(TINKLY JAZZ MUSIC)
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
- Good morning. I need two puppuccinos,
but Bella's got a dairy allergy, so if you can use,
like, coconut, that would be really great. Oh, actually, have you got almond? Or maybe oat.
Oat would be really good. Do you have cinnamon to put on top?
Anyway, Joshie's been really good this week, so I think he deserves a puppuccino. Kiss on the mouth.
Joshie, who's my gorgeous boy? Who's my gorgeous boy?
- And who's a grumpy lady,
who doesn't understand why some people don't realise
there's a line behind you?
- Joshie and Bella are paying customers,
just like you are.
- Sorry. Certified caffeine addiction.
- What the hell? - Are you naturally this antagonistic or do you work on it?
- One, I have not had my coffee yet, two ―
caffeine is very bad for dogs, and three,
why aren't we at Reuben's?
- Because we need some privacy. - What?
- Have you ever heard of Tyler Wicks, chef to the rich and famous?
- Yes, and if frequent name-dropping is anything to go by,
a very good mate of Reuben's.
Oh, that's why you don't wanna be there.
- Bingo. Reuben's been on my case.
Seems his mate is in a little bit of hot water.
- Ah, you gonna give him a good grilling?
- (CHUCKLES) Don't give up your day job.
Tyler is the prime suspect in the death
of a young guy called Louie Cutler.
Now, he was engaged to be married to Beatrice Boyd.
Beatrice is the only daughter of Malcolm and Karin Boyd.
They're a Rich-Lister family ― fingers in a lot of pies, you know?
- Did you say Car-in? - Yeah.
Don't make the mistake of calling her Karen, like I did when I took her statement.
Anyway. The Boyds were on their private yacht heading to Rarotonga.
Louie was at home alone. - Oh, I read about this.
Rich kid who died of severe gastro.
Oh, you think Tyler Wicks poisoned him?
- Well, official cause of death is acute poisoning from tutin ingestion.
- That's the stuff that contaminates honey.
- The phototoxin in the New Zealand native plant tutu,
yes, but in this case,
it was the actual plant that got him.
So, young tutu shoots look a lot like asparagus,
and that's what Tyler threw into the pan, with the usual carrots, mushrooms, onions.
- Hang on. Tyler Wicks is, like, an expert forager.
He's published books and got a blog and everything.
- Exactly. You think he'd know his asparagus from his killer plants, right?
- Right. - He admits to cooking the dish and serving it to Louie.
But then he knocked off, went home for the night.
The family security camera footage clocked Louie at about 11pm,
having a vape outside. Then he fell into the outdoor furniture.
- Poison kicking in. - Yeah, you got it ―
tutin poisoning causes headaches, delirium,
severe convulsions before it kills you.
He made it to a bathroom inside,
which is where he was found the next morning,
when the housekeeper arrived.
- What happened to his eyebrow?
- Tyler reckons he had two eyebrows when he left him at the dinner table.
but then Tyler also reckons he didn't kill him.
- Sounds like you don't believe him. - Well, he's an angry sort of guy,
and he wasn't shy of telling us what he really thought of the victim.
Plus, there's no one else to look at ― family were away,
none of the other staff were there. - Could it be manslaughter?
- It's a possibility. - A possibility you want me to look into.
- Death by stir-fry? It's kind of in your wheelhouse, Alexa.
- Maybe you just don't wanna be the only one that Reuben blames when you arrest his mate.
- Or I wanna share the credit when we clear his mate,
which is exactly what Reuben thinks is gonna happen.
No pressure.
- No pressure at all.
(LAID-BACK JAZZ MUSIC)
Captions by Faith Hamblyn.
Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.
www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2024.
- Coriaria arborea is the Latin name
for the New Zealand native plant tutu.
It's common through the whole country.
There are documented cases of ingestion causing death going all the way back to the 1860s.
- The autopsy showed traces of tetrahydrozoline in the system.
That's the main ingredient in eyedrops.
- Which half the planet uses, especially if you like to party.
- And the police located eyedrops among his belongings,
so they dismissed that as irrelevant.
But look at this. His eyebrow was shaved off postmortem.
- Why would somebody poison him, wait for him to die,
and then shave off an eyebrow?
- Some kind of weird souvenir or a message?
- Hey! - WHISPERS: Cover that up. - What's up, fam?
- Hey. - Harry said that you were gonna help me.
Well, help Tyler. - I said I would take a look.
- Tyler didn't do it, Alexa. there's no way he'd kill someone.
