[TV static drones]
[bright tone]
["I Walk Beside You" by Beth Rowley]
- ♪ You and me ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Me and you ♪
♪ Somehow, we made it through ♪
♪ ♪
♪ I may be gone ♪
♪ I may be far away ♪
♪ ♪
♪ But I walk beside you ♪
♪ Every step of the way ♪
♪ When you're used ♪
♪ Bruised, black and blue ♪
♪ Don't think about it ♪
♪ Never doubt it ♪
♪ I walk beside you ♪
[birds chirping]
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
You have one saved message. [line beeps]
Received yesterday at 10:14.
I'm not really calling for anything.
I just hope you're doing okay down there.
Maybe speak later?
♪ ♪
Sorry.
I'm sorry.
Uh, I-I recognize you from the papers.
You're the detective. - No problem.
You're probably off duty, aren't you?
Been watching that sail
but not in a professional capacity.
I can see you're probably on holiday,
and I don't want to intrude-- - Anna.
You said you wouldn't.
I know. I couldn't help it.
I came out of the loo, and you just vanished.
I just think I have to try.
Can I ask what this is about?
- I have a case. - [scoffs]
I don't know if you'd even call it that,
but I'd give anything if you could spare ten minutes
just to hear me out.
All right.
Uh...
it's--it's about a woman who went missing a long time ago...
in 1974.
Her name was Margot Bamborough.
♪ ♪
[lock clicks]
On the night she went missing,
she was meant to be meeting her friend in the pub,
but she stayed on to see a patient.
- Didn't leave any details. - It's okay.
I'm gonna be so late for Oonagh.
- It's horrible out there. - Mm.
Good night, then.
Good night, Dr. Bamborough.
♪ ♪
It should have been a quick five-minute walk
between the surgery and the pub.
♪ ♪
But she was never seen again.
♪ ♪
Margot Bamborough was my mother.
♪ ♪
I didn't find out about her until I was eight years old.
♪ ♪
- Are you Anna Phipps? - Yes.
Is that picture for your mum?
- Yes. - Which one is she?
The one in the brown coat.
That's not your mum.
Your real mum was a doctor called Margot.
She got her head cut off.
♪ ♪
Darling, what's wrong?
♪ ♪
That's not true.
Wait here.
♪ ♪
How dare you say that to my child?
♪ ♪
After that, my entire world fell apart.
When I asked my dad about my mum,
he said that no one knew what had happened to her.
He said he'd done what he thought was best...
that I had Cynthia for a mother,
and Cynthia loved me, and that ought to be enough.
Pretty soon, everyone who knew my mum will be dead,
and then I'll never know what happened to her.
The police admit they messed up the case,
but they won't reopen it.
I have money.
[stammers] I know it's probably hopeless,
but I just feel I have to try something.
Will you help me?
Please.
[sighs]
[train rumbling]
[phone ringing]
Hiya.
How's Shifty?
[sighs] They've been in there
for two whole days-- I've not managed a photo.
Why are the jobs that pay a lot always so boring?
I've taken on a missing-person case--
missing since 1974.
Gonna see the client again in Falmouth tomorrow.
Oh, I'll drive down.
- It's a long way. - I don't mind.
I'm already in London.
If I set off now, I can be in Cornwall by...
next month.
[chuckles]
Next year if I get a puncture.
Text me the address. I'll see you tomorrow.
Yeah.
How's Joan doing?
Results back today.
Okay, let me know.
Yeah, text you the address.
Bye.
♪ ♪
[keys jingling, engine turning over]
♪ ♪
What do you think?
We have to see what the doctors say.
Go from there.
[door opens, closes]
Lucy had a look on the Internet.
She says they can treat almost anything now.
I can do that.
Hello, Joanie.
Come on, Joanie, you sit down now.
Don't tell me to sit down.
Well?
What'd they say?
It's all quite straightforward, really.
I have to take some drugs,
and then there might be an operation...
and then that'll be it.
I wish you'd let me come to these things, Joanie.
Don't be silly. There's no need.
Which drugs are they using?
It's all written down.
That's good.
I'll take a look at the notes.
Oh. [sighs]
- They in your bag? - [groans]
You didn't finish the potatoes.
