Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1996) s04e03 Episode Script

[Knock on door.]
Mrs.
weston? It's Gordon Gregson.
Mrs.
weston? [Sighs.]
Oh, come on, enid.
Talk to me.
Enid, talk to me.
Look, you made your point.
Nobody's listening anymore-- not the council, nor the press, nobody.
Everybody's gone, enid.
Don't "enid" me! Ah, it's good to hear you're sounding so fit.
It can't be any fun in there.
I'll worry about that.
I've got something for you-- a first installment on top of what's already on offer.
Keep it.
I don't want your money.
I'm pushing it through.
I'm warning you, Gregson.
Ah! You cow! And don't think it were water! One way or another, you're coming out of there.
Do you hear? You're coming out.
And I don't care if it's in a box! [Whirring.]
The Whitby gazette doesn't have a classified column for lost relatives.
Where do you think my inquiry should go? Well, put a little box in the "family announcements" section-- your cousin's name on top, asking her to get in touch.
Just that? And maybe something lower down to say there's no money in it for her.
That strimmer seems to be working.
Why did Noreen bainbridge think it was yours? She didn't.
You mean she gave it to you? No, perhaps not.
Well, don't bring it in here.
You don't know where it's been.
[Telephone rings.]
Oh.
Hello.
Is this the wainthrop detective agency? Yes.
Brian weston.
A friend thought you might be able to help.
I've got a problem, with me mother.
Come in.
Yes, of course.
I've read about her.
Buckley ma weston.
"Wild weston.
" Yes.
Well, at first, it was fair enough.
She had to make a protest.
Ok.
But she's been holed up in that place without water, gas, or electricity for 6 months now.
Who's supplying her with food? Thank you.
Me, my wife, friends.
As I remember, she wants to draw attention to the building.
Glebe hamlets.
Oh, there's no question the building's a civic disgrace.
It began falling apart as soon as it was built, due to subsidence.
Mom wants the guilty people named and brought to book.
The guilty people? The builder, the council officials who let it happen.
After nearly 30 years? She says when they demolish the building, the evidence will be destroyed and everything forgotten.
And what do you say? Well, I say she should give up and get on with her life.
I thought the law decided that sort of thing.
Oh, she's had eviction orders, but if she won't give herself up, they'd have to use force, and so far, the council have backed away from that.
Don't want to give the press any more photo opportunities, eh? Right.
Well, it's a meet-and-drink to them.
Some barmy old dear, laughing at them blindly behind her barricades.
What about her councillor? Can't he do anything for her? Well, that's why I'm here.
I am her councillor.
[Knocks.]
IsJanet in? Yeah.
You Geoff? Yes.
Hi.
I'm Adie.
Come in.
She's in the shower.
Take a pew.
Oh.
Cheers.
It's an embarrassment.
Of course it is.
The council have agreed a price for the site, but a sale won't go through unless the buyer gets vacant possession.
Your mother's standing between the council and a fair few thousand pounds, then.
You must be very popular down at the town hall.
I'm getting stuck from both ends.
Because I'm a councillor, me mother won't believe I've tried to get to the truth about Glebe hamlets.
And have you? Well, I've done what I can.
But if a week's a long time in politics, what's a quarter of a century? So, how can I help? Well, I think it's a bit of a wild-goose chase, but if she can be convinced that a proper investigation's been carried out, she just might come out without anymore fuss.
Hi.
Hiya.
Are you putting that straight on? Yeah.
Why? It's a bit damp, isn't it? It's all right.
I've got to go.
I'll see you both.
Have a good night.
Yeah.
Bye.
Ok.
Bye-bye.
Ah, he's a nice bloke.
Yeah? I was dead lucky.
I could have wound up with anybody.
Instead of just his body.
What do you mean? Nothing.
What, Geoff? Well, it's just a bit off-putting to be met at the door by a half-naked stranger, that's all.
He was ironing.
Yeah, as it happens.
So? So nothing.
Good.
Are we going out or not? YeahIf you want.
Right.
I'll get me coat.
Do us a favor.
Put the ironing board away, will you? [Sighs.]
He seems a nice enough lad to me, Geoffrey.
Hmm.
You don't want them getting too pally, is that it? He's just finished with his girlfriend.
That's why he's there.
