Thorne s01e05 Episode Script

Ruth Murray died from slow sustained squeezing on the artery.
Minimal internal damage.
Simple strangle.
Karal Turay, back of her skull shattered as he beat her head repeatedly against the floor.
So I guess it's a coincidence.
Methods are different.
It's not a coincidence if there's a pattern.
Tom's got a theory.
I heard it.
You said.
Double trouble.
Venables and Thompson, Brady and Hindley Ant and Dec, Robson and Jerome, Donny and Marie, Mike and Bernie fuckin' Winters! You got any evidence, Tom? No, you don't need it.
You're Tom Thorne.
What are you doing here? I'm not paying overtime.
I'm going out to forget about Charlie and his mum so I can come back tomorrow and think about them again.
Listen, thanks for coming, Phil.
I appreciate it.
We were friends.
You fucked it up.
Sorry for your loss.
Did the boy see it? Why is he alive? Did the killer get interrupted? He'd have torn through the floor if he'd had to.
It's driving me mad.
I've looked at every unsolved murder in ten years.
Luton, Chelmsford, Bromley, the suburbs.
Every pair of unsolved murders on the same day.
Nothing! Only unsolved murders, you said? Yeah, why? The police are capable of charging the wrong man.
Jana's death was a horrible thing for us all here.
We're just trying to put it behind us.
Martin, we may have a problem.
Two killers, two victims.
Same method, same day.
That's the pattern.
Serial killers don't work together.
These do.
Fuck! What are you doing?! Sean Bracher, I'm arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Karal Turay and Fiona Hutchinson! I'm the one you're looking for.
I did it.
I killed her.
It was me.
Did he tell you to kill the others too? Martin, tell him! Fuckin' tell him! It's not him, it's not him.
He's out there.
And you're never gonna get him! You got something to tell me, son? Shh.
His name's Charlie.
He's a witness.
He's just staying here for a few days, alright? Just till we find him somewhere safer.
His mum was murdered.
Someone tried to get him last night.
Oh Oh, Jesus.
Your mate's still out there, isn't he? Martin! I'm your friend, Martin.
I'm gonna take care of you.
That's what friends do.
So what will you do for me? Martin! Hey! DI Thorne has entered the room.
I killed Jana, I killed the prostitute.
You tried to kill the boy, yes, we know - Last night you tried to kill Charlie.
So who's your mate going for? Hm? Was it another witness? Is that the way it works? Charlie saw him, so who saw you? Give us a name.
Oi, look at me! Do you want to get us some coffees? Why did you come to us, Martin? Why give yourself up like that? I told you.
I killed those two girls.
And I tried to kill that boy.
But it's not two girls, is it? It's four.
Four dead women.
OK, two, four.
Lock me away for four.
You'd do that? Admit to murders you didn't commit? What's he got on you? Please just lock me away.
Why? You think you'd be safe inside? Safe in your cell.
Maybe, until we catch him.
What if he's in the same nick as you, eh? On the same wing.
He stabbed Fiona Hutchinson 23 times.
He smashed Karal Turay's head in.
What's he going to do to you? Do you think anyone's gonna come running when they hear you? I told you what I did.
You can't let him You help me get him and I promise you, you will never see him again.
You didn't give yourself up to us to confess.
You wanted protection.
And I can't protect you unless I know who I am protecting you from.
So will you give me his name, Martin? What's his name? I killed Jana Lovik, I killed that prostitute and I tried to kill the boy.
OK.
It's good news.
We had a e-fit in the paper yesterday and a front-page photo of the charged killer today.
Double killer.
You know we didn't actually catch this guy, don't you? He gave himself up.
Don't split hairs, Tom.
He's only in here because being locked up doesn't scare him.
His mate does.
He fucked up last night, but his mate didn't.
There's another body out there.
You don't know that.
Say we tell the press that he didn't fuck up, that he killed Charlie Turay last night.
You're Palmer's mate, you read that your mate was arrested, what d'you do? Go to ground.
Yeah, and we lose him.
Until he decides it's safe and he starts it all over again.
