Original subtitles

Repton. Minister.

I don't often drop in, as you know. You're always very welcome, Minister.

If only to admire your always tidy desk.

Look, about this file, I'm not happy about Temple Blake Limited

being retained on our list of nominated contractors.

They stand to make close on £50 million in government work this year.

As they did last year.

All right?

You all right?

You all right, son?

Get up.

Nice.

Not a mark.

You never know how a friend had a fall. Just a fortnight's bellyache, eh?

I've got some nice medicine for that.

A week's wages and a ticket back to where you came from.

Mr Cowley is in reception. Would you ask him to come in, please?

There's no shoddy workmanship round here.

Understand? No handouts to council members, no.

Things like that don't happen on sites I manage, do they?

Well, you know that, don't you?

Well, get lost.

And shut your mouth.

I'm not quite with you, Minister.

As you know, I'm not answerable to you or this department, or Mr. Repton here,

widely known as the Cardinal Woolsey of this

nation's spending in the building industry.

Not a very civil civil servant, I am.

No, mostly we don't have to be.

So first, why us?

Why not the fraud squad, special branch?

Reasons of policy, Mr. Carey.

The usual phrase for two coats of political whitewash.

To hold a watching brief in the corruption case that

used to take place against Temple Blake Limited.

We build for Britain.

Here is my specific authority from your own minister to involve CI5 in this affair.

I don't know what you mean by watching brief.

Precisely that, to see that justice is done and blame apportioned accordingly.

If you mean that I'm to see that none of it gets

shoveled anywhere near you or your department,

you've picked the wrong labourer.

Because the minute my department gets packed

in any politician's do-it-yourself image kit,

I get very angry indeed. And I know my way around the same corridors as you do.

I can see the need for political insurance, Minister,

but Cowley's hardly the insurance broker I'd have gone to.

I know these opening ceremonies can be a bore, Michael.

What's the use of having dukes for friends if

you can't use them to impress the top table?

I think I can promise you a splendid night out afterwards.

And earplugs. For the mayor's speech.

Hello?

Thank you.

Yours, Tony. Well, I think that wraps that lot up, darling.

And we should have enough luminaries to keep the tiny councillors happy.

Whiz them round by hand, will you?

With the usual private and confidential blather on them.

Evening, Henry.

Without your false beard.

And what is the grey eminence of British bureaucracy doing

in the house of an unprincipled capitalist like me?

You know where everything is, help yourself.

And, Monica, keep on to Renshaw at the Fairgate site.

You know, where they're squawking about sticky fingers.

I've got our lawyers going over in the morning, and at about 50 quid a comma,

I don't want them kept waiting.

Well, Henry, what can I do for you?

What can I do for you?

For a price, as usual.

Your Swiss bank must be having to build an extension, or is it Lichtenstein?

No, our normal arrangements are quite healthy.

I thought you might like to know you're well in line for the new health centers.

And I've already had some inquiries from oil money as to

where they should look for builders and contractors.

They've been put your way. And congratulations, Moupi. Not yet.

Your firm is in the middle of a corruption case.

Petty cash.

New cars for councillors, isn't everybody? Perhaps.

But you've been getting a little obtrusive about it.

And I have a slippery minister.

This time, he's gone beyond the fraud squad in the special branch.

He's pulled in CI5.

The other's a good policeman, but seeing how five is special.

If you want Temple Blake Limited to stay in business, you'd better make very,

very sure that this current piece of bribery and

corruption has a not-guilty verdict handed down.

A 250-unit council estate.

That's not Buckingham Palace.

No, Tony.

But you know, and I know,

that the tip of this lucrative iceberg has been floating nicely for some years now.

If anyone can sink it, CI5 can.

That'll do for today.

Like dancing the tango with my granny.

I'm a disco man myself, sir.

This is army training. It's quite good with a bayonet. And you run much better.

Now, the two of you read the briefing on this Temple Blake rubbish.

Yeah, a watching brief, whatever that means.

It means that you two get your best suits out of pawn,

have them cleaned and pressed, and if you don't own velvet gloves, buy some. Watch,

listen, and learn. On Bodhi,

there are ways of asking people questions without removing their teeth.

For one thing, it makes for clear a diction. Well,

I'll see you both up at Fairgate. Knowing the way you two drive,

you'll probably get there first.

When I find Cowley's physiotherapist, I'll tie his

toes in a reef knot. Cowley's good, admit it.

