Original subtitles

I think every one of you is mad.

Hello. Do you make all these yourself, Miss Lawton?

Yes.

Do you like it? Yes, she does, I can tell.

Love that one.

It's really nice.

How many do you get a set? Six of those, do you think?

This is a very moving moment for me, George.

It's the first time in my life I've ever won anything.

Thank you. It'll be rotten inside, I guarantee.

You are just jealous because I've got a coconut and you haven't.

Hello, George.

Simone.

Who is this?

Simone Hollingsworth, and that bloke's her husband, Alan.

What's he got that we haven't got then, George?

Good question.

He's bought the mill.

Going to turn it into one of those craft

centers, you know, potters, painters, glass blowers.

You don't sound overjoyed about that.

Hello, George.

Where's Kath?

In the tea tent.

He's cheated the marquee!

Pretty sweet maid, do thou wish to partake of a beef burger?

Um, actually, we chose a veggie burger.

It's more to thy taste.

And you, kind sir, a dog of the hot variety.

Yonder at the barbecue, two sovereigns at peace.

Oh, poor Goliath.

Can't sue.

Dad, that old lady over there, the mutton dresser's lamb, do you know her?

That's a terrible thing to say, even though it's true.

No, I don't. No, she's that actress, um, Frieda somebody.

You know.

Oh, come on, what's her name?

Oh, there's that.

Care to have another go?

Yes. Thanks.

Hello, there.

Hello.

Skittles, 20p a go.

Oh, don't be silly, buddy, dear.

The young lady's come to talk to me.

I saw you asking your father, isn't she that actress?

Oh, if he was in, uh, what's the name of that film?

He knows exactly who you are, and so do I.

Elfrieda Malfrey.

I am flattered.

Look, I know why you left it till now.

You think that I won't make a fuss in front of a crowd, yeah.

Well, I don't care who sees me beat you to a pulp, right?

I suggest you two leave this till later.

Who's the lad who fancies himself Count?

He's called Gray Patterson.

Right, where are the Andersons?

Nigel, Doreen, you left money in Morton Mill, didn't you?

Trifling some.

Well, did you know that the company is on its last legs?

Pardon?

What? I'm sorry, I wanted to tell everyone privately.

Felicity, where's your other half?

Reg, do you know anything about this?

Sorry, Gray, it's news to me.

Oh, he's only the company's secretary.

Why should he know anything?

Look, we've invested money, too, you know.

Look, it's not just inefficiency.

Unhelpful bank, the wrong project manager.

Yeah, and bang goes my 20 grand.

Sarah, Sarah.

This old fool has lost us all money.

Now, show of hands, eh?

Who wants me to kill him?

Is there a policeman in the house?

Get him!

Hey, Mr. Patterson, who are you?

I am a policeman.

We keep the peace, you know?

And if you have a complaint, you should make it to the proper authority.

It's me.

Do you have a complaint?

No.

What was all that about, then?

That shindig in the tea tent?

Oh, something or nothing, Tom, really.

Hardly nothing, love.

At the very best, it was a damn cheek.

And at the very worst, a criminal.

You know I'm chair of the planning committee on the Valley Council?

This new craft center at the mill, it needed permission.

So?

Gray Patterson offered me money to push the plans through.

How much?

3,000 pounds.

That's a funny sum, isn't it?

Not exactly peanuts, but hardly worth taking a risk for.

The money isn't really a problem.

He threatened her as well.

♪

Bunny!

Reg!

Fetch Elfrida!

Three pints up the pub for everyone who helped with the fete.

Jolly good.

How much did we make, Reg?

All getting on for £2,000, I think.

Not a bad day's work.

Not coming to the pub, then?

No, I've had enough of the village for one day.

What gravy there?

I expect so.

You know why you had a go at me, don't you?

Because you fancy me like mad.

I can't imagine why you married me.

Tell me the truth.

Have you really cheated all those people out of that money?

♪

♪

♪

Oh, I'm sorry.

Mrs. Anderson, isn't it?

It's all right.

I keep an eye on Gray.

A bit of laundry, shopping, clearing up.

You know what single young men are like.

From personal experience.

Afternoon, Inspector.

Doreen, thanks.

You really are a sweetheart.

Pleasure.

See you tomorrow?

She enjoys cooking for me.

It'd be churlish to refuse.

What does she get out of it?

Well, I suppose I make her feel needed and young.

Now, then, what can I do for you?

I'd like a bit of your self esteem, if you can spare any.

Excuse me, what are you doing?

Looking around?

Yeah, well, I'd rather you didn't.

Why are you here, Inspector?

Alan Hollingsworth.

Yesterday, you threatened to kill him.

It's just words.

Beat the moment stuff.

That's when most murders occur.

Nevertheless, we can forget it all happened for a price.

What? More, of course, than you offered

Catherine Bullard to push your plans through.

I never did any such thing.

She's a friend of mine.

-You're not. -I believe her.

Or perhaps it was one of those heat of the moment things again.

Yeah, well, now you come to mention it.

Unlike the threat you made against her, which to me sounded very prepared.

If people don't get what's due to them, other people get hurt.

And you have such a lovely face, Catherine.

I'm sure you'd like to keep it.

Any man who says that to a woman is either desperate or downright evil.

Which are you?

Look, I knew things were going

pear-shaped at the mill because Alan had dithered.

Well, on purpose, I reckon.

The bank had started to call in its loans, so.

Your partner was working a scam, you think?

Yeah, but not that it looked that way.

I mean, it was me who was persuading people to invest.

Did you put anything into it?

$20,000.

Right, I'm going around to have words with Alan Hollingsworth.

You will stay away from him.

And Catherine Bullard.

After all, you have such a lovely face.

I'm sure you'd like to keep it.

I hate blokes like that.

Silver spoon in his gob, Gregorio Filoni under his armpits.

Who, what? Deodorant, 80 quid a bottle.

What do you think of that room?

Poncy.

No school photos, no pictures of his mom and dad, no pictures of himself, even.

That is a man trying to lose his pass.

If it's any help, he's no more tough than you are.

Grew up on the streets, did he?

Yeah, well, where else did he learn to separate people from their money?

Or women from their husbands.

Yeah.

An inspector calls, buddy.

Yes, dear, so I see.

Fresh pot, then.

You'll, uh, you'll be going to see the Hollingsworths, then?

Yes, yes, we are.

That, that's, uh, that's where they live.

Mr. Helmingsworth!

Hello?