But if you read that he did the job, that he's still out there, then the pattern continues.
But he'll know we've got Palmer as soon as he starts looking for him.
Not if we release him.
For fuck's sake, Tom.
We release him and we stay on him.
He goes to work, goes home, as normal.
It's how we get his mate - when it's safe and the pattern stays the same.
He'll do a runner.
Where to? Not to his mate.
He's scared of him.
And if he does do a runner, he'll run right back here.
Like he did last time.
Ruth, it's your call.
Come on, we've done it before.
What time does Palmer start work? 9:30.
Come on, Ruth.
Make a decision, huh? Or let the clock do it for you.
Sir.
Yeah? We may have another one.
Victor Perks, 58.
Vic, apparently.
Lived alone.
Edale Road just up there.
Didn't mix much with the neighbours.
Seems he was a drinker.
Last seen alive 4pm yesterday.
It's an hour before Palmer tried to kill Charlie.
OK, bag it up.
Christ.
Strange.
Powder marks in the wounds.
He fell over there.
Shot in the knee, crawled to here.
Then a man entered a magazine into him.
So that's one victim each.
Yeah? Same day, within an hour.
The pattern - both male, both shot.
One nice, one nasty, one couldn't do it, and one could, and did.
Yeah, but a five-year-old and a 58-year-old man? The rest of the victims were of similar profiles, similar ages.
What's the connection? Palmer tried to kill Charlie because he was a witness.
Yeah.
So what did he see? Sir, Vic Perks was a copper.
"Victor Perks was a former detective CID.
" "32 years' service in East London and Borough.
" Put "In 1992 he received the Queen's Medal for distinguished service.
" Got to get Ruth with us on this.
Cause of death was Multiple gunshot wounds.
Penetrating the heart, lungs, spleen, tracheal artery.
Preliminary examination of the scene suggests 17 entry wounds.
OK.
Print it, take it.
Wait, Sarah, not you.
Dave, you take it.
She's known you longer.
Hey, hey, nice and calm, yeah? Sure you really want this? Yeah? Palmer released? I'm gonna get this fucker.
He killed one of us.
Come on, that's bollocks.
He's just another dead body to you.
Don't give me that police solidarity thing.
You didn't know Vic Perks.
Wanna know the reason? I know you when you get like this.
You better be sure you're right.
If you're lucky, they'll say no.
Charge Palmer.
Charge Palmer, then bail him.
He's out.
You got what you wanted.
You said Palmer would be at work by 9:30.
Well? Are you sure you can trust Palmer? No, I'm not.
But he's not going anywhere.
For all he knows, his mate is watching him right now, just like we are.
So this is the safest place he can be.
You know how much this all costs? I could do all this with a pair of binoculars and a thermal vest.
Your shoes, sir.
Marvellous.
They look good.
This had better fuckin' work.
Palmer's here.
At least he won't have to pay his phone bill.
So he calls Manchester.
That'll be his sister, right? Hm.
Oh, God, we've got ourselves a hoarder.
Christ.
Some bastard's gonna have to log this.
He calls the same number six times in the last week.
Five seconds, one second.
Two seconds, three seconds.
Sarah? Hm.
Vic Perks was calling Martin Palmer.
Palmer didn't just know about Vic, he set him up.
Palmer told Psycho where to find him.
Where is he now? Still at the hotel.
Why was he calling Palmer? We pulled the voicemail.
If Vic left messages, Palmer deleted them.
Why don't we ask Palmer? I'm asking you.
We have a timeline.
'96 to '98.
Perks was working CID Lewisham while Martin Palmer was doing GCSEs nearby at Lovelock Road School.
That's good work.
Well done.
Palmer was, like, 14.
Do we think Psycho killed Perks because of something that happened at school? He could have picked him up.
He didn't have a record.
He's 14.
Anything would have been wiped off the database by now.
Why don't we go and ask the fucker? We'll ask him, Dave.
But right now we leave him where he is.
Do you understand? I've got 60 coppers on this.
I don't want you or anybody else screwing it up.
