[ "Just as the Tide Was Flowing" plays ]
♪♪
- ♪ One morning in the month of June ♪
♪ Down by a rolling river ♪
♪ There a weary traveller chanced to stray ♪
♪ And he beheld his lover ♪
♪ Her cheeks were red, her eyes were brown ♪
♪ Her hair in ringlets hanging down ♪
♪ She'd a lovely face without a frown ♪
♪ Just as the tide was flowing ♪
♪♪
♪ No more did say, but on their way ♪
♪ They both did go together ♪
♪ The small birds sang and the lambs did play ♪
♪ How pleasant was the weather ♪
♪ They being weary both sat down ♪
♪ Beneath a tree with the branches round ♪
♪ And what was said will never be known ♪
♪ Just as the tide was flowing ♪
♪♪
- Humphrey, thank you so much for doing this.
Oh, nonsense.
It's exactly what we should be doing --
serving the community.
Besides...
Kelby volunteered.
- One of these? - What?
No, no, no, no. There's too much glare.
Just change the filter, will you, please?
Right, Mr Witham.
Mr Witham, may I introduce
Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman,
Detective Sergeant Williams, and PC Hartford?
This is Terrence Witham
the current owner of "The Solo Mare."
Very pleased to meet you.
- And one of you will be in the room with the painting, yes?
Yes.
I do hope it's you.
Actually, no.
Hi.
- You're the finest Shipton Abbott has to offer,
- are you? - Yes.
- How very reassuring. Excuse me.
Ah. He's a bundle of fun.
- He's autistic. He's very highly strung.
Yeah, he should be.
Right. Get yourself set up.
"The Solo Mare."
It's a horse's bottom.
Yes, but the front end
is looking at Shipton Abbott in 1710.
- Well, maybe they should have moved the horse out of the way.
- Humphrey, let me introduce you to our hostess.
This is Lady Louise Fitzallan.
- Wonderful to meet you. I've heard so much about you.
- Oh. [ Chuckles ] - Anne and I are on
the Arts Committee together.
- This is DS Williams. - You have a beautiful home.
- Thank you. Augustus Craig, the artist,
was my great-great-great grandfather.
So I understand, yes.
- I hear you lending us a constable for the evening.
Seems it really does pay to have friends,
or rather, future son-in-laws, in high places.
- Yes. - It's been a pleasure
- meeting you both. - And you.
[ Chuckles ]
- Kelby, we'll leave you to it, then.
Thanks. Um...
Oh, and, sir, um...
Thank you for trusting me with this.
- Can't think of a better man for the job.
♪♪
[ Protesters shouting ]
♪♪
Um, who are they?
- Ah, they call themselves Edith's Army.
- Who's Edith? - According to them,
the person who really painted "The Solo Mare."
Really?
Okay, so that's everyone.
Mr Witham? Uh...
- You'll lock the door behind us, yes?
- Yes, sir. - Good.
No one is to go beyond those ropes
until I return in the morning, yes?
Understood, sir.
♪♪
[ Hisses ]
Ahhh.
Ah.
♪♪
Take that, Margo.
Yeah.
[ Makes whooshing sounds ]
♪♪
[ Suspenseful music plays ]
♪♪
Thanks, Mum.
[ Bang ]
[ Mouth full ] Hello?
♪♪
Power's gone out.
[ Clock chiming ]
♪♪
Hello?
♪♪
Hello?
♪♪
[ Bang ]
♪♪
[ Mid-tempo music plays ]
♪♪
[ Snoring softly ]
[ Knock on door ]
You know me.
[ Mumbles ]
[ Knock on door ] Ah!
DC Hartford? Hello?
Is everything okay?
Uh, yes, Mrs Lloyd.
- Excellent. I wonder, would you stay around
until Lady Louise and Mr Witham come up?
They're just having breakfast downstairs.
Of course.
- Shall I bring you up a bacon sandwich?
- Oh, yes, please. - [ Chuckles ]
[ Shouting indistinctly ]
[ Horn honking ]
♪♪
- Hello. - Hello.
Mwah. Need a hand?
No, it's the last one.
- Mini Yorkshire puddings. Excellent.
I'll save you one.
- Thank you all very much for coming
to help us mark the historic return
of Shipton Abbott's very own "Solo Mare."
As acting chair of the Arts Committee,
I'd like to thank. Lady Louise Fitzallan
for inviting us into her home,
and not to mention agreeing to buy the painting
on behalf of Shipton Abbott.