Look, I'm sorry, but Tyler's a mentor, a friend,
and he gave me a job straight out of chef school.
- And lately? - We lost touch for a bit.
I heard he was back here working for a rich family ― then this thing in the newspaper.
This guy dies of food poisoning, I called Tyler,
and he says the police are gunning for him. - Reuben,
Harry says that Tyler has a bit of an anger problem.
- Well, of course he's angry. I mean, how would you feel,
if someone choked on a piece of your sourdough and you got accused of murder?
- Whoa, buster. Number one, my sourdough is chewy, not dry.
And number....
Yeah, never mind all that.
Did Tyler mention anything about working with the Boyds?
- No. We only just got back in touch.
- You didn't ask him about the family? - No, because I was too busy
promising him that my friend Alexa was gonna help him.
WHISPERS: Please?
- I will do my best. Get out of here.
We're working.
- Pleased to meet you, Reuben's friend who used to be a cop. - Likewise.
- Perhaps you could have a word to your idiot colleagues who came through here,
trampling all my crops, looking for tutu plants.
As if I'd deliberately grow a toxic plant and feed it to my client.
Even if he was a puffed-up little git.
- Hey, look, I... I have to ask you this.
Is there any way that you could have accidentally foraged the tutu shoots?
- Do I look like a numpty, Alexa?
And what you've just said is worse than accusing me of murder.
And you know what? Tutu shoots taste disgusting,
even if you cook the crap out of them.
Anyone who eats that and can't taste the warning signs...
- ...deserves to die? - Ha ha.
- OK, so if you didn't accidentally give Louie a poisonous plant
and you didn't deliberately do it, then how did it get on his plate?
- Obviously, someone switched out the asparagus. If I'd look twice,
I might have noticed, but we'd been working all day,
preparing their food for the boat.
So, yeah, someone took the asparagus and replaced it with the shoots.
- Why would anybody wanna do that? - Set me up.
- Again, why?
- Well, maybe someone doesn't like me.
Or ― and this is more likely ― someone didn't like Louie,
decided to take him out and put the blame on me.
- Who would wanna do a thing like that? - (SIGHS, CHUCKLES)
Shall I write you a list? - Please.
- Louie was an entitled snot stain.
The way he treated staff? A deeply unlikable person.
The kind of face you wanna punch repeatedly.
- Tell me how you really feel, Tyler (!)
- I feel very,
very, very frustrated,
Alexa. My life's been turned upside down.
My reputation is...
It's been destroyed because of Louie Cutler.
Now, Reuben swears that you're a miracle worker, so, please,
sort this out?
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
- Well, from the moment he joined our family, Louie fit right in.
- So why did he not join you on the family yacht trip to Rarotonga?
- He hadn't been feeling well. - Dodgy guts.
Tyler Wicks belongs in prison.
He put that poisonous plant in Louie's food.
- I wish we'd never hired him. - Arrogant piece of...
He thought he was above everyone. - He actually yelled at Louie a week or two before.
- Mm. A staff member talking back, swearing.
- Why did he have a go at Louie? - He didn't like the way that Louie had asked for a drink.
You know what? I'm paying you ―
you get my son-in-law a damn drink when he damn well asked for one,
and you don't complain.
- Would it be possible for me to have a quick look at Louie's stuff,
like, uh, maybe his car? - What for?
- Well, give me an idea of what Louie was―
- I don't see any need for anyone to go poking around in our property.
- Well, like you, I'm just after answers. - You want an answer?
Arrest Tyler Wicks, or we're gonna start making some noise.
(GENTLE MUSIC)
- Any of the Boyds ever get their hands dirty in the garden?
- I do. I grow lots of plants, but mostly herbs.
I'm Beatrice. - Hi, uh, Alexa Crowe.
I'm so sorry for your loss. You must still be in shock.
- It's an understatement.
- I'm, uh, looking into a few things for the police.
Get to the bottom of what happened here.
- Great.
- Your parents seem pretty keen for the police to make an arrest.
- That won't bring Louie back.
- You don't want justice for him?
- Tyler made a mistake. It was an accident.
- Are you sure about that?
- Tyler knew how much I loved Louie.
He'd never put me through this.
Sure, he was staff, but we would chat ―
about my studies and that.
I'm doing a phytotherapy degree.
- Flowers? - Botanical remedies.
I believe that we can cure most things with plants.
- Oh. Well, I'm more a yeasty sourdough kind of girl.
- I can see that by the state of your irises.
