Original subtitles

This programme contains scenes which some viewers may find upsetting

APPLAUSE

We are here today outside one of the most famous courts

in the world,

united in our determination to defend the rule of law.

It is our duty, on behalf of victims and defendants

up and down this country, to make a stand.

MURMURS OF AGREEMENT

Because our justice system is broken.

MURMURS OF AGREEMENT Yes!

APPLAUSE

MAN NEARBY: Jessica Blair to Court 4.

Jessica Blair. Court 4.

WOMAN NEARBY: Jessica Blair. Court 4.

SIGHS

DOOR OPENS

DOOR CLOSES

My Lord, may I ask

for a 30-minute adjournment to locate the witness?

No, Miss Oscott.

With respect, My Lord,

Jessica Blair was the deceased's best friend,

a key witness

to the defendant's physical and emotional abuse.

Move on, Counsel.

Faith! Oh, Nikki! How are you?

Trial postponed. No judge available.

Ah, yeah. Er, I've got to shoot now, but we must grab a drink.

OK. Yeah.

SIRENS BLARE

INDISTINCT CHATTER

PHONE RINGS IN BACKGROUND

Er, Jessica Blair was a no-show.

CPS didn't expect a problem?

Uh-uh.

What's the problem? Er, it's happened again, Sal.

My witness has gone AWOL,

and the case just falls apart without her.

You'll turn it around, Faith.

You always do, my darling.

DOOR CLOSES

BEEP

MOUSE AND KEYS CLACK

SIGHS PHONE ALERT

Shit...

SIGHS

SIGHS

RAIN PATTERS

RINGING TONE

Lucy? Sorry, I know I'm late.

CHILD YELLS Where are you?

I'll get there as soon as I can.

He's having a total meltdown waiting for you.

The video link to a witness broke.

It...took 'em an hour to fix.

You can't keep doing this to Josh.

He's only five. He doesn't get it.

I'll be there in under half an hour.

Forget it. Don't bother. I'm putting him to bed.

Lucy! LINE DISCONNECTS

ENGINE ROARS What the...?!

BRAKES SQUEAL Christ!

HORN BLASTS Oh! Shit!

HORN BLASTS

MUTTERS

Bloody maniac!

BRAKES SQUEAL Oh! Christ!

What's he playing at?!

INDICATOR CLICKS Maniac!

EXHALES DEEPLY

MOTORBIKE APPROACHES

HORN BEEPS

What are you playing at?!

ENGINE ROARS

Get out of it!

Shit!

Christ's sake!

What are you doing?!

Are you trying to get us both killed?!

MAN BREATHES RAGGEDLY

THUNDER RUMBLES

No further questions, My Lady.

JUDGE: So, Mr Shah, do you wish to cross-examine the witness?

MR SHAH: I do, thank you, My Lady.

Dr Alexander,

your report makes reference to multiple focal areas

of myelin loss within the brain of the deceased.

Please explain to the court what that means.

It confirms that the deceased, Glenda Rose,

was suffering with multiple sclerosis.

And how might that show itself?

Typically, fatigue, blurred vision,

problems with coordination and balance.

Ah! Balance!

Which would make Mrs Rose prone to falls?

Yes.

Hmm. If we could turn

to exhibits NA5 and NA6, My Lady.

Photographs which show bruising on the deceased's leg and arm.

Most likely the result of a fall, wouldn't you say?

The discoid contusions to Mrs Rose's arms indicate

fingertip bruising.

This is commonly associated

with intentional, rather than accidental, trauma.

Kenneth, Glenda's beloved husband of 45 years

and father of her three children,

was her carer.

He'd lift her in and out of a wheelchair

several times a day.

Would that not cause the arms to bruise?

The pattern of this bruising is gripping from pinning down,

not from lifting under the armpits.

In my view, this, along with the contusions

to Mrs Rose's neck and the fracture to her hyoid bone,

indicate that force was used.

Are you familiar with the 2019 paper by Dr Charles Hawton

on hyoid fractures in fatal non-homicidal falls?

I'm aware of it.

In his study of over 100 cases,

Dr Hawton concluded that

a percentage of hyoid fractures occurred

as a direct result of a fall.

So it's possible, isn't it,

that Glenda's fracture was accidental?

