Professor T (2021) s02e02 Episode Script

MUSIC: 'Luna d'estate!'
HE MOANS
GUNSHOTS
Mother?
GUNSHO
Mother!
GUNSHOT, CLATTERING OUTSIDE
Jasper, you startled me.
Your sights need adjusting.
You shouldn't go creeping up
on people like that.
It's frightfully reptilian of you.
What are you doing, Mother?
I'm experimenting with a new technique.
Isn't it marvellous?
It is also 23 minutes past seven
in the morning.
My muse doesn't wear a wristwatch, darling.
Well, perhaps it might be better
for friendly neighbourhood relations
if she did.
Are you all right, darling?
I thought you were looking
a trifle peaky.
A moment of discomfort, nothing more.
It's your therapy.
If you will go stirring up
the ghost of birthdays past,
what do you expect?
Evolve or die, Jasper.
Evolve or die.
Christ.
I need to get the boss down here.
She's gonna want to see this.
Son of the family.
Came back at 9pm and found them.
William Tidswell.
You'll recognise the name, of course.
Of course.
The other victim's been
identified as Jean Tidswell.
She's his second wife,
according to the son.
CAMERAS CLICK
Boss, we've found something.
No sign of a break-in? Nothing obvious.
It all seems a bit extreme
if the motive is just a robbery. Mm.
What about other family members?
There's a teenage daughter, Stephanie.
The son says she lives at home.
Her phone's going to voicemail.
All right, let's, er,
leave forensics to finish up.
We'll regroup first thing
in the morning. Get some rest.
FAINT SOBBING
Guys, guys.
WHISPERS: What?
Pass me your torch, please.
What about Dame Tabitha?
Doesn't work days with an S in them.
Well, then Professor Yardley?
He's in court today, remember?
HE SIGHS
Sabbatical. Compassionate leave.
Currently suspended.
Not seen or heard of since February.
Uninsurable. Declared mentally unfit.
Ooh, what about him?
Dead! You got me to send flowers.
Well, there must be someone
who can teach his classes.
PHONE RINGS
He's not here. I don't know.
No, you can't leave a message.
Ingrid, you could try being
a little more emollient.
You're going to regret that.
Yeah, I already do.
Morning, is the Professor in?
He's in the hospital!
NURSE: Morning, handsome.
How are we?
'Still a bit woozy, maybe?'
Anderson's hypothesis
proposes a correlation
between temperature and violence.
HE PANTS
The cause and effect, if you will
between heat and hostility.
NURSE: 'Not at our best?
'Come on, Sleeping Beauty.'
Suggesting that one of
the unforeseen consequences
of global warming
may be an increase 'Wake up.'
CLICKING FINGERS
Come on.
There we are. That's better.
Now, open nice and wide for me.
Nice and wide.
There's a good boy!
Now, you're probably feeling
a bit poorly,
which is only to be expected
with acute appendicitis.
The surgeon said it almost looked
radioactive when she took it out.
SHE CHUCKLES
Neon green and full of pus.
Now, eat up every last mouthful
like a good boy,
or I shall come back
and spoon-feed it to you.
BEEPING
38.5, that's good.
It's coming down.
I have an IQ of 160.
That is 4.156 times
greater than my temperature.
Ergo there is no need to treat me
like an infant.
SHE LAUGHS
This was taken at the home of
Edward and Genevieve Lansing,
the scene of another
double murder 15 years ago.
It's almost identical
to the Tidswell crime scene.
Even down to Mozart's aria
about vengeance,
and the knots used to tie
the victims' hands.
So, we think it's the same guy?
Computer says no.
Danny Gedge, personal trainer,
serving 30 years
for the Lansing murders.
Then it's a copycat.
Except the music, the knots,
none of that was made public.
So maybe they put the wrong man inside.
Maybe he orchestrated it
from his prison cell.
Why would he do that?
William Tidswell was prosecuting
barrister at his murder trial.
So, motive.
But why wait 15 years? Who knows?
It's a total bloody mess.