♪ ♪
This pie looks good, Ted.
Ah, thanks.
♪ ♪
When's Lucy gettin' here?
In about an hour.
We need to get these potatoes on.
Her boys will be hungry.
♪ ♪
What you working on?
Or are you sworn to secrecy?
No, I've got a meeting in Falmouth.
From the address, I got the land registry deeds,
which list the owners. One of them is Anna Phipps.
If you run a search on her,
it turns out her mum went missing in 1974.
This is the main suspect.
Dennis Creed, seven known victims.
He strikes up a conversation, offers them a drink,
but the drink is drugged.
When they wake up,
they discover they're in Creed's basement.
Wait. [keyboard clicks]
I think that's Ollie Boorman doing the narration.
He was--he was Lear to my Edmund in Birmingham.
Walking in there, uh, you smell it.
He hadn't hidden things.
We found parts of his victims
in the sink, in the bath, in the fridge.
It's the worst crime scene I've ever visited, hands down.
Seven victims identified,
but the police fear there were others who were never found.
October, 1974--
Dr. Margot Bamborough leaves work
to meet her friend for a drink.
A witness sees a struggle between two people,
but nobody intervenes.
A van speeds from the scene--
all the hallmarks of Dennis Creed.
[crowd shouting]
But the Demon of Paradise Park offers no answers.
He guards his secrets and feeds off the pain
he creates with his sins.
[shouting continues]
You're investigating a serial killer?
Well, no one proved
Dennis Creed killed Margot Bamborough.
Technically, she's still a missing person.
You got all that from an address in Cornwall?
Mm.
I had a boyfriend in the late '90s
who I would love to track down.
[both chuckles]
Well, I better get packing.
I've got an early start. Night.
Night.
[phone ringing]
[sighs]
Hi, it's Matt.
Can you hear me?
Aren't we meant to be communicating through lawyers?
I'm just trying to save you time.
Emily, I'm not happy with the settlement agreement.
So tell that to your lawyer.
Yeah, we can do it that way,
as long as you realize I can outspend you
in legal fees four ti--
Dickhead.
♪ ♪
I can't run you out to Falmouth, can I?
I like taking the ferry.
Reminds me of when we were kids.
[scoffs] Wooden death trap.
You'll figure this out, won't ya?
You're good at that.
[sighs] Ready.
See you in a bit. - Yeah.
♪ ♪
One for the road?
Please don't become an alcoholic
on top of everything else.
I can't bear it.
I've spoken to Mum twice a week for 20 years.
She's not our mother.
Leda gave birth to me, and she did bugger all else.
Joan and Ted actually wanted us.
This is the only place I've ever called home.
Well, you live in South London.
God, will you knock it off?
You keep forgetting I bloody know you.
Running around looking for puzzles to solve--
anything to avoid a real conversation.
[seagulls crying]
Maybe it isn't the same.
I chose Joan, and you chose Leda.
At least I ended up with someone.
Leda didn't love anyone except herself.
Joan thinks you should marry Robin.
Stop it.
Give me one good reason why not.
I'd fuck it up.
I'd lose a friend as well as a business partner.
That's two reasons. There's a longer list.
See ya in a few weeks.
Stick, I love you.
[sighs]
[indistinct chatter]
A staff Christmas party
filmed ten months before she disappeared.
This is the last known footage of Dr. Margot Bamborough.
Detective Inspector Bill Talbot
led the investigation into her disappearance.
At this point, it's my belief
that Dr. Bamborough has been abducted.
Her husband, Dr. Roy Phipps, is not a suspect.
This has been and continues to be
a very difficult time for Dr. Phipps and his family.
Their daughter, Anna, would grow up
never knowing what had happened to her mother.
[keyboard clicking]
♪ ♪
[sighs]
Cormoran's got his ties here now.
Yeah, but he's not from here, is he?
I am talkin' about what's best for them.
Look, I know you love them, but so do we,
and we can actually be here for them,
and that's the difference.
Oh, you'll be back in a month.
Stop telling me what I'll do!
I said I'll probably be back.
You can't be that way with children.
Children need certainty.
They're my kids, Joan.
♪ ♪
I just love him, Cor.
I need a few days to see if we can make it.
Okay.
