City Homicide (2007) s03e04 Episode Script

Sometimes we are presented with something horribly familiar.
A copycat, maybe, or at the least a set of circumstances that seems to insist that we draw certain conclusions.
We must not do that.
We must remain open to all possibilities.
This is not Liverpool in 1 993.
It is Melbourne, here and now.
Despite all the information gathered so far, we do not know what happened to this boy.
Nicholas Santini has now been missing for three days.
His parents are hanging onto the hope of finding him.
The task force are no longer so hopeful.
That is why we have been brought in.
They will continue to search for the boy alive.
But we treat this as murder.
Sarge, we have no body.
We're not even sure if there lS a body.
How are we supposed to approach this? Senior Sergeant Leigh? I'd like you all to take a look at this recording of the media appeal.
Pleasehe's only four.
If you have Nicholas, don't hurt him.
Just leave him somewhere and call the police.
It won't go any further.
Please.
It's been three days since Nicholas disappeared from the playground near the North River shopping precinct.
Unfortunately, there are no Watch the family, not Superintendant Jarvis.
.
.
so we have no images of his abduction.
This means we need as much help from the public as we can possibly get.
We know he was last seen with two older boys, but so far, descriptions are vague.
All we have is a blue plaid shirt and a red jacket like this one.
If you have any information about these two boys or Nicholas himself, no matter how insignificant it may seem, please come forward.
My son's name is Nicholas Santini.
He's four years old.
Just let him go.
This is why we have been brought in.
Analysts have been going over this footage.
A very high percentage of child killings are committed by family members or close friends.
Mr Santini comes across as passive-aggressive.
Don't be fooled by that term.
Passive-aggressives are capable of extreme aggression.
So you're saying that we should be looking at him? I'm saying that we need to do more than just focus on the boys that were seen with Nicholas.
From the beginning, Mr Santini has presented as hopeful but angry, hopeful of finding his son alive, determined to crucify whoever took him - all of which fits a pattern of concealment.
Or a perfectly reasonable response to the situation.
Maybe.
But the daughter's attitude - if she is really scared of her dad, maybe it's because he's abusive.
And maybe not just to her.
We've been asked to re-interview the parents.
Allie and Simon, I want you on this.
Senior Sergeant Leigh will brief you.
The rest of you will go over the task force work to date.
Look at it again from a Homicide perspective.
Backgrounds, witnesses, associates - the works.
You really think there's a problem there? Signs are there.
Well, we can't just walk in there and ask the question.
How do we get them to open up without the dad getting suss? Split them up? No, no.
We're interested in familial dynamics.
You see, women frequently validate their partners' violent tendencies by refusing to confront them.
So we leave them together and monitor the responses.
And if you can create a kind of schism where the daughter feels like you're an ally - someone she can confide in - the father's behaviour could be very revealing.
And the mother's too.
Yep.
If something's going on, the woman often knows.
Have you seen the press? Little Nicky this, Little Nicky that My son's name is Nicholas.
Nicholas.
I know.
They think it sounds cuter or something.
Well, he was cute.
Is.
IS! For God's sake! What do you want from us? We've talked to so many police now.
I don't know what we're doing.
We'd just like to go over the facts again, Mrs Santini.
Again? Yeah, you'll be surprised - you go over it and over it, little details pop up, things that may have been missed.
Just take us through it, OK? We were going shopping.
We all drove in together.
Nicholas was being a pain.
He wanted to play.
Is he often difficult? What's that supposed to mean? We're just wondering why he may have been playing up, that's all.
He doesn't like shopping.
Like his dad.
Did you stay together? Not the entire time.
I had bills and stuff to do, the post office.
Neda did the shopping.
We had a lot on our plate.
So Lily said she'd take him to the playground.
And watch him.
I only took my eyes off him for a second, to buy him an ice-cream.
What flavour? Strawberry.
She already told the other police that.
It's Nicholas favourite.
OK, so you gave him the ice-cream, and then what? And I went to pay the man.
And then, when I turned around, Nicholas was gone.
I looked for him for about half an hour.
We said we'd pick them up at the playground.
When we got there, she was in a panic,crying.
You can read the rest in the papers.
I need another drink.
Dad's angry with you? I'm angry with myself.
It was just a second.
Little kids can be hard to handle.