Ah, Professor certainly picked
a bad time to cry off sick.
Yeah.
CLICKING
I politely request that you
take my temperature.
You don't do anything politely.
And the answer is no.
I feel flushed.
I've taken it three times already.
I think I may have
a bacterial infection.
Ahh, ahh
Aaaargh!
There could be postoperative
complications - sepsis, MRSA.
You're going to be fine. You big baby.
Says the person trained to
give bedbaths for a living.
Pipe down or I will put you in
next door with the crack addicts.
'Danny Gedge was followed the day
before the Lansings were murdered, '
for spending a fortune on their
account at some fancy clothes shop.
Bit of a flimsy motive, isn't it,
for the bloodbath that followed?
Several hundred thousand in cash
and jewellery went missing.
None of it ever recovered,
or the murder weapon.
How did you get a conviction?
Gedge was caught on CCTV
entering the shop
where the masks were bought.
It was enough to convince the jury,
even though we could never prove
act of purchase.
I don't get this whole masks thing.
I mean, why go to all the bother?
To imply there's something
ritualistic about the murders.
A serial killer, maybe,
not some gym bunny
with an addiction to haute couture
and a lust for money.
Except our gym bunny is now serving
a 30-year stretch
at Her Majesty's pleasure.
So maybe the Lansings' killer
really is still out there.
Or maybe that's just what
Danny Gedge wants you to think.
He's got an upcoming parole hearing.
Already?
He's served half his sentence.
If there's a hint of doubt
hanging over his conviction
It's a bit farfetched, isn't it?
It's more likely to be
a cockup than a conspiracy.
Sorry, boss, that was out
Don't worry about it, Donckers.
It's what everybody's thinking.
How sure were you about Danny Gedge?
At the time, very. But now?
Aw. A bit bored?
I was performing
a silent mind meditation.
Oh How about a nice bit of telly?
Oh, look, it's him.
The one whose dad and step-mum
were murdered.
They brought his step-sister onto
the ward a couple of nights back.
He's not left her room since.
Adjust the volume.
'Thank you for coming.
'I am Detective Chief Inspector
Christina Brand.
'With me is Robert Tidswell,
who is going to be making
'an appeal for information
in connection with the murder
'of his father and his step-mother,
Jean and William Tidswell.'
Before I hand you over to Robert,
I would like to say that
Jean and William
were admired and well respected
in this community.
And that their killings
are amongst the most
SOBBING senseless.
'And, erm
'Senseless and cold blooded.'
Silly little fool.
I don't know what she's
making such a fuss about.
She's only the poor boy's girlfriend.
And the step-sister
is receiving treatment
in this very institution, you say?
Yeah, practically catatonic,
the poor thing.
They think it's post-traumatic stress.
Where might she be, more precisely?
If you want that sort of information
you're gonna have to start behaving.
'We're working on a hypothesis
that Danny Gedge is attempting'
to kill two birds with one stone.
Revenge himself on the man who
put him away, and in the process,
cast sufficient doubt on his guilt
to secure his release.
Peter Kemp, released last month
from a nine-year stretch
for armed robbery,
spent the last four
sharing a cell with Danny Gedge.
He's the sort who might be persuaded
to sign up for a contract killing.
Good work. Follow up on him. What else?
We've had a verbal update
on the postmortem.
Both of them were killed by
a single bullet to the head.
So, could have been the work
of a professional.
Mm. Is that it?
The wife had cancer, stage four.
All her major organs
were riddled with it.
Perhaps it was a mercy killing.
You know, loving husband,
couldn't bear to see his wife suffering,
puts her out of her misery,
turns the gun on himself.
Then ties his hands behind his back?
Let's stay focused on Danny Gedge.
The money he stole from the Lansings
was never recovered.
He's certainly got the money
to order a hit.
What about the step-daughter. Is she
talking? Fit to be interviewed yet?
We're just about to go and find out.
Shall we drop in on the Professor
while we're down there?
Not even a social visit.
That's all right, Doctor. We understand.
Detectives. Miss Snares.
Have you come to see the Professor?