♪

Anyone?

Mrs. Hollingsworth.

Is he dead?

No, I don't think so.

Well, how can you tell?

You did the first aid course to prove it.

DCI Barnaby.

He doesn't need an ambulance, sir.

He needs a bucket of cold water.

Rat arsed.

I'm sorry, it's a false alarm.

Why are you here?

People have lost money, I'm told, in the mill project.

Oh.

Mr. Hollingsworth,

all right.

Why don't you drop into the police station

tomorrow morning, and we'll talk it all through then.

Troy, no, you stay where you are.

Stay where you are.

Hello?

He can't come to the phone at the moment.

I can take a message.

Who was that?

Didn't say.

Man's voice.

Didn't want to be traced.

Mr. Hollingsworth?

Ed, where's your wife?

Bell-ringing practice.

Hello, Mrs. Anderson.

You're having a busy day.

George, I'm looking for Simone Hollingsworth.

She hasn't turned up.

You heard from her?

No, Mr. Barnaby.

Simone isn't one for the common courtesies.

Inspector, thank you for stepping in yesterday in the tea tent.

My pleasure, Mrs. Buckley, Felicity Buckley.

Well, thank you.

Hold your horses.

The loss of our hard-earned cash.

You will be looking into the matter, won't you?

Please take this as an official request.

So just because some bell-ringing ponce

loses a few quid, we go charging in, do we?

They're all here, Troy.

Who are they?

Isaac Dawlish.

That's one of Bunny's lot.

1667.

St. Anderson's over there and a couple of Buckley's over by the yew tree.

The old guard.

Wonder what they'd make of the newcomers.

Alan, Simone, Patterson.

Why don't we just do him for bribery and have done with it?

Oh, we will, Troy. We will, eventually.

But right now, something's making my copper's nose itch.

That'll be the Gregorio Filoni, sir.

It lingers.

Two blokes go into business together.

One threatens a friend of mine after first screwing money out of his neighbors.

The other runs the whole shebang onto the

rocks and legs it to the shore with the loot.

Meantime, his wife has disappeared.

That phone call, sir.

Oh, you're at it too now, Troy.

Hollingsworth, he said.

Not Mr., not Alan, not even hi, how are you.

Just Hollingsworth.

And you're not Alan Hollingsworth, so he slams the phone down.

-Who is he? -What does he want?

Excuse me, excuse me.

I'm looking for Alan Hollingsworth.

Alan.

Yes.

Alan?

What do you want to see him about?

I'd rather think that's my business.

Yes?

It's that one.

Thank you.

♪

Fat man calling at Rose Cottage.

Not Barnaby again, surely.

He's not fat.

He's delicious.

You do realise he's a policeman, don't you, dear?

Yes, of course I do.

Isn't it exciting?

Dangerous is the word I would have used.

Silly woman.

You're in very good health, young man.

My own, I imagine, is beyond the power of any toast.

What can I do for you, Mr. Vallicott?

Gray Patterson, your business partner.

X, to be precise.

Understand, he's been telling people that the

money he invested in the mill project is his own.

That's a slip of the tongue.

It's mine.

That's quite a slip from being his to yours.

I wouldn't say that.

His, mine, yours, theirs.

They all denote the same thing, belonging.

In this case, to me.

All 20 grand of it.

Do you know where Simone is?

Gone to her mother's, I thought.

You'll just have to make do with me.

Oh, I wouldn't call that making do.

I mean, you may not be the darts player she

is, but at least you've got a brain in your head.

So that's what you're after.

Good conversation.

And I thought you just meant it.

I know what you thought.

But I'm not saying I wouldn't like that too.

Wouldn't like what?

What you just said.

But I didn't finish the sentence.

Thank you.

I think you're wrong, though.

Simone's as sharp as a razor.

That's what Alan can't bear.

-Can't bear? -The man dotes on her.

You do know he knocks her about, don't you?

Yeah, but that's just gossip, surely.

I've seen the bruises.

Well hidden, never on the face.

Look, you don't think he could have done

something, well, out of the ordinary, do you?

Like what?

Well, like hitting her too hard.

♪

Who is it?

It's only me, Alan.

Brenda, I'm sorry.

I was miles away.

What can I do for you?

I know, um, I know Simone's at her mother's, so I made you this.

It's a shepherd's pie.

You just pop it in the oven to warm it through.

Thank you.

That was kind of you.

Is there anything else?

No.

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

I'm coming!

I'm coming!

Oh, how thrilling it must be to have a son

follow you into your profession, Inspector.

Oh, I imagine so, but, uh.

Ah, the dainty beak, known far and wide as the bunny cakes.

Oh, they look delicious.

Mind you, appearances can be deceptive.

Some proof might be needed.

Oh, please do, help yourselves.

What was it you wanted to talk to us about, Miss Malfrey?

Oh, yes, it's about next door, Alan and Simone.

The bunny boy was just turning in last

night when he heard a tronk, tronk.

Being of a curious nature, out he goes.

Why don't you tell it, Mr. Dawlish?

Over to the hedge.

And there was Alan digging a hole using my

spade, I might add, which he borrowed last week.

Well, how big a hole?

You agree with us?

He's killed her.

Was it big enough to hide a body?

Folded in half, yes.

Or chopped up.

Odd thing followed.

Brenda Buckley came on the scene carrying a shepherd's pie.

Alan nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the gate go.

Shepherd's pie, as in meats and potatoes?

Yes, and she handed it to him saying, thingy,

Simone is away with her mother, so I made you this.

An odd thing to do.

The point is, Simone hasn't got a mother.

She died three years ago.

Uh, may I?

Oh, yes, please do.

How have they been getting on lately, Alan and Simone?

Inspector, we don't listen to keyholes.

Oh, come on, Miss Morphy, of course you do.

Oh, the hell of a ding-dong the other night.

I don't care how you earn a living, Alan, just as long as you do.

So I work my guts out, and Craig Patterson gets all the attention, does he?

Don't be so old-fashioned.

I take that as an omission.

Well, it's no worse than you and Miss Droopy-Drawers next door.

Brenda?

Yes. I've seen her out there every morning, staring at you like a bush baby.

You love it, don't you?

Hello, Brenda, how are you today?

It's just good manners.

That's what I say about me and Greg.

Other people don't.

Now you tell what the bloody neighbors think.

And with that, she's slammed out of house.

And did she speak to you?

Pretended we weren't there.

Simone and Gray Patterson, is there anything in that?

