PIERCING SCREAM
TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS
Next carriage, sir!
All right, all right. OK. Come on.
Clear the way, please. Clear.
Thank you.
Who can tell me what happened?
We all came in here for lunch. We went into a tunnel
and when we came out the other side, there he was.
Can I ask you all to wait in the next carriage, please?
Do as the inspector asks.
Excellent job, by the way.
Thank you.
♪ One morning, in the month of June
♪ Down by a rolling river
♪ There a weary traveller chose to stay
♪ And here beheld his lover
♪ Her cheeks were red, her eyes were brown
♪ Her hair in ringlets hanging down
♪ She had a lovely face without a frown
♪ Just as the tide was flowing. ♪
MARGO: All right, everyone.
You can get on with the rest of your Saturday,
but we've got a full dress rehearsal tomorrow,
so don't be late. You all right for any costume nips and tucks tomorrow?
I'll bring my box.
Thank you so much for doing this.
Sorry it was all a bit last-minute.
No, you're very welcome.
It made for an interesting weekend.
Mm-hm! Any news on Terry and Lynne?
Well, the embassy's arranged for a new passport
and there's a flight the day after tomorrow,
so they should make the actual night.
But if you can stand in again for tomorrow's dress rehearsal,
that will really help. I'm free!
Well, I'll have to check my crowded social calendar,
but I'll do my best.
You're a star!
Hear that?
The director called me a star.
And here they are,
our famous Inspector O'Keefe, Lady Wickham!
HE CHUCKLES You did a wonderful job, you know?
Didn't they, Katie?
Kate!
Your line - "Do as the inspector asks," -
perhaps a tad more urgency?
Here we go. I'm just trying to get it right, George.
Esther's only standing in, Katie.
Even so.
And my name is Kate.
I'll try harder... Kate.
Anyone fancy a quick one?
As the new boy, I feel I should buy you all a drink.
Well, if you're paying...
Excuse me.
Not me, thanks.
I've got a hungry teenager waiting to be fed.
I want to go over my lines again.
Home for me too, but have fun.
Looks like a cheap night, then.
See you all tomorrow. Don't be late.
Toot-toot!
ALL CHUCKLE
ESTHER SIGHS
Is it too late to change the murder victim?
She's a bit full of herself.
Had an audition for Emmerdale. Now she thinks she's Judi Dench. Hmph!
ESTHER: Ooh.
Is he part of the play?
He's rather pretty for an engine driver.
I don't think so.
Well, maybe he's Lady Wickham's secret lover.
More to the point,
do you think he'd let me take a look at the engine?
No harm in asking. Or I could do it for you?
No, it's OK.
I can manage.
Are you the driver?
Not exactly. I'm the fireman. Kieran.
Kieran Fish.
I look after the boiler. Harry there's the driver.
QUIET CHATTER
Ah. I was hoping to take a look around.
Go on. Jump on.
Can I?
This is amazing!
My grandad used to drive these back in the day.
I've loved them ever since.
All the gauges on the left there, that's my stuff,
keeping the boiler at temperature when we set off.
Harry works the throttle and the brakes.
Very much a two-man operation?
Doesn't work otherwise.
Ah.
May I?
Knock yourself out.
TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS
WHISTLE BLOWS AGAIN
WHISTLE BLOWS REPEATEDLY
MORE WHISTLE-BLOWING
STEAM HISSES
Oh... Ohh!
Help!
BRAKES SCREECH
WHISTLE BLOWS
HARRY: Get off my train!
BOTH SNIGGER
Sounded like you were having fun. The driver seemed a bit cross.
But, yes, something else ticked off the bucket list.
I know we're related, but you're table-blocking.
Hmm? You've been here for three hours
and you haven't actually bought anything.
I'm shopping, dear.
For what? A man.
Excuse me?
Elsie Relish at the farm shop told me about this new app.
It's called Silver Heart -
for people of a certain age looking for companionship.
It's rather like window shopping.
If you don't like the look of them,
you double tap and they go in the bin,
but if you do,
you swipe up and they go in your shopping basket.
You're not actually buying them. Heavens, no!
It's a metaphorical shopping basket.
Well, at least I hope it is. PHONE CHIMES
Just for companionship?
Well, Elsie uses hers for casual sex.
But I'd just like someone to help me walk the dog.
You haven't got a dog.
