Original subtitles

This programme contains some strong language and deals with suicide

Have you heard of The Ink Black Heart? The TV show?

It started as a cartoon on the web.

Me and Josh, my ex-boyfriend, made it.

One of the fans is stalking me online.

Someone who knows me.

They use the name Anomie.

Isn't this the girl we had in here a while back?

Edie Ledwell, yeah.

She's been murdered.

Josh is partially-paralysed.

I don't think he remembers very much.

I wouldn't rely on Josh Blay.

He's the only one who benefits from all this, isn't he?

He's the only creator left.

Anomie is jeopardising our movie.

Find out who Anomie is.

This is Katya Upcott.

She started out helping them with PR and ended up as their agent.

Barclay, you're on the fiance, Phillip Ormond.

It's Pez Pierce, ladies and gentlemen.

This guy is who Edie told me was her main suspect.

Yasmin Weatherhead is a PA that Edie fired.

That is Nils de Jung.

He owns the building that they live in.

North Grove offer evening art classes,

so I have enrolled in a class with Mariam, who is married to Nils.

We should sign up for Drek's Game.

If Anomie's active and you can see your suspect's not on a computer

or on a phone, we can rule them out.

Did I kill Edie Ledwell?

I did.

There's going to be an article in the papers.

It'll say that a far-right group called the Halvening

were responsible for the murder of Edie Ledwell.

THEY GRUNT

♪ You and me

♪ Me and you

♪ Somehow, we made it through

♪ I may be gone

♪ I may be far away

♪ But I'll walk beside you

♪ Every step of the way

♪ When you're used

♪ Bruised

♪ Black and blued

♪ Don't think about it

♪ Never doubt it

♪ I'll walk beside you. ♪

OK, so the plan, ladies and gentlemen,

is we're going to go, first of all, to the Rossetti graves,

and then we'll double-back on ourselves...

Where's Edie Ledwell?

Er, we don't actually visit Miss Ledwell's grave.

It is a private plot,

and families are entitled to privacy.

We will pass the De Munck grave and the Sleeping Angel,

the tomb of Mary Nichols. Both of those feature,

as I understand it, in The Ink Black Heart.

KNOCK AT DOOR

Don't get too excited,

it's just a fruitcake.

There's a bit missing from when I got hungry.

Thanks, Pat. Do you want some groceries?

No, I'll be up in a few hours. Just need to rest it a bit.

I'm not as delicate as I look, I can carry some shopping.

What do you want? Beer?

Some sausages?

Maybe some salad.

Are you all right?

People eat salad all the time.

I'll grab you a cucumber, then.

Could you ask Barclay if he can do a double shift on Ormond?

Will do. Robin said Josh Blay can do a visit this afternoon.

Shall I tell her to do it on her own?

No, I want to be there.

You might want that, but...

I'll let her know you're coming. She back in? No, she's off

checking out some theory she had.

What theory?

So, the De Munck grave is up here, on the left.

Do you play Drek's Game, then?

I used to. I don't play it any more.

The game's designer is a total control freak

and a massive dickhead.

He acts like he came up with The Ink Black Heart.

There were no trees here in the original cemetery...

but all these trees have grown up since...

PHONE RINGS

Hello. Hi, it's, erm... It's Robin Ellacott.

Oh, I was actually going to give you a call.

Oh, right, what about? No, no, you first.

Well, I mean, I understand if you can't,

but I'm in Highgate Cemetery and I wondered if you could tell me

where exactly Josh and Edie were found?

Er, from memory, it's an area about 20m east of a tomb

with a pelican on it.

Great, thank you, that's so helpful.

Er, what did you want to ask me?

I was going to ask you if you'd be free for a drink this weekend.

Oh, I'll have to check the rota,

but, erm, would you want Strike there too?

I was actually asking you in the... date sense of having a drink.

Oh, erm...

I-I'm actually working this weekend.

Erm, but... No worries. Erm...

Enjoy your...

Happy hunting, I guess.

Bye. Oh, bye.

LINE BEEPS

Hey.

What are you doing? Erm, I-I-I've got class later.

I thought I'd take a walk.