He's desperate for a visit.
We've orders not to bother him. He's
bouncing off the walls in there.
What about a bit of
reading material, at least?
For all our sanity.
Don't look at me.
TOILET FLUSHES
HE SIGHS
Thank you, Miss Snares.
MUSIC: 'Amore Addio'
I really cannot thank you enough.
I thought you could use a little help.
You're not gonna visit him either?
I don't miss him that much.
Dean, Operation Clingfilm
successfully launched and underway.
It is a simple question.
'Nothing about this is simple.
'I'm not even supposed to be
speaking to you.'
Night, boss. Night, Donckers.
Yes, DCI Brand was lead investigator
on the Lansing case, and yeah,
she's worried the wrong man's in prison.
I very much doubt that.
And to help Christina,
we are going to prove it.
'Which is why we're
working on the assumption
'that Gedge orchestrated it
to cast doubt on his conviction.'
And I very much doubt that also.
I surmise the solution to this
knotty conundrum
lies somewhat closer to home.
It can't always be the friends
or family who did it,
you know, Professor.
And yet, statistics informs us that
more frequently than not, it is.
What about the son's alibi?
It checks out.
He was playing squash with a friend,
a teacher at Stephanie's school.
Erm
What is it, Detective?
'It's probably nothing.
'He said that Stephanie
was an A-star student
'until a few months ago.
Then it all dropped off a cliff.
'About the same time as her mother's
cancer diagnosis,
'as far as we can tell.
'I'd better go.
'Professor?'
Knock-knock.
PHONE BEEPS
So rude.
Ooh, I see you've had the decorators in.
I just love what you've
done with the place.
A witticism, congratulations.
Is that the girlfriend's mum?
Most assuredly not.
That is William Tidswell's
first wife, Robert's mother.
They could be sisters.
They say men go for women
that look like their mums.
'Jasper!'
There is an exception to every rule.
Trust me, it's not the one
that looks like his mum
that he's attracted to.
LOUD MUSIC
That doesn't look like a pint of IPA.
The correct response is,
"Thank you, Uncle Calvin."
You ungrateful sod. Listen,
at least let me buy the next one.
Not a chance.
Cheers.
So come on, then,
you won the lottery or something?
You could say that! Doing some
freelancing on the side.
Pays a bloody fortune.
Your DI's all right with that?
He's the one who got me involved.
Really?
Loads of police officers
have second jobs, Dan.
What do they expect,
with the pittance they pay us?
Fair enough.
So, what's involved, then?
You know, driving, couriering,
that sort of thing.
Grown-up baby-sitting.
Sounds a lot like private security.
Is that permitted?
It is if you don't tell anyone.
You, erm, want me to put a good word in?
Get you a slice?
No, you're all right.
Well, the offer stands,
if you change your mind.
DOOR OPENS
It's in here, love.
Steph?
Steph. Hey, Steph.
How are you feeling?
Have you remembered anything yet?
Sorry. Is there
a really strong smell in here?
What? It's just the hospital food.
The smell, it's making me sick.
I'm sorry.
She insisted on coming.
Doesn't wanna be on her own.
When all this has died down,
I'll tell her.
I promise.
It won't be long now,
then nothing
and nobody can come between us.
It is that way for obstetrics,
young lady,
if you are in need of assistance.
Or maternity services, as I believe
it is now more commonly called.
It does not show yet.
Sensitivity to smells and nausea,
with or without vomiting, they are
classic early signs of pregnancy.
Candice?
Congratulations.
Or should that be commiserations,
for the lifetime of anxiety
and drudgery that awaits you?
We've got a lead on Peter Kemp.
PAUL SIGHS
The boss wants us to follow up urgently.
Well, sorry, boss, I'm about
to interview Danny Gedge's ex.
Anything I should know about?
Just tying up some loose ends.
All right.
Come on, then, Winters,
you and me can, er, share all the glory.
Enjoy. Always me.
HE SIGHS
MUFFLED: Have a nice day, OK, Lisa?
I'll see you later.
See you later.
