Reyka (2021) s01e01 Episode Script

[slow piano music]
[rain hitting window]
This is the last one, I promise.
[crowd murmuring]
[tense music]
Sorry, pardon, sorry.
Grace.
[crowd cheering]
He likes you. What's your name?
[Reyka] Reyka.
[crowd cheering]
[crowd murmuring]
My daughter, please help me.
I can't find her.
[Policeman] When
last did you see her?
We were together just here
now and now she's gone.
[Policeman] What is she wearing?
Um, she's 12 and she's
wearing curly hair in a pony
and she's wearing a
yellow tee with dungarees.
[indistinct]
Reyka, R E Y K A. Reyka.
[tense music continues]
Reyka.
[piano playing]
[piano lid closes]
Hello.
Do you like music?
I like music.
[rain hitting window]
[knocking]
[Thuli] Mama, Nina's here.
[knocking]
Who's Nina?
The new au pair. Come on.
Yeah, okay.
[bird tweeting]
[wind rushing]
[eerie music]
[men talking in distance]
[door slamming shut]
This is Nina.
Hi.
[Reyka] Hey. That's tomorrow?
Yeah, that's why Nina is here.
You're an au pair.
[Nina] Yes.
You love kids?
[Nina] I do.
Have your own?
[Nina] No.
That's why.
Ma.
Don't listen to her, Nina.
How old are you?
[Nina] Almost 30.
Anything important that
we need to know about you?
I'm vegan, don't smoke.
No allergies. 10
fingers, 10 toes.
[Thuli] Last time you checked.
Where are you from?
Stanger.
Are you single?
[Nina] Footloose and fancy free.
When can you start?
Now?
Great.
[Elsa] Okay.
Let's do it. I've got to go.
[gentle eerie music]
[screaming]
[music growing louder]
[screaming]
[police radio beeping]
Morning.
Hey.
Hi. Tanner.
Hey.
He was coloured.
The Blue Lagoon killer. Not
white as you speculated.
I don't speculate. Hard stats
spoils the killers identity.
You still got it wrong though.
You're Hector's boy.
Samuel.
[Reyka] Samuel Zwane.
Mmm-hmm.
[Reyka] I thought you were
counting dockets in Ananda.
I transferred.
Lucky us.
So how long did it
take you to close
the Blue Lagoon killer?
Tanner, how long did it take us?
Three months. It's a
record for a serial case
[Samuel] Three months.
So if you'd gotten the profile
correct the first time.
We might've caught him
a few days earlier.
A lot can happen in a few days.
You're in my space.
[children playing]
Not while we're having a dispute
with the Tyrones over land.
[children screaming]
[dog barking]
Do you recognise this ring?
No deals, no excuses.
He found an arm, the chief did.
He claims your domestic
worker has been consulting
with evil spirits,
trying to scare his
people off their land.
The land deal's done.
Msomi got what he wanted.
[Alex] At a bargain price.
Bambata is part
of our family now.
She wants to leave
with us when we go.
[murmuring]
[laughing]
[knocking]
[Hector] We've checked
at the hospitals.
No patients have gone in, we
must assume the victim's dead.
Our deal, sir, was one case.
I want you to stay.
Tell me what you see.
Right hand female, young
adult, around 50kg.
Petite, groomed,
trendy nail polish.
Ring on pinky finger, no scars.
Sewsunker is processing
everything for DNA.
No fingerprint hits.
Elsa wants to return to the UK.
What do you want?
I guess, custody.
For now.
Interviews tomorrow.
Did you tell her the real
reason you came back?
Of course not.
If Speelman gets paroled,
she's going to hate me anyway.
You can't let that happen.
It shouldn't be up to me,
I can't be strong with him.
You escaped him.
Things were complicated
with you and my mother.
There was nothing between
us. There never has been.
Is the image corrupt?
Flesh is ripped, tissue
pulled, not severed.
Witch doctors usually slice off
body parts with the machete,
but with only one arm to go on.
Witchcraft is possible.
Anything's possible.
I'm sorry.
[Mr. Bloom] Angus Speelman
has been incarcerated
in this facility for 22 years.
Parole board.
[Mr. Bloom] He understands
his wrongdoing.
And he requests parole
so that he can continue
his rehabilitation outside.
The authorities have never
taken Dr. Gama's testimony
into account because of her
deep psychological issues.
She's a typical victim
suffering from trauma.
Completely unreliable.