That's where Edie died.

Right where you're standing.

Yeah, I, erm... I looked her up after we met.

Sorry, I didn't mean any disrespect.

You're all right. It's a free country.

Provided you paid for the tour.

Oh, it wasn't cheap. Ha!

How did you know that this was where Edie died?

This was where we all used to hang out.

We would always come here.

How did you know about it?

I read an old interview with her.

She talked about a grave with a pelican on it.

I wanted to come and look.

What?

Has anyone ever drawn you before?

Er...

not that I'm aware of.

Well, this place is as good as any.

What are you like at holding still?

Doubt I'm up to your standards.

Ah, come on. There's nothing to it. You just...

you know, take your clothes off and try not to move.

Ha-ha! I think I might need a few drinks

before I take my clothes off in a graveyard.

Can I have a look? Yeah, of course.

It was something me and Edie were working on.

For The Ink Black Heart? No, it was our own thing.

A time-travelling undertaker.

I've made my own little trailer for it, and that.

An animation on your own?

Yeah. Wow. Yeah.

My landlord, he's got all the computer gear,

and it's not that hard.

Oh.

Right, come on. Er...

I know I never met her,

but some of the things I was reading online last night...

Like what? Well, like, people calling for her to be dug up,

not believing that she's really dead.

Thinking it was some sort of publicity stunt

because it happened here.

Did you read about Anomie?

Er...

Anomie runs a game based on the cartoon.

He's also got a sideline, being Edie's chief tormenter.

Went for her every day.

Do you think Anomie is someone who knew Edie?

You watched the cartoon, right?

Well, Harty is a heart that bursts out of a dead person's chest

and has a life of its own.

Well, North Grove had two girls that were working on the exact same idea.

Edie got rich...

and Kea got ME and had to move home and live with her mum.

That's enough to make anyone bitter.

Are you saying that Edie ripped off this girl Kea's idea?

I'm not saying anything. I'm just saying what I said.

Look, I'm going to go finish these sketches.

Let's... let's grab a drink after your class.

Sure.

Hey, Midge. I've been with Pez in Highgate Cemetery

for the last ten minutes. Has Anomie tweeted or been in Drek's Game?

No, he hasn't. OK, so he's still an active suspect.

Any movement on Wally Cardew?

Nothing yet.

If he leaves the house, can you try and follow him,

and stay on him until me or Strike can sub in?

Well, you can't use Strike on Wally.

He got burnt.

What do you mean? What happened?

Did he not tell you?

FOOTSTEPS APPROACH

KNOCK AT DOOR Come in.

Are you OK? Yeah.

Do you want a cup of tea? Please.

Pat said you've been out working on a theory.

Er, yeah, Midge's ex-girlfriend

gave us her Drek's Game login. She used to play a lot.

And as soon as I logged in, Anomie came over for a chat.

What's he saying?

He's saying he killed Edie.

If you're anonymous, you can say anything.

He's probably after attention. Well, that's what I thought too,

but then he took me to a bit of the game where he said he killed her,

and the location matches the real murder site.

The police haven't shared that, have they? Exactly.

How do you know?

DCI Murphy.

Anomie's claiming he killed Edie and the Halvening's

taking credit as well.

Anomie could be a member.

That's true. I'm pretty sure they're recruiting.

I saw them trying to get Wally Cardew on board.

I heard your cover got blown?

I messed up. I fell over.

Had all the pub looking at me. The guy I was following

must have recognised me from before.

So, yeah, they're aware of me now.

On the upside, I've found a few things I think we can share

with our friends at MI5.

This is the guy who approached Wally Cardew.

His tattoo is the Norse rune Thurisaz.

Did you find any trace of him online?

I tried a search with image matching and I got nowhere.

Then I went back to Wally Cardew's videos and looked at the comments

and I found this guy.

Al Gizzard.

And...

Algiz, Al Gizzard, right.

Then I spent five hours going through Al Gizzard's social media,

looking for anybody who's liked or replied to his stuff,

and eventually, I found Jamie Kettle.

Algiz posted about the Utoya massacre,

and Jamie replied, calling him a "legend".