Yeah, Cowley didn't get out of a strange bed at five

in the morning with a hangover. You want to play?

Couldn't take you on with chopsticks.

Fill you up? Of course. We're on whisky.

Sir James. Good afternoon, Robert.

Sir James, have you had a chance to read my memo?

Robert, you're the firm's accountant, so stick to that. Handle the figures.

Let me worry about buying the legal brain.

You didn't authorise the payments at Fairgate, Sir James.

I did. Well, naturally, you always do as you're told.

Which is why I'll be standing in the dock.

I'll have Renshaw and Bradford there with you.

A psych foreman and a manager. We're deceived.

Express regret, naturally.

Plead pressure at work.

If I'm found guilty, Tony, I know enough to plead a lot more than that.

There's a conspiracy charge as well. I'm not doing seven years in prison.

If we don't get you off, you shop us.

I didn't say that.

What do you mean?

Robert, we've been through a couple of these things before. We've paid some fines,

a couple of minor employees have gone to prison,

and we've looked after them when they got out.

A building has always been a grab bag where palms get greased.

You were unlucky to have been involved in this one.

I've been involved in all of them. Oh, Robert, Robert.

One conscientious detective sergeant plodding away. Got

through the outer defences. Bad luck, that's all.

Have a few days off.

Come on, I'll get Buchan to drive you home.

You're too upset and shaky to drive that big jack of yours.

Ah, good.

Oh, Robert has turned into a nervous old woman. Oh, he always has been.

Started with the golf job.

Half a million siphoned out of that one.

The size frightened him. That's when he started to drink.

He'll crack, you know. He wants to, the full confessional.

I know.

And he's the one to worry about. He's kept count of all the private skeletons.

If he goes down, we all go down. That would be a pity.

I think it would.

And so would friend Repton.

He's getting used to the privileges of a tax-free fortune.

We wove the web, cousin.

And now we have CI5 as the spider in the middle.

I don't think we can play the usual rules on this one.

Do you, cousin?

I expect you've already taken care of that.

Temple Blake Limited should say prayers for the British taxpayer.

He's done them proud over the years. And the same with other building firms.

People forget it's the country's biggest industry.

Who introduced this nominated contractor scheme, you?

I wish I could take the credit.

No, it evolved.

Could I have a breakdown of Temple Blake's works here over the last five years?

Certainly.

You'd probably get a better picture from Tony Logan Blake

if you want a complete breakdown.

His would include all the private work. Past, present and future?

Well, he'd probably be a bit cagey about the future,

but if you kept it confidential, commercially, I mean, I don't see why not.

Shall I ring him?

I'd appreciate that. Tomorrow?

That'll be fine.

Not quite as interesting as your usual line of work, I'm afraid.

But every time a minister feels a draft,

he thinks it's the political wind of change,

and we're the ones who do the long hours.

You look healthy enough on it.

I was looking you up in personnel, by the way.

You put in for retirement about five years ago, then changed your mind.

Caution, I suppose.

Why?

The pension's index linked, but I'd have felt the pinch.

And then I suppose the divorce showed on the file.

Yes, I wondered about that.

Nothing to worry about.

My wife decided on a second springtime, and I suppose I was a bit staid.

We still talk to each other, I check.

You've got this muse in Hampstead now.

Quite a conversion.

The original luxury bachelor pad, they tell me.

They'll also have told you that Temple Blake Limited did the work.

I might have got a bit of a discount for it, but only in terms of better work done.

I paid the going rate for it. Yes, I checked that too.

And the endowment policy that paid for it? Naturally.

You've been most helpful, Mr. Repton. Well,

if we functionaries can't stick together, nobody can.

Hardly your class of cocktail bar, old man.

I always like a place where I can spit on the floor.

Yes.

Sure this is the place we're supposed to meet at? Yeah.

Right down to the petting shop opposite and a knock

three times for Fifi next door. What's he look like?

Don't you know?

Look who's here.

Your friend with a bellyache.

He's supposed to have gone by now.

Perhaps he's waiting for his nice policeman friend,

so he can stir up a bit more dirt about the building business.

He was supposed to have gone home, son.

I enjoyed that.

You, Halloran.

I'm Doyle. Bodie.

You've got a strange way of introducing yourself, haven't you? Yeah,

I just wanted to make sure whose side you were on.

Too many of you fellas are bent. I can drink.

May I have a clean glass?

I can't believe it.

