City Homicide (2007) s03e09 Episode Script
Diggers
Cheeky bugger.
Ooh! Come on, Charlie.
That's enough.
You'll have a heart attack if you're not careful.
Worse ways to go! Oh, come on.
Let's get you sat down again.
Here you go.
There you go.
OK.
What culinary delights have they in store for us today? Let's have a look, shall we? Yes.
It's mash, isn't it? Well, it always is.
You want me to cut up your meat for you? Not while I can still cut it.
OK.
There we are.
We right there now? Alright, Charlie.
Well, um I'll see you same time tomorrow.
OK? Yeah.
Now, don't you forget to lock up.
Mmm? Think I can look after myself.
Think you can too.
'Bye, Charlie.
'Bye.
Smash, reach and turn.
Looks like it.
"Pure cowardice" is the phrase you're looking for.
Victim is mid-80s minimum.
Multiple blunt traumas to the face and torso.
At his age, one or two blows would have done the job.
A war hero too.
Burglary gone wrong? Yeah.
Looks like the thief was interrupted, attacked the old man and then took off.
Murder weapon? No, wrong size for the contusions.
More likely, he tried to use it to fend off his attacker.
A digger to the end.
I've started my crew on a doorknock, but most of the neighbours are at work.
We'll try again after-hours.
Good.
Thanks, Phillipa.
In the meantime, we need a line search for one murder weapon, missing in action.
Any ideas what we're looking for? A blunt instrument.
That's all we know for now.
Pathology confirmed time of death somewhere between 1 0pm and 2am.
They'll know more back at the lab.
Anything from Crime Scene? They're checking for prints, but it's looking like a burg first, homicide second.
Killer probably wore gloves.
Who's Simon with? Robyn Turner.
Meals-to-You.
She's the one that found the old man.
She's not answering.
Robyn, it's OK.
We can get someone else to do the rest of your deliveries.
They'll be so worried about me.
Oh, God, look at the time.
I forgot all about them.
Nick, do you think Senior Constable Stern would mind getting one of her uniforms to drop off the rest of the meals? I don't think so.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you.
Robyn? I'm Detective Allie Kingston.
We'll need you to come with us and make a statement.
Let's get you home.
Horrible thing is he's not the first one I've found.
My second year on the job, I, um I found Mrs Baker in her bed.
She'd been there all weekend.
Well, she'd had a heart attack on the Friday and .
.
no visitors until I arrived with Monday's lunch.
So now every time before I arrive, in the back of my mind, I prepare myself for the worst.
I had no idea what the worst could be.
Tell us about the last time you saw Charlie Porter.
Yesterday.
I delivered his lunch as usual, sat with him for a while.
He was quite a character.
He was cheeky.
He'd forget things from time to time, but .
.
never his sense of humour.
Did he have many other visitors other than you? No.
Well, his son, Andrew, lives in Adelaide, and He rings at Christmastime and on Charlie's birthday, if he's lucky.
Mrs Turner, we're operating on the theory that Charlie Porter was the victim of a burglary gone wrong.
Yeah, yeah.
That's what it looked like.
Yeah.
His place wasn't exactly brimming with the latest LCDs and stereo equipment.
Any idea what a thief might be hoping to steal? Well, if he's like any of my other clients, his money.
Oh, it's a common thing with the elderly.
They lived through the Depression, and they don't trust banks.
I had one fellow who had $8,000 under his mattress.
So Mr Porter kept his money in his house? Oh, well, not that I ever saw.
And I did see a lot of mail from the bank.
I guess you never know.
Oh, and Charlie was burgled before.
We reported it, but, um, no-one was ever caught.
We tried to convince him to get an alarm, but .
.
he said it was just a waste of money.
Oh, Detective Freeman, I've been meaning to ask you how your operation went.
Yeah, good, thanks, ma'am.
They took the pin out.
Not setting off the metal detectors anymore.
So a success? Won't be running sprints any time soon, but I'm back.
How are you coping with light duties? You mean being chained to the desk? I'm coping.
Give me the all-clear from the physio, I'll put you into the field.
Thanks, ma'am.
I'm working on it.
Tried contacting Charlie Porter's son in Adelaide, but there's no answer.
Local divvies went round there.
No-one's home.
They're gonna keep trying.
I pulled the files on the prior burglaries at Charlie's house.
No prints, no witnesses.
Same as last time.
Though I did find something else interesting.
The Lavender Gardens Development.
There's some mob there that want to develop town houses in the area.
Charlie's the only resident not willing to sell.
Worth a look.
Guys, just had a call from CrimeWatch.
They had an anonymous tip-off about our case.
Person of interest, Trent Jackson.
Lives with his mother, who's always handy with an alibi.
Divvies reckon he's responsible for a lot of burgs in the area.
So Who's free? Great.
Junkies.
My favourite.
Should be fun.
A waste of time, you mean? Trent,can you get the door? I'll get it.
What the hell do you want? Detectives Kingston and Buchanan.
So? So we're here to see Trent Jackson.
My arse, you are.
Not without a warrant.
We just want a few words.
I don't think so.
We've got rights too, you know.
- Jesus, just let 'em in already.
- Why should l? Excuse me.
You can't just walk in here.
It's breaking and entering.
Would you stop screaming? Shut up, Trent.
I'm trying to concentrate.
Trent Jackson? This is a toughie.
Uh, is Trent's mother here? What's it to you? Stop pissing 'em about, Mum.
You're Trent's mother? Crack keeps you young.
What can I say? Could say you're a dirty crack rat who had me when you were 1 3.
Why don't you shut your hole, dickhead? Trent, we want to ask you a few questions about a burglary.
He didn't do it.
Interesting.
We had a tip-off.
Oh, yeah? Well, he was here with me all night.
You don't even know when we're talking about.
Story doesn't change.
Right! We're gonna need you to come down to the office with us, mate.
Nope.
Not bloody likely.
He's not going anywhere with you two.
No, I'll come.
It's no problemo.
Just wait till I've finished this, yeah? Yeah, no, Trent, we're not waiting.
Come on.
Uh, no.
Don't you touch my son.
Don't you touch him.
You don't want to do that.
Get out.
Settle down.
Settle.
Arggh! Settled? Yes! My tower! Melinda Jackson, you are under arrest.
Assault Leave her alone! Oi, oi, oi.
Stop.
She didn't do anything! Get off her! Stop right there.
Leave her alone! Told you this'd be fun.
Nope.
Oh, you want some? Thank you, Senior Constable.
We'll take it from here.
One charge of assault police, one charge of resisting arrest, and if I could, I'd charge you with really pissing me off.
So where are the bickies? Last time I was here, I got Monte Carlos.
And a coffee.
Just in case you've forgotten why you're here, Trent, we are questioning you in relation to a homicide.
Homicide doesn't do bickies.
This is typical, this is.
You come into our house, we're minding our own business, and you charge us.
Can hardly breathe these days without being pulled in by you lot.
Try to shoot up on the street, you get charged.
You try and score a hit and some Neighbourhood Watch freak dobs you in.
You know what, Melinda? I really couldn't care less how hard it is for you to get a fix.
What I want to know is how you can afford to score.
Yeah, I used to do a few burgs.
Just, you know, when we're getting desperate.
But I don't reckon I've done one for a while.
So I'll ask you again.
Have you ever burgled Charlie Porter's place, either last night or in the past? Maybe! Serious, man.
I don't remember.
I'm pretty scattered most of the time.
Probably noticed, right? Never crossed my mind.
You're funny, you are.
What am I supposed to have stolen anyway? Nothing was reported missing last night, but the victim wasn't exactly able to do an inventory.
Why not? He was murdered.
Jeez.
Gotcha.
What about the last time the joint was done over? An antique clock and a set of silver cutlery, valued at $1,000.
Yeah, right.
What would I want with an old clock and some spoons? I'd never be able to shift those.
Oh, but I do have a Blu-ray player and a Van Damme DVD collection I don't remember lifting.
Don't suppose the guy was missing them? Yeah.
No.
Trent was with me all night.
All day too, for that matter.
Looks like your case is stuffed, Detectives.
Trent never even left the house.
Last night, I was definitely home.
Why don't you two go out and catch some real crims, eh? That'd be nice.
Superintendent.
Something we can do for you? Yeah.
Get me a result on this one.
They gave him a DSO.
