Original subtitles

♪ Her cheeks were red Her eyes were brown ♪

♪ Her hair in ringlets hanging down ♪

♪ She'd a lovely face without a frown ♪

♪ just as the tide was flowing. ♪

HE GRUNTS

Ah! HE PANTS

I gotcha.

MARTHA: Have you done it?

Oh, ye of little fai...

WATER HISSES, HE SPLUTTERS

HE COUGHS

HE PANTS

HE CLEARS THROAT

WATER HISSES, MARTHA SHRIEKS

Oh, sorry! Sorry! Oh, gosh! Sorry.

You didn't turn the...

SHRIEKS: ...stopcock off!

Oh! Oh!

MARTHA SHRIEKS

All right, all right! Got it.

Ah!

HE EXHALES

BOTH LAUGH

MARTHA SHRIEKS

God!

Oh, yeah. Stopcock.

That's a good idea.

- We need to call a plumber. - Well, er...

MARTHA SHRIEKS

I'll call one now.

- Humphrey. - Yeah?

In the past hour, you've stapled yourself to a cupboard,

fitted a letterbox upside down, and now flooded the kitchen.

I'm sensing your mind is elsewhere.

Sorry.

Oh, don't be sorry.

Just talk to me.

I've got your mum shadowing me at the station

as part of her induction into the police panel.

But, worse, I've got Mr Smith pressing for who I'm going to lose,

and I haven't even told anyone they're under review.

When do you have to make your decision?

End of the week. SHE EXHALES

Maybe honesty is the best policy.

Just tell them what's going on.

It's an impossible situation. They'll understand.

HE EXHALES

HE SNORES LIGHTLY

Big night, was it?

No. Looks like it.

If you must know, I was chatting with Agnieszka.

Oh!

She's here now, then?

Online.

She was a bit upset. She lost her job.

Don't tell me any more. Can guess the rest.

- Morning, sir. - Morning.

Y-Yes. Er, morning.

Talking of imaginary women, the fish market was buzzing this morning.

Someone spotted the Mermaid of Shipton Abbott

- last night. - Oh. Where?

Jeff Simmons swears he saw her out by Tideline Seaweed Farms.

Oh, I'd love to see a mermaid.

Just because people believe it, doesn't make it true.

- Ooh...! - Huh?

Er, what do you think, sir?

- Sir? - Hmm?

Someone's seen a mermaid.

This is usually where you start getting carried away by a bit of local nonsense.

Yeah.

Is everything all right?

You seem a bit... stressed.

Oh... no. Er...

I've... I've got...

I've got some, er...

Well, I've got something to tell you all.

DOOR CLOSES Um...

SHE EXHALES Yes.

Er, Anne will be joining us today...

Morning, team!

...as part of her role in the police committee.

ANNE: Now, don't worry. I want you all to carry on

exactly as you would if I wasn't here.

And the more I know about what you actually do, the more I can support it.

I'll need a desk.

Oh, we've got a spare one here.

Thank you, Kelby.

Thank you. That's very helpful.

Yes. Thank you, Kelby.

You won't even notice I'm here.

PHONE RINGS

Might explain the DI's stress.

So what's on the agenda for today?

Tideline Farms.

Someone's sabotaged their seaweed lines.

That's where they saw the mermaid.

- MARGO: They're on their way. - Excellent. Um... Yes, Anne.

Margo will show you the ropes while we,

er... we three, will, er... go and see what happened.

Oh.

SHE CHUCKLES

ESTHER: Kelby's questioning the staff, but before we start this investigation,

can we agree that the Mermaid of Shipton Abbott

didn't sabotage Tideline Farms?

HUMPREY CHUCKLES

Our job is to keep an open mind, Sergeant.

It's all just old fishermen's tales.

Silly superstition to wind the grockles up.

Talking of Tideline, this is where they started.

The council was given a grant to restore these old workshops,

then rent them out at a reasonable rate to help new business.

Tideline's took off within the first couple of years,

so moved to bigger premises.

HUMPHREY EXHALES

Sabotaging a seaweed farm seems a bit extreme, don't you think?

I mean, it's hardly controversial.

Depends who you ask.

How so?

Some reckon it's saving the planet.

Soaks carbon, replaces plastic, feeds cows.

Others say it ruins the view, kills fishing and tourism.

And Tideline?

Want to expand, grow the business, create more jobs.

Applied for it twice before.

Both times blocked. Locals weren't having it.

How big are we talking?

270 acres. HE WHISTLES

Off-limits to fishermen, paddle boards, swimmers, the lot.

That's about, what, 200 football pitches?

No wonder the locals aren't happy.

