City Homicide (2007) s03e18 Episode Script
Whistleblower
What have we got? Body in the boot.
Who opened it? The towie.
He's part of the "Make Highborough Beautiful" team.
Dragging old car bodies out of the river.
Wanted to see what he found.
And he couldn't tell? Looks like Pathology got the early-bird call too.
Morning, Hamish.
Detectives.
Nice day for it.
Ohh! Something in there just moved.
One of these guys.
The river's crawling with them.
Yabbies.
Hungry little beggars.
Better get him back to the morgue, mate, before they make a meal of him.
Ohhh! I think they already have.
Victim's male Caucasian, mid to late 20s.
How long was he down there? Three, four months.
I've only done the preliminary so far.
There's a few things might be useful to you blokes.
Careful - they can give you a nasty nip.
No wallet, no ID.
Just this.
Any inscription? "Scooter, Love you forever, Possum.
" This from his inside jacket pocket.
Bar code? There's something.
It's worn off.
There's a few numbers there.
Might help.
There's a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.
The bullet flattened on entering the skull.
I'll get this off to Ballistics.
Thanks, Hamish.
Yabbies made a bit of a meal of him, particularly the eyes, lips and genital area.
Nothing on the body to identify him and nothing in his pockets, just the Possum loves Scooter watch.
What's wrong with getting your name, address and next of kin engraved? Was the watch expensive? Not especially.
And not unusual enough to trace, either.
The key card's more likely to yield a hit.
Got something like that at my video store.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking - video joint, gym.
Partial Bar code.
Yeah, most of the ink's dissolved.
But the techs are playing with it to see if they can recover something useful.
Cause of death? Gunshot.
Execution style.
Anything from Ballistics? The bullet was flattened, so it could take some time.
Why dump the vehicle there? That part of the river the locals refer to as the graveyard.
So many wrecks on the bottom, no-one's gonna notice one more.
Is it his car? No.
Reported stolen three months ago.
Owner is a kindergarten teacher in Preston.
We're gonna talk to her.
Got something from the key tags.
Video store? Gym membership.
Jacob Dennis.
The gym gave us the name of his next of kin.
De facto - Aleisha Groves.
Buchanan, you and Freeman can do the death-knock.
First thing in the morning.
Ma'am.
Joyner, I'd like a word in my office, please.
Yes, ma'am.
How's things going? Ah, yeah, fine.
No problems, life's good.
Mm-hm.
Come in.
I've been going through some paperwork.
Ah, everyone's favourite part of the job.
Sit down.
But an important part, wouldn't you agree? Yes, ma'am.
Things would fall apart pretty quickly around here if we ignored paperwork.
Yeah, absolutely, it's vital.
In fact, I've got a pile on my desk l plan to work through before I leave.
You're probably aware that I'm responsible for signing off on the log from the gun safe.
Yes, ma'am.
There's an anomaly.
Ah.
You obviously know what I'm talking about.
You didn't hand in your gun when you went on holiday.
No, ma'am.
Uh I forgot.
Forgot? Yeah, and then by the time I realised, I had a plane to catch and I was in a rush and I left the gun at my apartment.
Well-secured.
A police-issue weapon is only well-secured when it is locked away in the official gun safe, you know that.
Yeah, ma'am, I know, I know.
And I should have made the time.
But it was locked away.
I have to write this up.
I can't ignore it.
Yeah, ma'am, I understand.
And, Look, I am sorry, it was stupid.
Is there anything else we need to discuss? No, ma'am.
Alright.
Just making you aware of the situation, that's all.
Thank you, ma'am.
He broke my heart.
When? Three months ago.
You think you know a person, then you realise you know nothing.
Another woman? We'd been together for four years.
We were talking about marriage, buying a house, kids.
Well, I was, anyway.
I was planning our future.
He was obviously planning his exit strategy.
When did you find out? When she called the house.
Three times.
Always asking for Scooter.
And you're Possum? Engraved on his watch.
Our private thing, you know? She wasn't even trying to be subtle.
I hated her.
And when you asked Jacob? He denied everything.
Then two days after the third phone call, I came home, all his things were gone.
Did he leave a note? An email.
Telling me he had to follow his heart.
Do you still have that email? No.
I deleted it straightaway.
I was so angry.
Then I had this terrible thought.
When I checked our joint bank account, it was empty.
Do you know the woman's name? No.
No, she never told me.
I know I shouldn't feel this way, but part of me wants to think that she killed him.
Isn't that awful? Well, if she did kill him, things went sour pretty fast.
We believe that Jacob's been dead for at least three months.
But that means Are you saying Jacob's been dead all this time? We're not sure, Miss Groves.
It's possible.
Can you imagine what I've been thinking about him? What I've wished would happen to him? Did Jacob have a job? With Highborough Council.
Did he have any enemies? Anyone that might wish him harm? Apart from you? What? No.
I didn't do it.
I swear.
I I even hired a private investigator to find him.
Name is? Paul Vandenburg.
I've got his card here somewhere.
Old socks.
Hmm.
Paul Vandenburg? Yeah.
In the flesh.
How can I help you? Detectives Freeman and Buchanan.
Ahh.
Take a seat.
Here.
I was in the game myself for 20 years.
Stress got to me.
Ah.
So, what can I do you for? Jacob Dennis, Mr Vandenburg.
Ahh, missing person.
Not anymore.
Homicide.
You're kidding me! Why would anyone want to whack Jacob Dennis? We were hoping you might be able to tell us.
I'd love to, but there is a little thing called client confidentiality.
Aleisha Groves gave us your name.
She's keen to clear hers, so she's got no problems with you being candid.
You can call her if you like.
Nah.
I'll take a risk.
Not a whole lot to tell, though.
I'll get her file.
Ahh.
Not exactly a telephone book.
Right.
Uh, well, Jacob took off about three months ago with all their money and a brand-new babe.
Got a name for the new girlfriend? No.
Did all the usual checks at the time.
Uh Spoke to his workmates and come up with a big, fat zero.
Doesn't look like you went through a hell of a lot of shoe leather.
Well, take a look around.
I'm a one-man shop here.
Most of my cases are insurance jobs.
It's a bugger trying to find anyone who doesn't want to be found.
So I gave it two weeks.
What did you tell Aleisha Groves? Exactly that.
I advised her not to throw good money after bad.
I felt sorry for the kid.
Told her Jacob was a dickhead and she's better off without him.
Did you uncover anyone with a grudge against him? Someone you thought was a bit suss? Anyone make my cop radar go bing? Nah, sorry.
If you think of anything You'll be the first to know.
Stay safe, boys.
You too.
His cop radar wouldn't go bing if you put 50,000 volts through it.
Jacob Dennis worked for Environmental and Community Management.
And this is a vibrant, growing community.
Lots of people are attracted to Highborough because of the lifestyle we offer.
The council's job is to look after the needs of those people.
So his job was to Mainly clerical.
He worked here for how long? Off the top of my head, I don't know.
His girlfriend said he'd been here six years.
Yeah, that's possible.
And he just left without any notice? No-one thought that was strange? Well, I'm sure they did.
From memory, there was some watercooler gossip, you know.
Has Jacob landed himself in some sort of trouble? You could say that, Mr Berry.
He's been murdered.
Wh Oh, my God.
That's We retrieved his body from the Highborough reserve during the clean-up yesterday.
I heard there was a police situation up there.
But I thought it was a stolen car.
We'd like to speak to his other workmates, get access to his files, his staff emails, telephone records.
Y es, of course.
Anything we can do to help.
Oh, Senior Sergeant? Ma'am.
Can I have a word in my office? Sure.
What can I do for you? I have to write a report on why a detective failed to hand in his weapon when he went on holiday.
Do I know this detective? Simon Joyner.
Are you aware that I've had dealings with him in the past? I am.
Senior Sergeant, I need to satisfy my superiors that there are no ongoing psychological issues with Detective Joyner.
OK, let me talk to him.
Is there a deadline? Well, ASAP, but it's not an official evaluation.
OK.
Jacob Dennis's workmates reckon he was a decent guy, ma'am.
If he was having an affair, no-one knew about it.
A couple of the girls said that he was devoted to Aleisha.
Email and phone records? All his emails were erased when his computer was reallocated.
It's downstairs.
Techies are seeing what they can get off the hard drive.
How'd you go with the P.
I.
? Paul Vandenburg's an ex-cop.
