Moonflower Murders (2024) s01e02 Episode Script
Episode 2
Did you ever read
about the murder
of a man called Frank Parris?
At our hotel? Branlow Hall?
He's dead!
We called the police.
His name was
Detective Superintendent Locke.
Why was I afraid
you were going to say that?
Stefan Leonida--
he wasn't guilty.
You began by saying that your
daughter had disappeared.
The real killer is named
in the book.
"Atticus Pünd Takes the Case."
Susan, we'll pay you £10,000
if you help us find Cecily.
Just a week.
Melissa James,
the British actress,
had an accident
which brought a sudden end
to her career.
Even when the hotel is full,
we are still losing money
hand over fist!
I have the scripts,
the director, the contract
You'll just have to find
somebody else.
I need to cash in my shares.
I gave up everything for you.
I don't want
to have this argument now!
I should leave this alone.
But you won't.
FLIGHT ATTENDAN
Dear passengers,
in a few moments,
you will be able to purchase
refreshment,
nuts, and a selection
of alcoholic drinks.
Alan Conway!
I'm sorry?
I've read all his books.
Ah.
You know, he died
last year.
Yes, I heard.
A great shame.
He was a brilliant writer.
So clever, and I'm sure
he was a lovely man.
I'm so sorry I'm late,
I couldn't,
I couldn't get a taxi.
Have you been here long?
Since the time we agreed.
I see you already ordered.
Oh, what can I get you?
Uh, no, no, no, no,
I'm, I'm getting all this!
Oh, could I have a,
a hot chocolate, please?
Yeah, sure.
Thanks.
Yes, it's good to see you, Alan.
How have you been?
Well, thank you.
Good.
And the new book?
God, it didn't take you long,
did it?
I'm not a machine, you know.
That's hardly fair, Alan.
I mean, it's been nearly
two years
since "No Rest
for the Wicked."
And we do have
a three-book contract.
I think we've been
more than patient.
It's not that easy, Susan.
I mean, have you any idea
what it's like
being a writer?
Do you really think
you can push a button
and another idea
will simply pop out?
No, I
I work with a lot of writers,
Alan,
and yeah, it's actually
your interests
I'm trying to protect.
You have to think of the market.
Your first two books
have done fantastically well.
But we have
to keep up the momentum.
Yeah, we also have
to keep up standards.
I mean, what do you want,
someone kills someone else,
there are clues and suspects
and a detective,
and it's all so boring?
I'm trying to do
something new.
Mm.
I thought you'd be
more cheerful.
You've got a huge following.
You've made a ton of money.
Oh, and I heard
that you're leaving the school.
Who told you that?
My sister Katie.
Well, at least I won't
have to spend any more time
with those over-privileged,
stuck-up kids.
My niece and nephew
go there.
Well, I didn't mean them.
Not Jack and Lucy.
Daisy.
Daisy.
Look, if you're blocked,
maybe
I didn't say
I was blocked.
I'm just waiting
for the right idea.
Right.
Something that actually
sparks my interest.
Mm-hmm.
And putting pressure
on me will
Frank Parris!
What?
No, the man in that paper,
I once knew him.
May I?
Um, yeah.
He was murdered.
Oh, my God, I'm so sorry.
Was he a friend of yours?
No, I hardly knew him.
Killed in a hotel!
A hotel.
That would be
a good setting for a book.
Do you think so?
Hmm.
At a wedding.
Oh, I like that.
That would be a great opening.
Bloodstains on the bridal gown.
That's Gothic.
Well, I might give it a think.
It was the start of a quiet day
for Atticus Pünd.
It seemed that no one
had been murdered for a while,
and he found himself unusually
at a loose end.
Oh, yes, oh.
Thank you, Miss Cain.
Now, I believe I have
a fairly quiet week,
which will allow me
to continue with my book.
Yes-- here is
chapter four.
You have already typed it
for me.
I had nothing to do last night,
so I thought I'd get ahead.
Oh!
I have some news for you.
Oh, yes?
Mrs. Allingham has canceled.
Oh, the missing husband--
she has found him?
No, she decided
she didn't want to.
There is one thing, though.
A Mr. Schultz is coming in
at00.
And who is he?
He works for
the William Morris Agency
in New York--
he's a senior partner.
Oh, and he's in London?
Yes.
He called yesterday morning
from the Savoy Hotel.
For what purpose?
He said it was to do with
a client of his, Melissa James.
Oh, yes!
Ah, the actress
who was killed two days ago.
I read in the paper.
I think he wants you
to investigate.
And you agreed
to an appointment.
Well, well, without
Mrs. Allingham,
you had nothing on your desk,
and, well, he has come
all the way from New York.
But even so
Melissa James was
a very well-known actress,
Mr. Pünd.
It's absolutely dreadful
that she's been murdered.
And if you were involved
in the investigation,
I think it might be very good
for your profile.
Mm.
Sometimes, I think
you know me better than
I know myself, Miss Cain.
It is my job, Mr. Pünd.
The timing is of
great interest to me.
It's good of you
to see me, Mr. Pünd.
It's my pleasure,
Mr. Schultz.
This is a bad business.
Melissa James was
one of our greatest stars,
a fine actress
and a wonderful human being.
Did you ever see her
in "Harem Nights"?
Mm, I, I do not often go
to the cinema.
She was sensational.
Nominated for an Academy Award,
and she should've won it,
too.
I, I understood that
she had retired from acting.
Mm, that's right, uh,
she was injured during
the shooting of a movie
with Hitchcock
five years ago.
And then she moved somewhere
called Tawleigh?
In "Devon-shier,"
is that right?
But she was still our client,
and for what it's worth,
she was talking
about making a comeback.
Mm.
So why are you here,
Mr. Schultz?
For the funeral, obviously.
I got on a plane
the moment I heard.
Mm, so quickly, yes.
But we want to do more
than that.
We want you to help the police
with their investigation.
We at William Morris,
we're not gonna let the killer
get away with this.
PÜ
Well, the police,
they may not welcome
outside intervention, it's
I'm sure they know
your reputation, Mr. Pünd,
and they'll welcome you
with open arms.
Oh
We'll pay your usual fee.
You can, uh,
put your assistant in touch
with our finance department.
Melissa was one of the kindest
and most considerate people
I ever had the privilege
to meet, and my partners agree.
We feel we owe this to her.
What do you say?
Did you never learn to drive,
Mr. Pünd?
Oh, I've no appetite
for it, Miss Cain.
Often seemed to me
we live in a world
that's in too much of a hurry.
The pace of change.
Yeah, and not just cars.
I mean, it's fridges,
washing machines,
televisions, telephones.
And now these new computers.
I do not like machines.
You could say
it was the machines
that won us the war.
The Spitfire, radar.
But Nazism itself was a machine,
so it always seemed to me.
You mean, with no humanity?
Exactly.
The more mechanical the age,
inevitably, it becomes
less humane.
Susan.
Oh!
So glad you've come.
I can't tell you
how grateful I am.
I just hope
I can help.
Well, I'll show you
to your room.
Oh.
I'll get someone
to bring your luggage up.
Thank you.
Please.
Oh.
Is this your dog?
No.
That's Chase--
he's Cecily's.
Oh, poor dog.
How's Aiden?
Ah, it's awful for him.
There's nothing
we can say or do.
Am I gonna be able
to see him?
Yeah, of course--
I've told him you're coming.
He wants to talk to you;
and Lisa,
Cecily's sister--
she's joining us for lunch.
Right.
Uh, that wing is Barn Owl.
We've put you in Moonflower.
Hope that's all right.
Oh, yes.
Oh! That's pretty.
Ah, it's been there
forever.
It's a figeen,
a sort of Irish brooch.
Mm.
That's the room Frank Parris
stayed in.
Um, we don't use it as a bedroom
anymore-- it's just storage.
Is there any way up here
apart from the main stairs?
Yeah, there's
a lift to the far end.
Takes you down to the bar.
And there's
a fire escape that way.
Leads directly outside.
