Chasing Shadows (2014) s01e04 Episode Script

Stephen Eli, criminal lawyer, long-time widower living with his son.
I got the sense his son could be a bit of a handful.
I think I know who killed him.
Leonard Vance.
Who's Leonard Vance? He's a serial killer.
I'm Dr Alison Ellesmere, consultant forensic psychiatrist.
See I remember the tooth, the gold tooth.
Does your dad have any gold teeth? One, right at the back, why? Where did you bury him? You do know where Stephen Eli is don't you? We need an ambulance.
Alex Wernley.
Welcome to my office.
Alex Wernley.
Did you do this? I did tell you I trust the wrong men.
Can I leave my daughter with you please? You have a daughter? I don't think he killed Stephen Eli.
I'm not convinced he killed anyone.
He's escaped.
He can't have.
He's not escaped Sean.
He's dead.
Don't worry about anything.
It will be fine.
And just remember that medical centre that I told you about.
OK.
Thanks.
I told them to tell you I was busy.
I'm here for Leonard Vance's personal effects.
It's been cleared.
I've been waiting half an hour.
Well, do you mind if I see Colin out first? He's been waiting a year.
How long will it take? I don't see why you need to take his things.
You know, I suppose it's what people thought, anyway, about Lenny.
Well, people that didn't know him.
And he had a bad heart.
Could someone be deluded enough to believe they killed even if they didn't? I think it's a bit late for you to start worrying about Leonard's mental state, don't you? Are you taking everything? I want to be sure we're all saying the same thing, particularly when it comes to the media.
Vance died of an existing heart condition, having killed two people and confessed to a third.
Good of you to make it, DS Stone, given it was your interference that made this meeting necessary.
I don't think Leonard Vance did it.
Can he just go out again? He had no idea where Stephen Eli's grave was.
These crimes are part of a pattern.
If Leonard Vance didn't kill Stephen Eli, then he didn't kill Whistler or Maleva.
Then how do you explain him knowing precise details of those murders? I can't yet.
I think DS Stone and I should talk after this meeting, sir.
You do that, DI Prior, because I don't want to hear any more about this.
Understood.
Sean.
Sean DS Stone.
Can we email? No, actually, we can't.
Sean, where were you? I tried calling.
Guys.
Cole Eli's been taken into custody.
What for? Violent assault.
Maybe I should go in first, see how he is.
Why do you think we're here? To question a suspect.
Suspect? Cole's already been through hell.
Mostly alone.
Suddenly, we turn up on the doorstep and and it's in the news that his dad's been murdered by a serial killer.
We did this, Sean.
Someone killed Stephen Eli.
Don't let emotion cloud your judgment.
Yes, I do feel sorry for him.
And, OK, yes, I do feel guilty.
I meant in general.
He's a suspect until he's not.
Cole, what happened? You're not police.
Are they charging me? I barely touched him.
You attacked a man at a bus stop and had to be restrained by six people.
Was it the newspaper piece that upset you? Where did that come from? Was it made up? I tried to phone you.
I don't want to talk! I want to go now! Now, I know my law.
Someone needs to come and tell me if I'm being charged.
Cos I don't need to be You're not being charged.
Great.
I can go.
We're not here about the bus queue.
We're here about your dad's disappearance .
.
possibly in violent circumstances.
Me? You lot suspect me? Coleridge Mather told us that your dad took regular time off to spend with you.
They're lying to you.
Only time he went away was for work.
Can you prove that? Am I really a suspect? Until you're not.
You need to get me out of here.
Then you need to calm down.
When was the last time your dad was away for work? I'm trying to remember.
Last year, obviously.
It would be in your interests to be specific.
May, I reckon.
Yeah, it was that last week when I was off college and Where are his bank statements? The police have been through all that.
They weren't looking for a specific date.
I want to know where your dad was when he wasn't here.
Bottom drawer of his desk.
I've kept everything filed.
You can help if you like.
Look, I'm really sorry for shouting at you earlier.
None of this is your fault.
You've got a right to be upset.
Sometimes I just .
.
I get this mad energy I look around I'm just on my own.
I can't see the point in anything at the moment.
What they said in the paper Was that true? Was Leonard Vance involved in Dad's disappearance? We're still looking into it.
He's dead, isn't he? We don't know, Cole.
Not for certain.
