Chemistry of Death (2023) s01e01 Episode Script

Can I have a sweet?
You've got to wait till we get there.
But I'm hungry.
Just go that way.
You keep changing it.
Go on. Just go that way
and then I'll give you a sweet.
Sam?
Sam?!
Hey, Sam.
You still want a sweet?
So, it sounds like you
had a bit of a shock.
That's why your mum called me, okay?
Do you think you could
tell me what you saw?
They won't say.
All right, it's okay.
Now, you know you're not
in any trouble. All right?
It just sometimes helps to
to talk about things. Hmm?
It was an angel.
She had wings.
Angels fly, you idiot.
Maybe she fell.
Maybe the angel was sleeping.
Can you remember where you saw her?
Willow Hole. In the woods.
Can't you give them something?
Uh, yeah, you you wanna ?
So, the best medicine is rest.
Keep their routines.
If you notice any changes
to their behaviour,
give me a call, day or night.
Erm, and we'll see how they get on.
Counselling is something
we can look at, if you
I'll let you try and
convince Gary of that.
Can we go out now?
Yeah, only in the garden.
- Come on.
- Okay.
Don't go any further.
Your dad's on his way home.
He'll only get 'em filthy again
the minute he steps on the pitch.
But Gary
It's all about appearances.
You know, we don't know what they saw.
I think it might be Sally Palmer.
What makes you say that?
I had a dream about her.
She was stood at the bus stop, crying.
I I asked her what was wrong,
but she wouldn't say.
I looked down the road,
and when I turned back, she'd gone.
We have dreams for a reason.
- Miss Yates?
- That's me.
- Thanks for coming.
- I am DC Hodges.
Er, we need to talk to your
boys about what they saw.
It might be better if
you just spoke to us.
And you are?
Dr Hunter from the village surgery.
We need them to show us what they found.
No, er no, they're not
going back to the woods.
I know where they're talking about.
I'll take them.
Thank you.
You wanna follow me?
You got any kids of your own?
No.
They all get a bit silly
when they go back to school.
It's probably just a
deer carcass or something.
Right, this is it.
Path bears round to the
left, and that's Willow Hole.
- Aren't you coming with us?
- No.
Within four minutes of death,
the human body
starts to decompose.
The beginning of a transformation
that continues long after
the heart has stopped.
As putrefaction causes the body's
own bacteria to destroy itself,
nutrients are released,
becoming a feast for a
multitude of other organisms.
In this way, death,
far from being the end,
is in fact a new beginning.
The past not so much
forgotten as hidden,
as scattered patterns
and successions
that death imparts now
become essential clues
to understanding the
final moments of life.
Hello?
Sally?
It's David.
Sally?
It's David.
How long since you last saw Miss Palmer?
- Er
- Roughly will suffice.
A couple of weeks ago there was a
a barbecue at the Black
Lamb, a pub in the village.
And she was with you?
No. But we spoke.
And after not seeing her since then,
you just decide to come here today?
Yeah, no, I was nearby.
I-I just took your
officers to Farnham Woods.
Yeah, I know.
- Did you not try calling her?
- No.
What's your relationship?
Er friends, I suppose.
Did she have any family?
No children, erm
No family locally that I know of.
Hmm.
Any other boyfriends?
I wasn't her boyfriend.
Honestly, I
I don't know her that well.
Just well enough to let
yourself into her house.
Okay, well
that will do for now.
How can I get hold of you?
Manham Village Surgery.
Okay.
All right, thank you.
Sorry I'm late.
I'm not aware that it's a crime.
Yet.
Is it?
Janice, you're a wonder.
I may have to cancel your sabbatical.
And by the way, David, I
took care of your 12:30.
Suspected appendicitis,
- but I sent her off to A&E
- Sorry.
- as a precaution.
- Thank you.
David, you look as if
you've seen a ghost.
Not me, erm
Sam and and Neil Yates
thought they'd found an angel
in Farnham Woods.
I, erm, I think it was a dead body.
Oh, sweet Jesus.
Well, how are they, the boys?
Shocked.
Taking it in.
I'll check on them tomorrow.
My god.
Have they got any idea who?
Well
Linda was worried
about Sally Palmer. I
dropped in to her house.
Something's not not right, erm
There was a smashed
mug on the floor, a
half-written letter to Linda.
We'll see. I
Awful. Not in Manham.
I'll, er, leave the
notes in your office.
I'll put that phone call in.
By the way, David,
if you are dropping in on those
boys again, tread carefully.
I've known Linda and
Gary longer than you.
Gary's calmed down a bit, but still.
I'm just doing my job.
All the same, it's
you I'm worried about.
I'll be fine.
I got your message.
Tomorrow 4pm for George Mason.
David.
You know where I am.
Thanks.
Nice.
I think this actually fits very
good to your picture, right?