Here you go.
I'll leave you to freshen up.
Thank you.
Shall we say lunch
in ten?
Fine.
Uh, look,
uh, there's something else
I should mention,
perhaps by way of a warning.
Uh, Lisa can be rather direct.
In that respect,
she takes after her mother.
Where is Pauline?
She's at home-- she's, uh,
she's terribly worried.
We both are.
Try to stay positive.
There might be
a perfectly innocent answer.
The answer's in the book.
Daddy!
Oh, my God.
Come on, Dad.
Hello.
You must be Lisa.
No need to ask who you are.
My father won't stop
talking about you.
Oh.
We've ordered the set menu.
Hope that's all right.
Oh, perfect.
How's the room?
It's really comfortable,
thank you.
You've a hotel in Greece?
Uh, yes, I run it with
my partner, Andreas.
Surprised he didn't
come, too.
He's busy.
I think I just saw Aiden--
does he live in the hotel?
No, he has a cottage
in the grounds.
I used to live there.
But I moved out when
he and Cecily got together.
You run the hotel
with your sister?
Well, you could say that,
yes.
I'm general manager,
and Cecily does the accounts.
And Aiden?
PR.
Right.
Yes, he was, uh, with a child.
Roxana.
This is very hard for her,
missing her mother.
She's just turned eight.
Eight?
Cecily was already expecting
when she got married.
But that's Aiden for you.
Fast mover.
No need to be like that.
Well, you know
how I feel about him, Daddy.
I take it you're not
his number-one fan.
Well, the one thing
you need to know about Aiden
is, he hit the jackpot
when Cess walked into his life.
Job, family, this hotel.
He had it all handed to him
on a plate.
That's not fair--
Aiden was working
as an estate agent when they
met, and a very successful one.
He had his own flat
in Bayswater.
Not bad for a young man
not even out of his 20s.
And he does
a brilliant job here.
Well, he smiles nicely.
And he swans around
making friends.
Would be nice
if he actually did any work.
What do you think's happened
to your sister?
I think they've had a row
and she's gone off.
Is that what you told
the police?
They haven't found her--
the police don't know anything.
And it'd be just like her,
wanting to be
the center of attention.
That's not true at all.
You don't know her, Daddy--
you don't know either of them.
Madam?
Thank you.
- Sir?
Thank you.
Look if you don't mind,
I have a ton of things to do,
and I really don't feel
like eating.
I've nothing against you,
Susan.
I just find it incredible
that you're being paid £10,000
to read a book.
Well, I'm glad you have nothing
against me.
Enjoy your lunch.
Ooh!
Sorry about that.
No, no-- you did warn me.
Can I ask you,
how did Lisa get her scar?
Uh, I'm afraid
that was Cecily.
Um
They were always fighting
when they were young girls.
Um, toys, clothes, boyfriends.
Cessy threw a glass at her,
it broke, and, um
She didn't know
what she was doing.
She certainly didn't mean
for it to hit her.
Did Lisa ever want
to be an actress?
No, you're thinking of the book.
Melissa had a scar.
You knew Alan Conway.
Mm.
Why would he do that?
He liked playing games.
Are you missing me?
We all are.
Ya, Susan.
To be honest with you, I'm
amazed we're still in business.
It's been one day!
You need the money.
You're right, we need that
more-- how's the hotel?
expensive, classy.
Very well-run.
You'd hate it here.
Not if I was with you.
I want to help these people,
Andreas.
What Alan Conway did to them
was unforgivable.
He's responsible for everything
that's happened.
You can't blame yourself.
But I do.
I'm gonna have to get back
to it.
I love you.
Take care of yourself.
Mm.
It had taken Atticus Pünd
six hours to reach
the Moonflower Hotel,
traveling by train from London--
the arrangements all made,
of course,
by his trusted assistant,
Madeline Cain.
Here's your keys.
Thank you.
Here you are.
Thank you--
I've put Mr. Pound
in the Captain's Room.
It's Pünd.
I'm sorry?
I did ask for the best room
for Mr. Pünd.
And that's what he's got.
It's at the back
of the hotel
with its own bathroom
en suite.
A lot of the furniture
came from "The Mary Celeste."
Oh, the ship
that disappeared.
And the title of Melissa James's
second film.
That's right!
The film company gave us
some of the props,
including
the captain's bed.
And I'm sure I'll be
most comfortable.
Herr Pünd?
Uh
They told me
you were coming down.
Uh, can I introduce myself?
I'm Detective Inspector Chubb.
You're not, I think,
from this part of the world.
Oh, no, sir,
Suffolk-born and -bred.
I married a Devon girl.
Ah, and she enticed you here.
One day, I'll entice her back!
Well, it's a great pleasure,
Detective Inspector.
I, I hope that you do not
consider
my presence here to be, um,
an intrusion.
Not at all, sir.
To be honest with you,
I'd be glad of the help.
Well, then, may I introduce
my assistant, Miss Cain?
Pleasure to meet you,
Miss Cain.
Have you checked in?
I've got a car outside.
I could drive you
to the scene of the crime.
Yeah, but we've
only just arrived.
You can leave your luggage
down here.
Oh, could you ask someone
to bring it up?
PÜ
That would be most helpful.
In which case,
Detective Inspector
Okay.
Cheers, miss.
From what I can tell,
Melissa James had no enemies.
Very much part
of the local community.
But sometime between- 28
and- 38 in the evening,
somebody broke into
her house and strangled her.
Oh, you're very precise
with your timings,
Detective Inspector.
She called her physician,
Dr. Leonard Collins, at28.
He drove straight round,
but by the time he arrived,
she was dead.
So, who do you think
may have been responsible?
Well, I, I do have
a few suspects.
Lance and Maureen Gardner
at the hotel.
She had her doubts
about them.
And there's a film producer
called Oscar Berlin.
Now, he had a row
with Miss James
just one hour
before she was killed.
Was she making another film?
She'd strung him along,
but then changed her mind.
Who else?
Well, there's
her financial adviser,
a man by the name
of Algernon Marsh.
A dodgy customer
if ever there was one.
I'm looking into him now.
But it may be, it was
no one who actually knew her.
What do you mean by that,
Detective Inspector?
Melissa James was still famous.
Oh, she had fans and followers
all over the world,
a lot of them angry with her
because she'd given up
the acting.
Well, maybe one of them
come down here
and had it out with her.
But if they loved her work,
would they want her dead?
Well, if they weren't
in their right mind,
there's no saying
what they might do.
Oh, thank you--
oh, what a gorgeous house!
It certainly is,
Miss Cain.
That's half the trouble.
Everyone knew who lived here.
When did she buy it?
Same time as the hotel.
Now, the story goes,
she fell in love with it
and paid twice the asking price.
Oh, good afternoon, sir.
We're here to see Mr. Spencer.
Oh, I'm afraid
Mr. Spencer is not here, sir.
He's gone for a walk.
Well, then we'll wait for him.
Mm.
After you.
Forgive me,
your, your name is?
Phyllis Chandler, sir.
I imagine you've
worked here a long time.
Since Miss James arrived,
sir.
I can't tell you
how sorry I am.
I'm sure.
We'll take a look upstairs,
if you don't mind,
Mrs. Chandler.
Let us know
when Mr. Spencer returns.
Yes, sir.
That's the housekeeper.
She lives here with her son,
who works as a chauffeur
and general help.
The two of them
were out on the evening
that Melissa James died,
visiting a relative in Bideford.
So, Miss James was here
on her own.
Until she let someone in.
Oh! Look at this!
That's a prop
from one of her films.
A Turkish dagger.
It's a wicked-looking thing.
She was strangled,
not stabbed.
15 minutes after
the Chandlers had gone,
Miss James called
her doctor.
Dr. Collins.
That's right, Mr. Pünd.
She said she was terrified.
There was somebody in the house
and she was in danger.
Would it not have been more
sensible to call for the police?
Nearest police station's
ten miles away.
Doctor was nearer.