I just want to know where he is.
Three nights - 27th of May to the 30th.
Mr Eli's last visit.
Room 114.
How many keys issued? One.
And I can tell you that Mr Eli didn't use the TV pay channels, which is both commendable and rare, amongst unaccompanied males guests, in my experience.
I could tell you a few stories Don't.
Do your rooms have RFID locks? Yes.
So you can also tell me when he re-entered the room during his stay? Um, I'll just Interesting.
After he checked in, Mr Eli didn't use his key card at all.
He never left the room? For three days.
Maybe I should check those pay channels again.
Tallies with his bill.
Meals from room service, always for one.
Same on the previous visit.
People are creatures of Habit.
I know.
Telephone calls? For you.
Bye, then.
Stephen Eli regularly lied to his son and his employee about his whereabouts.
He checked into a chain hotel and never left his room.
I'm fine, Sean.
You? What? So what was he doing there? Was Stephen Eli having an affair? I don't know.
But he only used the phone in the room to call one number.
So it wouldn't show on his mobile records? Probably.
Am I starting to think like the police? I've asked for a trace on the number he called.
It's a mobile.
It's registered to an Eamonn Thirsk.
He works at the Mayside Clinic in Thamesmead.
You should get in the car.
Well, why don't we just phone him? Because he's a suspect and, where possible, we try not to alert them to our interest.
Right.
This is exactly where Stephen disappeared from.
And Daniel Whistler.
The Mayside Clinic must be in there.
Mr Thirsk, what exactly is Mayside? It's a drop-in clinic, offering support and advice to the mentally ill.
Right.
And your role? I'm a counsellor, but I spend most of my time running the place.
All this is available on our website.
Did Stephen Eli do pro bono or Legal Aid work here? I'm not prepared to discuss that.
You knew him.
He made calls to your mobile.
Look, if you want more information, come back with a court order.
Was Leonard Vance treated here? Thank you.
Sean, what are you doing? He's right.
We need a court order.
Yes, but if Stephen was a professional visitor Confidentiality doesn't apply.
So Stephen Eli wasn't here as a lawyer.
He was here as a patient.
You need a good reason to get a court order for that place.
Stephen Eli is missing in suspicious circumstances and we have reason to believe he was treated at Mayside.
Didn't the original investigation check his records? Mayside is miles from Stephen's house.
He could have used any name.
We need to find Stephen Eli, which means uncovering his secrets, which means we need a court order.
OK.
You'll have it first thing in the morning.
Pleasure.
I've spoken to the local police team and victim support, to see if there's anything they could do for Cole Eli.
Thank you so much.
Yeah, no problem.
Do you fancy getting something to eat? Oh uh actually It's not a proposal, Ruth.
I'm just hungry.
I can't tonight.
I'm sorry.
It's fine.
Don't worry about it.
I have responsibilities, Carl.
That's my son.
Ah.
He's the reason why I'm in a job that's meant to be nine to five, and and why I'm no longer with someone who cares more about his work than family, so Let me show you something.
Two girls.
One's mine and the other I raised as mine, even though she isn't, and was only ten when me and their mother split up.
So I know about responsibilities, Ruth.
And I really am just hungry.
Gabby can't stop talking about you, you know? She wants me to buy her model aeroplanes now.
How many are found? I mean in your work when someone goes missing .
.
how often are they found? Of the voluntarily missing, or also those that disappear against their will? Does the question include the unreported missing or the reported cases only? You need to be specific.
I'm sorry.
It doesn't matter.
Who hit you? No Nobody hit me.
I was putting away shopping and the cupboard door was open and You're not lying to me? When have I ever done that? Good day? Oh, a telling-off, an encounter with a troubled teenager, and a visit to a drop-in clinic for the mentally ill.
Oh.
It sounds exactly like school.
Oh don't ask Mum about Leonard Vance dying, because she won't tell you anything.
That's right.
I wasn't going to.
I'm about to eat.
Oh, and don't ask her anything about the cool detective who asked her out in the car park, because she won't talk about that either.
What did I say? I wouldn't dream of it.
His name's Carl Prior.
When are you seeing him? I said no.
Why? That's what I said.
Because Bryan was with me.
You could have arranged to see him later.
That's what I said.
And, because at some point, I would have had to have brought him home to meet you two.
And he's a good man and he deserves better than that.