We used to sneak into these tunnels when we were kids.

Bit of music, couple of ciders.

No-one knew we were here.

Is this a confession to breaking and entering?

HUMPHREY CHUCKLES

They run underneath this entire building.

WOMAN: These nets were found this morning, weighed down with stones

to pull the seaweed out of the sunlight.

If they'd succeeded, we'd be facing a failed harvest.

That's not all. I got this.

"Stop your expansion plans or face the consequences."

It was shoved through our office door.

I found it this morning.

Any CCTV? Private security?

No. Regretting that now.

We've got a final appeal hearing about the expansion tomorrow. 10am.

With Marine Management and the council.

I can't believe someone hates what we're doing this much.

I put everything into this business.

Word is, we might finally get approved.

Someone clearly doesn't want that.

Yes. Or some thing.

Do you know of anyone in particular who's against the planned expansion?

Honestly? Half the town.

I'm scared.

This isn't grumbling in some parish newsletter.

Thi... This is malicious.

It feels like there's a target on my back.

PHONE BUZZES

Oh.

I'm really sorry, I'm late for a meeting.

Will you let me know what you find?

- OK. - Yeah.

Kelby, can we get this sent to the lab, please?

Prints, if we're lucky.

- Sir. - Find anything?

The Tideline crew found the nets at 5:30am.

Last clear check was 6pm yesterday,

so sabotage happened overnight.

All right.

Well, now...

...what's this?

Not seen one like this before.

Let me guess. You collected shells...

- I collected shells at school. - ...at school. Bet you were popular.

She was moving fast below the surface.

Saw her long tail, flashing electric blue in the sea sparkle.

Could only be one thing. A mermaid.

How close?

Right below me.

Popped up again well past the lines.

Tail arcs, down she goes again. Blink...

...then gone. Just like that.

- It's extraordinary. - Aye.

Magic, it were.

I know what folks say.

"Jeff be proper mazed."

But I know what I saw.

What were you doing out so late?

Night fishing. Not so odd. Tide was right.

Sleeping all right?

On any meds? Mixing... anything home-brewed?

HE SCOFFS

- Did you see any other boat? - Nah.

Just me...

...and her.

The Mermaid of Shipton Abbott.

You tell me what else can swim through sea sparkle and then just vanish.

You ever pull one of these up in your nets?

Can't say I have.

Odd - looking thing, innit?

Mind if I borrow one?

I don't care. Help yourself.

Super.

You know, mermaids have been spotted throughout history...

...as long as humans have sailed.

On ships sailed by a load of lonely men drinking cheap rum,

which pretty much describes Jeff Simmons, too.

HE CHUCKLES

Only 5% of the ocean's explored, Sergeant.

Who's to know what's out there?

The sea... hides all manner of strange things.

AUTOMATED MESSAGE: Please leave your message after the tone. TONE

MARTHA: Hello. Me again. Could you call me back as soon as possible, please?

Thanks. Bye.

SHE GROANS

Ooh! Everything all right?

If I strangled a builder, do you think Humphrey would arrest me

- or let me go? - Ooh...

Well, I'm sure you could convince him to let you off.

Good to know.

So how'd it go with your mum?

How did she take the travel news?

Weirdly well.

Suspiciously calm.

Calm's good, isn't it?

You'd think, but... Mum's got layers.

You never really know what she's thinking.

Even worse since the whole Archie thing.

Her... Her head's all over the place.

Well, we're going out for a drink tonight,

so I'm sure she'll tell me how she feels about it.

She could use a good night out.

- Be good for her to have a proper laugh. - Couldn't we all?

- How can I help you? - Two cappuccinos, please.

Thanks.

Er... Coastguard just confirmed.

- Only Jeff's boat was near Tideline. - Mm-hm.

So he was the only one out there by the seaweed farm.

Apart from the mermaid.

Right. And a unicorn did my taxes.

Very well. Let us set mythical sea creatures aside.

Where's our motive for damaging those lines?

That's a lot of fishing grounds to lose if the expansion goes ahead.

So that would suggest it has to be someone from the fishing community.

Mm. Um, Margo, anything back from the lab about our letter?

Oh, just a moment...

I believe no fingerprints were found.

Er, just the exclusion prints that were taken, which were Diana Cooper’s.

Mm-hm.

Paper was pretty standard. Same with the ink.

Anyone with a home computer could have done it.

You were listening to my phone conversation!

I thought you were here to observe.

Jeff Simmons could have dropped off the letter

last night before he went out on his boat.

Well, y-y-yes, but, then, why draw attention to yourself?

I - I checked through his finances.

