SHE GIGGLES
Ta-da!
Oh, darling, how on Earth did you get a table?
They have a two-year waiting list!
It's not what you know in San Victoire, darling.
Well, I'm very glad I know you, Mr Lloyd-James.
BOTH: Mm.
Shall we?
SHE GIGGLES
Bonjour! Hello.
Yeah.
Um, OK, come on, darling, I've got a little surprise for you.
Ah.
ALL: Surprise!
LAUGHING
Happy birthday, darling.
Oh, I can't believe it!
Happy birthday!
All right, darling, make a wish.
APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
Oh, thank you, my darling, my rock.
Mm!
So, how long have you two known Judith? Oh, over 30 years.
And obviously, being Nancy's annoying little sister,
I just had to be friends with Judith, too.
So when did you move to San Victoire?
Actually, we've lived here all our lives.
Our parents were English teachers, hence the British accent.
In fact, we both used to work in this very restaurant
when we were girls.
Is that where you met Judith and Jeremy? No.
I was training to be a nurse when I worked here.
I met Judith on my very first placement, you see...
Let's not talk about that unpleasantness today, darling.
Come on, everyone, photo time.
Could you possibly take some photos? Come on, everybody!
Come on. Big ones at the back. Little ones at the front.
That's it. You go in the back. You're big.
Come next to me, Nancy.
And hold the camera higher.
Oh, good grief, darling, it's not rocket science.
Excuse me, young man. Could you possibly do that later?
I know - you've got the longest arms.
Could you do a selfie? Snuggle in.
Ready? Yes.
Say "fromage".
ALL: Fromage!
Do excuse me. I need to go to the powder room.
Don't be long, darling. That's lovely.
I'll send it to you. Thank you.
Where is Nancy? She's been an age.
Oh, I'll go and check. I need the bathroom, anyway.
Would you, Jean? Thank you.
PHONE ALERT
Darling, I think Nancy's in trouble.
Oh, Jeremy!
GASPS
Goodness! Oh, look!
# Do you remember the first time
# That my eyes set on you?
# Your smile came from nowhere
# For some time never
# Or some time soon
# The road is a long one
# I was only passing through
# I was only passing through. #
Thank you for giving us the tip about this car, Gloria.
We've been after one of these Fiats for ages. Classic.
When she said she was selling it, I knew it was a good deal.
I've been servicing it for years.
That wiper won't give you any more trouble now.
Where is your record player, Gloria?
This place is not the same without music.
Hm. Not really in the mood for music. Me head's a bit full.
What do you mean?
Cooper's had to move back to the States. Family stuff.
SIGHS Are you OK?
Oh, gutted.
But if I'm being honest, I had started to have my reservations.
Oh, really? Maybe I've dodged a bullet, I don't know.
Hey, my friend has set up a very exclusive dating agency in Anglet.
I'm sure he would be thrilled to have you on it.
I'm definitely not in the mood for that.
Oh, no, but it's not a swipe up, huh?
It's an old-fashioned agency.
You saying I'm old? No, I-I'm...
I'm only joking!
It's for grown-ups and you meet in person before any virtual chatting.
Give it a try. I will send you the link.
It's called L'Amour Attend. Translates as "love is waiting".
You might meet the Romeo to your Juliet.
They both died.
Ah, oui, er...
but it's a story of love conquering hate,
and that is exactly what you need right now, huh?
EXHALES
Any news? Not a word!
You'd have thought we'd heard something by now.
I can't help thinking of Nancy's bound-up face.
It's been over an hour now! Why no word?
All right, come on, mate. Come on, sit down.
But... Sit down, sit down.
Do you think it's wise setting an incident room up here?
I mean, everyone's very tense.
We have to be near Jeremy and Judith.
That's who the kidnapper is communicating with.
We have tried to trace the phone, but with no success yet.
Right.
Madame Benoit,
do you know anyone who may have had a grudge against Nancy?
Well, she's always had a troubled relationship
with her ex-husband, Theo Ludovic.
Even though he has a child bride now, he pesters her for money.
He's a dreadful man.
Bled her dry and then left her for someone half her age.
Do you by chance have a picture of him?
Oh, yes, um, in my phone somewhere.
He left her recently.
Just as his mistress gave birth to his baby.
Oh, he sounds like a complete dreamboat (!)