Distinguished Service Order.
Imagine what he must have done to snare one of those.
Kill people? Yeah, and save a few mates' lives.
- We've got a lead on a suspect, sir.
- Good.
That man should never have died like this.
You find me the coward that did it so I can nail his arse.
We clear? Sir.
Oh,come in,come in.
I've just finished the preliminary autopsy.
Now, the abrasions have patterning, so it could be the weapon has some sort of rubber grip.
Crime Scene found broken clear plastic at the house.
Maybe a torch? It's possible.
About the right size.
Oh! And another thing.
The defence bruising suggests the blows were mainly from the right-hand side, which means your killer was right-handed.
Might help.
But not with charging Trent Jackson.
Trent drank his water, signed his forms and played Jenga with his left hand.
As much as I hate to say it, it looks like Trent Jackson is not our man.
Jarvis won't be happy.
You're letting him off 'cause he's left-handed? Could be ambi.
He's also got an alibi.
Pathology narrowed down time of death to between 1 1 pm and 1 am.
There was a burglary committed last night in Heidelberg which has Trent's name written all over it.
Missing Blu-ray player, collection of Van Damme DVDs Which were in Trent's possession.
And the alarm was tripped at midnight.
There's no way that he could have got all the way from Charlie Porter's to Heidelberg in that time.
It's not impossible.
He couldn't have got there.
It depends how fast he drove.
He's a junkie.
He needs the money.
Two burgs, one murder.
It makes no difference to him.
Just because he's a junkie doesn't make him a killer.
I have been spat at, I've been bashed, I've even been bitten by junkies.
I hate them.
I'm the first to want to pin them.
But this one, it just doesn't make any sense.
An anonymous tip-off? Yeah, it is a little strange.
Well, it's all we've got to go on.
The doorknock has drawn a blank.
Can you believe the neighbours heard nothing? Or heard something and didn't bother to check.
Half those people wouldn't even know who lives in that house.
Smashed glass, an old man bashed to death and no-one cares unless it affects them.
Thanks, Mattie.
Back to the drawing board, huh? Or not.
We caught a break? Got another case.
Another burglary.
Another body.
Aggravated burglary.
Suspect crowbarred the door.
Resident locked his wife and child in the bathroom before going to confront him.
Nick.
Check this out.
Trent Jackson.
It all happened so fast.
I heard a noise.
And I came to check it out.
Excuse me.
She OK? Yeah, she's asleep, finally.
Oh, it wasn't easy.
Maybe Simon was right.
Violent burg gone wrong, same as Charlie Porter's.
MO's similar.
Only this time, Trent Jackson copped it.
Mr Cousins, if you wouldn't mind coming into the office, we'll need to interview you formally.
Why? Scott hasn't done anything wrong.
We understand you're shaken up, but we have procedures we need to follow.
That man broke into our house.
He forced open the door.
He's the criminal, not Scott.
Sal, it'sit's OK.
You're not gonna charge him with anything, are you? That's a question for the police prosecutor.
Our job's to gather the evidence.
I'm sorry, Mrs Cousins.
We'll be as quick as we can.
I'll stay until your husband gets home.
Can you tell us what happened tonight? Sure.
I was up late working.
I heard a noise, like a knocking, a scraping.
And from the stairs, l .
.
I saw this guy coming through the door with a crowbar.
I ran straight back to my wife.
I woke up to Scott shaking me.
He was frantic.
Told me to get up and, um .
.
be quiet.
I grabbed Emily and we ran into the bathroom.
Did your husband say why? There was a burglar downstairs.
I told them to stay put and not come out until I came back for them.
And then? I came back downstairs, and And there he was, ferreting through our stuff.
I just told him to take what he wanted and then leave.
I even got out some cash for him.
But, uh No, he was out of it.
What do you mean, "out of it"? Drugs.
We see a lot of it around this area.
Heroin, ice.
I'd say speed with him.
And then, all of a sudden, he came at me with the crowbar.
I heard a crashing sound.
I didn't know what was happening.
We were terrified.
What did you hear after that? Nothing.
I just tried to calm Emily down.
She was crying.
All I could think about was what was happening with Scott.
I managed to wrestle the crowbar off him.
I thought that'd be the end of it, but He got out a knife, came at me again.
Then what happened, Mr Cousins? I hit him with the crowbar.
As hard as I bloody could.
So Scott Cousins is a local councillor.
- Papers are gonna have a field day.
- I can't say I blame him.
If someone busted into my house, I'd do the same.
- You writing him up? - Filling in the paperwork.
But his claims of self-defence seem to hold up.
Nah, not Cousins.
He deserves a medal, not a court case.
The little scrote who killed Charlie Porter.
The one who got a nice little visit from Captain Karma last night.
All due respect, sir, just because Trent attacked Scott Cousins in this case doesn't mean he murdered Charlie Porter.
Come on, Nick.
You said yourself the MOs are the same.
- Similar, not exact.
- Nick's right.
We think Charlie Porter was hit with a torch.
Trent used a knife and a crowbar at the Cousins job.
Why change his MO? Probably 'cause he ditched the torch after the first murder.
He didn't ditch it anywhere near the crime scene.
We still haven't found it.
So, what's your point? I just think whatever crimes Trent committed aren't the issue.
Whichever way you look at it, Scott Cousins killed him.
Oh, my bleeding heart! I didn't peg you for a softie, Buchanan.
Good.
Look.
It's a fine line between self-defence and going overboard.
Your job is to determine if Cousins crossed that line.
If he didn't, don't keep him hanging around.
Sir.
Oh, and when you've stopped fannying around on that, get me some progress on the old digger's case, because either way you look at it, that one is murder! Lest we forget.
Scott Cousins was protecting his wife and child.
Who wouldn't do what he did? Reasonable grounds, Si.
Trent had a knife.
It was self-defence, pure and simple.
That was one of Charlie Porter's neighbours.
He just saw a guy trying to break into Charlie's house.
NOW the neighbours care.
Police! Stay where you are.
Hands where I can see them.
You're under arrest.
Arrest? What for? Burglary and entering a crime scene.
What?! You must be kidding.
I'm not a burglar.
This is my dad's place.
I'm Charlie Porter's son.
What are you doing breaking into your dad's place? I just got in from Adelaide.
My key didn't work.
The old bastard must have changed his locks.
And what exactly are you doing? I thought I might try and take something before the solicitor gives it all away.
This whole bloody house should be mine! There's nothing left but junk.
I should have known the cash would be gone already.
Settle down, Mr Porter.
No, you settle down! I just found out that my dad left all his money to the woman who delivers his meals! Here we go.
I'll be back same time again tomorrow.
Would you like me to put your bin out for you? You are a living angel, Robyn.
Not the most robust woman in the world.
Doesn't take much to topple a pensioner.
- Thank you so much.
'Bye! - 'Bye.
I wondered when I'd see you again.
- Still waiting on her lawyer? - Yeah.
She's dropped the Mother Teresa act.
Won't say a word without a suit next to her.
Oh, she's no Mother Teresa.
This isn't the first time she's inherited money.
Another 1 00 large, in total.
All from oldies on her lunch delivery route.
Funny thing is, there's next to nothing left in her bank account.
So, what's she spending it on? Well, statements show a whole lot of withdrawals all made from the ATM at the local pokie venue.
Robyn Turner has a serious gambling problem.
The digger and the gold-digger.
News just in.
According to petrol purchases on his credit card, Andrew Porter didn't just arrive from Adelaide.
Got here three days ago.
Before Charlie Porter was killed? And before he knew the will had been changed.
OK, drag him in.
Put him in room two.
Go hard on him as well.
Looks like they've both got something to say.
Why would I murder my dad? For the money.
You didn't know the will had changed.
Until a few weeks ago, you were the sole beneficiary.
Until she got him to change it.
Looking for a murderer, try that bloodsucking bitch.
Yes, I helped Charlie change his will.
But it wasn't my idea.
It was his.
I spoke with his solicitor and called his doctor round.
Well, they judged that it was his decision and he was of sound mind.
Sound mind? He was 89! He'd only known that woman for two years.
and he gave her everything! Maybe you should have paid a visit more often.
What's the point? He never liked me.
He thought I was a failure.
Lazy.
No discipline.
It was easy for her.
She probably thought he was a lovable old guy.
She didn't have to grow up in that house with him and his war nightmares and his temper.