This is Jamie Kettle.

Foot soldier to the Halvening.

He posted this on his Twitter account.

That is a lot of work for someone who's out of action.

Who says I'm out of action?

Pat says you've been asking for cucumbers.

I didn't... Oh.

She thinks you've got concussion.

Let's tell her I'm a vegan, see if she calls an ambulance.

Are you still OK to visit Josh Blay?

Yeah. Give me five minutes.

I'll finish that tea.

INDISTINCT CHATTER

KNOCK AT DOOR

Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott.

We've been hired by... Yes, I know.

Katya Upcott. Robin.

Hi, Josh. I do wish you'd asked if Josh was up to this.

Katya, it's cool.

We've been trying to arrange a meeting with you as well.

Oh, it's been a difficult time.

You can come to the house after this.

I want to help.

We all do.

Sorry, Katya, we need to speak to Josh alone.

It's nothing personal.

If you get tired, just call me

and they'll have to come back another time.

Thank you.

We're here to talk about Anomie.

He stabbed me and Ede.

Why are you so sure it was Anomie?

Because he warned me he'd do something...

and I ignored it.

It's all on my phone. You can look.

6-6-7-7-5-2.

In the photos folder.

There's some screenshots.

He's been DMing me for years.

Ede said to block him, but I didn't.

Are these all storyline ideas for The Ink Black Heart

that Anomie came up with?

Yeah, and they're all shit.

Scroll down to the last few.

"You need me, I know what fans want.

"You don't understand The Ink Black Heart, do you, Josh?

"I'm offering you help that you'd be unwise to pass up."

So, because him and Morehouse built a knock-off game,

he thinks that your characters basically belong to him?

Yeah.

Me and Ede were just getting in the way, weren't we?

Problem solved.

Read the last one.

"Understand this - a film deal will be the end.

"You've been warned."

I think he knew Edie was going to sign the contract the next day.

That's why he did it when he did.

A film deal would have put him in the shade,

and they'd have made games better than anything Anomie can manage.

Then he'd have nothing. He'd been prepping for a while, though.

You don't just nip to the corner shop to buy a Taser.

You're probably right about the timing. Let's start with that.

When did Edie call you to arrange the meet? The day before.

Who else did you tell about it?

Just Mariam, at first.

I was talking to her in the kitchen when Edie rang.

Er, Mariam was in classes all day

when it happened. It's not her.

Would Mariam have told her husband, Nils?

Yeah, probably.

What did Edie make of him?

She didn't like Nils all that much,

after he voted for that right-wing fucker, Ian Peach.

What about Wally Cardew or Pez Pierce?

It's none of them.

They're all my mates.

Edie had theories about Anomie's identity.

You must have had your own thoughts.

I ended up thinking it might be Phillip Ormond, her fiance...

because he showed up at North Grove as this tough ex-cop

who'll look after her.

He never gave a shit about art class.

I'm sure he came there for her.

Moved her into his place as soon as he could.

He's a prick.

He needed her, didn't he?

He's not killing the golden goose.

He's not got anything, with her gone.

We heard that he might want to write a draft of the film.

He's an idiot.

There are no script ideas, nothing.

Edie kept it all on her phone.

It was like her notebook.

That's why Anomie took her phone.

His own ideas are crap.

So, you and Edie arranged to meet, and then what happened?

It was going to be horrible, going through all that stuff with her

that Yasmin gave me.

What stuff did Yasmin give you?

Evidence that Edie was trying to do a deal with Anomie

and get me kicked off The Ink Black Heart.

It was all bollocks, weren't it?

But I believed it.

Yasmin gave that stuff to me because she thought I should know.

Don't go blaming her.

It's on me.

I was dreading meeting Edie, so...

I got pissed, fell asleep.

At North Grove? Yeah.

And I'd left a joint in an ashtray.

Fuck! What the hell, Josh?!

Shit!

Sorry. Sorry.

LINE RINGING

Mariam's kicked me out and I need a bed.

I know it's late, but I've got to meet Edie at the cemetery tomorrow

and I could use a chat about it.

Is that cool?

Katya, are you there?

You arsehole!