We need both these guys, not just Palmer.
Yeah, well, just Call me if there's any movement, understand? Yeah, I'm at the school now.
Alright.
Martin Palmer.
Left us in '98.
Am I allowed to ask what this is about.
No, sorry.
Thanks.
What does TS mean? Oh, TS.
This letter says "TS".
What does that mean? It seems our young Master Palmer got himself temporarily suspended.
Here it is.
Just a week.
No reason given.
Can't have been that awful.
What sort of things would get you suspended for a week? Fighting, maybe truancy.
Smoking, of course.
What about this boy? He was suspended on the same day for two weeks.
Do you know him? Leonard Bardsley.
Len.
Are you Bardsley? Yeah.
DI Thorne.
Miss Evans said I'd find you here.
I'm looking into a former pupil from here.
Martin Palmer.
'93 to '98.
You were in his year, yeah? Year above.
What, did he top himself, like his mum? Would you care? Not really.
There was an incident in '94.
You were both suspended.
Why was that? We had a scrap, that's all.
It must have been a helluva fight, both suspended.
And one expelled.
Who was expelled? There he is.
Stuart fuckin' Nicklin.
Did Nicklin do that to you? I knocked Palmer's teeth out.
Nicklin bit my fuckin' nose off.
Why'd he hit you? He always hits me.
Not after today he won't.
What will you do for me? 'What will you do for me?' Stuart Nicklin.
Look away, Martin.
You never know who's watching.
Have you got him? You can't find him, can you? So where is he? How do I get him? I don't know.
He can't be found.
Other people have looked for him.
Other policeman.
Vic Perks, he was looking for Nicklin, was he? He called me, said he wanted to talk about Stuart.
He was waiting outside my house.
He asked me if I'd seen him.
What did you say? Stuart was inside watching me.
Don't look at me.
Then what? I told him I'd meet him.
Somewhere we could talk.
He said Greenwich.
But you didn't go, did you? You told Stuart about him.
He saw me with him.
Why was Vic Perks looking for Nicklin? He hasn't got a record.
You don't understand.
I hadn't seen Stuart since we were kids.
So why did he come back? It's Polish book.
It's really creepy.
It's Polish porn! It's not porn, it's poetry, Polish poetry.
Hey, Martin, where you going? Jana loves her Polish book, don't you? Such a weirdo.
Look at how he walks.
Fuckin' weird.
Hello, Mart.
Stuart.
It's been a while.
Where had he been? It's not He doesn't talk like that.
He says He tells me what I have to do.
What did he want? You know what he wanted.
You don't do all this just cos he beat up Bardsley for you.
Has he got something on you? Do you know what it's like to be really scared of someone? Just help me.
I want it to end.
I will help you, Martin.
But you just keep doing what you're doing, alright? Or you're on your own.
Who are you? I'm Karen.
So, we've nothing on Stuart Nicklin between 1997 and now.
Nothing.
He just disappeared.
No driving licence, no bank details.
He must have changed his name but Palmer can't help us with that.
So he's been hiding.
Or planning something.
Maybe he's been abroad.
We circulated his name, dental records from school via Interpol.
Nothing back yet.
OK, that's what we don't know.
What DO we know? He's got a hold over Palmer and he's extremely violent.
So he may have been doing this for the past 13 years.
Vic Perks retired 13 years ago, just after Nicklin disappeared.
Have you been through his files? It could take a month.
I want every scribbled bit of paper, every note, every clipping, you go through his phone records, you understand me?! Dave, you go with her.
Sir.
Is this it? As good as we'll get.
A digital age-up of the school photo.
Alright.
I want this circulated.
Get this out on the streets.
Gonna bring him in.
Come on, Charlie! That's my boy! Come on! Hey, hey! What's going on? He's He's got the makings of a grand little player.
As good as you were when you were his age.
I don't remember you playing with me at eight at night, or any time.
What's with the specs? We went to the cinema.
Dad, I asked you not to take him out.
You know what, I'm done.
Time for bed.
Choose some books and you can choose a story, yeah? Charlie, come here, come here.