PROFESSOR T:
'Bethany Fairfoot, his ex-wife.'
ON THE PHONE: 'Oh, I know who she is.
'I'm just not sure
how that's meant to help.'
I divined
you were looking for new evidence,
Detective Sergeant, to ensure
the Lansing conviction sticks?
Are you sure? She wasn't called
to give evidence at the trial.
'Precisely so.
'And yet, in the first instance,
she gave a statement to the police'
supporting her husband's
version of events.
What did she find out?
What caused her to stop cooperating
with the defence?
'What are you holding back, Bethany?'
You stopped visiting Danny
even before the trial had started,
and a month after his conviction,
you filed for divorce,
changed your name.
He'd been convicted of two murders.
Yes, but he always
maintained his innocence,
and almost from the get-go,
you seemed to have stopped
giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Look you don't strike me as someone
who'd be too thrilled
to see Danny out on early release.
Better for you to work with us.
Make sure he stays inside.
Professor Tempest?
You're Professor Tempest? Madam?
Are you taking an interest
in my niece's case?
Julia Delgado. I followed
your exploits in the newspapers. Mm.
Of course, I told Jean
she was a fool to marry him.
That it would all end in tears.
Wh-What are you suggesting?
Oh, not that.
He wasn't angry or violent.
He barely showed any emotion
towards her at all.
He was still in love
with his first wife.
Anyone could see that.
Kept her clothes in his wardrobe
and her picture in his wallet.
You can't compete with a dead woman.
SHE EXHALES They could be sisters.
How did the first Mrs Tidswell die?
In a car accident.
Robert was no more than a toddler.
They think she must have taken
his seatbelt off
to reach something for him.
Took her eye off the road for a second.
I think William always blamed the boy.
Never properly forgave him.
It must have been dissatisfactory
for your sister
to find so many ghosts
in her marriage. Oh
Jean walked down the aisle
with her eyes wide open.
She'd been his secretary
for the best part of a decade.
Knew him inside out.
And she married him anyway?
She was a single mother. SHE SIGHS
Stony broke.
She wanted security,
for Stephanie of course, but
mostly for herself.
I guess he just wanted a baby-sitter.
SHE LAUGHS
No Paul? complete waste of time.
Any news on Gedge's cell-mate?
HE EXHALES
Sorry, Ma'am.
Peter Kemp was deported to Canada
SHE SIGHS
a month
before the Tidswells were shot.
Oh, well, I guess being 5,000 miles
away is a reasonable enough alibi.
Almost as good
as being locked up in a prison cell.
Perhaps it's time to, erm
to face the facts.
Maybe I did put the wrong man
away in prison,
and we really do
have a serial killer on the loose.
Unless there's some other connection
between the two cases.
I don't suppose you happen
to have worked it out yet, Winters?
No, but we know a man who could.
No!
Stephanie?
I am Professor Tempest,
a consultant with Cambridge Police.
Silence can only protect a secret
for so long.
A secret like a terminal illness
or an illicit love affair.
I I had dinner with them.
Then I went back to my room.
GUNSHO
What is it that you saw
that left you mute, unable to talk?
Pretending not to know what we do know
is unhealthy, Stephanie.
It is a recipe for insanity.
Am I interrupting, Ma'am?
No, not at all. I could do
with the distraction to be honest.
This might do the trick.
The receipt for the masks
from the Lansings' murders,
paid with Danny Gedge's credit card.
My God, Lisa.
Where did you get this?
Danny Gedge's ex-wife Bethany.
She just brought it in.
Said she found it in a suit pocket
while she was getting it dry cleaned
for him to wear at his trial.
And she's kept it all these years? Yeah.
Some kind of insurance policy, I guess.
Not so much doubt
over that conviction now, Ma'am.
I could hug you.
I can't take all the credit.
Who, then?
I'm sorry, Ma'am.
I gave him the file. Oh, Lisa.
We would never have found this
without him.
He spotted that Bethany gave
a statement in support of his alibi
and then wasn't called
to give evidence at the trial.