How can you do that to me?!

Kea's my ex.

Her name's right under Katya's, I called her by mistake.

So Kea Niven knew that you and Edie were going to meet?

Kea's not Anomie.

Anomie was always posting stuff, like how we were doing a film,

getting all these inside scoops.

After me and Kea split,

she's not mates with any of us,

she's not going to know anything.

Not like Anomie does.

And then you went over to Katya's?

So, the whole Upcott family knew you were meeting Edie?

I only talked to Katya.

Could anyone else have overheard your and Katya's discussion?

We were down in the kitchen. It was just me and Katya.

What happened the next day?

I was late to meet Edie.

We were going to meet where we were

the first day she had the idea for the cartoon.

There was no-one there, apart from a groundsman.

I went through to where we always went,

and then I saw Edie's leg.

Then someone was running up behind me,

then I got Tasered.

Could it have been the groundsman you saw?

No...

because that guy was big and heavy...

and the footsteps were light.

Was he bald?

How do you know he was bald?

I think there's a good chance the bald head was a latex mask

and the guy was wearing padding.

That's why his footsteps didn't fit the sound of a heavier guy.

After he stabbed me,

he leant down and said...

"I'll take care of things from here."

Did you recognise the voice?

No.

It's like I was underwater.

He only whispered it, but...

I remember this feeling of...

how much he fucking hated me.

Anomie was going after Ede for years,

on Twitter and everywhere...

and I never stood up for her.

I never blocked him.

I never stood up for Ede.

I let it happen...

because I'm weak.

No, I... I didn't want to get shit off fans,

and that got Edie killed.

I tried to say sorry to her.

You know, I... I wrote her a letter,

as soon as I woke up here. Katya...

Katya wrote it down for me and...

put it in her coffin, but...

it's nothing, though, is it?

JOSH SOBS

No.

You can drown in snot if you like,

but I'd rather you helped us catch this bastard.

You didn't do anything to make this happen.

Don't do that to yourself.

Once he's caught, I'm done.

No, you're not. Don't tell me what I will or won't do, all right?

You can still fucking walk!

You have to stop thinking long-term.

At least, for now. I've had enough of the mindfulness bollocks...

Listen to me. Did you mean what you said about Edie?

About regretting not standing up for her.

More than anything.

Right.

What did she love?

Her work.

The stories. Right.

And someone's trying to steal that.

Someone's taken her last stories,

and they want to take The Ink Black Heart from you and Edie.

So, you can give up...

or you can fight to protect it.

And you can be a witness when they catch Anomie.

You owe her anything, you owe her that.

It's going to be hard.

It's going to be brutal.

I've been there.

If you're anything like me...

you'll want to give up.

That will happen a lot.

You have to find something to live for.

You've got something.

You are the only person left who can protect the thing

that mattered most to Edie.

So, will you do that?

You're a better man than you give yourself credit for.

Try to hold on to that.

SHUTTER SNAPS

Well, if Anomie's the killer...

Looks that way, doesn't it? We'll need to speak to DCI Murphy.

PHONE RINGS Oh, hold on.

Hey, Sam, what's up?

I'm on Phillip Ormond.

He met a girl at her house. I think she's one of the ones

you said was a long-shot.

Anyway, I've sent you over the photos. He's on the move.

I've got to go. OK, great.

Sam's sent some photos.

Mm. That's Yasmin Weatherhead.

The PA that Edie fired. With Edie's fiance.

We'd better put Midge on Yasmin.

What, and take her off North Grove?

We need to take on more people.

Yeah, I know.

There aren't very many good ones about.

Well, we could train someone up.

I mean, I didn't know anything when I started.

You were brilliant from the start. That never happens.

Let's go and see Katya Upcott, before she puts us off again.

I'll get it!

Hi.

Are you here for Mum?

Oh, thank you, Gus, darling.

Er, come in.

Thank you. Come in.

Let's head upstairs.

That was the living room.

It's Gus's room now. We've had to remodel for my husband's wheelchair.

CELLO PLAYS And we've moved... Oh, sorry.

You don't care about that.

He's very talented.

He's in his final year at the Royal Guild of Music.

