*CREDITS*
So, Hap Lake.
Let me paint you a picture.
This place is stunning,
and I'm talking "pain relief for the soul" stunning.
You look out over the water
and you feel somehow connected
with everyone who's ever looked at it...
and everyone who ever will.
It makes you feel... mortal,
but not in a scary way.
Beautiful places still have darkness, though,
just like everywhere else.
And maybe they also have more to lose
in having that darkness exposed.
My name is Riz Samuel.
And I chase the darkness for a living.
Don't move...
Oh!
Oh, God... Hannah?
Stand down, Detective Mum!
I'm just getting some air.
Do you want to die a premature and agonising death?
From cancer or homicide?
Either. Both.
I've been looking for that.
Have you been sleeping with it?
No.
It feels less safe without Dad, don't it?
If there'd have been an intruder, he'd have hidden behind us.
That's not true.
It was moths he didn't like.
Burglars he loved.
I know you miss him more than you let on.
Do I not let on?
He wouldn't like you smoking, by the way.
He wouldn't like you taking knives to bed.
Killjoy.
Yeah, my post on taking down
that armed assailant's getting a lot of love.
He was holding a hoover nozzle, Hitch.
Yeah, with intent.
Look, numbers don't lie, OK?
Oh, my God, you're so young.
I'm the same age as everyone else in the team,
it's you that's the outlier.
- Outlier?! - Yeah.
Cheers.
No parking over here. If you just back up, please.
Thank you.
Oh, wow, look at that.
End of an era.
Summer sailing club.
Used to be the Dinghy King.
My husband ran that club.
Your husband was Mariner Mack?
I just called him Mack.
Cowboy electrics, eh, Rob?
It's not an accident, Ember.
It's been done deliberately.
Who told you that?
I don't have to be told.
Brad Ashby's been threatening to do it since the auction.
He'll have got Liam to do it for him, or Ellis.
What, not Sheena?
No, women don't tend to be arsonists.
Well, it's 2024, Hitch,
women can be anything they want to be.
Excuse me, mate?
Yeah.
Look, I know he's your mate and that,
but we should treat him as a suspect,
just like everyone else.
Well, this is how I treat suspects, Hitch.
Like they're not suspects.
Ah! Right.
This is the start of big things for us, Ember.
A new life.
They've doused it in petrol and lit a match.
No attempt to cover the arson?
Well, they're making a statement.
I'm doing the entire refurb myself
cos I can't get any workers who'll cross the Ashbys.
The Hap Mafia?
Maybe it was an insurance job.
Well, I could fully understand buying a property
on this beautiful lake
and then realising that the locals are batshit
and reaching for a lighter.
Manning, I don't think this guy had arson on his mind.
Oh, thank you, Hitch's knob,
for that investigative insight.
Any chance of anyone collecting a bit of evidence here?
Not my job, ma'am.
Jesus.
You really think the Ashbys torched the boat hut?
Well, I really think they're capable of it.
Brad, Liam.
- All right, Ember? - Breakfast beers, is it, Arj?
I'm guessing you lot can account for your whereabouts
between the hours of one and three this morning?
Now, why would you ruin our breakfast
by asking us something like that, Ember?
Cos someone's torched the boat hut.
Oh, no.
That cardie-wearing wanker from London just spent
a fortune converting it, didn't he?
Rob Trent's accused you lot.
He has.
Rob Trent would put his granny in care
if he thought he could flog her house
to a tourist looking for an 'oliday home.
I heard you were outbid for the boat hut at the auction, Brad.
You can't have been too happy about that.
We were all at a lock-in here till gone three.
There's ten people who'll vouch for us.
What were you planning to do with it?
I'm struggling to imagine you teaching kids how to kayak.
Maybe we were planning on giving it back to Arj here.
Oh, I see, you've started a charitable trust.
Ember, is it true you had your first fuck
on the boat hut jetty?
Yeah.
Yeah, they put a blue plaque on it and everything.
See you later, lads.
I didn't know you were so tight with that lot.
Yeah, I spent most of my youth in there.
Oh, when, last week?
Karaoke, Scampi Fries,
Sheena Ashby in a low-cut top.