♪ ♪
[ferry horn blares] - [breathes deeply]
♪ ♪
So how's Joan?
[sighs]
It is what it is.
I've got biscuits.
Thanks, I'm not hungry. [sniffs]
Should I talk you through the case?
[engine turning over] - Yeah.
[engine rumbling]
[sighs]
Oh.
Here she is.
Mum's the tall one,
and that's her friend, Oonagh.
Dad probably cleared out her office
and shoved everything into the attic.
He doesn't know I have all this.
I'm sorry if it's all junk,
but it's the only thing I have to offer you.
Please don't approach Dad.
He's very frail now,
and things between us are still difficult.
I don't want him to know we're doing this.
Has anyone investigated before, other than the police?
Well, I tried.
Th--there was a book written by a man called Carl Oakden.
He--he was the son of someone who worked with Mum.
Maybe I shouldn't have read it, but I did.
It implied Mum was having an affair
with her ex-boyfriend.
I found I just couldn't get that out of my head.
The good thing about the book was that there lots of names
of people who knew Mum.
So I started calling them.
I'd accepted that she was almost certainly dead, but...
I still wanted to know her.
And did you find out anything new?
I was sent a locket in the post, anonymously,
with a note attached saying, "I want you to have this."
I showed it to Dad. He went totally white.
Mum was wearing her locket the night she vanished.
The detective who ran the case confirmed that.
This one?
And do you think your mum might have sent it to you?
Oh, I don't know.
No, probably not. I--
Dad said it wasn't even the same locket.
It just looked similar.
And then he said that I'd encouraged the hoaxers
to have another crack at us, and if I carried on,
then he'd cut me out of his life.
So I stopped.
Who was the detective you spoke to?
Inspector Simon Layborn.
His son, George, is on the force.
He's a mate of ours.
What happened to the locket?
Dad threw it away.
You have to understand this is a very cold case.
The odds are we won't find answers,
and it will cost a lot getting there.
I'd suggest you set a limit on the budget.
Yeah, that's a good idea.
We'll discuss it, and we'll get back to you.
Here's my details.
Psychologist?
Everyone wants to tell me about their mothers.
I suppose that makes you my competition now.
It would help if we had a list
of people you are happy for us to talk to.
We could start with the ones you've contacted.
So what do you think?
[exhales deeply] Margot's friend Oonagh
has an 01962 area code-- that's Winchester.
Drop in on our way back. - How'd you remember that?
[van door close]
Charlotte.
[car door opens]
[car doors close, engine turning over]
You've reached
Detective Inspector George Layborn.
Please leave a message. [answering machine beeps]
George, it's Cormoran Strike.
I think your old man worked on a case we're looking at.
Give me a call when you can.
Hopefully they would've done most of the work already.
They didn't find her, though.
Hi, Oonagh. - Hello, there.
[chuckles] Sorry it's such short notice.
Don't be sorry. I've waited years for this.
Come on in.
I'm surprised Roy didn't hire someone.
Lord knows he has the money. [door closes]
[scoffs]
Is it Anna that's paying?
- Yes. - Ah, God bless that girl.
What she's gone through, oh.
You know, I'll be crying my eyes out
when I start talking about Margot.
Don't let that be stopping you.
Oh, that was the night cleaners going on strike.
All those girls had terrible pay,
and it was dangerous, too, walking home on your own.
How was Margot involved?
Oh, anything to do with women's pay or conditions,
she put her neck out.
[chuckling] We grew up poor.
Sometimes a pound in your pocket
was better than all the fancy academic theories.
Oh, she read those, too.
Oh, yes, she did.
[voice breaking] She was clever.
[sniffles, cries softly]
I told ya. [chuckles]
[sniffles]
Go ahead, darling. Ask your questions.
Maybe you could begin
by telling us how you got to know Margot.
Okay.
Um...
we, uh--
we met in 1966,
when we started work at the club.
[indistinct chatter]
- Stop biting your nails. - Sorry.
I get nervous.
Men come here to relax.
You are charming,
attentive,
relaxed.
Drinks, table six.
Did you see?
Gazelles, not hippos.
Small talk, Margot.
Difficult week, darlin'?
How's about some liver damage to finish you off?