Bet Nicholas can be a cheeky little bugger when he wants.
Yeah.
They're looking for a body now, aren't they? I I love Nicholas.
He's a great little kid.
I don'tI don't know what I'd do if You gonna drink that? Or did you just have to get out of there, away from your dad? He blames me.
Is that all? Or is there more to it? Hey, tell me - are you sure it was strawberry? The ice-cream.
What? Why? Because in his statement, the ice-cream guy said he thought he saw a little boy like Nicholas with a vanilla ice-cream.
How would he remember that? There were lots of little kids there.
The cone from a melted vanilla ice-cream was found nearly half a k away near the overpass.
And that's where they're looking.
But if it was strawberry .
.
then maybe they're wasting their time.
There's more to it, isn't there? Is that why you're scared of your dad? You haven't told him everything? I can't.
I can't tell him.
He will kill me.
Are you scared of him or are you scared of what you've done? I lied.
ButI can't tell him.
I can't.
OK.
OK, it's alright.
You can tell me.
You can tell me, then we'll work out what to say to your dad.
She says that she wasn't gone long - she gave him money for an ice-cream and told him to play on the swings.
So he bought the ice-cream himself.
Or another kid bought it for him - she doesn't know.
Could've been one of the boys he was seen with.
She said strawberry because that's what she assumed he'd buy.
It's his favourite.
Well, this explains the tension in relation to her father.
We were on the wrong track - it's not dysfunction or abuse.
She was hiding something from him.
She was scared because of WHERE she'd gone too.
And where was that? You wanna leave those alone for a minute? They're supposed to be in order.
Alphabetical or genre? What? Tell us about Lily Santini.
What about her? You're her boyfriend, for starters.
Yeah.
So? So there's a full-on search for her little brother.
You're mixed up in the disappearance and you haven't come forward.
Because I don't know anything.
You were with Lily when her brother disappeared.
She came to see me, yeah.
She told police she was up the road at the playground the whole time.
Yeah, I know.
You knew that wasn't the case but didn't say anything.
She asked me not to.
She was scared she'd get into trouble with her dad.
Now she's in trouble with the police.
Look, she only came over to say g'day for 1 0, 1 5 minutes.
You stayed here the whole time? I was running the store.
I couldn't go anywhere.
She just came for a chat? Well, you know.
No, tell us.
Well, we went the pash for a while out the back.
OK, what time was that? You know when.
About 4:00.
Hey, Look, she's really upset about Nicholas.
She knows she screwed up, but she couldn't say anything 'cause her dad's a loop.
A loop? Strict.
Possessive.
He hates me.
He told her she couldn't see me anymore.
He thinks I'm weird.
Romeo Tango 1 to Tango Lima.
Conducting spot searches in grid area Alpha.
WOMAN ON RADIO: Copy that.
MAN 2: Received, Romeo Tango 2.
Please update as you move through the grid.
We've had dozens of people through in the last couple of days.
Usual mix - some who just wanna help but don't have anything useful.
Same cranks and stickybeaks? Has that ice-cream van been back since you've been here? Uh, no.
Those ladies are regulars.
They were here on the day.
Already been interviewed.
Saw nothing.
How is it that nobody can remember what the two boys who led him away looked like? Nobody took any notice - just a couple of kids going for a walk.
So he wasn't screaming and yelling.
He went willingly.
They bought him an ice-cream.
Why wouldn't he? We're thinking the boys killed him, right? The instruction is avoid preconceptions.
Still, it's hard to put them aside.
Either way, they think he's dead.
That's why Jarvis has pulled you guys in.
You know what I think? I think I would like an ice-cream.
Here, girls.
Thanks.
See ya! Have a nice day.
What can I get you? Strawberry, thanks.
And I'll have some information, Mr Roebuck.
Not more questions.
I already talked to a whole bunch of police.
Consider that a rehearsal.
I was serious about the strawberry.
You said in your statement you served Nicholas Santini a vanilla cone.
No, I said I thought I could've done.
I was here at the playground, then I thought I recognised the kid's jacket when I saw it on the telly.
That's all.
Did you see this girl? That's his sister.
Yeah, I saw her on the telly too, but I can't remember whether I saw her that day.
Why not? I was busy, mate.
Swamped.
Here you go - on the house.
No, thanks.
I'll pay.
