Original subtitles

- SOCO need another hour. - She's been placed like that.

Carefully placed.

Do we have a name?

Mrs Thomas? Gwen?

When did you see Alys last?

- A couple of days ago. - Is that normal?

We speak on the phone sometimes, but, um...

We haven't been that close just recently.

Any particular reason?

- There was an argument. - About what?

I don't remember.

She's impulsive, like her dad.

Is he here? Can we talk to him?

My husband and I haven't spoken in months.

I have no idea where he is.

- No sign of her shoes. - No sign of anything.

Why her? Why now? Why here?

This place... it's almost too perfect.

Alys Thomas.

Classics undergraduate. Pathology thinks she'd been dead

for eight to ten hours before she was found.

That puts time of death between 10:00 and 12:00 last night.

What else have you got?

Bruising to the face consistent with a blow or a fall.

No signs of sexual assault.

We're waiting for the medical examiner's report.

What about her shoes? Her mobile?

- Missing. No sign. - I want them found.

Alys was dressed to impress.

She was taking care of the way she looked.

Was that for her own benefit or somebody else's?

What about the tattoo?

A Celtic symbol of female power, sir. Triskele.

It's got other meanings, too. Could be religious.

- Could be lots of things. - What about her parents?

Gwen and Iwan Thomas married young. 1989.

Gwen was 18, Iwan, 21. They separated in 2004.

But they were never divorced.

What do we know about the father?

- He was one of us. - A police officer?

- What happened to him? - We had to let him go.

- The man liked his drink. - Did you know about this?

Let's find out where he lives.

House on the estate, sir. We've already checked.

There's no sign of him. He hasn't been seen for days.

- Let's find out where he works. - Yes, sir.

I want a picture of how the dead girl lived, who she knew

and what she believed in.

Whoever did this felt something for her.

She wasn't dumped. She was placed.

It was a conscious act, and I want to know why.

I don't think I ever spoke to Iwan Thomas.

I was still in uniform back then.

But you know what happened?

Rumor has it he wasn't up to it.

I found where Iwan Thomas works, sir. I'll check him out.

I'm looking for Iwan Thomas.

I've been told he works for you.

Works? That's a novel way of putting it.

- Any ideas? - Just the one.

If you find him, tell him not to bother coming back.

What about friends?

She doesn't have any, really. Only Sara.

Sara Perkins.

They studied together. Classics.

They've been close for years. Still are.

Did Alys have any plans last night?

Was she due to meet someone? Go somewhere?

Did Alys come home in the evenings?

- Generally, I mean. - No.

No, she's got a flat in town. She shares it with Sara.

We'll need an address.

Could you think of anyone who'd want to hurt your daughter?

What's her relationship with her father like?

I don't know.

They used to be close.

Sara Perkins?

You were friends, weren't you? You and Alys?

We've known each other since primary school.

You must have been through a lot together.

Did Alys have a boyfriend?

Alys didn't like to get involved.

Why not?

You don't seem to know much about your friend, do you?

- Don't you care? - Of course I care.

Lately, I'm not sure she cared much about me, though.

Alys changed.

Last few months, she was... she was different.

We need to see her room.

"Odi et amo."

"I hate and I love."

"I hate and I love."

Who does she hate? Who does she love?

Catullus 85. "Odi et amo." "I hate, and I love."

"Why, you may ask, I know not."

"But I feel it happening, and I am tormented."

She was really taken by it.

She was so full of life.

When did you see Alys last?

- Yesterday. - When?

Morning, in my lecture.

What kind of a student was she?

Bright.

But she suffered the usual problems one associates

with growing up.

In what way?

Hmm! Alys felt things intensely.

She was unique.

She didn't just study it, she lived it.

She had character. She was bright.

There was no place for mediocrity.

She was a creative soul.

But recently she'd lost her way, and... Well, it happens.

Were you concerned about her?

Well, she was fragile. There was a darkness in her.

And there was something going on at home.

It was a difficult time for her.

We need to speak with her father.

Well, I can't help you there. I'm sorry.

This is Alys, 17:22, yesterday afternoon,

arriving at Aberystwyth station wearing the same dress,

carrying a small bag.