That's a demerit.
Oh, come on, I was only jokin'.
Please.
I'm sorry.
You'll earn it back in tips,
which will happen,
providing you keep that tongue of yours in check.
No tongues.
Understood.
Dolly, you're next.
[Oonagh laughs]
Middle-class girls
can burn their bras and stop shaving their legs.
Girls like us did what we had to do.
There was nowhere in London
that paid the way that club did--
paid better than our daddies earned,
and she was studying all the time as well.
Distal, middle, proximal.
And then the metacarpals and the fracture descriptors are...
head, shaft... - She lived on sugar.
[chuckles] She did.
And she never put on an ounce either.
Perfect.
["Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen]
♪ ♪
♪ Louie, Louie ♪
♪ Oh, no ♪
♪ Take me where ya gotta go ♪
The men loved her.
♪ Louie, Louie ♪
♪ Oh, baby ♪
♪ Take me where ya gotta go ♪
♪ ♪
♪ A fine little girl... ♪
Couldn't date them, though.
No. They sent detectives in
to make sure we were behaving ourselves.
If we gave out our phone number, oh,
that was it.
♪ Me never think how I'll make it home ♪
♪ Louie, Louie, oh, no, no, no... ♪
But Margot wasn't interested anyway.
Leastways, not till she met Paul Satchwell.
♪ Oh, baby... ♪
He was an artist.
♪ ♪
♪ Three nights and days I sailed the sea ♪
♪ Me think of girl, oh, constantly ♪
♪ On that ship, I dream she there ♪
♪ I smell the rose in her hair ♪
♪ Louie, Louie ♪
♪ Oh, no ♪
♪ Take me where ya gotta go ♪
[moaning]
♪ Louie, Louie ♪
♪ Oh, baby ♪
♪ Take me where ya gotta go ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah... ♪
She lost her head over him.
♪ Louie, oh, no ♪
- [giggles] - It was her first great love.
Come on, there's something I want to show you.
I bought it at his exhibition.
It's the only painting I ever bought.
I was afraid that someone might see it
and tell her parents.
For a long time, I put it away, but...
seeing that it was Satchwell that made it, but...
That fades, you know.
Now I see Margot,
and I'm just glad that I have it.
What didn't you like about Satchwell?
I think he killed her.
She caught him cheating once...
heartbroken.
And then she got worried,
because she let him take pictures of her.
Imagine if they'd shown up in some dirty magazine--
for Mammy's brilliant girl
doing things like that.
You can't come here whenever you fucking want!
- I want the negatives. - They are not your negatives!
- But it's my body! - It's my art!
Give them back, now!
I'm not sure you can afford my work.
Margot!
You ever show those pictures to anyone,
[knocking on door]
If they ever show up in print...
Margot!
I'll go to the police and tell them all about you.
[gasps] - Open the door now,
or I'm calling the police!
[knocking continues] Open it!
Don't you ever come near her again!
What's she told you?
I haven't told her anything!
Then don't ask, because the day that I find out
she's been talking about me,
that's her last day-- and yours.
Do you understand me?
Oh, fuck off.
[door slams]
What was he doing?
Margot never said.
But if he took pictures of her...
then maybe he was involved in something like that.
I just don't know.
Anna told us that Satchwell came back
into Margot's life around the time she disappeared.
Is it possible they were seeing each other again?
Well...
she wasn't happy with Roy.
Maybe Satchwell reminded her of easier days.
[holiday music]
She loved the job, but she wasn't especially close
to her colleagues.
More than anything,
I think she was feeling lonely.
Roy's not speaking to me.
Satchwell's not the answer to your problems with Roy.
I told Roy I was gonna meet him.
- Why? - I don't know.
I just--I wanted him to think about losing me
so that maybe he'd make an effort.
It just made him angry.
- At least he felt something. - Hmm.
♪ ♪
How you feeling, Kevin? Would you like a lemonade?
He's had four.
He'll get a bad tum.
Who's the guy in the shirt?
- Oh, Margot, knock it off. - [chuckles]
What are you talkin' about?
You're a married woman. You need to behave yourself.
Ignore her. She's pissed.
I'll get you a glass of water. - Just saying.