- So, do you ever study native plants,
poisonous ones? - I'm learning how to help people,
not poison them. Do you know what you need?
Eyebright.
You can put it in a smoothie or a salad.
- Ooh. Thanks,...
I think. (CHUCKLES)
(LAID-BACK JAZZ MUSIC)
Oh God.
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
- Well, I knew they needed a chef, so I called up a buddy in recruitment,
and that's New Zealand for you ―
you're only ever two degrees of separation from someone who owes you a favour.
- You're not going in that house. - I'm already there.
- With a potential murderer. goodness sake, Reuben,
if you're right and your mate Tyler didn't do it,
then somebody else killed Louie and set him up to take the fall.
- Yeah, she's right, Reuben ― it could be dangerous. - So I'll hide the knives.
- Funny. Thinks it's a joke.
- Alexa, you know why I'm doing this?
Tyler's the guy who believed in me,
bankrolled me when nobody else would.
I can't just sit around and do nothing.
- All right, then ― she's going with you.
Yeah. You need a sous chef, right? And Maddison knows her way around the kitchen.
- Yeah. You can do the cooking for the Boyds, and I will be your glamorous assistant.
- OK, great. It's a plan.
- You watch out for one another. Cos if Tyler didn't kill Louie,...
- ...somebody else did. I got it.
- And they're still living in that house.
(FUNK MUSIC)
- Hope these meet with your approval, Chef.
- Not bad for a noob, I suppose. - (CHUCKLES)
Man, their magazine subscriptions must cost more than my rent.
- Oh, yes, that's a favourite. Feel free to have a flick through,...
in your break.
Uh, Reuben, make sure the crab ravioli is al dente.
- Of course, Mrs Boyd. - Can't bear flabby pasta.
- WHISPERS: No. - Reminds me of the Gold Coast.
(ALL CHUCKLE)
- In this world, there is a type. - Yeah, is that why you stopped chefing?
- Something like that. - Well, you wanted to be here, buddy, so that's on you.
- Yeah, yeah, well, maybe you get what you need so we can wrap this up,
and I can go back to my nice cafe with my nice customers.
- Mm. I'm gonna go and get you some fresh herbs.
It may take a while.
(LAID-BACK MUSIC)
- Hey. - Oh! - Sorry.
- Hi. I'm Madison, the new chef's assistant.
- Holden. Welcome to the Boyd family freak show.
Have we got any frozen pizza?
- Oh, you're not coming to the lunch? - Mum instructed me to go,
but once she and Dad get on it,
they're not gonna notice if I'm not there. Can you get me some fries?
- Oh, sure. - Uh, from the Burger Shack drive-through.
I only like authentic fries, not ones made from potatoes,
like the last guy used to do. - Drive-through?
Uh, it's no problem. - (CELL PHONE RINGS) - Oh, better get this,
but I'm on it.
Good morning. - Hey, how was your first day, Chef?
- Finding my way around. - What time should I arrive for lunch?
- You managed to wrangle an invite?
- Sadly, Malcolm Boyd doesn't seem to want me hanging around.
I certainlylookthe part.
Hey,...
I need you to get me something.
- Normally I'd avoid pasta, but who doesn't secretly love carbs?
- (CHUCKLES) Guilty. - (GIGGLES)
But I have to get them down me before 6 ―
my immune system's compromised. An illness in my 20s.
- Yeah, she lost a kidney, you know. - And I don't wanna lose the other one. Cheers.
(LAUGHTER)
Hey, Eric, how much do you...?
(SNEAKY MUSIC)
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
- Quentin! I'll be with you in a sec.
Yes. - Excuse me, Madam ―
Louie's wallet and keys.
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
(CAR ALARM CHIRPS)
- I know animals don't want to die, which is why you shouldn't eat them,
But plants are sentimental beings too,
like dogs ―
dogs are sentimental beings too. - Sentient, yeah?
- I know. - (SIGHS)
Maddison, Beatrice Boyd. Beatrice Boyd, my assistant, Maddison.
- It's nice to meet you. - Hiya.
This has been so great.
If you ever wanna talk medicinal herbs, hit me up.
- Sure. - I'm also studying...
edibles.
You know where to find me.
- She seemed nice. - Uh, she was flirting her face off with you.
- (SCOFFS) It comes with the territory ― jobs like this.
- Well, it's not exactly grieving girlfriend vibes, though, is it?
- Yeah.
(CAR ALARM CHIRPS)
- Lots of eyedrops. Mints.