Dr. Collins
came straight round,
but by the time he arrived,
it was too late.
This is Melissa James's
bedroom,
and this is where
he found her, on the bed.
Room's been cleaned up,
but, uh, you get
the general idea.
The telephone cord has been
torn from the wall.
That's right-- it seems
she called the doctor
from downstairs.
Why do you believe that?
There's a second telephone
in the living room,
and we found
several tissues there
impregnated
with her lacrimal fluid.
It's tears.
Oh.
She makes the call
downstairs.
She comes upstairs to hide,
and the intruder--
and, you know,
I'm assuming it's a man--
follows her,
and finds her here
and strangles her
with the telephone cord
tearing it from the wall.
She must have
put up quite a fight.
The sheets were crumpled,
one of the lamps was broken,
and there was two sets
of abrasions
round her neck.
Ah.
At some stage, she hits her head
on the bedpost.
There's a bloodstain--
look.
Excuse me, Mr. Pünd.
Do you think you could, um
Do you think you could
just open the window?
Miss Cain?
It's just so
Uh, open the window, Pünd.
Oh! Ooh!
Miss Cain!
Up you get.
Come and sit on the bed.
Not the bed! No!
It's all right.
It's just too much
Ooh
I'm sorry, it's just horrible,
what you're describing.
Oh.
Okay, let's get you outside.
You are in the wars.
Take a seat, Miss Cain.
I worked with
Associated Biscuits
for 12 years before
I came to Mr. Pünd,
and I can assure you
I have never experienced
anything like this.
Shall we
call the doctor?
No, no, I just
need a
I just need a minute
to catch my breath.
JOHN
Hello?
That's John Spencer.
Oh, you go ahead
and see him.
I'll just wait here
for a moment.
You're sure?
Yes, yes.
I'll just wait in the car--
you go ahead without me.
Oh, sorry.
Yeah.
Um
Oh, thank you.
Oh, Mr. Chubb--
I saw your car.
Do you have any news?
This is Mr. Pünd, sir.
He's come down from London
to help.
Can we have a word?
Well, of course.
Do come through.
I want you to know
that I
I loved her more than anyone
in the world.
May I ask, Mr. Spencer,
how did you meet?
Uh, well, it was
six years ago.
She was working
down here.
It was actually her last film.
They shot some of it on
my father's estate, and
The moment I saw her
Well, I knew straight away
there was nobody else.
PÜ
You were not here on
the evening of her death.
No, I was, uh, at the opera,
"The Marriage of Figaro."
There was a performance
in Barnstaple.
She did not like the opera?
No, she had a meeting.
Her
financial adviser
was looking into the hotel,
so I went alone.
Oh, I wish to God I hadn't.
I wish I'd stayed
with her, but
Do you have any idea who may
have attacked her, Mr. Spencer?
I already told
the detective inspector.
You should talk
to Lance Gardner.
You know, she knew
they were cheating her--
him and his wife.
The hotel's been losing money
hand over fist.
She threatened to expose them,
and then, uh
You know,
and then this happened.
You should talk to them.
Forgive me,
Detective Inspector, but, um,
have you actually confirmed
that he did indeed
attend the opera?
I hadn't thought
to do that, Mr. Pünd.
Well, perhaps you should.
I'll, uh
I'll wait to hear
from you, Mr. MacNeil.
Do you really think
it'll help find Cecily,
Detective Superintendent?
A public appeal
can't do any harm, sir.
What if someone's holding her
against her will?
Well, they'll see it,
and they'll know
we're looking for her.
These sorts of broadcasts
have helped in the past, sir.
All right.
Yeah, I'll, I'll do it.
The television people
will be here tomorrow morning.
Shouldn't take too long.
You just missed the police.
Yes, I saw Detective
Superintendent Locke just now.
Mm.
He wants me to do
an appeal on TV.
Reaching out to Cecily.
Asking the public
for help.
Well, might be a good idea.
I'll do anything
to get her back.
Anything.
The police used that photograph
in all newspapers.
Mm-- thank you.
She looks very happy.
Yeah-- that's how she is.
Please.
Thank you.
Do you mind me
talking to you about her?
No, I, I want to
talk about her.
Ah.
I can't think
about anything else.
Where do I start?
I mean, she's
She's brilliant, kind,
wonderful mum.
Works her guts out
at the hotel.
It's one of the few things
we ever argue about.
She does too much.
So, what do you think's
happened to her?
I don't know.
Can't think.
It's all got
something to do
with that bloody book,
hasn't it?
Did you read it?
Not to begin with, no.
I'm not really into
murder mysteries.
Nothing personal.
Oh, no, don't worry.
I don't, I don't
read them, either.
Well, not anymore.
Did she say
where she got this?
Charity shop.
Alan Conway hated charity
shops-- no royalties.
We met him--
you know that?
He came here,
asked lots of questions
about Frank Parris
and his murder.
Mm.
Never heard from him again,
and forgot all about it
until she picked up the book.
What did she say about it?
Well, obviously, she recognized
lots of things.
I mean, I was in it.
Her mum, her dad.
She was annoyed.
Thought we ought to sue.
I dissuaded her.
So you did read it.
Yes, yes,
she asked me to.
I, I thought it was harmless.
I mean, wasn't set in Suffolk,
didn't use any of our names.
The author was dead--
there was nothing we could do.
Cecily knew that
Stefan was innocent.
Yeah.
The evidence was all stacked up
against him.
She found the truth
in the book.
We talked about it
the morning she disappeared.
She said she'd read
another chapter in bed,
and
And she'd found something.
Oh!
Which chapter?
I don't know, Susan.
I'm sorry, I should've asked,
but I was in a hurry.
I, I had to go to
a meeting in Ipswich.
New brochures.
Daddy!
Roxie!
Hello, sweetheart.
Oh!
This is Susan.
She's gonna help us
find Mummy.
Hello, Roxie.
I'm Roxana.
It's a very pretty name.
Cess chose it.
Uh, this is Gwyneth Endicott.
Derek's mother.
Derek's our night manager.
Oh.
Gwyneth helps us with Roxie.
And we could not manage
without her.
I'll take her up for a bath,
Aiden.
And then I'll make tea
for the both of you.
Thank you, Gwyneth.
It's nice to meet you.
And you.
Come on, my love.
Go on, sweetheart.
So, what happened
when you came home?
Hm?
From Ipswich.
Oh, um
Cess wasn't here.
Um, I wasn't worried,
not to begin with.
I asked Gwyneth,
and she said
she'd gone out
with the dog.
Had she said
where she'd gone?
Well, she usually
walked over in Woodbridge,
along the River Deben, but
I mean, she hadn't said
anything to Gwyneth,
so I went upstairs with Roxie,
read her a story.
Only realized
something was wrong when
I heard the dog barking
outside the door.
He had his lead on,
but he was alone.
There was
no sign of Cess.
So what did you do?
I'm sorry, Susan,
I can't talk about this
right now.
I've got to go to Roxie.
Oh
I
I called her on her mobile.
I looked in the hotel,
I called her parents,
and then I called the police.
Look, I'm, I'm sorry.
Could you, um, can you
show yourself out?
Yes, sure.
It's just that I, I've been
over and over this.
I just,
I can't do this anymore.
Hello,
I'm Susan Ryeland.
Uh-- you must be Derek.
I think I just met
your mum.
Have, have you been
with Aiden?
Yes.
Feel so sorry for him.
Mm.
He and Miss Treherne
are the loveliest people.
They're made
for each other.
Yeah.
You were on reception
the night it happened.
You mean
when Mr. Parris died?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Must've been awful
for you.
I actually met him.
I helped check him in.
I heard he wasn't easy.
It's not my place to say.
Well, if it was just
between us two.
He wasn't very polite.
Why did I think
you were going to say that?
Well, he wasn't.
I had to order
a taxi for him.
He didn't even say
thank you.
You were the key witness.
That's right, I had to
talk to the police.
What did you see?
Not sure I should
really tell you.