It's still early.
Yeah, and we've got plans, haven't we, Nan? We're gonna watch that documentary about surgical blunders.
We are not voting on it.
What are you so scared of? Your court order.
Where are the files? You'll have to wait.
Colin, isn't it? Yes.
We met at Crowley.
Dr Ellesmere sent me.
You have to come regularly, so you don't get isolated, you know? Um, Col.
Here you go, mate.
See you Thursday.
Thank you.
Bye.
Bye.
OK.
Follow me.
Patient files are in the corner.
Why was Stephen Eli here? Why was he phoning you from a hotel room? The court order doesn't apply to me.
You'll need to sign for anything you take away.
Steve.
There he is.
Stephen's bipolar.
He's been coming here for years on and off.
So had Daniel Whistler.
What? What? What on earth Kris Malkin.
Christopher Maleva's alias.
That's the pattern.
The mentally ill are the target.
This is their hunting ground.
Maleva was treated here for PTSD following a street attack.
Whistler was seen for drug-induced psychosis, and Stephen Eli for bipolar disorder.
All three of the people Leonard Vance admitted to killing came through here.
And so did he.
So it could have been him? Why? Why would he never mention this place in any of his confessions? And why is Eamonn Thirsk being so obstructive? Well, somebody taking a dislike to you, Sean, isn't entirely unprecedented.
Multiple murderers prey on the vulnerable and require two things - access and opportunity.
The website said Thirsk is the only full-time employee.
Prior? DI Prior.
I'd like to bring someone in for questioning.
Why did Stephen Eli phone you from a hotel? You saw his file.
Answer the question.
I only knew him as Steve, and he mostly managed his condition himself.
Stephen had a particularly severe bipolar disorder, which he hid from everyone.
But when a low became impossibly low, he shut himself in a hotel, and stayed there, until he could bear to go on pretending he was fine.
That doesn't answer the question.
He phoned me because I was the only person he could safely be himself with.
You're not a doctor.
No.
But I am the one constant for a lot of the Mayside's clients.
Including Daniel Whistler and Kris Malkin? If they were clients, probably.
What about Leonard Vance? What about him? Did he rely on you? What? A bit defensive, aren't we? Do you want to know why? - Yes.
Because the Leonard Vance I knew was a vulnerable, confused man suffering from a mental illness, who - by the time you and the media had finished with him - had become a monster.
All three people he confessed to killing were treated at your clinic.
And you've been obstructive.
Every time a schizophrenia kills, it gets twice the media coverage of a "normal" murder, even though the mentally ill are far more likely to be the victims of crime.
In my experience, a visit from you only results in more prejudice, and if I can obstruct that, I absolutely will.
Sir.
If Leonard Vance was targeting the mentally ill, he was doing so because he knew - from experience - most people wouldn't give a damn.
If? You don't think he was guilty? Do you? Answer the question.
I think he was a very easy target.
DS Stone.
Haven't you done enough damage? I wanted to apologise to Cole for any upset my story may have caused him.
And to offer him the opportunity to tell his side of it.
Can be very cathartic.
You stay away from him.
Don't worry, I didn't tell him where my information came from.
I always protect my sources.
You're a parasite.
Do you know that? And you are particularly striking when you're angry.
I think we should go for a drink, Ruth from Missing Persons.
You've got my card.
You stay away.
Why couldn't he tell me? Oh I can understand him keeping it from work.
He worked really hard, you know.
I guess no-one wants a "mad" lawyer, do they? But me Why couldn't he tell me? I read the reports from the clinic.
All he did was talk about you.
How scared he was about letting you down.
This doesn't mean he loves you any less.
But what it might mean You talked about experiencing mood swings .
.
extremes of emotion Bipolar is often hereditary.
You're saying I've got it too, aren't you? I don't know.
But I'd hope you'd try to find out.
Sir.
His name's Colin Breen.
I know.
He's only been dead a few hours.
He was carrying anti-psychotic meds.
His head's been caved in.
Well, Leonard Vance can't claim this one.
The pattern suggests that the same person who killed Colin Breen also killed Daniel Whistler and Christopher Maleva.
All three were regular visitors to Mayside, which means Leonard Vance was not responsible for any of the murders.
We've already established he knew details that could only have come from the killer.
We need to know who had access to him at the time of his confessions.