Yeah, it's good.
Miss Jenny, Miss Jenny!
Neil?
Neil?
Neil, can you hear me?
Neil?
They've had the bloody bitterns' eggs.
No.
The bastards cut through
three bloody fences.
I need you to hold the fort
and chase up those funding
applications, would you?
What are you gonna do?
Less you know about that, the better.
The Wi-Fi's down again.
Will you take a look at that?
Dan, get that loaded up, eh?
Yeah.
You okay?
Yeah.
Hi.
Thank you for coming so quickly.
Of course.
So, this is Neil.
He fainted.
Hello again.
How you doing?
I'm fine. I'm okay.
Yeah?
Did something happen?
Was was something said, or ?
Like I told Miss Krause, I'm all right.
Good. Can I check your pulse?
Thank you.
So, how did Norwich get on last week?
I'm Ipswich.
Oh, sorry. Ipswich.
They got turned over by QPR.
Neil's a top player.
- Yeah?
- Mm-hmm.
What position?
Thinking striker?
Midfield.
It's the strikers
that get all the goals,
but midfield's the
most important position.
Right.
I think you're match fit, young man.
You're gonna be all right.
Erm, are the parents on the way?
- His father.
- Okay.
Do you just wanna wait here
for a couple of minutes?
We're gonna have a
quick chat outside, okay?
Good lad.
We're keeping an extra eye out.
Good. And how's, er, how's little Sam?
He's okay.
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
But this must be shocking for everyone.
I'm a relative stranger in Manham.
It's only my second term.
Where's Neil?
Er, he's in here.
They never should've
been in school today.
Come on, boy. We're off.
Sam, you all right?
Taking 'em fishing.
Okay.
Goodbye.
Actually a really good idea.
Yeah, fishing.
Is that medical advice if the head asks?
Yeah. I don't see why not.
I was, erm hoping for a word.
Okay.
- Come in.
- Thank you.
Nice place.
It's a lovely village, Manham.
Bit of a change from London.
Yeah, yeah.
So, I, erm, did a spot of
research after our chat.
You've got quite the CV, Dr Hunter.
Very impressive.
Let's see. Er, after
your medical degree,
you switched to a PhD
in forensic anthropology,
followed by a stint at the
University of Tennessee Body Farm.
Quite the high flyer.
"The Role of Entomology in
Time-Since-Death Analysis."
"The Chemistry of Human Decomposition."
Yeah.
I wrote those.
And yet here you are out here,
pretending to be a country doctor.
I can't help wonder why
you didn't mention it.
There's, erm
lots of other forensic anthropologists.
I can give you numbers.
Yes, but you're here now.
We checked phone records.
Sally Palmer didn't text
or make outgoing calls
since the barbecue.
Without confirmation, I'm stuck.
- DNA?
- A week to process.
- Fingerprints?
- No skin left.
Next of kin?
She has a brother
we're trying to locate.
Look, time since death
would be a great start.
Seemingly, you're not just a specialist
in human decomposition,
you are the specialist.
Please, I need you to take a look.
It it it was another life.
I'm sorry. I-I can't.
Okay, well, I'll, erm
I'll leave you my personal mobile.
And you can call me any time.
Day or night.
Thanks.
Thank you, Andrew.
I'll get these.
Nice one, mate.
Cheers.
Do you mind if we, er, grab a seat?
Twisted my bastard knee
chasing poachers last night.
- It's open season out there.
- You want me to take a look?
Nah, it's not that bad.
Besides, they'll be the ones
needing you if I catch 'em.
You talking to anyone
in particular, bud?
What's that, Shane?
Mind your own business.
- Anyone
- All right, Tina?
- All right?
- Mind if we squeeze in?
If you've showered.
He has, for both of us.
Hi.
- Hi.
- Doc.
- You wanna
- No, thanks.
Who's that?
Journalist from Norwich. Kamal.
He's been buying enough drinks.
Bloody Brenners, getting their
side of the story in first.
Relax, mate.
You know how hard it is
to get a breeding pair
of bitterns established.
Can you play darts?
Not really, no.
Great. I might beat someone.
- Really?
- Yeah, come on.
- Good luck.
- All right.
- Ah.
- Almost.
You sure you don't want me
to explain the rules again?
No, I think you'll
find I'm getting better.
Oh.
Oh, my app guilts me
when I drink more
than a couple of pints.
- Diabetic?
- Yeah.
Type one.
I'm stable, but oh.
- No, I've got it.
- Okay.
But I'm rubbish at wearing my bracelet.
Okay
Nice.
Wow.
This is so mad.
A body's been found
and no one in here's talking about it.
Yeah. It's an English speciality.
We like to bury our head in the sand.
That's why everyone's here tonight.
To ignore it?
Pretty much.
I can see that.
The not knowing hits hardest.