I'd need to review the paper.

You mean to tell this court you aren't acquainted

with the findings of this well-regarded expert?

I examined Glenda Rose's body.

Dr Hawton did not.

My Lady, this study was not disclosed to the Crown.

May I ask for an adjournment so that Dr Alexander has time

to review the paper?

Mr Shah, disclosing the paper

at this late stage is unacceptable.

MR SHAH: Sincere apologies, My Lady.

An administrative oversight.

POLICE RADIO CHATTER

HELICOPTER WHIRS OVERHEAD

JACK: Peach of a day for it. You must be Jack.

Mm-hm. I'm DS Blake.

Uh, Marcie.

This all we've got? So far.

With the rain, the search gaffer thinks

the hand might have travelled some distance.

Any idea how long it's been in the water?

No. Pathologists have way better ideas than me.

The coroner won't instruct them without enough body parts

to confirm death. PHONE RINGS

Maybe I can pull a string or two there.

Oh, handy!

See what you did there, Marcie. I like it, I like it a lot.

CLICKS TONGUE

Hello.

Good timing. You're needed.

NIKKI: Nice to be needed.

JACK: Always.

NIKKI: Severed hand.

In the water days rather than weeks.

What happened at the trial?

Came to rather an abrupt halt.

Don't tell me no judge.

More of an admin malfunction.

Why doesn't that surprise me?

CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

DOG BARKS

Anyone heard from Faith?

Dylan. One second.

I've messaged and called, but keep getting voicemail.

She and David are due in court.

Maybe she got ill. Or something's happened.

Any sign of Faith? You go on ahead to court.

She's up first, Sally.

You need to find her.

I'll try her at home.

LAUGHS No! This one? No.

This one? No. This one?

Ah...

BOTH LAUGH

ROARS Oh! Super-strong!

LUCY: Josh, it's time for nursery, sweetie.

I don't want to go to nursery.

Josh, come on, we're going to be late!

LAUGHTER

PHONE RINGS

Er...

I don't want to go to nursery!

Give that to me, come on. No.

Thank you.

Hello?

Lucy, it's Sally Alden from chambers.

Is Faith there? Um, no. She left for court.

Really? What time?

I don't know. Early.

Well, she's not there yet.

Or answering her calls.

Sally, I-I've got to go. Josh is late for nursery.

LINE DISCONNECTS

I want to watch Mummy. Right, Josh, come on.

We really have to get going. Let's go.

You can take Mister Donut with you. Let's go.

Josh!

JOSH: I don't want to go to nursery!

Put your bag on, please.

No! Josh! Come on!

Give me your hand.

Thanks very much, sir. Cheers.

MARCIE: Any joy? Change of strategy.

They're going to focus the search

underneath where the hand was found.

Could be there are more body parts in a bag under there,

and it's just the hand that's floated up.

Or could be the person's still alive.

Seriously?

The amputation may have been surgical,

severed through the skin

and then dismembered with a perfectly executed cut

through the joint space between the carpal bones

and the radius and ulna.

An amateur's more likely to try sawing

and hacking into the bone.

The person who did this really knows their anatomy.

I'll put a call out to hospitals.

If not a surgeon, who else has dismemberment skills?

A vet.

A pathologist.

A butcher.

KNOCKING

I tried the front. I told you, Faith's not here.

Well, she's definitely not at court, so where is she?

I don't know.

Right. Well, I've had to call in a favour

to get a replacement junior for David.

In exchange, Faith...

..is going to have to take a GBH

starting in Kingston, Friday.

You've always got her working.

I know you need the money.

Faith only really cares about the crusade.

Hmm. True.

Anyway, there's no point leaving those here.

Faith moved out.

We needed some space.

Where's she gone?

Not sure exactly.

Staying with friends.

Right, well...

..I hope you manage to patch things up.

SCOFFS

I've got to get on.

I've got a big catering event tomorrow.

As soon as you do hear from Faith,

will you ask her to call me? Immediately.

Let yourself out.

NIKKI: What have you got?

It looks human.

An adult femur.

Could it have gone in the water recently?

Looks like it's been in there longer than the hand,

but I'll need to run tests at the mortuary to check.

I wonder what else is in there.

FOOTSTEPS

LETTERBOX SQUEAKS

MARCIE: No hospital reports of hand amputations.