He handed in his badge four years ago.
Do we know why? The usual story.
He took early retirement due to stress.
He reckons he only worked the case for two weeks.
That doesn't make sense.
Jacob Dennis's workmates said that Vandenburg was sniffing around the council offices last week.
Sniffing around for what? What we just picked up.
Jacob Dennis's old files and computer records.
Apparently Vandenburg was annoying and persistent.
The squeaky wheel approach.
Did he have any luck? Not that we know of.
Alright, go back to Vandenburg and find out why he lied to you.
Chinese.
Hmm.
Shots fired at 1 9B Calder Street, Brunswick, first floor.
Detectives Buchanan and Freeman responding.
Requesting back-up.
Vandenburg! It's the police! Clear! Clear.
Call an ambulance! Ambulance.
He's dead.
We heard two gunshots coming up the stairs.
One from Vandenburg, the other from the shooter.
Vandenburg missed and his bullet went in the wall over there.
He should have spent more time at the range.
Yeah.
Shooter went out that window? I got a quick look at him as he took off.
Enough to ID him? Nothing that would stand up in court.
Just the back of his head.
But I saw him for a nanosecond.
Well, he was looking for something.
Looks like Vandenburg came back in with his lunch and interrupted him.
And he was wearing a gun.
Must have been expecting trouble.
Most of his cases were insurance jobs.
Disgruntled compo case? Who could climb out a window and run like a rabbit? Hmm.
So maybe the shooter found what he was looking for.
Maybe he didn't and it's still here.
Well,client confidentiality is still an issue, so we'd have to get a warrant for his files before Crime Scene comes in and takes this place apart.
Hey, Simon.
You all done for the day? Uh, yeah, I am.
Been a busy one.
I heard you just got back from holidays.
Yeah, that's right.
Anywhere exotic? Uh, Thailand.
Oh! Lucky you! What part? Bangkok.
And? And? Well, no-one just stays in Bangkok if they can help it.
And Phuket.
Oh, I love Phuket! All those beautiful beaches and those weird little hairy fruit things.
I could just go back there tomorrow.
You must be feeling relaxed and refreshed.
I feel like a new man.
Are you sleeping better? Yep.
Like a baby.
That's a funny expression, that.
Most babies don't sleep very well at all.
CCTV footage from 1 1 cameras and not one single frame of the shooter.
Yeah, I've got that - Sierra, Lima, Whisky, 9-7-7.
Thank you for your call.
I'll be in touch.
Shop owner from up the street saw our guy hop into a car and take off.
Why didn't we find that out yesterday? She knocked off before the uniforms arrived and she didn't realise it was a shooting until she saw the news.
Morning.
Progress? Maybe.
Can she make an ID? No.
She only saw the back of his head, but it looks like our guy.
He also clipped the wing mirror of a parked car, so she got his rego.
I'm running it through the system now.
There's nothing in Vandenburg's case files that warrants anyone putting a bullet in him.
That's why I'm going back to his office.
Crime Scene tore that place apart.
But they were looking for bullets and blood spatter, not motive for murder, and that's what we need.
Maybe we can find out what the shooter was looking for.
Here it is - black beemer.
Company rego, Mendez Novak Constructions.
Reported stolen yesterday.
How convenient.
Alright, Let's go and see how they feel about their company car being involved in a murder.
G'day, gentlemen.
Sergio Mendez.
Same name as the Brazilian singer from the '60s.
Different spelling.
Looking for your own slice of investment heaven? We're looking for the driver of your company car, the black beemer.
And why would that be of any interest to you? Detectives Buchanan, Freeman and Joyner.
We believe the driver of that vehicle may be able to assist us regarding an incident in Brunswick yesterday morning.
Incident? What kind of incident? My partner, Mr Novak, usually drives the beemer.
Uh, yeah, it was stolen.
I reported it missing yesterday.
Have you found it? Steve, these gentlemen are detectives.
We'd like to talk to you about the murder of Paul Vandenburg.
Who? Murder? Don't know any Paul Vandenburg.
Of course you don't.
What's this all about? Come with us.
We can explain in more detail.
Just go, mate.
It's got to be some sort of misunderstanding.
Give me a call if you need me for anything.
You do let him make a phone call, don't you? Something else, Detective? Anything else you want to tell us before I go? No, we reported the car to the police as soon as we realised it was stolen.
We're interested in Mr Novak's whereabouts between the hours of 1 0 and 1 2 yesterday morning.
He was right here with me.
I sent him out to our plumbing suppliers and he was back straightaway no car.
Right in front of our own office.
Mr Mendez, we believe Mr Novak, your business partner, drove to Brunswick where he shot and killed this man.
I've never seen this man before in my life.
A man matching Mr Novak's appearance was seen leaving the murder scene.
That's impossible on two counts.
One, he was only gone for a couple of seconds.
And two, he's like a brother to me.
I'd vouch for him anytime.
Where were you between the hours of 1 0 and 1 2 yesterday morning? Oh, you think I'm involved? Just saying you're his alibi.
You're his business partner and his close friend.
Of course you'd alibi him.
We're businessmen.
We're not criminals.
I didn't take the car anywhere yesterday.
We have a witness who saw you sideswipe another car while you were leaving.
There's a simple explanation for that.
Which is? They're mistaken! So why did you shoot Paul Vandenburg? I told you! I don't know any Paul Vandenburg.
I've never heard of him.
A person matching your description was seen running from his office.
It wasn't me.
I believe it was you.
Look, how can I be in two places at once? I was at the office all day yesterday.
So can anyone confirm that? My partner, Sergio Mendez.
Yeah, apart from Mr Mendez.
Our construction supervisor.
They'll both tell you I was at the office all day yesterday.
Ever come across this man? Who is he? His name's Jacob Dennis.
His body was pulled from the reserve in Highborough two days ago.
The bullet that killed him was still in his skull.
Right now we're matching that bullet with the one that killed Vandenburg.
If they match, it's a double homicide.
You guys keep accusing me of killing people I've never even met! Look, I'm really sorry they're dead, huh? But you've got nothing on me.
I knew there had to be something else here.
This is what the shooter was looking for.
Why else would Vandenburg hide it in a light fitting? What is it? It's a lab report of a soil sample.
Soil? Mm-hm.
Dated two weeks ago.
Vandenburg's named as client.
"Summary soil sample analysis compared to "health-based investigation levels for residential sites.
" Soil from where? Doesn't say.
And what's the highlighted part? Chromium Six.
Guidelines are 1 00 parts per million.
Sample analysed at 620 parts per million.
What's Chromium Six? I don't know.
But Vandenburg was killed for this report.
And he didn't give it to Nick and Duncan when he had the chance.
Why? Maybe he was blackmailing someone.
Someone like a construction company? Very possible.
Mendez Novak Construction has a huge housing development at Highborough Gardens.
We think Vandenburg was killed because he was blackmailing them with this lab report.
It's evidence of contaminated land.
But we have two murders.
So who killed Jacob Dennis and why? Well, Jacob Dennis worked for the council.
If any land is polluted, the council should know about it.
It looks like a cover-up that Jacob Dennis was going to expose.
Can we back that up? We checked this lab report against the analysis of mud found on Jacob Dennis.
Specifically his shoes.
It's a match.
High levels of Chromium Six.
What does that mean, exactly? Chromium Six, it's terrible stuff - it's linked with respiratory illness, birth defects and cancer, especially in children.
And Chromium Six was on Jacob Dennis's shoes.
Chromium Six is in the lab report for the contaminated land.
Highborough Gardens is contaminated.
But that report doesn't say where the soil came from? Alright, I'll get a warrant.
We'll get our own soil samples.
I know it's Highborough Gardens.
Maybe right, but we need to prove it.
Get moving on the connection between the council, the construction company and the two dead men.
I like your theory.
Just get me the proof.
Look, detectives, I told you all I know about Jacob Dennis.
Oh, Sophie,could you get me Jacob's personnel file, please? It's not Jacob we want to ask you about.
It's Highborough Gardens.
A project very dear to my heart.
Ask away.
Council approved a massive development? Yes.
It'll be a new suburb, it'll have its own postcode.
Even though it's being built on contaminated land? I think you might be misinformed, Detective.
The council has nothing to hide, you know.
Really? You didn't know the land was contaminated? Yes, of course the council knew the site was contaminated.
It used to be a tannery.