God, sounds like an anxiety dream.
Ember.
I'll follow you down in a minute.
OK.
All right.
Sorry about the boat hut.
It's just a building, Arj.
No, it was more than that.
It was a dream.
Me and Mack making a living out of something we loved.
Yeah, and you lived it.
How many people can say that?
Only, I've turned it to shit.
Businesses fail.
Like some fucked-up Midas...
- Arj... - God, I'm weeping like the grieving widow,
and you're out there in the world killing it.
Yeah, hardly.
New job must be going well.
I've hardly seen you, since Mack died.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's full-on.
Don't touch me, Ellis!
Go on, have a bit of that.
- Let go! - Oi! Ellis!
- Get off her! - Let go!
Dickhead.
I'm just messin' with you.
I'll, erm, I'll... leave you to it.
Yeah, we'll... We'll catch up, yeah?
You're such an idiot.
No more neglecting you, I promise.
Miranda?
Miranda!
Miranda?
Are you OK?
Who's that?
It's Ember Manning. Hannah's mum.
Yeah, I'm fine.
What was all that about with Ellis?
What do you want?
Did you know, on his 21st birthday,
Ellis got so drunk that he pissed his pants
in the back of a police car?
We call him Pampers Ashby.
You know, if there was one thing
I could say to my teenage self,
it would be that there isn't a problem that can't be faced.
Not a single one.
But some of them, you do need
a little bit of help with.
What are you even doing here?
- I just... - Just get out!
Now.
OK.
You know, arson can be a sexual crime.
A high proportion of sex offenders
and psychopaths have it in their back catalogue.
And then there was Ellis, manhandling his cousin.
- Stepcousin. - In what could be described
as a sexually inappropriate manner.
You're always looking for connections, aren't you?
I would say that is a facet of the job, Hitch, yeah.
Right, the boat hut was burnt down by kids fucking about.
Ellis was force-feeding Miranda a pasty,
cos she's clearly a bit hissy about her weight.
Hissy?
Yeah. Hissy.
Is that Hannah?
I'm trying to remember who it was...
We used to call this curb-crawling.
It's what wrong 'uns did before the internet.
Hi, Mum.
- Hi, Hannah. - All right, Hannah?
You all right, Hitch?
Are you, erm, investigating the arson, Ember?
Actually, we're just looking for your missing skirt, Jules.
No slut shaming, thank you.
Do you girls want a lift?
Ember, there's not enough room for all of them.
Show Chloe. Let me see.
Oh! Thanks, Ember.
So, what's going on with Miranda Ashby?
- Mum! - Chloe?
We can't keep being your snouts, Ember.
My snouts?
We don't know anything about Miranda Ashby.
Look, I'm all for loyalty, but if it is an eating disorder,
then it's not a secret to be kept.
It's a disease.
And not one that gets better on its own.
But you're smart enough to know that.
Miranda doesn't have an eating disorder.
Miranda Ashby's pregnant.
And?
She's barely 16.
You stay here.
Sexist.
Sensitive.
Fucking hell!
Miranda.
What do we do?
Manning! Manning!
I said flowers!
Apparently, flowers aren't allowed.
I'm not taking that into intensive care.
I'm so sorry. Erm, how's she doing?
There's swelling in her brain.
They won't know how bad it is till that goes down.
Well, you'd better hope she gets better.
Sheena's in there with her?
How are you, Sheena?
I never saw it coming.
The baby...?
It's fine.
Did you know?
She was losing weight.
Drowning in those hoodies she wears.
How far along is she?
I don't know.
There's doctors out there.
You could ask them.
Let me go get them.
No.
I do not give my consent for that.
She's only just 16.
You think I don't know that?
You think she's anything more than a baby to me?
But you can't protect them, Ember.
Not every minute.
Did she need protecting?
I mean, you can't wrap them up in cotton wool.
- You can't stop them growing up. - That isn't what you said.
Well, you're twisting my words.
- Is it Ellis? - I want you to go.
- Sheena... - And I don't want you to come back.
She doesn't want us to know
Miranda was underage when she conceived.
Maybe she thinks people will judge her.
Yeah, or maybe she's just protecting the father.