Bit of luck, we'll get a DNA match.

Fingers are long and slender.

Is it female?

DNA tests will confirm biological sex,

even if we can't match to a profile.

No sign of nail polish.

This hand has not been in the water long.

There...there's no bloating.

And there is still a slight indentation

on the wedding ring finger.

The ring could have... slipped off in the water?

Or was stolen before the hand was chucked in.

There's a faint pen mark on the palm.

No, I can't make that out.

I think it might be the shape of a heart.

HARRIET: Ah.

Any chance you can get a clear set of prints?

Yep. I'll need to remove

the degloved skin from the fingers first.

I'll start with the index finger to get an ID.

Would you remove the fingernail?

Yes.

Oh, my God...

OK.

Easy does it. Mm-hm.

It's moving.

Good.

At least the fingerprints

haven't been deliberately damaged.

Maybe, um, whoever dumped the hand

thought it would sink and wouldn't need to be ID'd.

BEEP

Done.

You can look now, Sergeant.

Any joy?

BUZZ

No matches on IDENT1 or IABS.

So they're not already known to us.

I'll load up the prints

in case they're still to be reported missing.

PHONE VIBRATES

Oh, God.

There's another one.

CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

Took a risk, delivering in person.

No CCTV - unlike at a post office.

Could have bunged a few stamps on it,

chucked it in a postbox.

Severed cleanly and expertly with a sharp blade.

Like our hand.

Exactly like our hand.

MARCIE: About what time did you notice this box?

LUCY: Um...midday.

Right. Right. OK.

Do you have any idea who might have sent the package?

It's horrific.

Sick.

What if my little boy had seen it?

Lucy,

Dr Alexander needs to take a DNA swab

and scan your fingerprints. Um...

Just for elimination, as you handled the parcel.

Is there anyone that might have a problem

with you or your family?

No.

Well, my partner...

..my wife...

..she's a criminal barrister.

I-I guess she's upset people.

Maybe someone's trying to scare her.

Could you open your mouth, please?

That's it. Thank you.

What's your wife's name?

Faith Oscott.

I know Faith through work.

She's formidable in court.

She loves her job.

Let's start with your right hand.

DEVICE BEEPS Now your index finger.

Faith's clerk said she didn't turn up at court this morning.

Um, I tried calling her,

but it just goes straight to voicemail.

Is that a heart?

Yeah. My son - he draws them all the time.

Does he draw them on Faith's hands, too?

Sometimes.

Why?

The hand in the canal?

The one on the news?

You think it's Faith? You think this is her?

There's no identification yet.

Lucy, this must be absolutely terrifying.

But that's one of the reasons that we're here.

I'll need to lift some prints from around the house.

MAN: Oi!

Oi! What are you doing?!

Get out! Get off me!

Get off me!

Get out! Get off me!

BLADE RASPS Hear this, then!

OK! Eh? Yeah. OK. OK!

Go on! OK. Go on!

PANTS

OK...

Faith took her laptop and her work stuff

when she moved out.

Uh...

We...we needed some space.

Well, hopefully I can still get a print from the surfaces.

I-I did a big clean after she left.

Like a...a sort of therapy.

Yeah.

DRAWER OPENS

Josh and Faith - they love playing phones.

FAITH: Hello.

There are dogs and cats.

There are dogs and cats? Fake water and fake...

There's also chickens.

Chickens?

NIKKI: There are closed-up piercings

through the left upper pinna and the lower lobule,

but no other distinctive features.

Are we any closer to a positive ID?

Not yet, boss.

JACK: Faith moved out of the family home a month ago,

so no clean prints there.

MARCIE: We're yet to locate where Faith was last staying.

Her wife is unsure, so we're checking with friends.

To speed things up, I can try and get a print from the ear.

But there's no ear database.

Ah, it's still worth a go, if I can compare it to Faith's.

Ears are as unique as fingerprints.

What about DNA?

NIKKI: Nothing from the ear yet.

And there's a delay on the hand.

Yes, because of the decomposition,

we've had to take a bone marrow sample to enable a profile.

Is there anything helpful from the canal?

Well, amongst the animal and bird bones,

we have found an adult femur.

How old?

It's been in the water a while. Perhaps up to a year or so.