And where do we find that out? Crowley visitor records.
OK.
Good.
Let's make sure no details of this murder get out.
And let's have a look at other mispers with mental health issues who might have visited Mayside.
Because? Because whoever is killing mentally ill people clearly isn't ready to stop.
Are you sure? According to Crowley, there wasn't a single visitor logged to Leonard Vance in the period he made those first confessions.
Maybe they were informal visits.
Let's find out.
Why aren't you at work? Um I've got to go in much later.
I was told about Colin and .
.
I just didn't want to be around the place for a while.
Mm-hm.
There's a high mortality rate amongst the mentally ill, but still Three times higher than the national average, but it does seem to spike around you.
And nobody knows the exact details about what happened to him, how he was killed? We're not here about Colin Breen.
We're here about Leonard Vance.
We need to know who had access to Leonard around the time of the initial confessions.
Oh right.
Uh Well, all visits are logged.
The log says he received no visits for the entire period during which he made those admissions.
Could that be a mistake? Could there have been any informal visits? Actually, visitors aren't allowed during the patient's evaluation period.
So there were no visitors at all? We really do need your help.
We don't want anybody else to die.
What do you mean? Yes or no? Leonard did see one person.
Who? I shouldn't have done it.
I didn't mean any harm.
And there were other factors.
Who? Alex Wernley.
I introduced him to Leonard - against regulations.
Why? You were in a relationship? Were? Are? No, definitely "were".
You lied.
I know.
I was wrong.
Perhaps if you told me what all of this was about? And why are you still asking about Leonard? Because you were responsible for every aspect of his welfare, from approving his visitors to administering his medication.
You were obviously negligent.
We need to bring Alex Wernley in now.
Phone him.
But, Sean, he's a suspect.
Yes? Well, didn't you say police don't phone suspects? Yes.
You're not police.
It's me.
I need your help.
My mother always said I was impossible to stay angry with.
So, what's the latest? Breaking news.
Your mother was wrong.
Why? What's going on? You're under arrest.
Ruth! You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence So why did you continue to visit Leonard Vance after your book was published? We became friends.
I don't believe you.
OK, fine.
You want me to say I used Leonard to make my name and that I hoped he'd talk about more murders one day? Guilty.
Charge me with that.
Somebody fed him details about three murders that only the killer could have known.
Leonard Vance was the killer.
No, he wasn't.
This is insane.
You were the only person to visit him in the period he made those first confessions.
What else did she tell you? Who are we talking about.
Ali.
Dr Ellesmere.
Obviously she told you that she got me in to see Leonard And I presume you know about the e-mail? Why don't you forget about what she has and hasn't told us and just focus on telling us the truth? She received an email, around the time Daniel Whistler's body was found, from a patient at Mayside Clinic who saw Whistler get into a blue minicab.
Vance's car was white.
You're saying it wasn't Vance that picked up Whistler? Exactly.
But the witness couldn't come forward.
Why not? Because they couldn't afford for their mental illness to become public.
They trusted Ali.
Right.
So why didn't she report it? Leonard confessed to the murders.
In truth, I don't know why she hid it.
Who was the witness? She didn't mention any of this, did she? Who was it? It was Stephen Eli.
Mr Thirsk.
I I just wanted to say I'm sorry if you've had bad experiences with the police in the past.
I had a bad experience with the police this morning.
Well, I'm not police.
I've worked in Missing Persons for 20 years and I promise you, we're on the same side.
And if there's anything you can give me on your staff .
.
or visiting professionals .
.
or a journalist, maybe, who might possibly have come into contact with any of the patients that we've asked you about .
.
well, it could just make all the difference.
Sean! Guess where Dr Ellesmere worked before she came to Crowley.
Mayside.
And she was working here at the same time Whistler, Maleva and Stephen were patients - and this is the first place she met Leonard.
So she had access and opportunity.
She also hid an email from Stephen Eli in which he said he witnessed Whistler's abduction.
She was going to Crowley.
Not there.
Not answering her phone.
We're at her house now.
Get in.
Police! Police! Sean? Sean, what's going on? Anybody here? Police! Clear! Clear! Sean? Can you hear me? Sean! She's running.
The more we find out, the less I understand why.
The only question that matters is where she is now.
We've found her phone and keys.
She's not planning on coming back.