♪ ♪
I know the woman was drunk,
but a part of me thought,
"She's not wrong about you, Margot."
I mean, Satchwell was telling her
she's more beautiful than ever, how she's his muse.
And she needed some of that.
It sounds like Satchwell
wanted to get back together with her, not to hurt her.
The day she disappeared,
she rang me and said
she wanted to talk about something urgent.
Well, maybe she wanted to tell me his big secret
and he got wind of that and decided that he would do
what he said he'd do-- make it her last day on Earth.
No chance she ran off with him?
Oh, she'd never have left Anna.
I pray that you'll find her.
I think it's unlikely she's still alive.
Oh, I know that.
But the dead never really disappear, do they?
Not while they're loved.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[distant siren wailing]
The carousel you asked for got delivered.
I put it in your office.
[object thuds]
Would a thank-you kill you?
Thank you, Pat.
Robin here yet? - Yeah.
Yeah, she got in before me.
Eager little beaver, that one.
No movement on Shifty, yeah?
I'm gonna try and work his PA. - Keep knowing your hours.
[door opens]
Morning. - Hey.
What are we looking at?
I got in touch with Margot's colleague, Dr. Gupta.
He's just sent through the footage he shot
at their last Christmas party.
He said he'd be happy to meet with us.
- Can you send me that? - It's in the shared folder.
I found Paul Satchwell.
He's living on a Greek island.
Shall I drop him a line? - [knocks]
Keep it vague--don't want him to go underground early.
Mm-hmm.
[both mouthing words]
[whispering] When are we doing presents?
[whispering] What presents?
Your partner's birthday is today.
The rest of us got her presents.
♪ ♪
Ilsa...
I need an idea for Robin.
♪ ♪
What does she usually wear?
I have no idea what the name is.
Do you know what kind of scent it is?
Do you mean what does she smell like?
Could you just recommend something?
Yeah, uh, we could try carnal flower.
No.
Okay, well, this one is popular,
and it's really lovely.
- Doesn't that mean-- - In your arms.
Mm.
[phone rings, camera shutter clicks]
Strike Detective Agency, can I help you?
Happy birthday. [camera shutter clicks]
Got you these.
Ah, thank you. That's nice.
[sniffs] - I've not heard anything.
Sorry I'm still in here.
I'm going through all the stuff Anna gave us.
No.
Could look for somewhere else, but everything's open plan now.
Is that a problem?
[camera shutter clicks] - Thanks so much.
I need a door between me and Pat.
She's good at her job.
Why did you ask her for that slide projector?
George Layborn's bringing in the original case files.
He said we'd need one. [camera shutter clicks]
Found anything?
Well, not really.
But the main thing is this.
I found it inside a pharmacy supplies order form.
Someone was threatening to kill her.
"Leave my girl alone, you cunt,
or I'll send you to hell slow and painful."
The police never saw this?
"My girl" could be
someone's daughter or someone's girlfriend.
Maybe Satchwell had met someone new,
and Margot was trying to warn them off him.
[phone ringing]
George. - Got four big boxes here.
Could use a bit of extra muscle.
I'll buzz you in.
- You all right with that? - Yeah, fine.
Good of you to do this, George.
[scoffs] Doing it for the old man.
He talked a lot about this one.
Felt bad about the way the case was handled.
You know about the lead detective?
- That was your dad, wasn't it? - No.
No, my dad got put on it
after the first guy went crackers--
D.I. Talbot.
Fair play--he figured out someone was abducting women
around North London,
and when Margot Bamborough went missing,
she got put into his investigation.
The sad thing is he wasn't even the one that put Creed away.
He'd lost it by then,
and Dad got almost nothing from Talbot,
so he had to start from scratch.
What happened to all of Talbot's notes?
He wasn't in any kind of condition to answer questions--
long stay on the psych ward.
What did your dad think happened to Margot Bamborough?
[sighs] In full, on balance,
it was probably Creed, but there's no solid evidence,
and Creed won't confirm or deny it.
What I will say is, if it wasn't Creed,
it was someone who knew what they were doing.
How's that?
Well, for starters,
it's not easy getting rid of a body, right?
They smell. Bones get dug up, stuck in drains.
But Dr. Bamborough vanished.