READS: A great deal from one St Ike's old boy to another.
Hmm.
Storage unit.
Storage card.
- Hey. - Hi. - Reuben's still working.
You think it's safe to leave him there alone? - You tell me.
- Beatrice Boyd was all over him.
- Devastated, grieving Beatrice Boyd?
- Mm-hm. - Well, that's interesting.
I wonder if all the Boyds' private chefs get as warm a welcome.
- Exactly. I found that in the wastepaper basket in Louie's office.
Do you think there was something going on between Beatrice and Tyler?
- Well, if there was and Louie confronted Tyler...
- Oh, come on, man. Did we just find more motive for Reuben's bestie?
- Or maybe if there was a love triangle
and the person at the centre of it took matters into her own hands?
- Beatrice. Yes. Let's go with that version.
(LAID-BACK JAZZ MUSIC)
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
- Oh, hi. - Hi.
- Homeostatic mechanisms of the digestive system.
Sounds interesting. - Uh-huh.
- What year of your degree are you? - Third.
- So, what are your thoughts on the doctrine of signatures?
Cos I find it fascinating.
- I'm studying to be a herbalist, not a lawyer.
- Oh, no, uh, the doctrine of signatures
is the idea that humans first discovered the medicinal qualities of plants,
because their appearances gave us clues ―
like the walnut's resemblance to a human skull
means that its oil is good for injuries to the head.
It's nature literally saying, oh,
hey, look at me; I can help you.
- Well, nature is amazing.
So... Yeah. - Except, of course, that the theory
has now been debunked as theological and sometimes dangerous.
- Why are you talking to me?
- Well, like I said, I'm interested― - Are you looking to score some weed?
- Absolutely not. - Then, if you don't mind,
I'm studying.
(SNEAKY MUSIC)
(BEEP!)
- (SIGHS) - (BEEP!)
- Deano here. - Hi, Deano. Hey, uh, I'm hoping you can help me.
I'm having trouble with my swipe card ―
the name's Louie Cutler.
- Yeah, you're in arrears. Come up and pay it now, and I'll give you access.
- Yeah, nah, that's not gonna happen. Look, I'm...
I'm actually investigating the murder of the unit owner.
- I'll need to see some police ID.
- Left it at home. Maybe you could just come to the unit with me.
- No ID, no access.
- Well, thank you very much for your help anyway.
- 24 hours to get a warrant.
- Or you could just show up and flash your badge.
- Or I could follow protocol and keep my job. - (SCOFFS) Boring.
- One cheese scone to go.
- Thank you.
Should I trust him? - You didn't order a side salad ―
it's probably OK.
- Talk soon.
- Yo. Thought working here might chill you out a bit.
- Reuben's got a good spot.
Must be nice, flying under the radar.
- Tell me about the Boyd family.
- Holden's a soda-swilling chump. Mal's got a mean streak a mile wide,
and Karin is a blowhard,
who inflicts paleo smoothies on her family every day,
with dairy in them. - What about Beatrice?
- The only decent one. Never had a problem with her.
- Yeah? You socialise together often?
- Ah, yeah. We were celebrating her exam results.
- Now, the word is that she's already getting friendly with Reuben.
And by getting friendly, I mean throwing herself at him.
It doesn't seem much like the actions of a grieving woman.
Or maybe her relationship with Louie wasn't the loving one her parents think.
- What, do you think Bea did it ― put the shoots in my basket?
- I don't know, she's studying medicinal use of flora ―
she ought to be able to identify poisonous native plants.
- You're barking up the wrong tree. - (CHUCKLES) Clever.
- Beatrice loved that drop-kick Louie.
I don't know why, I wish it wasn't true, but she loved him.
And the reason she's flirting with Reuben
could be exactly the same reason she flirted with me.
- And what's that? - Bacon ―
young vegans' biggest downfall.
- Oh, that's Beatrice Boyd's deep, dark secret?
- Well, there is something else.
- I can tell you why Beatrice doesn't know her daisy's from her daffodils ―
because ever since he started working there,
Tyler has been helping her with her homework. - Is that a euphemism?
- Nuh. She's been failing all her courses.
He got her across the line on her third-year assignment.
- So, this is a woman who intends setting up an actual practice
after she graduates? Remind me to avoid.
- And Tyler reckons that she was too much in love with Louie to want him dead,
so... - Plus, if she was flunking her course,
would she even know that tutu shoots are deadly?
Again, remind me to avoid this practice.
- Uh,
I found this in the glove box of Louie's car.