Looks like he's applying for more Defra fishing subsidies.

There. So he's got financial problems.

Diana Cooper's expansion threatens his patch.

And why the mermaid story?

A misdirection.

It had to be him.

His was the only boat in the area.

He may have been in the vicinity,

but it doesn't mean he's responsible for that damage.

What did you say it was called again?

Ah. Now, that...

...is bioluminescence, or sea sparkle.

It's a chemical reaction. RULER TAPS

Any movement...

WATER SLOSHES

SOFTLY: Whoa!

...sets it off like a flare.

Now, it must have been close to the seaweed farm,

because he says the mermaid appeared and vanished in it.

Fishing folk around here are obsessed

with the Mermaid of Shipton Abbott.

Yeah, what is that story, exactly?

Well...

...the story goes that the mermaid

once fell in love with a local fisherman

until she saw that he was taking too much

from her seas. So...

...she conjured a storm... THUNDER RUMBLES

...and told him she'd help him back to the shore,

but actually lured him onto the rocks.

RAIN BATTERS

His boat was ripped to shreds,

and there he met his end.

Some swear she's real.

A spirit of the deep.

Revenge with a tail. But...

The warning is implicit -

disrespect the sea and face the consequences.

- Yes, very interesting, Anne. - Tch!

Are we done?

Now, Diana mentioned public opposition, but no names.

KELBY: Er, sir, looks like word's spread beyond the fish market.

♪ MermaidsRevenge♪ is trending online.

"Mermaid's revenge."

We should find out where that originated.

There's something about this whole thing that doesn't quite ring true.

If you're looking at opposition, try Dr Mary Rhodes.

She's a marine conservationist.

She writes to the council every week

about the seaweed farms. She's tireless.

Slightly exhausting.

Someone who is against the expansion and an avid letter-writer.

Very interesting, Anne.

HE EXHALES Let's see what she has to say.

Good morning.

Oh.

If you want to talk, you can be of help.

Two hands, one picker each.

Maud, can you sort these people, please?

OK.

Thank you.

Oh, sorry. Oh...

MAUD LAUGHS

Use your wrist. Let it do the work.

You'll get it.

Thank you.

You been doing this long?

Ever since my husband died last year.

Sid loved the sea.

We scattered his ashes out near Shipton Abbott Island.

I don't get out much.

Mary and my lovely granddaughter, Lacy,

they thought this might be good for me.

Mary and I go back to the picket lines in '84.

Oh. MAUD CHUCKLES

Her bark's worse than her bite,

though not by much. HE LAUGHS

Thank you.

MARY: Tidelines talks green, but it's industrial farming.

I mean, 9,000 buoys, lights on all night.

Their biggest mistake was shutting out the community.

If they hadn't done that, we might have been able to help.

Need to stop for a bit. Sorry.

I have asthma. Had it since I was a kid.

Not at all.

Diana...

...was sent this note last night.

- That's pretty threatening. - Yeah. Pretty unequivocal.

We gather you like to write a letter?

Yes, I do.

But I prefer the handwritten touch.

Anyway, I wasn't in Shipton Abbott last night.

Where were you?

At Hawk's Hut, up on the Newson Rock.

Couple of miles down the coast.

Some eccentric built it.

Said he saw mermaids from up there. HE LAUGHS

Maud's husband bought it years ago...

She lets me use it. It's great.

Great place for monitoring the seals.

Anyone with you?

No. Just me, a flask and no phone signal. Bliss.

Ever seen one of these?

No. It's not local, though.

Could be tropical.

Maud's husband was a shell collector.

Why don't we ask her? Maud?

Have a look at this. Do you know what that is?

It was found tangled in the nets that were used to sabotage the seaweed farm.

No idea.

It's curious, isn't it?

Tropical shell caught in Devon fishing nets.

Perhaps it drifted in on a current,

dropped off a passing boat.

Oh, look.

Old, washed-up netting.

Just like what was used in the sabotage.

Mm.

So our environmental warrior,

she clearly has a motive, access to materials, and no alibi.

Supposedly alone in a hut famous for mermaid sightings.

But how did she get out there?

You know, this whole mermaid legend thing...

...feels like someone's using it to put us off the scent.

- Kelby? - Sir?

Can you request Dr Rhodes' council letters and compare them to Diana's, please?

On it, sir. Also, we've traced that mermaid revenge hashtag.

Started with a group called Stop Stealing Our Seas.

Er, last month, they staged a paddle-out protest

led by local surfer Elijah Moore.

Right. Good to know. Thank you, Kelby.

PHONE RINGS

MARGO MUTTERS Oh...!

Shipton Abbott Police. Anne speaking.

