Professor T (2021) s01e05 Episode Script

Miss Snares?
These two ladies are seeking an
audience with "the Professor".
The "famous" one.
Who "solves everything".
Indeed. I said you
might see them instead.
After you, Sophie.
Have we met before?
Not to my knowledge, madam.
So how do you know Sophie's name?
Your family's particulars have
been extensively publicised
in the light of recent events.
You're aware, then, that Sophie's
mother has been murdered?
Indeed I am.
So you'll know a
man is in custody?
Yes. Mr
Kane Carty.
Sophie is adamant Mr Carty
did not kill my daughter.
Fascinating.
The police won't take seriously
what Sophie has to say,
so we thought we'd come to you instead.
It's just that
Well, when she gets something in
her head like this, it can't
Sophie, do you know who
killed your mother?
I've asked her that myself.
If she does, she's not telling.
Extraordinarily fascinating.
We arrested him weeks ago.
Why didn't she raise this before now?
Her grandmother says that she tried to,
but you were not listening.
She was interviewed by video link, Ma'am.
She couldn't provide any
evidence or usable information,
so she was discounted
as a witness.
She has an intellectual
disability.
Which raises an obvious question
about her reliability as a witness.
She has Down syndrome,
not total brain death.
Quite. And how has this
ended up with you, Jasper?
Sophie has nominated me
as her personal Sherlock.
Are you joking?
She has concerns about the reliability
of her own detective sergeant.
She insists she will only
cooperate with the professor.
It's a nailed-on
conviction, Ma'am.
It's a place we go,
you know, to get a fix.
That's why you were in the woods,
to take drugs?
I'm not a bloody boy scout.
Someone who can vouch for you?
Yeah, my mate Badger,
if you can find the little toe-rag.
You got any fags?
No.
So, tell us what you remember.
We were smoking skag.
You want me to draw you
a picture? No need.
Next thing I know, Badger's gone.
So's my stash. Thieving sod.
And then what happened?
I thought I saw someone.
'But if I did,
they pissed off pretty quick.'
How convenient.
Then I stumbled over her.
I thought she was just out of it,
like Badger and me.
With a bloody great head wound?
Yeah, I wasn't seeing straight, was I?
So you helped yourself to
her watch and her handbag.
I didn't know she'd copped it.
I wouldn't have robbed her if I did.
A junkie with morals.
How touching.
I may be a junkie but
I'm not frickin' stupid.
Kane was picked up the day after,
trying to pawn her watch.
Which, to Mr Carty's point,
is an unimaginably stupid act
for someone who has
just committed a murder.
He was probably too out of it to notice
her name was engraved on the back.
Or too desperate to care.
And how do you explain
the blood on his sleeve?
The stains are consistent
with accidental contact.
Is there anything else that
might corroborate his account?
Yes, Mr Carty's blood test.
It confirms Kane Carty ingested
a large quantity of an opioid
in the 24 hours prior to his arrest.
Which proves what?
Have you ever smoked heroin, DS Donckers?
No. Neither have you.
No, but I have studied numerous
accounts of its effects
upon human psychology,
and all are agreed it induces
feelings of euphoria,
of intense pleasure
and relaxation.
Until you start getting
desperate for your next hit.
Not murderous rage and psychosis.
Until you start getting
desperate for your next hit!
All right, enough.
Perhaps it's time we
brought Sophie in again.
As well as having Down syndrome,
Sophie is autistic,
a condition I'm somewhat familiar with.
I suspect she may know
who killed her mother,
but something is preventing her from
sharing whatever she's witnessed.
So how do we handle this?
She's extremely literal.
If I can work out exactly
what happened to her mother,
I suspect it may only take the
right question at the right time
to unlock what she knows.
Let's bring her in.
Hey, wait up.
Are you OK?
You haven't replied. To what?
My message from the
other night. You know.
Any plans for tonight?
What's it look like to you, Dan?
Nuh-uh. Don't cheat.
This is a fun date, isn't it? Yes, it is.
Betty, will you marry me?
I know you always
worry about money,
but this job with the police is solid.