If I were 50 years younger, she wouldn't have stood a chance.

You know, 10 minutes in your company and I feel better.

That's the only way to describe it, better.

That spade he borrowed, did he return it?

Yes.

Well, would you mind if

my sergeant borrowed it?

Not at all.

Sir.

Yes?

The other day, I asked you to drop into the station.

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

You all right, sir?

Yes, I'm all right.

You tell him.

To the station?

To talk about the mill project?

You didn't show up.

I've been rather preoccupied trying to save the business.

We asked you where Simone was.

Bell ringing, you said.

She wasn't.

You'll have to take that up with her.

-I will. -Where will you find her?

She's at her mother's.

Her mother's dead.

Who will I take that up with?

If you really must know, she's left me, walked out.

This is Sergeant Troy.

And this is a spade.

Between them, they're going to dig a hole in your garden with your permission.

Which I don't give.

Thank you.

He's gone round the back.

Hello, Bunny!

♪

♪

You won't find anything, you know.

Australia, I believe, if he puts his back into it.

Is this your doing, Dawlish?

Or frightful Frieders, where is the old bag?

enjoying it are we

you're missing a trick here reg why don't

you invite the whole village flogging tickets

I found something

♪

A shepherd's pie?

I confess, I buried it alive.

Will that be all?

No, not quite.

You'd better use upstairs.

Bathroom's right above us.

Shepherd's pie at midnight.

That speaks to me, Mr. Hollingsworth, of true love.

Even though I can't stand the stuff?

So there's nothing between you and Brenda Buckley?

Have you seen her?

♪

♪

So you admit that you buried the shepherd's pie.

Now, that's what you put down the hole.

What did you dig up?

A dead body.

Is that what you think?

No.

I think it was money.

Which I'm supposed to have stolen from my neighbors.

Wherever you got it from, you used it to pay a ransom demand.

What?

Your wife hasn't left you.

Someone is holding her.

My sergeant spoke to him on the phone the other day.

She's left me.

No, no, no, wait, wait, wait, wait.

We have highly trained negotiators for kidnappings.

The best in the world.

Think about it.

Your sergeant's taking his time.

He is a very fastidious man.

Oi!

Everything all right, sir?

Get out of here, both of you.

Well, the wardrobe's full of clothes, jewellery box empty.

Classic.

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

Plenty of clothes.

No jewelry.

Classic, that.

You sure you're alright, sir?

Oh, time for some spade work, Troy.

Another one of your little jokes, was it, sir?

No, Troy, that was a metaphor.

Get in touch with the fraud squad and see if

they're interested in a fiddle in Morton Fendle.

And dig up the, uh, I'm sorry.

Find out all you can about Patterson, Hollingsworth, and Reg Buckley.

Hey, Georgie.

Tom. Hey, you were right about that coconut.

It was rotten.

Uh-huh.

I thought I should let you know that Nigel Anderson,

our local wooden spoons, called a meeting lunchtime today.

-He's part of it. -What's the agenda?

How can those who put money into the mill project get it back?

Yes, I can tell you the answer to that right now.

They won't.

What do you mean, we won't?

Oh, not you too, George.

How are the mighty shafted?

You'll hold it, Monbrath.

Well, I think we should go to that meeting.

There you go, George.

Thanks very much.

Ask why you're here?

Believe it or not, for a drink.

We'd like two pints of that.

Oh, good afternoon, Mrs. Anderson.

Not on duty then, Mr. Barnaby?

No, but I could be at the drop of a clanger.

Only we had a meeting arranged.

Private.

Oh, and you think we might cramp your style?

Oh, it's all right.

They're on the house.

Oh, no, they're not, Nigel.

I'm sure you agree we don't want to make this

too formal, although it is a very serious matter.

Er, Bunny, would you mind?

Between us and this village, we've lost some 90,000 pounds to the Mill Project.

It's no surprise that Alan isn't here to answer the

charges, nor is Reg Buckley, the so-called company secretary.

As some of you know, I have asked the police

to investigate, and we await their response.

Good.

Darling?

Here's the latest.

I invited Alan here today.

He referred me to his solicitor.

He referred me to the official receiver.

In other words, the man's gone bankrupt.

You mean our hard-earned money will be stashed away in some Caribbean?

Flesh pot?

Yes. In Simone's name, I shouldn't wonder.

We could try asking Felicity where the money is.

Ask Reg by all means, but leave her out of it.

You seem to have forgotten that I've lost money too.

Frankly, you conned this money out of me, Gray.

No objection.

Overruled.

-Oh, come on, Nigel. -Grow up.

This is the kind of thing you expect if you take risks like that.

How dare you speak to me like that?

England, Greenland, Paris, England, Florence.

These things happen.

It's one of these things you have to express.

Just a minute.

-Just a minute. -Simmer down, please.

Now, let's put this to the vote.

Now, hands up, those of you who think that Gray cheated them.

I do.

1, 2, 3, 3,

4, uh, 4.

Carried, I think.

Oh, yes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Now, I'm not saying we do anything illegal, but

why don't we stroll around to Alan's house en masse?

I second that.

Hold it right there.

Sit down.

I won't be told what to do in my own hostelry.

If you want your license renewed, you will.

Sit down.

I believe that something very serious has happened in Mortonfendle.

Yes, and when are you going to do something?

I'm not talking about the mill project or you losing your money.

What else, then?

Have you not been asleep for the last three days?

Simone Hollingsworth has disappeared.

Come off it, Barnaby.

She's left him.

Oh, he kicked her out for playing the field.

Yeah.

Boyfriend's galore, you know.

Then why hasn't she taken her clothes with her?

And at the same time, her jewels have gone.

And that's a classic combination.

No time to pack the suitcase, and the

husband sells the jewelry to pay the ransom.

You mean she's been kidnapped?

I believe so, Miss Lawton.

I'm on dicey ground telling you, but far better that you

know the truth than you go around to try and lynch your husband.

Who's done this dreadful thing?

Someone with an axe to grind, Mrs. Buckley.

Someone who wants their money back.

as you all do.

Um, Inspector, may I speak with you?

Well, of course, yes.

It sounds odd, I know, but I was

wondering if you would have a word with my husband.

Yes, yes.

Jump in.

Well, he's obviously heard us coming and rushed up to his den.

What sort of woman is Simone?

Far too exotic for a village like this and for a man like Alan.

When did you last see her?

It's the night of the fate.

She was underdressed, as usual, and flirting with everyone in sight.