Well, no. But I put one on my profile.
I thought it made me sound... warmer.
I called him Humphrey.
So... you're using an imaginary dog
named after my fiance to lure men back to the cottage?
Yes, dear.
Hello!
Ah! How was it?
Margo said I was very convincing. PHONE CHIMES
Playing the part of a detective?
Ah. Yes. I see what you mean.
I'm sure you were amazing.
Ooh... Are you OK, Anne?
Hmm? She's shopping.
Oh, no. He's got a lazy eye.
I'd never know if he was paying attention.
It's hard to think of your mum as someone's girlfriend.
Bit like trying to imagine Donald Trump ice-skating.
Does it bother you? A bit.
I mean, it's three years since we lost Dad, so...
...I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose.
But you are?
I just need to get my head around it.
Hmm.
I think I'm more worried that she's doing it online.
What if she's catfished?
Um...
Meets someone pretending to be someone they're not.
Well, I could talk to her, if you like.
Explain the perils of online dating from a police perspective.
Good idea.
Might make her more careful.
Consider it done.
I think there must be something in the air.
Your mum looking for love,
you and I doing date nights.
Well, we Lloyds are very romantic, I'll have you know.
Indeed you are. Though I'm not sure
how many date nights we'll get if we're allowed to foster.
Next steps are interviews and a home visit.
She thinks everything's on track.
Good.
I must confess, I'm really excited now it's happening.
Although I am a little bit, um...
HE EXHALES
Me too.
Though if it cuts down on our date nights,
we'd better make the most of this one.
Absolutely.
GLASSES CLINK
TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS
See how you get on tonight.
I can always let it out a bit more.
Ow!
Oh, sorry.
Right, everyone.
Final dress rehearsal.
Next time we do it will be in front of paying guests,
so let's not leave anything in the locker!
TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS
All right?
To be clear, the deceased was seen alive and well
at the very moment the train entered the tunnel...
...and yet, by the time it re-emerged from the tunnel...
...he was dead.
Examine the line, mate.
I had a call about debris. OK, mate.
Never worry, everyone, this is Dean Prior,
the last tunnel before Shipton Abbott.
MARGO: Hold your positions.
TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS
And would you say you were, uh, close?
This heat is interminable.
I need a glass of water!
Ohh...
It's clear that everyone in this carriage
was also in the buffet car
at the very moment the train entered the first tunnel,
so it is equally clear that the murderer...
...is someone sat in front of me now.
Sir? Hmm? I think you need to come and see this.
That's not your line.
He's dead. No, that's not it either.
Margo, keep everyone in here.
Cut!
Uh, Esther...
He's really dead.
I know.
The last tunnel - someone must have sneaked back in here.
Which means... one of those people in there...
...really is the murderer.
SIREN WAILS
I want everyone off the platform!
KELBY: Back, please. Move back.
Back! REPORTERS CLAMOUR
I've let all the players go,
but made it clear we'll need to talk to them again.
Good. Thank you. KELBY: Platform's clear, sir.
Just the press outside. OK, thanks.
Have we searched the train? Yes, sir.
Only three carriages were open -
the one used as the backstage area, the buffet car
and the passenger carriage used for the performance.
The other one was locked.
What about train staff?
There was an engine driver and a fireman.
I talked to them both,
but they didn't see or hear anything unusual
and were together in the engine cab the whole time.
Which means our killer has to be one of
the Shipton Abbott Players. My thoughts exactly, sir.
Well, hopefully we can rule out three of those.
Can we?
You, me and Margo, sir.
Right!
Good point, Sergeant.
If we rule out you, me and Margo, that leaves us with four suspects,
and any one of them could have sneaked back in here
when the train went through the last tunnel. Hmm.
Do you how hard it is to stab someone in the back?
I've never tried it, but not easy, I bet.
No, it is not.
The muscles in the upper part of the back
are much thicker than most people imagine.
It takes a great deal of force to penetrate them.
Our victim was a big man,
yet there's no sign of any kind of a struggle.
Which suggests that he was standing with his back
to whoever stabbed him.
At the buffet table?
But if that's the case...
...then aren't we missing something?
There's no blood.
I got these from the Shipton Players' website.
MARGO: I went to school with him.
Used to pick his nose and put it in his inkwell.
What's an inkwell?
It's a little pot...
...you put your ink in.
For your pen?