[ Applause ]
I'd also like to thank Mr Terrence Witham,
the current owner of "Solo Mare,"
for agreeing to allow it to return home,
to come back, as it were, to its rightful place,
to the manor house where it was conceived.
After the unveiling, we will all witness
this historic moment live, as it were,
when the deeds of agreement are signed
and the transaction completed.
So without further ado,
I would like to invite the mayor and mayoress to step forward
and reveal to us
what we have all been waiting a very long time to see.
Thank you.
On behalf of everyone in Shipton Abbott,
welcome home.
[ Audience gasping ]
♪♪
- I will sue. I'll sue you. I will sue the Arts Committee.
I mean, there was a police officer in this room,
for goodness' sake -- in the room!
- There's nothing we could have done...
- I've checked with Mrs Fitzallan in case anyone could have hidden
in the room before it was locked.
There are no secret compartments or false walls
- anywhere in this room. - This window latch is broken,
which means it could be opened from the outside.
- I saw someone out that window running across the lawn
alone with a, uh -- an orange cap on.
- What time? - Midnight.
- Would you know them if you saw them again?
- I'm not sure, sir. It --
It was dark and it happened just after the electric went off.
- There was a power cut? - You didn't say anything.
- Well, it came back on again. - But you didn't leave the room?
No.
Well, not really. I --
I-I opened the door when the power went off.
You opened the door?
- To see if anyone was sorting out the electric.
But you stayed in the room?
- I might of stepped out for a minute.
♪♪
- Gallery room needs to remain sealed until forensics get here.
I want a list of everyone who stayed at the house last night.
- Can someone tell me what's going on?
- We'll bring you up to speed as soon as we know more, sir.
- I heard they came in through the window,
in which case, how the hell did they get past him, hmm?
Unless he left the room.
You did, didn't you?
Sir, that's enough.
Please go back inside and let us do our job.
- Ha! You haven't exactly covered yourself in glory so far,
have you? I want answers.
- Then I suggest you leave us alone to find some.
Bloody amateurs.
This is all my fault.
- Hey. I think you better see this.
No.
Just under the gallery room.
- Must have been the guy who Kelby saw running away.
- Yeah, but if he was here to steal the painting,
why risk getting caught to stop and do graffiti?
Well, let's get it all taped off
and have forensics check it while they're here.
- We waited all this time, and it was here one night.
We'll get it back, Margo.
You better go and open the station.
Yeah.
What shall I do?
Maybe you go, too.
♪♪
If Kelby's right about only being on the landing
a couple of minutes, that's not long enough
to break in, get into the room,
take the painting from the frame,
and get back out again.
He must have been out of the room longer.
- Yes. Agreed. - How's it going?
- I'm a bit flummoxed, to be honest.
- Mum's distraught. - It's not her fault.
- That's not how she sees it. She organised everything.
You'll get it back for her, won't you?
[ Camera shutter clicking ]
♪♪
It's gonna be all right.
Okay. Bye.
That was Dot Trolman. Lost 25 sheep.
- Got out of a bottom field. - I'll head down there.
- Oh, Margo, um, anything back from the scene yet?
- Forensics have just arrived. - Right.
Okay, well, while we're waiting for them,
let's start building a picture.
Background checks on these to start with, please.
Thank you.
- [ Snorts ] Missing a few, aren't we?
Uh, who?
- Any of the Arts Committee who organised everything.
Caterers.
- You want me to investigate my future mother-in-law
and my fiancée?
- Depends if you want to be thorough or not.
- Just those people on the list. Thank you, Margo.
Kelby.
You mustn't blame yourself, you know.
I was the one guarding it.
Um...
Well, then, we -- we find out what happened,
we arrest whoever's responsible, and we get the painting back.
And we do that as a team. We do it together. Okay?
- Yes, sir. - Well.
Okay.
So let's assume that whoever stole "The Solo Mare"
now intends to sell it.
So let's think about how they would go about that.
- Well, they can't just stick it on eBay.
- Exactly. So what does that tell us?
Is this someone in the know?
- Any of the Arts Committee? - Thank you, Margo.
And if the power being cut was there as a diversion,
then where is the master fuse board?
And who had access to that?
And our protesters --
surely they had the biggest motive of all, did they not,
if they believe that "The Solo Mare"
doesn't belong to the current owner,
or that it shouldn't be displayed at Shipton Manor.
So who are they?
Can they account for their whereabouts?
And is Kelby's mystery man
in the orange baseball cap one of them?