Yet you went ahead and sold it to Mendez and Novak anyway? Y es, because we paid a fortune to arrange a complete and thorough clean-up.
I'd be happy to get you copies of the most recent soil tests if you like.
But apart from that, I really don't know what else I can say.
Did Jacob Dennis have anything to do with the development? Jacob? Oh, I don't think so.
It'd be very unusual if he did.
Oh, Soph,could you, uh, just also check on Jacob's old records? And bring me in all the contracts of the Highborough Gardens clean-up.
Yes, Mr Berry.
Thanks.
Oh, Soph.
Could you get me a cup of green tea when you get a sec? Sure.
Thanks.
Anything else I can help you with? Of course he talked about Highborough Gardens.
Was he working on the project? No, but he knew about it through his work at the council.
We were thinking about buying a townhouse there.
Our first home.
What? It never happened.
Jacob kept stalling.
He said he needed some questions answered.
What sort of questions? He didn't say.
Did he ever mention chromium contamination? What? No.
Is that all? I really need to get back to the office.
We just need to go over those phone calls that you got.
I didn't imagine them.
They were real.
So there must have been something going on.
So to help us narrow it down, can you be more specific about the times that any of these calls were made from the mystery woman? The last one.
We were getting ready to go out for dinner and Jacob was in the loo.
I told her to go away and leave us alone.
And what did Jacob say when you told him about the call? I didn't tell him.
I didn't want to spoil things.
It was my birthday.
Jacob Dennis's phone records? Still ploughing through them.
I've got a time and date of the last call from the mystery woman.
Go crazy.
Thank you.
Si, we've been looking into the backgrounds of Mendez and Novak.
Anything interesting? Sergio Mendez was telling the truth.
He was a carpenter from Coburg.
However, he omitted to mention his partner, Steve Novak, was, on the other hand, a hard man from the worst days of the building game.
Yeah, no criminal record but a history of being associated with violent, disruptive action at major building sites.
Yeah, Mendez is a front man and Novak plays dirty.
So they're in deep? This is a massive investment.
Nothing could get in the way, not even chromium contamination.
Jacob would've known about the clean-up through his work.
You'd want to be sure they did a proper job if you're gonna live there.
He must've started poking around and uncovered something.
He didn't mention anything to his girlfriend.
My feeling is that he only had suspicions and he didn't want to alarm her because this was their dream home.
Yeah, built on a toxic dump.
How romantic.
If it was properly decontaminated, it would've been safe.
Don't destroy the dream until you're sure.
Exactly.
And he probably believed in the system and expected them to be decent and honest people.
The council spent just on a million dollars cleaning up the site.
Do a half-arsed job, falsify the paperwork and pocket the lion's share.
Bingo! I've got the number of the mystery woman.
Highborough Council, Mr Berry's office, Sophie speaking.
Thanks for coming in, Sophie.
I really don't see how I can be of any help.
We want to tie up loose ends, that's all.
You said that.
What loose ends? Take a seat.
Am I in some sort of trouble? That depends, Sophie.
On what? I haven't done anything.
Uh, you rang this number on three separate occasions asking for Scooter? I don't know anything about that.
Sophie, Sophie, Sophie.
What? I don't.
This is your number at Highborough Council, right? Yes.
And you are the only one that uses this number? No.
When I go to lunch, anyone might use it.
Yeah, but the calls weren't made at lunchtime, were they? Doesn't look like it.
But I make heaps of calls during the day.
It's part of my job.
How many Scooters do you call? Sophie We know you made the calls.
It really is in your best interest to cooperate.
Who are you protecting? No-one.
Sophie, a man is dead.
This isn't a game.
It's a murder investigation.
And you're in it up to your neck.
No! We could have you charged with being an accessory and lock you up.
Is that what you want? No, please.
I don't know anything about any murder.
I made the calls, OK? OK.
OK, good.
Now, were you having an affair? With this Scooter? No.
No, no, no, not with Scooter.
With someone else.
No.
Then why make the calls? Look, it was just a joke.
A harmless joke.
I don't even know who this Scooter is.
It was Jacob Dennis.
And Scooter's his nickname that only his de facto uses.
Oh, my God.
Were you in any way connected to the disappearance and murder of Jacob Dennis? I swear to youI'm not.
I don't know anything about that.
I swear.
Well, whose idea was the joke? Sophie? He told me that he loved me.
Alright, well, Let's implement the stricter criteria for events permits ASAP, alright? We don't really want another picnic in the park fiasco, do we? Alright, uh, moving on.
Next is item seven - parking meter revenue.
OK.
Excuse us, folks.
Excuse us.
I'm sorry, detectives.
Robert Berry, you're under arrest for conspiracy to murder Jacob Dennis.
What? Stand up, please, sir.
Stand up! Let go of me.
You guys are making a huge mistake.
No, we're not making a mistake.
Your girlfriend gave you up.
Walk this way.
Excuse us.
Jacob Dennis came to you worried about the Highborough Gardens development.
He'd found some irregularities with the soil clean-up.
He came to you because he trusted you.
He thought you were an honest man.
You tried to convince him everything was fine, but he wouldn't let it go.
So you offered him a financial incentive or a promotion to drop it.
But he wouldn't take it because he wanted to be sure that the home that he was planning for his family wasn't contaminated.
He threatened to blow the whistle.
You couldn't buy him, so you decided to get rid of him.
So you got Sophie Lloyd to make a few joke calls to his girlfriend, Aleisha Groves.
Nothing too complicated.
Just ask for Scooter.
You were going through his private emails.
How are we doing? Berry's lawyer's instructed him to shut up.
We're doing all the talking so far.
Fat lot of good that'll do us.
You were setting up his disappearance, Robert? But you'd already told Mendez and Novak there was a problem.
You knew they had more to lose than you.
Everything they've got is tied up in this development.
That's all fantasy.
Total unsubstantiated fantasy.
No, no, no, it's alright, Gordon.
Jacob Dennis never approached me and I never gave any instructions to Miss Lloyd about any phone calls.
Cocky bastard.
These local government pricks, they think they're a law unto themselves.
Go the mongrel.
We're investigating a double homicide, Mr Berry.
We're going through your bank accounts, your credit card bills, your phone records, your whole life! And not just yours.
The company that did the clean-up, Mendez and Novak, everyone.
We're very interested in that beach house you've got in Lorne.
I don't own a beach house.
It's in your wife's name.
Built by Mendez and Novak Construction.
Did you get a good price for that? Or did you get mate's rates? Bet your wife doesn't know about your relationship with Sophie Lloyd.
- There is no relationship.
- No? No.
Damn bastard's starting to sweat.
We need some hard proof, though, mate.
.
.
and employer.
They're not your shirts in her wardrobe? Or your toothbrush in her bathroom? Ma'am.
Yes.
Good news, Bernice? Excellent news.
She's got her hatchet face on.
That'll stir him up.
Mr Berry, I'm Detective Superintendent Bernice Waverley.
I have here an analysis of soil samples taken from the Highborough Gardens construction site yesterday.
As you can see, the concentration of Chromium Six is more than six times the safe level.
So, there never was a clean-up.
Chromium Six is likely to cause respiratory illness in adults, birth defects and cancer in children.
That's what I call stirring.
And this is in line with the report that Paul Vandenburg had in his office.
A report which we believe he was killed for.
I have nothing to do with that.
Mr Berry, I'm offering you one opportunity to make a deal.
You tell us who shot Paul Vandenburg and Jacob Dennis and I will speak to the DPP on your behalf.
If I knew anything and if I was involved, would cooperation mean avoiding jail time? I can't promise that.
Then I know nothing about this matter.
Mr Berry No.
No deal.
I've got some very powerful friends in this town.
I'll take my chances.
This report is already on its way to the environmental authorities who will close the Highborough Gardens site and they will launch a full investigation.
Now, who do you think that Mendez and Novak are gonna hold responsible for that? They are dangerous men, Mr Berry, and you will be out on the street.
Are you ready for that? Are we finished here? How does Berry think he'll get out of this? Call in favours from friends in high places.
One whiff of a murder investigation and no-one will stand by him, ma'am.
I can't imagine it.
And Mendez and Novak won't be impressed.
They'll think the heat on Berry will end up on them.
Oh, I'm sure they'll want to have a heart-to-heart with Mr Berry.
And since we don't know when or where that meeting will take place, we will keep Berry and Mendez and Novak under surveillance.