PHONE RINGS Like a quill.
Do you want a smack in the mouth?
Hmm?
Shipton Abbott police station.
Can one of you two phone the Chief Superintendent?
Why?
Press are having a field day.
It's escalated from local papers to the nationals.
I mean, an actual murder on a murder-mystery night
is bad enough, but it happening under the noses
of two serving police officers
has got 'em all whipped up into a frenzy.
That's one for you, Sergeant.
I'll call her.
SHE CLEARS HER THROAT
Margo? Hmm?
The Shipton Abbott Players. Tell me about them.
Right...
Kate Potts.
Wannabe actress.
Fresh out of drama school.
Likes the sound of her own voice.
But harmless enough.
Polly Deakins just reported a Peeping Tom.
She's got a nerve!
All the curtain-twitching she does!
Even so, better go check it out.
Yeah.
George Harris.
Widower.
Lost his wife Louise about six years ago,
so joined every group and activity in Shipton Abbott.
Moans at all of them.
Vivienne Bishfield.
She's a biology teacher at the college.
I think she moved here from Exeter
about five or six years ago.
Heart of gold.
Noah Culpepper.
A bit of a geek,
but harmless.
Divorced.
His wife Janet ran off with his best mate. Sally.
And were they all friends with Paul Yellen, our victim?
No, that's the thing, see. None of us were.
He only just joined us a few days earlier.
I think he just bought a house here.
So he's not local?
No. I'm pretty sure he said he was from Hastings.
I mean, that's why he was our victim.
It's a tradition.
The newest member always gets to play the murder victim.
Yes. Unfortunately, in this case...
...quite literally.
And when was this, exactly, Polly?
Last night. After dark.
Ten, maybe?
How's your mother?
Oh, she's good. Thanks.
She still cleaning up at the school?
Not any more, no.
She got a job at the card shop.
Ah. And you say this man
was standing across the road?
Across the road, but looking this way.
She still with that waste of space with the motorbike?
If you mean my dad, yep, she's still with him.
Um... but he hasn't got a bike any more.
He's got a Hyundai.
Mmm.
Never liked him.
He was a foot-tapper.
Never trust a man who taps his foot
when you're talking to him. Right.
So, he was across the road, but looking at you.
I didn't say he was looking at me.
I said he was looking over this way.
But he was up to no good.
You could tell.
How long would you say he was there?
Oh...
Over an hour.
He only left because some woman caught him nosing about.
Gave him a right telling off.
Which woman?
No idea.
Like I said, it was dark.
Could you describe either of them?
He was medium height,
had a woolly hat on.
She were medium height.
No hat.
There's not much more we can achieve
till the labs open in the morning,
but let's talk to Hastings police,
see what they can tell us about the victim. Right. So...
...have you got anything exciting planned
for this evening? Ooh... Beans on toast,
bath,
then help Zoe with her CV.
Is she looking for a job?
Well, I'm doing most of the looking, if I'm honest.
She's a good kid, but like every other 16-year-old,
she's just on her phone all day.
Honestly, I want her to get out and meet people.
It's the curse of the world wide web.
I've got a similar problem with Martha's mum.
She's looking for love online.
Hmm. I think the plan tonight...
...is to talk her out of it.
You're not talking me out of it.
Even after all the things Humphrey's just told you?
He made them up. He didn't!
A woman who just happened to be my age living in Devon
agrees to meet a stranger in a pub,
only to discover an axe hidden under his coat,
which she sees poking out when he goes to the bathroom?
Too much? Too much.
Besides which, I've already got a match.
What? His name's Oliver.
He's 63. He has his own hair,
teeth and house,
and we're having dinner tomorrow evening.
Tomorrow? He's coming here.
What? He wants to sample my tagine.
HUMPHREY SNORTS I bet he does.
And what if he wants to meet Humphrey?
Why would he want to meet Humphrey? Your imaginary dog.
You have an imaginary dog?
I'll say he's at the vet's.
Look, I know you're worried about me, Motty.
And that's very sweet.
But you can't expect me to be on my own
for the time I've got left.
You've got us.
You've got your own lives to live.
What if you move away?
We won't. You might.
And then what would I do?
Leave here and move in with you?
HIGH-PITCHED: No.
I-I mean, we'd love you to,
er, if we did...
...go, I mean, somewhere.
But we're not. But if we did...