Well, she must know we're not going to drag a 16-year-old boy
down to the station for underage sex.
Yeah. Yeah, I reckon she does know that.
Which means he isn't 16.
Bye.
Late again. That's another detention.
Oi!
Do you want to get out of here?
We can't.
Sit down!
Don't even think about it.
Caitlin!
Hey! Hey.
I want to come with you.
Where?
Wherever you're going.
OK.
- Hi. - Mm.
Tough one?
Miranda Ashby is in hospital.
She jumped off the pub roof.
Fuck! Oh, is she OK?
Th... the baby?
They're both hanging in there.
Go on, chuck us one of those.
Ah, half.
Who's the father?
Dunno.
I'm a detective.
I'm basically a human lie detector.
Well, then, you'll know that I'm not lying.
Do you know how old he is?
- No. - Older than her, though, isn't he?
- I don't know! - Oh, that is bollocks, Hannah.
OK, maybe he's, like, a bit older.
Does it matter?
She jumped off a roof.
Yeah, what's his age got to do with that?
Maybe nothing, but it's my job to find out.
What?
You know what.
No, that is absolutely not the same thing, Hannah.
- Why not? - I was 17.
She is barely 16,
which means she was likely 15 when it started...
Yeah, but 16 is just some random number
that someone plucked out of thin air.
It could've been 15, or 18, or 17.
Yeah, but the legal age is 16.
Oh, God!
I am so proud of you, Mum,
out there enforcing completely random shit.
Er, you've had nearly half of that.
I've had like two sips.
It's a family matter, really.
No, Hitch, it isn't.
Look, if Miranda was 15 when she had sex,
and he was more than two years older than her,
then that's something that the CPS might prosecute.
Fine. You know what you've got?
Chip on your shoulder.
You know, that joke would actually work if it was a chip.
But it's not a chip, it's a hash brown, so...
You're a bit sulky this morning.
Mm, didn't sleep.
The owner of the lake house would like to know
what progress we're making on the arson.
We're really calling it the lake house?
- Mr Ryan is converting it. - Hmm, yeah, well,
the conversion's just taken a major setback.
Unless, of course, he likes the charred look.
Do we know who torched it?
Well, we've been a little bit busy with the Miranda Ashby case.
There is no Miranda Ashby case,
owing to the fact that we don't even know if a crime's been committed.
And more importantly, there's no complainant.
- Well, I-I think... - And just to clarify, Manning,
the complainant can't be you.
Right, well, we've got nada on the arson.
Then close it off.
And find some words of comfort for Mr Ryan. He's in room four.
Words of comfort?
- Sorry you've had a wait. - Don't worry.
It's no less than I've come to expect.
Apathy appears to be endemic in these parts.
Well, the boat hut is going to make a lovely house,
views over the lake to die for.
You know, my late husband actually used to own it,
back when it was considered normal
that local people owned local properties
and tourists stayed in B&Bs.
No, now, of course,
tourists own the properties and the locals can't afford to.
Mr Ryan, I'm afraid that arsons
are near impossible to solve,
so we don't actually spend too much time on them.
Especially when the fire was small, the building was empty
and nobody got hurt. I wish I could tell you otherwise,
but then I would just be pandering
to your massive sense of entitlement.
What?
How dare you?!
He'll tie up the paperwork you need for the insurance.
Build a mega-basement or something.
But, please, move on.
Unbelievable.
I thought you'd been suspended.
Well, they know that's what I want.
I got a Friday detention.
First one ever.
Good! OK, let's go celebrate!
What? No, Amy, I've been grounded.
Yeah, me too.
Come on. Let's go.
You live here?
For now.
We're going broke.
Erm, won't your parents notice their alcohol's gone?
No. And it doesn't bother them as much as other stuff.
If you don't like it, don't drink it.
I do. I just haven't, really, um...
You're quite innocent...
aren't you, Kitty?
My name's Caitlin.
Kitty suits you better.
This is Kingpin.
The last man standing.
Oh, you can touch him.
He's friendly.
He's so big.
You want to see something funny?
Ha. How gross is that?
We're going to shoot him for the insurance.
I know the type of people you are, all right?
And what you do is you go around...