He might have to do another year, though.

And his skin's been a problem, but we've found a specialist now,

so we live in hope.

He's got a girlfriend, but he never has her over.

I did say he and Darcy could use our weekend place,

but I think he feels self-conscious about having a second home.

We do know we're lucky.

Now, we've soundproofed this floor so Gus doesn't disturb Inigo's naps.

I have myalgic encephalomyelitis.

It's not napping, Katya, it's managing my condition.

I'm sorry.

I was going to say... Say it first.

"Inigo has ME."

And you are?

Out! If you're ill enough to skip school, you stay in bed! OUT!

Cormoran Strike.

Robin. No!

I'm afraid I won't.

Germs can lay me out for months.

An awful lot of "naps" needed at that point.

Please, er, take a seat.

Mrs Upcott, Allan Yeoman thought you could help us

identify who was close with Edie and Josh.

Oh, yes. I wrote it all down for you.

Here's a list of everyone I can remember being around

from when they were making their first episode.

Lots of their friends were involved.

I helped out with publicity.

And then I found them an assistant, once it all got too much.

Ah, yes, the assistant - Yasmin.

She ought to be your prime suspect for Anomie.

What makes you say that?

Yasmin knows her way around computers.

Fixed mine once.

And as regards motive,

who gave Josh the fake dossier

about Edie's deal with Anomie?

Yasmin did, but... Dear Josh is not the sharpest tool.

They were horrible accusations. Well, you certainly didn't like

reading that Edie thought Josh should fire you,

or that Josh was considering it.

None of that turned out to be true. Still. I know Josh felt awful

about falling for such a nasty trick.

He loved Edie.

They hated each other! It wasn't always so difficult between them!

At the beginning,

it was the two of them making this really special thing.

In the interests of full disclosure,

you ought to know that this act of creation is disputed.

Doesn't Kea Niven say that The Ink Black Heart

was mostly her idea? That girl talks absolute rubbish!

Kea is Josh's ex-girlfriend. She's an utter nightmare.

Hardly addresses the allegation.

Well, actually, I think Kea might be Anomie.

And now you're denigrating a young girl, out of sheer spite!

Or is that an essential part of being Josh's agent,

or life coach, or whatever you're calling yourself?

Kea stalks Josh!

Josh Blay casts people aside.

He'll do the same to you.

INIGO SCOFFS It isn't Kea Niven.

Yasmin Weatherhead, on the other hand -

fat, needy,

and almost certainly Anomie.

Mum, can I go and see Caroline's puppies? Get out!

You're infectious!

I'm so sorry. I think perhaps another time might be better.

We wanted to ask you about Phillip Ormond.

It'll have to be another time.

Did you come in that?

How did you know? Well, I haven't seen it before.

Strong powers of observation. We might have to hire you.

Do you get a dog if you're a detective? Like a sniffer dog.

You really want a dog, don't you?

Well, I'm not allowed, and they're too dirty.

Are you going to come back?

We'd like to, but your mum seems pretty busy.

Well, that's because she's always with Josh.

She goes wherever he is.

She doesn't care about me.

Poor kid.

Flavia!

What are you doing? Going to look at the dogs...

KEYBOARD CLACKS What are you doing?

COMPUTER CHIMES Checking the game.

Midge or Barclay must be playing.

Do you think Katya could have stabbed Josh and Edie?

Maybe.

Edie dumped her to sign with Allan Yeoman.

If she thought that Josh was going to do the same?

She seems very... attached to him.

What did you make of the rest of the family?

Well, Inigo was...

lovely. THEY CHUCKLE

At home all day, seems to know a lot about what's going on

with The Ink Black Heart. Mm. Easy access to Katya's information.

Gus Upcott matches the profile, doesn't he?

Young, male, awkward, isolated.

I'd like to see Inigo and Gus properly ruled out. Katya as well.

What if we're missing a partnership?

We know two people are behind Drek's Game,

Anomie and Morehouse.

Yeah, that could be Phillip Ormond and Yasmin Weatherhead.

We now know that she had access to information.

We can't keep tabs on all these people.