♪♪
Did you know about this feud over the painting?
Most of Shipton does.
Augustus Craig had a young stable girl called Edith Jay
who worked on the estate,
but then went on to be an artist in her own right.
The claim is that she was Craig's secret protégé.
Not only that, but because of the subject,
some believe she's the one that painted "The Solo Mare."
- Now, yes, but wasn't it signed by Augustus Craig?
- Yeah, but they still believe she painted it.
Both families have argued about the provenance for generations.
Right.
Isla Jay?
[ Scoffs ]
Surprise, surprise.
♪♪
- Looks like you're expecting another painting, Isla.
Very funny.
- You do claim that, uh, "The Solo Mare" was painted
by one of your ancestors.
I don't claim anything.
I know it was.
By Edith Jay, the stable girl?
- My great-great-great grandmother.
- Yes, but, now, Mr Witham is an expert. He --
He seems clear that it was painted by Augustus Craig.
- It's in his interest for it to be painted by Craig.
More money for him if it is.
So, you gonna ask me?
- Ask you what? - If I nicked it.
- Did you? - No.
But I would have done if I could.
♪♪
- Uh, there are others who feel as passionately
about Edith as you.
Do you think any of them could be responsible?
- How would I know? Better ask them.
- Yeah, one of them wears an orange baseball cap, I believe.
What was his name again?
- No idea who you're talking about.
And blame who you like.
All I know is I can't steal something that's already mine.
And I can prove it.
♪♪
Found in Gran's things when she passed.
It belonged to Edith Jay.
♪♪
A sketch of "The Solo Mare."
- Or a plan of how she wanted to paint it.
♪♪
- I'll never live it down. - Stop worrying.
If anyone can figure out what's happened, it's Humphrey.
- I can only imagine what your dad would say.
When he was chair, all he ever talked about
was bringing "The Solo Mare" home.
- Hello. - Oh.
Humphrey, please tell me you found it.
Oh, well, not quite.
But we're making excellent progress.
- Really? - Yes.
See, Mum? Told you.
- Anne, so where do you stand on the whole
Edith Jay/Augustus Craig debate?
- Oh, the families have been arguing about it for years.
It was signed by Craig, but --
but Martha's father had a great deal of sympathy
for the Jay family. He supported looking into it
if "The Solo Mare" was ever found.
But we lost him before that happened.
Rosé, as requested.
Oh, thank you.
- Humphrey. - Hi.
- Anne, oh, I heard about the painting.
Must have been quite a blow, I imagine.
You've no idea.
- Is there anything I can do to help?
- Not unless you know who stole it.
Afraid not.
- Well, I better get back. - Oh, Marty,
did you mention to Humph what we were talking about?
Oh, no. Sorry.
- Oh, don't worry. Nothing too deep.
Just thought it might be nice for you and I
to grab a beer sometime.
- Beer? - Get to know each other.
After all, I am in partnership with your fiancée.
I'm sure Humphrey's very busy.
Nonsense.
- Great. What about later? After work?
Uh, Kitty Jay's.
Couple of pints, bag of crisps,
and we can exchange some war stories.
- Oh, why not? - Good man.
- Oh, at 6:30? - I look forward to it.
Right.
Back on the case.
♪♪
[ Mobile phone buzzes ]
Esther, hello.
- There were nine protesters outside the gates.
I'm working my way through them.
Oh, and it seems the only people staying at the house last night
were Louise Fitzallan and Terrence Witham.
Mr Fitzallan is away on business,
and there are no live-in staff.
- Okay. Very good. Thank you. See you back at the station.
Okay, see you soon.
- Well, of course I'm aware of the controversy
surrounding the painting.
My father and Howard Jay almost came to blows over it.
Can you imagine?
And Howard Jay is...?
- Isla Jay's father. - I see.
- She and I have had the occasional interaction,
- but nothing quite so heated. - What kind of interaction?
- Well, it usually consists of her shouting at me in public
and me smiling politely.
It's all rather vulgar.
- So when you went to your room last night,
you didn't see or hear anything until this morning?
- Nothing. - PC Hartford said he might have
seen someone in the grounds last night about midnight
wearing an orange baseball cap.
You have any idea who that might have been?
- Um, no. Staff go home at 6:00, so if there was anyone
in the garden after that, they were trespassing.
Ah.
♪♪
Can I ask if you saw or heard anything last night?
Like what?
- Were you aware there was a power cut, for example?
- Around midnight? - No.
