shower money on the shopkeepers of

nights

Bridge darling if you you don't want to

screw up becoming a QC again I think you

should remember something Desmond

said so what Pearls of Wisdom from your

devoted Uncle this

time my uncle Desmond reminded me that

although you're off the hook now you're

stupid enough to climb back on it you

could still lose everything and if you

do Simon you can be damn sure you'll

lose

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me

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father will you hear my

confession there's no confession this

evening but of course

please in the name of the father and of

the Son and the Holy Ghost amen

amen bless me Father for I have sinned

most

grievously my name is Janet

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Carpenter

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oh

Kate

look at

this a photograph presumably taken by

frogged outside the Old

Bailey do you recognize the woman

looking at the

camera yeah it's Mrs

Carpenter you she also following visha

Aldridge's

career she a

Frogg did the Hampshire police come up

with anything more no they haven't got

back to me h have you chased it no sir

they gave me some information over the

phone and told me they'd give me more

detailed facts later on what sort of

information well she was a widow as Mrs

butley said uh her only son died of

leukemia about 5 years ago and her

granddaughter was murdered in

1994

murdered why didn't you tell me this

before it didn't seem relevant sir in

the murderous serving life a man called

be trial was in Winchester it had

nothing to do with Vish Aldridge

it had something to do with the

law what's the

time about

4:00 you carry on

here I'm going to go to

Winchester OH Kate get hold of froger

find out how long he's known Mrs

Carpenter

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it was very sudden the house was sold in

a matter of weeks Janna didn't care what

price she got no put it on it's cold

so she said she was going to London yes

she left an address but when we tried to

contact her no one had heard of Janet

Carpenter sandwiches drink and a

strawberry yogurt

yes there's the school

bus I W be a moment goodbye bye

bye he come get

us I was at school with Rosie a

daughter-in-law I'd hope that somehow

could give Janet a little of what she'd

lost but the truth was it hurt her too

much even to be here to see

us Rosie lived every

day every

night in the horror of how that man Beal

killed her little

girl

I know she

tried and Janet tried to help

her I did my

best but Rose's heart was

broken she committed

suicide

it shouldn't ever have

happened everyone knew about Beal they

knew what he

was he was tried the year before for the

rape of another girl but they acquitted

him the police the lawyers the judges

the doctors the social workers Mrs hard

they couldn't stop a man who'd done that

to a child and they knew they all

knew that's how you protect our children

you let him walk out of court and do it

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again you frighten a life out of

me did you get some

slim yeah

bit you haven't been up all night have

you yeah M do it and I've got an hour or

so I'll make some coffee yeah I'll

do what's the matter with these

things oh they're the ones my spy

brought

down I can't make them work

either I'll go and get some more

no I'll give you I'll do

it then she might as well get used to

me these scissors are

useless they look perfectly all right to

me I think I can tell if a Paris can cut

or not I'll find some

more those must be Mrs

Carpenters I should have noticed she

said she thought she'd lost them

why shouldn't those scissors

cut they won't count for anyone

right-handed what you talking

about

oh

right-handed useless you see Mrs

Carpenter is Left-Handed left-handed

people have to have special

scissors

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sh

did you have any luck with jenet

Carpenter's old

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neighbor she blamed everyone for the

acquit which let be loose to kill

again it was Venicia Aldridge who

defended

him and it was she who actually

destroyed the prosecution case I'm a

police officer open the front door

please Mrs

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Carpenter Mrs

Carpenter

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RvB

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RvB

Regina versus

Beal she done what she set out to

do to kill Venicia alridge

I suppose there was nothing

left

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Suicide anything strike you as OD no

really

sir on her left hand middle finger there

was a slight thickening of the skin it

was was almost a

callus I think she wrote with her left

hand she was left-handed

if she was why did she write

RvB with her right

hand I think someone who didn't know she

was left-handed cutter

throat I'm trying to make it look like

suicide look I don't know when we'll be

back Octavia dear I don't think you

should go what's it got to do with you I

don't think you should be on your own

with him without other people

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a