All I'm trying to do is my good citizens act. You know, see a bit of graph,

say this won't do, so I get myself down to the local cop shop.

Then I find I'm really in it.

Worse than going through a maze in a thunderstorm.

I'm going to see the big boy, local big chief.

He says there's not much in it, not worth bothering about.

Just rumour.

So then it gets to somebody higher up. Two plates and chips, and one chips, love.

Somebody they haven't paid, wasn't getting his share,

so he gets a bit uptight about being left out, I suppose.

And what about the other two?

Oh, you've just done over? Mm.

He's right. Small fry. Rubbish.

Been for a few bob. Stimping on materials, being light on the concrete mix,

till they make a few thousand quid.

We're talking about millions, spread over years, going to the top.

What about the other one they talked to, the councillor? All 50, sir. Right,

thank you. What about him?

Well, he's another one.

Chairman of the local housing committee.

He was caught with his hand in the till.

Bet that surprised him.

But they won't prove anything.

They're all tiddlers, like me.

Caught up in a big pool. A little bit of scratch on

my back under the old pal's act, and they're free.

Nothing changes much, does it?

Ex-copper? I tell. Expert.

Congrats.

We have to excuse his manners. He hasn't got any.

What I don't understand is how they blew the gaff on the whole thing. Well,

how they got the big knob.

I suppose somebody put the bite on.

Asked to see the accounts. They went for Gillum, Templeview chief accountant.

I thought years of brickwork and prize loot.

You reckon this Gilliam's worth seeing, then?

Yeah, yeah, you're what?

I mean, get yourself a pair of wings and a harp. I mean, don't you read?

They found him last night with his toes turned up.

Had a good round, then?

Not very sociable today, are we, Harry?

How about one with me?

No, not now, George. Well, at least you could do.

After all, you are my deputy chairman.

Acting chairman now.

Never credited, would you, Barney? A bit of trouble, and no one wants to know you.

I used to be able to come in here any time, you know that. It would be, hello,

George, what are you having, George?

Half the council in here. They were abrupt, I'll say that.

Why don't you have one with me? Oh, no, no. No, no, come on. Gee, sir,

a large walk for the gentleman.

It's always the same, Barney.

It takes a stranger to show some civility when

your friends have turned their backs...

I'm George Webb. How do? And I'm still chairman of the housing committee,

never mind what that crawling Harry Braithwaite says. Responsible job.

Oh, it is, it is.

The biggest.

Ensuring decent dwelling units for the citizens of this community.

Linda!

Linda!

Four years old and the roof leaks like a bloody colander.

I know you're on night shift, but it's not his fault he can't get no sleep. Well,

I just wish the butchers who put this all up had to live in it.

Would you live in it? I am living in it.

Don't remind me. Responsibility. That's what the

new fellas don't understand, the personal touch.

Get to know your contractor. Is that the trouble

you mentioned? Look where it got me.

Chairman of housing, been on the council 20 years, and there's this estate,

and they reckon there's been some fixing, corruption, whatever they call it.

Oh, I've yet to know public service get the appreciation it deserves, Mr Webb.

I remember when they lived in Whippet kennels.

We used to have trams on the high street.

Look, if they'd a price of a ticket to get on.

I think they're grateful.

I spend most of my free time at it, and I should know. Pennies expenses,

precious little things. So you know what I have, Tobias?

Prawn cocktail and the medium steak.

I can recommend that.

And they see me right here.

Just tell the shepherds for Councillor Webb. He knows where I am.

Very good, sir.

Don't worry about it being after closing time. They're used to me, you know.

A couple more brandies, you know.

I was telling you about Jim Renshaw, good site manager.

He appreciated me taking an interest in the job.

And if he's got a pal in the travel business who can

get me and my missus a couple of weeks in the sun,

and I'm paying, cut price, but I'm paying.

And if he shows enough consideration for his workforce to have

them do a few bits of jobs around my house when they're idle,

instead of laying them off, I don't see anything wrong with that.

Nasty minds everywhere. Nasty enough to get me took to court.

Some building inspector and snivelling to some interfering detective sergeant

just because I won't uphold his complaint about the state of Renshaw's job.

Well, you meet a lot of them.

If only people would mind their own business.

Good news, cousin, on the coroner's verdict.

A fellow to say, while the balance of his mind was disturbed.

Henry Repton called.

Reminding me that the full verdict of not guilty is still essential.

And telling me that a man called Cowley might

be around to ask some awkward questions.