- READS: A great deal from one St Ike's old boy to another.
- So I wonder if Malcolm Boyd was an old boy.
- Nope. Went to state high school on the Shore.
But let me try...
Holden Boyd. Debating Club, fencing.
So, yeah, Holden and Louie were at St Ike's together.
Louie was a couple years ahead.
- You know, all this talk about elite private schools
puts me in mind of hazing and schoolboy pranks.
- Like shaving eyebrows off for lolz?
- Exactly like that.
So I wonder if whoever shaved off Louie's eyebrows
was sending a message,
one old boy to another.
- (PANTS) - Let's go.
- (PANTS) - Less again. Let's go. Come on.
- Holden Boyd? Alexa Crowe.
I'd just like to ask you a few questions about Louie Cutler.
- Grab a coffee, bro.
You're the detective, right?
- Yeah. - I thought Mum and Dad told you where to go.
- Well, they value their privacy, and I certainly respect that, but,
hey, uh, this was found in Louie's car.
Any idea who sent it?
- Yeah, me.
But I was being sarcastic. There was no deal ―
Dad just bought the car for Louie from my dealership.
- You have a dealership? - Yeah.
Dad likes to keep me busy.
- Why did he give Louie a car?
- He liked him, for some reason.
- You don't feel the same way? - (SIGHS)
My sister's never had great taste in men.
- So Mal gives him a car ―
anything else? - What do you mean?
- Louie wasn't a gold-digger, was he?
I mean, everything I've read suggests that he was wealthy in his own right.
- Yeah. Uh, he was loaded.
Was ― let's just say he made some bad investments recently.
Hey, have we got any lemonade?
- Yeah, I can organise that. - Sweet.
You know your way out, yeah? - Yeah.
Mm-hm.
WHISPERS: I think we need to know more about Louie's investment portfolio.
- Well, there's a list of companies in the case file. - WHISPERS: Good.
See what you can dig up on Mr Universe there.
(SNEAKY MUSIC)
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
- Holdie!
- Hello.
- I can't think of one reason why she would be in my son's room.
- Looking for Holden ― I wanted to see if he wanted fries again tonight.
- There you go. Easy explanation.
- I'd feel more comfortable if you replaced her, Reuben ―
today. - Look, I'm so sorry,
Mrs Boyd. It's just, um,...
Holden is smart and friendly
and so handsome and charming, I...
- Really? Holden?
- He's amazing.
- Well, yes. Yes, but you're not here to lust after my son.
- I promise I'll keep my mind on the job from now on.
- Well, I'd appreciate that, Maddison. - Sorry, Chef.
Are we good? Uh, cos you have two dinner parties this week,
and we need to keep planning.
- Consider this a first warning.
- Thank you so much, Mrs Boyd.
- That was amazing. - I know. (GIGGLES)
Hello again. - I'm standing at the address of a company
that Louie invested 100 grand in. There's nothing here.
- Wait. What do you mean, nothing? - I mean, Sinnet Drol Investments
is an empty bit of dirt.
The company director is, um,
Ryoma Echizen.
- You're kidding? - You know him?
- Yeah, he's an anime character in this obscure series called Lord of Tennis.
- So our victim invested a hundred grand in a non-existent company,
run by an anime character? - And guess who loves anime?
- Are you talking about me? - Oh, um...
- Sorry ― I didn't mean to scare you again.
- No, I... Yes. Um,
I was telling my friend that you and I share a passion for anime.
(GIGGLES)
- I heard you were in my room.
- This is very embarrassing. Um,
I'm normally a lot cooler than this.
- It's no drama.
- You know, you've got some pretty awesome stuff.
Did I see a 1980 Boba Fett action figure?
- Yeah. Pretty rare, right? - It's amazing.
- Do you get a break any time soon?
Hey, thanks for getting me my fries all the time.
- It's my pleasure.
- The last chef used to go off his nut when I asked him.
- Is that why he got sacked?
- WHISPERS: He got sacked cos my folks think he poisoned Bea's boyfriend.
- WHISPERS: Oh. Did he?
- I guess. I mean,...
Louie ate his dinner, and then, you know, died.
So you do the math. - You don't seem that cut up, if you don't mind me saying.
- Sometimes people get what they deserve.
If Louie were here now, he'd be bossing you around, no please or thank you.
- Wow. Sounds pleasant (!)
- Wanna know a secret?
I've got a members' app for the Burger Shack.
- Oh, right. - And let's just say,
I have more than enough points for two super-large combo meals.