So we're using Berry as bait to catch the bigger fish.
Isn't that a bit of a risk? For Berry, yes.
But we'll be watching the house if the others make a move.
We don't have the proof we need to arrest anyone for murder.
I want to lock these men up.
The dogs are onto Mendez and Novak.
Good.
Kingston, you and Mapplethorpe take the first shift outside Berry's house.
Freeman and Ryan, take the next watch.
Then Joyner and Buchanan.
You've got your teams.
Get to it.
White with one.
Thanks.
Thank you for giving me a few minutes.
No worries.
I've had to hang around to do my surveillance shift, anyway.
So this is all completely confidential.
Simon will not hear about it from me.
If you feel you need to tell him, that's up to you.
Well, we've all got Simon's best interests at heart, right? Yeah.
So, Simon went on holidays recently.
To Thailand, yeah.
Did you see any of his holiday snaps? No.
Is that odd? Not really.
You know that he didn't hand in his gun before he went away? Really? Yeah.
And we're worried that maybe he's letting things get to him.
You know what I mean? He was showing a bit of strain before his break, but he's been re-energised now he's back.
Much improved.
Well, it's good that you noticed that.
As for the gun, we all make mistakes.
Knowing Simon, it would have been well-secured.
I'm sure.
Wellthanks for your time.
That's it? Yeah.
Painless, huh? Well Thanks for the coffee.
See you! Cheers.
I mean, he's my friend.
I trust him with my life.
That's why I wanted to have this chat.
You know him better than I do.
I don't like having this behind his back.
I understand.
You're free to tell him.
Though from my experience, it's not always the best call.
Experience? What, being the key word? Well, no offence.
I know you're a cop as well as a psych.
But even though you know what we do, you don't really know what we do.
Homicide.
Every shift, every day.
I appreciate that.
Walk around in our shoes and see if it doesn't affect you.
It does.
Sometimes it slowly builds up and you don't see it coming.
Do you think that's what happened to Simon? He's been through a rough patch.
He admits that.
We all do, sometime.
I mean, his friends are the best people to help him through this.
So do you think that Simon needs help? He's working.
He's good.
He's the old Simon.
What he does need is for everyone to get off his back and just let him do his job.
OK.
Thank you for your time, Duncan.
No worries.
You're here late.
Makes two of us.
What's your excuse? Paperwork.
Hmm.
Surveillance shift.
Oh, how is the case going? We know who the killers are, we know why they did it.
We don't have evidence to prove it.
Ah, evidence.
Mmm.
Want a cup of tea? Ugh! No, I need a coffee.
You know, what sort of person would knowingly and deliberately build something that's going to give people cancer? What kind of person would do that? You're the profiler.
You tell me.
You know what? I would prefer not to explore that psyche right now.
Fair enough.
Because when I think about those poor people not even knowing they're living on a toxic waste until their kid dies of cancer aged five, it keeps me up at night.
You sure it's not the coffee? It could be.
And it could be that awful feeling you get thinking the developers are gonna win and you're powerless to do anything about it.
What a job, eh? Why do we do it? Claudia, when are you free next to have a proper chat? I'm free now.
Nick.
Nick.
Yeah, mate, I'm on my way.
Uh, I've got to go.
Can we talk tomorrow? I'd love to.
Nick and I are out for the rest of the night.
But I'll be back in late morning.
We'll talk then.
Yeah, great.
Claudia, um I didn't actually go to Thailand.
I I just sat at home.
But my gun was safely locked away.
Hey.
Hey.
Anything happen? You missed the wife and kid leave for school.
Well, Jen and Allie should be here soon for the next shift.
That's them.
We didn't get a heads-up.
Call for back-up.
Yeah.
Unit One requesting urgent back-up.
Hey, mate.
Back-up's on its way.
We can't wait.
No.
I'll go round the back.
Alright.
You were supposed to have it all fixed! You were too busy banging your bloody secretary, weren't you? You're gonna sign this, you prick.
Listen to me.
There's a way out of this.
Please? Shut up and sign it! Oh, you're gonna sign this.
Council failed in its duty to clean up the site.
We acted in good faith.
This is gonna go on you, not us.
We're gonna get all our money back plus millions in damages.
Listen.
Please Hey! Shh, shh, shh.
Sign it or I'll blow your brains out.
Police! Drop your weapon.
Police! Don't move, don't move! You got nowhere to run, Sergio.
Give it up.
This is our get out of jail free card.
He signed it! Yeah, with a gun in his mouth.
Stop or I will fire! Your word against ours.
All we have to do is plant reasonable doubt and we'll walk away.
Not gonna happen.
You wanna bet? Put it down! You got nothing.
Only theories.
On the ground, do itnow! This is the biggest game of our lives and we're gonna win it.
It isn't a game.
There are lives at stake.
There are kids who could get cancer.
Oh, please! Don't give me the sick little kiddies line.
Nobody can prove that.
Shut up.
Put your hands on your head.
I'm going to walk away from here and you are not gonna stop me.
I should really call my lawyer.
Shut up! I saidput your hands on your head! How much would it cost to fix you up? 1 00 thou? 200? Just name your price.
You bastard! Simon! You're not gonna shoot me, are you? Simon! Simon, are you OK? Argh! What happened? Oh, the stupid guy had a go at me.
We struggled, he tried to get away, he went over.
What was he trying to do? I don't know.
Now he could be paralysed, could have a broken neck.
Most he would have served is 1 0 to 1 2 years.
Nuts.
He's an idiot.
Mendez and Novak came to me with plans for the land.
But the place is polluted.
No-one should ever build there.
So the deal was that I would push the clean-up through the council if they cut me in on the profits from the housing development, which would have been fine, but, well, Jacob Dennis became suspicious and he started asking questions.
How did he become suspicious? Well, the morons that we hired to do the clean-up completed the job in half the time they originally quoted.
So their paperwork landed on Jacob's desk.
That's what tipped him off that they mightn't have done a thorough job.
Which they hadn't.
Well, most of the site was gonna be covered by a concrete slab which would have made it safe.
To remediate the whole site was excessive.
But the council paid full price.
And you pocketed the difference.
Who decided to kill Jacob Dennis? Mendez.
Who did the shooting? Novak.
He was the hard bastard.
But you set up the disappearance.
And got Sophie to make the call.
You emptied his bank account.
And then you sent emails to his girlfriend saying that she'd been dumped.
You did all that, didn't you, Mr Berry?? Didn't you?! Details.
Justdetails.
I'm good at details.
What about Vandenburg? He was just a dog with a bone.
How did he find out about the contamination? Well, I don't know, mate.
Maybe he was just good at his job.
He was blackmailing Novak and Mendez.
Hehe was a moron too.
Who shot him? Novak.
Listen, that's all I know.
We made a deal, right? If I cooperate Oh, that was a one-time only offer.
You passed, remember? Details.
We got Berry, we got them all.
Simon.
They want to see you upstairs.
Come in, Joyner.
Sir.
Ma'am.
Mr Mendez, the man you arrested .
.
very seriously injured.
Yeah, I'm aware of that.
He seemed pretty bad out there.
He may never walk again.
Very sorry to hear that.
Are you? Steve Novak claims you pushed his mate over the balcony.
And you believe him? He's downstairs claiming to have witnessed it all.
Yeah, well, he would, wouldn't he? Painting the coppers as the bad guys increases his chances of getting off.
You don't believe him? Look, what we believe doesn't hold any weight here.
Here's the problem in a nutshell.
You had a gun.
Mr Mendez didn't.
So how did he even get close enough to go the wrestle? Now his scumbag partner's screaming lntent To Cause Serious Injury to anyone who'll listen, and they're lining up.
OK, I'm a cop.
And my word has got to be worth more than some scumbag murderer! You'd hope so.
And no doubt the investigation will find in your favour.
The investigation?! What did you expect? You'll be on full pay pending the outcome.
I didn't do it! It was an accident and it was his own bloody fault! Then you've got nothing to worry about.
Ma'am, with respect, we all know that's not true.
Go talk to a lawyer.
A good one.
Sound advice, Joyner.
Go home.
Get everything clear in your head.
Ethical Standards will be in touch.
You'll be wanting this.
Joyner! Your gun.
Got a criminal record I can't cross state lines First on the bad list And you're last on mine Looking for a scapegoat Long past due Walking down the aisle Staring straight at you I still hear you screaming "Where do I hide?" And now he asks and I say, "Hurry inside.