Who bought Nicholas ice-cream? I don't know.
Look, I just remember seeing the kid with a cone in his hand - I think.
Were the boys with him then? I don't know.
What time did you leave the playground, Mr Roebuck? A few minutes later.
To another destination, to sell more of these? Actually, no.
The playground was my last stop.
I was running low on stock, so I went back home.
To the wife and kids? No, I live alone.
Look, I already had this out with those task force blokes.
What am I gonna do - grab him and stick him in the freezer? An ice-cream van's not exactly the perfect cover, now, is it? It depends - it's something people are used to seeing around, isn't it? MAN ON RADIO: Areas Alpha and Bravo are now cordoned off.
Patrols found that ice-cream cone.
They could have started searching that area yesterday if she hadn't said it was bloody strawberry.
I was scared.
You were supposed to be looking after him.
Now they can't even find him.
Leave her alone.
She's upset enough! Your little brother was by himself while you were with that oversexed bastard! We didn't do anything! No wonder you were so keen to take Nicholas to the park.
Copy that.
I'll let headquarters know.
Mapplethorpe.
Oh.
OK, thanks, Karen.
Yep? OK.
Thanks.
No matter how many you see, you never get over something like this.
So you've finished the preliminary? Yeah.
Nicholas has several bruises and abrasions.
Residue in the wounds suggests they were the result of being hit with stones and rocks.
Lots of smaller ones, and one big one here that killed him.
The killing blow was from a brick, probably used as a bludgeon rather than thrown.
He was struck very hard on the back of the head as he lay facedown.
I found bits of dirt and broken teeth in his mouth.
OK, thanks.
Let's find these little bastards.
Nothing much from the scene, Sarge.
Clothing was undisturbed.
No footprints or trace.
Just one animal print in some mud.
We got a photograph of the plaster cast.
Probably a dog investigating.
It left him alone, thankfully.
Doorknock parameters? We'll be speaking to residents on both sides of this strip.
People walk their dogs here, there's a bike track, kids play here too.
Someone might have seen something.
We can track the boys from the playground to the edge of the open land.
The body was found here.
And up here, about 500m away, there's a bunch of broken bottles and tin cans.
Look like they've had rocks thrown at them.
Our boys? Pelted with stones.
Sounds like boys.
Let's not forget - the boys are important but we can't focus on them entirely.
Why not? It's happened before.
And they were last seen in the open ground with the kid, Sarge.
But smashing a kid's head with a brick - it's way out there.
If a child did do that, we're looking for a monster.
Or a fledgling psychopath.
Look, I'm not telling you to discount them entirely.
There were two of them.
One would most likely be the dominant personality, a narcissist who likes to surround himself with people that look up to him.
A doer and a follower.
Exactly.
And the follower would want to please.
They'd join in.
What other background factors? The follower would most likely come from a broken home.
Suffer neglect and feel nurtured by his relationship with his friend.
And the other one? Would probably come from a violent background.
Kids like this, they become numb to violence.
They normalise it.
And they show no remorse.
Fledgling psychopath.
And we may have found one.
We have an interesting hit on the red jacket.
The jacket belongs to one Peter Shipley.
A teacher from his school visited the information van, Sarge.
Hang on, Let's not get too excited here.
There are quite a few of those jackets about.
We think it's a real possibility, Sarge.
The task force have already questioned several boys, and they've cleared them all.
What's so special about this one? Teacher thinks the kid's strange.
He's had him in detention three times for bullying.
Broken home, single working mother.
He fits Senior Sergeant Leigh's profile and our description.
OK, what about the teacher? Have you checked him? He's been overseas for the holidays till this morning.
I checked with Immigration.
So, how do you want it handled, Sarge? Carefully.
It's a lead, not a result.
Talk to the boy at home, but keep it low-key.
Jennifer! A word.
Your secondment to Counter-Terrorism came through.
Fantastic! These things usually take forever.
Congratulations.
You've earned it.
So, how does it work? I head there at the end of the month? Or when we get an arrest on this case? You're going over there now.
Sarge, I can't go now.
I wanna see this case through.
Unfortunately, you can't pick and choose your time.
Well, you could call them and let them know that I'm needed here.
Yeah, that wouldn't make any difference.
Surely it doesn't matter to them if I start now or in a few weeks! I'm sorry, Jennifer.