Your boss at Meals-to-You says that relationships between delivery staff and clients is strongly discouraged.
'Prohibited', I think, is the term they use.
But I'm not about to drop their food on the doorstep and run.
Bet the money came in handy after a bad day on the pokies.
What, you didn't think we'd find out about your gambling problem? Is that why you took the money from Charlie Porter's cash tin? What? You needed that money, didn't you? Yes, I needed it.
I was retrenched.
I haven't worked in over a year.
I live on next to nothing.
Yeah, we know.
We've seen your bank statements.
You'd already spent that money in your head, hadn't you? Yes.
That money was mine.
It was supposed to be mine! I was entitled to it.
I'm his son, and I deserved it.
All of it.
So how did it work? Did you start up at Meals-to-You when your gambling got out of control? No! I started at Meals-to-You for the same reason I started gambling.
My clients aren't the only ones who are lonely.
After I was widowed, I didn't know what to do with myself.
It'd always been just the two of us.
Believe me, I needed my clients as much as they needed me.
And the gambling? Just a way to .
.
pass the time.
To begin with.
Yes, I have a gambling problem.
But if you're suggesting that I tried to rob Charlie to pay off my debts, you're wrong! We're not suggesting that at all.
Thank God.
We're suggesting that you staged a burglary to disguise the fact you had just murdered Charlie Porter so you could take the money that he left you.
You were already here in Melbourne on the night he was killed! You murdered your father to get your miserable life out of the gutter, didn't you? You've got it wrong, totally wrong.
Do you have an alibi for the night of Charlie Porter's murder? What? No! I was at home, by myself.
I was at a mate's 60th birthday.
That's why I was in Melbourne in the first place.
You can check.
Yeah, we will.
Andrew Porter's alibi checks out.
Apparently, he was stonkered and passed out on the balcony by 1 1 :00.
I just got word from the DPP - no charges to be laid against Scott Cousins.
File it under "l told you so.
" Oh, and, uh, some washed-out harpy's waiting for you to take her to the morgue, Buchanan.
Must be your lucky day.
Looks like Melinda Jackson's ready to ID Trent.
Finally.
You ready? Dickhead.
Why'd you even go back there? You're soft.
You're too soft.
That's your trouble.
He's a dickhead! He's an idiot.
You're a stupid, stupid idiot! Mrs Jackson.
Please.
Piss off! You can't touch the body.
He's mine! You piss off.
Trent, you dumb-arse.
You should never have gone back there.
Ms Jackson This is your fault, this is.
Why are you even here? Hm? Yes, it's Trent.
You knew that already.
It's a formality.
Formality, my arse.
You're enjoying this.
I promise you, we're not.
Why aren't you asking questions to the guy who killed him? The person responsible has been questioned.
Congratulated, more like.
Yeah, you really piss me off.
Melinda, what did you mean before when you said that Trent shouldn't have gone back there? What? You said it just before.
So now I'm being questioned? You really have no idea who you Just answer the question, Melinda.
Or what? You're gonna handcuff me again? Melinda, don't make this any harder than it needs to be.
I couldn't put it better myself.
Detectives, this isn't the place or time for an interrogation, as you well know.
You OK? Yep.
Just ask your questions.
Get on with it.
You were talking about Trent going "back there".
Were you talking about Charlie Porter's place? You're still banging on about that? I thought we were gonna talk about the guy who killed Trent.
We understand that this is sensitive.
Sensitive? You're trying to prove that my dead son's a murderer.
This isn't fricking sensitive.
It's a joke.
Melinda.
We don't want to see Trent take the blame for something he didn't do either.
Now, you know where he went that night, don't you? He didn't go out.
He robbed a house in Heidelberg.
Trent doesn't do burgs anymore.
He admitted to a Blu-ray player and some DVDs.
He didn't lift those.
He swapped them with a mate for some gear.
He was just too fried to remember.
Melinda, you don't exactly have the best record of being straight with police.
It's the truth, OK? Trent doesn't do burgs.
So how did he pay for his drugs? Sex! OK? Said it was easier than thieving.
So you want to know where he was the night that old man was killed? He was getting paid to take it up the arse.
So I could get my fix.
Done? We're gonna need a name so we can crosscheck that.
Sure.
It's not like he's gonna admit it, though, is it? Who was paying Trent for sex, Melinda? Why don't you ask the arsehole who killed him? Councillor Scott Cousins? Yeah.
That's right.
Cousins.
That's the maggot.
Scott Cousins was paying Trent Jackson for sex? Mm-hm.
This is the same Scott Cousins that represents conservative family values in local council? Suddenly his claims of self-defence don't seem so cut and dried.
Pull that file back out? I did.
Send a new brief up to the DPP.
What have you got? We think things turned ugly, they fought and Cousins tried to cover it up by faking the burglary.
Locking his wife and daughter in the bathroom for good measure.
It's pretty ruthless.
He lS a politician.
Bank records show weekly cash withdrawals of $2,000 a week at an ATM near Yarraford station.
Best place to pick up freckle-punchers.
Pillow-biters.
Two grand is a lot of money to be paying someone like Trent for sex.
His reputation as a local councillor would be shot if people knew he was paying young junkies.
And if Trent was pointing this out Blackmail.
Good motive for murder.
Hi.
They finally give you a swipe card? They finally trust me enough to let me walk from the lift to your desk by myself.
Obviously don't know you well enough.
Thought you might need this.
Oh! Where was it? Bedside table.
Where you were reading it last night.
Must have put me to sleep.
Thanks, Em.
Ciao.
See ya.
Hey, when's Jen back? End of the week.
We should have a barbecue.
What do you say, Duncan? Allie? Welcome-back for Jen.
Matt's cooking.
- Yeah, nice one, Mattie.
- Great.
Matt'll give you the heads-up on the time.
I'll walk you out.
Don't you trust me now? Not really, no.
Anything on Melinda? She was fried out of her brain.
So nothing to use against Cousins? No proof of our blackmail theory? Nope.
But Cousins doesn't know that.
Did you or did you not know Trent Jackson? No, of course not.
Not until he broke into my house.
I can't believe you're wasting my time with this.
I have a meeting.
The garbos are on strike.
I'm representing the council.
I don't think they'll be very happy if I'm late.
No.
But I'm sure they'd be very interested in what we've got to say.
What do you think, Scott? Should we come with you and ask our questions down there? We added this shot to a photo board.
We showed it to a bunch of street boys down near Yarraford station.
Guess who they picked out.
Of course they picked me.
I'm well known.
I'm a local bloody councillor.
The witness statements the boys gave, they were pretty interesting.
They had a lot to say about you.
Maybe you should read some out to the good councillor.
Alright.
Alright.
Yes.
I paid Trent Jackson for sex.
I did.
It's not something I'm proud of, believe me.
I have a wife and child.
If Sally ever found out Trent Jackson was blackmailing you? What? No! No, of course not.
Are you sure? Because we've got another witness statement here from Melinda Jackson, Trent's mum, and she said some very interesting things.
I was always so careful.
Never on the street.
Always in my car.
Trent must have found my picture somewhere.
Next thing I know, he's on my doorstep threatening to tell the missus if I don't cough up.
And the night Trent died? He came around for his money.
Said he wanted to up the fee.
I couldn't afford to keep paying him forever.
I had to make a stand.
He was high, angry.
He attacked me.
Everything that happened after that is exactly as I told you.
It was still self-defence, I swear.
He resigned from council? Despite the fact he's never been more popular.
Public think he's a hero for defending himself.
They think we're wasting our time investigating.
Yeah, well, public don't know he was paying his burglar for sex.
Hey, get this.
"The intrusion into my home gave me the opportunity "to reassess my priorities, realise what's really important to me - "my wife, my daughter.
" Yeah, right.
I see you've got the version for public consumption.
This is from his lawyers.
"Scott Cousins admits to paying Trent for sex "and to blackmail payments "but vehemently maintains he acted out of fear for his life "and in self-defence.
" Pretty convenient he had to defend himself against the guy that was threatening to out him.
You think Cousins lured Trent with intent? Don't you? It's almost impossible to prove.
Our only witness is dead and a junkie to boot.
You've got to give the prosecutor more if you want them to take Cousins to trial.
Cousins's version holds up? Right now, all they've got is the word of a family man against a low-life, blackmailing junkie prostitute.