How can I help?

Oh, yes, just a moment.

- It's for you. - Mm.

Hm!

Hello, Jan.

Anything I can help with?

There is, actually, Anne.

Er, the Inspector wants to check our letter with some from Dr Rhodes.

Could you get us some from the council?

Absolutely. I'll give it a try.

Well, just go back.

ANNE EXHALES

Won't take you two minutes.

Oh, come on...

Hello. It's Councillor Lloyd here.

Yes. Um, could you put me through...

- See you. - ...to council complaints?

MARGO SIGHS It's Angela, I think.

What was Agnieszka's last name again?

- Why? - Don't you know?

Yes. Norwid. N-O-R-W-I-D.

You doing a search?

Just seeing if she's as pretty as you say she is.

...complaint to the seaweed farms...

All I'm getting

is cats in hats on skateboards.

What are you talking about?

Ah, that's cute!

A kitten in a teacup.

- You... you must have typed it in wrong. - No.

- That's weird. - You're not kidding.

Who dresses a cat in sunglasses?

No. Jeff Simmons, the fisherman.

His bank records show he made a purchase for custom alloys from alloyluke.com.

Well, what's wrong with that?

Have you seen his truck? It's ancient.

So why buy flash aluminium alloys?

Unless...

No. Cos that wouldn't...

But maybe he did.

Good to see you.

It's all there.

Good.

See you next time.

Your Stop Stealing Our Seas paddle board protest certainly stirred things up.

Ugh!

Good stunt, Elijah. Got people talking.

It weren't a stunt. People are angry.

They don't want Tideline Farms wrecking this coastline.

Those are lovely.

Maori fish hooks. Keep you from getting lost at sea.

Found them in New Zealand.

Different shops, same day.

Kind of one of those weird life things.

Your latest campaign's catchy, too.

"Mermaid's Revenge." Fits the local folklore.

Jeff Simmons swears he saw a mermaid last night.

ELIJAH LAUGHS

Hard to say what Jeff saw,

but if the myth fits the moment...

Good campaigns ride the current.

Yeah, unless it stops being a myth.

Diana Cooper received a threat this morning.

We don't do threats.

"Mermaid's Revenge" sounds like a call to arms.

Could one of your followers have taken things too far?

We're not responsible for what random people do.

And Diana Cooper’s no saint. She's trying to privatise

a coastline that people depend on.

Yeah, but she is a person.

Who's scared.

Where were you both last night?

Newquay.

Surf comp. Stayed at the Neptune.

Got back this morning.

Mm-hm.

I stayed in with Gran. Pizza and a film.

DISTANT VOICES

- MAUD: You know my granddaughter, Lacy? - No.

OK, thanks.

KELBY: These fins, or...?

HUMPHREY: Oh, that's it!

Yes. Print one of those off, please.

These are free diving fins.

Free diving fins.

So maybe Jeff didn't see a mermaid.

He didn't. He saw a free diver wearing these.

In the bioluminescence, I suppose if the two fins

were together, it could look like a tail.

Mermaid-ish, even?

You know, I must say, the whole visual case precis is very helpful.

Even if it was a free diver,

how do you haul weighted nets offshore without a boat?

Well, um... Paddleboard. Surfboard.

Not with that weight. You'd flip.

If they're a free diver, they could dive down

and pick up the stones one at a time?

Kelby, check Lacy and Elijah's alibi, please.

- Maybe he free dives, too. - Sir.

Yeah, but still...

You see, that is not the most puzzling question.

You see, Jeff says the mermaid was there one moment

and gone the next. So...

...if it wasn't a mermaid

but a free diver posing as one, how on earth did they vanish

in a sea that lights up every move?

Perhaps Jeff lied, blinked, or both.

Speaking of Jeff, I saw him pocketing a fat wad of cash off of some bloke.

I followed and saw him get into a brand-new truck.

Huh! New truck, easy cash?

I thought he was meant to be broke.

Needed extra subsidies.

- He's being paid for something. - Yes. Agreed.

Perhaps it's time we...

...reel in our fisherman.

You know, Humphrey, I... I think I'll join you, if I may.

Er...

I mean, being stuck round here all day rather... numbs the brain.

Yes.

RECORDER BEEPS Yeah.

Let's just drop the mermaid story, shall we?

Who's paying you to sabotage the seaweed lines?

No-one.

Then how'd you afford the new truck?

The Coastguard confirmed yours was the only boat in the area.

Look, I don't care what you say.

I know what I saw.

She was there and then she weren’t.

Couldn't it have just been a diver, Jeff...

- ...wearing these- - No chance.

It were real. Magic.