[Chairperson] The board
wishes to hear from her,
Mr. Bloom.
Dr. Gama is a highly
regarded criminal profiler
with a doctoral thesis in
psychological violence.
I see you were only
at Gwadengetho police
for four months.
It feels like forever.
Beg your pardon?
[Reyka] Yes, sir. Scotland
yard, before that.
What compelled you to
return to South Africa?
My mentor. Brigadier Swarnay.
[Chairperson] And he seconded
you to the Blue Lagoon case.
That's correct.
What skills do you have
that local profilers don't?
I am a local.
[Chairperson] But well-traveled.
About the case, I believe
congratulations are in order.
[Reyka] Thank you.
That was a team effort.
Indeed. State's expert
witness, please.
[laughing]
A person with Speelman's
pathology will never change.
He's a charismatic
narcissist with a perversion.
[Chairperson] You
mean a paedophile.
Paedophilia is a
form of perversion,
but Speelman is manipulative
rather than aggressive.
He appreciates the psyches
of others, a caregiver.
He took care of a young child.
Two. Two children.
Dr. Gama,
the record shows that you
were Speelman's only victim.
[Reyka] There were two
of us on the property.
[Chairperson] Two girls?
Lucy arrived after me.
[Chairperson] Lucy? Lucy who?
I never met her face-to-face
but I heard her voice.
She was younger than me.
[Mr. Bloom] There is no
evidence to support this.
I was there Mr. Bloom, were you?
[Mr. Bloom] I read
the court reports.
[Chairperson] Dr. Gama.
With respect, if you never
saw Lucy, you can't be sure.
I wasn't imagining her.
[Mr. Bloom] Let's not forget
that a court appointed
psychiatrist determined
that Dr. Gama's
fractured mental state
triggered this delusion.
Speelman kept Lucy in a hut.
[Mr. Bloom] A forensic sweep
of the farmhouse revealed
that there were only
ever three occupants.
Speelman, Speelman's partner,
Portia Maseco, and Reyka.
No. There were four.
Speelman, Portia,
Lucy and me. Four.
Okay.
[Thuli] I am not
an angel I asserted
and I will not be
one until I die.
I will be myself, Mr. Rochester.
You should neither expect,
nor exact, anything.
Ma.
Huh?
[Thuli] What's the word?
Oh where were we?
[Thuli] Neither expect,
nor exact, anything.
Celestial. It means heavenly.
Oh, okay. Yeah.
So do you want to
see my costume?
Sure.
Uh-huh.
You look like a harlot.
What? What's a harlot?
A hooker?
Thuli.
[eerie music]
There's this new place that
opened up on the promenade.
And I was thinking
about checking it out.
[Hector] Morning.
Sometime or maybe
Saturday night?
Okay.
You'll think about it.
[Hector] Tanner?
Reyka.
A secret rendezvous goes wrong.
They arranged to
meet near the field.
We assume they're on foot,
so the location needs to
be convenient for both.
They argue, it escalates.
He assaults her, it's fatal.
He dumps the body in the cane.
Forensics confirm
the arm was stripped,
not cut off the body.
[Hector] It rules
out witchcraft.
Some witchdoctors
rip out body parts
while the victim's still alive.
It increases the
potency of the mutay.
Also, we need to get
back into the field,
the rest of the body's
in there somewhere.
[sirens approaching]
Reyka, I think you
have some admirers.
They are asking what you are.
I'm not a waa.
No.
You are not black.
50, 50.
Yeah.
Drink after work?
Thuli's got a sketch.
Ah, look at you being a
good mom. Proud of you.
[phone ringing]
[talking on phone]
I need your help.
What's your name?
Soda.
Is it just you in here?
Yeah.
Have you heard things?
About a dead body?
With one arm?
No.
[Reyka] What do you
see in the fields?
Women?
Yeah.
[Reyka] With men?
Yeah.
Doing what?
Are they having sex?
I don't know.
Do you watch them?
I just cut cane.
Thank you Soda.
[eerie music]
[phone ringing]
Yeah.
[Mr. Bloom] It's Bloom,
Speelman's attorney.
My client wants to speak to you.
I've arranged
access for tonight.
Okay.
So Elsa, you are one
of the lucky ones.
You got your daughter back.
[Elsa] Yeah.
And alive.
I know.
[Interviewer] Are you close?
Yes, yes. Very close.
I never stopped looking for her.
[Interviewer] Should we?
[Elsa] Of course.
[Interviewer] Do you work, Elsa?