You want me to send the brief back up, give me something.
In the meantime, Charlie Porter, the digger, war hero.
Anyone? Checked the files of Robyn Turner's other elderly patrons.
None of them died under suspicious circumstances.
All the pensioners I talked to describe her as an angel and a godsend.
Or an opportunist, more like.
So are we discounting Trent altogether? - No.
- Yes.
What's he doing robbing some old man when he's making two grand a week in blackmail payments, let alone prostitution money? He's a junkie with a history of burgs.
But not violence.
He's a regular ice user.
Not all ice users are violent.
It's a common misconception.
Not in the world I live in.
They can be hostile and aggressive, but they're not all violent.
OK.
Speaking of violence, any news on the weapon? No, sir.
OK, keep looking.
If you're so sure that the Meals lady's your killer, you need to be able to prove it.
Well, maybe there's another angle worth exploring.
Remember the town house developments, the ones Charlie wouldn't sell to? Yeah.
Yeah, well, everything seemed kosher till I did a bit more digging.
And guess who's a silent partner in the business.
You didn't join the council to help out the community, did you, Mr Cousins? You got yourself elected to make the community help you.
These 35 town houses were all set to go ahead.
You had the plans, you had the permits and you had purchased all the homes of the existing residents.
Except one.
No.
Charlie Porter.
Nope.
Who, from all reports, wasn't very impressed with your plans to develop his suburb.
With Charlie out of the picture, you could go ahead and build, right? No, this is ridiculous.
Both these cases have your name all over them.
Charlie Porter was the only thing standing in the way of you and the biggest project of your career.
- Must have made you really angry.
- Yes.
It did.
I offered him a great deal.
He told me to shove it.
Said he didn't need the money.
Kept going on about the town he remembered.
No, no.
There was no changing his mind.
There was one way.
No.
No.
You are way off the mark.
I didn't kill that old man.
I'm not a murderer.
You smug prick.
This is harassment.
You released me yesterday because you didn't have any evidence.
Which is what we're here to find.
This is a warrant to search your premises, Mr Cousins.
Don't feel too special.
We've cast the net wide.
Morning, Mrs Turner.
Oh! Ms Jackson! Ms Jackson, we have a warrant.
Melinda! Piss off! The warrant.
Will you piss off? Can I get anyone a cup of tea? Thank you, no.
These antiques, Mrs Turner - can you tell us where they came from? Oh, they're presents and bequests from my clients.
Is this everything you've been given? No.
Um, I sold some.
When things got tough.
So these are just the things you couldn't shift? Mmm.
What are you even doing here? You're supposed to be nailing that poofter council guy.
Yeah, and to do that, we need to prove he was paying your son.
Is this some of the money from Scott Cousins? Yeah.
All that's left of it.
We need to check it for prints.
Well, I get it back, right? It's the proceeds of crime, Ms Jackson.
No.
You can't take that.
No! My wife will be home in a couple of hours.
How long's this gonna take? You tell us.
Mr Cousins, if you've got nothing to hide, then you've got nothing to worry about.
You should see this, Detective.
You'd better come with us, Mrs Turner.
Nice photo.
So I'm a hypocrite.
You can't charge me for that.
Uh, this might help us charge you.
There's blood on these shoes.
Wonder if any of it's Charlie Porter's.
I didn't kill Charlie Porter! You had all your debts written in your diary.
Two weeks ago, you subtracted the amount of Charlie's bequest.
Why would you do that before he was dead? Unless you knew he was gonna die.
Oh, it was a hypothetical.
You're drowning in debt, Robyn, about to default on your home loan.
You'll lose the house.
How long have you lived in that neighbourhood? Nice leafy suburb.
Be a shame to leave it.
I didn't kill Charlie Porter! But you did kill Trent Jackson! And you enticed him round to your house to do it.
And you know what? I bet you thought that no-one would even miss Trent.
You know what? His mum does actually miss him.
And I'm not gonna miss the opportunity to nail his murderer.
Trent blackmailed you.
Threatened to expose your homosexuality.
Something you've fought your whole life to hide.
So you killed him in a staged burglary.
Did you get a taste of how easy it was after dealing with Charlie Porter? No! You've got it all wrong.
I brought Charlie food, gave him company, took out his bins, even helped him to the toilet when he couldn't make it.
You were desperate.
Yeah.
Yeah, I was desperate.
And I needed the money.
Charlie Porter was one of my few friends.
I couldn't hurt him.
I did everything I could to get Trent off my back.
Even made a tip-off to you lot about Trent breaking into Charlie's.
Tried to get him arrested and out of my face.
OK, here's my theory about that tip-off.
I think you made the call to cover your tracks.
And to set Trent up for his own murder.
Another burglary gone wrong.
But this time, Trent was on the receiving end.
You can't prove that.
And no jury will ever convict me of it.
Do you have anything to prove that I did it? A murder weapon? Well, you searched my house.
You didn't find anything.
Yeah, maybe that's because we've been looking in the wrong place.
You'd better be right about this.
It's either here or number 8 in the next street.
This is number 2.
I'll take number 8.
I'll take this one.
You take that, Si.
Mrs Turner.
Very kind of you to put the bins out for all your clients.
Kind and clever.
It meant you knew exactly when each area got their rubbish collected.
My lawyer said you can't keep me here.
She's lodging a complaint.
Yeah, well, that won't be necessary.
New cologne, Joyner? Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr Cousins.
If you've got the results, then you know I didn't kill Charlie Porter.
It wasn't his blood on my shoes, was it? Guess you hadn't heard about the garbos' strike.
Trying to get a pay rise from their stingy local council.
Upshot is, the bins haven't been collected.
So all we had to do was look at your delivery route and work out whose bins were due to be collected the day after Charlie Porter's murder.
This .
.
was still there.
It's got your prints all over it.
And we're sure the blood is Charlie Porter's too.
l, uh II didn't want to do it.
I didn't know that I could.
Charlie was .
.
was so nice to me.
I was desperate.
All I could think about was the money.
How much I needed it.
You were going to inherit the money anyway.
I couldn't wait that long.
You looked after him.
You seemed to care for him.
What happened? When it comes to getting money to gamble, I .
.
I have no shame.
You'd even resort to murder.
Poor old Charlie.
When he put her in his will, he signed his own death warrant.
You're right.
It wasn't Charlie Porter's blood on your shoes.
It was Trent Jackson's.
Which means we have nothing more to talk about.
So,can I go? Just one more question, Mr Cousins.
What is it? You say that Trent Jackson was just there to blackmail you, right? Yes.
Look, we've been through all this.
So why did he bring a crowbar? To break into my house.
Why? You knew that he was coming to get his money.
He didn't need to break in, did he? I don't know.
He was on drugs.
Oh, so he smashed in the door, risked alerting your wife and blowing the whole point of his scam? Yes.
Well, I don't know.
Maybe.
We don't like maybes, Mr Cousins.
Was that your crowbar, Mr Cousins? No.
It looked brand-new.
Have you been hardware-shopping lately? No.
We'll check every hardware store in the city.
It's not mine.
We're going to find out where that crowbar came from.
And then we'll prove that your killing of Trent Jackson was premeditated.
Meanwhile, we'll make a new report to the DPP.
And they don't like maybes either.
So don't relax, Mr Cousins, 'cause I have a feeling we're gonna be seeing you again.
- Welcome back, Jen.
- Cheers.
Welcome back.
Welcome back.
Thank you.
So tell us about Counter-Terrorism.
Now, you know I am not supposed to talk about it.
Come on, Jen! Alright.
I spent the whole time .
.
analysing phone bills.
What? Really? Yeah.
You're kidding.
Yes, I am kidding.
Of course I'm not gonna tell you! She was waterboarding terrorists if you ask me.
It's good to have you back, Jen.
Thank you.
You know, I can still smell that rubbish on my hands.
Stench of justice, Si.
Si found the murder weapon at the bottom of a wheelie bin.
Hero.
Hey, take it easy, Si.
We need that tequila for the margaritas.
We've only got two bottles.
Speaking of margaritas How's it going? Nearly there.
Could you pass us the limes? Hey, Nick.
Should have brought a keg.
I'll just whack these in the fridge.
Hi.
Hi.
Jen, have you met Nick? No.
Hi.
Hi.
Um, Jennifer Mapplethorpe.
Nick Buchanan.