I've got something for you.
It's a midnight feast.
Go on, let me show you.
Don't say anything to your Uncle Tom.
Because he'll want one for himself.
Now where is it? Yes, here it is.
Now, then.
That is for you.
What happened? Charlie, hey! It's alright.
What happened? It were only a chocolate bar.
Really? Thanks.
What? They tested a chocolate bar from Karal's house.
No prints, no DNA.
How does that make any sense? He butchers Karal, then he charges through looking for the boy just to give him some chocolate.
And if he did find him Why didn't he kill him? I don't know.
He wiped it and gave it to Charlie? You didn't see him freak out.
No chocolate wrapper at Fiona Hutchinson's killing.
The wind off the river, it could be anywhere.
What about Vic Perks? Nothing yet.
What time's your detail at Palmer's flat? 2am.
Graveyard shift.
Why don't you take a break, get some fresh air? Thank you, sir.
At the tunnel where Vic Perks was discovered.
See what you can find.
Oh Alright with that? I can get Dave to go with you.
No.
No problem.
You're looking at a man that's getting kinda mad I had lots of luck but it's all been bad I'll never get out of this world alive What are you calling me out this time of night for? How does somebody kill like this and leave no trace? No DNA, no prints, nothing.
You just shave your body, cover your hair, wear gloves.
Basic food hygiene stuff, you know.
We found all this at Vic Perks's house.
What is that? Every case he ever worked? No, it's just one case.
Jesus.
Karen McMann.
Some girl that went missing.
Who are you? I'm Karen.
Hello.
Oh! Sorry.
Why are you here? We didn't feel comfortable with you being here by yourself.
I don't need protection.
Alright.
How about some company? I'm telling you, this is a waste of time.
Fuckin' Tom Thorne.
I'm not.
Are you? Teacher's pet.
Scared of a little competition, are you, Sarah? You're not competition.
Oh, yeah? That's funny, cos I've just found his precious chocolate-bar wrapper.
So, Karen McMann, this 14-year-old girl, goes missing in 1997.
What's that got to do with this? I dunno.
But it meant something to Vic.
Nicklin killed Vic Perks for a reason.
Something that Vic knew or saw.
Vic was a sad old copper with an obsession that killed him in the end.
Sounds like you were writing my obituary there, Phil.
I need to get this back to forensics.
Then I've got half an hour to kill before I'm on at Palmer's.
Wanna get a quick drink? Oh Maybe this isn't a good idea.
What's not? "Second interview, Martin Palmer.
August 28th, 1997.
" "Present: DC Perks and DS Davis.
" "Tell us what you saw one more time, Martin.
" "I saw Karen get into a blue Vauxhall Cavalier.
" "Were you alone or was Stuart Nicklin with you? I was on my own.
" "Really, Martin? Why are you covering for him? I'm not.
" "It's a bit of a coincidence, him not being around.
" "We know what he's capable of.
" "Tell me what Stuart did to Karen.
I don't know.
" "Stop covering for him and tell me what he did to her.
" "I told you.
How many more times?" "Karen got into a blue Vauxhall Cavalier.
" And they never found a body? No.
It's what Perks has been looking for all these years.
You think Nicklin killed her? It's not too late to go and ask Palmer.
Shit, it's gone two! Sarah.
Don't you ever fuckin' knock? DS Chen approaching Palmer's HA.
Don't shoot.
You're late.
Piss off, Dev.
I said I was running ten minutes late.
Hey, Mitch.
Is he in there? Thanks.
Tax-payer pizza, is it? No, it's my money.
I paid for it.
Can't smoke in here.
Smoke alarm.
Why are you looking at me? Eat your pizza.
So, is this what you do? Sit around, stare at the wall, waiting for the phone to ring? Sounds as if you know what that's like.
We found your tears on Ruth Murray's face.
Do you cry on all of them? I don't like to talk about it.
Oh.
Why not? You must like doing it.
Too personal? Why are you doing this? I have no idea.
I'd like to go to bed now, please.
Oh.
Right.