We're going to have to get aggressive about

ruling out suspects. I could approach Phillip Ormond

without cover. I'll suggest getting a pint with him.

How's that health kick going?

Pint of water, obviously.

And I'll head back to North Grove,

try and rule some of these people out.

PHONE RINGS Oh.

Sorry, I've got to get this.

Hello, Robin Ellacott speaking.

Are you sure?

Great.

All right, fantastic, thank you.

SHE CHUCKLES Thank you very much.

Thank you, bye. What's going on?

I, er...

I just bought a flat! SHE LAUGHS

We just exchanged.

I didn't know you were looking. Yeah, well, erm,

I thought I'd put down roots.

I've never lived on my own before.

About time.

Mm. PHONE RINGS

Yeah? Mr Strike?

You might need to go to Gateshead on Monday.

Male or female?

The second one.

All right, give us a sec.

Uninvited guest. Oh.

Hello, Bluey.

Could you spare me a minute, before you head up North?

Do you know him? Oh, yeah, we were lovers for...

How long was it again, darling?

Mm, mangoes. How lovely.

I'll deal with this.

Aren't you going to ask me to sit down,

or do all your clients stand?

You're not a client. See, that's the thing, Bluey...

Don't call me that. You're exactly what I need.

A private detective.

Missing some Dalmatians? I'm not expecting a freebie.

Our list is full. Go and see McCabe.

But if Mr McCabe is a competitor of yours,

he could use this thing of mine to drive you out of business.

I can't imagine you'd want that.

Hmm.

It's bigger than I remember.

I do like Madeline, by the way.

I did some modelling for her the other week, actually.

It was quite fun. Cut to it.

Jago found the nude I sent you.

It was on my old phone.

I didn't ask for that picture and I didn't want to see it.

SHE CHUCKLES

If you say so.

Anyway, that doesn't change anything.

He also knows that you rang Symonds House

while I was staying there.

You were trying to kill yourself.

Well, you could have ignored me. You've had plenty of practice.

Anyway, the point is, is it all adds up, and he's going to name you

in the divorce. You'll be in all the papers.

We've been in the papers before.

High-profile cases. Mm. Not like this one.

You'll have the paps following you night and day.

You won't be able to work.

I can imagine your other clients finding it tricky coming here,

what, with all the press camped outside your doorstep.

Not to mention your potential clients asking themselves,

"Do I really want to trust someone who finds himself

"in this kind of a mess?"

My thought was,

if you could find some dirt on Jago before everything comes out,

then it could help us both.

He's trying to get full custody of the twins.

I thought you wanted shot of them.

Well, they're mine as much as his.

He can't just have them.

He's going to say I'm an unstable,

drug-addled, promiscuous liar, unfit to be a mother.

Ruining me is what it's all about.

Ruining you is just a bit of extra fun.

So, will you help me?

No.

OK, darling.

Well, don't forget, I did ask you to help me stop it.

It's your choice, not mine.

Ahem...

It's funny,

you look a lot like Madeline.

Like who, sorry? Corm's girlfriend.

Madeline Courson-Miles.

She makes the loveliest of things.

Always a gentleman. Out.

Will you think again? I'd hate for all of this

to damage your business. You've worked so hard to build it.

DOOR SLAMS

I liked her coat.

What did she mean about damaging our business?

She's just looking for attention.

Ignore her.

Well, it's my business, too,

and I've just got a mortgage, so I'd like to know what she meant.

She said what she said to bait you into doing what you're doing.

I don't care about that. I want to know what's going on.

You didn't tell me you were seeing someone.

Charlotte just likes making trouble.

But you are seeing someone.

Is that what's going to ruin our agency? No.

We are partners...

and you told me I was your best friend.

What have you done?

Nothing!

They're dragging me into their bloody divorce over nothing!

SHE SIGHS

So you're going to be tabloid fodder for the next year.

Great!

What did she want?

For me to dig up dirt on Jago to force him to back off.

Well, that's a good idea. When do we start?

Already told her no.

Obviously, you are not thinking clearly.

Look, I don't care what you do with your private life,

you can shag every Madeline and Charlotte in London, for all I care,

but you do not screw this up.