HUMPHREY EXHALES

She moved like she were part of the sea.

Got me thinking...

...maybe the sea sent her.

A warning.

Like the story says.

What were you drinking?

I maybe had a bit of... rum.

Hmm.

Why do you think the mermaid was a warning, Jeff?

You been taking a bit too much from the sea recently, is that it?

Disrespect the sea and face the consequences.

JEFF SIGHS

Look, I lands a few sea bass now and then on the sly.

Who doesn’t?

Sells up north a good price.

Cash in hand. Off the books.

- Enough for a new truck? - Yeah.

I've been stretching the pennies a while now.

So the late-night fishing, the new truck, the cash -

all from poaching sea bass off the books?

Mm.

I swear on me mum’s grave...

...I saw a mermaid.

And I never touched that seaweed farm, neither.

- Two oat milk lattes. - Thanks.

You still think you're the victim, don't you?

But no-one wants this expansion.

- You should just drop it. - Right. That's enough.

Not in here.

Are you OK? Do you want to sit?

I'm fine.

I'll get your usual.

ANNE: So what happens now Jeff's admitted to poaching but not to sabotage?

Well, he's still a witness to a crime.

His interview recording needs to be transcribed

- and filed. - Can I do anything?

Oh, it... it might have to wait until tomorrow.

Margo, perhaps Anne might be able to help with some of our information grouping.

Oh, that sounds interesting.

Otherwise known as filing.

KELBY: What time did he arrive?

Happy to help.

From what I've seen of your filing so far...

...it's in need of some good reorganisation.

And what time did he leave? MARGO SCOFFS, LAUGHS

So, Jeff is adamant he's not our culprit.

But if it wasn't him, then... then the free diver theory still holds.

So what about Elijah?

You know... young, confident surfer.

Or Lacy. Both good with a paddle board.

It can’t be. Elijah was in Newquay.

Hotel confirmed it. Lots of witnesses.

And Maud said Lacy was at home

watching Before Heaven with her.

My nan's obsessed.

Right. So that leaves Mary.

Oh, sir, I got her council letters.

Anne helped me. Listen to this one.

"If you don't drop the expansion,"

"I will be forced to take matters further,"

"and you may regret the consequences."

That sounds like a warning shot.

Yeah, the same tone. Similar words.

Mary’s got a record, too.

A couple of charges, some arrests.

All protest stuff.

Goes back a fair way to the '80s.

Yeah, but her asthma... she couldn't free dive.

And whoever it is, it still begs the question...

how did they get away without lighting up the sea?

Maybe she really was a mermaid.

How is our only suspect still a mermaid?

BOTH CHUCKLE

SHE SIGHS

MARTHA: How someone can be the most...

...infuriating, and yet the most amazing person...

...at exactly the same time... SHE LAUGHS

...is a mystery.

- Can I be honest? - Always.

I didn't get it.

When I met you both for the first time,

I couldn't see how you...

- ...fit together. - No?

- Mm-mm. - Well...

...I suppose you're not alone in that.

Took Mum a while, too.

But now you're so loved-up and so perfect for each other, it makes me want to vomit.

Oh, I'm sorry we make you feel that way.

BOTH LAUGH No, don't be.

It's lovely. I'm just jealous.

- Are you? - Nah. You know me.

One-man band, or one-woman band.

- Does...? Does that still work? - Hmm...

You know, you never told me what happened with you and Archie.

- Didn't I? - No.

Nothing to tell. It was a thing, then it wasn't.

- Same old, same old. - Well, something must have happened.

Yeah, it did.

Me.

You know opening up and letting someone in isn't as scary as it sounds?

You think?

Well, did you ever...

...talk to him about Zoe's dad?

Sort of.

Oh, I hate it when you do that!

Do what? Look at me like a disappointed teacher when I've forgotten my homework.

What happened to you was terrible.

And I've no idea how you got through it...

...how you picked up the pieces and...

...not only survived, but brought up Zoe the way you did,

to be the most amazing person that she is.

And I know that you loved Zoe's dad.

But it doesn't mean you can't be in love again.

The thing is, he's still here.

He smiles at me every day...

...the second Zoe walks into the room.

So whoever I'm with, I end up hating them for not being him.

Archie never stood a chance.

Well, I suppose the trick is...

...not hating Archie for what he's not...

...but finding a way to love him for what he is.

Ooh! THEY CHUCKLE

That went quite deep there! Did he pay you to say that?

- Of course. - How much?

- Thousands. - Good.

Because it's your round.

You know, if you told Archie any of that...

...he'd get it.

Mm, no, that's way too scary.

I double-dare you.