- You were asleep? - Yes.
Listen, since you're here, maybe I can get back
into the gallery room.
Need to collect my things before I go -- the display stand.
The frame itself is actually quite valuable.
- You'll just need to bear with us a while longer.
We need to keep the room sealed.
Perhaps if you came back tomorrow.
Don't suppose I have a choice.
We'll be as quick as we can.
Can I ask --
Were you aware of the controversy
surrounding "The Solo Mare"?
[ Chuckles ] Of course.
The Jay family are talking absolute nonsense.
- And you feel that "The Solo Mare" is
in keeping with other works produced by Augustus Craig?
Without a shadow of a doubt.
It has his signature on it.
So if someone wanted to sell
a stolen painting of this quality,
how do they go about it?
- Painting of this importance, Inspector,
is almost always stolen to order.
- So they would have a buyer already in place.
- Oh, I can think of a dozen private collectors
who'd pay good money for it.
- What was the price agreed between you and Mrs Fitzallan?
500,000.
Gosh.
So a buyer would pay that?
Even if they knew it was stolen?
Oh, maybe more.
Art, Inspector, is enhanced
by the tales that surround it.
And a painting that was stolen from under the nose
of a police officer while he was in the room --
well, that is quite a story to recount over dinner, isn't it?
Hmm?
♪♪
- You've been to see Dot Trolman yet?
- No, I haven't got time to go looking for missing sheep.
I need to find this bloke I saw last night.
Do you know how many mug shots were in the county database?
Surprise me.
219,411.
And how many of you looked at?
209.
- And how many of them are wearing
an orange baseball cap?
None.
Chin up.
Only another 219,202 to go.
Thanks.
Nothing on any of the protesters, sir.
All either in bed or can prove they were
- nowhere near the manor. - Yes, I suspected as much.
Margo, are forensics at Shipton Manor?
- Good news or bad news? - Oh, good.
- They got prints from the window.
Great. And the bad?
- There were around 30 people in the room,
so they'll need to do exclusion prints on all of them.
I also checked with the power company.
There were no disruptions in the power supply last night.
Yes, all very unhelpful.
You're welcome.
Oh, wait.
- I have got some good news. - Yes?
- The chief superintendent's been on,
wants you at the hub, 9:00 tomorrow morning.
How is that good news?
- You can get croissants and coffee on your way back.
Yes. [ Chuckles ]
Right, um, come on. Come on, everyone.
What are we missing? Gate cameras?
- Nothing. And the manor house has a three-mile perimeter.
There's lots of places they could have got in.
- Okay, what about this power cut?
If it wasn't the grid,
then it must have been cut off in the house.
- And only Terrence Witham and Louise Fitzallan
were inside the house.
Background checks?
Did Miss Fitzallan first,
thought that'd be the most interesting.
Turns out the Fitzallans aren't as loaded as I thought.
The husband inherited the house,
but they struggled to afford the running costs.
- They can afford half a million pounds for a painting, though.
- What about our art dealer, Terrence Witham?
- Well-known for his niche taste,
beginning his career specialising in works
depicting alternative lifestyles,
escapologists, circus performers, and the like,
discovered "The Solo Mare"
in a small-town auction in January 2022.
Lists his heroes as Banksy, Mozart, and the Dalai Lama.
Yes, an eclectic mix.
But, again, as he already owned the painting,
what possible motive could he have to steal it?
- So we're back to our man in the baseball cap.
- Yes, yes, he definitely feels like
he is the key to unlock everything.
We need to find him.
You were seen.
Doesn't matter by who. Just don't do anything else.
The police have been here all afternoon.
Just wait.
No, we had an agreement.
♪♪
- So football -- I'm a Chelsea man.
- What about you? - I don't really follow football.
- Sorry. - Rugby?
- Gosh, I'm not sure I know the rules, to be honest.
- So you and Martha --
the Caribbean, right?
- Uh, yes. Well, I was stationed there.
She was travelling.
We had met briefly a year or so before in London.
A happy coincidence.
- I still wake up every morning and...
well, wonder what she sees me, really.
[ Chuckles ]
Okay.
- I guess it's just one of life's mysteries.
Best not to think about it too much
in case I jinx it.
[ Chuckles ]
- We could always ask her. - Oh, I do.
She says we're the perfect fit.
You know, like yin and yang.
I don't know which is which.
I think I may be yang.
- Perversely, I used to think we were perfect together.
Turns out she didn't feel the same way.