- That is impressive.
- So how about it?
- What, you'd like me to go and pick up a combo for you?
- No, I wanna take you to dinner.
- Oh wow. Um,...
that is an amazing invitation, but I have to work.
- Your next day off, there's a sixer of nuggets with your name on it.
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
- Burger Shack? - Holden's ideal place for a first date.
I feel kind of bad for leading him on,
but then he also stole a hundred grand from his sister's boyfriend, so...
He has a society bank account called Sinnet Drol.
That's Lord of Tennis backwards, by the way.
- Oh, yeah, I noticed that.
And there's Louie's investment.
- But the day after it's deposited here, it goes straight out again,
to the JBK Day Charity.
- Bullying Prevention. - Why?
I mean, guilt for scamming him?
- Or revenge.
When Holden said that Louie bullied the staff, what if he was a bully at school?
- So Holden poisons him...
and shaves his eyebrow off as a final F-you.
- Oh. But unfortunately,
he was with his family on the boat.
- Was he?
- You know something?
Spill. - Hmm.
- Oh, you know something, but you're not gonna tell.
- Just like you do all the time.
Ooh, it's frustrating, isn't it?
- His Burger Shack app ― You checked through all the history.
- Oh, What? Well, thank you for ruining my moment.
- Come on. - Yes. According to the app,
Holden was in the city, buying a shake and fries from the Burger Shack drive-through.
- So he was not on the boat.
Good work, Maddison. - Yeah, yeah.
- Kia ora.
- Guessing you're not here to test drive a Ferrari.
Sorry ― I am really busy. - Yeah, I'll keep it brief.
Why did you lie about being on the family yacht trip, the night Louie died?
- I didn't lie. I was on the yacht.
- You bailed early. You got off at the Bay of Islands, and you flew home.
- (SCOFFS)
OK. Sure.
Dad was on my case. - What about?
About scamming Louie out of $100,000 or was it something else?
- How...? Have you been...?
Going through my personal business.
- So you scammed Louie,
I'm guessing as payback for bullying you at school,
but why'd you poison him?
- What? I didn't kill him.
- What did you do when you walked into the bathroom and found Louie lying on the floor?
- That's not a fair question. - What did you do?
- I don't have to say. - Come on, Holden.
- I shaved his eyebrow off, OK?
But I didn't know that he was sick ― I just thought that he was drunk.
- You know, any half-decent lawyer would really question
how you could mistake a dying man for a drunk one.
- Have you seen the security footage?
He was lurching all over the place. He was falling into walls.
- That's the effects of severe tutin poisoning.
And you only saw that footage after the fact.
Isn't that right, Holden?
- You made him cry. - Did I? Jury's out.
- Wow. You actually made a murder suspect cry. Is that a first?
- They usually bawl when you're leading them away, don't they?
Not when I am very gently asking them reasonable questions.
- Oh, is that what you do? - Yeah.
And anyway, before the snot and the tears,
I'm just not sure that Holden's the type to kill.
- Not that there is a type.
- Right. If we've learned anything over the years.
- Here's your search warrant for Louie's storage unit, by the way.
- Oh! For me? Thanks.
I can't wait to shove this in the manager's face.
- Sorry? - (KNOCK AT DOOR) - By which I meant
politely handing it over for his perusal.
(LAID-BACK JAZZ MUSIC)
- I understand you visited my son's dealership today.
- Yes, I did.
- I will be filing a police complaint for harassment.
- Well, Detective Henare is right down there, so that could save you some time.
Plus, you can tell him why your family misled the Po
about Holden being on the yacht trip.
- Holden had nothing to do with what happened.
What could he possibly have against Louie?
- Well, Louie bullied him all through high school.
- Oh, please. High school.
Everyone's moved on. - Apparently not Holden.
- There's always silly bickering in families. It doesn't mean anything.
- Why don't you ask Holden about the investment advice he gave Louie shortly before he died?
- I will not. I came here to tell you to leave my son alone.
You were supposed to be gathering evidence against Tyler Wicks,
but I can see I have to do your job for you.
I found this on Louie's phone. - I'm warning you!
- Bea's not interested in an old creep like you.
- Put the phone down. - You can't even cook.
I've never had so much gastro in my life until I start eating your filthy food!
- Put the phone down so I can knock your teeth out!
- You found that on Louie's...? What were you doing, going through Louie's phone?
- That's your concern, not the fact that Tyler threatened Louie?
