Miss Snares?
These two ladies are seeking an audience with "the Professor".
The "famous" one. Who "solves everything".
- Indeed. - I said you might see them instead.
After you, Sophie.
- Have we met before? - Not to my knowledge, madam.
So how do you know Sophie's name?
Your family's particulars have been extensively publicised
in the light of recent events.
You're aware, then, that Sophie's mother has been murdered?
Indeed I am.
So you'll know a man is in custody?
Yes. Mr...
Kane Carty.
Sophie is adamant Mr Carty did not kill my daughter.
Fascinating.
The police won't take seriously what Sophie has to say,
so we thought we'd come to you instead.
It's just that...
Well, when she gets something in her head like this, it can't...
Sophie, do you know who killed your mother?
I've asked her that myself. If she does, she's not telling.
Extraordinarily fascinating.
*CREDITS*
We arrested him weeks ago.
Why didn't she raise this before now?
Her grandmother says that she tried to,
but you were not listening.
She was interviewed by video link, Ma'am.
She couldn't provide any evidence or usable information,
so she was discounted as a witness.
She has an intellectual disability.
Which raises an obvious question about her reliability as a witness.
She has Down syndrome, not total brain death.
- Quite. - And how has this ended up with you, Jasper?
Sophie has nominated me as her personal Sherlock.
Are you joking?
She has concerns about the reliability
of her own detective sergeant.
She insists she will only cooperate with the professor.
It's a nailed-on conviction, Ma'am.
_
It's a place we go, you know, to get a fix.
That's why you were in the woods, to take drugs?
I'm not a bloody boy scout.
Someone who can vouch for you?
Yeah, my mate Badger, if you can find the little toe-rag.
You got any fags?
No.
So, tell us what you remember.
We were smoking skag.
- You want me to draw you a picture? - No need.
Next thing I know, Badger's gone. So's my stash. Thieving sod.
And then what happened?
I thought I saw someone.
'But if I did, they pissed off pretty quick.'
How convenient.
Then I stumbled over her.
I thought she was just out of it, like Badger and me.
With a bloody great head wound?
Yeah, I wasn't seeing straight, was I?
So you helped yourself to her watch and her handbag.
I didn't know she'd copped it. I wouldn't have robbed her if I did.
A junkie with morals. How touching.
I may be a junkie but I'm not frickin' stupid.
Kane was picked up the day after, trying to pawn her watch.
Which, to Mr Carty's point, is an unimaginably stupid act
for someone who has just committed a murder.
He was probably too out of it to notice
- her name was engraved on the back. - Or too desperate to care.
And how do you explain the blood on his sleeve?
The stains are consistent with accidental contact.
Is there anything else that might corroborate his account?
Yes, Mr Carty's blood test.
It confirms Kane Carty ingested a large quantity of an opioid
- in the 24 hours prior to his arrest. - Which proves what?
Have you ever smoked heroin, DS Donckers?
No. Neither have you.
No, but I have studied numerous accounts of its effects
upon human psychology,
and all are agreed it induces feelings of euphoria,
of intense pleasure and relaxation.
Until you start getting desperate for your next hit.
Not murderous rage and psychosis.
Until you start getting desperate for your next hit!
All right, enough.
Perhaps it's time we brought Sophie in again.
As well as having Down syndrome, Sophie is autistic,
a condition I'm somewhat familiar with.
I suspect she may know who killed her mother,
but something is preventing her
from sharing whatever she's witnessed.
So how do we handle this?
She's extremely literal.
If I can work out exactly what happened to her mother,
I suspect it may only take the right question at the right time
to unlock what she knows.
Let's bring her in.
Hey, wait up.
Are you OK?
- You haven't replied. - To what?
My message from the other night. You know.
Any plans for tonight?
What's it look like to you, Dan?
Nuh-uh. Don't cheat.
- This is a fun date, isn't it? - Yes, it is.
Betty, will you marry me?
I know you always worry about money,
but this job with the police is solid.