I can buy us a house and
look after you, honey.
Dad.
Sorry I'm late.
Sophie, we need you to
tell us what you know.
If you are withholding evidence,
you could get into trouble.
I've told her that.
Could she have
witnessed the murder?
She was at home. I was looking after her.
We saw Beverley leave.
Sophie, did someone say something to you?
Is that how you know?
I want to speak to Professor.
I don't want to alarm you,
but if Sophie knows who
killed your daughter,
and the killer finds out
she may be in danger.
Beverley Wallace left the
house shortly before 6pm
to catch the bus across town.
And we're certain she caught it?
But it's consistent with
where her body was found.
The pathway through the woods
is a shortcut to her sister's
from the nearest bus stop.
What about time of death?
Anywhere between nine and 12
hours before the body was found.
Was she reported missing? No.
The sister figured she
just decided not to come.
The husband assumed she slept over.
So, what about the husband?
His alibi's pretty solid. Murder weapon?
The wounds are consistent
with blows from a hammer.
Any bright ideas?
If Kane Carty's testimony
is to be believed
It's a pretty big if. Please don't speak
with your mouth full, Sergeant,
especially if your brain is empty.
Carty claimed the watch was
already undone when he found it,
which suggests whoever killed her
was trying to make the
motive look like robbery.
Until Kane Carty disturbed them,
but why bother?
To camouflage the true motive.
Which may lie closer to home.
All right. Let's question the
sister and the husband again,
but don't let on that we've
been speaking to Sophie.
'Tantita Pena' by Alejandro Fernandez
Do you mind? I'm eating!
'Food is so hard to find this far north
'that the wolves must search
hundreds of square miles
'if they're to be successful.'
I've been over this umpteen times.
So one more time won't hurt, then.
Yeah, Mr Wallace, we really
appreciate your cooperation.
We're just trying to be
as thorough as we can.
Beverley had arranged
to go to her sister's.
My mother-in-law was
here looking after Sophie
because I had a business meeting
on the other side of town.
I
I just wish I'd dropped her off
instead of making her take the bus.
But I was meeting a potential new
client and I didn't want to rush.
The manager of the Cambridge
Park Hotel, I believe.
That's right.
Do you mind?
I'm sure we've asked you this,
Mr Wallace,
but can you think of anyone
who might wish Beverley harm?
Beverley hardly had contact with anyone.
Looking after Sophie's a full-time job.
Last couple of weeks haven't been easy.
How's she coping?
I don't know how much
of this she's taken in.
There's no tears,
no grief, nothing.
I'm sorry. I have to drop
Sophie off at her grandma's.
Was there anything else?
Was there a reason for
Beverley's visit that night?
No particular reason.
She didn't get out of the house much.
I imagine she was keen
to discuss her plans.
What plans? To have
Sophie taken into care.
Excuse me, but how do
you know about that?
You've not answered my question.
She's not being taken into care, exactly.
It's assisting living.
Shared accommodation
with other young adults,
with assistance available 24/7.
It sounds ideal.
But it does not sound like home.
Listen, my sister devoted
her life to Sophie,
but it's become more difficult.
She's not as docile as she was.
She can be challenging, aggressive.
Violent, even.
She's very stubborn.
Poor Beverley. She
She couldn't have done more.
I'm glad she's dead!
She was a dominant, selfish bitch!
An utter cow!
I don't understand why we're
being questioned again.
He's been charged, hasn't he?
Aren't we just waiting for a trial date?
Mr Carty is innocent.
Kane Carty is still on remand,
and awaiting trial for murder.
We're just conducting some
follow-up enquiries, that's all.
Fewer than one in five murders
are committed by strangers.
I see no reason to believe this
case will disprove those odds.
'OK, nice work. Follow up on
the assisted living lead.'
'Anything else?' That's it, I think.
'All right.
'See you back in the office.
' The sister was overly performative.
She feels guilty in some way.
'Then let's put her under surveillance.'
'It's the largest migration
of elephants in the world.'
Be careful, sweetheart, it's very hot.
Thank you.
What happened?