That's the most recent picture. Ah.
Here is my number. Could you send me that?
Oh, um... Would you mind sending it me, too,
and any other pictures you've got of the birthday lunch?
You never know, I might have... I might have missed something.
I will also need his current address.
I'll check out his movements today.
PHONE ALERT
VIBRATES Oh.
Thank you.
Surely he couldn't be capable of this sort of thing?
TEXT ALERT
Oh, it's a video.
Open it.
Oh!
NANCY GASPS
Please do what they say.
Or I will die.
Oh!
KNOCKING
THEY SPEAK IN FRENCH
PHONE RINGS
BABY CRIES
I can't bear it. I can't bear it!
Er... Maybe give the girls a minute, yeah?
I think that would be a good idea.
Of course.
Are you all right, mate?
I don't think I am.
Judith will be OK.
Jean will look after her.
I need to speak to you and Jean urgently.
I think I might know who's responsible.
You what? Shouldn't you be telling him?
No, no, no.
We have to keep it to ourselves for now.
And Jean, of course.
Yeah. Of course.
Come and sit down. Come on.
SHE EXHALES
When we moved over here in the '80s,
I was pregnant.
We'd longed for a child. It seemed perfect.
Then...
quite late into the pregnancy, I began to lose them.
Them?
It was twins.
I was rushed to the hospital, and Nancy was my nurse.
It took such a long time for them to... to go.
And in those days, your husband wasn't allowed to stay.
She never left my side through it all, even when she'd finished work.
We became lifelong friends.
She needs me, Jean, and I can't help her.
Oh, we all feel the same, Judith.
TEXT ALERT Oh, I'm so sorry.
JEAN SIGHS
Um...
OK.
I can imagine how helpless you both feel.
I mean, this is a horrible situation.
Look, I'm gonna go and get us a drink.
Thank you, Jean.
Sorry. I just panicked at the thought of losing her.
Oh, and I'm panicking on the inside. You know me.
Never one to show my feelings. Sorry.
How-How terribly selfish of me. No, no, no, no.
You have been like a sister to both of us.
Really? Of course.
Even when people used to mistake me for the older sister,
you would always try and make me feel better.
I've never forgotten that.
She's always had better skin than both of us.
I once accused her of having secret Botox.
Me, too. I mean, she denied it, of course.
Of course.
Do you think she's going to be OK?
I hope so, Judith.
What's the matter? Has there been another video?
Er, no, no, but, er, Jeremy has something to tell us.
Is it about the twins?
Oh.
I-I can't talk about that, Jean!
You wanted to tell us something, Jeremy?
Yes. Well, I thought it wasn't important, but now I'm not so sure.
Do you remember when I hired out our new country house last year?
Oh, yes.
The one Dom kindly took pictures of for you behind my back.
Ooh. Yes, that's the one.
Well, the lady who's the tenant there, Remy Benson, is, um...
A gangster. Yeah.
It's a little more awkward than that.
You've rented your house out to a gangster.
How does it get more awkward?
Well, she's made it very clear that she fancies me,
and two weeks ago...
she sends me this.
"It is time for me to love you now."
Ooh! "Call me."
Yeah, well, I didn't reply, but she's been calling me ever since.
And she's the kind of woman you don't say no to.
So, have you and her...
No, of course not!
I'd never betray Judith like that.
I saw her at the restaurant on Judith's birthday
when Nancy was taken.
I think she's stalking me. Oh!
So you think she kidnapped Nancy,
because she won't take no for an answer?
Maybe. OK. Dom,
let's go and talk to Caron and have a look around the house,
see if there's anything untoward. I'm sure it's nothing.
I'd rather we kept the police out of it for the time being.
Remy holds a lot of my business secrets,
if you know what I mean, and, um...
Well, I suppose it won't do any harm to have a quick look around.
Right, I'll go and get my bag.
There has been another video, this time sent to Judith.
GASPS
They want 200,000 Euros...
..in the next 48 hours.
Please don't say it's not possible as I will die.
I'll always be here for you, Judith. I'll be here always.
Can I just forward this video?
Thank you.
There's, erm, something that we need to attend to.
Something I should know about?
Not yet, but we'll be back soon, I promise.
DOOR CLOSES
Well, there's no car in the driveway.
Yeah, and no security cameras.