I can buy us a house and look after you, honey.
Dad.
Sorry I'm late.
Sophie, we need you to tell us what you know.
If you are withholding evidence, you could get into trouble.
I've told her that.
Could she have witnessed the murder?
She was at home. I was looking after her.
We saw Beverley leave.
Sophie, did someone say something to you?
Is that how you know?
I want to speak to Professor.
I don't want to alarm you,
but if Sophie knows who killed your daughter,
and the killer finds out...
..she may be in danger.
Beverley Wallace left the house shortly before 6pm
- to catch the bus across town. - And we're certain she caught it?
But it's consistent with where her body was found.
The pathway through the woods is a shortcut to her sister's
from the nearest bus stop.
What about time of death?
Anywhere between nine and 12 hours before the body was found.
- Was she reported missing? - No.
The sister figured she just decided not to come.
The husband assumed she slept over.
So, what about the husband?
His alibi's pretty solid. Murder weapon?
The wounds are consistent with blows from a hammer.
Any bright ideas?
If Kane Carty's testimony is to be believed...
- It's a pretty big if. - Please don't speak
with your mouth full, Sergeant, especially if your brain is empty.
Carty claimed the watch was already undone when he found it,
which suggests whoever killed her
was trying to make the motive look like robbery.
Until Kane Carty disturbed them, but why bother?
To camouflage the true motive.
Which may lie closer to home.
All right. Let's question the sister and the husband again,
but don't let on that we've been speaking to Sophie.
Do you mind? I'm eating!
'Food is so hard to find this far north
'that the wolves must search hundreds of square miles
'if they're to be successful.'
I've been over this umpteen times.
So one more time won't hurt, then.
Yeah, Mr Wallace, we really appreciate your cooperation.
We're just trying to be as thorough as we can.
Beverley had arranged to go to her sister's.
My mother-in-law was here looking after Sophie
because I had a business meeting on the other side of town.
I...
I just wish I'd dropped her off instead of making her take the bus.
But I was meeting a potential new client and I didn't want to rush.
The manager of the Cambridge Park Hotel, I believe.
That's right.
Do you mind?
I'm sure we've asked you this, Mr Wallace,
but can you think of anyone who might wish Beverley harm?
Beverley hardly had contact with anyone.
Looking after Sophie's a full-time job.
Last couple of weeks haven't been easy.
How's she coping?
I don't know how much of this she's taken in.
There's no tears, no grief, nothing.
I'm sorry. I have to drop Sophie off at her grandma's.
Was there anything else?
Was there a reason for Beverley's visit that night?
No particular reason. She didn't get out of the house much.
I imagine she was keen to discuss her plans.
- What plans? - To have Sophie taken into care.
Excuse me, but how do you know about that?
_
You've not answered my question.
She's not being taken into care, exactly.
It's assisting living.
Shared accommodation with other young adults,
with assistance available 24/7.
- It sounds ideal. - But it does not sound like home.
Listen, my sister devoted her life to Sophie,
but it's become more difficult. She's not as docile as she was.
She can be challenging, aggressive. Violent, even.
She's very stubborn.
Poor Beverley. She...
She couldn't have done more.
I'm glad she's dead! She was a dominant, selfish bitch!
An utter cow!
I don't understand why we're being questioned again.
He's been charged, hasn't he?
Aren't we just waiting for a trial date?
Mr Carty is innocent.
Kane Carty is still on remand, and awaiting trial for murder.
We're just conducting some follow-up enquiries, that's all.
Fewer than one in five murders are committed by strangers.
I see no reason to believe this case will disprove those odds.
'OK, nice work. Follow up on the assisted living lead.'
- 'Anything else?' - That's it, I think.
'All right.
- 'See you back in the office.' - The sister was overly performative.
She feels guilty in some way.
'Then let's put her under surveillance.'
'It's the largest migration of elephants in the world.'
Be careful, sweetheart, it's very hot.
Thank you.
What happened?
Oh, it's OK. It's just an accident. Are you all right?