Let's get these out here.
Yes.
Ooh! Come on, Charlie.
That's enough.
You'll have a heart attack if you're not careful.
Worse ways to go! Oh, come on.
Let's get you sat down again.
Here you go.
There you go.
OK.
What culinary delights have they in store for us today? Let's have a look, shall we? Yes.
It's mash, isn't it? Well, it always is.
You want me to cut up your meat for you? Not while I can still cut it.
OK.
There we are.
We right there now? Alright, Charlie.
Well, um I'll see you same time tomorrow.
OK? Yeah.
Now, don't you forget to lock up.
Mmm? Think I can look after myself.
Think you can too.
'Bye, Charlie.
'Bye.
Smash, reach and turn.
Looks like it.
"Pure cowardice" is the phrase you're looking for.
Victim is mid-80s minimum.
Multiple blunt traumas to the face and torso.
At his age, one or two blows would have done the job.
A war hero too.
Burglary gone wrong? Yeah.
Looks like the thief was interrupted, attacked the old man and then took off.
Murder weapon? No, wrong size for the contusions.
More likely, he tried to use it to fend off his attacker.
A digger to the end.
I've started my crew on a doorknock, but most of the neighbours are at work.
We'll try again after-hours.
Good.
Thanks, Phillipa.
In the meantime, we need a line search for one murder weapon, missing in action.
Any ideas what we're looking for? A blunt instrument.
That's all we know for now.
Pathology confirmed time of death somewhere between 1 0pm and 2am.
They'll know more back at the lab.
Anything from Crime Scene? They're checking for prints, but it's looking like a burg first, homicide second.
Killer probably wore gloves.
Who's Simon with? Robyn Turner.
Meals-to-You.
She's the one that found the old man.
She's not answering.
Robyn, it's OK.
We can get someone else to do the rest of your deliveries.
They'll be so worried about me.
Oh, God, look at the time.
I forgot all about them.
Nick, do you think Senior Constable Stern would mind getting one of her uniforms to drop off the rest of the meals? I don't think so.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you.
Robyn? I'm Detective Allie Kingston.
We'll need you to come with us and make a statement.
Let's get you home.
Horrible thing is he's not the first one I've found.
My second year on the job, I, um I found Mrs Baker in her bed.
She'd been there all weekend.
Well, she'd had a heart attack on the Friday and .
.
no visitors until I arrived with Monday's lunch.
So now every time before I arrive, in the back of my mind, I prepare myself for the worst.
I had no idea what the worst could be.
Tell us about the last time you saw Charlie Porter.
Yesterday.
I delivered his lunch as usual, sat with him for a while.
He was quite a character.
He was cheeky.
He'd forget things from time to time, but .
.
never his sense of humour.
Did he have many other visitors other than you? No.
Well, his son, Andrew, lives in Adelaide, and He rings at Christmastime and on Charlie's birthday, if he's lucky.
Mrs Turner, we're operating on the theory that Charlie Porter was the victim of a burglary gone wrong.
Yeah, yeah.
That's what it looked like.
Yeah.
His place wasn't exactly brimming with the latest LCDs and stereo equipment.
Any idea what a thief might be hoping to steal? Well, if he's like any of my other clients, his money.
Oh, it's a common thing with the elderly.
They lived through the Depression, and they don't trust banks.
I had one fellow who had $8,000 under his mattress.
So Mr Porter kept his money in his house? Oh, well, not that I ever saw.
And I did see a lot of mail from the bank.
I guess you never know.
Oh, and Charlie was burgled before.
We reported it, but, um, no-one was ever caught.
We tried to convince him to get an alarm, but .
.
he said it was just a waste of money.
Oh, Detective Freeman, I've been meaning to ask you how your operation went.
Yeah, good, thanks, ma'am.
They took the pin out.
Not setting off the metal detectors anymore.
So a success? Won't be running sprints any time soon, but I'm back.
How are you coping with light duties? You mean being chained to the desk? I'm coping.
Give me the all-clear from the physio, I'll put you into the field.
Thanks, ma'am.
I'm working on it.
Tried contacting Charlie Porter's son in Adelaide, but there's no answer.
Local divvies went round there.
No-one's home.
They're gonna keep trying.
I pulled the files on the prior burglaries at Charlie's house.
No prints, no witnesses.
Same as last time.
Though I did find something else interesting.
The Lavender Gardens Development.
There's some mob there that want to develop town houses in the area.
Charlie's the only resident not willing to sell.
Worth a look.
Guys, just had a call from CrimeWatch.
They had an anonymous tip-off about our case.
Person of interest, Trent Jackson.
Lives with his mother, who's always handy with an alibi.
Divvies reckon he's responsible for a lot of burgs in the area.
So Who's free? Great.
Junkies.
My favourite.
Should be fun.
A waste of time, you mean? Trent,can you get the door? I'll get it.
What the hell do you want? Detectives Kingston and Buchanan.
So? So we're here to see Trent Jackson.
My arse, you are.
Not without a warrant.
We just want a few words.
I don't think so.
We've got rights too, you know.
- Jesus, just let 'em in already.
- Why should l? Excuse me.
You can't just walk in here.
It's breaking and entering.
Would you stop screaming? Shut up, Trent.
I'm trying to concentrate.
Trent Jackson? This is a toughie.
Uh, is Trent's mother here? What's it to you? Stop pissing 'em about, Mum.
You're Trent's mother? Crack keeps you young.
What can I say? Could say you're a dirty crack rat who had me when you were 1 3.
Why don't you shut your hole, dickhead? Trent, we want to ask you a few questions about a burglary.
He didn't do it.
Interesting.
We had a tip-off.
Oh, yeah? Well, he was here with me all night.
You don't even know when we're talking about.
Story doesn't change.
Right! We're gonna need you to come down to the office with us, mate.
Nope.
Not bloody likely.
He's not going anywhere with you two.
No, I'll come.
It's no problemo.
Just wait till I've finished this, yeah? Yeah, no, Trent, we're not waiting.
Come on.
Uh, no.
Don't you touch my son.
Don't you touch him.
You don't want to do that.
Get out.
Settle down.
Settle.
Arggh! Settled? Yes! My tower! Melinda Jackson, you are under arrest.
Assault Leave her alone! Oi, oi, oi.
Stop.
She didn't do anything! Get off her! Stop right there.
Leave her alone! Told you this'd be fun.
Nope.
Oh, you want some? Thank you, Senior Constable.
We'll take it from here.
One charge of assault police, one charge of resisting arrest, and if I could, I'd charge you with really pissing me off.
So where are the bickies? Last time I was here, I got Monte Carlos.
And a coffee.
Just in case you've forgotten why you're here, Trent, we are questioning you in relation to a homicide.
Homicide doesn't do bickies.
This is typical, this is.
You come into our house, we're minding our own business, and you charge us.
Can hardly breathe these days without being pulled in by you lot.
Try to shoot up on the street, you get charged.
You try and score a hit and some Neighbourhood Watch freak dobs you in.
You know what, Melinda? I really couldn't care less how hard it is for you to get a fix.
What I want to know is how you can afford to score.
Yeah, I used to do a few burgs.
Just, you know, when we're getting desperate.
But I don't reckon I've done one for a while.
So I'll ask you again.
Have you ever burgled Charlie Porter's place, either last night or in the past? Maybe! Serious, man.
I don't remember.
I'm pretty scattered most of the time.
Probably noticed, right? Never crossed my mind.
You're funny, you are.
What am I supposed to have stolen anyway? Nothing was reported missing last night, but the victim wasn't exactly able to do an inventory.
Why not? He was murdered.
Jeez.
Gotcha.
What about the last time the joint was done over? An antique clock and a set of silver cutlery, valued at $1,000.
Yeah, right.
What would I want with an old clock and some spoons? I'd never be able to shift those.
Oh, but I do have a Blu-ray player and a Van Damme DVD collection I don't remember lifting.
Don't suppose the guy was missing them? Yeah.
No.
Trent was with me all night.
All day too, for that matter.
Looks like your case is stuffed, Detectives.
Trent never even left the house.
Last night, I was definitely home.
Why don't you two go out and catch some real crims, eh? That'd be nice.
Superintendent.
Something we can do for you? Yeah.
Get me a result on this one.
They gave him a DSO.
Distinguished Service Order.
Imagine what he must have done to snare one of those.