Ah, well, you're bald. You were always good at answering those questions.

Come in, Mr. Webb.

May I get you something?

Oh, no, thank you very much. I've had to take the whole day off as it is.

I'm sure we can compensate you for that.

Oh, I'm not worried about that.

Nice of you. You go ahead.

And I don't mind helping. I should think you don't. You'll be on the dock.

And I hope you'll be out front listening, or if not you, one of your colleagues.

The clerk of the court's an old friend, and he knows it.

And that's the only reason I was able to get a list of

the jury members that will be allocated to our case.

What are old friends for, if not to help each other?

Twelve good men, and true.

With names and occupations and addresses.

That's all we need.

What is it?

I've been called for jury service, just when we need the wages.

But does it say what case you're on?

No, they're too cagey for that. In case you cop out with a doctor's certificate,

this could drag on for weeks.

I say, Carly, did you sign him in? Yes, Colonel, he works for me,

if you use the term loosely.

I can remember when this used to be a military club. He was military once.

One of those rag and bone regiments, crawling about behind the enemy lines.

He looks the type. I couldn't find a bowler hat to fit me.

Oh.

Colonel, I want to pick your brains.

First, this temple blade case.

That'll blow over, storm in a concrete mixer.

Well, they're always buying these fat little counselors

or giving motor cars to the subcontractors.

If a contract's worth a million or two, it's worth greasing a few palms.

What about Temple Blake itself?

They've only done a couple of contracts with

us at the Ministry of Defense, both shoddy.

I won't have them on parade anymore.

Not that that stopped them doing well. A book called Logan Blake, He's the Sharpie.

Would you say they were crooked? Oh, yes, in a big way.

Mind you, it's not all their fault. I mean,

when people have got a lot of work to offer, they expect something in return.

What do people offer you, Colonel?

Courtesy and civility, young man, and that is all.

I'd get the back of my hand if you offered me a farthing. My advice to you, Carly,

is to find the figures and a good cost accountant.

I think you'll find that the skimmed milk went into the

contract and the cream went into Rogan Blake's pocket.

There's the list of the jury,

and I want them all to sing in harmony to the tune of Not Guilty.

Any particular method? That's up to you.

Everyone has their own pressure points.

Greed, envy, resentment, fear.

Don't tap all of the people.

Pick two or three of the more persuasive ones and make the incentives high enough.

Or low enough.

Yes.

There you are, sir. Thank you. Thanks very much indeed. Bye.

Bye.

What makes you so sure I'll be on that jury?

Because it's all a political fix.

People trying to get at George Webb and the others.

Get their arm back. I know something about that.

I've just seen the report my manager put in on me.

Oh, you know what I'm talking about, then.

You'll be seeing innocent men in the dock.

You take my word for it.

I'll listen to the evidence, my friend.

Justice is justice.

I'm glad you call me friend, because we're great believers in friendship.

But we know that nothing's for nothing.

Five hundred.

Now.

And five hundred after the verdict.

It's not robbery with violence they're up for.

Just helping people out.

Is that a crime?

Can I have a word, Mr Singleton? Who are you?

Do you mind giving that back? I just heard the end of your lecture.

Lovely piece of hot air balloon. More big words than a Sunday paper.

With all that style, they're bound to make you jury foreman.

Make sure they do, because you're going to be on the Temple Blake case.

You can't possibly know that. Ah, but we do.

It's what's called having friends at court.

And we want a verdict of not guilty. That's ridiculous. And as soon as I get home,

I shall phone the police and tell them about you and this conversation.

I wouldn't do that, pal.

First, I could walk you over the park and give you a 10 out

of 10 thumping as easy as demonstrate a vacuum cleaner.

That would get you in even more trouble.

No.

Because even if I was picked up,

we all know what fellas like you are after in parks. And besides,

you're all being selfish.

You've got four kids. I know the roads they cross on their way to school,

and I know what they look like, and I can be a very dangerous driver.

I know the supermarket your wife shops at, so what I do is,

I put a few things in her bag,

I call the detective and she's down the road for shoplifting.

You think about it.

Perhaps you could arrange both.

You do it.

And you never know, you might get a few quid through your

door one night and you can buy yourself a new suit.

Thank you.

Well, I must say I don't understand your interest, Mr Cowley,

but you're very welcome to take these away with you.

Point of fact, we're quite proud of them.

Not many firms in our business share the same growth rate. And the profits to match?