That is not fair. I have put everything into this job.

So you can put your bloody pride to one side

and you can help me fix this.

Sorry.

Send me Jago Ross's address.

Don't go over there. Well, I'm not going to talk to him, am I?!

I'm going to put him under surveillance.

I'm late for art class. I'll see you tomorrow.

Very good.

I'm nipping to the loo. OK.

Do I know you?

Sorry?

Well, you're in my house and I've no idea who you are.

I've got a class.

Is there a problem?

No.

Have you seen a cat?

Er, no, sorry. Ah.

He's disappeared.

I worry that somebody has killed him.

Why would someone do that?

It's something that happens...

as we know.

Have you seen the house yet?

Erm, some of it. I was just looking for the loo.

You haven't seen my work.

That is something you must do.

As my guest.

Thank you.

Are you enjoying my wife's class?

Yes, very much.

Wow, is that clay and...?

My father's ashes.

I inherited them along with his money.

Have you mixed it in? A small amount, yeah.

He's a part of something now.

My father found out he had cancer.

Treatable, but he chose to kill himself anyway.

The manner of his death grew out of his life.

Cancer was irrelevant. The correct diagnosis for his condition

was anomie.

Do you know what that is?

It means an... an absence of... normal ethics

or social standards.

Did you look that up, after seeing our kitchen window?

Yeah.

Wow, I love that.

"Thule ultima".

What does that mean?

The Vikings believed that Ultima Thule

was the place beyond the known world.

That is where that woman is now.

Is that Edie Ledwell?

That's right.

But she is also the spider.

This species lives in the dark.

The orb-weaver.

You find it in the crypts in Highgate.

Like an artist, it cannot survive in the light.

Can I take a picture?

You flatter me. Please, go ahead.

Everyone's death is the fulfilment

of their life, don't you think?

Even Edie Ledwell's?

Especially hers.

Edie had a bourgeois mindset.

Thin-skinned,

possessive of her achievements.

Her greatest love was copyright law.

Did copyright get her killed?

She made herself hated.

But she was still an artist.

That is why her death was a triumph.

Her killer was forced to recognise her power.

KNOCK AT DOOR

HE CHUCKLES I've been looking for you.

Your friend has come to North Grove for an education,

so that is what I have tried to offer her.

Right, thanks, mate. Sounds fantastic.

Pub? I've actually... I've just got to send an email.

Pez, let me show you this.

I want to know

what you think of this.

Do you like it?

Mr Ormond?

Took a chance, got you a lager.

Good man.

What happened there?

Oh, er, acid spill.

I tried steel etching a few weeks ago.

On antibiotics now.

Not the worst thing to happen to me lately.

Yeah, of course.

Sorry for your loss.

Mind if I take notes?

Go for it. Was the etching class

at North Grove? Yeah.

After I got divorced, I needed something to fill the evenings,

and North Grove's not far from the school I teach at.

What do you teach? Computer science.

Have you been back to North Grove since Edie died?

No.

Are you still in touch with anyone involved with The Ink Black Heart?

No.

I thought this was going to be about Edie and Anomie.

Well, it just helps me to get a bit of context.

So, you're good with computers?

Yeah, but I'm hoping to make writing my thing.

Anything published?

Me and Edie were working on a script for The Ink Black Heart film.

Had the whole thing mapped out between us.

She wanted to give me a co-writer credit.

So have they asked you to write it, now she's not around?

I suppose they'll have to,

because it's nothing without her ideas,

and this is the only place they're left.

She didn't make notes? On her phone,

and the killer took it.

The police told me that.

That's unusual.

What is?

Taking the victim's phone. They're easy to trace.

Could be on them in minutes if they ever tried to turn it on.

I'm assuming Josh Blay's involved with the writing?

He's useless.

Edie carried him for years.

She did 90% of the work, while he was off getting stoned,

and she took 90% of the crap from fans.

After she moved in with me, she was...

happier. It still bothered her, though.

She went to the police about it, got fobbed-off by a bunch of FLUBs.

Are you ex-police?

FLUBs is what they term a "fucking lazy useless bastard".