Uh, s-so, so,
so when I say no, I actually mean yes,
if we did, but we're not.
Which is why I...
We just want you to be happy.
Good.
Because having Oliver here
for dinner tomorrow evening will make me very happy indeed.
Mm?
I suppose I shouldn't worry.
After all, I didn't know what she got up to
when we were in London.
Well, exactly, and I'm sure
Oliver is a thoroughly decent chap.
Yes. And if he's not,
we can murder him and dump his body in the river.
Yes, agreed.
DUCK QUACKS
Morning.
PRESS CLAMOUR I've got nothing to say,
and the detective isn't here, so you're wasting your time.
Can you give us any information, Margo?
Anything at all?
Oh, and there's no T in Margo.
OK, so we're waiting
for the full postmortem and toxicology reports,
but the preliminary autopsy came through first thing.
It confirms the blade puncture in the right lung
as probable cause of death.
There's no other injuries of note,
so no visible signs of a struggle.
Er...
HE CLEARS HIS THROAT
Harry Bishfield?
Hello.
Uh, we met briefly the day before yesterday.
Yes, I was, er, with the...
HE WHISTLES ...and the...
Mm. Yeah, yeah, I remember.
Heh-heh. Yes, right.
Um, sorry.
Am I right in thinking the train didn't stop at all
during the dress rehearsal yesterday?
We had a call to slow down through one of the tunnels,
didn't we, boss? Yeah.
There was a report of debris.
When you say slow down - enough time
for someone to jump on the train and off again?
Maybe.
Did either of you see anyone on or near the track
during the journey yesterday?
Not me.
LOW CHATTER
SHE CLEARS HER THROAT Sir?
Mmm?
O...K.
Uh, thanks, gents.
It's just the... Super.
Um, can I just say, er,
you look very...
...good.
Er, I mean, s-smart.
E-everything is, um...
...pressed, um, nicely.
I'm just going to, um...
SHE SCOFFS
Sir.
Ma'am.
I hear you've decided not to run your murder room
from regional HQ. Well, it's early days yet, ma'am.
We're still gathering evidence.
I'm not sure what the murder rates are at the Met these days,
Inspector - or the Caribbean, for that matter -
but thankfully, here, it's rare enough for us
to take a murder inquiry very seriously.
As do I.
Can I be frank?
Of course.
This whole thing has caused quite a stir.
And because of the media interest,
the powers that be are particularly keen
for an early resolution.
I understand, ma'am.
I hope you do, Inspector, I really do,
because all eyes are on you.
And given your station house is under review,
there may be more riding on this case than you know.
I read somewhere
that whatever you wear on your first date reflects
your personality. I thought you said it wasn't a date.
Well, it isn't. It's an introductory meeting,
but I think the same rules apply.
Oh, what about my camel trouser suit?
Isn't that a bit formal?
Oh, maybe.
SHE SIGHS
Look, you're cooking a meal. You just need something casual,
something you feel comfortable in.
I don't want to look like a frump, do I?
He won't think you're frumpy.
Look, Mum, I've got to go.
Just be yourself.
Love you, Motty.
You too. Bye.
Bye.
Peter? Noah.
Peter's the name
of the train conductor what I was playing.
I plays him Scottish.
Toot-toot!
Heh!
Yesterday, at the dress rehearsal,
did you notice anything unusual?
No.
Got to the train,
Viv did her final costume fitting.
Oh, um...
Vivienne Bishfield.
She played Gill Bond.
Right.
Um, and then what?
But you was there.
Well, tell me anyway.
Well, we moved to the buffet car,
George helped Paul put the fake knife in place.
Paul laid down,
Margo shouted "action",
Katie screamed.
Then I was sent by Lady Wickham -
Sergeant Williams -
to fetch Inspector O'Keefe.
You. Yeah.
At any point after the interview scene,
did you go back into the buffet car?
No. Why would I?
And on the day of the dress rehearsal,
did Paul Yellen seem different to you than the day before?
I didn't really talk to him.
I mean, I try to help everyone,
you know, with a bit of direction here and there,
but I had no call to do so with him.
He's just the body.
Quite.
I saw him talking to George, though.
Did you hear what they were talking about?
Argyle. Turns out we were both supporters.
Neeow! Pew! If you're not buying that,
it belongs on the shelf.
I'd met him a few days ago in Kitty Jay's.