Kill people? Yeah, and save a few mates' lives.
- We've got a lead on a suspect, sir.
- Good.
That man should never have died like this.
You find me the coward that did it so I can nail his arse.
We clear? Sir.
Oh,come in,come in.
I've just finished the preliminary autopsy.
Now, the abrasions have patterning, so it could be the weapon has some sort of rubber grip.
Crime Scene found broken clear plastic at the house.
Maybe a torch? It's possible.
About the right size.
Oh! And another thing.
The defence bruising suggests the blows were mainly from the right-hand side, which means your killer was right-handed.
Might help.
But not with charging Trent Jackson.
Trent drank his water, signed his forms and played Jenga with his left hand.
As much as I hate to say it, it looks like Trent Jackson is not our man.
Jarvis won't be happy.
You're letting him off 'cause he's left-handed? Could be ambi.
He's also got an alibi.
Pathology narrowed down time of death to between 1 1 pm and 1 am.
There was a burglary committed last night in Heidelberg which has Trent's name written all over it.
Missing Blu-ray player, collection of Van Damme DVDs Which were in Trent's possession.
And the alarm was tripped at midnight.
There's no way that he could have got all the way from Charlie Porter's to Heidelberg in that time.
It's not impossible.
He couldn't have got there.
It depends how fast he drove.
He's a junkie.
He needs the money.
Two burgs, one murder.
It makes no difference to him.
Just because he's a junkie doesn't make him a killer.
I have been spat at, I've been bashed, I've even been bitten by junkies.
I hate them.
I'm the first to want to pin them.
But this one, it just doesn't make any sense.
An anonymous tip-off? Yeah, it is a little strange.
Well, it's all we've got to go on.
The doorknock has drawn a blank.
Can you believe the neighbours heard nothing? Or heard something and didn't bother to check.
Half those people wouldn't even know who lives in that house.
Smashed glass, an old man bashed to death and no-one cares unless it affects them.
Thanks, Mattie.
Back to the drawing board, huh? Or not.
We caught a break? Got another case.
Another burglary.
Another body.
Aggravated burglary.
Suspect crowbarred the door.
Resident locked his wife and child in the bathroom before going to confront him.
Nick.
Check this out.
Trent Jackson.
It all happened so fast.
I heard a noise.
And I came to check it out.
Excuse me.
She OK? Yeah, she's asleep, finally.
Oh, it wasn't easy.
Maybe Simon was right.
Violent burg gone wrong, same as Charlie Porter's.
MO's similar.
Only this time, Trent Jackson copped it.
Mr Cousins, if you wouldn't mind coming into the office, we'll need to interview you formally.
Why? Scott hasn't done anything wrong.
We understand you're shaken up, but we have procedures we need to follow.
That man broke into our house.
He forced open the door.
He's the criminal, not Scott.
Sal, it'sit's OK.
You're not gonna charge him with anything, are you? That's a question for the police prosecutor.
Our job's to gather the evidence.
I'm sorry, Mrs Cousins.
We'll be as quick as we can.
I'll stay until your husband gets home.
Can you tell us what happened tonight? Sure.
I was up late working.
I heard a noise, like a knocking, a scraping.
And from the stairs, l .
.
I saw this guy coming through the door with a crowbar.
I ran straight back to my wife.
I woke up to Scott shaking me.
He was frantic.
Told me to get up and, um .
.
be quiet.
I grabbed Emily and we ran into the bathroom.
Did your husband say why? There was a burglar downstairs.
I told them to stay put and not come out until I came back for them.
And then? I came back downstairs, and And there he was, ferreting through our stuff.
I just told him to take what he wanted and then leave.
I even got out some cash for him.
But, uh No, he was out of it.
What do you mean, "out of it"? Drugs.
We see a lot of it around this area.
Heroin, ice.
I'd say speed with him.
And then, all of a sudden, he came at me with the crowbar.
I heard a crashing sound.
I didn't know what was happening.
We were terrified.
What did you hear after that? Nothing.
I just tried to calm Emily down.
She was crying.
All I could think about was what was happening with Scott.
I managed to wrestle the crowbar off him.
I thought that'd be the end of it, but He got out a knife, came at me again.
Then what happened, Mr Cousins? I hit him with the crowbar.
As hard as I bloody could.
So Scott Cousins is a local councillor.
- Papers are gonna have a field day.
- I can't say I blame him.
If someone busted into my house, I'd do the same.
- You writing him up? - Filling in the paperwork.
But his claims of self-defence seem to hold up.
Nah, not Cousins.
He deserves a medal, not a court case.
The little scrote who killed Charlie Porter.
The one who got a nice little visit from Captain Karma last night.
All due respect, sir, just because Trent attacked Scott Cousins in this case doesn't mean he murdered Charlie Porter.
Come on, Nick.
You said yourself the MOs are the same.
- Similar, not exact.
- Nick's right.
We think Charlie Porter was hit with a torch.
Trent used a knife and a crowbar at the Cousins job.
Why change his MO? Probably 'cause he ditched the torch after the first murder.
He didn't ditch it anywhere near the crime scene.
We still haven't found it.
So, what's your point? I just think whatever crimes Trent committed aren't the issue.
Whichever way you look at it, Scott Cousins killed him.
Oh, my bleeding heart! I didn't peg you for a softie, Buchanan.
Good.
Look.
It's a fine line between self-defence and going overboard.
Your job is to determine if Cousins crossed that line.
If he didn't, don't keep him hanging around.
Sir.
Oh, and when you've stopped fannying around on that, get me some progress on the old digger's case, because either way you look at it, that one is murder! Lest we forget.
Scott Cousins was protecting his wife and child.
Who wouldn't do what he did? Reasonable grounds, Si.
Trent had a knife.
It was self-defence, pure and simple.
That was one of Charlie Porter's neighbours.
He just saw a guy trying to break into Charlie's house.
NOW the neighbours care.
Police! Stay where you are.
Hands where I can see them.
You're under arrest.
Arrest? What for? Burglary and entering a crime scene.
What?! You must be kidding.
I'm not a burglar.
This is my dad's place.
I'm Charlie Porter's son.
What are you doing breaking into your dad's place? I just got in from Adelaide.
My key didn't work.
The old bastard must have changed his locks.
And what exactly are you doing? I thought I might try and take something before the solicitor gives it all away.
This whole bloody house should be mine! There's nothing left but junk.
I should have known the cash would be gone already.
Settle down, Mr Porter.
No, you settle down! I just found out that my dad left all his money to the woman who delivers his meals! Here we go.
I'll be back same time again tomorrow.
Would you like me to put your bin out for you? You are a living angel, Robyn.
Not the most robust woman in the world.
Doesn't take much to topple a pensioner.
- Thank you so much.
'Bye! - 'Bye.
I wondered when I'd see you again.
- Still waiting on her lawyer? - Yeah.
She's dropped the Mother Teresa act.
Won't say a word without a suit next to her.
Oh, she's no Mother Teresa.
This isn't the first time she's inherited money.
Another 1 00 large, in total.
All from oldies on her lunch delivery route.
Funny thing is, there's next to nothing left in her bank account.
So, what's she spending it on? Well, statements show a whole lot of withdrawals all made from the ATM at the local pokie venue.
Robyn Turner has a serious gambling problem.
The digger and the gold-digger.
News just in.
According to petrol purchases on his credit card, Andrew Porter didn't just arrive from Adelaide.
Got here three days ago.
Before Charlie Porter was killed? And before he knew the will had been changed.
OK, drag him in.
Put him in room two.
Go hard on him as well.
Looks like they've both got something to say.
Why would I murder my dad? For the money.
You didn't know the will had changed.
Until a few weeks ago, you were the sole beneficiary.
Until she got him to change it.
Looking for a murderer, try that bloodsucking bitch.
Yes, I helped Charlie change his will.
But it wasn't my idea.
It was his.
I spoke with his solicitor and called his doctor round.
Well, they judged that it was his decision and he was of sound mind.
Sound mind? He was 89! He'd only known that woman for two years.
and he gave her everything! Maybe you should have paid a visit more often.
What's the point? He never liked me.
He thought I was a failure.
Lazy.
No discipline.
It was easy for her.
She probably thought he was a lovable old guy.
She didn't have to grow up in that house with him and his war nightmares and his temper.