She left early with Gray.

And apart from Gray, who are her friends?

She and Sarah Lawton seem pretty close.

Sarah moved in here soon after Simone.

Simone was getting over Vince, you know, her last boyfriend.

And she was already married to Alan.

Women do make stupid mistakes, Inspector.

That's nice.

Yes. Wedding anniversary present from Reg.

25 years.

Very nice.

And expensive.

Oh, there have been other presents, too.

He says he got the money from savings.

And you don't believe him.

Well, there you are, Mr. Buckley.

Tell me, what happened at the mill?

Well, I'm not really sure.

Alan kept everything to himself, never shared.

To be honest, I wasn't really up to the job.

An accounts manager at Tesco is made redundant.

You were fired.

Discrepancies, they say.

It's become a sort of habit, has it?

Skimming the perks off the top.

Will you be pressing charges?

This room overlooks the other two cottages.

I'd like to put a man in here, if I may, for a few days.

See who comes, who goes.

Meantime, I'd like a list of everyone who's invested in the mill, please.

Why would a woman grass on a bundle of fun like Reg?

She wants him out of the way.

He was just the sort of man Hollingsworth needed, though, wasn't he?

A petty thief.

To point the finger at him, mean, if we came along.

God, he puts it about that bird, doesn't he?

Trashy good looks.

Women go for them.

It is a funny thing, Sarah went to the

meeting but she's not on the list of investors.

♪

♪

Felicity, it's Alan.

♪

Alan Hollingsworth's on the phone.

He said he'll tell you everything you want to know about Simone.

He's waiting for you.

♪

Hello?

♪

♪

I don't believe this!

Come on!

I don't quite know how to put this, Sam.

Very carefully, Troy, because I think I know what you're going to say.

I've lost him.

Here you go, boy-o.

Keep it, man, mate.

-Hey. -All right. All right.

It's alright.

There you go, buddy.

Thank you very much.

I know you're in trouble.

Please let me help you.

I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!

Yeah

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

Hello, Daddy?

It's me.

Yes, I'm fine.

I've just been to Finchmere Market.

Listen, I want you to go upstairs and tell that policeman something.

It's urgent.

Hello?

-Hello? -Daddy?

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

It's Brenda Buckley, all right.

I don't know

Right, well, you'd better run some checks on the brakes.

Looks as if she's been...

shunted.

Her father said she had panic in her

voice when she phoned, and she was cut off.

Yes, well, this valley is a dead spot.

She didn't just ask for any policeman, did she?

She asked for you.

You get the car, look at that.

Mrs. Buckley, we do need one of you to identify the body.

I'll do that, Inspector.

I, uh.

I don't know how he's going to cope without her.

How about you?

She was always more his daughter than mine.

Does that sound awful?

Can't legislate for feelings, can you?

She was a very, very strange girl.

I never really knew her, you know.

Come on.

I'd like to take a look at her bedroom, if I may.

I can't believe it.

No tears, your friend, Felicity.

What do you mean, my friend?

Well, I thought you liked her.

Where was she when Brenda was killed, huh?

Shopping, she says.

Her old man was gardening.

No, women don't kill their own daughters, do they?

You mean you wish they didn't?

Yeah, she did grass on her husband, offloading them both.

Well, I'll be damned.

Look at this.

Fresh flowers every week.

She would never talk about him.

Somebody at work, we thought.

Where was work?

Causton, Midsomer Building Society.

Diary, sir.

Pretty full?

Oh, that's good.

Right, we'll take these with us, if we may, Mrs. Buckley.

And thank you.

Don't worry.

That'll do for today.

Taken late evening, Allen's house.

Who was he?

No idea.

Have you seen the magistrate yet?

Yes, I have.

This is a warrant to search your house, Mr. Hollingsworth.

-Excuse me. -No. -Just a second.

Come on.

This man.

Who is he?

I've no idea.

He called on you.

You didn't open the door to him.

Well, I didn't hear him knock.

What are you doing?

If I called, there was no reply.

Next thing I do, his phone.

Alan, it's Nigel Anderson.

I really do think it's time we sorted this out.

Tell me about you and Brenda.

-Get back to me. -Nothing to tell.

Then explain this.

To Brenda, with love, Alan.

Every week, fresh flowers.

It's Harry Vellacott.

-I can't. -Called on you earlier.

I really can't make it out.

Or were you?

Anyway, it's about Gray's money, the 20,000.

I'm afraid to say my patience is running out.

20,000?

What does he mean, Gray's money?

Upstairs, bedside table.

So there she is, in some godforsaken

hole, with a face like a butcher's counter.

And you're playing-and-seek with me.

No, police, they said.

Who said?

Man's voice.

You heard him.

He phoned again, told me to leave the money at Finchbury Market.

So you gave me the slip, and off you went.

Did Brenda see you hand the money over?

Is that why you killed her?

-No. -No.

What else did they say?

Simone will be returned.

So where is she? You've got to get her back for me.

Look at these photos.

Look at them.

The room she's in, do you recognize it?

No.

That chicken should be ready by now, right?

Hello, Mr. Patterson.

You know, I do admire you.

If I had lost 20,000 pounds, I'd be climbing the walls with my teeth.

Yet here you are throwing a party.

Well, it's, uh, only money, Inspector.

Hello, Mrs. Anderson.

That's a lot of food for three people.

And one of them's a vegetarian.

Right, Sarah?

Do help yourself, Mr. Barnaby.

Oh, not for me, thank you.

Well, it's close there.

I'd like you to look at some photos of Simone.

I must warn you, they're not easy to cope with.

Ah, Mr. Anderson, nice to see you.

My god, they've beaten her up.

Do you recognize the place they were taken in?

No.

No, I don't.

In the background, there's a couple of deck chairs, folded, leaning.

Maybe they jog the memory.

Miss Lawton?

Sorry, no.

Ah!

Nigel!

Clever of you to invite Mr. Barnaby just in case we overstep the mark.

You know, if I were a cynical man, I'd say this wasn't a lunch party at all.

It's a gathering of the mill investors.

What makes you say that?

It's the only thing you six have in common.

I hope there's no plotting or planning afoot.

License?

Renewal?

I wonder if Harry Vellacott could help us with these.

Who?

Oh, come on.

Harry Vellacott.

No, I don't think I know him.

Really?

He knows you, so try again.

It's open.

There's no way they could be working this together, is there?

Or a joint kidnap to get their money.