He said he was new to the area,
so I suggested he come to the Players,
get to know people.
Told him he didn't have to worry
about lines or anything,
because, as the new boy, he'd just be a dead body.
Turns out I was right.
That's odd, don't you think?
The most miserable man in the world
working in a toy shop?
No, Paul Yellen supporting Plymouth Argyle
when he lived in Hastings.
Who's next?
Um, Vivienne Bishfield.
CAR LOCK CHIRPS Ah.
So you arranged all the costumes?
The players have their own stock of costumes,
but they're all a bit old, so I just do running repairs.
My mum's a seamstress.
Something to remember about amateur dramatics -
never let on you have a particular skill.
SHE CHUCKLES
Your husband Harry is the train driver?
A case in point.
Um, at drinks one evening,
he happened to mention that he drove a steam train.
Well, Margo was on him like a shot.
Yes, right.
Um, so there was nothing about Paul Yellen
at the dress rehearsal
that struck you as being unusual in any way?
Er, no,
but, er, I didn't really know him well enough
to notice even if there was.
Right.
Not one of the neighbours saw or heard this mystery bloke,
or the woman that chased him off.
He's probably just a figment
of Polly Deakins' imagination.
FOOTSTEPS APPROACH
Margo? Mmm?
What have we got on the deceased?
If he lived in Hastings,
he must have been living in a cave somewhere.
He's not on the voting register,
council records, HMRC
or any other official list.
I mean, there's nothing on the PNC either,
nor social media.
I'm going back to see Polly.
Didn't you say he'd just bought a house in Shipton Abbott?
Maybe talk to the solicitors who did the conveyancing.
Righty ho. Oh, and the engine driver said something
about debris on the line which made the train slow down.
Maybe check out what that was. It might be significant.
The problem is,
the why can sometimes lead you to finding a who
and then eventually how,
or a how can sometimes point you to a who
and then a why.
But we haven't got a why.
I'm not even sure if we've got a how.
The autopsy said the knife pierced a lung.
But where was the blood around the body? What are we missing?
Everything, by the sound of it.
We've had the press outside all morning.
HQ think we might need to do a press conference.
Mm. A public appeal might be an option
if we can't find out more
about Paul Yellen. True.
Did we check his home?
Yeah, we sent a team there. The house was empty.
They got in and did a quick search.
Nothing of note found.
Then maybe we should take another look.
Come along, Sergeant.
Couple of letters,
a logbook and a new credit card.
Nothing upstairs,
but it's clear only one bedroom is being used.
Yes, down here is pretty much the same.
Ready meals...
...for one.
One mug, one plate.
Everything is pretty basic.
No family photos,
nothing personal at all, as far as I can see.
Seems he had a very lonely life.
KELBY: Here's my mobile number.
If he turns up again, call me.
HUMPHREY: Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
KELBY: Not sure. What are you thinking?
That whoever was watching
from across the street wasn't watching Polly -
he was watching Paul Yellen.
I was just about to say that.
MARGO: OK,
so I spoke to the solicitor who dealt with the house.
Paul Yellen didn't buy it.
He inherited it from the previous owner,
a Mrs, uh, Sarah Scarcroft,
who left everything to Yellen in her will.
Find out what Paul Yellen was to her, please, Margo.
Yeah. Kelby, what do we know
about the man who was watching the house?
Er, sir, er, medium height, er, wearing a woolly hat.
It's not much.
What about the woman he was seen with?
Same.
Without the hat. PHONE RINGS
Shipton Abbott police station.
Just a second.
HUSHED: Chief Superintendent Woods.
Ma'am!
Good evening, Selwyn. DUCK QUACKS
Saved you a treat. DUCK QUACKS
Stole it from Margo's desk. REPLYING QUACK
Psst!
Selwyn?
Over here!
Oh.
Hello.
Oh!
Um, what are we doing?
He's in there.
Who is? Oliver.
I saw a man in the window.
She must have sneaked him in.
Why would she sneak him in
when she's already told us he's coming?
Well, she didn't introduce me - that's as good as sneaking.
Oh, you stay here. I'm going over.
Uh, to do what?
To do what?
SHE CLEARS HER THROAT
Hello.
Can I borrow a cup of sugar?
And some bread.
RUSTLING
And a light bulb.
Anything else?
I know he's in there.
So?
Why are you hiding him? I'm not.