I'm trying to find
Cecily, Derek.
Before it's too late.
Mm All right.
I was over there.
Night reception.
I was on me own that night.
There'd been a party.
I'd been invited, but
I'm not the party sort.
Anyway, I had my job to do.
It was about midnight
when I heard it.
It was Chase, Cecily's dog.
He slept in a basket upstairs.
He must have had a bad dream
or something.
What is it, Chase?
What is it?
It's all right.
There, all right.
And it was
while I was there
that I saw him.
Stefan?
I wondered what he was doing
in the hotel
so late at night, but
when I looked down the corridor,
there was no sign of him.
There's not much more to say.
I had to tell the police.
Didn't really like doing that.
You sure it was him?
Did look like him.
He had Stefan's woolly hat,
he was carrying
his maintenance kit.
Did you see his face?
Not completely.
I, I did tell Mr. Locke that.
But he didn't listen.
I just didn't want to get him
into any more trouble.
Not if it wasn't his fault.
Stefan had already been fired.
For stealing.
That wasn't him.
You won't tell Lisa
I said this, will you?
Oh, no.
There'd been a lot
of petty pilfering.
Everyone knew it wasn't him.
Who was it, then?
It was Natasha.
Whenever she went into a room,
something went missing.
It's almost a joke.
We were glad when she left.
I think she's out
of the country now.
But Stefan took the blame
in the end.
I mean, that must have
upset you.
There wasn't anything
I could do.
Anyway, after
the murder happened,
and he confessed
and everything,
hardly mattered anymore.
Thanks.
Oh, um
You said when you first
met Frank Parris,
he asked you to order
a taxi for him.
That's right.
Do you know where it went?
I do know, 'cause
the police asked me,
and anyway, I always
wrote these things down.
So where did he go?
Oh, uh
He went into Framlingham,
had a meeting at
a solicitor's office
Wesley and Khan
in Framlingham.
Sajid Khan.
Ha!
We've met.
Ah
Hello.
Something made you bark.
What was it, hm?
What did you see?
Don't think Chase
will tell you anything.
I don't think we've met.
Liam Corby, spa manager.
I'm Susan
I know who you are.
Whole hotel was told
you were coming.
Bit of a fool's errand,
if you ask me.
What, do you think
Cecily's dead?
She's been missing
almost a week.
A woman like Cecily Treherne
doesn't just
run away or go into hiding
because something upset her.
So you think
she's been killed?
I didn't say that.
Just because there was one
gruesome murder at the hotel
doesn't mean
there has to be another.
When did you
leave Australia?
When I came here.
When was that?
Why do you
want to know?
Frank Parris
lived in Australia.
Yep.
Big country,
you know.
Doesn't mean
we ever met.
But you were here
when he died.
Gruesomely murdered.
Only exciting thing
that ever happened around here.
Were you close
to Stefan?
Yeah, we were mates.
Do you think he did it?
Honestly, I've got no idea.
Police said he did.
Court said he did,
he said he did, so
Seems pretty likely.
I feel sorry
for the poor bastard,
the way they
treated him, but
it's a long way behind us now.
Nothing anyone can do
about that.
I suggest you just
enjoy your free stay,
make the most of it.
Massages on the house.
Who killed Melissa James?
The last person
to see her alive
had been her financial adviser,
Algernon Marsh.
But her physician,
Dr. Leonard Collins,
had been the last
to hear her.
And so it was Dr. Collins
that Atticus Pünd
had come to meet.
Are you sure you're
all right, Miss Cain?
Oh, very much so,
Mr. Pünd, yes.
I, I'm so sorry I made
such a fool of myself.
Ooh, not at all, ooh.
Oh, this, this is the car
driven by Dr. Collins?
Uh, no, his brother-in-law,
Algernon Marsh.
Melissa's so-called
financial adviser.
Oh, you said
you didn't trust him.
That's right.
Well, it would seem
he's also not reliable
behind the wheel
of a car.
If you've come to see Algernon,
I'm afraid
he's not here.
No, it is you I have come
to see, Dr. Collins.
Oh, well, I have already told
Detective Inspector Chubb
everything I know.
And yet it would be
helpful for me
to hear it once again,
from you.
Are you sure you won't
have some cake, Mr. Pünd?
Oh, there is nothing
like my wife's Battenberg.
Not for me, thank you.
I'll have
another slice.
I'm afraid I have
some questions to ask you
about Melissa James.
Please, fire away.
How well did you know her?
Well, I was her doctor.
So you could say I knew her
as well as anyone.
Well, she took
advantage of you.
She would call
my husband day or night.
And she often came here.
It never seemed
to occur to her
that Leonard might have
other patients.
To be fair to her,
she was under
a lot of strain.
Yes, the hotel.
Mm.
It had been losing money.
She blamed the Gardners.
She believed that they were
stealing from her.
Well, I don't think
there's any doubt of it.
The hotel was always full,
but it had never shown a profit
from the day
she'd bought it.
It made her
quite anxious.
She told you
she was being watched.
She did say that, yes.
PÜ
Watched?
Mm.
From the street?
No, at home.
And she said things were
being taken from her room.
Not valuable things--
small things.
Such as?
She wouldn't say.
PÜ
Mm-- mm.
You received a telephone call
from Miss James
on the day that she died.
That's right-- Sam was here.
I remembered the time
from the clock.
Mm.
Can you tell me
exactly what occurred?
Yes, yes.
Um, I had just
finished surgery
Hello?
I have to speak to Dr. Collins,
please!
Is he there?
It's urgent.
It's Melissa-- for you.
Please, hurry, please!
Oh, my God.
Please, please,
please come round.
I don't know what to do!
I'm so frightened, please.
He wants to kill me.
Please don't leave me here
on my own.
Melissa-- Melissa, please.
Please try to calm down.
Can you leave the house?
I don't know.
He's still here.
Oh, my God, help me--
please, hurry!
He wants to kill me!
Please hurry! Please!
Stay right where you are.
I will be with you
in two minutes.
In fact, it took me
ten minutes
to get there.
Finding my keys, uh,
the car wouldn't start.
There was a tractor
in the lane.
Mm.
I'm still kicking
myself.
If only I'd gotten there sooner.
Well, you could've
been killed yourself.
Well
You're certain she said,
"There's a man in the house."
Well, I can't be certain,
but that is what
it sounded like, yes.
And you heard this conversation,
too,
Mrs. Collins.
Yes.
It was definitely Melissa,
and she was definitely
in fear of her life.
Mm-- mm.
Oh!
Thank you for cooperation,
Dr. Collins.
And very good cake.
Um, I'll take you
to the hotel, Mr. Pünd.
You staying at the Moonflower?
Yes, we have rooms there.
Well, it won't be the same
without Melissa.
Do you think we should've
told them?
What?
About the money.
Well, I don't see
that it's got
anything to do
with any of this.
Melissa didn't know
anything about it.
Nobody did-- no, no, no,
it's, it's nobody's business
except ours.
I think we should leave here,
Leonard.
I don't think
we can stay anymore.
This is a new chance
for us, my darling.
It's a blessing.
It's a chance for us
to get away from Tawleigh
and build a new life
for ourselves.
Well, where will we go?
Wherever you want to go.
I just want to be with you.
Somewhere far away.
How do you do it?
I mean,
how do you even begin?
Begin what?
To work things out.
Ah.
I'm reading the book.
I've read the book.
There is nothing in it
that has anything to do
with what happened here.
Is that really true?
You tell me-- except you won't,
will you?
You never do.
I will say only this.
There is one thing
that is indeed the same.
From the moment
I first arrived in Tawleigh,
I was aware
Something wrong.
It was, if you like,
an atmosphere.
A sense of evil
in the air.
It's here, too.
Do you not feel it?
You need, I think,
to be careful.
It might have been better
not to have come.
Yes, but
I'm here because of the murder
of Frank Parris.
I need the money.
Get out, Frank!
We have information
that could help you.
You should've told her.
It's none of her business.
Why does everything
have to be so complicated?