Sarge, please! There has to be a way around this.
I'll withdraw the application.
I don't mind.
There'll be other opportunities.
If you turn this one down, they will not give you another chance.
So it's literally now? Jennifer? Whoever did this to the Santini boy, we'll get them.
Your son, Peter - does he own a jacket like this one? Uh, yep, he does.
Why? Is your son home, Ms Shipley? Yes.
Peter! Lots of kids have those jackets.
What's this about? Not that Nicky Santini thing? Why do you think that? Well, it's all over the TV, the papers you're looking for a jacket like that.
G'day.
You're Peter, are you? These are the police, darling.
They're asking about your jacket.
The red one.
I lost it.
I told you, remember? I forgot.
Three weeks ago, yeah.
He lost it.
You can have a look if you like.
Just like the 'Village of the Damned'.
There was no fear or nothing.
It was just weird.
He's got his mum pulled into line, though.
She backed up his story.
Yeah, with a bit of prompting.
Hey, where's Jen? Sarge said she got her secondment.
Timing! Dunny's already on leave.
Hey, you run those checks on Colleen Shipley? Solo mum.
Dad split about six years ago.
There were several call-outs to domestics prior to that.
Fits.
Mum works in a deli.
No convictions or charges.
Same goes for the son.
Cleanskins.
Not anymore - she lied to police.
He didn't lose that jacket three weeks ago.
Uniforms followed up with students in the class.
They remembered the Shipley boy having that jacket at the end of term.
We can't just go dragging this boy in.
There's already a perception out there that this is the Australian version of kids killing kids.
It's looking more and more likely, though, isn't it? Unfortunately.
If the press catch on we've got a person of interest, they'll eat him and his mum alive.
Pull them in anyway.
Avoid the media.
This could very easily get out of hand.
I already told you, he lost the jacket.
Three weeks ago, you said.
But that's a lie, isn't it? We spoke to your teacher, Peter.
He said that you had that jacket at the end of term.
- Said you loved that jacket.
- Where is it now? He lost it, or it was stolen.
Who stole it? I don't know.
Where from? Peter, answer the police.
Where'd you put the jacket, Peter? We just need you to tell us the truth.
He lost it.
Where's the jacket, Peter? We need to get her out of there.
Oh, no! No, you're getting from her what you'd get from him.
She knows what she has to say.
Do you think she's scared of him? She's his mother.
She wants to protect him.
Doesn't look like he needs much protecting.
So you didn't find the jacket at the house? Full search, no sign.
I bet his mum got rid of it.
You ditched it, didn't you? Hey? After you chucked stones at Nicholas Santini.
Tell me, what was it - was it a game that went wrong? - Or did you mean to kill him? - Stop it! You'll scare him.
Nothing would scare that boy.
Yeah, you're right.
There's no fear.
No empathy, pathological lying.
He does tick a lot of boxes as a classic psychopath.
But not all psychopaths go on to murder.
Who was the other boy - who was the boy you were with? The one in the blue shirt.
You were seen.
Do you know where your son was when Nicholas Santini was taken and killed? He was at home, with me.
He was at home, with me.
Were you? Sure.
Nicholas Santini was still a baby.
He never got to see his fifth birthday.
He was tortured, he was beaten.
And your son is a known bully who lied about losing his jacket.
He's probably lying about this too.
Mrs Shipley, a boy was murdered.
Think about that day, Colleen.
What happened? When Peter left the house, was he wearing the jacket? And when Peter got home that afternoon, how was he? Did he seem upset, scared, excited? Oh, God.
ALLl E: What happened that day? Oh, God.
Mrs Shipley, right now he needs your help, not your protection.
It was that other boy, that's who it was.
Peter is not a bully.
It's his so-called friend.
- His friend? - What was his name? Lleyton.
Lleyton Penning.
This is ridiculous.
It's not even his jacket.
Mr Penning,calm down.
You don't want to turn this into a public event.
It doesn't belong to him.
He's looking after it for his mate.
Bloody hell! Let's go! Come on! Let's go.
Come on, guys.
Mr Penning! Get out of it! Leave us alone! Are the police arresting your son? He didn't do anything! Has this got something to do with the death of Nicholas Santini? Detective, is this young man a suspect? Are you arresting him? Mr Penning, would you like to say anything? You know what's in here? Photos of Nicholas Santini the way he was found.