Oh, yeah.
I forgot you knew this place like the back of your hand.
Are you ever gonna let me forget that?
No.
Park up the road a bit, not outside.
Dom, it's dark.
There's a ring light.
It's just like the video.
Oh! Jeremy was right.
Remy Benson has kidnapped Nancy. We need to call...
Caron. Look, we're outside Jeremy's country house.
You gotta get here right away.
There's a... We can see a ring light through the window.
No, it's the house that the guy was shot at last year.
Yeah, but we-we're gon...
Is he on his way? Yeah.
He doesn't sound very happy, though. I told you we should have told him.
DOOR OPENS Ooh!
Get in here.
Oh. Oh.
Hm.
Cosy, innit? Oh!
THEY CLEAR THEIR THROATS
You... Reminds me...
Oh, you were gonna say something.
You were right about Cooper.
Oh? Gloria text me last night.
He's gone back to the States.
Family stuff or something.
Oh, I'll kill him! But why didn't Gloria tell me?
Probably because she knew you'd react like that.
Oh!
Oh, is she all right?
Well, you know.
I might just text her now, see if she's...
Are you ready, Gloria?
I think so. Let's go.
Five, four,
three...
Action.
Hi, my name's Gloria.
PHONE ALERT
Oh, sorry. Hang on.
EXHALES
I think it might be good to turn our phone off when we're filming, huh?
Yeah. Sorry. I'll just send this.
EXHALES
Right.
OK, so, we try again. Ready?
Five, four,
three...
SHE MOUTHS
Action.
Hello.
This is Gloria Bowser
filming for The L'Amour Attend agency.
Well, what can I say about meself?
I like all music. Me vinyl collection is second to none.
I like dancing.
I laugh a lot.
I have many friends and I would like to meet someone to have fun with.
Er, thanks.
Bravo. I think that was the one, huh?
That looked great to me.
Can I ask you a question? D'accord.
Why are you both so keen to help me meet someone?
Er, I told you, my friend has an agency.
I think I might just need breathing space.
Nonsense. Companionship is exactly what you need.
Companionship? Oui.
Loneliness, it's, er... It's not good for the soul, huh?
Give me your phone. I will download the app.
Well, what happens next?
If you match with someone, then you receive a text.
If you decide to accept,
you arrange to meet in a... in a pre-approved public venue.
What if he's lied about his profile pic, how will I know it's him?
Ah. And this is where the romance comes in.
You would both wear a red carnation.
C'est tres romantic, no?
Et voila.
Let us know if you need any more help, huh?
We are here for you, Gloria. Thanks.
Oh, and Gloria, we are more, uh, Charlie and Simon Foster.
Like Jodie Foster, not Spielberg. Huh?
CHUCKLES
BOTH SIGH
Do you think helping Gloria will absolve us of our sins?
What do you mean?
About us warning off Cooper?
Oh, no. It's like she said herself,
we helped her to dodge a bullet, huh?
If she knew the truth about him, it could make her feel even worse.
You're right.
My grandmother used to call it les histoires d'amour edite.
Heart editing.
Pardon?
Telling the kindest edit to a story to safeguard someone's heart.
Is that not lying?
Kind lying, I guess.
PHONE ALERT
Ta.
I suspected you two are holding something back.
Look, Jeremy didn't wanna tell you, said Judith had enough on her plate
without worrying about her husband being stalked. Pardon?
Well, Jeremy rented this house out to...
A gangster.
Remy Benson.
I'm well aware of who lives here.
Well, she's been stalking Jeremy, romantically,
but we think that kidnapping Nancy
was her reaction to Jeremy ignoring her.
A gangster scorned and all that. You should have told me.
Oh, come on, Andre! You've seen the state of Judith.
This on top of everything else?
Which window?
That one.
Follow my lead.
Excusez-moi.
Nancy? Nancy!
We'll check upstairs. Come with me.
What on Earth is going on? Where is she?
Pardon? Nancy Ludovic, where is she?
Why is she so hysterical?
I'm not hysterical. I'm just angry!
Can you explain what you are doing here?
What business is it of yours?
Answer the question.
How dare you invade my home and privacy like this?
This looks very much like the scene of a recent serious crime.
Explain yourself.
I don't understand.
Online dating is now a serious crime?
Pardon?