Your boss at Meals-to-You says that relationships between delivery staff and clients is strongly discouraged.
'Prohibited', I think, is the term they use.
But I'm not about to drop their food on the doorstep and run.
Bet the money came in handy after a bad day on the pokies.
What, you didn't think we'd find out about your gambling problem? Is that why you took the money from Charlie Porter's cash tin? What? You needed that money, didn't you? Yes, I needed it.
I was retrenched.
I haven't worked in over a year.
I live on next to nothing.
Yeah, we know.
We've seen your bank statements.
You'd already spent that money in your head, hadn't you? Yes.
That money was mine.
It was supposed to be mine! I was entitled to it.
I'm his son, and I deserved it.
All of it.
So how did it work? Did you start up at Meals-to-You when your gambling got out of control? No! I started at Meals-to-You for the same reason I started gambling.
My clients aren't the only ones who are lonely.
After I was widowed, I didn't know what to do with myself.
It'd always been just the two of us.
Believe me, I needed my clients as much as they needed me.
And the gambling? Just a way to .
.
pass the time.
To begin with.
Yes, I have a gambling problem.
But if you're suggesting that I tried to rob Charlie to pay off my debts, you're wrong! We're not suggesting that at all.
Thank God.
We're suggesting that you staged a burglary to disguise the fact you had just murdered Charlie Porter so you could take the money that he left you.
You were already here in Melbourne on the night he was killed! You murdered your father to get your miserable life out of the gutter, didn't you? You've got it wrong, totally wrong.
Do you have an alibi for the night of Charlie Porter's murder? What? No! I was at home, by myself.
I was at a mate's 60th birthday.
That's why I was in Melbourne in the first place.
You can check.
Yeah, we will.
Andrew Porter's alibi checks out.
Apparently, he was stonkered and passed out on the balcony by 1 1 :00.
I just got word from the DPP - no charges to be laid against Scott Cousins.
File it under "l told you so.
" Oh, and, uh, some washed-out harpy's waiting for you to take her to the morgue, Buchanan.
Must be your lucky day.
Looks like Melinda Jackson's ready to ID Trent.
Finally.
You ready? Dickhead.
Why'd you even go back there? You're soft.
You're too soft.
That's your trouble.
He's a dickhead! He's an idiot.
You're a stupid, stupid idiot! Mrs Jackson.
Please.
Piss off! You can't touch the body.
He's mine! You piss off.
Trent, you dumb-arse.
You should never have gone back there.
Ms Jackson This is your fault, this is.
Why are you even here? Hm? Yes, it's Trent.
You knew that already.
It's a formality.
Formality, my arse.
You're enjoying this.
I promise you, we're not.
Why aren't you asking questions to the guy who killed him? The person responsible has been questioned.
Congratulated, more like.
Yeah, you really piss me off.
Melinda, what did you mean before when you said that Trent shouldn't have gone back there? What? You said it just before.
So now I'm being questioned? You really have no idea who you Just answer the question, Melinda.
Or what? You're gonna handcuff me again? Melinda, don't make this any harder than it needs to be.
I couldn't put it better myself.
Detectives, this isn't the place or time for an interrogation, as you well know.
You OK? Yep.
Just ask your questions.
Get on with it.
You were talking about Trent going "back there".
Were you talking about Charlie Porter's place? You're still banging on about that? I thought we were gonna talk about the guy who killed Trent.
We understand that this is sensitive.
Sensitive? You're trying to prove that my dead son's a murderer.
This isn't fricking sensitive.
It's a joke.
Melinda.
We don't want to see Trent take the blame for something he didn't do either.
Now, you know where he went that night, don't you? He didn't go out.
He robbed a house in Heidelberg.
Trent doesn't do burgs anymore.
He admitted to a Blu-ray player and some DVDs.
He didn't lift those.
He swapped them with a mate for some gear.
He was just too fried to remember.
Melinda, you don't exactly have the best record of being straight with police.
It's the truth, OK? Trent doesn't do burgs.
So how did he pay for his drugs? Sex! OK? Said it was easier than thieving.
So you want to know where he was the night that old man was killed? He was getting paid to take it up the arse.
So I could get my fix.
Done? We're gonna need a name so we can crosscheck that.
Sure.
It's not like he's gonna admit it, though, is it? Who was paying Trent for sex, Melinda? Why don't you ask the arsehole who killed him? Councillor Scott Cousins? Yeah.
That's right.
Cousins.
That's the maggot.
Scott Cousins was paying Trent Jackson for sex? Mm-hm.
This is the same Scott Cousins that represents conservative family values in local council? Suddenly his claims of self-defence don't seem so cut and dried.
Pull that file back out? I did.
Send a new brief up to the DPP.
What have you got? We think things turned ugly, they fought and Cousins tried to cover it up by faking the burglary.
Locking his wife and daughter in the bathroom for good measure.
It's pretty ruthless.
He lS a politician.
Bank records show weekly cash withdrawals of $2,000 a week at an ATM near Yarraford station.
Best place to pick up freckle-punchers.
Pillow-biters.
Two grand is a lot of money to be paying someone like Trent for sex.
His reputation as a local councillor would be shot if people knew he was paying young junkies.
And if Trent was pointing this out Blackmail.
Good motive for murder.
Hi.
They finally give you a swipe card? They finally trust me enough to let me walk from the lift to your desk by myself.
Obviously don't know you well enough.
Thought you might need this.
Oh! Where was it? Bedside table.
Where you were reading it last night.
Must have put me to sleep.
Thanks, Em.
Ciao.
See ya.
Hey, when's Jen back? End of the week.
We should have a barbecue.
What do you say, Duncan? Allie? Welcome-back for Jen.
Matt's cooking.
- Yeah, nice one, Mattie.
- Great.
Matt'll give you the heads-up on the time.
I'll walk you out.
Don't you trust me now? Not really, no.
Anything on Melinda? She was fried out of her brain.
So nothing to use against Cousins? No proof of our blackmail theory? Nope.
But Cousins doesn't know that.
Did you or did you not know Trent Jackson? No, of course not.
Not until he broke into my house.
I can't believe you're wasting my time with this.
I have a meeting.
The garbos are on strike.
I'm representing the council.
I don't think they'll be very happy if I'm late.
No.
But I'm sure they'd be very interested in what we've got to say.
What do you think, Scott? Should we come with you and ask our questions down there? We added this shot to a photo board.
We showed it to a bunch of street boys down near Yarraford station.
Guess who they picked out.
Of course they picked me.
I'm well known.
I'm a local bloody councillor.
The witness statements the boys gave, they were pretty interesting.
They had a lot to say about you.
Maybe you should read some out to the good councillor.
Alright.
Alright.
Yes.
I paid Trent Jackson for sex.
I did.
It's not something I'm proud of, believe me.
I have a wife and child.
If Sally ever found out Trent Jackson was blackmailing you? What? No! No, of course not.
Are you sure? Because we've got another witness statement here from Melinda Jackson, Trent's mum, and she said some very interesting things.
I was always so careful.
Never on the street.
Always in my car.
Trent must have found my picture somewhere.
Next thing I know, he's on my doorstep threatening to tell the missus if I don't cough up.
And the night Trent died? He came around for his money.
Said he wanted to up the fee.
I couldn't afford to keep paying him forever.
I had to make a stand.
He was high, angry.
He attacked me.
Everything that happened after that is exactly as I told you.
It was still self-defence, I swear.
He resigned from council? Despite the fact he's never been more popular.
Public think he's a hero for defending himself.
They think we're wasting our time investigating.
Yeah, well, public don't know he was paying his burglar for sex.
Hey, get this.
"The intrusion into my home gave me the opportunity "to reassess my priorities, realise what's really important to me - "my wife, my daughter.
" Yeah, right.
I see you've got the version for public consumption.
This is from his lawyers.
"Scott Cousins admits to paying Trent for sex "and to blackmail payments "but vehemently maintains he acted out of fear for his life "and in self-defence.
" Pretty convenient he had to defend himself against the guy that was threatening to out him.
You think Cousins lured Trent with intent? Don't you? It's almost impossible to prove.
Our only witness is dead and a junkie to boot.
You've got to give the prosecutor more if you want them to take Cousins to trial.
Cousins's version holds up? Right now, all they've got is the word of a family man against a low-life, blackmailing junkie prostitute.
You want me to send the brief back up, give me something.