Oh, it's OK. It's just an accident.
Are you all right?
Just don't step on anything.
OK, I'm gonna clean that up
in a minute, Dad, all right?
God, this is tedious.
Why do we have to do
surveillance on Veronica's house?
Was there really no-one else?
I volunteered us.
Why on earth would you do that?
So we could talk about us.
I could carry on stalking
you via SMS if you'd prefer.
Crap.
I forgot to reply.
I'm sorry, Dan.
I've got a lot on my plate.
Don't take it personally.
You know, the more you
keep me at arm's length,
the worse the craving gets.
What exactly are you craving, DS Winters?
Mm-mm.
But I do have
ham and cheese.
We can go halves.
Generous.
Why don't you ask me on a proper date?
Deal.
Here, look at this.
At least Paul seems to
be having a good rest.
Aww. Mm.
From the council.
They found a place for
Sophie in assisted living,
but they're only providing
partial funding.
Wow.
Is that weekly or monthly? Weekly.
They couldn't afford that, could they?
From what we've seen, no way.
When she was born
well, let's just say it
wasn't what we expected.
I can imagine.
Beverley decided to stay
home and look after Sophie,
and I threw myself into work.
I was doing stupid hours.
I couldn't face being here.
That must have been hard.
It nearly broke us at first.
But after a while,
Sophie changed all that.
She changed me.
She's so loving and gentle.
I didn't want to send her away.
So you argued about it?
People stare at me in the street.
They think I look like a weirdo.
You are a weirdo.
Hmm. And so are you.
Though, if you lived with other
people who were like you,
you would no longer be.
You do not wish to be sent away.
I want to stay at home.
And the thought of leaving
home is making you agitated.
They give me drops for that.
Drops? In my hot chocolate.
Are you going to ask
me that question again?
No. Not yet, anyway.
'It was a source of contention,
then, the assisted living?'
We couldn't afford it.
I see.
You see? And what do you see?
We had a disagreement,
like all couples do.
Look, I'm sorry, I have to get to work.
I'm heading off now.
Will you be all right?
We'll be fine.
Thank you, Mr Wallace.
Jesus Christ, Veronica,
how long can you keep stretching, woman?
She's been jogging ten minutes.
Her warm-down's taken 20.
So, I was thinking.
There's this Italian restaurant
I managed to book a table at,
if you're still keen on
going on a proper date.
You asking me to dinner,
Donckers?
We're on.
How long has this been going
on with your brother-in-law?
If you say nothing, Veronica,
we're just gonna assume the worst.
When did your sister find out?
She didn't.
So, how long has
it been going on?
Just over a year. We're in love.
Beverley was a good mother,
but not a good
Well, they weren't happy.
There wasn't enough money
with Beverley not working
and Andrew only selling
cleaning products.
Beverley was on his case constantly,
calling him a loser.
She could be very cruel.
Leave Andrew out of this,
please! He's suffered too much already.
He didn't murder her.
He's the gentlest man I know.
What about you?
Me?
You don't exactly seem grief-stricken.
And you need to help us rule you out.
When Beverley failed to show,
what did you do?
I called her mobile a few times,
and then the landline.
Sophie picked up. S
he seemed confused.
Sophie answered, you're sure?
Yes.
She told me her mum wasn't home,
so I asked her to put
me through to my mother.
She was baby-sitting.
Sophie said she'd fallen asleep.
Does your husband know about the affair?
So?
Why did they want to see you? Hmm?
Not here.
Andrew Wallace has a motive.
He doesn't like Beverley's
plan to put Sophie into care.
He's adamant they
can't afford it.
And he's having an
affair with her sister.
Beverley bars Veronica's way
to a relationship with Andrew.
So those two are our potential suspects?
Apart from Kane Carty.
There's one more, who we've
largely ignored until now.
Sophie also has a motive.
Are you serious?
She doesn't want to be sent away.
Her aunt says she's become
a lot more difficult,
"aggressive and violent"
were the words she used,
and she hasn't shed a single
tear since her mother died.
What if she fought with her mother?
It gets out of hand.