We're not gonna show them to you because they're too horrible.
I don't mind.
I'll look.
Someone threw stones at him, then bashed him with a brick.
I'm afraid your friend Peter is saying you're the one who did this.
What?! No.
Lleyton? That's not true.
Lleyton denying it.
He says the whole thing was your idea, Peter.
He says that you wanted to see what it would be like to hurt that little boy.
Or kill him - was that the plan? He is not a killer! We don't think you meant to hurt him.
We're not sure what happened, though.
So Peter's the leader, you think? Although just because Lleyton doing the tears, it doesn't mean he's the innocent.
He could be playing us.
So you only threw small stones.
Is that what you're telling us? He's telling the truth.
So,can you tell me who hit Nicholas with the brick, Lleyton? We didn't do that! They didn't hit him with any brick! So, who killed the boy? Neither of us did.
What do you mean? We threw stones at him.
We hurt him.
But when he started to bleed, Lleyton got scared, so we left.
He was just sitting there .
.
blood on him,crying.
So then we just ran away.
For what it's worth, I think they're telling the truth.
Three hours.
And photos of these two have already appeared on a so-called 'news' website.
It'll be in the papers by tonight and by tomorrow morning, these two will be labelled Little Nicky's killers.
I put out a statement to counteract this, but the rubber band just got wound a whole lot tighter.
And if these little turds didn't do it, I wanna know before the media crucifies them.
Stanley.
Our boys independently claim that they left Nicholas here.
The body was found here, just under 500m away.
Well, either the child walked or someone took him.
Either way, someone may have seen something, or maybe there's evidence between these two points.
A line search, then, Sarge? Already happening.
You and Allie check back in with the information van.
Inform Sergeant Hatzic of the new elements.
Claudia, give us an assessment, darling.
If those little bastards are lying, they're wasting our time.
If not, they may have something more to give.
Ronnie! I've got the full report.
Oh, you didn't need to bring it over.
Yes, I did.
I've done the autopsy and can confirm the cause of death as massive head injury.
But? We assumed the boy's clothing was still intact.
It appears now some of his clothes were removed and then replaced.
There's evidence of sexual molestation.
Excuse me.
Um, I heard the appeal on the radio about the new developments in this case.
I think I might be able to help.
OK.
Detectives! Yeah, g'day.
I was just saying - I think I might have seen something.
I was walking the dog on the day that all this happened.
I saw a young fella down where the police are looking now.
Doing what? He appeared to be, you know, looking for something.
Was he carrying anything? Don't think so.
Mm-hm.
What age? I mean, kids look a bit alike when you get a bit older.
Hair colour, height, dress? Black hair.
Like, all dressed in black.
He had that long, black hair, like, hanging down over his face.
What do you call them - goths? What do you call them? Emos.
I had nothing to do with killing Nicholas.
Tell me - how did you find him? Tyler, you live across the road from Lleyton Penning and you were seen at the overpass.
You expect us to believe that's just a coincidence? What were you doing there? I wasn't there.
I was at the video store.
You were seen! You followed them down there, didn't you? No! You saw what they did to that little boy.
And then, when they ran away, you walked over, you picked him up, you carried him from the overpass to somewhere more secluded and then you killed him.
Why would I carry him away to kill him? It's just dumb.
You carried him over to where you wouldn't be seen because you didn't JUST kill him, did you? What? You needed time with him, and you know why.
No Oh, Jesus, no! I didn't It wasn't like that! It wasn't So, what happened? I know Lleyton, yes.
I've known him since he was smaller than Nicholas.
I taught him to ride his bike, I played footy with him.
I'm like his big brother.
So he came to you.
Yeah.
He was crying and scared.
His dad was still at work.
He came to the store.
And? He said that him and his mate had done something bad - that they'd hurt a little kid.
I'd just finished work.
I told him to show me where, but he just said "near the overpass" and then he ran off.
And then you went there alone.
I looked all over where he'd said.
I couldn't find any kid.
There was some broken bottles, a bit of blood.
I figured he'd got up and gone home.
When the search for Nicholas Santini was on, and the body was discovered, you didn't come forward! Because it turned out to be my girlfriend's brother! I hadn't done anything.