Just don't step on anything.
OK, I'm gonna clean that up in a minute, Dad, all right?
_
God, this is tedious.
Why do we have to do surveillance on Veronica's house?
Was there really no-one else?
I volunteered us.
Why on earth would you do that?
So we could talk about us.
I could carry on stalking you via SMS if you'd prefer.
Crap.
I forgot to reply. I'm sorry, Dan.
I've got a lot on my plate.
Don't take it personally.
You know, the more you keep me at arm's length,
the worse the craving gets.
What exactly are you craving, DS Winters?
Mm-mm.
But... I do have...
..ham and cheese.
We can go halves.
Generous.
Why don't you ask me on a proper date?
Deal.
Here, look at this.
At least Paul seems to be having a good rest.
Aww. Mm.
From the council.
They found a place for Sophie in assisted living,
but they're only providing partial funding.
Wow.
- Is that weekly or monthly? - Weekly.
They couldn't afford that, could they?
From what we've seen, no way.
When she was born...
well, let's just say it wasn't what we expected.
I can imagine.
Beverley decided to stay home and look after Sophie,
and I threw myself into work.
I was doing stupid hours. I couldn't face being here.
That must have been hard.
It nearly broke us at first.
But... after a while, Sophie changed all that.
She changed me.
She's so loving and gentle.
I didn't want to send her away.
So you argued about it?
People stare at me in the street. They think I look like a weirdo.
You are a weirdo.
Hmm. And so are you.
Though, if you lived with other people who were like you,
you would no longer be.
You do not wish to be sent away.
I want to stay at home.
And the thought of leaving home is making you agitated.
They give me drops for that.
- Drops? - In my hot chocolate.
Are you going to ask me that question again?
No. Not yet, anyway.
'It was a source of contention, then, the assisted living?'
We couldn't afford it.
I see.
You see? And what do you see?
We had a disagreement, like all couples do.
Look, I'm sorry, I have to get to work.
I'm heading off now. Will you be all right?
We'll be fine.
Thank you, Mr Wallace.
Jesus Christ, Veronica, how long can you keep stretching, woman?
She's been jogging ten minutes. Her warm-down's taken 20.
So, I was thinking.
There's this Italian restaurant I managed to book a table at,
if you're still keen on going on a proper date.
You asking me to dinner, Donckers?
We're on.
How long has this been going on with your brother-in-law?
If you say nothing, Veronica, we're just gonna assume the worst.
When did your sister find out?
She didn't.
So, how long has it been going on?
Just over a year. We're in love.
Beverley was a good mother, but not a good...
Well, they weren't happy.
There wasn't enough money with Beverley not working
and Andrew only selling cleaning products.
Beverley was on his case constantly, calling him a loser.
She could be very cruel.
Leave Andrew out of this, please!
He's suffered too much already.
He didn't murder her. He's the gentlest man I know.
What about you?
Me?
You don't exactly seem grief-stricken.
And you need to help us rule you out.
When Beverley failed to show, what did you do?
I called her mobile a few times, and then the landline.
Sophie picked up.
She seemed confused.
Sophie answered, you're sure?
Yes.
She told me her mum wasn't home,
so I asked her to put me through to my mother.
She was baby-sitting.
Sophie said she'd fallen asleep.
Does your husband know about the affair?
So?
Why did they want to see you? Hmm?
Not here.
Andrew Wallace has a motive.
He doesn't like Beverley's plan to put Sophie into care.
He's adamant they can't afford it.
And he's having an affair with her sister.
Beverley bars Veronica's way to a relationship with Andrew.
So those two are our potential suspects? Apart from Kane Carty.
There's one more, who we've largely ignored until now.
Sophie also has a motive.
- Are you serious? - She doesn't want to be sent away.
Her aunt says she's become a lot more difficult,
"aggressive and violent" were the words she used,
and she hasn't shed a single tear since her mother died.
What if she fought with her mother? It gets out of hand.