Mm, I'll think about it.

But if I do a dare, you've got to do one, too.

Like what?

Mm, I'll think of something.

- When you get another drink. - OK.

DISTANT LAUGHTER

MARTHA: I don't know why I'm doing a dare!

You haven't even done yours yet.

No, you have to go first. It's the law.

- Says who? - Me!

And I'm a Detective Sergeant.

- Mm. - And what would Humphrey say?

Er, that his wife is so boring she won't go skinny-dipping. MARTHA GASPS

Take that back!

- No, YOU take it back. - I haven't got it!

BOTH LAUGH

Well...

...last one to get their kit off

- is a kipper. - What?!

I don't know, it just came out.

Ready? Ready?

Ooh!

Ooh, they might think we're mermaids!

SHE LAUGHS

Woohoo!

Yah!

MARTHA LAUGHS

BOTH SHRIEK

DOOR CREAKS

HUMPHREY: Mm?

I said two... two pencils, and a pair of underpants.

MARTHA LAUGHS QUIETLY

Ah... Oh... Oh!

MARTHA SHIVERS

Oh, Ma... Ma... Martha?

You're... you're freezing. You're freezing!

SHE LAUGHS Esther and I went for a swim!

THEY LAUGH

Not skinny-dipping, though.

That's what I used to do...

- ...before... - You OK?

Humphrey, do you think I'm boring?

Definitely not.

Sometimes I think I am.

Not just tonight, but always.

Like I've... flattened out.

Sorry.

MARTHA SNORES

KELBY: Good news.

Agnieszka is coming to visit.

MARGO: Visit?

- In person? - Yeah.

Thought she'd lost her job.

She has.

So how did she afford the flight?

Tell me you didn't send money to someone you've never met.

So what if I had?

- I've been digging online. - Find anything?

No. Which is worse. One social media account.

No photos. Just cats.

And now he's sending her money.

ESTHER GROANS

Shall I have a word?

Best leave it with me.

ANNE: Here you are.

- Morning. - Good morning, Anne. Morning.

- Anne? - Hmm?

Have you spoken to Martha this morning?

How did she seem to you?

She's fine. Why?

Well, she said something last night...

...about thinking she was boring.

Well, then, it's...

...it's your job to help her realise that she's not.

- My job? - Mm.

Right.

Yeah.

Er, sir... PHONE RINGS

...there was a bit of a crowd

at the council offices this morning.

- Protests against Tideline. - Oh, yes. The final appeal.

It should be over by now.

- And yet... - What time was this?

...we are still no closer to identifying our mermaid.

Free-diver.

Diana Cooper's missing.

Diana told staff she’d be in early for the appeal,

but when they turned up at nine, the office was empty.

They figured she’d already gone to the council meeting, but she never showed.

Well, she wouldn't miss that willingly.

- It was too important. - Yeah, well, I checked,

and the appeal was dismissed when she didn’t show up.

Well, car's still here.

No forced entry, no struggle.

Yeah, they use key cards here.

Should show her entry and exit times.

Just waiting on the data.

Hmm. She was mid-email.

And didn't finish it.

Why leave your phone?

Either she was planning on coming back or didn't get a chance.

Something interrupted her. GENTLE TINKLING

What's that sound? PHONE VIBRATES

Oh! Got the key card log.

She swiped in at 8:10, out 8:37.

So where'd she go after that? And did she have a choice?

Sir?

Looks like she was a regular.

Maybe she stopped there this morning.

Kelby, can we get this unlocked, please?

Sir.

PHONE RINGS

- Margo. - Sir,

we've checked her house, friends, hospital -

nothing. No sign of Diana at all.

That looks... delightful.

My fail-proof hangover remedy from java.

The raw chilli is the key.

Urgh! I think I'd be cured out of fear.

Er... October 12th?

Can't. Wine festival, Torquay.

OK. Um... 17th, 18th?

Er, might be seeing Nigel.

Can you shift it?

I mean, my parents are dying to meet you.

Thanks, Zoe.

I'll check.

Paradise might be wearing thin.

Oh?

Oh!

I'll be out back.

How are you feeling?

Hmm.

I'm here about Diana Cooper. She's missing.

Missing? She was just here.

Right after I opened.

- How was she? - Mm... Stressed about her appeal.

There was something yesterday - a nasty exchange with a surfer.

In here. Young guy, dark hair.

Mm. Sounds like Elijah.

Anything else from this morning? Even small.

She was on her phone.

Mentioned someone.

Er... Dr Rhodes?

Hounding her about the expansion.

You're sure?

Yeah. Positive. Why? ESTHER SIGHS

Diana was dead set on going to the appeal.