If Janet and this fella are working together at the garage and sharing a flat There's more chance of boredom setting in than anything else.
That's comforting.
I'd say so.
[Engine stops.]
[Knocking.]
Mrs.
weston? Hetty wainthrop.
Who's that with you? Mr.
Shawcross, my partner.
Get rid of him.
Wait in the car, Geoffrey.
[Latches rattling.]
You must feel very strongly.
Oh, you could say.
It's a lousy building, but the people that lived here were diamonds.
A hundred or so at one time-- a real community.
Thank you.
Then conditions got so bad, people had to move out.
Wouldn't the council repair it? No.
You can't blame them.
It would be good money after bad.
It wants knocking down and starting again.
Isn't that what they want to do? Oh, yes.
And did my son tell you, oh, the council are selling the site, too? No.
Gordon Gregson-- the builder that built this rotten pile in the first place.
Well, perhaps he's learned a thing or 2 by now.
Oh, I'm sure.
Next time, he'll lay proper foundations for a start.
But he won't be building for council tenants.
They'll be apartments for young professionals.
And you want to expose this Gregson as a Jerry builder? No need for me to do that.
That's for anyone to see with their own eyes.
No.
I want to nail him for corruption, him and anyone else that were in with him.
We're talking over 25 years, Mrs.
weston.
If there was any wrongdoing, don't you think people would have covered their tracks by now? Are you a detective or not? Yes.
Then get a scent and go after it.
I got a scent, all right.
The state she's living in.
I feel guilty tucking in.
She sounds batty to me.
No, very much with it.
Do you think we can do anything? I don't know, Geoffrey.
One thing's certain-- she won't give up until she's convinced me that I darn good try.
Thanks.
That was great.
There's some pudding.
Oh, no, thanks.
I'm full to bursting.
Oh.
And there's something I've got to ask Janet about.
Ah.
About the car.
Right.
So See you later.
He's like a cat up the curtain since she took that lodger.
[Door closes.]
What have you been up to today? Doing a good turn, over the road.
Oh? Strimming.
Noreen's put the word around.
No wonder she said you're never alone with a strimmer.
Ha ha ha.
[Car door closes.]
Hiya.
Come in.
There's something wrong with the car.
Oh.
Do you want Adie to have a look at it for you? No.
Adie.
Hi, Geoff.
All right.
I want you to have a look at it.
We went for a pizza.
For 2 hours? It's supposed to be fast food.
He wants to talk about his ex-girlfriend.
They were together for more than a year.
He's pretty caught up about it.
Yes, you've said.
And you're a shoulder to cry on.
Is there something wrong with that? It depends.
He doesn't fancy me, Geoff.
How do you know? I know.
That's all.
Happy now? No.
For pity's sake.
How can I be happy, him up there with you, sharing his pizzas and testing his shirts for dampness? I didn't say we shared a pizza.
Well, did you? Yeah.
Well, there you are, then.
Lies already.
If you hadn't been such a wimp with the Wainthrops, you could have been my lodger.
You didn't give me time to tell them.
I didn't have time! This isn't going to work, is it? No.
Mr.
Gregson? Yes.
Mrs.
wainthrop.
Oh, yes.
Your office said I might catch you here.
Did they, now? I hope I'm not imposing.
That depends.
What can I do for you? Enid weston.
What about her? You know her, of course? Yes, I know her, and, no, I won't be proposing her for club membership.
I like a man with a sense of humor, Mr.
Gregson.
What's your interest? I'd like Mrs.
weston to leave Glebe hamlets before they fall down on top of her.
Fine by me.
Not to mention the council.
But if you're a friend, you'll know what we're up against.
The money's there, if she wants it.
You know she won't budge for money.
What else is there? A confession perhaps.
You built Glebe hamlets, didn't you? AhA long time ago.
Not long for bricks and mortar, though.
It's not a secret-- mistakes were made.
And bribes taken? You don't strike me as the kind of woman who believes everything she hears.
Ignorance and ambition-- that's all I was guilty of.
Oh, you didn't know you were building on an old landfill site.
I've just said, mistakes were made.
Then I'm surprised you want to buy the same sites and start again.
Knock the place down and build something to be proud of.
What better way of repairing the damage? To your own reputation maybe.
But that's no consolation for the families who have lived there.