So, the last sighting of Faith's vehicle

was after she left court on Friday.

Yeah. Number plate recognition...

..picked it up...

..here, between Snaresbrook and Epping Forest.

Nothing since.

The car can't have vanished into thin air.

JACK: It could be parked up. We won't know unless we get a ping

that it's on the move. What about her phone?

Dead, since she took that journey.

Boss?

We need to search the forest.

The body parts were found 20-odd miles away.

It's the last place we know Faith was alive.

We should be... Dr Alexander,

the hand amputation must have severed

a major artery. Yes.

So she's unlikely to be alive.

She could be, with medical help.

Well, what's the evidence telling you?

Nothing definite, unfortunately.

When someone living suffers this type of amputation,

you can see bleeding under the skin.

That isn't so obvious with an ear.

Or when a hand has been submerged in water.

Boss, Dr Alexander thinks

the hand could have been surgically removed.

With the skill involved, yes.

And if Faith is still alive, we need to find her.

It's getting late to mobilise a search team in daylight.

You could make a start with a drone.

Try and locate the vehicle on one of the forest tracks.

Good idea.

Let's find her.

DRAGGING AND SCRAPING

THUD

TRAFFIC RUMBLES

DISTANT SIRENS BLARE

MUSIC BLARES IN DISTANCE

SIGHS

MUSIC BLARES

MUSIC THUMPS

SIGHS

EAST EUROPEAN ACCENT: Turn...that...down.

What are you on about?

Do you want me to come in and sort it?!

All right, I'll turn it down.

Nutter.

KEYS JANGLE

MUSIC VOLUME DOWN

TAP RUNS

WASHES HANDS

MUSIC THUMPS

SCOFFS

Thank you, Mr Hirschi.

NIKKI: Who?

In 1965, he discovered

a burglary suspect

had an ear print similar to an ear mark

found on a window at the scene.

You can be on my pub quiz team!

Since when do you do pub quizzes?

I might start, now I've bagged myself a nerd.

Ah...

What will you compare it to?

OK. Yes.

CHUCKLES SOFTLY

Tough when you know them.

She never really mentioned her family.

If she wasn't battling in court,

she was fronting a campaign.

OK...

Not 100%, but...

..antihelix is identical.

FAITH: Criminal justice is crumbling around us.

All we want is justice for our clients.

But barristers are leaving the profession in droves

because we have nothing left to give.

All we want is justice for our clients...

All we want is justice for our clients...

CLICK All we want is

justice for our clients.

JACK: Only Lucy Khan's prints on the packaging.

The sender's forensically aware, then.

PHONE ALERT

It's my mum. I told her not to message me at work.

Your mum looks like she could use a shave.

What have you got?

Light blue fibres on the underside.

What do you think?

Cotton.

HARRIET HUMS Could be from a towel.

FOOTSTEPS APPROACH

So, what's the verdict?

Same knife on our hand and ear?

Consistent with the same type of blade.

I think there's a defect in one of the teeth.

Aha.

Ah! Helpful!

If the knife is ever found.

Say someone is keeping Faith alive...

..what do they want?

It is odd they haven't sent some sort of message.

Not yet anyway.

Amber...

Amber.

Oh, sorry, could you just give me one second?

I just need to sort something.

Can't talk right now, Dad. It's dead busy in there.

Are you feeling all right?

Well, not long to go now, eh?

Yeah. Um, what is it you wanted?

That's for the baby.

Where's it come from?

MAN: Amber...

Customer. Yeah, um...

Just two minutes, yeah? Thanks.

They shouldn't still be making you work now,

not like this. Calm down, Dad.

It's not a big deal.

I heard you was having a party shower thing at Patrizio's.

Well, your nan still talks to me, you know.

COUGHS

So, do I get an invite?

I'm not really sure it's your thing, Dad.

Yeah, well...

I want you to put that towa... No, listen to me.

I'll be getting more. I'll be getting more.

You'll end up back inside.

We're done.

You understand that?

I know... All I want is a chance.

That's all. Just a chance. I love you.

Yeah? OK. Love you too.

All right. I've got to go.

I love you, Amber. Yeah.

Hiya. Sorry...

OK, where was I?

Cryogenic milling?

We're preparing a sample for DNA extraction.