She was dressed up for something.

- For a man? - Not necessarily.

Now this is an angle from inside the station.

She's catching the 17:30, heading east to Shrewsbury.

We checked CCTV all along the route.

She didn't go very far.

Ten minutes later, she got off at Borth station.

Now, if we scroll forward to 22:55,

the next train to Aberystwyth is due 23:25.

- What's she looking for? - Her phone. It has to be.

She was dead within an hour. Where did she go?

Let's get up there.

And I want every inch of that platform searched.

Can I help you?

Yeah. And you are?

Dyfan. Dyfan Richard.

I live at the station house, look after the museum.

Is there a problem?

- Do you work here? - I help out.

Keep an eye on the place. Keep everything in order.

Do you know this girl, Mr Richard?

She was found dead in the marshes this morning.

I used to see her quite often.

She was pleasant. Different from the others.

The others?

Most of the people on the platform.

There was a way about her.

Always full of life. Ready with a smile.

When did you last see her?

I'm not sure. A few weeks ago?

I only spoke to her a couple of times, that's all.

Such a pretty girl.

Bachmann City Class 3439.

My brother Ian, he was a fanatic.

Does he still collect?

What did you and the girl speak about, Mr Richard?

I don't recall.

She was headed over to the hotel.

The Radial Hotel.

Yes, that's the one.

Where were you last night?

Here. Home alone.

And you saw nothing? Heard nothing?

No. Nothing.

She was here last night, about sixish, with a man.

- Can you describe the man? - I didn't get a look at him.

But you remember the girl?

She's not the sort of girl you'd forget.

- Been here a few times. - A few times?

And you say you never saw the man's face?

Oh, I'm not really sure if it was the same man.

You hear them together?

Only rowing or shouting. Screaming, she was.

Slamming doors, the whole shebang.

Should've seen the room afterwards. A right state.

Did they leave anything behind? A bag? Shoes?

- How did they pay? - Cash. They left it on here.

- What time is this? - Half ten.

What about the room? Has it been cleaned?

Yes, but, uh, you can have a look if you like.

Thanks.

- Alys? - Who is this?

Ever-decreasing circles.

Why were you calling her?

- No reason. - How do you know her?

- I used to see her around. - You were her dealer.

We went to few parties last summer.

Hooked up a couple of times. Had a few laughs, no big deal.

She was wild with a couple drinks inside her.

When did you last see her?

- I don't remember. - Try.

- A week? Two? - Where were you last night?

Here till closing time.

- What time was that? - Midnightish.

- What about after closing time? - I went home with someone.

- Who? - Oh, does it matter?

- Is that how you got your black eye?

- Alys's father did it. - Iwan Thomas.

That's why I was phoning her.

To warn her he was off his head on booze.

He gets me outside, tells me to leave Alys alone.

I told him I've got nothing

to do with Alys anymore. And he smacks me.

- When was this? - Sunday night.

Why did you wait so long before phoning Alys?

- I've been phoning and phoning. - I know. I checked the records.

I was trying to warn her. I was looking out for her.

- Iwan's not a man you cross. - Why hire him?

He knows the batch. He's alright when he's sober.

- And when he isn't? - You stay out of his way.

Terrible what happened, though.

Did you ever meet his daughter, Alys?

The man never shut up about her.

- This him? - Yeah.

- Do you think he'd hurt her? - He drove taxis for me.

I don't want to get involved.

I want a unit outside Iwan Thomas's house.

Yes, sir. There's something else.

What is it?

A postmortem has been completed.

There's evidence of multiple scarring

on Alys's inner thigh.

- Recently? - Doesn't appear so.

- You coming in? - No.

- Mommy! - Gwen?

Eh? Isn't she gorgeous? Isn't she gorgeous?

Shall we chase the horses?

He was a great dad. She adored him.

Let's go after them! Let's chase them! Come on!

Let's chase the horses!

What happened?

There's no room for us in his life anymore.

- He said the job needed him. - More than usual?

There was a case. It got under his skin.

Drink was a release.

So they suspended him. What happened?

They pulled him over. One of his own.

Did him for drink driving.

Part of me was relieved. I thought I'd get old Iwan back.