Is there a point to this? If you've got enid Weston's ear, tell her to take the money and move out now because, take it from me, a sledgehammer will have the last word, and I'm sorry I can't invite you into the clubhouse.
We do have rather a strict dress code.
Mrs.
wainthrop? Yes.
Would you like to come this way? The corridors of power, eh, Geoffrey? Makes you think, doesn't it? Yeah.
What of? Floor wax mostly.
Ha ha ha.
Yeah.
We were never big fans of bureaucracy in my family.
My grandfather always used to say, "there's no government like no government.
" Still, I suppose the wheely-bin has been something of a success story.
[Music playing.]
All done.
Are you sure? Yeah.
Let's have a look.
What's the problem? It's done.
Just checking.
Thank you.
Well, it doesn't look as though they're trying to hide anything.
Oldest trick in the book, Geoffrey-- hit you with a blizzard of paper, and you'll never find what you're looking for.
Have you found something? No.
It's all about repairs to Glebe hamlets.
Nothing about the original building work.
The name James Cardwell comes up a lot in these.
Who was he? The clerk of works.
His job was to be on site to check the work.
Hmm.
Any joy? No, not yet.
If you need me for anything, just pick up the phone and dial 3491.
Thank you.
Oh, there is something.
Yes? Mr.
James Cardwell, the clerk of works, is retired, I imagine.
Oh, yes.
A few years back now.
You don't happen to have an address for him? I can check with personnel for you.
Thank you.
Very obliging.
I wonder why.
Mr.
Hoskins.
Hmm? [Inaudible.]
Mrs.
wainthrop.
Yes? Phil Hoskins, director of technical services.
Oh.
Have you found what you're looking for? Not really, no.
Oh.
I understand you're interested in digging up some ancient dirt on the building of Glebe hamlets.
What gave you that idea? Why else would you bother? You are a private detective, aren't you? Well, there's no secret in that, Mr.
Hoskins.
We are in the yellow pages.
I know.
I checked.
Enid weston must have more money than I thought.
We're very reasonable.
My partner-- Mr.
Shawcross.
I hope you'll tell her how helpful we've been.
Well, there's nothing here about the building of Glebe hamlets.
Oh, I'm sure you'll find something if you'll look hard enough.
Some dirt, you mean? Oh, I'm afraid that's all in enid Weston's mind.
Really? Glebe hamlets does none of us any credit.
On the other hand, everyone but our Mrs.
weston has been re-housed.
Away from friends they've known for years.
To make new starts in better places.
We can't offer more.
Go back and tell your client to stop wasting her money.
Mr.
Hoskins.
Hmm? I've asked your secretary for Mr.
James Cardwell's address.
I'll see if she's found anything.
Thank you.
[Door closes.]
The thing is, reverend, it's not a heavy-duty strimmer.
Quite the opposite.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes, so you've said.
But I really feel that your grass is I see.
Well, I suppose I could have a look.
Noreen bainbridge told the vicar.
Oh, you're well blessed.
Mr.
Weston's waiting.
So, when would you like me Good afternoon, Mr.
weston.
Mr.
weston.
I'm sorry to call without making an appointment.
Oh, that's all right.
We've nothing much to report, I'm afraid.
I've heard enough already.
Oh? You haven't told anybody it was me who set you on? No.
Why? Questions from above.
The chairman of the housing committee has had Hoskins on the blower, wanting to know who's paying you.
We're ruffling feathers.
That's a good sign.
Oh? You know what they say about omelets and broken eggs, Mr.
weston.
The thing is, Hoskins says that if it goes on much longer, then Gregson will back out of buying the site.
Glebe hamlets will stay derelict, and the council will lose their money.
Won't other builders be interested? Everybody knows it was an old tip.
The cost of foundation work scared them off.
We can stop making inquiries whenever you want, Mr.
weston.
You can convince me mother that there's no point in her going on? No.
Oh.
I'm inclined to the opposite view.
The choice is yours, of course.
They bought the house off the Cardwells 8 years ago.
Jim Cardwell died not long after.
Oh.
What about his widow? Still alive, she thinks, but she has no forwarding address.
Won't she still have his pension? They're usually very sticky about giving details.
Besides, unless the Cardwells shared a mutual fascination for reinforced concrete, it's hard to see how she can be of help.