The investigation
or your personal life?
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about the murder
of a man called Frank Parris?
At our hotel? Branlow Hall?
He's dead!
We called the police.
His name was
Detective Superintendent Locke.
Why was I afraid
you were going to say that?
Stefan Leonida--
he wasn't guilty.
You began by saying that your
daughter had disappeared.
The real killer is named
in the book.
"Atticus Pünd Takes the Case."
Susan, we'll pay you £10,000
if you help us find Cecily.
Just a week.
Melissa James,
the British actress,
had an accident
which brought a sudden end
to her career.
Even when the hotel is full,
we are still losing money
hand over fist!
I have the scripts,
the director, the contract
You'll just have to find
somebody else.
I need to cash in my shares.
I gave up everything for you.
I don't want
to have this argument now!
I should leave this alone.
But you won't.
FLIGHT ATTENDAN
Dear passengers,
in a few moments,
you will be able to purchase
refreshment,
nuts, and a selection
of alcoholic drinks.
Alan Conway!
I'm sorry?
I've read all his books.
Ah.
You know, he died
last year.
Yes, I heard.
A great shame.
He was a brilliant writer.
So clever, and I'm sure
he was a lovely man.
I'm so sorry I'm late,
I couldn't,
I couldn't get a taxi.
Have you been here long?
Since the time we agreed.
I see you already ordered.
Oh, what can I get you?
Uh, no, no, no, no,
I'm, I'm getting all this!
Oh, could I have a,
a hot chocolate, please?
Yeah, sure.
Thanks.
Yes, it's good to see you, Alan.
How have you been?
Well, thank you.
Good.
And the new book?
God, it didn't take you long,
did it?
I'm not a machine, you know.
That's hardly fair, Alan.
I mean, it's been nearly
two years
since "No Rest
for the Wicked."
And we do have
a three-book contract.
I think we've been
more than patient.
It's not that easy, Susan.
I mean, have you any idea
what it's like
being a writer?
Do you really think
you can push a button
and another idea
will simply pop out?
No, I
I work with a lot of writers,
Alan,
and yeah, it's actually
your interests
I'm trying to protect.
You have to think of the market.
Your first two books
have done fantastically well.
But we have
to keep up the momentum.
Yeah, we also have
to keep up standards.
I mean, what do you want,
someone kills someone else,
there are clues and suspects
and a detective,
and it's all so boring?
I'm trying to do
something new.
Mm.
I thought you'd be
more cheerful.
You've got a huge following.
You've made a ton of money.
Oh, and I heard
that you're leaving the school.
Who told you that?
My sister Katie.
Well, at least I won't
have to spend any more time
with those over-privileged,
stuck-up kids.
My niece and nephew
go there.
Well, I didn't mean them.
Not Jack and Lucy.
Daisy.
Daisy.
Look, if you're blocked,
maybe
I didn't say
I was blocked.
I'm just waiting
for the right idea.
Right.
Something that actually
sparks my interest.
Mm-hmm.
And putting pressure
on me will
Frank Parris!
What?
No, the man in that paper,
I once knew him.
May I?
Um, yeah.
He was murdered.
Oh, my God, I'm so sorry.
Was he a friend of yours?
No, I hardly knew him.
Killed in a hotel!
A hotel.
That would be
a good setting for a book.
Do you think so?
Hmm.
At a wedding.
Oh, I like that.
That would be a great opening.
Bloodstains on the bridal gown.
That's Gothic.
Well, I might give it a think.
It was the start of a quiet day
for Atticus Pünd.
It seemed that no one
had been murdered for a while,
and he found himself unusually
at a loose end.
Oh, yes, oh.
Thank you, Miss Cain.
Now, I believe I have
a fairly quiet week,
which will allow me
to continue with my book.
Yes-- here is
chapter four.
You have already typed it
for me.
I had nothing to do last night,
so I thought I'd get ahead.
Oh!
I have some news for you.
Oh, yes?
Mrs. Allingham has canceled.
Oh, the missing husband--
she has found him?
No, she decided
she didn't want to.
There is one thing, though.
A Mr. Schultz is coming in
at00.
And who is he?
He works for
the William Morris Agency
in New York--
he's a senior partner.
Oh, and he's in London?
Yes.
He called yesterday morning
from the Savoy Hotel.
For what purpose?
He said it was to do with
a client of his, Melissa James.
Oh, yes!
Ah, the actress
who was killed two days ago.
I read in the paper.
I think he wants you
to investigate.
And you agreed
to an appointment.
Well, well, without
Mrs. Allingham,
you had nothing on your desk,
and, well, he has come
all the way from New York.
But even so
Melissa James was
a very well-known actress,
Mr. Pünd.
It's absolutely dreadful
that she's been murdered.
And if you were involved
in the investigation,
I think it might be very good
for your profile.
Mm.
Sometimes, I think
you know me better than
I know myself, Miss Cain.
It is my job, Mr. Pünd.
The timing is of
great interest to me.
It's good of you
to see me, Mr. Pünd.
It's my pleasure,
Mr. Schultz.
This is a bad business.
Melissa James was
one of our greatest stars,
a fine actress
and a wonderful human being.
Did you ever see her
in "Harem Nights"?
Mm, I, I do not often go
to the cinema.
She was sensational.
Nominated for an Academy Award,
and she should've won it,
too.
I, I understood that
she had retired from acting.
Mm, that's right, uh,
she was injured during
the shooting of a movie
with Hitchcock
five years ago.
And then she moved somewhere
called Tawleigh?
In "Devon-shier,"
is that right?
But she was still our client,
and for what it's worth,
she was talking
about making a comeback.
Mm.
So why are you here,
Mr. Schultz?
For the funeral, obviously.
I got on a plane
the moment I heard.
Mm, so quickly, yes.
But we want to do more
than that.
We want you to help the police
with their investigation.
We at William Morris,
we're not gonna let the killer
get away with this.
PÜ
Well, the police,
they may not welcome
outside intervention, it's
I'm sure they know
your reputation, Mr. Pünd,
and they'll welcome you
with open arms.
Oh
We'll pay your usual fee.
You can, uh,
put your assistant in touch
with our finance department.
Melissa was one of the kindest
and most considerate people
I ever had the privilege
to meet, and my partners agree.
We feel we owe this to her.
What do you say?
Did you never learn to drive,
Mr. Pünd?
Oh, I've no appetite
for it, Miss Cain.
Often seemed to me
we live in a world
that's in too much of a hurry.
The pace of change.
Yeah, and not just cars.
I mean, it's fridges,
washing machines,
televisions, telephones.
And now these new computers.
I do not like machines.
You could say
it was the machines
that won us the war.
The Spitfire, radar.
But Nazism itself was a machine,
so it always seemed to me.
You mean, with no humanity?
Exactly.
The more mechanical the age,
inevitably, it becomes
less humane.
Susan.
Oh!
So glad you've come.
I can't tell you
how grateful I am.
I just hope
I can help.
Well, I'll show you
to your room.
Oh.
I'll get someone
to bring your luggage up.
Thank you.
Please.
Oh.
Is this your dog?
No.
That's Chase--
he's Cecily's.
Oh, poor dog.
How's Aiden?
Ah, it's awful for him.
There's nothing
we can say or do.
Am I gonna be able
to see him?
Yeah, of course--
I've told him you're coming.
He wants to talk to you;
and Lisa,
Cecily's sister--
she's joining us for lunch.
Right.
Uh, that wing is Barn Owl.
We've put you in Moonflower.
Hope that's all right.
Oh, yes.
Oh! That's pretty.
Ah, it's been there
forever.
It's a figeen,
a sort of Irish brooch.
Mm.
That's the room Frank Parris
stayed in.
Um, we don't use it as a bedroom
anymore-- it's just storage.
Is there any way up here
apart from the main stairs?
Yeah, there's
a lift to the far end.
Takes you down to the bar.
And there's
a fire escape that way.
Leads directly outside.
Here you go.
I'll leave you to freshen up.