I would have said no, were it not for Nigel, whom I'm sure you've seen.

Can't bear the sight of.

This address Patterson's given us.

Peter Lane, Corpton Dandell.

It's a mobile home site.

Yeah, not just yet.

Where's Sarah Lawton's cottage from here?

Shouldn't we have a warrant for this?

Yes, you should.

You first.

I'll hold your coat.

What are we looking for, sir?

Not sure, Troy, but she is a friend of Simone's.

Only friend, according to Mrs. Buckley.

What's going on there?

It's a box room.

If she is her only friend, why is she not

more worried about Simone's disappearance, then?

♪

♪

Now, that answers about a dozen questions.

If only I knew what they were.

A couple of old dykes, eh?

You don't really have a soft pedal when it

comes to the English language, do you, Troy?

Spade to spade, sir.

Shush.

It's Sarah.

I thought you were going to see this Harry Vellacott inspector.

He's next on the list.

You thought you'd do a little snooping first.

What would your superiors say to that?

Not a lot.

When the chips are down, we close ranks.

Why didn't you invest in the mill project?

No spare money.

Potters are like that, I'm afraid.

But you are also a photographer.

Oh, I see.

And if Simone means that much to you,

why are you so cool about her disappearance?

You think I could show my true feelings in a

village like this, when you showed me those photos?

But they prove one thing, Miss Lawton.

Simone is still alive.

How long have you two been involved?

Five years, long before she knew Alan.

Where did you meet?

In London, Greenwich.

I lived above her and Vince, her boyfriend.

And you moved to Morton Fendal to be near her?

Yes.

How does Gray Patterson come into all of this?

There's a cover?

If you mean, are we truly madly, deeply, the answer is no.

He's just a friend.

What does Alan know about you and Simone?

We've been careful.

He's a jealous, volatile man.

How jealous?

Please don't, Inspector.

I couldn't bear it.

Does it change anything, Simone and Sarah being an item?

Apart from your perception of women, you mean?

Yes, it might have killed her.

Or had her killed, hence her payments to a hitman?

Maybe that hole in the back garden was for her.

Brenda turns up on the scene, forces a change of plan.

No, I don't like that.

-Why not? -Turn left here, would you?

Those photos, they say kidnap to me loud and clear.

Tell you what does frighten me, though.

What's that?

Your driving's improved.

I saw you look in the mirror.

Mr. Vellacott, Mr. Harry Vellacott.

Don't tell me, don't tell me.

Good old country copper's come to chew the fat.

Why did you visit Alan Hollingsworth on Monday night?

Because he made off with 20,000 pounds of

mine, and I was emotionally attached to it.

A man called Gray Patterson says it's his.

Well, let that suffice.

What are you staring at?

Do I detect a family resemblance, Gray and you?

Father and son, eh?

He is my son, and he hates my guts.

So I flung into 20,000 pounds, hoping to buy him back.

Where did you get money like that?

Pension.

What line of business were you in?

Have a guess.

I'm overweight, I drink too much, I

smoke too much, I eat

too much, I'm divorced, and the kids don't want to know me.

A jaundiced view of human nature.

Yes, you're right.

I was a copper.

I'd like to see inside.

You got a photograph of Simone Hollingsworth, haven't you?

Together with a ransom demand.

And you want to know if it was taken here or not, don't you?

Of course you do.

Go on, help yourself.

Over to our reporter at Causton Police

Station, who's with the officer who's heading the case.

The car we're looking for is a black Saab 900.

No registration as yet.

Seen in the Wheatley Road at 2.30 yesterday afternoon, traveling at high speed.

Was your witness able to give you a description of the people in the car?

A woman driver, we think, with a white

male passenger in his mid-30s with black hair.

And this is the car that forced Brenda Buckley off the road?

Almost certainly.

So if you have any information at all about the

whereabouts of a slightly damaged black Saab, could

you please get in touch with your local police station?

If you recognize this man, please contact us.

If you aren't the governor's daughter.

Oh, Carly, dear, what a lovely surprise.

Oh, let's not go into the hut.

Oh, stop your touch.

Oh, fine, then.

Well, I just came round, really, to

invite you to the first night at the barnhouse.

The 27th.

Oh, oh, we'd love that.

Wouldn't we, Bunny?

Wouldn't what, dear?

We'd love to go.

Go where?

To a first night with Cully.

Oh, first night, yeah, rather.

Dad says he'll drive you and Bunny over there.

Well, perhaps we could go for a meal before the show.

Oh.

I must break out the Bunny boy's tuxedo.

Strange as it may seem, he does have one.

Fresh air.

We're devils, Voight.

♪

What do you want?

Oh, you must be freezing.

Oh, only on the surface.

Alfredo, it's all right.

Your secret's safe with me.

What secret is that?

I have so many.

Let's go inside, shall we?

Yes.

♪

♪

I saw Cully last night, sir.

-Oh, yes? -Where?

Round at Elfride's.

I thought she had a boyfriend.

Oh, yes, she has.

And you've met him.

Nicholas, the actor.

We like him.

Only I thought I might go and see her in this play.

What was it called again?

-Oh, come on, Troy. -Work, work.

Midsomer Building Society.

What did they say?

Brenda was a mouse. Quiet, efficient, kept to herself.

And the flower shop?

Well, owner said a girl came in, dead ringer for

Brenda, every Friday, bought flowers for her boss.

Name of Alan.

But she was sending flowers to herself.

Oh.

I don't think he's in, Mr. Barnaby.

And you do have a most charming daughter.

Oh, thank you, Miss Malfrey.

Oh, and son, of course.

Where is Alan, Miss Malfrey?

No idea.

The boy Bunny tried rousing him earlier, no dice.

What did you want him for, Mr. Dawlish?

They nominated me to try and get their money back for them.

They ganged up on me at the barbecue.

Sir, he's in there.

Rutt-arsed again.

Spark out on the sofa.

You wouldn't happen to have a key, would you, Miss Malfrey?

Afraid not.

I say, a sergeant and so young, you

must be awfully proud of him.

I'm going to nip over to the shed.

I know you're under pressure, Mr.

Hollingsworth, but this is not going to help you, is it?

Mr. Hollingsworth?

Oh, for God's sake.

Come on, you boozy sod!

Ugh!

Make an effort!

♪

♪

He's dead, sir.

♪

Tom.

George, now for once in your life, tell me something I want to hear.

Don't shoot the messenger.

Alan was murdered.

Oh, for gods.