Do you want a go?

After you.

Don't worry -

I kept the bone intact for scanning.

It's been cut cleanly,

with similar markings

to those on the severed carpals of our hand.

We'll need scans to see

if the defect on the blade is the same.

Could take weeks for a result.

We might not have weeks.

It's ridiculous

that we have not got a scanner in this building.

What do they think we are - a bunch of schoolkids?!

Pricey piece of kit, that.

When Sibelius was rejected by the Vienna Philharmonic,

did he give up? No, he did not. He pushed straight on,

and he became a rather famous composer!

PHONE VIBRATES

Toxicology's back.

What is it?

Faith's nails contain traces of buspirone.

High levels of metabolites in the tissue.

Suggests chronic use.

For what? Anxiety?

Extreme anxiety.

And severe panic attacks.

DISTANT SIRENS BLARE

MARCIE: Why buspirone?

Why not propranolol or something milder?

You know your meds! CHUCKLES

Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to pry.

Takes the edge off.

There's no antidepressants on Faith's medical history.

Maybe she was seeing a psychiatrist privately.

She gave it everything. And for what?

BELLS PEAL

Good to see you, Nikki. Sally.

So glad they've got you on the case.

DS Blake. Hi.

This is David Whitley, our head of chambers.

Thanks for everything you're doing.

Hello.

We're all horrified by what's happened.

MARCIE: Has Faith ever received any threats through her work?

Threats come with the territory,

but they rarely amount to anything.

Can I get a list of clients?

Sally? Of course.

Especially those with a history of violence.

Faith also volunteers at a law centre.

My clerk Dylan said she's had trouble with a client there.

I'll get you a name.

Anything else we can help you with?

Was Faith under any particular pressure at work?

Well, for the past few years, she's gone from murders

to rape cases without any sort of break.

Why's that? Well, she had to.

For the money.

Barristers are self-employed, paid per case.

With the hours that juniors have to work, they can end up

earning less than minimum wage.

When I was a junior, there was no student debt.

Legal aid was our bread and butter.

You could afford to take a break between tough cases.

Not now. How did Faith cope with that?

Well, not well.

She's an outstanding defence junior.

But to boost her income,

she began taking prosecution briefs as well.

Really?

But she was such a passionate exponent of defence.

Frankly, combining both was too much.

If you don't already know, Lucy and Faith have separated.

We're aware of that.

Odd thing is...

..just a few weeks ago...

..Lucy got in touch to ask about Faith's earnings

and diary of cases.

What for?

To obtain life insurance.

Did she get it?

We told her the enquiry would have to come via Faith.

But Lucy was quite insistent - Faith's life had to be insured.

FLOORBOARD CREAKS

FAITH: The government made 200 million

from selling off Crown Courts. And yet, to save more money,

it then cut the number of days that judges sit.

This is a key cause of backlogs,

and we're fighting not just for ourselves,

but for the very survival of the justice system.

Mum, can you come over?

MUSIC PLAYS THROUGH EARPHONES

CLANK

Travis?

Travis, can I speak to you?

Please?

DOOR CLOSES

VEHICLE-REVERSING ALARM BEEPS

DOG BARKS

TRAFFIC RUMBLES

SIRENS BLARE

DOG BARKS

JACK SIGHS

Ah! Pizza!

Mm!

You are... Husband material?

Mm!

What's this?

"Hyoid Fractures In Fatal Non-Homicidal Falls"?

The trial's been rescheduled.

Hmm.

You all set?

This is an obscure study

using a relatively small sample,

but it backs up the defence claim.

And all the silk has to do

is plant enough doubt in the jury's mind.

Mm.

But then they'll hear from you.

BOTH CHUCKLE SOFTLY

PIANO CONCERTO NO.3 IN D MINOR BY RACHMANINOFF PLAYS LOUDLY

DOOR ENTRY BEEPS

MUSIC RECORDING PLAYS LOUDLY

Shit.

Just a quiet night in with Mum and Scrabble, was it?

Date with a random.

Had to keep drinking to blot out his chat.

DNA's back on our hand and ear.

It's a match to Faith.

Well, at least we know for sure, then.

Other unattributed DNA has been found

under a fingernail.

Defensive? From a scratch?

Don't know yet.