A five-minute walk in Central London,
not even late night,
sober, not stupid.
She's never seen again.
For me, that's an argument against it being Creed.
His flat was full of trophies and body parts
from the seven women that we know he killed.
Nothing from Dr. Bamborough.
- Fancy a look? - Yeah, why not?
Still recovering from them bloody boxes.
This is called
"Case Overview and Persons of Interest."
Ah.
Margot Bamborough,
GP and partner at St. John's Medical Practice.
Here we have the staff.
We've got Dorothy Oakden, secretary,
Janice Beattie, practice nurse.
Dr. Margot Bamborough,
Dr. Dinesh Gupta,
Dr. Joseph Brenner,
Gloria Conti and Irene Hickson, both receptionists.
Gloria Conti...
sees Margot leaving the office at 6:15,
running late to meet her friend Oonagh Kennedy
in The Three Kings Pub.
Oonagh confirmed Margot's usually punctual.
Around 6:45, Oonagh calls Margot's home,
speaks to the nanny, Cynthia,
who confirms that Margot isn't at home and hasn't called.
Letter A marks where a struggle
between two women is seen happening,
but these woman are later identified as Mrs. Flurry
and her elderly mother.
Letter B marks where a witness sees a white van
traveling at speed.
Letter C is St. John's Medical Practice.
Suspects...
Roy Phipps.
9:00 p.m., Margot's husband, Roy, calls the police.
Now, this is good. Listen to this.
These are notes from your dad's first interview
with Roy Phipps.
You told our officers you thought she might've run off
with a man named, uh, Paul Satchwell?
Apparently that wasn't the case.
Why did you think that at the time?
He was an old friend of hers.
I knew he'd been sniffing around.
So you thought she was having an affair?
I said no such thing.
I suggested it was worth checking.
I went over all this with Detective Talbot.
Have you not read his notes?
Now look at the local files.
I can see you experienced some vandalism around that time--
car tires, broken window.
Yobs, that's all.
I won't keep you much longer.
Uh, your alibi for the night your wife disappeared, uh...
you were ill in bed.
That was confirmed by your child's nanny.
Is that right? - Yes, that's right.
Can you describe your relationship to the nanny?
Employer.
And has your relationship to Anna's nanny
ever been more than just employer?
Cynthia is 12 years younger than me.
She's 18.
I have to ask these questions.
She's also my cousin.
"Is that a 'no,' for the record?"
"No."
What?
Roy and Cynthia got married seven years later.
Oh, classic!
- He had a weak alibi. - Is he still alive?
Yes, but he's off-limits-- client's orders.
This guy...
Paul Satchwell, might be the reason
Roy Phipps doesn't want to talk about Margot.
He's got an alibi.
Seen eating at a café in Camden at half 6:00--
several witnesses.
Have to say that one sounds solid.
Last patient Margot saw before leaving--
Patient gave their name as Theo.
Police put out a big call for them to come forward,
but weren't able to trace them.
Finally, this is another patient of Margot's--
"double-glazing salesman, Steve Douthwaite,
"described as a ladies' man,
"visited Dr. Bamborough three times in the last week,
"believed to have sent her gifts, which he denied.
Friends said he wasn't actually unwell."
People lie about their health all the time, though,
don't they?
Here we go.
"Steve Douthwaite medical records
obtained under warrant"--
complained about headaches,
upset stomach, palpitations, trouble sleeping.
Margot noted stress and anxiety,
couple of cracked ribs as well.
Double glazing's a tough trade.
This article came out
around six days after Margot disappeared.
How'd you do that? It took you about four seconds.
I've got a subscription to a newspaper archive.
Their papers date back around to the 1800s.
"Police are anxious to trace the whereabouts
"of Steve Douthwaite, who left his flat
shortly after Dr. Bamborough was reported missing."
- They find him, though? - Must have done.
They tracked him down in Waltham Forest
by the looks of things.
He's interviewed there in February, 1975.
I-I was looking to move even before the doctor disappeared.
I-I honestly was.
I've been looking at flats.
Could you tell us which flats you looked at?
We can check them with the letting agents.
Yeah, I don't--
I've been looking in the paper ads.
And you've no alibi
for the evening Dr. Bamborough went missing?