Condense of his stomach, whiskey galore, and haloperidol.

It's a sleeping pill.

Or rather, a capsule, which is significant.

Is it? Why? The capsules are made of gelatin.

I didn't find any in the stomach.

Oh, and there's none found in the house, was there?

No.

I reckon someone opened each and every one of them, took out the powder.

And mix it with the whiskey to hide the taste.

Anything on the whiskey bottle?

A fingerprint we can't account for, but short of doing the whole village.

There's no sign of a forced entry.

Back door of the cottage was left open.

He must have let them in himself.

Someone he knew.

But I have a name for my spy in the camp.

Oh

Mr. Anderson?

Can I have a word, please?

Did you visit Alan Hollingsworth last night?

Pray enlighten me as to why I should want to.

Yes or no?

None of your business.

But you were seen.

By your policeman in Reg's den?

I think not.

So you knew all about him, then, did you?

The whole village knew within half an hour of his arrival.

What on earth did you expect?

I expected roughly what I got.

People like you sneaking around the back.

But you were seen.

Elfride Malfrey is a better watchdog than any officer I've got.

Is it a crime to visit neighbors?

That depends, Mrs. Anderson, what you do when you get the.

Go on, then. Mr. Anderson, Miss Malfrey saw

you leave Alan's house at 10 past midnight.

We had a drink, a chat.

What did you drink?

Scotch.

And at what point did you kill him?

What?

Oh, I'm sorry, didn't I say?

Alan is dead, poisoned, haloperidol in the whiskey.

And your fingerprints will be all over a glass, maybe even the bottle.

He was alive when I left him.

I swear it.

Convince me.

I did call on him last night, yes, with a proposition.

No, no, no, the money we put into the mill project, Doreen and I, 2,000 pounds.

I'm listening.

What say you return 1,500, and I

keep the other investors off your back?

He agreed to that.

Yes.

You must have thought I really held sway over the neighbors.

He went into the bathroom.

In the cistern, there was a tin with money in it.

How much?

Wads of it.

Sounds like he'd had another demand.

Did he mention anything?

No.

By the time I left him, he was back out in a chair, but alive.

Danny, upstairs, spare room, behind the cistern, a tin box.

Right, well, hang on to it.

They've already found it, empty.

Then he's paid up.

Either that, or you took the money after you killed him.

No, no, no, I only wanted 1,500.

My job was on the line.

The money was borrowed, you see.

Borrowed?

From the brewery.

Oh, Nigel, you nicked it from the till.

Oh, good God.

From pompous ass to petty thief, just like that, eh?

And who made him brave enough to steal in the first place, Mrs. Henderson?

She had nothing to do with it.

Oh, come on, that's rubbish.

Anyone can see you two are joined at the hip.

Did you come home from Alan's and tell her about the money?

Yes.

And did you persuade him to go back for it?

Perhaps you went back yourself.

If I had done, Inspector, wouldn't Miss Morfrey have seen me?

The car, sir.

The black Saab 900.

We found it. Where? A garage in Cobden-Dandle having a wing fixed.

The panel beater saw you on telly.

Owner?

Vince Perry, 7th Green, Burwood Mantle.

Good work.

Vince, that was the name of Simone's boyfriend.

And don't take any sudden holidays, you two.

There are more questions.

♪

That's it.

Mr. Perry, I'm Detective Chief Inspector.

And the man at the back door

blocking your escape is Sergeant Troy.

You tried to run away, Mr. Perry.

That's almost as good as a confession.

So where have you been hiding her then, Vince, if not at home?

No idea what you're talking about.

Then I'll make it crystal clear for you, shall I?

Messy breakup, you and Simone.

So being greedy and resentful, you abducted her.

You kept her in this place, you strapped her around a bit

for old times' sake, and then demanded money from her husband.

Who's been murdered, and we're looking for someone to blame.

10 days ago, Finchmere Market.

Never been there.

10 days ago, Finchmere Market.

You picked up the money Alan dropped.

The only trouble was, Brenda Buckley saw you do it.

Who the hell's Brenda Buckley?

Oh, don't come to hell soldier with me.

Is it Buckley or is it Buckley?

Don't get the name, because I've never heard it before.

Well, I haven't. She's the woman you killed.

No. You were driving the car at the time.

No. All right, then you were a passenger,

sitting right beside whoever ran her off the road.

I was never in that car. I've never been near Finchmere Market.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Of course, you had your car nicked.

At last, you're hearing me.

And then, as if by magic, it turned up again.

And three days later, I expect they call off the nationwide search for it.

Whatever.

You did all that to cover yourself.

You were in the car that killed Brenda Buckley.

No.

Slam you in the cell.

He's not gonna budge, is he?

Uh, listen, Troy, look, um, I'd like to have a

word with Sarah Lawton by myself, just me and her.

Is that all right?

OK, then.

It's no offense.

It's just that you being so thoroughly male, it's a backup.

I see.

So what should I do in the meantime?

I would like you to buy my wife a birthday present.

Don't worry, I know exactly what I want.

Oh, Inspector.

Come in.

I'd be meaning to ask you, how did you get in last time?

Through your window out there.

It's actually warped away from the frame.

And there's a gap, so you can get a

knife or a twig in there and lift the latch.

I'll send a crime prevention officer around to have a look at it for you.

What if it isn't Sergeant Troy?

Oh, he's all right, really.

He's just a bit old fashioned.

Whereas I think I know what Simone meant to you.

And it doesn't bother you?

It's not a crime to love someone, is it?

Then why are you here?

Uh, it's not easy to say this, but, um, Alan's death means that

whoever abducted Simone, they've lost their source of income overnight.

Now, they may decide to do one of two things.

Don't.

They'll either let her go or kill her.

Do you have a suspect?

Well, any one of those investors could be responsible.

Good job I had no money at the time.

Milk, Inspector?

Yes, please.

-Where is it? -In the fridge.

We are holding a man, as a matter of fact.

I think you know him.

Vince Perry.

Simone's ex-boyfriend.

He denies involvement, of course.

But it's only a matter of time.

Now that Jimmy Cavendish has gone to Malaya, I think we

should close up the house and head for the Mediterranean.

That's a splendid idea, darling.

You can start on the new novel.

Yes, Daddy, what's it going to be about?

It's about how life dashes our hopes and dreams to the ground.

What are you going to call it?

Hollow Moonlight, I thought.

Yes.

Yes, I like that.

Carly, dear, you were wonderful.