He was dropped off by taxi,
walked through the front door
and he's now sitting in the lounge
with a rum and Coke. Well, let me in, then. So you can grill him
like he's one of Humphrey's suspects?
Absolutely not!
Fine.
But if he murders you, don't come crying to me.
I won't.
I just think
it's the weirdest job I've ever worked on.
A murder victim...
...killed while playing the part of a murder victim.
And despite the fact he was stabbed in the back
forcefully enough to puncture a lung,
there was no blood.
Hmm? There was no blood!
Not even a trace.
And the worst thing is, there's so much media interest,
I've got the Chief Superintendent
constantly on my back.
Oh, um, Esther, she's looking for a job for her daughter.
I said to get her to give you a call.
Martha?
Yes, that's fine. OK.
CAR APPROACHES
SHE GASPS
There's a car!
FRONT DOOR OPENS
Right on cue.
That was great. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Bye now.
I can see you.
Oh, hello!
So, how did it go?
It was fine.
He was perfectly polite, well-mannered,
cleared his plate and didn't overstay his welcome.
So are you going to see him again?
No.
I got the ick.
Ick? You've got to learn all the terminology, darling.
"Ick" means you've gone off someone.
He slurped his soup.
That's it? Oh, that's enough.
Still, there's plenty more fish in the sea.
Or, as your nan says,
every pot has a lid.
After all, look at you two.
Morning, sir. We got news on Paul Yellen.
Good. Except...
...he's not Paul Yellen.
His real name is Aidan Scarcroft.
He was Sarah Scarcroft's son,
which is why she left him her house in her will.
He changed his name by deed poll before moving
to Shipton Abbott, which explains the new passport,
logbook and credit card we found at his house.
Margo's running a check on his real name now.
There's something else that's a bit weird, sir.
We spoke to the steam train operator
about the debris on the track that slowed the train down.
Now, they said there were
no reports of debris in any of the tunnels.
Then why would they say there was?
LOW CHATTER
There's your tea.
Thank you.
HARRY: Oh, well, that tunnel is 150 years old.
So, you know,
brickwork falls down on the track sometimes.
Ah, thank you, love.
We heard of debris falling just last week.
Thought it best to be careful.
Yes. Why do you ask?
Well, if the train was specifically told to slow down,
that might be significant.
Someone wanting to get on board while it was moving, perhaps.
Would you see someone if they had?
I doubt it, you know.
We're quite a ways up front, so we wouldn't really see
what's going on in the back carriages.
No, no.
It was a bit of a long shot,
um, but always worth asking the question.
Yeah, sorry I'm not much help.
Ah, she's a beauty, isn't she?
Oh, gosh, yes, yes.
You like your trains, then? Love them,
particularly steam trains.
Yeah, I think it started
when I watched The Railway Children
for the first time.
Even asked my mum if I could change my name to Peter.
Well, um, whenever you like, just ask and I'll take you out.
Gosh, would you? Mmm.
Maybe I could bring my fiancee?
We're doing date nights.
Oh, it would be a pleasure.
That is amazing.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Cheers, then.
Another dead end.
Yes, but not a wasted journey.
Oh? He's going to let me ride in his engine - for date night.
Martha's going to love it.
Yeah. I'm sure she will, sir.
OK. Thanks, Margo.
So, Aidan Scarcroft, aka Paul Yellen,
was released from prison two years ago.
He served a 12-year sentence.
Really? For what?
Manslaughter.
He was driving three times over the limit
and ploughed into a group of people waiting at a bus stop.
An elderly woman died. Nine others were injured, some quite badly.
Pull up the file, would you?
And crosscheck the names of the people involved
to see if we can find any links to the people on our train? Exactly.
I understand that,
but Inspector Goodman
is an experienced murder detective.
He's been making...
No, sir, he's not at the hub.
He's in one of our smaller outposts.
What would you suggest?
PHONE RINGS
HE SIGHS
Ma'am? Command have instructed me
to move your investigation into the hub.
Well, no, you can't. Um, we're making very...
This is not a subject for discussion, Inspector.
You'll report to the hub at 9am tomorrow morning
with whatever you have.
We'll set up a murder room here.
Right. But I-I... I'm sorry.
This isn't a reflection on you. Or your team.
Isn't it?
9am tomorrow morning.
HE SIGHS
OK?
Hmm?