I can't imagine one up, can I?
I was home on me own.
Been having a shit time, not going out much.
Douthwaite sounds fishy as fuck.
If all of Talbot's notes went missing,
how come this interview is in files?
I'm guessing it's a local police station transcript.
No, dad did his best
to get ahold of any work related to the case,
but he basically had to start again.
There's more. Listen to this.
Have you been having any unusual dreams?
- What? - Describe your dreams
during the period you knew Margot Bamborough.
[stammers, scoffs]
When was Talbot taken off the case?
March or April, 1975.
But they interviewed Steve Douthwaite twice more.
"Suspect analysis concluded no progress possible
without new evidence"-- dead end.
I'll try and track him down.
A lot of these people are gonna be in their 70s or 80s.
Start by searching for death certificates.
It'll save you some time.
Our other suspect is Dennis Creed.
He was caught a year after this slide deck was put together.
He killed at least seven women.
He lived in Paradise Park, Islington,
and he was active during the time of Margot's disappearance.
He's still alive, isn't he?
Do you think we'd be able to talk to him?
Hmm, he'd string you along for fun.
He's never given up anything useful.
- Thank you, George. - Mm.
I remember Anna Phipps coming over to our house
to talk to Dad.
She must've made quite an impression.
[chuckles] Yeah. Pretty girl.
She had all her questions laid out for Dad like a pro.
She just couldn't stop crying.
Didn't even remember her mum--
still ripped a hole in her life.
Dad would want me to help.
You need anything from me, you call me.
I'll do it.
D.I. Talbot's details if you've got them.
Dad didn't just go mad.
He had an overactive thyroid,
which wasn't diagnosed until he was in hospital.
He'd have trouble sleeping as well.
Once he was treated...
he improved.
I'm glad he got better.
Oh, we need to improve...
need to get better at making accommodations...
don't we?
Can't just cast people out when they get sick.
Milk, sugar?
Yes, more, the merrier. Thanks.
Sorry to go on.
A few of the families-- they blamed him for screwing up
the investigation of Creed, and it wasn't like that.
[cup thuds lightly]
He worked incredibly hard on that case.
I was there. I remember it.
[utensil clanking in cup]
How old were you at the time?
Ten.
I stuffed up my eleven-plus...
not that it mattered.
This is all to help Anna Phipps.
There won't be articles about him.
I'm happy to put that in writing.
He and Mum used to go to church,
and I really think that that...
influenced his thinking when he became unwell.
He--he was looking for evil.
When did you realize how unwell he was getting?
He started sprinkling salt...
outside our bedroom doors...
me and my brother.
Well, that's what I mean.
He was always a good man.
He thought that he was protecting us,
and...
Well, look...
[cup thuds on counter]
I can show you.
This used to be Dad's study.
Mostly kept it locked.
That's Baphomet.
Mm.
Mum found him crying in here, called an ambulance,
and that was that.
- Can I? - Yeah.
- Must've been frightened. - For him.
Yes. [camera shutter clicks]
[sighs] I was.
Mum cleared out this room while he was in hospital,
and when he came home...
he never talked about it.
Creed had been caught by then.
So it was all over anyway.
They still haven't found Margot Bamborough, though.
Your father did a lot of work on that case.
Oh, another man redid the work.
Still, I doubt your dad's work was a waste of time,
and I can't imagine a policeman's wife
junking his case files.
If any of his work survived,
there's a chance it could still help someone now.
Yes...
I think he would have wanted that.
All I'd ask is don't judge him.
I won't.
- You'll say that. - Greg, I've had PTSD.
I've woken up convinced I'm being shot at.
It's not just me. My...
Friend had a panic attack while driving,
nearly killed us both.
I don't judge her for that.
It's just hard...
when people think someone you love fell short.
I hope Dad can help you. - Thank you.
[door opens]
[grunts]
Working late?
[door closes] - Client turned up.
And I couldn't leave him in your office
on his own, could I?
No, I couldn't.
I'll be off now, though.
Hey, bro.
[chuckles] How've you been?
God, you are hard to get ahold of.
[chuckles]
I started thinking to myself, "Now, what would my brother do?
He'd make an appointment."
I'm happy to pay for it, so, you know, don't be pissed.