She knocks her down and kills her accidentally.
Her father comes home and finds them.
He puts his wife's body in the boot of his car and dumps her.
What about the grandmother?
She passed out in front of the telly.
We need to interview Sophie again.
Put a bit of pressure on her. At worst, she's a witness.
At best, she's a potential suspect.
Why are we pussyfooting around her?
Jasper?
Absolutely not.
An ill-conceived approach to Sophie at this point
could seriously jeopardise
my chances of finding out what she knows.
Could I have a word?
This is ridiculous.
What time we on for Sunday?
Sunday?
Our date, dummy.
The table's booked for seven, OK?
We don't question Sophie,
but let's run forensics on Andrew Wallace's car
and check Veronica's story with her husband.
Hello?
Your wife's not home, then?
I threw her out.
But will you vouch for her? The night Beverley died,
was Veronica here with you the whole time?
You're way off the mark.
It's Andrew you should be focusing on.
He's the one with the temper.
He said he'd do anything to stop Beverley sending Sophie away.
Hello?
You're joking.
We agreed she'd spend some time on her own after school.
Just for a bit, while I was working. An hour at most.
When I got back, she wasn't here.
She was dropped off at three. Bus driver confirmed it.
Someone's taken my daughter.
She would never just wander off on her own.
Mr Wallace, I'm afraid we also have to consider the possibility
- that Sophie has run away. - Where would she go?
And why would she run away?
Perhaps she believed she was in danger.
From me? I would never harm my daughter.
- What about your wife? - According to your brother in law,
you said you would do anything to stop Beverley sending Sophie away.
I didn't mean literally anything.
Raymond's just trying to get back at me.
I'm not proud of what Veronica and I have done,
but my marriage to Beverley was over years ago.
Did she feel the same?
Do you know what it's like to be constantly belittled?
To be told you're a loser who can't support his own family?
Veronica understood.
- Abduction my arse. She's run away. - What makes you so sure?
- She knows we're closing in on her. - If Sophie's the killer,
why run the risk of getting the professor involved,
- opening the case again? - To clear her conscience.
Strange that she left that food.
My money's still on the father. I bet you he knows where Sophie is.
There's always another possibility.
'DCI Brand.'
DS Donckers calling, Ma'am. We're at the Wallaces'.
'Any progress?'
Has Professor Tempest got anything to do with our missing suspect?
'Why are you asking?'
I think he's playing one of his little games. He's behaving oddly.
'Seems pretty normal for the professor.'
We're dealing with a vulnerable person here, Ma'am.
'She's fine, Donckers. Don't worry about Sophie.'
- Where is she? - 'She's safe.'
God's sake.
Any news?
Mr Wallace, Sophie is OK. She's been taken somewhere safe.
What the hell? Why? Where?
I'm not able to say.
I'm her father. Why wasn't I told?
Why didn't you ask my permission?
Sophie is 18. And she's vulnerable.
She's not capable of making her own decisions.
The most important thing is that she's safe.
Take me to my daughter now!
We can't do that, sir. We don't know where she is.
Good afternoon.
Detective Sergeant Donckers is enquiring after your whereabouts,
and that of a young lady she claims is in your care.
She mentioned child abduction.
Hey, who are you calling a child?
Sophie came of her own volition. And why would she do that?
- Because I have a secret. - Yes. Because she has a secret.
- Oh, OK. - That's all sorted, then.
That's all sorted, then.
You're another weirdo.
Takes one to know one. Or so I'm told.
Why is it covered up?
To protect it, sweetheart, from prying eyes and sticky fingers.
- Are you ashamed of it? - No, not at all.
But it's not quite finished.
That's the professor!
Unmistakably so, you clever girl.
Where's his face gone?
He keeps it hidden, sweetheart.
Are you his mummy?
That is indeed my privilege. And simultaneously my burden.
Do you love him?
Boundlessly, little one.
My mummy wanted to send me away.
I find that unfathomable, darling.
Are you sure Sophie's in good hands?