I was trying to film a profile clip for a new dating agency,
L'Amour Attend.
It's for women our age.
A dating agency?
Is it unusual for a woman to still want romance in later life?
Of course not.
I'm sick of all the swipe left and right.
I deserve something a little more befitting for a woman of my style.
No sign of kidnap upstairs. What?
Kidnap?
Why on Earth would I want to kidnap anyone?
Maybe your reputation precedes you.
It clearly doesn't.
If I was holding anyone to ransom,
I would not be stupid enough to bring them to my home.
So you deny stalking your landlord?
Pardon?
You sent him a text. "It is time for me to love you now.
"Call me."
LAUGHS
I meant, it is time for me to leave you.
As in this place.
Oh! Predictive text, hey?
I need to cut short my tenancy as I found a house to buy.
Ah, that's why he wouldn't answer.
Oh.
But you were at the same restaurant as him yesterday.
Was I?
Oh, he... he is very cute, darling,
but English boys are just not my thing.
Although...
I would make an exception for you.
Oh.
If we need any further information, we will call.
Please accept our apologies for the intrusion.
Yes, I'm sorry, erm...
we may have jumped to a few conclusions.
I guess we should try to see the funny side.
Hm.
That is very understanding of you. Thank you.
Actually - I never thought I would ever say this to the police -
I would like to report a crime.
Go on.
I was on a date in the restaurant, and when I got home, I found
that my beautiful antique cigarette case was stolen.
What kind of cigarette case?
Imperial, Russian.
A Britsin?
Yes. How did you know?
It's blue enamel. Worth about 10,000 euros.
You know your stuff.
So, when you discovered it was missing,
why didn't you call the police? Like I said,
darling, not my style to ask the police for help.
Where did you meet your date?
One of the hook-up apps. His conversation was charming
and he hadn't sent me any inappropriate photos,
so I thought it was worth one last try.
Do you have a picture of him?
He's called Stefan Luca.
If I ever set my eyes on him again, it will be too soon.
He's not called Stefan Luca.
He's called Theo Ludovic,
and we want him for questioning already.
What? Nancy's ex-husband was in the restaurant?
So he's not away on business. Richard, let's try his house again.
Thank you.
Darling, look, um...
Jean mentioned the twins.
I know we decided not to speak about them. I'm sorry.
It was just thinking about Nancy and the hospital.
Well, it's not that I don't want to speak about them.
It's just too painful for me that I had to leave you there on your own,
and that bloody doctor wouldn't let me see you till it was too late.
Nancy was there. Please don't punish yourself.
They would have been 34 this year.
I know. You know, it's a silly thing,
they've grown up in my head.
Lucas would have been a sailor, and a brilliant one at that.
Penelope...
She would have been a bestselling novelist.
Yes, they've grown up in my head, too.
I suppose this with Nancy has brought it all back.
No, darling, you know it's never gone away.
Those babies will be with us forever.
Listen, Nancy helped us through,
and that's why it's hitting us so hard.
Yes, of course you're right.
Oh, well, there's a first time for everything.
SHE CHUCKLES
Richard!
Hey, hey, hey, hey, get your hands off me!
You need to accompany us to the station, Monsieur Ludovic.
I thought you were going to ask me to dinner.
PHONE ALERT
SIGHS
What do you think, Douglas?
What's that, Douglas?
Get my glad rags on?
DOUGLAS BARKS
Ah! Who am I to argue with advice from me best mate?
When you started running as we approached your house,
it looked like you had something to hide.
Why were you at that particular restaurant?
I like the caviar.
Was it to steal this?
OK, I'm banged to rights.
I was going to go out on a few dates with that rich woman
to see what I could get out of her
when she very kindly provided 10,000 euros in the first hour.
How very chivalrous of you. What can I say?
All the women are always so grateful for the company.
KNOCKING
DOOR OPENS
And you are sure that was the only reason you were there,
and not to kidnap your ex-wife?
What?
No, of course not. What-What do you mean, kidnap?
Nancy was kidnapped yesterday
from the very restaurant you were at as well.
I have no idea what you are talking about.
I would never hurt Nancy.
This is CCTV of your car
at the restaurant on the same day Nancy was kidnapped.
I saw this car at your house when I went to talk to your wife.
I did not drive yesterday.
I knew I would be drinking, so I took a taxi.