Like, who is it, how they died.
Was it a murder?
Yeah. Let's hope the police
have some answers soon.
Yes. The village really needs to know.
Come on, lads.
Come on then!
Come on, mate. Come on.
You're okay, mate. You're okay.
It's okay, it's all right.
You're okay. You're okay.
Put that camera away.
You're all right.
Jesus.
This village is like a pressure cooker.
Yeah.
Mackenzie.
Hi, it's David.
Where's the body?
It's at the lab.
She was moved lunchtime. I
can meet you there if you
No, I don't wanna see it.
I'll look where she was found,
give my opinion, that's it.
Okay. I'll see you at nine.
Soon after death, a body
begins to digest itself.
Cell walls break down,
enzymes are released,
and bacteria from the gut
surges around the body,
even into the bones.
Eggs are laid and larvae hatch
to feed on the nutrient-rich
broth at their disposal,
whilst insect predators arrive
to consume the larvae themselves.
David. Dr Hunter.
This is Dr Shah, a forensic pathologist.
Dr Shah, Dr Hunter.
Hi.
How do you do, Dr Hunter?
We've sent feathers to an ornithologist.
Good. Soil samples?
- Already being analysed.
- Insects?
Samples have been sent to
our forensic entomologist.
- Any maggot pupae?
- Yes.
Any empty shells? Any
beetles on the body?
- Beetles were not noted.
- And the maggots?
Maggots were noted,
but not their colouring.
What have we got here? Blowfly mainly.
Bluebottles, greenbottles.
If death occurred in daylight,
they'd have started laying
eggs within the hour.
The longer a maggot
lives, the darker it gets.
This is seven, maybe eight days old.
Starting to pupate.
I'm not seeing any empty
shells, so nothing's hatched yet.
Lifecycle of fourteen days,
but heat could shorten certain stages.
By how much?
There's a few variables to consider.
But from what I'm seeing, I'd suggest
we've got a provisional
time since death interval
of nine, maybe ten days.
Bag, please.
Thank you.
You wanted fingerprints.
Just add water.
The body is an archive,
recording information
about who we are,
what we did, and
what was done to us.
The challenge for the
forensic anthropologist
is to correctly
read this archive,
looking at the morphology,
chemistry and structure
of what remains,
and interpret the facts
of life and death,
and the journey
from one to another.
Helen!
Good?
Yeah. Yeah.
I hope that was useful.
That that's all I can do.
You were with Sally
Palmer at the barbecue?
Yeah.
Along with most of the village.
What's your point?
Some photos from the barbecue.
Who's that with Linda Yates?
Is this a formal police interview?
It's just a few questions.
Okay.
That's Ben Anders.
Er, manages the nature reserve.
She works there part-time, I think.
Near where the body was found?
Half a mile, maybe.
That's obviously Linda
Yates and and Sally.
They seem like good friends?
I don't know.
That's Dr Maitland, Henry.
Has he always been in a chair?
Road accident.
That's how I first came here as locum,
then as partner when he found
out he wouldn't walk again.
He lost his wife in the accident.
So, what do I call you, anyway?
David? Dr Hunter?
I hope you don't have to call
me too much, but David is fine.
Hi.
- You all right?
- Yeah.
- Do you want a lift?
- No, no, you're all right.
It's out of your way.
- No, it's fine.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Just throw 'em in.
- Thank you.
- No worries.
- How are the boys?
- They're all right.
A bit quiet.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
So, if it's okay to ask, was it Sally?
Police matter, I'm
afraid. I can't say.
I know the police are meant to
be reassuring, but they aren't.
You mentioned your dream about her.
Yeah. I don't know, er
She must've been on my mind,
and that's how it came out.
I hadn't heard from her.
I thought I'd done something wrong.
If she was going away, she always said.
All I had to do was call, but I didn't.
I'm stupid sometimes.
Hey!
- I said
- What?
Cut it straight, in lines!
- Sorry.
- Do as I bloody tell you.
All right.
I think Sally was trying
to find something out.
But maybe I got it wrong.
She made everyone brave.
She made me brave.
Where you been?
Shopping.
Hi, Gary.
Heavy bags.
Thank you.
No worries.
Yeah, go on. You'll do.
Don't sound so surprised.
Yeah, but George,
I need you to get used
to Dr. Hunter here.
Not going anywhere, are you?
No, no, no, no.
But we do try and share the work, eh.
He doesn't bite, and he
is a real doctor, you know?
It's no skin off my nose.
I'll be in my box soon enough.
Not if we can help it, George.
You mind if I take a look at the ankle?
Pop your foot up.
May I ?
- Who did this dressing?
- The grandson.
Yeah, it's a nice job, but
maybe let the nurse in next time.
Give that grandson of yours a rest.
- Hey.
- Morning.
Is he here?