Then she vanishes right before it.

Things aren't always what they appear.

PHONE RINGS If anything more comes up,

- call the station? - Of course.

Yep?

Yep. I'm on my way.

Where's Anne?

Margo?

- No idea. - KELBY: Sir.

A text came in at 8:33am.

Unknown number.

"If you want the truth about the sabotage,

"meet me at Hawk's Hut, 9am." 8:33.

8:33! She swiped out at 8:37.

So that's where she was going.

And we all know who uses Hawk's Hut, hmm?

Dr Rhodes.

Where's Diana Cooper?

I haven't seen Diana. Why? Why? What's going on?

She's missing.

She didn't show up for the appeal.

She received a message from an unregistered number

asking her to meet someone here.

And here you are.

SHE CHUCKLES

You think I kidnapped her? Harmed her?

The letters you wrote to the council were pretty threatening.

I was simply considering action against Tideline Farms.

You've got a record.

Yeah, but not for violence. I'm a peaceful protester.

- So why are you here? - I told you yesterday.

This is my base.

I was here all night, I promise you.

I have no idea where Diana is.

Mind if we check in there?

- Be my guest. - Thank you.

GENTLE TiNKLING

That sound.

I've heard it before.

Sid made that. Maud's husband.

It's too hard for Maud and Lacy to come up here these days.

So I keep it, as a memory of him.

Anything?

Diana's not here.

So where is she?

Jeff admitted to the poaching but stuck to the mermaid tale.

Mary Rhodes was just in the wrong place.

Elijah and Lacy both have alibis.

What are we missing?

Maori fish hooks. Found them in New Zealand.

- New Zealand. - Hmm?

SOFTLY: New Zealand.

It's a paua shell, only found in New Zealand.

Sacred to the Maori for remembrance, grief.

This... This isn't protest. It's personal.

Driven by loss.

TYPING Look!

To keep things sustainable, the law says that paua

can only be harvested by free-divers.

Ah!

Elijah and Lacy.

But both have alibis.

Elijah maybe - his alibi was verified -

but Lacy told us she was with her grandmother, Maud,

which we accepted because we couldn't see a motive.

But if she had a motive, then it could be a lie?

Which means Maud must also have lied.

To protect her granddaughter.

So what if Maud knew

that the shell we found in the nets was Lacy's?

So she told us they were together.

No idea.

But it wasn't true.

Jeff is convinced that he saw a mermaid,

but what I think he actually saw was Lacy, a free diver, avoiding him.

The bioluminescence and a lot of rum did the rest.

But how did she get away without being seen in bioluminescence?

Look who I found stuck in the store cupboard!

PANTING: The door slammed. I... I couldn't open it.

Oof! Wind must have blown it shut.

That door's always been dodgy.

I tried shouting for a while, but I... I got a bit tired.

We’re so sorry, Anne. We couldn’t hear you.

We thought you’d left and gone home.

Precisely!

We assumed that Lacy swam away somehow,

but what if she never actually left?

Lacy had swum out to the seaweed farm

to free dive for stones to weigh the nets down.

When Jeff appeared, Lacy tried to flee underwater but realised her movements

were lit by the bioluminescence.

So she did something only a free-diver could -

she stayed still, held her breath for several long minutes.

An ingenious vanishing act.

ESTHER: We thought she swam away,

but she disappeared by staying exactly where she was.

So what if Diana did the same thing?

What if the text about Hawk's Hut wasn't for her...

...it was for us?

A distraction?

The paua was for Lacy's grandfather, remember?

He collected shells, made wind chimes with them.

When I was by Diana's window this morning,

I heard wind chimes, the same as the ones at Hawk's Hut.

I couldn't quite place it before.

It was so faint.

We used to sneak into these tunnels when we were kids.

The tunnels below the offices are perfect hiding spots,

and not just for teenage parties.

When written threats and sabotage failed to scare Diana off,

Lacy turned to more drastic measures.

Lacy grew up here,

before Tideline Farms took over the old fishing warehouse.

She knew its secrets.

Like the Mermaid of Shipton Abbott,

Lacy set her musical lure.

CHIMES TINKLE

Diana took the bait, followed the sound of wind chimes.

Beautiful. Alluring.

DOOR SLAMS

Lacy didn't want to harm her...

Let me out! BANGING ON DOOR

- ...just trap her... - Please, let me out!

...like a fish in a net.

She sent the text,

then swiped Diana's key card to make it look like she left.

So Lacy and Diana both vanished by staying put.

Lacy wove us a mermaid's tale,

so we'd chase a lure while the truth waited, hidden in the depths below.