PHONE CLATTERS ON TABLE
HUMPHREY SIGHS
I think I've got it.
The collision at the bus stop -
it happened in High Broughton, a village just outside Exeter.
One of the worst injured was an 11-year-old boy,
Christopher Bishfield.
Bishfield.
There were pictures of Vivienne and Harry with a young boy
at the house.
Viv and Harry moved here from Exeter!
Mm-hm.
So Vivienne and Harry Bishfield would have been there
when Aidan Scarcroft turned up with George to join the Players!
Give me a call when you're done, love.
All right. I will. OK, love you.
Nice to meet you.
You see, Aidan Scarcroft was here to start a new life.
He didn't recognise the father of the boy he injured.
Why would he?
I doubt they ever met.
But even after 12 years,
they'd never forget the face of the man
who ruined their child's life.
And it was that evening that Polly Deakins saw
a man standing across the road from her house.
So he followed Paul Yellen home...
...to get revenge?
So...
...if Harry Bishfield is our man - how?
I knew there was a reason this bothered me.
Yes.
The fireman on the train said he had a call
about debris on the line, yet when we talked to Harry,
he said he slowed the train as a precaution.
Then why would the fireman say they had a call?
Because that's what his engine driver told him.
Kelby, call the operators.
Ask them what the procedure is if there's debris
on the line. Sir.
All right?
Harry knew that as they approached the last tunnel
before Shipton Abbott,
the murder mystery suspects
were in the third carriage being questioned...
To be clear,
the deceased was seen alive and well
at the very moment the train entered the tunnel.
...and that the supposed victim, Aidan Scarcroft,
would be in the buffet car alone.
So first, he told his fireman
there was a report of debris on the line ahead.
Examine the line, mate.
OK, mate.
Then what?
OK, so, if they suspect debris on the line,
the engine driver slows the train
and the fireman moves to the footplate
at the side of the train to look at the track ahead.
If they're in a tunnel, they will use a torch.
Yes!
Once Kieran was out of the cab, Harry slowed the train
and then climbed back across the engine.
He knew exactly how long they would be in the tunnel.
He quickly made his way to the buffet car.
THUD Once done, he had moments
to get back to the engine,
before they reached the end of the tunnel
and Kieran would notice him missing.
All clear.
That doesn't explain
why there was no blood around the body.
No. No, it doesn't.
But it's enough to bring him in.
He was 11 years old,
standing at the bus stop with a friend's mum.
They were going into town to go crab fishing on the quay.
HE CHUCKLES WRYLY
Scarcroft was drunk.
Off his head.
Chris was leaning against the wall
behind the bus stop...
...when the car ploughed through everyone
and into that wall.
He didn't have a chance.
His legs were shattered.
He had five years of operations.
He was in constant pain.
Me and his mum watched him go through all that...
...saw how tough it was on him.
How it changed him.
He was never the same, not really.
HE SNIFFS
That man...
He stole my son's childhood.
The little boy who left the house that morning...
...excited to be meeting his friends...
He never came home.
HE WHISPERS: Never came home.
And how is he now?
He took his own life.
Six years ago.
That's why we moved here.
He'd just turned 19.
SNIFFS
Your lot said it was suicide.
Just another troubled teenager not coping.
Mm.
But that man,
he killed my son...
...just as sure as if he'd have died that morning.
He killed him the moment he came out of the pub
and got behind that wheel.
So, yes...
...I killed him.
But if you want me to be sorry for what I did...
...I can't.
No, I'm not asking anything of you.
To be honest, I can't imagine the pain...
...and the torment
you and your family have gone through.
OK, l-let's take a break there.
Um, I'm sure you and your lawyer will want to discuss
what's been said here.
But I just have one more question.
When you entered the buffet car
and you saw Mr Scarcroft standing at the food table,
can you think of any reason we didn't find any blood there?
Was there something on the floor you disposed of,
or something else?
He wasn't standing.
Sorry?
When I went into the buffet car...
...he was laying down on the floor.
Why was he already on the floor?
He must have just got back into position for Act 3.
How likely is that?
Not very.
We know the cause of death was the knife puncturing his lung,
and we know who stabbed him and why,
but something just doesn't add up.
We've got the full postmortem back.
Nothing surprising there.
Though there's a marker in the toxicology report.
I haven't had a chance to look it up yet.
Look up what?