Go and get me a coffee, would you, Mitch? A decent one.
Get yourself one too.
Oh, thanks.
He's asleep.
I'll be fine.
She's nothing special.
WE'RE the special ones, you and me! Why don't we just get rid of her? You let me down, Mart.
I tried.
You didn't tell me he was so little.
My hand was sweating.
They caught me.
No, they didn't.
I saw you.
I always knew you were chickenshit, Martin, but .
.
I didn't think you'd sell me out.
No.
I thought blood was thicker.
I didn't I didn't tell 'em anything.
This is their idea.
You told them about Vic Perks.
That copper.
You told them my name.
Now they're all over me.
I never told anyone your secrets, Mart.
I never told a soul.
But you You told 'em all about me.
Please.
Please.
Please what? Please don't kill you? Is that what you think? Please, Stu.
Christ, Mart.
You really think I'd kill you? After everything we've been through? I'm so sorry.
You know.
You know what you've gotta do.
Please This isn't for you.
It's for her.
Let's fuck her up.
Let's fuck her up.
Control, this is Sarah Chen.
Tango 1 is in the flat, believed armed.
Repeat, in the flat.
Shit.
It's OK.
Sarah! Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah He's gone, he's gone.
Sarah, Sarah! What happened? I-I-I I went the bathroom and he was pretending to be asleep.
He was He He was at the door.
That's not true.
She left it open! Were you here on your own? Where the hell were you?! Come here, sit down.
Did you see him? Sarah, did you get a look at him? He tried to kill me! Alright.
That one! No.
I didn't, I didn't.
Please! I heard them! I heard them! I want this place locked down! You bring him out.
He's coming with me! Sarah, you're coming with us.
Get him out of here! Tell me about Karen, Martin.
Karen McMann.
You tell me about her.
I want answers, man! You understand me?! Karen's dead.
She got into a car and nobody saw her again.
Stop this, please.
Answer him.
Karen got into a blue Vauxhall Cavalier.
Don't fuck with me, Martin.
Stuart Nicklin killed her, didn't he? Was she his first? No.
We met at the pond, the three of us.
What pond? Where?! Was she Stuart's girlfriend? No.
Yours? He killed her cos he doesn't like sharing? Karen got into a blue Vauxhall Cavalier.
He killed her, didn't he? He killed her and you covered up for him.
No, that's not true.
She got into a car, a blue Vauxhall Cavalier.
You want him out there.
You think it'll get you off the hook.
No, I'm not That's not How did Nicklin get into the flat? She let him in.
Don't fuckin' lie! You knew he was coming, didn't you? Eh? You knew he was coming, you left the door open.
You planned it.
Tell me! Tell me! Why are you letting him do this? Don't fucking look at me! Don't fucking Sarah! Calm down! Sarah! Sarah! I'm Oh, sh No sightings of either subject but it's only been three hours.
Central 5,000 have been cleared.
They've provided us with full incident support.
Every dead body that comes in, it's my fault.
You took a gamble, it didn't come off.
He was the bait.
Now we got nothing.
When Tom Thorne shows up, tell him to call me.
How do I get Nicklin without Palmer? I don't want her on the job - Sarah Chen.
She's alright.
Trust me, she's not up to it.
He said you killed Karen.
What do you think? You know the truth.
We need to talk.
Is this about you and me? Grow up, Dave.
All I've ever asked is that you play straight with me, Tom.
It's none of your business.
Really? Sarah knows where they are.
What the fuck is she doing? You should just go home - you're no use to me.
You don't belong here.
You ready to find out what it's like? They can only kill together.
You've got to find out what that kid saw.
When you were hiding did you hear two men talking? You sure? There could have been two different - Tom I think he's given you the best answer he can.
No lies any more.
You killed her.
Karen got into a blue - Stop this! D'you want to see her? Find where a lad could dig a grave and not be seen.
It's not where you walk your dog, like a park.
It's undeveloped land.
I didn't walk.
He doesn't want me there.
No, I'll be alright.
Phil! Phil! accessibility@bskyb.
com