By then it was too late.
What was I supposed to do? You're supposed to speak up.
Lleyton swore to me that the kid they'd hurt had just been sitting there,crying, when they left him.
I thought he'd got up, wandered off, died.
I thought I'd be in trouble for not saying anything.
I was scared.
His version fits with what our dog-walker saw - someone poking around, looking for something.
Or just maybe when Tyler Drew took the boy, he lost something, was worried about evidence, and went back to check.
He's not in the clear.
He was pretty convincing, Sarge.
Maybe, but he's still not in the clear.
What about the lab? There was a sexual element.
Was there any DNA? We can go for a match, but you know how long it takes.
We have a neighbourhood ready to explode.
We need a result quickly.
Thought you'd still be here.
Yeah.
You're working late? With these ones, sometimes I don't feel like I can go home.
You know? Mmm.
This sexual element doesn't change things? Still keeping the two boys in your sights? It's not out of the question.
When I do get home, I look at my kids, think about my day What a world, eh, Stanley? Anyway, staying late sometimes pays off.
It's a hair - a white hair.
I found it stuck on the inside of the little boy's cheek.
I sent it in for analysis.
The lab's found a few more hairs like that stuck to his clothing.
It's a dog hair.
They're working on the breed.
They found an animal print in the mud near the body.
My bet is it'll definitely be a dog's paw print.
A lot of people walk their dogs on that bit of land.
Any persons of interest own a dog? No.
But one of our witnesses does.
Tom Lincoln.
Last night I ran a thorough check on him on our database.
He's squeaky clean.
No arrests, no charges, no complaints.
Nothing on the paedophile register? No.
We're putting out enquiries in all states this morning.
So what about the boys? We're just discounting them entirely? I spent five hours with those boys.
I could only imagine what Peter Shipley COULD be capable of, but they didn't murder Nicholas.
OK, so, Tom Lincoln.
Why would he step up and make a statement if it was him? Why would he put his face out there? It's characteristic behaviour - being helpful, ego tripping.
Some of these people even join in searches.
Alternatively, he could be getting scared.
He wants to see how close we are with our investigation.
So he lD'd Tyler Drew.
OK, so if Tom Lincoln was already there, he could have seen Tyler when Tyler went to search for Nicholas.
Lincoln could have been with Nicholas right then, concealed in those bushes a few hundred metres away.
Of course he could ID Tyler Drew.
Something else very interesting - this.
Tom Lincoln has a dog.
We've checked - a border collie.
And we've confirmed the animal hairs on Nicholas Santini were from that breed of dog.
OK, so you're thinking transferred trace from the dog to the man to the boy.
The experts believe the paw print found near the body would fit for a border collie too.
All of this coupled with him trying to send us in the wrong direction - I reckon it's enough for a search warrant, Sarge.
Matt's picking one up now.
You execute it with him.
But we do not want Lincoln to know that we're looking at him.
So he is "helping us further with our enquiries".
That should give us some time.
I know it must feel like we're going over and over this, but sometimes new details come up, you know? That's OK.
It's fine - I'm happy to help.
The coffee you wanted.
Oh, thank you very much.
It's very good of you to come in like this.
It's alright.
I mean, it's a terrible, terrible thing.
Oh, appalling.
That poor little boy.
Mmm.
So let's start again, shall we? Um, well, I'm not sure how I can help.
Did you end up speaking to that young bloke? We have, yeah.
The person you indicated is denying ever being at that exact location.
Oh, well, he would, wouldn't he? He was definitely there.
I mean, other people must have seen him.
You know, he stands out in a crowd, you know? Mmm.
If you could give us any other details, it'd be a great help.
Yep, OK.
Um Matty.
We turned up a marriage certificate.
Tom and Gwen Darby.
Darby, not Lincoln.
We found computer discs too.
You don't want to see what's on them.
Kiddy stuff.
Worst kind.
So, how does Sarge want us to play it? He says to keep him tied up for a bit.
Stay cool.
Stay cool? I want to put his head through the glass.
What have we got? Married, one kid.
Divorced.
Moved interstate after the marriage broke up.
Tom Lincoln is just an alias.
Real name? All happened in Darwin, so I've been running the Northern Territory database.
Hits? Coming through now.
Thomas Darby.
Three charges of indecent exposure, one conviction.