Thank you.
Shall we say lunch
in ten?
Fine.
Uh, look,
uh, there's something else
I should mention,
perhaps by way of a warning.
Uh, Lisa can be rather direct.
In that respect,
she takes after her mother.
Where is Pauline?
She's at home-- she's, uh,
she's terribly worried.
We both are.
Try to stay positive.
There might be
a perfectly innocent answer.
The answer's in the book.
Daddy!
Oh, my God.
Come on, Dad.
Hello.
You must be Lisa.
No need to ask who you are.
My father won't stop
talking about you.
Oh.
We've ordered the set menu.
Hope that's all right.
Oh, perfect.
How's the room?
It's really comfortable,
thank you.
You've a hotel in Greece?
Uh, yes, I run it with
my partner, Andreas.
Surprised he didn't
come, too.
He's busy.
I think I just saw Aiden--
does he live in the hotel?
No, he has a cottage
in the grounds.
I used to live there.
But I moved out when
he and Cecily got together.
You run the hotel
with your sister?
Well, you could say that,
yes.
I'm general manager,
and Cecily does the accounts.
And Aiden?
PR.
Right.
Yes, he was, uh, with a child.
Roxana.
This is very hard for her,
missing her mother.
She's just turned eight.
Eight?
Cecily was already expecting
when she got married.
But that's Aiden for you.
Fast mover.
No need to be like that.
Well, you know
how I feel about him, Daddy.
I take it you're not
his number-one fan.
Well, the one thing
you need to know about Aiden
is, he hit the jackpot
when Cess walked into his life.
Job, family, this hotel.
He had it all handed to him
on a plate.
That's not fair--
Aiden was working
as an estate agent when they
met, and a very successful one.
He had his own flat
in Bayswater.
Not bad for a young man
not even out of his 20s.
And he does
a brilliant job here.
Well, he smiles nicely.
And he swans around
making friends.
Would be nice
if he actually did any work.
What do you think's happened
to your sister?
I think they've had a row
and she's gone off.
Is that what you told
the police?
They haven't found her--
the police don't know anything.
And it'd be just like her,
wanting to be
the center of attention.
That's not true at all.
You don't know her, Daddy--
you don't know either of them.
Madam?
Thank you.
- Sir?
Thank you.
Look if you don't mind,
I have a ton of things to do,
and I really don't feel
like eating.
I've nothing against you,
Susan.
I just find it incredible
that you're being paid £10,000
to read a book.
Well, I'm glad you have nothing
against me.
Enjoy your lunch.
Ooh!
Sorry about that.
No, no-- you did warn me.
Can I ask you,
how did Lisa get her scar?
Uh, I'm afraid
that was Cecily.
Um
They were always fighting
when they were young girls.
Um, toys, clothes, boyfriends.
Cessy threw a glass at her,
it broke, and, um
She didn't know
what she was doing.
She certainly didn't mean
for it to hit her.
Did Lisa ever want
to be an actress?
No, you're thinking of the book.
Melissa had a scar.
You knew Alan Conway.
Mm.
Why would he do that?
He liked playing games.
Are you missing me?
We all are.
Ya, Susan.
To be honest with you, I'm
amazed we're still in business.
It's been one day!
You need the money.
You're right, we need that
more-- how's the hotel?
expensive, classy.
Very well-run.
You'd hate it here.
Not if I was with you.
I want to help these people,
Andreas.
What Alan Conway did to them
was unforgivable.
He's responsible for everything
that's happened.
You can't blame yourself.
But I do.
I'm gonna have to get back
to it.
I love you.
Take care of yourself.
Mm.
It had taken Atticus Pünd
six hours to reach
the Moonflower Hotel,
traveling by train from London--
the arrangements all made,
of course,
by his trusted assistant,
Madeline Cain.
Here's your keys.
Thank you.
Here you are.
Thank you--
I've put Mr. Pound
in the Captain's Room.
It's Pünd.
I'm sorry?
I did ask for the best room
for Mr. Pünd.
And that's what he's got.
It's at the back
of the hotel
with its own bathroom
en suite.
A lot of the furniture
came from "The Mary Celeste."
Oh, the ship
that disappeared.
And the title of Melissa James's
second film.
That's right!
The film company gave us
some of the props,
including
the captain's bed.
And I'm sure I'll be
most comfortable.
Herr Pünd?
Uh
They told me
you were coming down.
Uh, can I introduce myself?
I'm Detective Inspector Chubb.
You're not, I think,
from this part of the world.
Oh, no, sir,
Suffolk-born and -bred.
I married a Devon girl.
Ah, and she enticed you here.
One day, I'll entice her back!
Well, it's a great pleasure,
Detective Inspector.
I, I hope that you do not
consider
my presence here to be, um,
an intrusion.
Not at all, sir.
To be honest with you,
I'd be glad of the help.
Well, then, may I introduce
my assistant, Miss Cain?
Pleasure to meet you,
Miss Cain.
Have you checked in?
I've got a car outside.
I could drive you
to the scene of the crime.
Yeah, but we've
only just arrived.
You can leave your luggage
down here.
Oh, could you ask someone
to bring it up?
PÜ
That would be most helpful.
In which case,
Detective Inspector
Okay.
Cheers, miss.
From what I can tell,
Melissa James had no enemies.
Very much part
of the local community.
But sometime between- 28
and- 38 in the evening,
somebody broke into
her house and strangled her.
Oh, you're very precise
with your timings,
Detective Inspector.
She called her physician,
Dr. Leonard Collins, at28.
He drove straight round,
but by the time he arrived,
she was dead.
So, who do you think
may have been responsible?
Well, I, I do have
a few suspects.
Lance and Maureen Gardner
at the hotel.
She had her doubts
about them.
And there's a film producer
called Oscar Berlin.
Now, he had a row
with Miss James
just one hour
before she was killed.
Was she making another film?
She'd strung him along,
but then changed her mind.
Who else?
Well, there's
her financial adviser,
a man by the name
of Algernon Marsh.
A dodgy customer
if ever there was one.
I'm looking into him now.
But it may be, it was
no one who actually knew her.
What do you mean by that,
Detective Inspector?
Melissa James was still famous.
Oh, she had fans and followers
all over the world,
a lot of them angry with her
because she'd given up
the acting.
Well, maybe one of them
come down here
and had it out with her.
But if they loved her work,
would they want her dead?
Well, if they weren't
in their right mind,
there's no saying
what they might do.
Oh, thank you--
oh, what a gorgeous house!
It certainly is,
Miss Cain.
That's half the trouble.
Everyone knew who lived here.
When did she buy it?
Same time as the hotel.
Now, the story goes,
she fell in love with it
and paid twice the asking price.
Oh, good afternoon, sir.
We're here to see Mr. Spencer.
Oh, I'm afraid
Mr. Spencer is not here, sir.
He's gone for a walk.
Well, then we'll wait for him.
Mm.
After you.
Forgive me,
your, your name is?
Phyllis Chandler, sir.
I imagine you've
worked here a long time.
Since Miss James arrived,
sir.
I can't tell you
how sorry I am.
I'm sure.
We'll take a look upstairs,
if you don't mind,
Mrs. Chandler.
Let us know
when Mr. Spencer returns.
Yes, sir.
That's the housekeeper.
She lives here with her son,
who works as a chauffeur
and general help.
The two of them
were out on the evening
that Melissa James died,
visiting a relative in Bideford.
So, Miss James was here
on her own.
Until she let someone in.
Oh! Look at this!
That's a prop
from one of her films.
A Turkish dagger.
It's a wicked-looking thing.
She was strangled,
not stabbed.
15 minutes after
the Chandlers had gone,
Miss James called
her doctor.
Dr. Collins.
That's right, Mr. Pünd.
She said she was terrified.
There was somebody in the house
and she was in danger.
Would it not have been more
sensible to call for the police?
Nearest police station's
ten miles away.
Doctor was nearer.
Dr. Collins
came straight round,
but by the time he arrived,
it was too late.