OK, so if you were not driving your car, who was?
Amandine. She uses the car all of the time.
But she would never do anything like this.
Your wife told me she cannot drive.
But of course she can. I bought the car for her.
I told her she would never be able to fit a buggy in the back,
but she insisted.
SIGHS
Two of you this time.
Madame Ludovic, we would like you to accompany us to the station.
If you could find me a baby-sitter, I'd be glad for the day out.
This morning you told me that you could not drive.
It was a lie, wasn't it?
We have your husband in custody for theft.
But there was another crime committed
in that restaurant yesterday.
We saw your husband's car at the restaurant on the CCTV.
He denies driving it.
Do you want to tell us the truth?
I know he's not away on business. I put a tracker on his phone.
I know all of his lies and most of his women.
Where were you yesterday afternoon, Madame Ludovic?
I knew he was arranging to meet with Romy Benson.
'I hacked his texts. I followed him to the restaurant.
'I watched them together.
'When I could stand no more, I left.'
Thank you.
What time did you leave the restaurant?
3:00pm. How can you be so sure?
I had to collect my son from the baby-sitter.
Can they verify this?
I can give you her number. Thank you.
Theo has been kept in custody for the theft of the cigarette case.
Well, that's good, isn't it?
Yeah, but they can't pin the kidnapping on him yet.
He's denying it.
He said he got in a taxi alone, but he's got no receipt,
and no-one from the restaurant saw him getting in one.
OK.
But they also found out that his wife, Amandine,
was seen on CCTV driving Theo's car
away from the restaurant that afternoon.
The barman said that she was sat in the bar
for an hour complaining about her cheating husband, then left.
So... So she was seen at all times?
Yeah. Then she went round the corner
to the baby-sitter, which is literally two minutes' away.
Rock solid alibi.
So it must be Theo.
He needs the cash. He's clearly a nasty piece of work,
and he's got no alibi.
He must have an accomplice holding her somewhere.
Oh, Nancy must be terrified.
I need a glass of something.
Yeah. Breathing space. Exactly.
Hello, love.
You look gorgeous.
Look at you. Come here. Ah!
Are you all right? Yeah.
I'm waiting for a date.
Oh, that was quick.
It was Douglas who helped me make the decision.
Douglas? What did he say?
Woof woof woof.
I just didn't wanna sit around being miserable,
feeling like a victim
when I was having second thoughts about Cooper, anyway.
Really?
I just couldn't handle a man who waxes more than me.
THEY CHUCKLE Hey,
shall we have a code word in case you need to get out of your date?
What about, erm, Otter?
Why Otter?
They fall asleep holding hands, don't they?
So they don't drift away from each other. Dead romantic.
I'd say that was a bit controlling.
You what?
Well, holding your hand, so you don't drift off?
Exactly. Oh, you pair of cynics! Ooh, he's here.
How do I look? Glorious, Gloria.
Good luck, love. Thanks.
Hello.
Nice to meet you.
What do you want to drink?
Usual, please.
Hey.
What have I missed?
SHE EXHALES
Hm.
Ooh, that is some watch for a waiter.
Why? What is it? Um, it's a 1950s Universal Geneve.
It's worth about 10,000 euros. Wow.
How can a young waiter afford an expensive watch like that?
Tips.
Hang on.
Dom.
Theo's accomplice...
is the waiter.
'..in the next 48 hours.'
But where has he taken her?
..as I will die.
I'll always be here for you, Judith. I'll be here always.
Why does she repeat that at the end?
It's not that she's repeating it.
"Here". Of course.
Nancy never left the building.
I've got to tell Caron. Come on. Oh.
Eh, send them over to that table.
You are sure this is the only place they could be hiding?
You must wait here.
If the kidnapper is still in the building,
it is too dangerous to risk.
I'm just sorry
I didn't realise what Nancy was trying to tell us before.
We all watched the video, Jean. You are the only one to realise.
Now, it is absolutely imperative that we are not heard.
One wrong move and it would be fatal for Nancy.
Ready?
Please guard the door.
GASPS
Oh!
Please... you have to listen to them.
And if you call the police, you'll never see me again.
Drop the knife. SHE GASPS
IN FRENCH
KNIFE CLATTERS TO GROUND
IN FRENCH
NANCY WHIMPERS
I thought I was going to die.