- Why didn't you show that to the police when you first found it? Harry, come here!
- Mal and I agreed it would upset Beatrice. Hello, Detective.
- Hello. - For some reason, she has a soft spot for Tyler ―
she still refuses to believe that he deliberately killed Louie.
- So you're protecting Beatrice? - That's all I ever do, Alexa ―
protect my children.
But I hired someone who has harmed my daughter,
taken her future away,
and I will have to live with that for the rest of my life.
- Would you be so kind as to send us that video?
- Certainly.
- Making a murder suspect cry, not a first,
but having one run home, tell tales to Mama ― that's a new one.
(BEEP!)
- Yeah.
- Deano, I'm here with a warrant from my friends at the police
to search that storage unit.
Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?
- Oh, man, what a tip!
- Well, either Louie was a bit of a pig or someone's been here before us.
- Trashed the place? Why?
- Searching for something?
You know, the payments on this place started about the time he moved in with Beatrice.
And what would Louie have to hide?
- And who else was looking for it?
- Well, Deano's CCTV should be able to tell us who's been here.
So I guess that's our entertainment for the evening.
- Well, I have a three-course dinner to prepare for family of the year, so you'll be scrolling on your own.
- (SIGHS) Great (!) - (CHUCKLES)
- Oh, look, Chowder ― another empty corridor.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
Well, hello, Karin.
- Oh, I found out Louie had a storage unit months ago.
Didn't think anything of it.
But when he died,...
Bea was so heartbroken. I wanted to check his belongings,
to make sure there wasn't anything else to upset her even more.
- Like what? - Oh, I don't know.
He was a party boy when they met ―
who knows what relics from his old
life might have been in there?
I knew at some point she'd go through it, so I got there first.
- And was there anything? - No.
Thank God. Now, I have an interior designer due,
so if that's all... - Sure. I'll see myself out.
Hello. - Heard you were back to bother us.
- Oh, am I interrupting something? - Yeah, we're celebrating.
Bea just got an A-plus for her assignment. - Oh. Well, congratulations.
- Thanks. - Mind if I ask you a couple of quick questions?
- Yeah, we would actually, after the offensive things you said to Holden.
- Well, what was I supposed to think?
The boy bails on a family yacht trip the same night that Louie died,
and nobody said anything to the police. - It wasn't relevant.
We know who killed Louie ― it was Tyler Wicks.
- Dad. - It's true, sweetheart.
- Beatrice.
I saw a video of Louie yelling at Tyler for hanging around you.
- Well, he sometimes got jealous ― showed he cared.
- And Tyler did have an unhealthy interest ― scumbag.
- And what about lately ― have you seen Tyler, spoken to him?
- Of course she hasn't. The man killed her fiance.
- Beatrice?
- Nope. Not a word.
- OK. Well,
thanks.
So you were helping Beatrice with her uni assignments?
Cos, let's face it, she's not the brightest bulb. - Uh-huh.
- But she just got an A-plus on her latest work ―
were you helping her with that too?
- I haven't had any contact with the Boyds since I got the boot,
so no. - Hey, Alexa.
Look, I did a deep dive into Louie's old social media accounts ―
anything he'd hidden or deleted, did an image-match search,
and look what came up. Here he is,
using the account name of L Cutty Grass.
It hasn't been active for five years, but pre-Beatrice,
he was a player. - Yeah, that's what Karin said.
- Mm. Well, that's interesting ―
this album here, he has the privacy settings set to just him.
- # Do it, do it, do it. # - (CLICK!)
(DING!) - Oh!
Who's the sexy lady?
- He saved the pics from his own device, so I can't see who they've come from.
- Looks like she's got a surgical scar.
- Oh wow.
- Oh, you know something?
- No. (CHUCKLES) - Dish.
- And there's absolutely no way you know about this.
I heard Karin speaking about an operation when she was young ―
a kidney removed.
- Hmm.
Well.
(SNEAKY MUSIC)
- OK, this looks like it's a shared computer.
- Can you get into it? - Uh-huh.
Family photos, work stuff.
Well, there's a file called 'Beatrice'. - That might be it.
- I think we just found exactly what we're looking for.
- What are you doing?
Why are you in my parents' room?
- Uh, we have a bit of a situation.
- Who are you talking to?
Who is this? - Holden, don't mind Maddison.
She's just trying to figure out which of your parents killed Louie.
(CAR APPROACHES)
- No, I have no time to talk.
I've an urgent staffing matter to attend to.