You see the problem? You're asking a boy to do a man's job.
We have 2 weddings on Saturday, and with my usual man off sick, I'm hard-pressed to get it looking straight.
I'm only talking about tidying the graves on either side of the path.
[Music playing.]
Hiya.
Hiya.
How's it going? Fine.
What's up? Nothing.
I just came down to see if you need any help.
What sort of help? What is this? Well, don't make a fuss.
Has he sent you? Just let me look like I'm looking.
All right? No, it's not all right.
I said it's not all right, Adie! Janet.
Why did you ask Adie to check my work? Because I'm the gaffer.
That's what I do here.
Has a customer complained? No.
Then why not ask me to check on him or anyone else in this repair shop, come to that? You want to cool your boots, young lady.
"Lady.
" Is that it? Is that why you don't think I'm equal to any of these blokes? Listen, if the boss wants to set you on, that's up to him.
What you do here is down to me.
So put up or shut up! Stick it.
Ah, thank you for coming in.
Do you like it? Is this a statue? A statue or a sculpture, something by a local artist perhaps.
There's not much space for children to play, Mr.
Gregson.
No, but this isn't designed for families.
Couples most likely, and singles of course.
It's a very big market today-- the single person.
And has it a name? No, but I'm open to suggestions.
Something like ascot house perhaps or windsor court.
What about Gregson towers? I'll put it on my list.
How are you going to stabilize this? By pile-driving the foundations in deep.
Why didn't you do that with Glebe hamlets? Our test holes missed the soft spots.
We thought we were going to build on solid ground.
But you know this.
Do I? You've been through the records, haven't you? The ones that matter are missing, Mr.
Gregson.
Oh? The building inspection reports.
But maybe your own office has copies.
Can we cut the crap, Mrs.
wainthrop? I don't know what your role is in this-- enid Weston's friend, a go-between, or a busybody.
Why don't you just tell me how much you want.
Thank you.
Fill your lungs, Geoffrey.
Pure, fresh air.
Do you think she'll change her mind? No.
The smell of corruption is very pungent, Geoffrey.
Make sure it never sticks to you.
Right.
Still Still what? The money would have come in handy.
What for? A holiday, a new stereo system Season ticket for man united.
And what's the good of all that if you can't look yourself in the face? [Engine starts.]
[Strimmer whirring.]
[Whirring stops.]
Hiya.
Hello.
I called at the house.
Next-door said you'd be here.
Why aren't you at work? I walked out.
OhWas that wise? No.
What are you doing? Burning this strimmer out with any luck.
How are you doing, Mr.
wainthrop? I'm overheating, reverend.
Oh, dear.
You need a petrol-driven motor for this job.
Yes.
We've got one already, but it's out of commission, I'm afraid.
Yes.
Bust? Where is it? It's in the shed near the west door.
I'll take a look at it, if you like.
Oh, yes, of course.
Let me show you.
Right.
Right.
I'll come with you.
No.
She'll be watching.
I can't leave you here, Mrs.
wainthrop.
I'll be all right.
Now off to Janet's.
And remember, lashings of sympathy.
Yeah.
Now, I'll collect you here in one hour.
[Door opens.]
Hey! [Crash.]
[Laughter.]
Enid! Enid! It's Hetty wainthrop.
Quickly! Quickly! No, no, no.
It'll steady you.
No.
I'm all right now, thank you.
You say this happens all the time? Soon as it's dark.
Who are they? I've never seen their faces.
I just hear them in the corridors, down the stairwells, in the flats above.
Gregson's men? Who else? I wish I had something to report that would persuade you once and for all to leave.
As long as I know you're on the job, I'm happy.
The technical services director let us see the council records.
Hoskins.
Mmm.
We found nothing.
No surprise there.
He were the buildings inspector when this place were built.
Hoskins authorized the certificates? So, if there was any wrongdoing, he and the clerk of works had to be in it together.
Find Jim Cardwell and ask him.
I can't.
Jim Cardwell's dead.
It wasn't Adie's fault, Geoff.
He should have stuck up for you.
He didn't have a chance.
He could have said no to checking your stuff.
Yeah, and that would have meant 2 of us out of a job.
Perhaps he could have a word with your boss, get you back in.
Forget it.
I was living on borrowed time with that pig in the office.