Lucky for me.
- Sorry. - Don't be. It's true.
So I need to ask --
does it bother you, us working together
Should it?
Of course not.
♪♪
[ Banging ]
[ Gasps ]
- Ha! - Hi.
- [ Chuckles ] How did it go? - It was brilliant.
Yeah, turns out we have loads in common.
- You have nothing in common. - That's not true, actually.
We narrowed it down to [chuckles] you
and cheese-and-onion crisps.
Was a disaster?
- [ Sighs ] Not a disaster, no, but, uh...
I'm not sure on what you saw in either of us, to be honest.
What should we do for dinner?
- Oh, Mum's still upset about the missing painting,
so I said we'd eat with her, if that's okay.
Yeah, of course.
[ Sighs ]
Archie asked me if we're planning to start a family.
I didn't know what to tell him.
So what did you say?
- Told him we were thinking about it.
And we are.
Are we?
Come on.
Mum's waiting.
Okay.
I knew you'd still be in here.
I need to find him.
- Home. - Just give me 10 more minutes.
- Now. - Okay.
- I've got a fancy-dress party at Jamie Alvin's,
and I'm late as it is.
Who you going as?
Kenny Everett.
- Who's that? - Ugh.
Before your time.
Come on.
Find Mr Baseball Cap tomorrow.
- Okay. - [ Chuckles ]
♪♪
- Uh, yes, so he was a Caucasian male,
um...
height-wise, he was up around here,
my height, uh,
and was wearing a baseball cap.
Have you seen him?
Hi, there. Uh...
Baseball cap. Orange.
Um, about this height.
About this height.
He had an orange cap on.
♪♪
All right. Thank you.
♪♪
Excuse me.
- Oh! - Oh! So sorry!
Um, sorry.
- Oh, gosh, not again. - Okay.
Oh, sorry. I think I'm just a bit nervous.
I'm meant to meet my new chief superintendent.
Does nothing but moan about how much money
Shipton Abbott is spending.
- Oh, you're from one of old station houses?
- Yes, well, old but perfectly formed.
- Or pretty but not very efficient.
- I think we're efficient enough. - Oh, I don't doubt it as people.
But we've moved on, haven't we?
From a system of individual outposts
towards a more modern and joined-up approach.
With shared information and technology.
Facial recognition systems. Biometric.
- I just prefer good, old-fashioned policing.
- Running around with whistles? - Well... [ Laughs ]
Well, with respect, um, that's your interpretation.
And as an inspector sitting behind a desk --
- Except I'm not an inspector. - You have two pips.
Pip and a crown.
Oh, gosh. Sorry.
That -- That makes you a...
chief superintendent.
Shall we go to my office?
[ Walk the Moon's "Jenny" plays ]
- ♪ You got curves like the ocean
♪ Gonna take it in slow motion ♪
♪ Got emotions that'll make it last ♪
♪ You got freckles on your shoulder ♪
♪ Ammunition like a soldier ♪
♪ And visions, ambitions to be the best ♪
♪ Oh, and Jenny, why don't we ♪
♪ Jenny, why don't we be gettin' together? ♪
♪ I said, Jenny, shouldn't we ♪
♪ Jenny, shouldn't we be gettin' together? ♪
♪ Jenny's got a... ♪
♪♪
- Well, I'm guessing you'd like an update on "The Solo Mare."
Do you have one?
We're still pursuing leads.
So that's a no.
Actually, that's not why I brought you here,
nor was it to listen to your views on 21st century policing,
enlightening as that was,
or even to tell you of face to face
for spending too much money.
Did you have a look around earlier?
You'll find every force in the county with a base here.
This place is the beating heart of the Southwest Police.
- And what does that make us? The kidney?
- More like a benign growth -- fine for now,
dangerous if left unchecked.
Tactical Command are considering bringing you and your team
into this building,
closing down the old station house.
- Well, that's a shame. - For who?
Us, but also the community
have been using that building for 100 years.
- They'll have more support here, more resources,
community liaison,
be part of a bigger picture.
[ Nathan Evans' "Wellerman" plays ]
- ♪ There once was a ship that put to sea ♪
♪ The name of the ship was the Billy O'Tea ♪
♪ The winds blew up, her bow dipped down ♪
♪ Oh, blow, my bully boys, blow, huh ♪
♪ Soon may the Wellerman come ♪
♪ To bring us sugar and tea and rum ♪
Oi!
Here! You gotta pay for that!