- I'm going to... - I don't care!
This is my property, you can't do that!
- You're on my property! - What...
Get off me! Fucking ridiculous.
Fucking hate people like you. I just wanted information!
Stay the fuck away from me and my family, all right?
- Do you hear me? - Why don't you save that toxic bullshit...
Oi! - ..for the man who raped your niece?
- Oi! - I will fuck you up!
Hey, hey, hey! Liam...
Liam, do not make me arrest you.
Why don't you arrest this bitch?
What for? Asking questions?
She's been recording me. She's got a microphone.
Oh, don't you want to be famous?!
You've got a perfect face for podcasts!
You know, I don't care that you're a woman.
Prick!
Stay away from my family!
What was that about?
- Ask him! - I'm asking you.
You think Miranda Ashby was raped?
That's what it's called when a grown man has sex
with an underaged girl.
How do you know it's a grown man?
Because I know someone else who slept with him.
- Who? - I can't tell you.
I'm a journalist and she's my source.
Yeah, well, you start doorstepping
the likes of Liam Ashby and you're going to get hurt.
So, it'll be my fault
if I get assaulted?
Yeah, this place is like the A to Z of misogyny,
and V is for victim blaming.
Why are you here?
I do a podcast on crimes against women and girls,
and I'm researching the disappearance of Amy Knightly.
That case is, like, 17 years old.
What has that got to do with Miranda Ashby?
Maybe nothing,
but word must have got out that I'm staying here,
cos I got a note under my door
from a girl who wanted to meet with me.
She told me that the father of Miranda's baby is a serial abuser
of underaged girls.
A serial abuser?
More than one girl.
Yeah, yeah, I know what serial means. It's...
What if he's just an immature 18-year-old himself?
So what?
This is not something he's done as a one-off.
It's something he does.
He likes them for their youth,
not in spite of it.
He's a predator and he needs to be stopped.
Malachy!
You must be Kitty.
- Make it fatter. - It doesn't need to be fatter.
Sure you won't have one?
No, Kitty doesn't drink or smoke.
Ah, right.
You like staying in control, do you, Kitty?
No.
Cos you're not.
There's much more potent stuff than alcohol
running through those veins of yours.
Endorphins, hormones.
We're slaves.
We think we're choosing, but we're losing.
Yeah, we... We like to think
that we're capable of all this lofty stuff like love,
but really we're just animals obeying our urges.
How old are you?
Why did you ask him that?
I was just interested.
Because if you think he's too old for me, you should just say.
That's why me and my old best friend broke up.
She was very narrow-minded.
Well, I think he's really good-looking and... nice.
You're so much cooler than she was.
I think my house is this way.
Will you be in trouble?
OK, well, don't tell anyone that you were with me.
Why?
Cos I want to have a sleepover at yours.
That's not going to happen.
She knows it was you I bunked off with.
Do you have any other friends, Kitty?
No.
Tell your mum that.
It's not the cough that carries you off,
it's the coffin they carry you off in.
Take care.
Katy Hansen?
Erm, can I just...?
Sorry.
I need something from you.
Sleeping tablets?
No, why'd you say that?
Do my eyes look like piss holes?
Coming up to the first anniversary of a bereavement can be tough.
Do you need a prescription?
No, I've got some.
Mack was like a pharmacy.
Well, they'll be out of date.
Did you know Miranda Ashby was pregnant?
I know you know that that's privileged information.
And I know you're not going to make me get a warrant
when there is a child's safeguarding at stake.
Yes, I knew.
I did the referral.
I'm taking it the father never came to the appointments.
No. And I never asked about him.
Did the pregnancy have something to do with her jumping?
Well, do you think it did?
It was a long time ago.
She seemed to take the termination in her stride.
Termination?
Miranda Ashby's been pregnant before.
What?
We need to go back to the hospital.
Yeah, not now. We need to go back to the boat hut.
That's not Rob's.
Right, someone's in there.
- You take the other door. - What, we're going in?
No, Hitch, we're going to call the police.
Hey!
Stop! Police!
Stop!
Hey! Don't make me hit you.
What are you taking photos of?
I have permission to be here.
Who from?