In this day and age, my dear fellow, profits aren't many down to the bone,

they're down to its marrow. We've never cut margins so fine.

You seem to get a fair share of government work. Ah, they're the hardest of all.

In and out with the tooth comb all of the time.

Still, I've mixed it in with a few plump Arab jobs, I can't complain.

Well, thank you for your time, Mr Blake.

I may see you again.

What department did you say you were with? I didn't, but it's CI5.

Sorry. I've never heard of it.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached your verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

And what is that verdict?

Not guilty.

Is that the verdict of you all?

The verdict of the majority of us, Your Honor.

First, ladies and gentlemen,

may I thank you for the obvious time you have taken over your deliberations,

which I consider commensurate with a case of

corruption which involves taxpayers' money.

I must confess a little surprise at the verdict of not guilty.

Albeit on a majority decision.

And I could wish that you had paid less attention

to learned counsel's emphasis on the

wholly hypothetical ringleader activities of the defendant who committed suicide.

I must, however, bow to your decision.

And let the verdict be so entered that defendants may step down.

Would the court rise, please?

Smells worse than his socks.

When are we going to get back to some real work, sir? When I say, Bodie.

You sent for me, Minister?

Asked if you could spare a moment. There's a difference.

Purely to thank you for your efforts on behalf of the

department in the Temple Break corruption case.

I think the not guilty verdict settles it, don't you?

No.

Well, of course it does. Entirely satisfactory. No scandal,

no fast new repercussions. And not a single scratch in your shiny armour, Minister.

Well, thank you again, and kindly convey my appreciation to your colleagues.

When I'm assigned a case at CIF, it gets closed only under my personal signature.

I didn't want this assignment.

I regarded it as a trivial matter of image protection.

Since then, a man has died. The verdict was suicide. And in my opinion,

a jury has now been suborned.

It now takes on all the aspects of a case in which

my department cannot relinquish interest.

You can be forced to do so, Carlin.

Not by you, Mr Repton.

Nor by your minister.

I'm allowed a certain degree of latitude.

And I've already put on record, and I distaste,

that the department I run should be used for ministerial

public relations protection rather than its proper work.

We can now begin that work.

This is it, Mr Cowley.

What are we doing here?

Oh, you know, Cowley. This is where it all started. He likes to tickle his itch.

So tickle his itch.

You want to build a house or two while we wait? Not in these shoes, thank you.

I'll bet your mother's feet are cold.

Hello, runt.

Thought we'd seen the last of you. Did you, Mr Renshaw?

Who are you?

Official call?

Not really.

Well, then this is not a public park. This is a private building site.

All visitors gotta have passes and state their

business. Oh, they get beaten up, Mr Renshaw.

Is he still on about that little Joey there? He didn't

get beaten up. He got drunk. Had to hold him down.

You ask the foreman there. You ask any of the boys.

Now, if you're not official...

And you're certainly not here with my permission.

We get a lot of pilfering, so we don't like strangers on the site, right?

Really? We'll see that the local constabulary look into that.

Make sure that your affairs are properly looked

after in future, isn't that so, Mr Halloran?

Now we'd better let Mr Renshaw get back to

his drawing board. Lucky it's not mailbags.

Oh, I wouldn't be certain of anyone's luck, would you?

What's he after? We got the verdict behind us?

Councillor Webb?

Bodie, Doyle, you will now mingle with the 12

good men and two of the Temple Blake jury. And you, sir?

I'll remember the advice of my retired friend who wanted to blow up a bridge.

A lot of material going into that site. A lot of material, a lot of paperwork.

Some of it papering over the cracks.

And one of these, very close to an accountant,

supposedly deceased of a self-administered weed killer.

Not a very typical way for an accountant to die. How would you say so, Bodie?

Henry is here. He says we have problems.

Oh, well, they must be his as well.

Nothing else would drag him out of the financial canyons into the country.

Good morning, Henry. Good morning, Sir Jones. Glad

you could come down. No, thank you.

Perhaps you could join us for a few holes afterwards.

No, thank you, Sir Jones. Fresh air will do you good, Henry.

Fresh air is something we might all be short of, Sir Jones, for a very long time.

Unless you've swept up after the Temple Blake affair,

as well as your gardeners have swept up here,

carefully. Oh, indeed, isn't that so, Carly?

Clear conscience is all around. The man in the wig said not guilty. He had to.

Thanks to the jury.

Carly doesn't believe him.