♪♪
♪ Take our leave and go ♪
♪ Soon may the Wellerman come ♪
♪ To bring us sugar and tea and rum ♪
♪ One day, when the tonguing is done ♪
♪ We'll take our leave and go ♪
Sorry, mate, sorry.
♪♪
- You all right? - Yeah.
- ♪ One day, when the tonguing is done ♪
♪ We'll take our leave and go ♪
What are you doing here?
- Gonna have it out with my computer.
It's got my wholesale order on it.
What are these?
We had a Turner visit in 1987.
Your father planned it all, went off beautifully.
Oh, Mum, I've told you,
you can't keep blaming yourself.
You weren't even there.
- I really just can't help thinking that I let him down.
Marty.
[ Sighs ]
So how is the chief super?
Oh, good. Spilt coffee on her.
Then got given a lecture on modern policing methods.
- Oh, dear. But this will cheer you up.
Kelby found our mystery baseball-cap man.
- Where? - At the fish market, apparently.
Anyway, he's processing him now.
- Excellent! - We have got other things
to be doing, you know.
We're not all sitting here twiddling our thumbs.
Now, I said we'll get to it, and we will. Right?
What was that?
- Seems everyone's moaning at me today.
That was Dot Trolman moaning about her sheep.
Then I had that Witham on earlier,
wanted to know if he can get in the gallery yet
to get his stuff out.
- Um, I'd say yes. I think we're done there.
Okay.
He is in the interview room, ready for you.
- Thanks, Kelby. - Yes. Great work, Kelby.
- Sir, um, this might not be important,
but when I saw him first -- and I'm not sure about this --
but he was with a woman,
and it looked like she was passing something to him.
She was a little older,
and it looked like Mrs Fitzallan from the manor.
♪♪
Aaron Cole,
previous for criminal damage, theft, and common assault.
Okay, so, uh,
can you tell us what you were doing in the grounds
of Shipton Manor the night before last around midnight?
You were seen.
- On the night a painting worth £500,000 was stolen.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You ain't pinning that on me.
- Unless you got a really good explanation for being there,
it doesn't look good, does it?
- Right now you're our prime suspect.
- I didn't steal anything, I swear.
- Well, look, if you're innocent, you can be out of this room
in five minutes.
I mean, you're no stranger to this process
by the sound of things, are you, Aaron?
So you know full well that the only way that's gonna happen
is if you tell us the truth and...
if you tell us exactly why you were there.
If it helps, we already know about Mrs Fitzallan.
Do you really think she's gonna protect you?
- She wanted me to nick the painting.
- So you admit stealing it? - No.
I was supposed to draw that stuff
on the back of the house the first night.
Then the second night, she was supposed to leave the window
open and the alarm off so I could get the painting.
That way, people would blame the protesters.
But she phoned me yesterday to call it all off.
Arranged to meet her in town. Told her I wanted paying anyway.
Wait. So the plan was for you
to steal the painting last night?
Yeah.
But it looks like someone beat me to it.
- Aaron Cole was at school with my son, James.
I spent most of their teenage years telling James
to stay away from him.
Rather ironic.
So you contacted him?
- My circle of criminal acquaintances is rather small.
- So you admit you were paying him to steal the painting.
- [ Sighs ] After what you've just said,
it would be rather churlish not to.
You see, my husband isn't away on business.
Charles is actually in Antigua...
with his secretary...
and most of our money.
I'm sorry.
- Then why go through with buying the painting?
Because I'm a Fitzallan.
And the guardianship of this house
comes with responsibilities.
The homecoming of "The Solo Mare"
brought the entire community back together.
How could I suddenly announce I wasn't going to
go through with it? It would have been excruciating.
Charles had arranged to borrow the money, convinced me
to use the manor as security against the loan.
- So you hoped to claim on insurance
to help pay back the loan.
And save face in the process.
- Rather tawdry solution, don't you think?
- Which means that the painting had to be stolen last night
because until then, you didn't actually own it.
Exactly.
The only good thing to come out of this conversation
is that you will now see that it wasn't in my interest
to steal it any sooner.
♪♪
Sir.
Yes. Coming.
♪♪
- Mr Witham. - Hmm?
Please let me help.
- Yes. I'll take that. Thank you.
- Sorry we couldn't let you go any sooner.
Yeah, whatever.
Aaron Cole could be lying.
He might have stolen the painting anyway.
Yes, very true.
And nothing in this case is quite what it seems.
I'm starting to think we may never find out what happened.