It was a real eye-opener.

Oh, far and away the best thing in it.

I mean, that poor creature playing Hermione.

Oh, it was a worthy effort.

She's dying to meet you, Elfride.

Oh, worthy.

And at the same time, enchanting.

Oh, you dear, dear people, oh, you shouldn't have.

Oh, Bunny, do poor.

-There's a good boy. -Just a second.

Oh, Inspector, you do the honors then.

Oh, there's a card.

Bunny, don't read it to me.

Will you still need me?

Will you still feed me when you're 84?

Happy birthday, Joyce.

Love, Tom.

The faux pas.

Oh, good grief.

Yeah, no, she's upset.

You thought I'd forgotten, didn't you?

My god, dad, Gregorio Filoni, you've won the lottery.

You can't afford that, Tom.

They do arrange for men, but that is classic.

Oh!

Brace yourself, Phoebe, whatever's wrong.

No.

Whatever's the matter?

Must you think of me?

No.

Oh, do know, it's moments like this that I do miss dear Simone.

She was so good at makeup, which I do use the art.

Dab off now and again.

It was her training, you see.

What training was that?

She worked for one of the big cosmetic firms.

She could make me look 20 years younger in 10-minute flat.

Hello?

-Hello, Troy. -It's me.

The old copper's nose is on the twitch.

Where are you?

I'm at the office.

Meet me at Buckley's place, will you?

I want to cross her off the list.

All right.

♪

♪

♪

Inspector, you do realize what time it is?

-Yes, I do. -Thank you, Mrs. Buckley.

Is Reg in?

No.

He's spending a few days with his brother.

He's still finding things difficult.

When Brenda died, Reg was gardening.

Elfrida confirms that.

So she was here, Reg was here, Bunny was here.

Where were you?

You were shopping.

Shopping?

Stuff you bought.

You'd have made a note of it in your checkbook.

I don't use checks.

Credit card slips?

Actually, I don't think I bought anything on that day.

Did you see anyone when you were shopping?

Did you speak to anyone?

You know, I am finding this rather offensive, Inspector.

I'm not accusing you of killing Brenda.

I just need to be sure that you didn't.

She, uh, she couldn't have done.

She was with me, Inspector.

Well, I only have one more question.

How on earth do you manage it?

Is Cullian, sir?

Yes, she is.

In fact, when I said I'd cook you breakfast, I meant me as in her.

Samoan.

♪

A cup of tea.

I've put plenty of sugar in.

Have they told you what happened to the people who were holding you?

To be honest, I think it's one of the reasons they let me go.

You don't think they killed him?

Who knows?

I'm sorry, Simone. This is not going to be an easy time for you, is it?

Is there anyone I can contact for you?

No one.

I don't know what's wrong with my head.

Look, I know all about you and Sarah Lawton.

I'm sure she'd like to help, wouldn't she?

OK, look, um, we'll drop you off at the police

station before we get her, and, uh, well, then

I'd like to hear all about it, if you feel up to it.

Thank you, Mr. Barnaby.

You've been very kind.

Good news.

The best.

Simone's turned up, alive and well.

Just a few bruises, that's all.

When can I see her?

Right now, she's down the station, up in the car.

Give me five minutes.

Right.

Okay.

I began to give up hope, but I'd never see you.

Forgive me, Inspector.

Well, believe me, I'm as delighted as you are, Miss Lawton.

How are you?

I'm in one piece.

You OK?

Mm.

I've got some questions for you, Simone.

Right.

I'll wait outside.

Uh, no, I'd like you to stay, if you would.

You might need some support.

Would you like a cup of tea?

There were two of them, a man and a woman.

Early thirties, I'd say.

He was tallish, curly, dark hair.

Did you get a name?

I think she called him Steve or Steph.

He was furious when she said it.

I thought he was going to kill her.

He took it out on me instead.

Is that when he beat you up?

The first time, yes.

Oh, the harvesters.

♪

♪

Yes.

I was waiting for the Corston bus when a black salve drew up.

To be honest, I thought it was my ex-boyfriend.

Then two people got out, stocking masks.

One of them punched me in the face and bundled me in the back.

We think it was Vince's car.

Wouldn't that be too much of a coincidence?

No, we believe they deliberately chose his car to point the finger at him.

And it worked, of course.

What do you mean?

We're holding him here for questioning.

Why did they beat you twice?

Did you provoke them?

It was for the photographs, to scare Alan.

Something else had worked, too.

We estimate they made about 300,000 pounds.

Split three ways, that's quite a payout.

You think there are three of them?

I know there are three of them.

So you paid the money, and then they killed him.

Poor Brenda, too.

Lucky they didn't kill you.

That's what puzzles me.

Why are you still alive?

Ah, Sergeant Troy, come in.

Everything all right?

Fine, sir.

Mrs. Hollingsworth, nice to see you safe and well.

Thank you.

I was just about to ask Simone where she was held captive.

I'm not really sure.

They put a hood over me in the car.

I had to go up steps, concrete steps.

Block of flats, I thought.

And the room you were held in?

Small, dark, it could have been any room, I'm afraid.

No, I don't think so.

I think it was a very particular room.

And I think I know where it was.

Really?

Yes.

Why didn't you come and get me?

Because I wasn't sure until Sergeant Troy walked in just now.

You were held.

in the attic of Miss Lawton's cottage.

I'm surprised you didn't recognize it.

Well, I'm sure I would have done.

I thought you might be there when I saw

the, uh, the chicken leg in Sarah's fridge.

Hello, Mrs. Anderson.

That's a lot of food for three people.

And one of them's a vegetarian.

Right, Sarah?

So the chicken leg was, um, probably your supper, Simone.

Are you absolutely certain about this room?

Mrs. Hollingsworth, I've just been there.

You've broken into my house yet again.

That is outrageous, Inspector.

And you've got some staying power, I'll give you that, the pair of you.

But your story ran out of steam five minutes ago.

The three people I'm looking for are Simone, her ex-boyfriend, and you.

You for the murder of Alan Hollingsworth.

What?

Oh, that's good.

Surprise and indignation all rolled into that one word, what.

Trouble is, I've been in this game so long, I can hear something else as well.

You stripped a bottle of sleeping pills of their casings.

Haloperidone.

♪

♪

You waited till Miss Malfrey was safely

asleep, and then you let yourself into Alan's house.

How did I manage to get in?

Did I break down a door or use a kitchen window like the police do?