And a second conviction of unlawful sexual intercourse with a child under 1 6 - a boy.
Where's the evidence from the house? Tagged and logged, Sarge.
Sign it out.
Now.
Search warrant.
Marriage certificate, Mr Darby.
And your collection.
Now, start telling the truth.
You were happy for two boys, They've been charged with child stealing and serious assault.
We still have a murder outstanding.
Nicholas Santini - the boy you killed.
No.
Photos are in here, DNA tests are in the lab.
The two boys were slipping off the hook, so you gave us another suspect, right? No.
Yes! These say yes! No! That's history.
That's That's all it is - it's history.
It's on the news.
The boys - the press are camped outside their houses.
It's gonna get very nasty.
Nuh.
We need to change tack.
It has to be you.
You're the leader - you're the important one.
Coming from you, this might work.
What are you thinking? His ex-wife, his daughter - they could hold the key.
You searched the house.
It's more of a granny flat, really.
Rented, behind another place.
Pretty grotty.
And the dog - it lives inside with him? Yeah, it certainly smelt like it.
Were there photos? His wife, the daughter? Y es, lots of them.
Alright.
Stanley, you need to get in there and take over.
Use the family.
Try to get into his heart.
You know, talk about his wife, the break-up.
Show him understanding and empathy.
Compassion.
You want me to show that mancompassion? That's the only way.
I will ask you again.
Why lie about your name? Because of this - exactly this.
No, you use a fake name because of what you've done - what you're still doing.
No! I did not touch that boy.
We have the physical evidence! You're facing rape and murder charges.
OK, let's take a break, shall we? I think we all need a break.
Mr Lincoln and I need to have a talk.
One with and one without.
Your choice.
I don't mind.
Let's take a few steps back, Mr Lincoln.
You loved your daughter.
Yes.
And your daughter loved you.
Of course.
And your wife took her away.
She said she didn't trust me.
With my own daughter.
I mean, I don't blame her for leaving.
Who wouldn't? I would never, NEVER hurt my daughter.
I believe that.
And I haven't seen her for years.
I have daughters of my own.
They live with my wife now.
So I dounderstand what it's like to feel alone.
And you do feel lonely, don't you, Tom? Yes.
I amalone.
Your dog.
He's cute.
He's company.
Your world just gotsmaller and smaller, didn't it? What do you mean? Company.
That's what these are, right? People think it's about sex.
It's not.
No.
You go from a nice house, wife, child, to living with your dog in a place that you hate by yourself - a kennel.
These were about company as much as anything.
Something to have in your head apart from the loneliness.
Yes.
In a way, yes.
Well, it's more than loneliness, really, isn't it? It's a sense of peoplelooking at you.
A sense of loss.
A sense of despair, I suppose.
Yes.
Yes.
And that's why you can't go through it again .
.
over Nicholas.
What do you mean? What do you mean? I mean when you found the boy, your first impulse was to help.
I bet it was, wasn't it? He's hurt, he's crying.
Poor little fella.
You pick him up, you carry him.
You tell him he's gonna be OK.
He was bleeding.
Yeah, 'cause those rotten little bastards had been throwing stones at him.
He was hurt.
And somewhere, there was someone who loved him.
A family that he belonged to.
You wanted to help.
But it went wrong.
Didn't it? I do understand, Tom.
I do.
But it just went wrong, didn't it? You don't know what it's like.
You don't know what it's like.
I had him in my arms.
I couldn't help myself.
You don't know what it's like.
You don't know what it's like! And then after .
.
I didn't know what to do.
He wouldn't stop crying.
I had to make him stop crying.
I had to.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I'm sorry.
Sorry! Jesus, it just never bloody ends.
Oh, my beautiful child My beautiful child The brightest of stars Couldn't match your sweet smile But you grew up too soon Far beyond your young years Now all that remains Is your memory and tears When they found the body that day Some said you smiled And I wish I was with you right now My beautiful child.
Anybody got a dart? Run us off a hundred copies of that, will you, love? There's dartboards in police mess halls all across the state be wanting them.
You lot cheer up.
You closed the case.
You can't bring back the dead as well.
And you can't put those families back together.
You've given them all a chance to move on.
That's something.
Great job today, Stan.
Well done.
If you weren't such a wowser, I'd buy you a drink.