"
Who opened it? The towie.
He's part of the "Make Highborough Beautiful" team.
Dragging old car bodies out of the river.
Wanted to see what he found.
And he couldn't tell? Looks like Pathology got the early-bird call too.
Morning, Hamish.
Detectives.
Nice day for it.
Ohh! Something in there just moved.
One of these guys.
The river's crawling with them.
Yabbies.
Hungry little beggars.
Better get him back to the morgue, mate, before they make a meal of him.
Ohhh! I think they already have.
Victim's male Caucasian, mid to late 20s.
How long was he down there? Three, four months.
I've only done the preliminary so far.
There's a few things might be useful to you blokes.
Careful - they can give you a nasty nip.
No wallet, no ID.
Just this.
Any inscription? "Scooter, Love you forever, Possum.
" This from his inside jacket pocket.
Bar code? There's something.
It's worn off.
There's a few numbers there.
Might help.
There's a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.
The bullet flattened on entering the skull.
I'll get this off to Ballistics.
Thanks, Hamish.
Yabbies made a bit of a meal of him, particularly the eyes, lips and genital area.
Nothing on the body to identify him and nothing in his pockets, just the Possum loves Scooter watch.
What's wrong with getting your name, address and next of kin engraved? Was the watch expensive? Not especially.
And not unusual enough to trace, either.
The key card's more likely to yield a hit.
Got something like that at my video store.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking - video joint, gym.
Partial Bar code.
Yeah, most of the ink's dissolved.
But the techs are playing with it to see if they can recover something useful.
Cause of death? Gunshot.
Execution style.
Anything from Ballistics? The bullet was flattened, so it could take some time.
Why dump the vehicle there? That part of the river the locals refer to as the graveyard.
So many wrecks on the bottom, no-one's gonna notice one more.
Is it his car? No.
Reported stolen three months ago.
Owner is a kindergarten teacher in Preston.
We're gonna talk to her.
Got something from the key tags.
Video store? Gym membership.
Jacob Dennis.
The gym gave us the name of his next of kin.
De facto - Aleisha Groves.
Buchanan, you and Freeman can do the death-knock.
First thing in the morning.
Ma'am.
Joyner, I'd like a word in my office, please.
Yes, ma'am.
How's things going? Ah, yeah, fine.
No problems, life's good.
Mm-hm.
Come in.
I've been going through some paperwork.
Ah, everyone's favourite part of the job.
Sit down.
But an important part, wouldn't you agree? Yes, ma'am.
Things would fall apart pretty quickly around here if we ignored paperwork.
Yeah, absolutely, it's vital.
In fact, I've got a pile on my desk l plan to work through before I leave.
You're probably aware that I'm responsible for signing off on the log from the gun safe.
Yes, ma'am.
There's an anomaly.
Ah.
You obviously know what I'm talking about.
You didn't hand in your gun when you went on holiday.
No, ma'am.
Uh I forgot.
Forgot? Yeah, and then by the time I realised, I had a plane to catch and I was in a rush and I left the gun at my apartment.
Well-secured.
A police-issue weapon is only well-secured when it is locked away in the official gun safe, you know that.
Yeah, ma'am, I know, I know.
And I should have made the time.
But it was locked away.
I have to write this up.
I can't ignore it.
Yeah, ma'am, I understand.
And, Look, I am sorry, it was stupid.
Is there anything else we need to discuss? No, ma'am.
Alright.
Just making you aware of the situation, that's all.
Thank you, ma'am.
He broke my heart.
When? Three months ago.
You think you know a person, then you realise you know nothing.
Another woman? We'd been together for four years.
We were talking about marriage, buying a house, kids.
Well, I was, anyway.
I was planning our future.
He was obviously planning his exit strategy.
When did you find out? When she called the house.
Three times.
Always asking for Scooter.
And you're Possum? Engraved on his watch.
Our private thing, you know? She wasn't even trying to be subtle.
I hated her.
And when you asked Jacob? He denied everything.
Then two days after the third phone call, I came home, all his things were gone.
Did he leave a note? An email.
Telling me he had to follow his heart.
Do you still have that email? No.
I deleted it straightaway.
I was so angry.
Then I had this terrible thought.
When I checked our joint bank account, it was empty.
Do you know the woman's name? No.
No, she never told me.
I know I shouldn't feel this way, but part of me wants to think that she killed him.
Isn't that awful? Well, if she did kill him, things went sour pretty fast.
We believe that Jacob's been dead for at least three months.
But that means Are you saying Jacob's been dead all this time? We're not sure, Miss Groves.
It's possible.
Can you imagine what I've been thinking about him? What I've wished would happen to him? Did Jacob have a job? With Highborough Council.
Did he have any enemies? Anyone that might wish him harm? Apart from you? What? No.
I didn't do it.
I swear.
I I even hired a private investigator to find him.
Name is? Paul Vandenburg.
I've got his card here somewhere.
Old socks.
Hmm.
Paul Vandenburg? Yeah.
In the flesh.
How can I help you? Detectives Freeman and Buchanan.
Ahh.
Take a seat.
Here.
I was in the game myself for 20 years.
Stress got to me.
Ah.
So, what can I do you for? Jacob Dennis, Mr Vandenburg.
Ahh, missing person.
Not anymore.
Homicide.
You're kidding me! Why would anyone want to whack Jacob Dennis? We were hoping you might be able to tell us.
I'd love to, but there is a little thing called client confidentiality.
Aleisha Groves gave us your name.
She's keen to clear hers, so she's got no problems with you being candid.
You can call her if you like.
Nah.
I'll take a risk.
Not a whole lot to tell, though.
I'll get her file.
Ahh.
Not exactly a telephone book.
Right.
Uh, well, Jacob took off about three months ago with all their money and a brand-new babe.
Got a name for the new girlfriend? No.
Did all the usual checks at the time.
Uh Spoke to his workmates and come up with a big, fat zero.
Doesn't look like you went through a hell of a lot of shoe leather.
Well, take a look around.
I'm a one-man shop here.
Most of my cases are insurance jobs.
It's a bugger trying to find anyone who doesn't want to be found.
So I gave it two weeks.
What did you tell Aleisha Groves? Exactly that.
I advised her not to throw good money after bad.
I felt sorry for the kid.
Told her Jacob was a dickhead and she's better off without him.
Did you uncover anyone with a grudge against him? Someone you thought was a bit suss? Anyone make my cop radar go bing? Nah, sorry.
If you think of anything You'll be the first to know.
Stay safe, boys.
You too.
His cop radar wouldn't go bing if you put 50,000 volts through it.
Jacob Dennis worked for Environmental and Community Management.
And this is a vibrant, growing community.
Lots of people are attracted to Highborough because of the lifestyle we offer.
The council's job is to look after the needs of those people.
So his job was to Mainly clerical.
He worked here for how long? Off the top of my head, I don't know.
His girlfriend said he'd been here six years.
Yeah, that's possible.
And he just left without any notice? No-one thought that was strange? Well, I'm sure they did.
From memory, there was some watercooler gossip, you know.
Has Jacob landed himself in some sort of trouble? You could say that, Mr Berry.
He's been murdered.
Wh Oh, my God.
That's We retrieved his body from the Highborough reserve during the clean-up yesterday.
I heard there was a police situation up there.
But I thought it was a stolen car.
We'd like to speak to his other workmates, get access to his files, his staff emails, telephone records.
Y es, of course.
Anything we can do to help.
Oh, Senior Sergeant? Ma'am.
Can I have a word in my office? Sure.
What can I do for you? I have to write a report on why a detective failed to hand in his weapon when he went on holiday.
Do I know this detective? Simon Joyner.
Are you aware that I've had dealings with him in the past? I am.
Senior Sergeant, I need to satisfy my superiors that there are no ongoing psychological issues with Detective Joyner.
OK, let me talk to him.
Is there a deadline? Well, ASAP, but it's not an official evaluation.
OK.
Jacob Dennis's workmates reckon he was a decent guy, ma'am.
If he was having an affair, no-one knew about it.
A couple of the girls said that he was devoted to Aleisha.
Email and phone records? All his emails were erased when his computer was reallocated.
It's downstairs.
Techies are seeing what they can get off the hard drive.
How'd you go with the P.
I.
? Paul Vandenburg's an ex-cop.
He handed in his badge four years ago.
Do we know why? The usual story.