- Oh, right, the thing about Maddison snooping in your room ―
yeah. Kind of unfortunate,
but gives me a chance to talk to you
about that affair you had with Louie six years ago.
And before you deny it, I've seen the pictures ―
the ones that you sent him.
That's what you were looking for that day at the storage unit,
wasn't it?
But little did you know that he had saved a whole heap of them
in a private album.
- Have you told anyone? Please...
Please don't. Mal and I...
(TUTS) Going through a rough patch.
I met Louie at an event, and...
it was a stupid, stupid midlife crisis.
Lasted maybe two months.
- It must have been interesting when, a couple of years later,
your precious daughter walked in
hand in hand with your long-buried dirty secret.
- Louie was as shocked as I was.
When we got a moment alone, we both agreed never to mention it,
ever. - It just seems like
maybe someone else did find out about it ―
maybe Mal.
- My husband is a sweet and loving man.
He would not hurt a fly.
- So what would you rather ―
that he finds out you had an affair with Louie?
Or that you killed him?
See, I'm 99% sure that you did kill him ―
the other 1% involves finding out whether Mal knew or not.
Maybe I'll just go ask him. - No, no! No. No.
- Oh, because then it would all be pointless, right?
I mean, Louie's dead, and Malcolm finds out.
Sure, Louie promised never to tell anyone,
but you still couldn't relax with him about to become part of your family.
You were terrified every day of your secret somehow coming out.
You decided to bury it again.
Tyler said you insisted on making smoothies for your family
every morning ― the perfect way to slowly poison Louie,
with everyday over-the-counter eyedrops.
You made him sick, but not sick enough.
Tetrahydrozoline poisoning takes months,
and you had a wedding coming up.
- You're suggesting I somehow have a wide knowledge of poisonous plants?
- Well, you do, because you helped Beatrice with her study.
In fact, you did it for her. - Oh, please.
- Tyler did it for the nine months that he was working here.
But before he arrived, it was all you.
That's what Maddison was looking for in your room,
and that's what she found. In Beatrice's first-year studies,
you read that the tutu plant could
be found in native bush all over Auckland.
So you went foraging.
You snuck in early the morning of your yacht-trip departure
and replaced Tyler's wild asparagus,
which you knew he'd be using in the stir-fry
you instructed him to make for Louie.
Thanks to your efforts with the eyedrops,
Louie's immune system was already weak ―
the tutu plant just pushed him over the edge.
- I had no choice.
I begged Louie to leave her,
I offered him money ―
he refused.
He loved her.
But all I could see was this unbearable future ―
Louie at every family event.
I didn't wanna hurt him.
But my husband,
my family ―
they're everything.
(CAR APPROACHES)
- Ah good.
- Please don't tell them why. Just don't tell them why.
- This woman was trespassing in my bedroom ―
stealing, I'd say.
- Hello, darling. - Oh, hey, sweetheart.
- Just going to, um,
pop down to the station for a bit.
- Karin?
Karin? - Well, great work, team.
- Hear that, Reuben? We're a team now.
- Uh, no, thanks. Get me back to my cafe.
My undercover days are over.
OK, so gather round, guys. This is the first dish that Tyler taught me.
- And here's what this guy taught me.
- Do we get to vote on which one of these is best?
- Well, just enjoy it. It's the least I could do for all of you, even you.
- You're welcome, mate.
- And this guy is wasted here. Why don't you come and work for me?
I've got a superyacht contract lined up. - Nah, this place is more my style.
- You don't miss the excitement? - No, of course he doesn't.
There is something to be said for just walking away from all that
and choosing an easy life. - Right.
Is that what you've done, Alexa? - I try.
- Oh, not very hard. (GIGGLES)
- Look, there's a guy who keeps inviting me to coffee with an ulterior motive.
- Oi, kai's getting cold.
- Do you want me to stop? - She does not. - That's the Reuben I remember.
- Hey, what's this? - Not ravioli.
(LAID-BACK JAZZ MUSIC)
- What?
(LAUGHTER)
- You ― yes, you. No feeding the swans.
There are signs everywhere. Now, hand over the bread.
- Well, it's ballet, Harry, and a man in tights.
- Someone is killed with a bow and arrow, and the archery guy doesn't hear about it?
- Why would I go to the studio late at night and put two arrows in her back?
- What sort of police officer would invent a child, and then steal from a tutor?
- Grace took it. She's very naughty.
- When I was a kid, I had an imaginary friend to blame things on too.
- She's totally done this before. - Yeah.
- No, not for decades.
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