- He's waiting.
- Okay.
- See you.
- Yeah.
I wish I could draw like you.
Just practice, yeah?
How about that one, over there?
That's a shoveler, yeah.
Come autumn, the male
will have two white marks
one each side of his face.
Really?
I didn't know that.
Yeah.
There's not many who do.
How about you try and
write the word up
Yeah, no, I can't do that.
Just practice, Dan.
Come on!
What the hell are we meant to eat?!
Look in the fridge!
You know what time I
Oh, yeah, every fucking night!
Exactly!
You always were a fucking bitch!
- Sally?
- No, Linda Yates is missing.
She didn't show up to work this morning.
Ben Anders made the report.
We've established
that she left her house
yesterday evening, but
she didn't return home.
I gave her a lift yesterday.
- Yeah, we got it on CCTV.
- Her bags were heavy.
What was her state of mind?
She was anxious.
She was talking about Sally.
Erm
- She seemed frightened.
- Of Gary?
I wondered.
Look, I want you on the search.
You know these people.
Does she always run alone?
Yep. And she liked to keep fit.
Liked?
That's what I said.
She also ran to work at the nature
reserve each morning, correct?
Yeah, twice the distance by
road and petrol what it costs
And her evening run, was
that a-a regular thing?
Oh, she's always bloody training.
So, who knew apart from yourself?
How the heck should I know?
Probably half the village.
I'm sorry to be putting
you through this,
but we're asking everyone
the same questions.
Where were you the
remainder of the evening?
At home with the boys.
Where else was I gonna be?
Did you try and call Linda?
Several times.
You can check my phone.
Tried her mum and all.
Why not report her missing last night?
I thought she went
out to clear her head.
Why would she need to do that?
We're like any other couple.
Sometimes there's a
difference of opinion.
And has she stayed out all night before?
Once or twice.
Where did she go then?
Sally Palmer's.
Why did you wait for Anders to
let us know Linda was missing?
You might wanna ask yourself,
why didn't he call me first?
You'll have to be more
specific, Mr Yates.
Well, you're the detectives.
I reckon she's fine.
Just someone playing games.
Is there anywhere else
she may have gone to?
Besides Anders's place
No.
Not that I can think of.
You all right?
You think this is a good idea,
using most of the village?
No, I don't.
But the profiler thinks
the killer might struggle
to stay away, so
Right.
Okay, listen up, people.
Thank you all for coming. Erm
We'll be moving east to west,
no more than three metres apart.
I need you to stop on
call and wait to proceed.
Please, no broken lines.
We've got nine hours till sunset.
Let's use them all.
What makes you think
she was coming to you?
Place of safety.
The state she was in some mornings.
Were you and Linda Yates lovers?
No comment.
Did Gary know?
Couldn't tell you what Gary knows.
How well did you know Sally Palmer?
Well enough.
That way.
Oh, geez.
Sorry, mate. Okay.
Some first aid, er
- Trap.
- Everyone stop!
- There are more traps out here.
- All right, all right, all right.
- On three, all right?
- Yeah.
One, two, three.
All right, Robert, deep breaths, okay?
We need an ambulance, please!
Have you seen anything like this before?
Poachers.
Brenners, most likely.
What, you don't use these?
No.
Okay. Gonna be all right.
I need you to look at the body.
I don't care what happened
in your past. This is now.
A woman is missing, a woman you know.
You've got the skills and you're here.
Helen!
Dr Hunter?
Let's, er, start with what we know.
Are you all right?
Let's begin, please.
Well, the most probable cause
of death is the throat wound.
The angle of the incision
would suggest right-handed.
Mm-hmm.
There is a head injury,
which the post-mortem
couldn't entirely rule out.
Possibly caused by a fall.
She was still alive
when her throat was cut.
How can you know that?
Body's prematurely desiccated.
Couldn't that be due to the hot weather?
Hmm, even in this heat, the
body wouldn't dry out so quickly
without considerable blood loss.
You checked the soil
for iron levels, right?
Yes. We're waiting for results.
Okay.
Even in death there
is intimacy in touch.
The body whispering
essential clues
to the manner of their demise.
Yet though there
can be no consent,
it remains a necessary intrusion,
for even the dead
deserve justice.
Hmm.
What is it?
You-you see the way
the flesh is torn?
Here.
So, a serrated knife was used.
At least partially.
Possibly a hunting knife.
Well, there's no sign the knife wobbled,
so yes, a hunting knife
would've been my thought too.
Except the wound to the
throat is smooth-edged.
So, a different knife?
Yeah, two different knives.
See the angle of the sutures?
Hmm.
45 degrees. What does that mean?
He or she would have been left-handed.
Exactly. Not just two different knives.
Two different people.
Let's move!
They've caught the scent! Let's move!
Over there, to the left!
Good boy, go on, find it!