Nowadays I write non-fiction,
nearly finished my first book.
[Interviewer] What about?
[Elsa] My daughter, her case.
[Interviewer] Reyka's father.
[Elsa] Benson Gama. He
died when Reyka was seven.
[Interviewer] Thulisile?
Born in Johannesburg,
spent the first seven years
of her life in South Africa,
and some time in the UK.
[Interviewer] I don't have
Thulisile's paternity.
He's not in her life.
Okay, so what kind of custody
arrangement are you seeking?
[Elsa] I want to hand over
sole custody to my daughter.
Is Reyka capable of taking care
of Thuli's vital
financial needs?
Like shelter and food?
Yes. Yes.
And we have an au pair
to help out. Nina Barnes.
[Interviewer] Can you
describe your daughter's life?
Stable.
[Interviewer] Substance abuse?
[Elsa] No, she is sober.
How long?
Six months. At least she's
committed to the programme.
[Interviewer] Is she still on
her anti-anxiety medication?
[Elsa] Yeah.
How's that helping her cope
with her dissociative amnesia?
[Elsa] Unquestionably well.
Does she still have flashbacks?
[Elsa] I don't know.
[Interviewer] Is
her work dangerous?
[Elsa] Sometimes.
Does this impact
on Thuli's sense
of wellbeing and belonging?
No. No.
Reyka is a wonderful mum.
She just needs to
be given a chance.
[door slamming]
Alfonzo Abrahams AKA
the Blue Lagoon Killer
was a coloured man, not white.
They got a blind spot
for biracial suspects.
Abrahams shot nine
and raped six women
at the Blue Lagoon Tea House.
How many lives
could you have saved
if you got the profile
right the first time?
You are an impressive
young woman, Reyka.
Solving cases with the
police. It's a big deal.
I only wish you'd been able to
look at me during the trial.
I knew they'd get you
to testify against me,
but it would have been nice
to know I wasn't alone.
After everything
we shared together.
What do you want?
Ponta do Ouro. I want a
log cabin on the beach.
Snorkelling about shallow
reefs, lobsters, crayfish,
sundowners at Fernando's bar.
Retract your statement
to the parole board.
No.
[Speelman] Bloom tells
me they were quite taken
by your testimony.
I told the truth.
The truth? You
remember what happened?
Yeah.
[Speelman] Everything?
Except for the
time I was sedated.
[Speelman] We were close.
I know.
Have you thought about me?
No.
[Speelman] What, not
once in 20 years?
I have a lot more important
things to think about.
Yes, you have a daughter now.
Angus, don't.
[Speelman] And I hear she's 12.
That's the same age as you were
when you came to live with me.
I was abducted.
Thulisile. She who
made things quiet.
And that name is
often given to a birth
that brings peace
to a troubled home.
Did she?
Have you got a
photograph to show me?
No.
Is her skin darker or
lighter than yours?
Please don't speak about her.
Well, as you can see,
I'm an old man now.
I've served my time.
Let me go to Mozambique.
Ponta do Ouro.
It's not up to me.
Oh, it is, my love.
Angus.
I miss you.
I miss you so much.
When will you get out?
[Speelman] Soon, if you
retract your statement.
I could tell you things, Reyka.
Things you've forgotten.
Things I know you want to hear.
[eerie music]
[pop music on radio]
[pop music]
2 beers please. And a straw.
I'll bring it to you.
Okay.
Thank you.
It's a beautiful night, no?
Enjoy your drink.
[slow, gentle music]
Hey, two more beers please.
I am not an angel I asserted,
and I will not be
one until I die.
I will be myself, Mr. Rochester.
You must neither expect, nor
exact, anything celestial
of me for you will not get it.
Any more than I shall get
it of you, which I do not.
[clapping]
[moaning]
No kiss.
I said no kissing.
[keys jingling]
Hey.
How was it?
[Elsa] She was extraordinary.
She was?
[Elsa] Had my interview.
Oh, fuck, ma. Sorry.
[Elsa] That's
okay. She liked us.
She did?
I told her how close we were,
how close you and Thuli are.
Where we you?
Jail.
[Elsa] Why?
I went to see a
prisoner. It was Angus.
I saw Angus.
You saw your abductor?
That's not all it was to me.
Please ma, understand.
It's not easy doing
this on my own.
Doing what?
Getting wasted and missing
your daughter's sketch?
[Reyka] I'm not wasted.
[phone ringing]
Leave that. Thuli needs you.