He took early retirement due to stress.
He reckons he only worked the case for two weeks.
That doesn't make sense.
Jacob Dennis's workmates said that Vandenburg was sniffing around the council offices last week.
Sniffing around for what? What we just picked up.
Jacob Dennis's old files and computer records.
Apparently Vandenburg was annoying and persistent.
The squeaky wheel approach.
Did he have any luck? Not that we know of.
Alright, go back to Vandenburg and find out why he lied to you.
Chinese.
Hmm.
Shots fired at 1 9B Calder Street, Brunswick, first floor.
Detectives Buchanan and Freeman responding.
Requesting back-up.
Vandenburg! It's the police! Clear! Clear.
Call an ambulance! Ambulance.
He's dead.
We heard two gunshots coming up the stairs.
One from Vandenburg, the other from the shooter.
Vandenburg missed and his bullet went in the wall over there.
He should have spent more time at the range.
Yeah.
Shooter went out that window? I got a quick look at him as he took off.
Enough to ID him? Nothing that would stand up in court.
Just the back of his head.
But I saw him for a nanosecond.
Well, he was looking for something.
Looks like Vandenburg came back in with his lunch and interrupted him.
And he was wearing a gun.
Must have been expecting trouble.
Most of his cases were insurance jobs.
Disgruntled compo case? Who could climb out a window and run like a rabbit? Hmm.
So maybe the shooter found what he was looking for.
Maybe he didn't and it's still here.
Well,client confidentiality is still an issue, so we'd have to get a warrant for his files before Crime Scene comes in and takes this place apart.
Hey, Simon.
You all done for the day? Uh, yeah, I am.
Been a busy one.
I heard you just got back from holidays.
Yeah, that's right.
Anywhere exotic? Uh, Thailand.
Oh! Lucky you! What part? Bangkok.
And? And? Well, no-one just stays in Bangkok if they can help it.
And Phuket.
Oh, I love Phuket! All those beautiful beaches and those weird little hairy fruit things.
I could just go back there tomorrow.
You must be feeling relaxed and refreshed.
I feel like a new man.
Are you sleeping better? Yep.
Like a baby.
That's a funny expression, that.
Most babies don't sleep very well at all.
CCTV footage from 1 1 cameras and not one single frame of the shooter.
Yeah, I've got that - Sierra, Lima, Whisky, 9-7-7.
Thank you for your call.
I'll be in touch.
Shop owner from up the street saw our guy hop into a car and take off.
Why didn't we find that out yesterday? She knocked off before the uniforms arrived and she didn't realise it was a shooting until she saw the news.
Morning.
Progress? Maybe.
Can she make an ID? No.
She only saw the back of his head, but it looks like our guy.
He also clipped the wing mirror of a parked car, so she got his rego.
I'm running it through the system now.
There's nothing in Vandenburg's case files that warrants anyone putting a bullet in him.
That's why I'm going back to his office.
Crime Scene tore that place apart.
But they were looking for bullets and blood spatter, not motive for murder, and that's what we need.
Maybe we can find out what the shooter was looking for.
Here it is - black beemer.
Company rego, Mendez Novak Constructions.
Reported stolen yesterday.
How convenient.
Alright, Let's go and see how they feel about their company car being involved in a murder.
G'day, gentlemen.
Sergio Mendez.
Same name as the Brazilian singer from the '60s.
Different spelling.
Looking for your own slice of investment heaven? We're looking for the driver of your company car, the black beemer.
And why would that be of any interest to you? Detectives Buchanan, Freeman and Joyner.
We believe the driver of that vehicle may be able to assist us regarding an incident in Brunswick yesterday morning.
Incident? What kind of incident? My partner, Mr Novak, usually drives the beemer.
Uh, yeah, it was stolen.
I reported it missing yesterday.
Have you found it? Steve, these gentlemen are detectives.
We'd like to talk to you about the murder of Paul Vandenburg.
Who? Murder? Don't know any Paul Vandenburg.
Of course you don't.
What's this all about? Come with us.
We can explain in more detail.
Just go, mate.
It's got to be some sort of misunderstanding.
Give me a call if you need me for anything.
You do let him make a phone call, don't you? Something else, Detective? Anything else you want to tell us before I go? No, we reported the car to the police as soon as we realised it was stolen.
We're interested in Mr Novak's whereabouts between the hours of 1 0 and 1 2 yesterday morning.
He was right here with me.
I sent him out to our plumbing suppliers and he was back straightaway no car.
Right in front of our own office.
Mr Mendez, we believe Mr Novak, your business partner, drove to Brunswick where he shot and killed this man.
I've never seen this man before in my life.
A man matching Mr Novak's appearance was seen leaving the murder scene.
That's impossible on two counts.
One, he was only gone for a couple of seconds.
And two, he's like a brother to me.
I'd vouch for him anytime.
Where were you between the hours of 1 0 and 1 2 yesterday morning? Oh, you think I'm involved? Just saying you're his alibi.
You're his business partner and his close friend.
Of course you'd alibi him.
We're businessmen.
We're not criminals.
I didn't take the car anywhere yesterday.
We have a witness who saw you sideswipe another car while you were leaving.
There's a simple explanation for that.
Which is? They're mistaken! So why did you shoot Paul Vandenburg? I told you! I don't know any Paul Vandenburg.
I've never heard of him.
A person matching your description was seen running from his office.
It wasn't me.
I believe it was you.
Look, how can I be in two places at once? I was at the office all day yesterday.
So can anyone confirm that? My partner, Sergio Mendez.
Yeah, apart from Mr Mendez.
Our construction supervisor.
They'll both tell you I was at the office all day yesterday.
Ever come across this man? Who is he? His name's Jacob Dennis.
His body was pulled from the reserve in Highborough two days ago.
The bullet that killed him was still in his skull.
Right now we're matching that bullet with the one that killed Vandenburg.
If they match, it's a double homicide.
You guys keep accusing me of killing people I've never even met! Look, I'm really sorry they're dead, huh? But you've got nothing on me.
I knew there had to be something else here.
This is what the shooter was looking for.
Why else would Vandenburg hide it in a light fitting? What is it? It's a lab report of a soil sample.
Soil? Mm-hm.
Dated two weeks ago.
Vandenburg's named as client.
"Summary soil sample analysis compared to "health-based investigation levels for residential sites.
" Soil from where? Doesn't say.
And what's the highlighted part? Chromium Six.
Guidelines are 1 00 parts per million.
Sample analysed at 620 parts per million.
What's Chromium Six? I don't know.
But Vandenburg was killed for this report.
And he didn't give it to Nick and Duncan when he had the chance.
Why? Maybe he was blackmailing someone.
Someone like a construction company? Very possible.
Mendez Novak Construction has a huge housing development at Highborough Gardens.
We think Vandenburg was killed because he was blackmailing them with this lab report.
It's evidence of contaminated land.
But we have two murders.
So who killed Jacob Dennis and why? Well, Jacob Dennis worked for the council.
If any land is polluted, the council should know about it.
It looks like a cover-up that Jacob Dennis was going to expose.
Can we back that up? We checked this lab report against the analysis of mud found on Jacob Dennis.
Specifically his shoes.
It's a match.
High levels of Chromium Six.
What does that mean, exactly? Chromium Six, it's terrible stuff - it's linked with respiratory illness, birth defects and cancer, especially in children.
And Chromium Six was on Jacob Dennis's shoes.
Chromium Six is in the lab report for the contaminated land.
Highborough Gardens is contaminated.
But that report doesn't say where the soil came from? Alright, I'll get a warrant.
We'll get our own soil samples.
I know it's Highborough Gardens.
Maybe right, but we need to prove it.
Get moving on the connection between the council, the construction company and the two dead men.
I like your theory.
Just get me the proof.
Look, detectives, I told you all I know about Jacob Dennis.
Oh, Sophie,could you get me Jacob's personnel file, please? It's not Jacob we want to ask you about.
It's Highborough Gardens.
A project very dear to my heart.
Ask away.
Council approved a massive development? Yes.
It'll be a new suburb, it'll have its own postcode.
Even though it's being built on contaminated land? I think you might be misinformed, Detective.
The council has nothing to hide, you know.
Really? You didn't know the land was contaminated? Yes, of course the council knew the site was contaminated.
It used to be a tannery.
Yet you went ahead and sold it to Mendez and Novak anyway? Y es, because we paid a fortune to arrange a complete and thorough clean-up.