But he was more distant than ever.

Even with Alys?

Could he have harmed her?

Sober?

Never.

Any idea where we might find him?

Love you, Mum.

We'll have a sandwich.

Alys, what you do you think of this?

What do you think of this? Like it?

I know this is difficult for you, Gwen,

but there's evidence of scarring on Alys's body.

Was she, um... Was she self-harming?

It was something we knew about.

We dealt with it. It passed.

He should never have said those things.

What things?

My husband and I had an argument a couple of years ago.

Some things were said.

Not all of them were meant, and Alys overheard.

- Overheard what? - The usual drunken rant.

About how I never forgave him for never

being able to give me a baby of my own.

How he was the reason I had to settle for... second best.

Alys was adopted?

And was there any truth to what your husband said?

No.

I loved my daughter.

Alys's?

Yes.

Where did you find it?

Radial Hotel in Borth.

What was she doing there?

That's what we're trying to find out.

She's dead! Because of us! We killed her!

You and me! Our own daughter! This is between me and her!

- Iwan, stop it! - Our own daughter!

Our own daughter!

Our own daughter.

- Hiya. - Hiya.

Mum, what are you doing?

I just love you, that's all.

There's another meaning, sir. The Triskele design.

Mother, father, child.

"I hate and I love."

The two people she loved the most.

The two people who had let her down.

Stop!

How do you feel?

I've felt better.

Take your time.

There's no rush.

You have children?

You?

No.

No. I haven't.

Does your brother build the whole model world,

or is he a train enthusiast only?

Oh, Iwan loved his trains.

Always did.

Did?

You know the marshes well, do you?

I see them every day.

Can you think of any reason why someone

would want to place a body out there, like that?

Not to my knowledge, no.

But if I think of anything, or if I hear something,

I'll let you know.

- Thank you. - You're welcome.

I switched on my phone, and there they were.

Message after message about Alys.

Two from my boss.

One telling me you lot were looking for me,

the other sacking me for going AWOL.

So you got drunk.

Then I got angry.

- So what now? - Well, that depends.

On what?

On whether you had anything to do with Alys's death.

Why did you hit Dean?

He's a waste of space.

Do you think he killed your daughter?

He's capable of it.

She was a deep, precious, beautiful girl.

She was.

Catch him.

Please.

Catch the man who did this to Alys.

"They took the flowers of the oak,

and the flowers of the broom, and the flowers

of the meadowsweet, and from those they conjured up

the fairest and most beautiful maiden

that anyone had ever seen."

"And they baptized her in the way they did at the time,

and named her Blodeuedd."

Rootless, lonely, and ignored by the man she was made for.

Hardly the fairy tale it's made out to be.

Dates and times from the hotel in Borth.

Alys stayed five times in total.

We also ran a check on phone numbers

- taken from Alys's mobile. - Thanks.

She phoned one number three times that night,

between 6:00 and 6:15pm. No reply.

Then she calls a landline at 6:20pm.

The call only lasted a few minutes.

The landline was traced to an address on Constitution Hill.

- Wynford Rees? - Yes, sir.

You shouldn't have gone up to the marshlands alone.

- I know. - It was reckless.

I know. I'm sorry.

You might not value yourself much,

- but it doesn't mean we don't. - I said sorry, Mared.

He never asked Alys. Not once.

Never asked about the case, how it was going. Nothing.

- Who? - Dyfan Richard.

He never asked the questions he should have asked.

What are you talking about?

- Professor Rees's class? - Yes.

- Where is he? - He didn't show.

- Mrs Rees? - Yes?

Is your husband in?

You weren't at your lecture this morning, Mr Rees.

My husband hasn't been well.

She started missing classes. She seemed, uh, distracted.

Disinterested.

I called her to my office to try to get

to the source of the problem.

Offered one-to-one tutorials to help.

That doesn't explain the large number of phone calls

she made to you.

Well, she was behind with her work.

She was, um, nervous, panicking, anxious.

It happens sometimes.

Did she call you at home?

Yes.

You gave her your private number?

She was a troubled soul.

Was the tattoo for you?

- Sorry? - The tattoo on her arm.

Where were you Monday night, Mr Rees?