It's OK.
Thank you.
Who hired you?
No comment.
Huh. This is quite a fancy watch for a waiter.
Very rare.
Was it some sort of payment from Theo Ludovic?
Well, Nancy said this was her father's watch, so he,
Theo, must have stolen it from her.
He does have quite the reputation for lifting things.
Why do you keep mentioning this Theo Ludovic?
I have no idea who he is. Pardon?
And the person who hired me certainly would not be called Theo.
And why is that?
Well, because the person who hired me was a woman.
A woman?
Yeah. I only met her once.
She gave me the watch as a, um...
How do you say... down payment.
And what did she look like?
CLEARS THROAT
No comment. What was her number?
No comment.
It is going to be a long night for all of us
if we are going down this road.
KNOCKING
This was found in the cellar. There was only one number on it.
It looks like you won't have to give it.
We found a burner phone in the cellar.
Did you forget to get rid of it?
Oh, my God.
That number.
James Bond. What?
I think I know who did this.
I can't believe he would do such a thing.
I know there was no love left, but I never thought he'd harm me.
And to steal our father's watch!
Well, when he left me for you, I knew what he was capable of.
Good grief, Delphine! You only went out with him a few times.
It was hardly Casablanca.
But he wasn't capable, was he, Delphine?
What?
It took me a bit of time to work out, but, um,
well, now it's blindingly obvious.
Contrary to popular belief, our culprit is not Theo.
Don't be so ridiculous. Of course it is.
The waiter said he was hired by a woman.
So could it be Remy Benson, after all?
But how could she have got hold of your father's watch?
It could possibly be Amandine, but she has a rock solid alibi,
so the only person who could have taken that watch is, um,
well, that would be you, wouldn't it?
Me?
Yes, Delphine, you.
SCOFFS
Who else would know about a secret trap door?
You said yourself you worked in that restaurant when you were a girl.
You knew there was a cellar.
In fact, we both used to work in this restaurant when we were girls.
You must have thanked your lucky stars
when Theo Ludovic was arrested.
I would never do such a thing. How dare you?
I love my sister. Mm.
I think you hired that waiter to do your dirty work.
Thing about hiring inexperienced criminals
is that they always mess up.
We found a burner phone he forgot to get rid of.
Only one number was on it.
I took one look at that number
and recognised it from when you sent me the photographs.
Because the last three digits were 007, James Bond.
RINGING
Yes. All right. It was me.
I hate you, Nancy.
I always have.
Delphine!
You got the man, the job, the friends, the respect.
What did I get, hm? Nothing except a shiver
in the shadow of Florence Nightingale all my life.
So when we got the invite for Judith's birthday, that's when I...
That's when I had the idea.
I went to the restaurant.
I easily found the kind of boy that would help me.
I showed him the secret door, gave him the watch,
and promised him twice as much after the job was done.
It just seemed like such a very simple way of earning money
from your beloved millionaire friends.
Well, he was never gonna harm you!
And your pretend sister could afford to be 200,000 Euros down.
I should have guessed it was you. Always asking your sister for money.
What happened? Did the well finally run dry
and Nancy start to say no? Well, that's pretty rich
coming from the most pampered woman on the planet.
Don't talk about what you don't understand.
Your jealousy has always been so obvious,
and despite that, I chose to show you nothing but kindness,
as did your sister.
You are beyond contempt.
Take her away, Richard.
NANCY SOBS
Another one!
MUFFLED ARGUING
You're safe now.
INDISTINCT SPEECH
You can't choose your family, can you?
You're right. Usual? Please.
Hello, love. Are you still here? Certainly am.
Oh, you must have had a lot to talk about.
He left after an hour.
Oh, love!
I told him to. Oh!
He thought the Beatles were overrated.
You're joking! That and his wife rang when he'd gone to the bar.
No way. Cheek of it!
PHONE ALERT Oh.
That'll be another offer of a date.
I've had loads of them.
That's good, innit? Yeah, but I'm not going on any more.
Oh, well, I'm not surprised. Are you joining us?
No, thanks.
You know what? I'm all right on me own.
Ready for home and me record player.
See you tomorrow. See you, Glo.
Oh, she's such a diamond.
I just want her to find the right one.
I mean, how hard can that be, eh?
Oh, um, red wine and a white wine, please, love.