He realised
she must have discovered something.
Hm. SHE SUCKS HER TEETH
Maybe now we can loop him in fully?
Yeah. Why not?
PHONE RINGS
Tempest.
It's a video call, dear.
You-You've done something
unpleasant to your hair, Jasper.
'It's too bouffant.'
You look like a Lothario,
for goodness sake.
I was resting.
I suppose it's all of a piece
with this therapy business,
designed to please a certain someone,
and to hell
with what the rest of us think.
I am not seeking
relationship advice, Mother,
or a style consultation,
for that matter.
It seems only polite, however,
to thank you
for cancelling my therapy session
and sending over my things.
And did you get the reading material?
'I'm sure you'll find it stimulating.'
KNOCK ON DOOR
I have to go now, Mother. SHE SIGHS
Detectives, to my great surprise,
it is a genuine,
if long overdue, pleasure.
The feeling's mutual, Professor.
Here's the postmortem report.
Ah.
It suggests Mrs Tidswell
may have died an hour or so
after her husband,
based on body temperature, lividity
and a bunch of other stuff
that goes way over my head.
We're working on the assumption
she was kept alive
to try and force her
to reveal a combination to the safe.
Unless you have a better theory as
to why she might have outlived him?
HE INHALES DEEPLY
Not yet, Detective Sergeant.
But when I do, the case will be solved.
So, the good news
is that thanks to DS Donckers,
we no longer need to worry
about the validity
of the conviction of Daniel Gedge.
Of course, it doesn't exclude him
from our present investigation.
Maybe not yet, Ma'am,
but we're leaning that way.
He may have a motive, boss, but not
really the means or the opportunity.
So, tell me who does. These two.
Really?
SHE SIGHS
For killing their own parents.
They're having an affair, Ma'am.
How do we know that?
Ah. Don't tell me, I can guess.
Were their parents
aware of the relationship?
Yeah, his father went nuclear,
said it was unnatural,
threatened to cut them both off
without a penny.
Even forced Robert to move out
for a while.
He says he only took up with Candice
to try and prove to his father
that the affair was over.
Seems to me
that Robert might have a motive.
But his alibi's solid.
Well, then, what about Stephanie?
She's not been well enough
to answer any of our questions.
Well, then,
I think it's time she did. Mm.
What is it, Winters? Sorry, boss, I
I just can't see her
in the frame for a double murder.
Then tell me who fits it better.
Who else would have
that kind of a motive?
And who else is close enough
to William Tidswell
to know the unpublicised
details of the Lansings' murders?
PROFESSOR T: 'Who indeed?'
I'd say it was pretty obvious.
Then please do enlighten me.
Well, there's only one all-seeing
being who knows a man's affairs
as well as, if not better than,
he knows them himself.
His God?
HE LAUGHS
Oh, goodness, no. His secretary.
'Jean walked down the aisle
with her eyes wide open.'
She'd been his secretary
for the best part of a decade.
'Knew him inside out.'
You're move, Jasper.
Knight to Queen five.
THE DEAN SIGHS
Yeah, well, that's all sorted, then.
I see they're letting you out early
for good behaviour.
Is someone coming to pick you up?
I'm told that my colleagues
from the Cambridge Police
are willing to oblige.
So that you can continue
your investigation?
The case is solved
but I am not at liberty
to disclose the outcome.
Nurse, er, Graham.
You have a difficult job,
and you do it with dignity.
Sorry we're late.
Someone didn't want to pay for parking!
Did you speak to his solicitor? Yes.
And? Just as you thought.
Most gratifying. Mm.
Well, I'll take care of these, then,
shall I?
Don't mind me.
KNOCKING ON DOOR
Is Stephanie being discharged?
They're saying
there's nothing wrong with her.
Physically, at least.
She'll recuperate better
at home with me.
We need her to come to the station,
answer some questions.
She can't remember anything.
See for yourself. She's mute with shock.
It is enough to strike anyone dumb.
The awful trauma of her mother's death
exacerbating the anguish
of her cancer diagnosis.
Cancer diagnosis?