Who do you work for? Mr Ryan?
What are you, a private investigator?
Ah, you are not taking that stuff.
We found that condom.
I'm placing you under arrest,
on the suspicion of the obstruction of justice.
Fine. All yours.
Not that you'll actually do any forensics on them.
Right, so we'll get these sent off to the lab, then, yeah?
Morgan's never going to sign off lab work
for a couple of melted canoes.
They'll sit in our evidence locker and gather dust.
It's better than him having them.
- Riz. - Sylvia.
- Do come in. - Thank you.
Through the velvet.
Have you done anything like this before?
No. I've always wanted to, but...
It's a big step.
What was your friend's name?
Amy.
The artefact goes in there.
Yeah, I don't... have one.
Is that going to be a problem?
This is like trying to find a station on an old wireless.
The artefact gives us a knob to twiddle.
Yeah, could we try it knobless?
I don't have much experience of that.
Practice makes perfect, Sylvia.
I'll try.
So, how old was Amy when she passed?
15.
Oh, tragic.
What did she die of?
I don't know.
She went missing.
You're talking about Amy Knightly?
Yes.
You think she's dead?
Don't you?
People round here think she ran away.
Hmm.
And what do you think?
I think towns like this grab you by the ankles and don't let go.
What?
Nothing.
Yeah, that didn't look like nothing.
I told you it'd be difficult without the artefact.
Yeah, but I thought you meant,
like, the messages might be fuzzy or something.
I won't charge you, of course.
Can I get you a cup of tea?
I mean, if that's all you have on offer.
Were you hoping for something in particular?
That isn't incense that I smell, is it?
OK, so I'll see you next week?
- Yeah. OK, thank you. - Any time.
Er, I was looking for Lisa.
I'm afraid Lisa died.
- Cancer. - Oh!
God.
Oh, right, well, that's a... blow.
You don't expect to have to grieve for your grief counsellor.
Yeah.
I think it's been quite tough for her husband and kids, too.
Are you her replacement? You're a little bit judgy.
Usually I don't see people without an appointment,
but as you are so utterly charming...
Please.
Er, I haven't been sleeping.
Since your husband died?
No, since yesterday.
I literally lay awake all night.
And at one point I got so desperate, I started to play sudoku.
Was anything different about yesterday?
Perhaps you had more coffee than normal?
Er, well, a girl fell from a roof onto my car.
My God.
Is she OK?
No, no, she isn't, actually.
She's, erm...
She is really sick, and pregnant.
Well, that would probably explain the insomnia, then.
Adrenaline, anxiety.
Yeah.
Thing is, I'm a police officer,
so I see some pretty disturbing things and...
And generally, they don't affect my sleep.
So what do you think was different about this?
I suppose that she was a child.
And that she might have been the victim of statutory rape
by an older man.
My daughter thinks that I'm a hypocrite.
I got pregnant when I was 17, by an older man.
But the two things are entirely different.
Well, the age of consent is 16.
So there's a legal difference?
And a moral one.
The man in this case is attracted to young girls
because they are young girls.
And your husband wasn't?
No.
Your mum needs to phone my mum to prove I'm really here.
Eugh! Ugh, I feel like a fucking prisoner.
Hello!
I'm Joan, Caitlin's mum.
Hi!
Er, we're just going to go upstairs.
You don't want to get some pop or something first?
- No... - Yeah, OK.
G-Great. Er, take a seat in the living room, I'll...
I'll bring some through.
I hear very good things about Immaculate Heart.
Why did you leave?
We couldn't afford the fees. Yeah.
And charity was the only Christian value
the head teacher wasn't keen on.
Oh.
Well, that's a shame.
I... wanted to say thank you, Mrs Owen, for...
for giving me a second chance.
Oh.
I promise I won't get Kitty into any more trouble.
Kitty?
Er... We're finished. Thanks, Mum.
Well... Let's go upstairs.
Oh, have fun, girls.
Did you know that a butterfly flapping its wings
in one part of the world can cause a tornado in another?
Er, no.
So, imagine if your mum were to ever
unclench her arse cheeks.
What?!
Butterfly butt?
"Would you like some pop?"
Are they testicle earmuffs, Arj?