- Here. - Can anyone verify that?

I can. Wynford and I had dinner together.

Thank you, Mr Rees.

Get Lloyd to run a check on Wynford Rees.

Already on it.

Same goes for Dyfan Richard.

Yup.

- Yeah, Mathias. - Sir, it's Lloyd.

I think you need to get down here.

It was Dean. It was Dean that killed Alys.

They got together last summer.

She thought it was just a fling,

but Dean thought it was more than that.

- He loved her. - I think so.

But he'd never admit it.

Why does that hurt you so much, Sara?

How long have you been seeing Dean?

Six months.

- Did Alys know? - Yeah.

- Did she care? - No.

She didn't love Dean?

I told you, it was just a fling.

But to Dean, it meant more. He couldn't let go.

He was only with me to be close to her.

He wanted me to dress like her, dye my hair like her.

He even went and got the same tattoo on his arm,

like there was some kind of connection between them.

But there wasn't?

She hadn't really been close to anybody recently.

She'd been in a really weird place.

The Blodeuedd stuff in her notebook,

is that what that was about?

She said that her and Blodeuedd Worth were the same.

Reckon they'd been conjured out of nothing,

whatever that means.

Monday night, Dean was at work, wasn't he?

According to this, he was at the pier amusements

- till gone midnight. - No, he wasn't.

Well, go on.

We couldn't get hold of him.

I went down there about 10:00, and he wasn't there.

The guy looking after the place was pissed off.

Said he hadn't seen Dean for hours.

Where was he, Sara?

You think he was down in the marshes?

Checked out Dyfan Richard.

His record's clean, but there was an incident on the marshes

a few years ago. A run-in with a guy called John Clancy.

He's in prison now.

It was his boys that found the body.

Exactly. Shall I go up there? Find out what they know?

- Yes. - Be careful.

Did it hurt?

- The tattoo. - A bit.

Was is worth it? Obviously not.

I'll bet you don't even know what it means.

It's from Lord of the Rings.

Where were you on Monday night, Dean?

I've already told you, I was down in the arcade.

That's not what I've been told.

- I was with a girl. - Alys?

In Narberth.

- Does she have a name? - Kirsten. Kirsten Reed.

Lock him up.

- You John Clancy, sir? - Who's asking?

DS Siân Owens.

I'm investigating the murder of Alys Thomas,

the dead girl on the marshes.

Do you know anything about it?

Only that my little brothers found the body.

How are they doing?

They'll get over it.

They send you out here on your own?

Tell me what you know about Dyfan Richard.

Kirsten?

Dyfan Richard is out on his platform all hours.

Two of our horses go missing,

and he reckons he didn't see anything.

So your dad and Mr Richard had words?

That's one way of putting it.

That's not what it says in the report.

He had it coming.

First, it was the building work, then it was the horses.

You don't trust him, do you?

The man sees everything and nothing.

How are you supposed to trust that?

Does the name Dyfan Richard mean anything to you?

- Never heard of him. - What about Wynford Rees?

Alys and Mr Rees spent a lot of time together.

- He didn't love her. - And you did?

Yeah.

Clancy wasn't making any sense.

I told him over and over I hadn't seen anybody

take his horses, but he wouldn't accept it.

I must have seen something. That was his take on it.

What about the money you owed? For the building work?

It was nothing.

Some slates on the roof, some plastering work.

I did them a favor. Paid the agreed price.

That's not how they remember it.

There was a deal.

Clancy tried to renegotiate after the event.

What sort of man does that?

He's in prison, now. Am I right?

Yeah. The three boys are alone out there.

It's a terrible thing, seeing children abandoned like that.

The eldest boy is 19. He's doing a good enough job.

Yeah, I'm sure. And Mr Mathias?

What sort of a job is he doing?

Give him my regards.

I spoke to Kirsten Reed.

Dean's alibi checks out.

- How was she? - Slow.

Someone to see you in reception.

Release him.

Gwen.

I want to see the place where Alys was found.

- It's not such a good idea. - Please.

Thank you.

- Ah, shit!

What is it, Lloyd?

Wynford Rees used to lecture at Edinburgh Met, sir.