He's taking it very personally. He thinks he was gulled.

He was. That's very bright of him.

Sorry you're not staying, Henry. Tony's heaved with the car.

Oh, no, no, no, Harry, no, it's my shout. Large ones, Barney, wherever you are.

Yes? Oh, feed them all round, Barney, with chasers,

and put it on the bill and don't let it get cold

now. See you later, fellas, see you later.

Councillor Webb.

Aye.

Aye.

No, the other day.

Does young Tony know?

Logan Blake, does he know?

Aye, you do that.

You can find me at home later.

He can leave a message with my good lady.

Good day to you, councillor.

Oh, good day.

Back up in our little town, are we, eh? Some unfinished business. Is that so? Well,

you'd better come and join us for a drink.

Some unfinished business connected with you.

Were you waiting for someone?

Can I help?

Mr. Singleton?

Yes, you can help.

Or rather, I can help you.

Stop your going to jail, Aubrey.

I can call you Aubrey, can't I, Aubrey?

You having trouble there, sir?

Yeah.

These any good for whitewash?

Yes, sir. Snow jobs, cover-ups.

Turning the proverbial blind eye.

What do you mean? How much did they pay you?

Or did they put the frighteners on?

Who are you? Perverting the course of justice. Have you heard that expression yet?

Well, of course you have.

You've got a nice, quiet office where we can talk.

I've been talking to your wife, you know.

Stuffed them a yoke, eh?

And a bit of a windfall.

Or have you been going to the dogs? Yes, well, haven't we all?

Of course I know the clerk and the superintendent.

A man's been on the council the best part of his lifetime.

He's entitled to know a few people.

He has a few friends and a few of the big ones who know one too well.

Do you mind me?

That's right, love. Give us a bit of peace and quiet.

Thank you, sweetheart.

You come up here, winding me up with your damn

graces and bonnemays for the little grages,

but you don't get me to say anything I shouldn't. Nothing incriminating.

Because Councillor Webber's done nothing to incriminate himself, has he? Hey!

A man's been tried, and he's entitled to say that that is that.

You've had your little game, but the better man has one. You don't try a man twice.

I mean, not in the democratic society where I come from.

How long have you been associated with Tony Logan Blake?

Tony who?

Another of your bloody double-barreled aristos? You don't know him? Well,

of course I know him. I didn't say you did.

Now, don't you start twisting things I say.

I know who he is, and that's all. His friends are

on the other side of the council, not mine.

Oh, and before you say anything else, let me say something.

The judge said we could go.

That means that Councillor Webb is innocent,

and his friends out there who are buying him a drink, they say so too.

So if you want to say anything more, you'd better start thinking.

Because I've got my lawyers, too.

Good.

Perhaps you'd better bring them with you. Oh,

did no one tell you the Director of Public Prosecutions is considering

an inquiry into this question of suborning jurors?

A purely a formality in your case.

But I'm sure we'll find someone who is guilty.

You can tell Vera she can lay the tables now.

Right. Thank you, Garrett.

That was our friendly police super.

The one with the all-too-young and expensive wife?

He did sound a little wary.

Enviable.

Word has come down the CI5 are investigating the jury on the Temple Blake case,

headed by our human mole, Cowley.

So we are sure, cousin?

Very. Confident.

And if any of the jurors do talk, what will they find?

A frightened schoolteacher, a greedy store manager.

You know who they are?

No, never heard of them. Exactly. And what's more important, Kaz,

they've never heard of you or me.

So we can say no loose ends.

You're confident.

Do you remember how careful Bobby Gillum was?

Yes.

Not one, but two spare pairs of shoelaces in his briefcase.

And an extra stiff collar.

I spent the entire day going through the executive offices.

But the private accounts, well, I told you where they were. The boardroom's safe.

I checked them myself. And you've been through Gillum's, David?

Yes, and I wish I had his secretary. Ryan does the filing like a combine harvester.

And you didn't find this?

A requisition for 300 sheets of photocopying paper.

Oh, I see it means nothing to you.

Poor dear Bobby.

A tiny mind, meticulous to the last, accounting for everything.

Tips the cloakroom attendants and 300 sheets of photocopying paper.

Private accounts.

He copied them before he caught a bellyache.

Dear, sweet, cautious Robert.

What point do you do with that?

You cause.

Because you're the sharp one, the one who we take out insurance against.

Every private paper that's gone through that boardroom

safe has been photocopied also by me.