TRAIN RATTLES PAST

Would you like to sit down?

I'm afraid there's no doubt that it's Faith.

Do you... Do you think she's still alive?

I hope so.

JOSH LAUGHS

Have you had any unusual communication

since the parcel?

Calls from unknown numbers?

No, nothing.

Do you recognise this man?

Who is he?

He's been named by Faith's chambers.

His name is Stefan Chirkov.

We believe he's been harassing Faith the past few months.

She...she never said anything.

She's advising him via the law centre.

She works 60-hour weeks

and still finds time for that place.

We haven't been able to trace Stefan yet.

If you do see him or if he makes contact,

let us know immediately.

Did you know Faith's been taking medication

to treat anxiety?

Uh, she...

..she had a string of tough cases

and started seeing a shrink.

Just a few sessions - we couldn't afford any more.

We heard from the chambers that you recently tried

to arrange life insurance for Faith.

Faith's the main earner.

We both want to protect Josh.

It was Faith's idea, but she never finds time to arrange it.

What about Josh's dad?

Doesn't he contribute financially?

Josh was conceived via donor.

Are you in contact?

No.

We had to go private. Check with the clinic,

if you like. That won't be necessary.

Would you be up to taking part in a press appeal?

I couldn't. SNIFFLES

Er...

Everyone looking, making judgments.

I get that, I do,

but it could help if the public sees the impact

on the family - you and Josh.

Just think about it, yeah?

OK.

I found some DNA on Faith's hand

that belongs to someone else.

It could be a match to Josh.

Can I take a swab to eliminate him?

Yeah. Of course.

Josh...

Did you have to be so insensitive?

What?

You wouldn't ask a straight couple how their kid

was conceived.

See, this is no time to be walking on eggshells.

I want to find Faith,

and I am leaving no bloody stone unturned.

Out you come. Can you jump that?

This is Nikki.

She's a doctor. Hey, Josh.

She knows Mama. Mama's at work.

Yeah. That's right, sweetie.

Do you want to have a look in my doctor's suitcase?

See what I've got in here?

Now, I'm going to ask Mummy to show you

exactly what I'm going to ask you to do.

So, um...

..you just have to open your mouth really wide,

like this. Ah-h!

And then...

That's all.

Do you think you can do that?

Yes. That's right.

And it might feel a bit ticklish round there.

Ah. That's it. Well done.

Thank you.

Why don't you go bounce about?

I bet you can bounce so high you can touch the trees!

Oh... JOSH GIGGLES

What do I say to him?

How on earth do I tell him?

I promise we're doing everything we can

to find Faith.

BANGING

BANG ECHOES

PIANO CONCERTO NO.2 IN C MINOR BY RACHMANINOFF PLAYS LOUDLY

The micro-CT scanner?

Sorry? Music - turn it down.

Rachmaninoff.

Last of the great Russian Romantics.

Can't think why. Micro-CT scanner, huh?

Uh-huh! On loan. Had to twist a few arms.

WHISTLES

O ye of little faith, Mr Hodgson.

So now we have the best possible view

of the striation marks on the hand

left by the blade.

SCANNER WHIRS

Which are identical to those on the femur

found in the canal.

Kidding? Uh-uh.

Exactly the same defects on the teeth of the blade.

So they dumped body parts in the same stretch of canal

maybe a year apart.

Yeah.

NIKKI: The DNA from under Faith's nail

has generated a match.

Faith's client from the law centre, Stefan Chirkov.

TV: The severed hand recovered from this stretch of canal

is confirmed to be that

of missing barrister Faith Oscott.

Greater London Police are appealing

for any information in relation to her whereabouts.

They urgently want to speak to this man, Stefan Chirkov,

in connection with Faith's disappearance.

Well, we now can go live to where Faith's wife,

Lucy Khan, is making a statement.

Faith is a devoted mum

to our son, Josh.

She would never not be in touch for this long.

And Faith loves her job.

She....she wouldn't let people down

by not turning up to court.

We are all desperately worried.

We would like to appeal directly to anyone

who may be holding Faith,

or to anyone who knows what's happened to her.

Please contact the incident room if you have information,

no matter how small.

We'd like for the press to respect the privacy of...

Ironic, really.

Now Faith has all the media fuss and attention

she could ever want.