This is Melissa James's
bedroom,
and this is where
he found her, on the bed.
Room's been cleaned up,
but, uh, you get
the general idea.
The telephone cord has been
torn from the wall.
That's right-- it seems
she called the doctor
from downstairs.
Why do you believe that?
There's a second telephone
in the living room,
and we found
several tissues there
impregnated
with her lacrimal fluid.
It's tears.
Oh.
She makes the call
downstairs.
She comes upstairs to hide,
and the intruder--
and, you know,
I'm assuming it's a man--
follows her,
and finds her here
and strangles her
with the telephone cord
tearing it from the wall.
She must have
put up quite a fight.
The sheets were crumpled,
one of the lamps was broken,
and there was two sets
of abrasions
round her neck.
Ah.
At some stage, she hits her head
on the bedpost.
There's a bloodstain--
look.
Excuse me, Mr. Pünd.
Do you think you could, um
Do you think you could
just open the window?
Miss Cain?
It's just so
Uh, open the window, Pünd.
Oh! Ooh!
Miss Cain!
Up you get.
Come and sit on the bed.
Not the bed! No!
It's all right.
It's just too much
Ooh
I'm sorry, it's just horrible,
what you're describing.
Oh.
Okay, let's get you outside.
You are in the wars.
Take a seat, Miss Cain.
I worked with
Associated Biscuits
for 12 years before
I came to Mr. Pünd,
and I can assure you
I have never experienced
anything like this.
Shall we
call the doctor?
No, no, I just
need a
I just need a minute
to catch my breath.
JOHN
Hello?
That's John Spencer.
Oh, you go ahead
and see him.
I'll just wait here
for a moment.
You're sure?
Yes, yes.
I'll just wait in the car--
you go ahead without me.
Oh, sorry.
Yeah.
Um
Oh, thank you.
Oh, Mr. Chubb--
I saw your car.
Do you have any news?
This is Mr. Pünd, sir.
He's come down from London
to help.
Can we have a word?
Well, of course.
Do come through.
I want you to know
that I
I loved her more than anyone
in the world.
May I ask, Mr. Spencer,
how did you meet?
Uh, well, it was
six years ago.
She was working
down here.
It was actually her last film.
They shot some of it on
my father's estate, and
The moment I saw her
Well, I knew straight away
there was nobody else.
PÜ
You were not here on
the evening of her death.
No, I was, uh, at the opera,
"The Marriage of Figaro."
There was a performance
in Barnstaple.
She did not like the opera?
No, she had a meeting.
Her
financial adviser
was looking into the hotel,
so I went alone.
Oh, I wish to God I hadn't.
I wish I'd stayed
with her, but
Do you have any idea who may
have attacked her, Mr. Spencer?
I already told
the detective inspector.
You should talk
to Lance Gardner.
You know, she knew
they were cheating her--
him and his wife.
The hotel's been losing money
hand over fist.
She threatened to expose them,
and then, uh
You know,
and then this happened.
You should talk to them.
Forgive me,
Detective Inspector, but, um,
have you actually confirmed
that he did indeed
attend the opera?
I hadn't thought
to do that, Mr. Pünd.
Well, perhaps you should.
I'll, uh
I'll wait to hear
from you, Mr. MacNeil.
Do you really think
it'll help find Cecily,
Detective Superintendent?
A public appeal
can't do any harm, sir.
What if someone's holding her
against her will?
Well, they'll see it,
and they'll know
we're looking for her.
These sorts of broadcasts
have helped in the past, sir.
All right.
Yeah, I'll, I'll do it.
The television people
will be here tomorrow morning.
Shouldn't take too long.
You just missed the police.
Yes, I saw Detective
Superintendent Locke just now.
Mm.
He wants me to do
an appeal on TV.
Reaching out to Cecily.
Asking the public
for help.
Well, might be a good idea.
I'll do anything
to get her back.
Anything.
The police used that photograph
in all newspapers.
Mm-- thank you.
She looks very happy.
Yeah-- that's how she is.
Please.
Thank you.
Do you mind me
talking to you about her?
No, I, I want to
talk about her.
Ah.
I can't think
about anything else.
Where do I start?
I mean, she's
She's brilliant, kind,
wonderful mum.
Works her guts out
at the hotel.
It's one of the few things
we ever argue about.
She does too much.
So, what do you think's
happened to her?
I don't know.
Can't think.
It's all got
something to do
with that bloody book,
hasn't it?
Did you read it?
Not to begin with, no.
I'm not really into
murder mysteries.
Nothing personal.
Oh, no, don't worry.
I don't, I don't
read them, either.
Well, not anymore.
Did she say
where she got this?
Charity shop.
Alan Conway hated charity
shops-- no royalties.
We met him--
you know that?
He came here,
asked lots of questions
about Frank Parris
and his murder.
Mm.
Never heard from him again,
and forgot all about it
until she picked up the book.
What did she say about it?
Well, obviously, she recognized
lots of things.
I mean, I was in it.
Her mum, her dad.
She was annoyed.
Thought we ought to sue.
I dissuaded her.
So you did read it.
Yes, yes,
she asked me to.
I, I thought it was harmless.
I mean, wasn't set in Suffolk,
didn't use any of our names.
The author was dead--
there was nothing we could do.
Cecily knew that
Stefan was innocent.
Yeah.
The evidence was all stacked up
against him.
She found the truth
in the book.
We talked about it
the morning she disappeared.
She said she'd read
another chapter in bed,
and
And she'd found something.
Oh!
Which chapter?
I don't know, Susan.
I'm sorry, I should've asked,
but I was in a hurry.
I, I had to go to
a meeting in Ipswich.
New brochures.
Daddy!
Roxie!
Hello, sweetheart.
Oh!
This is Susan.
She's gonna help us
find Mummy.
Hello, Roxie.
I'm Roxana.
It's a very pretty name.
Cess chose it.
Uh, this is Gwyneth Endicott.
Derek's mother.
Derek's our night manager.
Oh.
Gwyneth helps us with Roxie.
And we could not manage
without her.
I'll take her up for a bath,
Aiden.
And then I'll make tea
for the both of you.
Thank you, Gwyneth.
It's nice to meet you.
And you.
Come on, my love.
Go on, sweetheart.
So, what happened
when you came home?
Hm?
From Ipswich.
Oh, um
Cess wasn't here.
Um, I wasn't worried,
not to begin with.
I asked Gwyneth,
and she said
she'd gone out
with the dog.
Had she said
where she'd gone?
Well, she usually
walked over in Woodbridge,
along the River Deben, but
I mean, she hadn't said
anything to Gwyneth,
so I went upstairs with Roxie,
read her a story.
Only realized
something was wrong when
I heard the dog barking
outside the door.
He had his lead on,
but he was alone.
There was
no sign of Cess.
So what did you do?
I'm sorry, Susan,
I can't talk about this
right now.
I've got to go to Roxie.
Oh
I
I called her on her mobile.
I looked in the hotel,
I called her parents,
and then I called the police.
Look, I'm, I'm sorry.
Could you, um, can you
show yourself out?
Yes, sure.
It's just that I, I've been
over and over this.
I just,
I can't do this anymore.
Hello,
I'm Susan Ryeland.
Uh-- you must be Derek.
I think I just met
your mum.
Have, have you been
with Aiden?
Yes.
Feel so sorry for him.
Mm.
He and Miss Treherne
are the loveliest people.
They're made
for each other.
Yeah.
You were on reception
the night it happened.
You mean
when Mr. Parris died?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Must've been awful
for you.
I actually met him.
I helped check him in.
I heard he wasn't easy.
It's not my place to say.
Well, if it was just
between us two.
He wasn't very polite.
Why did I think
you were going to say that?
Well, he wasn't.
I had to order
a taxi for him.
He didn't even say
thank you.
You were the key witness.
That's right, I had to
talk to the police.
What did you see?
Not sure I should
really tell you.
I'm trying to find
Cecily, Derek.
Before it's too late.