♪♪
- I suppose me taking over his place on the Arts Committee
was my way of holding on to him a bit longer.
I know.
I still miss him.
You see, but I know I shouldn't after all this time.
We stop mentioning it to people.
Well, because it starts to be a bit awkward after a while.
As if sympathy as he use-by date,
and once you pass that date,
you're supposed to snap out of it,
stop harking back to the past, move on.
And it's difficult to move on on your own.
You're so used to doing everything together.
- I miss him, too. - Oh, I know you do.
You don't get your own way as much as you used to
when he was here.
True.
Just my luck to get left with the strict parent.
Mm.
I know why you came back.
Oh?
- You were worried about me being on my own.
Oh, I'm sure the dream of opening your own cafe
and being fed up with London is all true, too.
But that's not why you came back.
And you were right.
I'm not sure I could have coped on my own.
But that's what you do, isn't it,
for people you love?
Put your own wants and needs to one side
and give them what they need.
- Never thought about it like that.
- All I ever wanted was for your dad to be content and happy.
I suppose that's what Humphrey's doing for you, isn't it?
Giving up everything to come down here with you.
Yes, he is.
- And he's doing that because he loves you.
It's a very precious thing, you know, Marty -- love.
You hold on to it as tightly as you can.
♪♪
- Sir, I, um --
- If our intruder came in through the gallery window
and is already inside the room where the painting actually was,
so why did the power need to be switched off,
and why didn't Kelby see him?
- I don't know, but I asked for the sale memo
from when Witham originally bought the painting --
part of the auction house's due diligence.
- Why? - Well, I was hoping there might
be something in it that might solve the debate,
give Isla Jay some peace of mind.
- That was a nice thing to do. - Mm.
I'm not sure it helps, though.
The only thing of note
is that the artist may have used the canvas before
and over-painted, but even that's quite common.
- Doesn't that help? - Might make it worse.
If Craig painted over Edith's painting,
it's still an original Craig.
- Ah. You know, I keep coming back
to the power being turned off.
Common sense demands that we look at the two people
who were actually inside the house
when the painting was stolen.
- Hmm. Louise Fitzallan and Terrence Witham.
- But we've discounted them both.
- Sheep! - What?
- She's been on the phone again, threatening to go to HQ.
Fine. I'll go.
But I can't see how you can lose 25 sheep.
It's not like they can turn invisible, is it?
Or maybe they're just playing hide-and-seek.
[ Chuckles ]
Thanks, Margo.
[ Shredder whirring ]
- Hiding! - [ Gasps ]
- What? - Hiding is the only thing
we've never really considered.
I'm not following.
Sir?
- We've always known that it was impossible
to climb in through the window, steal the painting,
and get out again in the two minutes
that Kelby said he was on the landing.
So what did we do?
We chose not to believe him.
But what if he was telling the truth?
What if it was two minutes or less?
- That's not possible. - Exactly. And that's the point.
That's why everything is not quite what it seemed,
because we were trying to prove something
that never actually happened.
See, when Witham left art college,
he worked with the art of the macabre,
with magicians and show people.
- And? - And on his website,
he listed as one of his heroes Banksy, remember?
- Yes. - So?
- So at the auction for Banksy's famous
"Girl with Balloon" picture, what did he do?
He shredded it!
- I remember that! - Yes!
I'm not sure I understand.
- Where's that report you had earlier?
Here.
Thank you.
♪♪
Oh, I think I've got it.
- Okay. So who stole "The Solo Mare"?
I did.
♪♪
I think when Terrence Witham first got
the auction house report, he saw it exactly as you did.
It confirmed it was of the period
and keeping with the work of Augustus Craig.
And, yes, there was a mention of a possible over-painting
at the bottom of the canvas, but that's not unusual.
As far as he was concerned, everything checked out.
He bought a genuine Augustus Craig
at a fraction of what it was really worth.
[ Laughs ]
But at some point,
he became curious about what was underneath.
The over-painting was at the bottom of the campus
where the signature would be.
So I think he found Edith Jay's signature
beneath that of Augustus Craig.
Thereby confirming the theory
that Craig had signed his protégé's painting.
- So Witham knew it was Edith Jay's all along.
- And he also knew that, unlike an Augustus Craig original,
a painting of a horse's backside by a stable girl
would be worthless in comparison.
- And he'd already agreed the sale with the Art Committee.
But more importantly,
he knew that now the painting was home in Shipton Abbott,
the clamour to have it tested
to finally prove who the real artist was
and end the controversy would be irresistible.