Yeah. My ex asked me to switch careers, so...

I retrained. The marriage still went tits up.

But them's the breaks.

Do you think Anomie might have killed Edie?

I don't know.

How would I?

I've got no reason to say it was him.

I've got no reason to think it was anyone.

Did you know Edie and Josh were meeting?

Yeah. Why?

Did you know where they were meeting?

No. I thought it'd be in a cafe, or somewhere normal.

When did you start worrying

something might have happened to her?

Er, I took detention after school,

er, then I got home and Edie wasn't there.

Going straight to answerphone.

I started getting worried around 11,

I called the police just before midnight.

Then they sent people over.

I had to ID her body. I'm sorry.

Did Edie ever mention Yasmin Weatherhead to you?

Why?

I mean, I remember who she is.

I thought Edie was harsh, sacking her for playing the game.

But we didn't talk much about Yasmin.

I think that's everything.

Oh, yeah, I was wondering,

did you suggest our agency, or was it Edie's idea?

Did I what?

Edie came to see my partner before she died.

Why did she do that? She wanted us to find Anomie.

Oh, right. Yeah, she mentioned it.

I didn't know she'd picked your lot for the job.

When she came in, my partner noticed

some bruising on her... Oh, it was your partner, was it,

telling the police I'd choked her? Nobody said anything about choking.

She simply reported seeing bruising.

Thank you for meeting me, Phillip.

You've been extremely helpful.

No problem.

MOBILE PHONE RINGS

Cormoran Strike.

Dig up Edie.

Look at the letters in the coffin.

Who is this?

Read the letters.

LINE BEEPS

Ta, mate.

Hmm. Hey.

Thanks. All right.

So, er, what did you think of Nils' artwork?

Er... It's all right, we all know it's shite.

Well, it wasn't exactly to my taste.

Nils is a bit of an odd one.

He's this part-hippie, libertarian artist,

but also runs his own server

because he's paranoid about government hacking.

Oh, and he votes for Ian Peach.

Oh, that guy that ran for Mayor? Yeah. Really? Yeah.

So, what's with, erm... What's with all the Viking stuff?

Pfff! Passes me by.

Me mate Wally's getting into it all now as well.

He's, er... He's getting some stupid tattoo of a Viking letter.

I doubt he even knows what it means.

Well, at least you can laugh about it all,

after all that's happened.

CAR ENGINE STARTS

Paranoid bastard.

MOTORBIKE ENGINE STARTS

So, you're not all Vikings, then?

Not me.

I'm a Beatles fan. That's my only identity. Here you are.

Nils got me this for my birthday.

"All you need is love..." Oh.

Easy, tiger. People are staring.

I imagine you get that a lot. Aha!

Well, it'll be YOU people are staring at once your, er,

undertaker thing comes out. I don't know.

It'll be tied up with all the legal stuff, now Edie's dead.

Do you think they'll ask you to take over

the drawing on The Ink Black Heart film?

That's not a bad idea, you know.

Well, I mean, not if it makes you Edie Ledwell kind of money.

Nah.

Brings out the vultures in people, money does.

Her fiance is a fucking disgrace.

Really? Why?

He keeps calling me, saying he wants me to give him stuff

me and Edie had been working on,

saying he's got the legal right to it.

Fuck off!

No, I'm all right for cash,

as long as people want to draw me naked.

I'm just going to go and find the loo.

PHONE CHIMES

He keeps calling me, saying he wants me to give him stuff

me and Edie had been working on,

saying he's got the legal right to it.

Nils got me this for my birthday.

"All you need is love..." Oh.

SHE GIGGLES Easy, tiger. People are staring.

I imagine you get that a lot. Aha! Well...

PHONE RINGS

Barclay, you still on Ormond?

He drove halfway to Norfolk just to chuck a phone into a river.

Shite choice of river, very shallow.

Have you got it?

Aye. My boots are fucked, but I got the phone.

I'd have called you earlier, but the signal was rubbish.

Barclay, you absolute beauty.

How long's your ride back?

About an hour.

Bring it straight to the office.

CAR ENGINE STARTS

TYRES SCREECH

What the fuck?!