Mm All right.
I was over there.
Night reception.
I was on me own that night.
There'd been a party.
I'd been invited, but
I'm not the party sort.
Anyway, I had my job to do.
It was about midnight
when I heard it.
It was Chase, Cecily's dog.
He slept in a basket upstairs.
He must have had a bad dream
or something.
What is it, Chase?
What is it?
It's all right.
There, all right.
And it was
while I was there
that I saw him.
Stefan?
I wondered what he was doing
in the hotel
so late at night, but
when I looked down the corridor,
there was no sign of him.
There's not much more to say.
I had to tell the police.
Didn't really like doing that.
You sure it was him?
Did look like him.
He had Stefan's woolly hat,
he was carrying
his maintenance kit.
Did you see his face?
Not completely.
I, I did tell Mr. Locke that.
But he didn't listen.
I just didn't want to get him
into any more trouble.
Not if it wasn't his fault.
Stefan had already been fired.
For stealing.
That wasn't him.
You won't tell Lisa
I said this, will you?
Oh, no.
There'd been a lot
of petty pilfering.
Everyone knew it wasn't him.
Who was it, then?
It was Natasha.
Whenever she went into a room,
something went missing.
It's almost a joke.
We were glad when she left.
I think she's out
of the country now.
But Stefan took the blame
in the end.
I mean, that must have
upset you.
There wasn't anything
I could do.
Anyway, after
the murder happened,
and he confessed
and everything,
hardly mattered anymore.
Thanks.
Oh, um
You said when you first
met Frank Parris,
he asked you to order
a taxi for him.
That's right.
Do you know where it went?
I do know, 'cause
the police asked me,
and anyway, I always
wrote these things down.
So where did he go?
Oh, uh
He went into Framlingham,
had a meeting at
a solicitor's office
Wesley and Khan
in Framlingham.
Sajid Khan.
Ha!
We've met.
Ah
Hello.
Something made you bark.
What was it, hm?
What did you see?
Don't think Chase
will tell you anything.
I don't think we've met.
Liam Corby, spa manager.
I'm Susan
I know who you are.
Whole hotel was told
you were coming.
Bit of a fool's errand,
if you ask me.
What, do you think
Cecily's dead?
She's been missing
almost a week.
A woman like Cecily Treherne
doesn't just
run away or go into hiding
because something upset her.
So you think
she's been killed?
I didn't say that.
Just because there was one
gruesome murder at the hotel
doesn't mean
there has to be another.
When did you
leave Australia?
When I came here.
When was that?
Why do you
want to know?
Frank Parris
lived in Australia.
Yep.
Big country,
you know.
Doesn't mean
we ever met.
But you were here
when he died.
Gruesomely murdered.
Only exciting thing
that ever happened around here.
Were you close
to Stefan?
Yeah, we were mates.
Do you think he did it?
Honestly, I've got no idea.
Police said he did.
Court said he did,
he said he did, so
Seems pretty likely.
I feel sorry
for the poor bastard,
the way they
treated him, but
it's a long way behind us now.
Nothing anyone can do
about that.
I suggest you just
enjoy your free stay,
make the most of it.
Massages on the house.
Who killed Melissa James?
The last person
to see her alive
had been her financial adviser,
Algernon Marsh.
But her physician,
Dr. Leonard Collins,
had been the last
to hear her.
And so it was Dr. Collins
that Atticus Pünd
had come to meet.
Are you sure you're
all right, Miss Cain?
Oh, very much so,
Mr. Pünd, yes.
I, I'm so sorry I made
such a fool of myself.
Ooh, not at all, ooh.
Oh, this, this is the car
driven by Dr. Collins?
Uh, no, his brother-in-law,
Algernon Marsh.
Melissa's so-called
financial adviser.
Oh, you said
you didn't trust him.
That's right.
Well, it would seem
he's also not reliable
behind the wheel
of a car.
If you've come to see Algernon,
I'm afraid
he's not here.
No, it is you I have come
to see, Dr. Collins.
Oh, well, I have already told
Detective Inspector Chubb
everything I know.
And yet it would be
helpful for me
to hear it once again,
from you.
Are you sure you won't
have some cake, Mr. Pünd?
Oh, there is nothing
like my wife's Battenberg.
Not for me, thank you.
I'll have
another slice.
I'm afraid I have
some questions to ask you
about Melissa James.
Please, fire away.
How well did you know her?
Well, I was her doctor.
So you could say I knew her
as well as anyone.
Well, she took
advantage of you.
She would call
my husband day or night.
And she often came here.
It never seemed
to occur to her
that Leonard might have
other patients.
To be fair to her,
she was under
a lot of strain.
Yes, the hotel.
Mm.
It had been losing money.
She blamed the Gardners.
She believed that they were
stealing from her.
Well, I don't think
there's any doubt of it.
The hotel was always full,
but it had never shown a profit
from the day
she'd bought it.
It made her
quite anxious.
She told you
she was being watched.
She did say that, yes.
PÜ
Watched?
Mm.
From the street?
No, at home.
And she said things were
being taken from her room.
Not valuable things--
small things.
Such as?
She wouldn't say.
PÜ
Mm-- mm.
You received a telephone call
from Miss James
on the day that she died.
That's right-- Sam was here.
I remembered the time
from the clock.
Mm.
Can you tell me
exactly what occurred?
Yes, yes.
Um, I had just
finished surgery
Hello?
I have to speak to Dr. Collins,
please!
Is he there?
It's urgent.
It's Melissa-- for you.
Please, hurry, please!
Oh, my God.
Please, please,
please come round.
I don't know what to do!
I'm so frightened, please.
He wants to kill me.
Please don't leave me here
on my own.
Melissa-- Melissa, please.
Please try to calm down.
Can you leave the house?
I don't know.
He's still here.
Oh, my God, help me--
please, hurry!
He wants to kill me!
Please hurry! Please!
Stay right where you are.
I will be with you
in two minutes.
In fact, it took me
ten minutes
to get there.
Finding my keys, uh,
the car wouldn't start.
There was a tractor
in the lane.
Mm.
I'm still kicking
myself.
If only I'd gotten there sooner.
Well, you could've
been killed yourself.
Well
You're certain she said,
"There's a man in the house."
Well, I can't be certain,
but that is what
it sounded like, yes.
And you heard this conversation,
too,
Mrs. Collins.
Yes.
It was definitely Melissa,
and she was definitely
in fear of her life.
Mm-- mm.
Oh!
Thank you for cooperation,
Dr. Collins.
And very good cake.
Um, I'll take you
to the hotel, Mr. Pünd.
You staying at the Moonflower?
Yes, we have rooms there.
Well, it won't be the same
without Melissa.
Do you think we should've
told them?
What?
About the money.
Well, I don't see
that it's got
anything to do
with any of this.
Melissa didn't know
anything about it.
Nobody did-- no, no, no,
it's, it's nobody's business
except ours.
I think we should leave here,
Leonard.
I don't think
we can stay anymore.
This is a new chance
for us, my darling.
It's a blessing.
It's a chance for us
to get away from Tawleigh
and build a new life
for ourselves.
Well, where will we go?
Wherever you want to go.
I just want to be with you.
Somewhere far away.
How do you do it?
I mean,
how do you even begin?
Begin what?
To work things out.
Ah.
I'm reading the book.
I've read the book.
There is nothing in it
that has anything to do
with what happened here.
Is that really true?
You tell me-- except you won't,
will you?
You never do.
I will say only this.
There is one thing
that is indeed the same.
From the moment
I first arrived in Tawleigh,
I was aware
Something wrong.
It was, if you like,
an atmosphere.
A sense of evil
in the air.
It's here, too.
Do you not feel it?
You need, I think,
to be careful.
It might have been better
not to have come.
Yes, but
I'm here because of the murder
of Frank Parris.
I need the money.
Get out, Frank!
We have information
that could help you.
You should've told her.
It's none of her business.
Why does everything
have to be so complicated?
The investigation
or your personal life?
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