If I can't be trusted to do the job, then I don't want it.
You shouldn't have left her there.
I know.
I told him to go, Robert.
It's me own fault.
Maybe so, but it was stupid and dangerous.
Organized scare tactics.
Nothing more.
No more night calls.
Right.
Your day seems to have left its mark as well.
Aye.
I'll be seeing tombstones in me sleep.
I'd have got clear away if Janet hadn't got their heavy-duty strimmer going.
Blisters or not, we'd swap jobs with you at the moment.
Gregson tried to buy us off.
Oh? Very sunny he was at first, like a basking shark.
He must have thought you'd got something.
I only wish we had.
The clerk of works-- what was his name again? Cardwell.
Jim Cardwell.
Why? I'm not sure.
It just seems to ring a bell.
[Church bell ringing.]
You knew him? Very well.
He was a sidesman here.
Smashing fellow.
We wrote a booklet on the church's history together.
Really? Jim was a dear friend, and lilian, too, his wife.
Jim got all the facts together, and I did the scribble.
Keen on his facts, was he? Oh, yes.
Very meticulous.
He loved all aspects of local history.
Made it part of his job, he said.
As clerk of works? Wherever a site was being excavated, Jim would be there to make sure that nothing was lost to posterity.
Thank you.
Do you still see lilian Cardwell? No, no.
She's in a home.
Rather fragile now, I believe.
I still save her Christmas cards.
[Strimmer whirring.]
He's rather enjoying himself.
I daresay he is, reverend.
He asked me where he should stop.
"Feel free," I said.
"The wall's the limit.
" [Both laughing.]
Well, thank you for your time.
She's just over here.
You've got visitors, lilian.
Visitors? Hello, Mrs.
Cardwell.
It's Hetty wainthrop.
And I have a young man with me--Geoffrey Shawcross.
Hello.
Thank you.
Hetty wainthrop? Yes.
Hetty wainthrop? Do I know you? No.
Oh.
We want to ask you about your husband, Mrs.
Cardwell.
Jim? My Jim? Yes.
He isn't here.
He passed away.
Yes, we know.
He's been gone some time.
I'm sorry.
I forget how long.
What did you want to know? Can I help? I'm Mrs.
Cardwell's daughter.
Naturally, we would have checked if we'd known where to make contact.
No harm done.
All visitors welcome.
How long has your mother been blind? 10 years or more.
Partially blind for 20 before that.
Oh, dear, that's hard.
Yes.
Hard on all the family.
Yes, of course.
Dad made it his mission to find a cure for her.
Jackie, do you know where she keeps her photos? The album.
No, I've got that.
The loose photos.
Obviously, he failed to find a cure.
It wasn't for the want of trying.
He even took her to the states to see a leading eye specialist.
Oh, when was that? In the early seventies.
He was still paying off the bills years later.
Are these them? Yes.
Thanks, Jackie.
Did your father ever mention Glebe hamlets? Glebe hamlets? It's a block of council flats.
Yes, I know.
Why do you want to know about Glebe hamlets? It's about to be demolished.
As local historians, following in your father's footsteps, we'd like to document its rise and fall.
Oh, I see.
Well, he was rather ashamed of it to be honest.
Ashamed of what? That he hadn't done his job properly.
The building was going up at about the time my mother's condition was diagnosed.
I don't think his mind was on it.
That's dad.
Oh, very smart.
Not really typical.
He was more a cardigan and slippers sort of man.
[Chuckles.]
What's that a photo of? It's a topping-out ceremony, when they lay the last brick on the building before the roof goes on.
Did they take a photo of Glebe hamlets when it was topped out? Oh, I expect so.
They always do.
Yes.
Glebe hamlets.
You're in luck.
May I borrow this? Yes, of course.
Thank you.
I'll take the album downstairs.
She likes to look through it.
What would make a decent God-fearing man desperate enough to take a bribe? To see his wife going blind.
Well, if that's true, he must have been in a dreadful turmoil.
[Dialing cell phone.]
Hello.
Yes, it's Jackie from Winston grange retirement home.
Yeah, you said to call if Mrs.
Cardwell had any visitors.
Assuming we're right, we still can't prove anything.
Perhaps somebody in this picture can help.
A fair few will be dead by now.
True.
And by the time we've traced the rest, no doubt Brian Weston's money will have run out.