I'd be happy to get you copies of the most recent soil tests if you like.
But apart from that, I really don't know what else I can say.
Did Jacob Dennis have anything to do with the development? Jacob? Oh, I don't think so.
It'd be very unusual if he did.
Oh, Soph,could you, uh, just also check on Jacob's old records? And bring me in all the contracts of the Highborough Gardens clean-up.
Yes, Mr Berry.
Thanks.
Oh, Soph.
Could you get me a cup of green tea when you get a sec? Sure.
Thanks.
Anything else I can help you with? Of course he talked about Highborough Gardens.
Was he working on the project? No, but he knew about it through his work at the council.
We were thinking about buying a townhouse there.
Our first home.
What? It never happened.
Jacob kept stalling.
He said he needed some questions answered.
What sort of questions? He didn't say.
Did he ever mention chromium contamination? What? No.
Is that all? I really need to get back to the office.
We just need to go over those phone calls that you got.
I didn't imagine them.
They were real.
So there must have been something going on.
So to help us narrow it down, can you be more specific about the times that any of these calls were made from the mystery woman? The last one.
We were getting ready to go out for dinner and Jacob was in the loo.
I told her to go away and leave us alone.
And what did Jacob say when you told him about the call? I didn't tell him.
I didn't want to spoil things.
It was my birthday.
Jacob Dennis's phone records? Still ploughing through them.
I've got a time and date of the last call from the mystery woman.
Go crazy.
Thank you.
Si, we've been looking into the backgrounds of Mendez and Novak.
Anything interesting? Sergio Mendez was telling the truth.
He was a carpenter from Coburg.
However, he omitted to mention his partner, Steve Novak, was, on the other hand, a hard man from the worst days of the building game.
Yeah, no criminal record but a history of being associated with violent, disruptive action at major building sites.
Yeah, Mendez is a front man and Novak plays dirty.
So they're in deep? This is a massive investment.
Nothing could get in the way, not even chromium contamination.
Jacob would've known about the clean-up through his work.
You'd want to be sure they did a proper job if you're gonna live there.
He must've started poking around and uncovered something.
He didn't mention anything to his girlfriend.
My feeling is that he only had suspicions and he didn't want to alarm her because this was their dream home.
Yeah, built on a toxic dump.
How romantic.
If it was properly decontaminated, it would've been safe.
Don't destroy the dream until you're sure.
Exactly.
And he probably believed in the system and expected them to be decent and honest people.
The council spent just on a million dollars cleaning up the site.
Do a half-arsed job, falsify the paperwork and pocket the lion's share.
Bingo! I've got the number of the mystery woman.
Highborough Council, Mr Berry's office, Sophie speaking.
Thanks for coming in, Sophie.
I really don't see how I can be of any help.
We want to tie up loose ends, that's all.
You said that.
What loose ends? Take a seat.
Am I in some sort of trouble? That depends, Sophie.
On what? I haven't done anything.
Uh, you rang this number on three separate occasions asking for Scooter? I don't know anything about that.
Sophie, Sophie, Sophie.
What? I don't.
This is your number at Highborough Council, right? Yes.
And you are the only one that uses this number? No.
When I go to lunch, anyone might use it.
Yeah, but the calls weren't made at lunchtime, were they? Doesn't look like it.
But I make heaps of calls during the day.
It's part of my job.
How many Scooters do you call? Sophie We know you made the calls.
It really is in your best interest to cooperate.
Who are you protecting? No-one.
Sophie, a man is dead.
This isn't a game.
It's a murder investigation.
And you're in it up to your neck.
No! We could have you charged with being an accessory and lock you up.
Is that what you want? No, please.
I don't know anything about any murder.
I made the calls, OK? OK.
OK, good.
Now, were you having an affair? With this Scooter? No.
No, no, no, not with Scooter.
With someone else.
No.
Then why make the calls? Look, it was just a joke.
A harmless joke.
I don't even know who this Scooter is.
It was Jacob Dennis.
And Scooter's his nickname that only his de facto uses.
Oh, my God.
Were you in any way connected to the disappearance and murder of Jacob Dennis? I swear to youI'm not.
I don't know anything about that.
I swear.
Well, whose idea was the joke? Sophie? He told me that he loved me.
Alright, well, Let's implement the stricter criteria for events permits ASAP, alright? We don't really want another picnic in the park fiasco, do we? Alright, uh, moving on.
Next is item seven - parking meter revenue.
OK.
Excuse us, folks.
Excuse us.
I'm sorry, detectives.
Robert Berry, you're under arrest for conspiracy to murder Jacob Dennis.
What? Stand up, please, sir.
Stand up! Let go of me.
You guys are making a huge mistake.
No, we're not making a mistake.
Your girlfriend gave you up.
Walk this way.
Excuse us.
Jacob Dennis came to you worried about the Highborough Gardens development.
He'd found some irregularities with the soil clean-up.
He came to you because he trusted you.
He thought you were an honest man.
You tried to convince him everything was fine, but he wouldn't let it go.
So you offered him a financial incentive or a promotion to drop it.
But he wouldn't take it because he wanted to be sure that the home that he was planning for his family wasn't contaminated.
He threatened to blow the whistle.
You couldn't buy him, so you decided to get rid of him.
So you got Sophie Lloyd to make a few joke calls to his girlfriend, Aleisha Groves.
Nothing too complicated.
Just ask for Scooter.
You were going through his private emails.
How are we doing? Berry's lawyer's instructed him to shut up.
We're doing all the talking so far.
Fat lot of good that'll do us.
You were setting up his disappearance, Robert? But you'd already told Mendez and Novak there was a problem.
You knew they had more to lose than you.
Everything they've got is tied up in this development.
That's all fantasy.
Total unsubstantiated fantasy.
No, no, no, it's alright, Gordon.
Jacob Dennis never approached me and I never gave any instructions to Miss Lloyd about any phone calls.
Cocky bastard.
These local government pricks, they think they're a law unto themselves.
Go the mongrel.
We're investigating a double homicide, Mr Berry.
We're going through your bank accounts, your credit card bills, your phone records, your whole life! And not just yours.
The company that did the clean-up, Mendez and Novak, everyone.
We're very interested in that beach house you've got in Lorne.
I don't own a beach house.
It's in your wife's name.
Built by Mendez and Novak Construction.
Did you get a good price for that? Or did you get mate's rates? Bet your wife doesn't know about your relationship with Sophie Lloyd.
- There is no relationship.
- No? No.
Damn bastard's starting to sweat.
We need some hard proof, though, mate.
.
.
and employer.
They're not your shirts in her wardrobe? Or your toothbrush in her bathroom? Ma'am.
Yes.
Good news, Bernice? Excellent news.
She's got her hatchet face on.
That'll stir him up.
Mr Berry, I'm Detective Superintendent Bernice Waverley.
I have here an analysis of soil samples taken from the Highborough Gardens construction site yesterday.
As you can see, the concentration of Chromium Six is more than six times the safe level.
So, there never was a clean-up.
Chromium Six is likely to cause respiratory illness in adults, birth defects and cancer in children.
That's what I call stirring.
And this is in line with the report that Paul Vandenburg had in his office.
A report which we believe he was killed for.
I have nothing to do with that.
Mr Berry, I'm offering you one opportunity to make a deal.
You tell us who shot Paul Vandenburg and Jacob Dennis and I will speak to the DPP on your behalf.
If I knew anything and if I was involved, would cooperation mean avoiding jail time? I can't promise that.
Then I know nothing about this matter.
Mr Berry No.
No deal.
I've got some very powerful friends in this town.
I'll take my chances.
This report is already on its way to the environmental authorities who will close the Highborough Gardens site and they will launch a full investigation.
Now, who do you think that Mendez and Novak are gonna hold responsible for that? They are dangerous men, Mr Berry, and you will be out on the street.
Are you ready for that? Are we finished here? How does Berry think he'll get out of this? Call in favours from friends in high places.
One whiff of a murder investigation and no-one will stand by him, ma'am.
I can't imagine it.
And Mendez and Novak won't be impressed.
They'll think the heat on Berry will end up on them.
Oh, I'm sure they'll want to have a heart-to-heart with Mr Berry.
And since we don't know when or where that meeting will take place, we will keep Berry and Mendez and Novak under surveillance.
So we're using Berry as bait to catch the bigger fish.