A neighbour said they saw a cab leaving.
Why not take her car? Too easy to trace.
We've alerted stations, ports and airports.
What was the last call she made on her mobile? To me - about Colin Breen.
The last call on this was to Crowley, minutes after we left her.
So you're wondering how she called the cab company? Sean? We need to get to Crowley.
We know she's not there.
All external calls are recorded.
Leonard Vance told me.
We need to find out who she spoke to, and why.
There it is.
Incoming call, 14:32.
To the in-house pharmacy? Why would Dr Ellesmere call the pharmacy as soon as we left? Let's be quiet and find out.
Play it.
Please.
- Hello.
- It's me.
I need your help.
Why? What's the matter? The police have been, Tommy.
Tommy? They asked about Leonard's meds.
He's the man pushing the meds trolley.
Shh.
What if I made a mistake with the dosage on the day he died? You didn't.
What if I killed him? You didn't.
With everything that was going on Access and opportunity.
Start a full inventory.
I have to be sure.
I'll be in later.
Dr Ellesmere was about to find out Leonard Vance was given a fatal dose by Tommy Purdie.
Tommy? OK.
Fine.
Just leave it with me.
She isn't running, is she? Tommy's taken her.
What have you done? What have you given me? No sign of Purdie at his flat.
Has this place been checked? Yeah.
Vehicle description's been sent out.
That's how he does it.
He poses as a minicab driver.
He was one, according to his employment history.
He used to be most things.
It was Tommy's car Stephen recognised.
He identifies his victims, picks them up outside Mayside and then he kills them.
Yeah, but where does he take them? He's got no previous convictions.
The only thing we have on the system is him as a victim.
Victim of what? Serious sexual assault, as a child.
I've got a fine for fly tipping.
So? Were any of those jobs in refuse? How'd you know that? Landfill? Yeah.
Nothing was random.
The quarry where Whistler was buried.
The scrubland where Maleva was found.
Colin Breen at the recycling centre.
They're all ex-landfill sites.
That's the pattern.
Jay's Lane.
What's that? The nearest dump site to Dr Ellesmere's house.
Ruth, with me! What's happening, Tommy? I don't understand.
You didn't even keep them in, did you? What? Those dangerous men.
These These violent men.
They come to Crowley for evaluation, but then you decide that they're safe to be in the community.
Well, guess what, Doctor You were wrong.
Who are you talking about? Whistler.
Maleva.
Colin Breen.
How long, Doctor, eh? How long before the same thing happens to someone else like happened to me? You poisoned Leonard.
I showed him where the body was.
I told him.
I sat him down.
I drew it for him.
But, you see, it wasn't going in.
He was gonna crack.
I didn't mean for any of this to happen.
You took advantage of a sick man.
You made him believe he killed those people.
And what about you, Doctor? With your awards and your boyfriend's book.
None of it was real, was it? He was getting better.
He was dangerous.
And so are you.
You see, I've watched you.
You twist things.
You make right things wrong, wrong things right.
I told you about the e-mail from Stephen Eli.
You killed him, too.
Oh Tommy Tommy.
We're going.
No.
Tommy Tommy Tommy, what happened to you? Tommy look at me.
Just look Tommy, look at me.
No.
No! You need to stay by the car.
What if I'm wrong? What if he's taken her somewhere else? Then I'm wrong, too.
Anyway, we're creatures of habit, aren't we, Sean? Tommy, no.
Stop.
Stop! Tommy, no.
Tommy! Tommy.
Tommy! Tommy, no! Put it down! Put it down! It really doesn't make any sense, Tommy.
You've confessed to five murders and one attempted murder.
You're going to spend the rest of your life in jail.
Or a secure hospital.
What difference does it make to you? Just tell us where Stephen Eli is.
Ask Leonard Vance.
Did he tell you? No.
Oh, uh, my family said I was wrong, by the way, about not going with you for something to eat.
Oh.
So if you feel like asking again .
.
next time you're hungry Of course.
Um Yeah, I'll I'll bear that in mind.
I know where he is.
I'd like to get the two from here to here.
All right.
Oh, Ruth.
Sorry, I'm painting.
Look, if you're here to check if I went to the GP, I went.
So What's up? We found him, Cole.
I'm so sorry.
Oh, God Oh Mummy's gone.
She's missing.
No.
She She can't be.