Go!

ANNE WHIMPERS

KELBY: Letts try down here.

One that way, one that way.

- Let's go. - There’s a door.

- Diana? - DIANA, MUFFLED: Help!

- Do you hear that? - DIANA: Over here!

Diana?!

SHE SOBS

I think you dropped this.

I thought it was gone for good.

Your grandfather loved the sea, loved collecting shells.

You scattered his ashes just past the seaweed farm...

...and the shell is for him.

Is that why you did all of this?

Picnics on the boat.

Grandad diving for shells.

That stretch of water was ours.

I meant to take this to where we scattered his ashes.

I'm not against the seaweed farms, but the expansion?

I checked the map.

We wouldn’t be able to visit Grandad again.

And it’s not just me, it’s everyone.

- The sea is our life. - And Diana?

I didn’t want to hurt her.

You just needed her to miss that meeting.

If she couldn't get approval for the expansion, well...

...it couldn't happen.

I promised Gran that they’d always be together at the end.

Tideline Farms would have made that impossible.

Drink?

- Er, yeah. - Great.

First round on me?

Er... Sorry. Another time. Yeah.

Bye, sir.

- Sir? - Er, same.

A few things to tie up here.

HUMPHREY EXHALES

DOOR CLOSES

ANNE CLEARS HER THROAT Humphrey, could I have a word?

Um, if it's about Martha, Anne,

I've had an idea. It's all in hand.

Oh, no. No. That's good. No, it's, er...

It's delicate.

OK. Can it wait, then? I'm a bit snowed under.

It's about James Smith.

Right, well, if James Smith has another demand of me,

I'd like a hazard warning first.

And maybe a siren.

And if this is about me hurrying up and firing one of my team

due to an impossibly small budget,

then kindly tell him I've tragically perished...

...in a freak paperwork avalanche!

I'm... I'm sorry.

I had no idea.

DOOR CLOSES

I can’t wait to bring Agnieszka here.

She’ll love it. Proper English pub.

Kelby... look, this is awkward,

but I've been wanting to have a chat with you about Agnieszka.

- What about her? - I'm...

I'm just concerned it's moving a bit fast.

Why?

There's hardly anything about her online.

Just cats.

So she likes cats.

- It's not a crime, is it? - No, it's just...

...something feels off.

I've seen this kind of thing before.

What kind of thing?

Someone online says all the right things.

They find your soft spots and use them.

You think I'm easy to trick?

I mean, just a bit trusting.

Agnieszka listens.

Really listens.

She doesn’t treat me like a child.

Then stop acting like one.

There. That’s it, isn’t it?

No, no, no. Kelby, I didn't mean that.

You’ve never seen me as an equal.

Not once.

I'm just the idiot you've got to keep an eye on.

That's not fair! No, what’s not fair

is you deciding what’s best for me before I even get a say!

A-At least Agnieszka believes in me.

Which is a lot more than I can say for you.

DOOR CLOSES

Ah!

So that's what your cryptic text was about? A swim?!

Not just a swim.

A skinny-dip!

Why?!

Because you're not boring.

- We're not boring! - But what if people see?

Take a risk!

Isn't that the fun?

- Woo! - Ah!

Archie?

Hi. Esther.

AMELIA: Archie?

Need a hand?

Um...

Here.

MARTHA LAUGHS

OK...

No plotting your revenge!

I'm just thinking...

...we haven't laughed enough lately.

I'm sorry.

These evaluations have got me so...

- Distracted? - ..stressed.

Yeah, that too.

You're always... HUMPHREY SIGHS

...holding everything together, and you make it look so easy.

I just don't want to lose sight of you.

Of us. The real us.

BOTH GIGGLE

You love an adventure.

I mean, I...

DOG BARKS

Oh, no.

Oi!

Oi! Oi!

DOG BARKS, MARTHA LAUGHS

Oh, quick!

Oi! Oi! Come back! No, no!

Come back here! Come on. Good boy!

Do you want a biscuit?!

Biscuit!

A man was drugged, painted green, covered in ivy.

- Much like your Green Man. - It wasn't anyone from here.

Got a present for you. It's an eviction notice.

He wants to build 30 houses here.

Are you suggesting Mr Outram assaulted his own worker?

- He's capable of that. - You seem to know a lot about him.

My brother.

They've assaulted my groundsman, and now this!

How long before they kill someone?!

- You came to the house the other night. - I'm sorry,

I... I didn't realise you had someone there.

Agnieszka's supposed to be flying in today.

I know what you're thinking.

That she's catfishing you out of your savings.

You understand that tomorrow is the absolute deadline,

I must have your decision.

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