She knocks her down and
kills her accidentally.
Her father comes home and finds them.
He puts his wife's body in the
boot of his car and dumps her.
What about the grandmother?
She passed out in front of the telly.
We need to interview
Sophie again.
Put a bit of pressure on her.
At worst, she's a witness.
At best, she's a potential suspect.
Why are we pussyfooting around her?
Jasper?
Absolutely not.
An ill-conceived approach
to Sophie at this point
could seriously jeopardise
my chances of finding out what she knows.
Could I have a word?
This is ridiculous.
What time we on for Sunday?
Sunday?
Our date, dummy.
The table's booked for seven, OK?
We don't question Sophie,
but let's run forensics
on Andrew Wallace's car
and check Veronica's
story with her husband.
Hello?
Your wife's not home, then?
I threw her out.
But will you vouch for her?
The night Beverley died,
was Veronica here with
you the whole time?
You're way off the mark.
It's Andrew you should be focusing on.
He's the one with the temper.
He said he'd do anything to stop
Beverley sending Sophie away.
Hello?
You're joking.
We agreed she'd spend some
time on her own after school.
Just for a bit, while I was working.
An hour at most.
When I got back, she wasn't here.
She was dropped off at three.
Bus driver confirmed it.
Someone's taken my daughter.
She would never just
wander off on her own.
Mr Wallace, I'm afraid we also
have to consider the possibility
that Sophie has run away.
Where would she go?
And why would she run away?
Perhaps she believed she was in danger.
From me? I would never harm my daughter.
What about your wife?
According to your brother in law,
you said you would do anything to
stop Beverley sending Sophie away.
I didn't mean literally anything.
Raymond's just trying to get back at me.
I'm not proud of what
Veronica and I have done,
but my marriage to Beverley
was over years ago.
Did she feel the same?
Do you know what it's like
to be constantly belittled?
To be told you're a loser who
can't support his own family?
Veronica understood.
Abduction my arse. She's run away.
What makes you so sure?
She knows we're closing in on her.
If Sophie's the killer,
why run the risk of getting
the professor involved,
opening the case again?
To clear her conscience.
Strange that she left that food.
My money's still on the father.
I bet you he knows where Sophie is.
There's always
another possibility.
'DCI Brand.'
DS Donckers calling, Ma'am.
We're at the Wallaces'.
'Any progress?'
Has Professor Tempest got anything
to do with our missing suspect?
'Why are you asking?'
I think he's playing one of his
little games. He's behaving oddly.
'Seems pretty normal for the professor.'
We're dealing with a
vulnerable person here, Ma'am.
'She's fine, Donckers.
Don't worry about Sophie.'
Where is she? 'She's safe.'
God's sake.
Any news?
Mr Wallace, Sophie is OK.
She's been taken somewhere safe.
What the hell? Why? Where?
I'm not able to say.
I'm her father. Why wasn't I told?
Why didn't you ask my permission?
Sophie is 18. And she's vulnerable.
She's not capable of
making her own decisions.
The most important thing
is that she's safe.
Take me to my daughter now!
We can't do that, sir.
We don't know where she is.
Good afternoon.
Detective Sergeant Donckers is
enquiring after your whereabouts,
and that of a young lady
she claims is in your care.
She mentioned child abduction.
Hey, who are you calling a child?
Sophie came of her own volition.
And why would she do that?
Because I have a secret. Yes.
Because she has a secret.
Oh, OK. That's all sorted, then.
That's all sorted, then.
You're another weirdo.
Takes one to know one. Or so I'm told.
Why is it covered up?
To protect it, sweetheart,
from prying eyes and sticky fingers.
Are you ashamed of it? No, not at all.
But it's not quite finished.
That's the professor!
Unmistakably so, you clever girl.
Where's his face gone?
He keeps it hidden, sweetheart.
Are you his mummy?
That is indeed my privilege.
And simultaneously my burden.
Do you love him?
Boundlessly, little one.
My mummy wanted to send me away.
I find that unfathomable,
darling.
Are you sure Sophie's in good hands?
She's being looked after.
There was something I was
hoping you might help me with.