And I'm not as bright as you or Gillum was.

I simply have the same regard for insuring

my own skin and my overseas bank accounts.

Loose end?

I hope not.

Hope is for the underprivileged, and they're rather overcrowded. Why add us?

I'm sorry you've got to rush back to town.

They are.

You don't have to walk round it. You can see where it's been skimped.

It stands out like a rash on a baby's bum.

Look, I know the contract price, and I know the money didn't go in the building.

But the other jury members didn't agree with you. Did you see them?

I don't think half of them know what a house like this looks like.

He was a schoolteacher, the former. Frightened out of his life.

One bloke kept patting his inside pocket. Four of them didn't say anything.

Just kept nodding like, follow your leader.

Did anyone try to get to you?

With a Temple Blake address, they wouldn't have been that stupid.

You've made a very clear picture. Have you been to many juries? No,

but I've been a works convener,

and I've been on enough committees where the votes

got settled up front and favours got paid off.

Somebody got into enough people on that jury to make them do something,

and they did it, believe me.

And if we ever got near making a case of this, would you talk?

I doubt it. Well, I'm a council tenant, aren't I?

It may not be much, but it is my own.

Sorry.

Nothing, except a pair of flannelet bloomers

moving in a light southwesterly direction.

On a clothesline, of course.

Life and times of suburbia. Enjoy the view.

Do you know what they'll be looking for?

Yeah, a colonel who was at the relief of Mafeking told me.

Vanish. There's movement on Mars.

Recognize them?

Yeah, what?

And the others, no powder puff? Soft as marshmallow.

Papers.

Papers.

Don't go away. Might need you.

He did himself proud.

We do the labouring, and they own the racehorses.

Perhaps if we find them, we might win ourselves a racehorse each.

We keep them till they end over.

Don't think about finding them, friend.

You just worry about what's going to happen to you if we don't find them.

Nothing. These intellectual knobs. Everything in its place.

Except what you're looking for.

Do you know where he topped himself?

At that last one for the road?

Where a man goes to drink and die. A careful man.

Greenhouse, on our way.

See, it's about being hurt or wounded in rough country.

An instinct tells you where to hold up.

Animal.

Refuge.

He'd want to keep his papers dry.

Where do we find the heating system in this funeral parlor?

Doesn't look worth very much.

Not even a racehorse each.

Right on the plan, sir.

You couldn't stop a fat lady in a thin alley. Yeah, I know.

He's on his way. Come on, get him.

Silly worries me. Wins nothing.

Have to sell her. Visitors.

Perhaps you could make your own discreet way out. I don't think you need receipts.

Impressive.

We're in the wrong trade.

I'll take the parcel, Sir James.

We have a warrant, do we? No,

but we do know where that comes from and what it contains.

Ashes to ashes, and do what we must.

Hang about.

All right, Bodie, let it burn.

The real parcel of the copy account is already on its way to the fraud squad.

We only had to prove who needed them, what lengths they'd go to to get them,

and where they'd send them to.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

I look forward to meeting your lawyers in court, Sir James,

and young Mr Logan Blake.

We'll be glad to do battle with you, Mr Cowley.

Just an old-fashioned pirate.

If you want to take a romantic view of it.

I've been instructed by my own minister to convey to you the

contents of a report which he will lay before cabinet.

The fraud squad analysis has disclosed that one of your senior civil

servants has been actively engaged in corruption for some years.

He might wish to resign before going to court.

The trivial case, which was the cause of our being

brought into this affair, will be retried.

And with it, a separate murder charge.

Are you suggesting that I knew about this before I called you in?

I'm saying only that you sought to use my department

for personal and political ends,

and I will not tolerate that.

All the arrogance there is.

Hound, judge, then jury. No, Minister, rule of law.

I'm not here in this office on my own volition.

I'm playing your rules of what passes for courtesy in the corridors of power.

And what do you suggest I do? Resign.

But we live in a world without much honour,

where politicians hang on to offers like dirty glue,

so I don't suppose you will blame us for others.

Minister?

Well, I hear you've been spending a lot of time

talking to this fraud squad man. Reardon, is it?

Yeah, he's good. Says the deadliest crossfires between two balance sheets.

And the fingers on the pens are crooked.

And the most efficient blunt instrument is a checkbook.

Providing you've got money in the bank behind it. You two are really branching out,

but don't try putting the drinks in your expenses, though. Why? It's work.

Sounds more like education.

And education's never free.