She's being looked after.
There was something I was hoping you might help me with.
I'll do my best.
How did Beverley intend to pay for Sophie in her assisted living?
I told her I would help out.
You endorsed her plan?
I thought a measure of independence might be good for Sophie.
And for my daughter and her husband.
And you could afford to contribute?
My husband left me a bit.
You can't take it with you, can you?
I hope she has not been too much bother.
I like the other lady better.
I'm gonna make some tea.
I'd like to ask you something if I may, Sophie.
Oh.
Not that question again. Not quite yet. Something else.
That night, the one we have talked about,
I'm wondering why your grandmother went to sleep so early.
I put some drops in her port.
I thought so.
Because she was going to pay for your assisted living.
No, I didn't want to watch her boring soap operas.
Mm.
Don't be so grumpy.
Forensics came in. Andrew Wallace's car is clean.
You see. Give the man a break, for Christ's sake.
His wife has been murdered. Now his daughter's been kidnapped.
No-one's been kidnapped.
Try telling Andrew Wallace that.
You have no idea what it's like to feel responsible for someone
who can't look after themselves.
- Sergeant... - What is the professor up to?
Why are you backing him?
Because it has persuaded a certain individual to talk.
- OK, that's enough. - She's coming with me.
That will not be necessary. I believe she's ready.
Sophie, did your daddy kill your mummy?
I worked my arse off.
But not Beverley.
I sometimes felt that she used Sophie as an excuse.
And then she decides she wasn't even gonna do that any more.
That must have been difficult for you.
And ruinously expensive.
So you decided to kill her?
No.
No, it wasn't like that.
Beverley had missed her bus.
So you decided to drive her to her sister's after all.
The fuck was that?
'We hit something in the road. A branch, maybe.'
Seriously, Andrew, it broke the car.
'She just kept going on at me.'
We're stranded here... 'Goading me that her mother
'had agreed to pay for Sophie's assisted living.'
Moaning that she always had to take care of everything herself.
- Telling you that you were worthless. - A nobody.
'Jesus, I just asked...'
'Years and years of humiliation.'
I couldn't take it any more. I just snapped.
'After all these years...'
I just wanted her to shut up.
I mean, who was she to call me a failure?
I'm not the one who failed our daughter.
I hid her in the undergrowth.
You thought you could make it look like a robbery.
But you were interrupted.
I kept my appointment, but I made a stop at home first.
To clean up and to dispose of the evidence.
You made me do it, honey. You made me do it.
- Excellent work, Jasper. - Thank you, Christina.
DS Donckers, can I have a word, please?
See you tonight.
I owe you an apology, Ma'am.
I was wrong about Andrew Wallace.
And about Kane Carty, and about Sophie, too.
I know. I feel awful.
Persistence and conviction are very admirable.
Stubborn bloody-mindedness is not.
I'll do better.
I've... had a lot on my mind lately.
Mm. I see you have some difficult choices to make.
You know, I'd hate to lose you, Lisa,
but if you think a transfer might be necessary...
I hear you, Ma'am. Transfer won't be necessary.
Glad to hear it.
Carry on.
Can I get you anything else?
I think I'll wait.
- OK, but I need this table by nine. - Yeah, no problem.
You look exactly as Lisa described.
Sorry, are you a friend of hers?
Mm-hm.
She should be here any minute. Late, as ever.
Lisa's not coming. She sent me instead.
You're joking, right?
Can I take your order?
Another pint of whatever's on tap and the pasta arrabiata for him.
Extra spicy, please.
And a bottle of house white and the vongole for me.
- Wow. - She's told me a lot about you.
Evidently.
She also told me she's decided not to mix work with pleasure.
She did.
You know Lisa.
Apparently not.
Shall we start again? Dina Rush.
Status - single.
Dan Winters. Also single.
And, it would seem, incredibly naive.
Would you like to try the wine?
Will you excuse me?
Hi.
Hello again.
- Nice to meet you, Winters. - You too, Rush.
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