I spoke to the department there. He was moved on three years ago.

- Moved on, why? - Accusation of rape, sir.

I want Wynford Rees picked up, and his wife, too.

And make sure they keep them apart.

Yes, sir.

- The charge was dropped. - Why?

The girl who made it, Chloe, she retracted the accusation.

But you were sleeping with her?

Yes.

You took advantage of her, just like you did with Alys.

No. Alys was extraordinary.

I stood by him.

How did that make you feel?

Your husband, carrying on like that?

I felt nothing.

I... I knew he didn't love them.

But were things different with Alys?

Why are you defending him?

Why did you say you were with him that night,

when you knew he was at the hotel with Alys?

Because despite everything, I still love him.

"And they baptized her in the way that they did at the time,

and named her 'Blodeuedd'."

There's another reading to the Blodeuedd myth,

isn't there, Mr Rees?

It's not all virgins and flowers.

- She seduced me. - You were her teacher!

Blodeuedd was created for the sole purpose

of being the king's lover.

If she wasn't going to be his,

she wasn't going to be anybody's.

And so she was condemned to an eternity

of darkness and torment.

- Is that what you did to Alys? - No. That's not how it was.

How was it, then?

I was attracted to her.

Alys was everything I wasn't.

Brave, talented, fearless.

And when you took her out to the marshes,

was she fearless then?

I didn't take her out there.

But you know where I'm talking about.

You know Borth. You were at the hotel.

The owner of the hotel, he heard shouting.

- What were you rowing about? - I tried to end it.

Go on.

She phoned demanding to see me,

threatening to come to the house.

She was going to confront my family.

- So I agreed to meet her. - To tell her it was over.

- Yes. - Why?

Alys wasn't looking for a lover.

She was looking for a father.

My husband may be a fool, but he's not a killer.

You seem very sure about that, Mrs Rees.

Our marriage is a strong one.

The only thing that could threaten it... is love.

And Alys Thomas didn't love my husband.

Keep them in the cells.

Were there any other men in your daughter's life

besides your husband?

Older men? Did she ever talk about a lecturer?

What about Dyfan Richard?

Does that name mean anything to you?

- Why are you asking? - What do you know about him?

He keeps himself to himself.

I've never had anything to do with him.

- But you've seen him about? - Borth is a small place.

What happened to you?

Nothing.

They're waiting for you.

After you.

I went up to the house. I saw your car.

I respected you. Maybe I was wrong to.

That's enough, Iwan.

Go home.

Tom, a word.

You! You! It's you!

Take him down to the cell!

Is that necessary, sir?

The man is grieving. He's lost his daughter.

He's lost everything!

I know him better than you do.

Sir!

Dyfan Richard complained about the family in the marsh

23 times in the last four months.

That's once every three days.

It was like he was watching them.

I got the phone records in the report, sir.

- Watching them? - What?

You said like he was watching them?

Yes, that's what it says in the report. Watching.

Tom, wait.

Wynford Rees is downstairs.

We have evidence, motive, a strong case.

He was with her that night.

They fought. She stormed off.

He's the last known person to have seen her alive.

Watching.

Where are you going?

Dyfan Richard has spent his life watching Alys,

watching her every movement. Why?

- You don't believe me? - I don't know what to believe.

You went up there on your own.

Did you sleep with her?

Did you?

Check the tape.

Play that back.

My God. Dyfan Richard.

I can stand here for hours and never be bored.

There's so much out there.

She was your friend, wasn't she?

Alys.

I don't know.

I didn't know her. Not really.

You've been lying to me, Dyfan.

Is that what you think?

I think you've been watching Alys

the whole time you've lived here.

I think you've been watching the family. And me.

You've been watching me too, haven't you, Dyfan?

Never a smile on those ruby red lips.

It was you who phoned Iwan, wasn't it?

Sent him up to the house?

I expected better from you.

Alys needed someone.

Someone outside of it all.

Outside of her life.

Someone different she could talk to, who wouldn't judge,

or harm, or seek to influence her.

- And that was you? - I probably needed the same.

Were you in love with her?

Ours was a friendship. Pure.

How could I harm a hair on her head?

She lit up my day.

And I hope, somehow, I managed the same for her.