- And if that happened, it would ruin his reputation.
- And no doubt have Louise Fitzallan
demanding her money back.
But the sale already being agreed
also gave him an opportunity.
What better way to disguise the theft of your own painting
than doing it while it's in someone else's care?
Ours.
So what if he was inspired
by a combination of Banksy's shredding frame
and his early work with magicians...
...and he constructed a frame
designed to hide a painting within it?
Okay, so that's everyone.
Mr Witham?
- So on the night of the supposed theft,
it was simple enough for him to make
the last-minute adjustments to the painting before he left.
- You'll lock the door behind us, yes?
Yes, sir.
- No one is to go beyond those ropes
until I return in the morning, yes?
Understood, sir.
♪♪
- Like any magician worth his salt,
he knew about the importance of misdirection
and making the audience look the other way
to cover what they're really doing.
- [ Gasps ] Creating the illusion
that the painting was stolen when the lights went out.
- Exactly. - Hello?
Hello?
Witham waited a minute or two,
then turned the power back on.
[ Bang ]
♪♪
Then, the next morning, when the room opened up again,
more misdirection as he broke the window latch.
♪♪
All that was left was to be as surprised as everyone else
on the morning of the unveiling.
- On behalf of all of us in Shipton Abbott,
welcome home. [ Audience gasping ]
- And now more than Louise Fitzallan,
who had her own plan in place
to steal the painting for herself.
- And that's why Witham was so keen
to get back in the room and collect his frame.
Yes, but the person I believe
actually took the painting from this house...
was me.
- Mr Witham. - Hmm.
Please let me help.
- Yes. I'll take that. Thank you.
- Sorry we couldn't let you go any sooner.
Yeah.
Okay, fine.
He left the manor house five minutes ago.
- Right. Get his vehicle details put out on APB.
Sure.
♪♪
[ Sheep bleating ]
- Step aside. [ Horn honks ]
Step aside, sir.
[ Horn honks ]
All right.
All right, calm down. [ Horn honks ]
Calm down. It's all right.
[ Horn honks ]
All right, everyone.
Oh.
- Well, come on, then! - Yeah. calm down.
Shh. It's all right. [ Line ringing ]
Mrs Trolman?
I've got your sheep.
Um, you're gonna need to bring a truck, all right, and --
Oh, geez.
- Who the hell's in charge here? - I am.
♪♪
You.
- APB on black Ford Transit Courier,
registration Echo November 15 Yankee Sierra Bravo,
driven by a Terrence Witham -- dark hair, 5'11",
last seen leaving Shipton Abbott,
heading towards Exeter.
Wanted on suspicion of fraud.
Please apprehend.
[ Horns honking ]
♪♪
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Excuse me.
Don't!
Oi!
Come back! Oi!
♪♪
Gotcha!
♪♪
- Care to show us how this works?
Very well.
Let's see.
♪♪
- So it was in the room the whole time.
It wasn't stolen on my watch.
No, it wasn't.
- So my record on guarding valuable paintings
is still 100%.
Yes, well done, Kelby.
Take him away, will you?
Yes, sir.
♪♪
Well done, Sergeant.
♪♪
[ Mobile phone buzzes ]
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
Hmm!
Louise Fitzallan has offered to buy "The Solo Mare" anyway.
- Really? - At a 10th of the price.
- Why, if she knows it wasn't painted by her ancestor?
- Who knows? But Edith Jay was still a local.
So at this rate, Shipton Abbott
might just embrace you as one of our own.
The man who saved "The Solo Mare."
- Yes, well, right now, I'd happily settle
for the gratitude of my future mother-in-law.
[ Chuckles ]
- Good night, sir. - Sergeant.
[ Engine starts ]
♪♪
What do you want?
- We could start with a cup of tea.
♪♪
Ooh. Perfect timing.
Ah.
Well, I've just made your mother a very happy woman.
- I'm not sure if I want you to elaborate or not.
Just found her painting.
- I knew you would! - Ah, yes. [ Laughs ]
[ Wings flap, bird squawks ]
Selwyn! Selwyn's back.
- Selwyn? - Yes.
Well, he need a name, and rather strangely,
I found myself missing the commissioner.
This will soften the blow a little.
- Eat. - Yes. Pasta.
Just what a hungry man needs after catching a art fraudster.
Just what a woman needs, too,
to build up her strength before she starts IVF again.
What?
You mean...?
♪♪