[Reyka] She has you, mom.
[phone continues ringing]
Hey. Okay.
[Elsa] Where are you going?
Work.
[Elsa] Not like that.
I feel great.
[Elsa] I know being a
mom isn't easy for you,
but tonight Thuli needed her
mother and you did not show up.
Can you see how confusing
it must be for her?
Yes.
Is that why we came back?
So you could see Speelman?
[rock music on radio]
[tense music]
[Reyka] Evening.
[dizzying music]
Oh.
The arm matches the
body. No ID yet.
Reyka.
Reyka.
Get out of here before
Hector sees you.
I'm fine.
No, go.
Okay.
[dizzying music continues]
[Nandi] I have blood and smears.
The lab will tell us
about sexual assault,
but there's no tearing or
any evidence of penetration.
[Reyka] Thanks.
[Nandi] Thank you.
The cause of death?
[Sewsunker] Deep trauma to
the skull with a blunt object,
like a rock.
There's something else.
Zulu tribal mask.
What for?
[Nandi] Some families make
incisions to symbolise
which clan they belong to.
[eerie music]
[Hector] The victim is Msomi
royalty. This could explode.
Always about the
land deal with you.
You're a white south African,
how could you understand?
She needs to focus
on her daughter.
[Hector] One week,
maybe two weeks.
[Elsa] Get someone else.
Reyka is the best.
Hector, I know she's
back for Speelman.
I also know you
offered her the case
so she could hide
that fact from me.
She needs closure.
It's going to backfire.
Reyka can block
Speelman's parole
but she won't.
She'll convince herself
he's served his punishment.
[Hector] Elsa.
As soon as Reyka gets
custody of her daughter,
we are going back to the UK.
I'm not losing her again.
[Tanner] There.
Run it on.
[Nandi] Email this to me?
Mr. Pele. I'm Detective
Cefe, this is Dr. Gama.
You are a shop owner
from Sugarland, yes?
Yes.
[Nandi] You have a criminal
record for assault.
I beat up some thieves
who tried to rob me.
And on the 8th November, what
-were you doing in field 8
- A?
Collecting soil samples
for scientific tests.
[Nandi] Why?
The Tyrones.
They've been using banned toxins
from the apartheid days
to poison the fields.
They spray the crops at night.
What has that got
to do with you?
My son, Kashif.
High levels of nitrate in the
water caused heart defects
and other medical conditions.
Without treatment,
you would die.
I just want compensation
so I can pay for
Kashif's treatments.
Can we get a sample to test?
[computer mouse clicking]
You picked up a stranger.
I recognised her from my
shop. She used to come in.
Do you sell rings like
this in your shop?
Yes, but I didn't kill her.
No one say she was dead, sir.
Why are you asking me all this?
I dropped her near the
field and went home.
[tense music]
So Pele dumps Mbali Msomi's
body near the cane field.
Makes it look like witchcraft.
The chief accuses Tyrone,
a feud erupts land
deals destroyed,
perfect plans to avenge
your sons illness.
Pele has got motive and
opportunity. Lock him up.
[Reyka] Boss, sorry. One second.
Wrap up the report
before Msomi blows the
whole land deal up.
Can I just say, guys like Pele,
driven by passion and rage,
they blitz their victims.
The attack is sudden and brutal.
Body is left where
the attack took place,
they make no attempt to hide it.
Now this is premeditated
and carefully planned.
Victim has a tightly
bound knot on one wrist.
Attacker tied her
hand with a ligature.
[Hector] Rope?
Thinner.
[Hector] String?
Like a nylon twine.
Or it could be plastic.
I mean, it's hard to say
because the body is
quite decomposed.
Linked it to the victim.
Unconfirmed,
but this does mean that our
killer has some kind of MO.
This is not Pele.
But if you're right, we've
got a geographical profile.
He either lives or
works near the field.
Pele is a good suspect.
[Samuel] Sir, uncut
sugar cane smells grassy.
I was at the field today.
When the wind and picked
up and blew across me,
the cane smelled
like rotten fruit.
There's something
else out there.
[Nandi] We need dogs.
[Hector] The dog unit
was disbanded years ago.
My daughter's got a dog.
Oh, an ex-police dog.
[car horn honking]
[tense music]
Let's go.
Where are you boy?
[dog barking]
[dog barking]
[women singing]
Good boy, good boy.
[dog barking]
[gasping]
[dog barking]
[dog barking]
[snapping]