- Did you kill her? - No.

Did you need to silence her, Dyfan?

Did she become too much for you?

Did she threatened to tell?

I was prepared to ignore the rumors,

but they seemed to be true.

You seem to possess a checkered past, Mr Mathias.

I like to take an interest

in those who take an interest in me.

Apologies if I touched a raw nerve.

Wait, Dyfan.

Dyfan!

Where the hell have you been?

Where I should've been since this investigation started.

Have you questioned Wilfred Rees again?

- No. - Why not?

Because despite being the most frustrating senior officer

I've ever worked with,

I think you might be right about Dyfan Richard.

We saw the tape, sir.

I need to search Dyfan Richard's house.

What for?

He's lied to us. Alys was there.

It was Dyfan Richard that killed her, I'm sure of it.

We don't have any hard evidence.

All I want is to search the house.

He admits Alys was there, so we have grounds.

I'm not going to apply for a warrant on a hunch. No.

With consent. Get him to let you in.

If you find anything significant,

then I'll back that up with a warrant.

It's him.

What now?

We'd like you to come to the station

so we can confirm a few details.

Helping the police with their inquiries.

Something like that.

- I'll need a solicitor. - Of course.

What do you do with all these models?

I don't see any miniature railway.

There was a break-in.

They smashed it all to pieces.

It was really a plaything for me.

Now I make models to order.

For others' pleasure.

Sir.

I think the place is clean.

Go back to the station and tell Prosser. If I'm wrong,

I'll interview Wynford Rees on my return.

I don't think you're wrong, sir.

Just keep him as long as you can, OK?

I'll do my best.

This is DCI Mathias.

You said Dyfan Richard owed money to your father

for building work done?

- That's right. - When was this?

Two years ago.

How well do you know the building?

Better than anyone else. Why?

Good. Come with me.

What about my brothers?

I'll take care of them.

- It's like a warren in there. - Is it?

Have we met before?

I thought you were stealing my horses.

I didn't mean to take the photograph.

I just wanted to find out who you were.

I didn't mean to hit you.

You didn't have to tell me that.

I know.

Does that make me stupid?

I hope not.

But I'd like that photograph back.

Deal.

I'm not what you think I am.

I know what love is, what being close to someone feels like.

You need to charge me or let me go.

- Don't do that! - Why not?

What if someone calls the police?

You haven't got a warrant!

Through here.

It's brilliant.

- Mared. - Not good news.

We had to let him go.

Prosser refused to hold him any longer.

Listen, Tom, I'm really sorry.

Tom? Tom?

Shit.

Get him back on the phone!

Get a unit over to Gwen's place,

and another over to Dyfan Richard now!

We're on it. Lloyd, with me. Now!

Come on, Gwen! Come on! Pick up! Please!

Gwen!

That night, Alys knocked on the door.

She'd lost her phone.

She couldn't get back into the hotel.

She was upset.

She'd missed the last train.

I invited her in.

Said I'd phone a taxi.

I never meant to kill her.

She picked the model I made of her.

She started to talk to it, asking the model about me,

about "the weirdo", as she put it.

"What's it like, living with a weirdo?"

I told her to stop.

She just laughed at me.

I held her, both arms, and asked her to stop.

And she shrugged me off, and told me where to go.

And then she fell.

Knocked her head against the table.

I heard her neck snap.

I wanted her to rest somewhere beautiful.

Somewhere where I could see her every day.

At the exact centre of my world.

Yeah.

She looked so beautiful.

Why Gwen?

Why did you do it?

She brought her sordid ways to this sacred place.

She should have been heartbroken.

But she took you to her bed.

I expected so much more of you.

You killed her daughter, Dyfan.

Hadn't you made her suffer enough?

They should never have had that little girl.

- She should've been with me. - Why?

Why in this world should she be with you?

Alys was my daughter.

Now all I want is to be with her.

I thought you were going to do it for me.

But it looks I'm going to have to do it for myself.

No!

Where are you?

In the marshes with Richard. I need an ambulance now!

Lloyd!

The ambulance is on its way! Hey.

You OK?

Gwen died because of me.

He's gonna make it.

Tom!

Tom!