The key to the back door, Simone's key,

I found it amongst your underwear.

Strange place to keep it.

Strange place to look for it.

He was sparked out in the living room, drunk.

You brought him round, and right under his nose you mixed a

cocktail, haloperidol and whiskey, one to hide the taste of the other.

♪

He was only half-conscious.

He had no idea that you were killing him.

All he could see when you offered him the glass was another whiskey.

There's a rogue print, just one, on the

whiskey bottle we found beside Alan's body.

You saying that print won't match up to

those on the teacup you've just been using?

It's upstairs with the fingerprints officer.

Well, Simone, what do you want to say to her?

-Nothing. -Oh, come on.

This is the woman that's killed your husband for you.

How about thank you, at least?

I'm not quite sure what game you're playing, Inspector.

You wanted her to kill him.

You wound her up to do it.

That in itself is a crime.

All I know is the world's rid of a complete bastard.

You believed her because she had the bruises to prove it, didn't you?

Let me tell you something.

Alan Hollingsworth never, never laid a finger on his wife.

That isn't true.

The bruises that Alan's supposed to have given

her, they're as fake as the one she's wearing now.

Oh, do know, it's moments like this that I do miss dear Simone.

She was so good at makeup.

My sergeant doesn't understand.

Neither did I till I learned that you'd

worked with a cosmetic firm, hadn't you, Simone, hm?

Look, go on.

Show him what I'm talking about.

Wipe off your bruises.

Wipe them off, or I'll do it for you.

Go on.

The bruises she said Alan gave her, they're just like that.

You fell for it, huh?

Well, she was good at details.

Even had some yob dump her off at my house to give weight to the kidnap story.

Were you driving that van, Sarah?

I don't drive.

You had better start helping me.

As she fancied 12 years in jail.

Help you?

How?

I know she was driving the car that forced Brenda Buckley off the road.

I know it, but I can't prove it.

I know that she set Alan up.

I know it, but I can't prove it.

I know she pressured you to kill him.

That is incitement.

And you could get clean away with it if you testify against her.

Nothing in the world you wouldn't do for her, is that it?

Precisely.

Sarah, if you go to prison,

as you will, you

will meet women who will terrify the life out of you.

Think about it.

I've done all the thinking I need to.

♪

♪

Let's see if Vince has any more sense.

Good luck.

How did you divide up the money then, Vince?

100,000 to you, same to Sarah?

I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about.

I still have a witness that saw you in the car.

So you say.

Only not very clearly, if that photo of it was anything to go by.

So it was you, then?

I told you the other day, my car was stolen.

Jens, she killed someone.

Wasn't you, you were in the passenger seat.

Sarah doesn't drive, so it was Simone.

So you say.

I still don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about, then.

Shut up, Troy.

Didn't say anything.

You were going to say, never mind, sir.

We gave it a good crack.

That woman is going to walk out of here

with 300,000 pounds and a murder on her CV.

Why? Because Sarah bloody Lawton fell on her sword in the

name of love, and Vince kept his trap shut in the name of money.

There must be something we can use, surely.

Oh, yes, oh, yes.

She wasted police time.

Should we do her for that?

Instead of brainless murder?

What?

I'm going to clean up that ciscuit known as Morton Schindle.

I'll have that Gray Patterson for starters for bribing Kathy Bullard.

She seems fine about it now.

Well, OK then, Reg Buckley, hm?

For skimming the mill fund to buy 3,000 pounds worth of hi-fi.

3,000?

-3,000. -You know what ours cost?

432 pounds.

432 pounds from Comet.

Now, what can he hear that I can't, eh?

So you don't think Reg has been punished enough for losing his daughter?

Depends on your view of daughters, I suppose.

Well, at least let me have the Andersons.

If self-importance is not a crime, it should be.

Plus, they have their fingers in the till.

It seems the only honest people in Morton Fendle are Bunny and Elfrida.

Apart from the draw, that is.

You what?

The marijuana.

He grows it in the greenhouse.

What, they don't smoke themselves?

He puts in the bunny cakes.

I thought you knew when we're turning a blind eye.

Please, help yourself.

Thank you.

What was it you wanted to talk to us about, Miss Malfrey?

I thought I should let you know.

You all right, sir?

You know, 10 minutes in your company and I feel better.

That's the only way to describe it, better.

Are the bunny cakes?

Oh, nice.

You do know they've already gone, don't you?

Simone and Vince, yes.

One of the Greek islands for a month, I'm told.

Get away from it all.

You must be so disappointed that you couldn't nail her.

Well, one case closes, another opens.

What is it now?

Oh, come in.

Do, do come in.

Coffee, buddy.

That's a good boy.

I mean it.

Tell us all, what are you investigating?

It's a drugs case, the dreaded cannabis sativa.

They're farming it around here, you know.

They never are.

Yes.

Mm.

Oh, that's very nice.

Thank you.

Yes, they grow it in greenhouses in between the tomato plants.

It can look like one, you see.

May I?

Bye.

-Bye. -Yeah.

No, I mustn't. This is for him at dinner.

But we are on top of it.

Uh, what is that?

That is weed killer, Mr. Dawlish.

One capful to one gallon of water and the

old cannabis sativa keel over like ninepins.

Now, I'm supposed to check every greenhouse in the area.

So, um, shall we?

Uh, green fly.

Green fly? I spread it all, the green fly.

Oh, dear.

Well, some other time, then.

Very soon.

Inspector!

You really are a most charming and gracious man.

And if I were 40 years younger, I'd take a real flyer at you.

If you were 40 years younger, Miss

Malfrey, I'd charge you with supplying cannabis.

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-Thanks. -You can go now.

How are you coping?

Will you come straight to the point, Sergeant?

Fair enough.

You've been sidelined by Simone.

Ever wondered why she doesn't visit?

She's moved away to Cumbria.

She writes.

Did she tell you she and Vince were married?

See the other girl in the photograph?

She's their constant companion.

Look, why don't I just get straight to the point like you asked me to?

They're shacked up together.

Now, if I'd been betrayed like that by

somebody I was doing time for, I wouldn't keep quiet.

I know you won't want to take my word for it.

That's understandable.

Why not check it out and get back to us when you're ready?

All the relevant documentation was with

the CPS in July.

Given the extreme age of the defendant, have it.

Troy.

Hello?

Just a sec.

Sir.

What?

Sarah Lawton.

Who?

Sarah Lawton, do you remember?

She wants to talk to you.

Hello?

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