Isn't that a bit of a risk? For Berry, yes.
But we'll be watching the house if the others make a move.
We don't have the proof we need to arrest anyone for murder.
I want to lock these men up.
The dogs are onto Mendez and Novak.
Good.
Kingston, you and Mapplethorpe take the first shift outside Berry's house.
Freeman and Ryan, take the next watch.
Then Joyner and Buchanan.
You've got your teams.
Get to it.
White with one.
Thanks.
Thank you for giving me a few minutes.
No worries.
I've had to hang around to do my surveillance shift, anyway.
So this is all completely confidential.
Simon will not hear about it from me.
If you feel you need to tell him, that's up to you.
Well, we've all got Simon's best interests at heart, right? Yeah.
So, Simon went on holidays recently.
To Thailand, yeah.
Did you see any of his holiday snaps? No.
Is that odd? Not really.
You know that he didn't hand in his gun before he went away? Really? Yeah.
And we're worried that maybe he's letting things get to him.
You know what I mean? He was showing a bit of strain before his break, but he's been re-energised now he's back.
Much improved.
Well, it's good that you noticed that.
As for the gun, we all make mistakes.
Knowing Simon, it would have been well-secured.
I'm sure.
Wellthanks for your time.
That's it? Yeah.
Painless, huh? Well Thanks for the coffee.
See you! Cheers.
I mean, he's my friend.
I trust him with my life.
That's why I wanted to have this chat.
You know him better than I do.
I don't like having this behind his back.
I understand.
You're free to tell him.
Though from my experience, it's not always the best call.
Experience? What, being the key word? Well, no offence.
I know you're a cop as well as a psych.
But even though you know what we do, you don't really know what we do.
Homicide.
Every shift, every day.
I appreciate that.
Walk around in our shoes and see if it doesn't affect you.
It does.
Sometimes it slowly builds up and you don't see it coming.
Do you think that's what happened to Simon? He's been through a rough patch.
He admits that.
We all do, sometime.
I mean, his friends are the best people to help him through this.
So do you think that Simon needs help? He's working.
He's good.
He's the old Simon.
What he does need is for everyone to get off his back and just let him do his job.
OK.
Thank you for your time, Duncan.
No worries.
You're here late.
Makes two of us.
What's your excuse? Paperwork.
Hmm.
Surveillance shift.
Oh, how is the case going? We know who the killers are, we know why they did it.
We don't have evidence to prove it.
Ah, evidence.
Mmm.
Want a cup of tea? Ugh! No, I need a coffee.
You know, what sort of person would knowingly and deliberately build something that's going to give people cancer? What kind of person would do that? You're the profiler.
You tell me.
You know what? I would prefer not to explore that psyche right now.
Fair enough.
Because when I think about those poor people not even knowing they're living on a toxic waste until their kid dies of cancer aged five, it keeps me up at night.
You sure it's not the coffee? It could be.
And it could be that awful feeling you get thinking the developers are gonna win and you're powerless to do anything about it.
What a job, eh? Why do we do it? Claudia, when are you free next to have a proper chat? I'm free now.
Nick.
Nick.
Yeah, mate, I'm on my way.
Uh, I've got to go.
Can we talk tomorrow? I'd love to.
Nick and I are out for the rest of the night.
But I'll be back in late morning.
We'll talk then.
Yeah, great.
Claudia, um I didn't actually go to Thailand.
I I just sat at home.
But my gun was safely locked away.
Hey.
Hey.
Anything happen? You missed the wife and kid leave for school.
Well, Jen and Allie should be here soon for the next shift.
That's them.
We didn't get a heads-up.
Call for back-up.
Yeah.
Unit One requesting urgent back-up.
Hey, mate.
Back-up's on its way.
We can't wait.
No.
I'll go round the back.
Alright.
You were supposed to have it all fixed! You were too busy banging your bloody secretary, weren't you? You're gonna sign this, you prick.
Listen to me.
There's a way out of this.
Please? Shut up and sign it! Oh, you're gonna sign this.
Council failed in its duty to clean up the site.
We acted in good faith.
This is gonna go on you, not us.
We're gonna get all our money back plus millions in damages.
Listen.
Please Hey! Shh, shh, shh.
Sign it or I'll blow your brains out.
Police! Drop your weapon.
Police! Don't move, don't move! You got nowhere to run, Sergio.
Give it up.
This is our get out of jail free card.
He signed it! Yeah, with a gun in his mouth.
Stop or I will fire! Your word against ours.
All we have to do is plant reasonable doubt and we'll walk away.
Not gonna happen.
You wanna bet? Put it down! You got nothing.
Only theories.
On the ground, do itnow! This is the biggest game of our lives and we're gonna win it.
It isn't a game.
There are lives at stake.
There are kids who could get cancer.
Oh, please! Don't give me the sick little kiddies line.
Nobody can prove that.
Shut up.
Put your hands on your head.
I'm going to walk away from here and you are not gonna stop me.
I should really call my lawyer.
Shut up! I saidput your hands on your head! How much would it cost to fix you up? 1 00 thou? 200? Just name your price.
You bastard! Simon! You're not gonna shoot me, are you? Simon! Simon, are you OK? Argh! What happened? Oh, the stupid guy had a go at me.
We struggled, he tried to get away, he went over.
What was he trying to do? I don't know.
Now he could be paralysed, could have a broken neck.
Most he would have served is 1 0 to 1 2 years.
Nuts.
He's an idiot.
Mendez and Novak came to me with plans for the land.
But the place is polluted.
No-one should ever build there.
So the deal was that I would push the clean-up through the council if they cut me in on the profits from the housing development, which would have been fine, but, well, Jacob Dennis became suspicious and he started asking questions.
How did he become suspicious? Well, the morons that we hired to do the clean-up completed the job in half the time they originally quoted.
So their paperwork landed on Jacob's desk.
That's what tipped him off that they mightn't have done a thorough job.
Which they hadn't.
Well, most of the site was gonna be covered by a concrete slab which would have made it safe.
To remediate the whole site was excessive.
But the council paid full price.
And you pocketed the difference.
Who decided to kill Jacob Dennis? Mendez.
Who did the shooting? Novak.
He was the hard bastard.
But you set up the disappearance.
And got Sophie to make the call.
You emptied his bank account.
And then you sent emails to his girlfriend saying that she'd been dumped.
You did all that, didn't you, Mr Berry?? Didn't you?! Details.
Justdetails.
I'm good at details.
What about Vandenburg? He was just a dog with a bone.
How did he find out about the contamination? Well, I don't know, mate.
Maybe he was just good at his job.
He was blackmailing Novak and Mendez.
Hehe was a moron too.
Who shot him? Novak.
Listen, that's all I know.
We made a deal, right? If I cooperate Oh, that was a one-time only offer.
You passed, remember? Details.
We got Berry, we got them all.
Simon.
They want to see you upstairs.
Come in, Joyner.
Sir.
Ma'am.
Mr Mendez, the man you arrested .
.
very seriously injured.
Yeah, I'm aware of that.
He seemed pretty bad out there.
He may never walk again.
Very sorry to hear that.
Are you? Steve Novak claims you pushed his mate over the balcony.
And you believe him? He's downstairs claiming to have witnessed it all.
Yeah, well, he would, wouldn't he? Painting the coppers as the bad guys increases his chances of getting off.
You don't believe him? Look, what we believe doesn't hold any weight here.
Here's the problem in a nutshell.
You had a gun.
Mr Mendez didn't.
So how did he even get close enough to go the wrestle? Now his scumbag partner's screaming lntent To Cause Serious Injury to anyone who'll listen, and they're lining up.
OK, I'm a cop.
And my word has got to be worth more than some scumbag murderer! You'd hope so.
And no doubt the investigation will find in your favour.
The investigation?! What did you expect? You'll be on full pay pending the outcome.
I didn't do it! It was an accident and it was his own bloody fault! Then you've got nothing to worry about.
Ma'am, with respect, we all know that's not true.
Go talk to a lawyer.
A good one.
Sound advice, Joyner.
Go home.
Get everything clear in your head.
Ethical Standards will be in touch.
You'll be wanting this.
Joyner! Your gun.
Got a criminal record I can't cross state lines First on the bad list And you're last on mine Looking for a scapegoat Long past due Walking down the aisle Staring straight at you I still hear you screaming "Where do I hide?" And now he asks and I say, "Hurry inside.
"