KNOCK AT DOOR Come in.

There you go, sir. Thank you, Dylan.

PHONE VIBRATES

DS Blake.

Yeah?

What address did they give?

Yeah.

Got it. Thank you.

BREATHES SHAKILY

KNOCK AT DOOR

MARCIE: Police! Open up!

KNOCKING Police!

KNOCKING

KNOCKING Police!

DOG BARKS IN DISTANCE Let's go.

THUD

Police!

Armed police! Get up! Against the wall!

Stefan Chirkov? Turn around!

I have a Magistrates' Warrant to search this address.

I am arresting you on suspicion of kidnap.

You do not have to say anything,

but if you do not mention something when questioned,

it may harm your defence.

Anything you do say may be given in evidence.

Clear! Clear!

Clear.

Come on.

CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

DOOR CLOSES

DRIPPING

SPRAY BOTTLE SPRITZES

SIGHS No signs of blood anywhere...

..in the most common place for dismemberment.

SIGHS

Open your mouth, please.

And again.

That's it.

Thank you.

What happened there?

I'll need to examine it.

Put your hands out in front of you.

Turn them over.

NEIGHBOUR: What's he done?

Nothing you need to worry about.

Do us a favour and keep the freak locked up.

The smells that come out of there...

Smells?

It's like cooking, but nothing I've ever eaten.

Jack...?

We need to check the oven and the drain in the kitchen.

HARRIET: So now Jack has worked on the trace DNA,

we can start on the serrated knife.

Closest match to the cut marks on Faith's hand.

How does it work, this gel?

We draw the blade through it to produce

a range of test cuts.

WHIRS

This creates marks that are striated.

Then we take the striated gel,

and we put it in our scanner

to get a digital image of each test cut.

Which we compare with the striations

in the articular surface cartilages of the hand.

Smart. If Chirkov is responsible,

how does he have the dismemberment skills?

He worked as a veterinary nurse.

Before he was sacked for assaulting a client he claims

racially abused him.

Might be unrelated, but on his forearm

he has what could be a defence scratch.

The rest of his upper body is clear.

We'll check it out.

I've got the data on Stefan's laptop.

Any good news?

His deleted history shows visits to a long-pig forum...

Oh...God.

..where members share fantasies

about cooking and eating human flesh.

Sick bastard.

Why is your DNA under Faith Oscott's fingernail?

Did she scratch you?

No comment.

We believe Faith has been kidnapped

and suffered a severe, life-threatening injury.

Do you know where she is?

Does anyone other than you have access to the laptop

we recovered from your bedsit?

No.

Showing Mr Chirkov

exhibits KB23, KB22

and KB21.

Look familiar?

Yes.

Deleted screenshots of his web history off his laptop.

Looks bad.

I was looking into butchery...

..for animals.

This site came up.

I was curious.

Just curious, that's all.

We know how frustrated you've been

at the delays to your trial.

Over and over.

I did nothing then. I've done nothing now.

We heard from the law centre

that Faith tried her best to help people

who had no other access to lawyers.

There is still a chance that she could be alive.

But time is running out.

If you know anything at all that could help us find her,

you need to tell us now.

Any reference to a lock-up on Stefan's laptop?

No. I would have picked that up.

What about emails?

Maybe he rented storage somewhere.

A renewal notice?

What's that from?

Uh...

Oh. Quayside Allotments.

SIRENS BLARE

Plot 31.

It's this way.

Is this it? A shed.

Shit. We never asked him about a shed.

Is that blood?

Good God.

What is it?

GIGGLING ECHOES

BOTH SIGH HAPPILY

I love you.

It's for ever now.

Oh, my God!

..be here! No!

LAUGHTER

Faith!

This is Faith Oscott.

Please leave a brief message after the tone. Thank you.

BEEP

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I'll see you later. I'll grab a table.

Yeah, I'll see you in a bit.

Delivery for you, Sally.

If it's case files, you know what to do -

put 'em in the in-tray.

I think this is more of a gift.

Maybe from an admirer.

Says "personal".

You get off home now, Dylan.

Do you want help opening it? I'll see you in the morning.

Bright and early, my darling. OK.

Bright and early.

Dylan? Yes! Good man!

GASPS

BREATHES HEAVILY