There were traces of a substance called curare
in his blood.
Curare?
I-I know that from somewhere.
With a C-U...
I think that's right.
Curare! Ah!
Of course!
There are only two possible reasons
for there to be so little blood found
at the scene of a stabbing so serious.
If the body was killed elsewhere and moved.
And the second one?
If the victim is already dead.
Dead bodies don't bleed.
Yes.
This plaster found on his hand...
...did it happen on the train?
Yeah.
When we were doing fittings.
Vivienne?
See how you get on tonight.
I can always let it out a bit more.
Ow!
Sorry.
All right, everyone, final dress rehearsal.
Next time we do it will be in front of paying guests...
There was a pin left in the cuff.
I must have forgotten to unpin it.
I've got some plasters.
I-I'll put some antiseptic on, stop it getting infected.
Why?
Because curare only works
when it's injected directly under the skin.
...so I tend to do running repairs.
Who better than a biology teacher to know
that curare is made by boiling the bark of certain plants?
Amazonian tribes used it
to poison darts and arrows when hunting.
It paralyses muscle tissue,
stops the breathing.
I think Aidan Scarcroft was already dead
when Harry stabbed him.
I knew Harry was planning on killing him.
I didn't know how or when...
...but I knew he'd do it.
You found him outside Aidan's house, didn't you?
What are you doing out here?
You're going to be seen. What are you doing here?
Leave me!
VIVIENNE: Just come home with me now
and let's just forget all about this.
No! You know I have to do this!
Please. Just come home.
He wanted to do it that night.
But there's the thing, you see.
I knew I couldn't stop him...
...but I knew he'd get caught.
He's a simple man.
You killed Aidan Scarcroft
to stop your husband from doing so?
I couldn't think of any other way.
He's had so much pain in his life.
He's a good man.
I couldn't see him in prison.
How could I?
And yet you'd risk the same thing for yourself?
I don't have a life.
Not any more.
My life ended the day I buried my baby boy.
Everyone tells you, "Just take it a day at a time."
So that's what I do.
Go through the motions.
You have to switch off, you see,
because every morning when you wake up,
the pain just comes back.
Never free of it.
So do what you want with me.
I won't feel anything.
So now we know why he was on the floor
when Harry found him.
The poison did its work
while the rest of us were in the next carriage.
I think he was dead before he hit the floor.
PAUL GRUNTS
Harry found Paul Yellen face down on the floor and naturally assumed
he'd simply taken up his position as murder victim, making it easy
to plunge the knife into the back of the man he held responsible
for the death of his son. Then he returned to the engine
before his fireman noticed he had gone.
And as he was already dead, his heart had stopped pumping.
He didn't bleed out. Exactly.
Paul Yellen was a man who was murdered twice.
SOBBING WITHIN
MUFFLED SOBBING
Sometimes I really hate my job.
I know.
What will happen to her?
Well, that depends on the CPS
and who they deem responsible
for Aidan Scarcroft's death.
I'll tell the Chief Super the good news.
So I spoke to Esther's daughter.
Oh, Zoe!
She'll start next week,
see how we get on.
Great.
Wait, what are we doing here?
Surprise.
So our mystery date night is looking at a train?
A steam train!
And minus the murder this time -
hopefully.
Quick tour and a few photos, then I'll buy you dinner. Promise.
And, look, isn't it amazing?
SHE LAUGHS Yes, it is!
Thank you for letting us do this, especially given the circumstances.
No worries. Yes.
Probably know your way around by now.
Yes.
Kieran will tell you all about the boiler.
Great.
I was telling the inspector
it was my grandad who got me started.
Now I'll be starting my driver's exam next month.
Is it supposed to be moving?
I...
Humphrey!
Um...
Humphrey!
Um, call the restaurant!
Tell them we might be a bit late!
HE LAUGHS GLEEFULLY
TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS
Did you know Belle and Martha were seeing a medium last night?
Fire. Stop the car! Let me just park.
That's my house. Believe it or not, she apparently predicted the fire.
You think it was deliberate, don't you? Yes, I do.
Martha and I are applying to be foster parents.
She said we seem like ideal candidates.
She has to talk to Humphrey as well, of course. Oh.
How did it go? Terribly.
BRAKES SCREECH
Two predictions that have come true.
You clearly have no understanding at all of what it is I do.
And what is it that you do?
There's a young man here. Don't!