"Don't die of embarrassment."
I'd like to say it's what Mack would've wanted,
but I know how much he cared about you.
Yeah.
Maybe not.
He'd be so proud of her, you know.
I know.
He is proud of her.
Oh... don't do that "he's looking down on you" thing.
People say that and I'm like,
"What, all the time?
"When I'm on the toilet, when I'm picking my nose?"
It's the things I don't know, that's what haunts me.
Like what?
He never spoke about his mum dying, what that did to him.
His past relationships,
I don't know anything about them.
Well, what would you want to know?
Were there lots?
Were they serious?
Were they young, like me?
No-one's like you, Ember.
You know what I mean.
Where's this all coming from?
Look, just tell me, Arj.
Look, trust me, Em,
falling for someone younger than him is not what he set out to do.
So he hadn't done it before?
Well, would it matter if he had?
Well, maybe.
Well, he hadn't. He loved you.
He said his life started when he met you.
Look, I... I want to try for a decent time, so do you mind if I...?
Yeah, go ahead.
Hey.
Not joining in?
No, I'm not a runner.
Ah, me neither, but, erm...
My late husband.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Shall we walk?
Have you thought any more about doing the right thing?
If, by that, you mean name my source
so you can force her onto the witness stand,
there's nothing to think about.
Oh, it's about protecting her?
There was me thinking exposing the abuser before he was arrested
might be good for your career.
Like arresting them before they're exposed is good for yours.
I'm a 34-year-old Detective Constable.
Nobody could accuse me of being ambitious.
Please...
don't exploit her.
You know, when I first got here,
I was expecting that Amy Knightly's disappearance
would have cast some sort of shadow over the place.
But it hasn't.
And I wonder how many people
would even recognise the name.
It was a long time ago.
That's what I put it down to at first.
But then the other morning I came down here
and I was watching the council workers
picking up syringes and condoms on the water's edge,
and then I realised.
Amy hasn't been forgotten.
She's been cleared away.
But missing and abused girls aren't rubbish
to be put in bin liners and hidden from tourists.
They're stories to be told.
I don't think they're either of those things.
Sheena?
How's Miranda?
No change.
I know you took her to an abortion clinic last year.
Girls get in trouble, Ember.
- Twice? - She's not a Girl Guide.
Neither were a lot of us at that age.
At least Miranda's got me to remind her of her options.
Don't you ever wish someone had done that for you?
No.
I was 16 when I had my oldest.
So I know it crossed your mind.
Sheena?
We've got to go.
What?
The hospital, we need to get over there.
Why?
Miranda Ashby. Where is she?
Theatre.
Miranda's deteriorating,
so they've decided to deliver the baby.
But surely it's too soon?
I'm afraid they've both got a fight on their hands now.
Caitlin?
Come on, I need to get in.
Oh. I'm sorry.
That's OK...
Caitlin's dad.
You were ages.
I had a bath.
Erm, why?
Because your bath has Jacuzzi jets.
And they were amazing.
No, wait, don't you want to get in here with me?
There's plenty of room.
Have you ever come?
Erm... Yeah.
Don't you think it feels like fireworks in your belly?
I suppose.
Do you want to do it now?
What?
Touch yourself until you come?
It isn't gay if you don't touch me.
I won't tell anyone, I swear.
What are you doing?
I'm going out.
Out? Where?
It's... It's midnight.
Yeah, come on, it'll be fun.
You... you can't, you can't.
You can come with us, or you can be boring.
So, what can you tell me
about the man who abused you?
The way I felt when I first met him,
it was like nothing I'd ever felt before.
All I wanted was to be with him.
All the time.
He was so different from boys my age.
So confident and funny.
You can't go out there. I'm going to get in so much trouble.
But people can be nice
and still be controlling you,
and because they're older and you're younger,
you can't really see it.
They make you feel... special.
But only when you're doing the things they want you to.
Even when those things hurt you.
What are you doing?
Just going through Dad's stuff.
I thought it was too soon.
Yeah, well, now it's not.
Oh, my God, Dad looks so young!
Who's that girl in the photo?
It's Amy Knightly.
The girl who went missing.
*CREDITS*