I'll do my best.
How did Beverley intend to pay for
Sophie in her assisted living?
I told her I would help out.
You endorsed her plan?
I thought a measure of independence
might be good for Sophie.
And for my daughter
and her husband.
And you could afford
to contribute?
My husband left me a bit.
You can't take it with you, can you?
I hope she has not been too much bother.
I like the other lady better.
I'm gonna make some tea.
I'd like to ask you
something if I may, Sophie.
Oh.
Not that question again.
Not quite yet. Something else.
That night, the one we have talked about,
I'm wondering why your grandmother
went to sleep so early.
I put some drops in her port.
I thought so.
Because she was going to pay
for your assisted living.
No, I didn't want to watch
her boring soap operas.
Mm.
Don't be so grumpy.
Forensics came in.
Andrew Wallace's car is clean.
You see. Give the man a break,
for Christ's sake.
His wife has been murdered.
Now his daughter's been kidnapped.
No-one's been kidnapped.
Try telling Andrew Wallace that.
You have no idea what it's like
to feel responsible for someone
who can't look after themselves.
Sergeant What is the professor up to?
Why are you backing him?
Because it has persuaded a
certain individual to talk.
OK, that's enough. She's coming with me.
That will not be necessary.
I believe she's ready.
Sophie, did your daddy kill your mummy?
I worked my arse off.
But not Beverley.
I sometimes felt that she
used Sophie as an excuse.
And then she decides she wasn't
even gonna do that any more.
That must have been difficult for you.
And ruinously expensive.
So you decided to kill her?
No.
No, it wasn't like that.
Beverley had missed her bus.
So you decided to drive her
to her sister's after all.
The fuck was that?
'We hit something in the road.
A branch, maybe.'
Seriously, Andrew, it broke the car.
'She just kept going on at me.'
We're stranded here
'Goading me that her mother
'had agreed to pay for
Sophie's assisted living.'
Moaning that she always had to
take care of everything herself.
Telling you that you
were worthless. A nobody.
'Jesus, I just asked'
'Years and years of humiliation.'
I couldn't take it any more.
I just snapped.
'After all these years'
I just wanted her to shut up.
I mean, who was she to call me a failure?
I'm not the one who failed our daughter.
I hid her in the undergrowth.
You thought you could make
it look like a robbery.
But you were interrupted.
I kept my appointment,
but I made a stop at home first.
To clean up and to
dispose of the evidence.
You made me do it, honey.
You made me do it.
Excellent work, Jasper.
Thank you, Christina.
DS Donckers, can I have a word, please?
See you tonight.
I owe you an apology, Ma'am.
I was wrong about Andrew Wallace.
And about Kane Carty,
and about Sophie, too.
I know. I feel awful.
Persistence and conviction
are very admirable.
Stubborn
bloody-mindedness is not.
I'll do better.
I've had a lot
on my mind lately.
Mm. I see you have some
difficult choices to make.
You know, I'd hate to lose you, Lisa,
but if you think a transfer
might be necessary
I hear you, Ma'am.
Transfer won't be necessary.
Glad to hear it.
Carry on.
Can I get you anything else?
I think I'll wait.
OK, but I need this table by nine.
Yeah, no problem.
You look exactly
as Lisa described.
Sorry, are you a friend of hers?
Mm-hm.
She should be here any minute.
Late, as ever.
Lisa's not coming. She sent me instead.
You're joking, right?
Can I take your order?
Another pint of whatever's on tap
and the pasta arrabiata for him.
Extra spicy, please.
And a bottle of house white
and the vongole for me.
Wow. She's told me a lot about you.
Evidently.
She also told me she's decided
not to mix work with pleasure.
She did.
You know Lisa.
Apparently not.
Shall we start again? Dina Rush.
Status - single.
Dan Winters. Also single.
And, it would seem, incredibly naive.
Would you like to try the wine?
'Lo Che Non Vivo Senza
Te' by Pino Donaggio
Will you excuse me?
Hi.
Hello again.
Nice to meet you, Winters. You too, Rush.
accessibility@itv.com