No charge.
I do have to work, though.
Pat, you still there?
Would it kill you to walk next door
instead of shouting for me?
Could you get ahold of a film projector
and a screen?
Please? - Happy to.
16 mill or 8?
Uh...
It's super 8.
- I think she likes you. - [chuckles]
Hey, listen...
Dad knows he's made a mess of things.
But you got to understand, when you came along,
his marriage broke up,
and the whole scene around the band got super druggy.
What do you want, Al?
Well, they're dropping a new record to mark 50 years,
and we're throwing a party.
It'd mean the world if you came.
No.
Anything else?
Maybe give him a chance...
'cause like it or not, he's our father,
and h-he's trying to make things right.
Al...
I like you.
I don't want a fallout.
But it's a no.
Okay.
I love you, bro.
Just think it over.
♪ ♪
[sighs]
♪ ♪
[indistinct chatter]
Looks like Talbot based an entire theory
around the zodiac.
Yeah. I can't stand all that stuff.
- What sign are you? - No idea.
Oh, come on. Everyone knows their star sign.
Don't pretend you're above it.
Sagittarius, Scorpio rising, sun in the first house.
Now, I only know that because my mum
was crazy about that shit. - Mm.
What the hell does "sun in the first house" mean?
It doesn't mean anything.
Look at this, though.
"The killer is Capricorn.
Capricorn kills Julie W."
It definitely looked like he had a suspect in mind.
A horned goat deity?
Try getting one of those to court.
You can be insane and right at the same time.
Mm, sounds like somebody you'd read on a fridge magnet.
I just don't think we can discount
all of Talbot's theories just because he got ill.
Well, if we look at his notes,
he clearly thinks it's a single person
killing women in North London.
To be fair, most people do think
Dennis Creed killed Margot.
Yeah, but there's no proof.
This is someone with an obsession.
It's not good police work.
Well, I don't-- [door opens]
- This is the one it needs. - Brilliant, thanks.
It's £100 deductible if you break it.
Right, well, I'm not gonna break it.
Can't say I didn't warn you.
Could you hit the lights on your way out?
Happy to.
- She's very efficient. - You were efficient.
I didn't want to throw you out the window.
High praise, indeed.
Right. Here we go.
Taylor says it's a home movie of Talbot summoning the dead.
[dark music]
♪ ♪
Is that Margot?
♪ ♪
Cormoran, what is this?
♪ ♪
[projector switch clicks]
♪ ♪
[sighs]
[footsteps approaching]
Sorry to drag you back here, but you need to see this.
[projector whirring]
[projector switch clicks]
That's one of the worst things I've ever seen.
Are you sure that's Margot Bamborough?
She's the right height and build.
We'll try and find out if Margot had a scar
on her torso.
Husband would know.
Off-limits.
Right, tricky, then.
What about medical records? - They were in the files,
Nothing about a scar or a surgery.
We found this note in Margot's personal papers.
"Leave my girl alone, you"...
"Or I'll send you to hell, slow and painful."
You missed a word.
And you think that's this threat being carried out?
Looks slow and painful to me.
There's something I want to take another look at it.
Do you mind?
[projector switch clicks, projector whirring]
I think I've seen the ring somewhere before.
There. [projector switch clicks]
[camera shutter clicking]
[sizzling] Oh, shit.
Looks like it's mostly okay.
Did you get a picture? - Yeah.
Where have you seen that ring before?
The Christmas party footage Dr. Gupta sent you.
[distant siren wailing]
Those two men by the door.
Yeah.
The image isn't great. The ring's on the same finger.
It's the same size.
Any idea who he is?
No, but the girl they're leaving with
is the receptionist, Gloria Conti.
As far as we know,
she's the last person that saw Margot alive.
Obviously, we're gonna need to hand this over to the Met,
but that's gonna tie our hands.
Can you give us a few days,
see what we can dig up for the client?
It's been half a century. A few days won't hurt.
When you do bring it in, it's the first I've heard of it.
Understood.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
How you holding up, Robin?
[inhales deeply]
I don't think I've ever been so angry in my life.
I don't care if it's been half a century or half an hour.
That man has to pay for what he did to her.
♪ ♪
[bright tone]