In the meantime, Charlie Porter, the digger, war hero.
Anyone? Checked the files of Robyn Turner's other elderly patrons.
None of them died under suspicious circumstances.
All the pensioners I talked to describe her as an angel and a godsend.
Or an opportunist, more like.
So are we discounting Trent altogether? - No.
- Yes.
What's he doing robbing some old man when he's making two grand a week in blackmail payments, let alone prostitution money? He's a junkie with a history of burgs.
But not violence.
He's a regular ice user.
Not all ice users are violent.
It's a common misconception.
Not in the world I live in.
They can be hostile and aggressive, but they're not all violent.
OK.
Speaking of violence, any news on the weapon? No, sir.
OK, keep looking.
If you're so sure that the Meals lady's your killer, you need to be able to prove it.
Well, maybe there's another angle worth exploring.
Remember the town house developments, the ones Charlie wouldn't sell to? Yeah.
Yeah, well, everything seemed kosher till I did a bit more digging.
And guess who's a silent partner in the business.
You didn't join the council to help out the community, did you, Mr Cousins? You got yourself elected to make the community help you.
These 35 town houses were all set to go ahead.
You had the plans, you had the permits and you had purchased all the homes of the existing residents.
Except one.
No.
Charlie Porter.
Nope.
Who, from all reports, wasn't very impressed with your plans to develop his suburb.
With Charlie out of the picture, you could go ahead and build, right? No, this is ridiculous.
Both these cases have your name all over them.
Charlie Porter was the only thing standing in the way of you and the biggest project of your career.
- Must have made you really angry.
- Yes.
It did.
I offered him a great deal.
He told me to shove it.
Said he didn't need the money.
Kept going on about the town he remembered.
No, no.
There was no changing his mind.
There was one way.
No.
No.
You are way off the mark.
I didn't kill that old man.
I'm not a murderer.
You smug prick.
This is harassment.
You released me yesterday because you didn't have any evidence.
Which is what we're here to find.
This is a warrant to search your premises, Mr Cousins.
Don't feel too special.
We've cast the net wide.
Morning, Mrs Turner.
Oh! Ms Jackson! Ms Jackson, we have a warrant.
Melinda! Piss off! The warrant.
Will you piss off? Can I get anyone a cup of tea? Thank you, no.
These antiques, Mrs Turner - can you tell us where they came from? Oh, they're presents and bequests from my clients.
Is this everything you've been given? No.
Um, I sold some.
When things got tough.
So these are just the things you couldn't shift? Mmm.
What are you even doing here? You're supposed to be nailing that poofter council guy.
Yeah, and to do that, we need to prove he was paying your son.
Is this some of the money from Scott Cousins? Yeah.
All that's left of it.
We need to check it for prints.
Well, I get it back, right? It's the proceeds of crime, Ms Jackson.
No.
You can't take that.
No! My wife will be home in a couple of hours.
How long's this gonna take? You tell us.
Mr Cousins, if you've got nothing to hide, then you've got nothing to worry about.
You should see this, Detective.
You'd better come with us, Mrs Turner.
Nice photo.
So I'm a hypocrite.
You can't charge me for that.
Uh, this might help us charge you.
There's blood on these shoes.
Wonder if any of it's Charlie Porter's.
I didn't kill Charlie Porter! You had all your debts written in your diary.
Two weeks ago, you subtracted the amount of Charlie's bequest.
Why would you do that before he was dead? Unless you knew he was gonna die.
Oh, it was a hypothetical.
You're drowning in debt, Robyn, about to default on your home loan.
You'll lose the house.
How long have you lived in that neighbourhood? Nice leafy suburb.
Be a shame to leave it.
I didn't kill Charlie Porter! But you did kill Trent Jackson! And you enticed him round to your house to do it.
And you know what? I bet you thought that no-one would even miss Trent.
You know what? His mum does actually miss him.
And I'm not gonna miss the opportunity to nail his murderer.
Trent blackmailed you.
Threatened to expose your homosexuality.
Something you've fought your whole life to hide.
So you killed him in a staged burglary.
Did you get a taste of how easy it was after dealing with Charlie Porter? No! You've got it all wrong.
I brought Charlie food, gave him company, took out his bins, even helped him to the toilet when he couldn't make it.
You were desperate.
Yeah.
Yeah, I was desperate.
And I needed the money.
Charlie Porter was one of my few friends.
I couldn't hurt him.
I did everything I could to get Trent off my back.
Even made a tip-off to you lot about Trent breaking into Charlie's.
Tried to get him arrested and out of my face.
OK, here's my theory about that tip-off.
I think you made the call to cover your tracks.
And to set Trent up for his own murder.
Another burglary gone wrong.
But this time, Trent was on the receiving end.
You can't prove that.
And no jury will ever convict me of it.
Do you have anything to prove that I did it? A murder weapon? Well, you searched my house.
You didn't find anything.
Yeah, maybe that's because we've been looking in the wrong place.
You'd better be right about this.
It's either here or number 8 in the next street.
This is number 2.
I'll take number 8.
I'll take this one.
You take that, Si.
Mrs Turner.
Very kind of you to put the bins out for all your clients.
Kind and clever.
It meant you knew exactly when each area got their rubbish collected.
My lawyer said you can't keep me here.
She's lodging a complaint.
Yeah, well, that won't be necessary.
New cologne, Joyner? Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr Cousins.
If you've got the results, then you know I didn't kill Charlie Porter.
It wasn't his blood on my shoes, was it? Guess you hadn't heard about the garbos' strike.
Trying to get a pay rise from their stingy local council.
Upshot is, the bins haven't been collected.
So all we had to do was look at your delivery route and work out whose bins were due to be collected the day after Charlie Porter's murder.
This .
.
was still there.
It's got your prints all over it.
And we're sure the blood is Charlie Porter's too.
l, uh II didn't want to do it.
I didn't know that I could.
Charlie was .
.
was so nice to me.
I was desperate.
All I could think about was the money.
How much I needed it.
You were going to inherit the money anyway.
I couldn't wait that long.
You looked after him.
You seemed to care for him.
What happened? When it comes to getting money to gamble, I .
.
I have no shame.
You'd even resort to murder.
Poor old Charlie.
When he put her in his will, he signed his own death warrant.
You're right.
It wasn't Charlie Porter's blood on your shoes.
It was Trent Jackson's.
Which means we have nothing more to talk about.
So,can I go? Just one more question, Mr Cousins.
What is it? You say that Trent Jackson was just there to blackmail you, right? Yes.
Look, we've been through all this.
So why did he bring a crowbar? To break into my house.
Why? You knew that he was coming to get his money.
He didn't need to break in, did he? I don't know.
He was on drugs.
Oh, so he smashed in the door, risked alerting your wife and blowing the whole point of his scam? Yes.
Well, I don't know.
Maybe.
We don't like maybes, Mr Cousins.
Was that your crowbar, Mr Cousins? No.
It looked brand-new.
Have you been hardware-shopping lately? No.
We'll check every hardware store in the city.
It's not mine.
We're going to find out where that crowbar came from.
And then we'll prove that your killing of Trent Jackson was premeditated.
Meanwhile, we'll make a new report to the DPP.
And they don't like maybes either.
So don't relax, Mr Cousins, 'cause I have a feeling we're gonna be seeing you again.
- Welcome back, Jen.
- Cheers.
Welcome back.
Welcome back.
Thank you.
So tell us about Counter-Terrorism.
Now, you know I am not supposed to talk about it.
Come on, Jen! Alright.
I spent the whole time .
.
analysing phone bills.
What? Really? Yeah.
You're kidding.
Yes, I am kidding.
Of course I'm not gonna tell you! She was waterboarding terrorists if you ask me.
It's good to have you back, Jen.
Thank you.
You know, I can still smell that rubbish on my hands.
Stench of justice, Si.
Si found the murder weapon at the bottom of a wheelie bin.
Hero.
Hey, take it easy, Si.
We need that tequila for the margaritas.
We've only got two bottles.
Speaking of margaritas How's it going? Nearly there.
Could you pass us the limes? Hey, Nick.
Should have brought a keg.
I'll just whack these in the fridge.
Hi.
Hi.
Jen, have you met Nick? No.
Hi.
Hi.
Um, Jennifer Mapplethorpe.
Nick Buchanan.
Let's get these out here.
Yes.