Even so What? Jim Cardwell was an amateur historian.
He was passionate about reclaiming the past for posterity.
What are you getting at? I'm not sure.
Most people choose to take their guilty secrets to the grave, Geoffrey.
But I don't think he was one of them.
[Strimmer whirring.]
Nearly done? [Whirring stops.]
Nearly done? Aye.
I've booked myself the end plot.
Then I could just drop into it when I get there.
Ha ha ha.
Well, you've done a good job.
He might persuade you to stay on.
Oh, not likely.
Oh, you missed Janet.
Oh? She's taken the other strimmer back to Noreen bainbridge for me.
That woman threatened revenge on me, and by heck, she's had it.
Only Jim.
I don't recognize anybody else.
But then, to be honest, I need my glasses.
Same here.
But I can just make out he's holding something.
Yes.
Jim is? Let's find my magnifying glass.
There.
That's better.
Now then You see, it looks like his thermos flask.
No, no, no.
It's a container, all right, but it's not for his tea, Mrs.
wainthrop.
A time capsule, I think.
Time capsule? Containing artifacts for future archaeologists to find.
Mr.
Gregson.
[Latches rattling.]
Looks as though you're going to be received.
But what use is an old photograph? You said the records were clean.
It was just a photograph.
Well, isn't one supposed to be worth more than a thousand words? Are you sure that the council kept its own print? I mean, what sort of a system is this? For pity's sake, we're talking about 25 years' worth of photographs! So just find it.
[Slams hand on table.]
This picture was taken as the last brick was laid.
And you think he put his capsule behind it? There or thereabouts in the cavity wall.
You must know this place like the back of your hand.
All right, hold on.
That's the gable end.
Which gable end? [Thunder rumbles.]
I'll look around for some tools.
You can't see in this light.
Come on outside so you can have a proper look.
It's all right.
Got it! Well? Nothing.
See? It's just a photograph.
What? What's that? That! I'll check the roof space.
That's where the last course of bricks must be.
Yes.
I've got something! Hello.
Come on! It's all here-- Jim Cardwell's confession, everything.
Does he name names? Oh, names are named, all right.
[Footsteps approaching.]
So, you found some of the council's property.
Mr.
Hoskins will take charge of that.
Not on your life.
So you intend to steal it, do you? Yes.
Why don't you call the police? I'm sure that a citizen's arrest will do.
You're no citizen, Mr.
Gregson.
You and the people in your pocket are poison to decent citizens.
And if it hadn't been for enid weston, you'd have got away with it scot-free.
I'm sorry, but it's not me with my back against the wall.
You're going down, both of you.
Just hand the stuff over.
There's no need for anybody to get hurt.
Scream.
Aah! Aah! You finished? Ok.
So let's have it.
Aah! Aah! Let's have it! Aah! Aah! Me leg! How did you know they were going down? Oh, hi.
Hiya.
Are you going somewhere? I made up with my girlfriend.
Oh.
Yeah.
I'm moving back in.
It's a bit awkward-like for Janet, but it's one of those things.
Yeah.
Do you need any help? No, thanks.
I've finished.
I've just got to load up.
You're best off in there.
Right.
Well I'll see you around.
Yeah.
Ok.
All right.
Hi.
He's gone, then? Happy now? Of course not.
I thought you were worried he was going to show me his ironing again.
[Clears throat.]
We got a result today.
Good.
Do you want to go out? Take Adie.
He's in a celebration mood.
What are you going to do? I'm going to have an early night.
I've got to find a job and a lodger tomorrow.
It's not my fault! Not all of it anyway.
Bung the door as you go.
Janet-- night, Geoff.
The settee? Yes.
You can't be serious.
I'm not getting short of everything, Brian.
You're moving to a brand-new flat.
It's a comfort.
It's a health hazard.
It's going.
[Sighs.]
Let it rest, or she'll be back behind the barricades.
And to think, this is the day I've been praying for.
Funny the way things turn out.
There was a moment when it looked as though you wanted us to call a halt.
Yes.
Well, I hope I can still rely on your discretion.
Really? I thought politicians enjoyed taking the credit.
Too much blood on the carpet for that, I'm afraid.
Besides, we're not always blameless, and who knows? Next time, you might be gunning for me.
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