She didn't tell you?
She didn't tell Stephanie either.
Jean was adamant that she was going
to wait until after her exams.
I must admit to being a trifle bemused
by this case in the first instance.
Perhaps it was the lingering effects
of the anaesthetic
or the stress
induced by my surroundings.
Whatever the reason,
I initially ascribed
the wrong relationship
between cause and effect.
Cause and effect!
I made the mistake of assuming
that your mother's cancer diagnosis
was the logical explanation
for the downturn
in your academic performance.
Whereas we now know your mother
never told you of her illness.
Is that when you found out, Stephanie?
That your step-father was having
an affair with Robert's girlfriend?
He what?
You are here at Stephanie's request.
My request is that you do not interrupt.
You haven't a shred of proof.
Except the astonishing resemblance
between Candice
and your much-loved
and lamented late mother.
Your father found it impossible
to resist
and Candice must have been
swept along by his fervour.
Are you serious?
How else do you explain
her immoderate grief
at your father's passing?
Their killings are amongst the most
WOMAN CRYING senseless
And, um
senseless and cold blooded.
Silly little fool.
I dunno what she's making
such a fuss about.
She's only the poor boy's girlfriend.
Besides, it will be easy enough
to prove my assertion in 30 weeks or so
with a simple paternity test
once her baby is born.
Robert didn't know she was pregnant. No.
Or that she was sleeping with his dad.
PROFESSOR T: 'William certainly
believed the child was his.'
He had made an appointment with
his solicitor to change his will,
making Candice and her unborn baby
the main beneficiaries
and to write you
and your step-brother out of it.
I first saw them in his car.
I was out for a run.
Some godforsaken country lane.
I knew how much
it would've hurt them both.
Robert.
My mum.
SHE INHALES SHARPLY
It was eating me up for ages.
Knowing but not being able to say.
SHE INHALES SHARPLY
I wanted to kill him.
But you never acted on your impulse.
Mum got it out of me in the end.
She knew something wasn't right.
She
She'd sort it out, she said.
Robert was out.
I was in my room. GUNSHO
It was like a thunder clap.
So loud. GUNSHO
So terrifying.
MUSIC: 'Der Holle Rache'
by Amadeus Mozart
SHE INHALES SHARPLY And then I saw him.
SHE INHALES SHARPLY I panicked, I guess.
INAUDIBLE
She told me that she was dying
and that Candice was pregnant.
And that this was the only way
to stop William changing his will
and throwing me and Robert out
when she was gone.
She said she'd done it for me
to secure my future.
Oh, God.
She'd already cleared the safe.
She told me all I needed to do
was get rid of the gun
and tie her hands.
Thus creating the perfect distraction.
'Everyone would think the murders
were connected to Gedge.'
I begged her not to go through with it.
I thought she'd listened.
She told me
She told me I could call the police.
GUNSHOT Mother!
MUFFLED CRYING
STEPHANIE SOBS
PAUL:
'Did she say where she hid the gun?'
In the toilet cistern.
No wonder she was so traumatised.
Ultimate revenge on a cheating husband,
but what cost to your child?
POLICEWOMAN: DS Donckers?
Dad? Don't be angry with me.
We found him wandering outside.
He was calling your name over and over.
It's OK. I'm not mad.
What are you doing here?
Your mother's left me.
She's found somebody else.
I-I think she doesn't love me any more.
No, Dad. Mum
Er, she
She She's probably just gone
to the shops.
Mm. I'm Lisa's friend, Dan.
Dan.
How about I make us a nice cup of tea,
and then we'll go look for her
together?
Come on.
I wanted to come and thank you for
going the extra mile on my account.
I acted solely
out of intellectual curiosity.
I also wanted to tell you how much I
admire and respect your decision to
speak to someone about your past.
You know, I-I SHE CLEARS HER THROA
I-I don't know if you are
doing this for me Jasper.
But the thought that you might be
gives me a
a warm feeling inside.
I have to do it for myself, Christina.
So that I can learn
to find happiness in
making other people happy.