Vera s05e03 Episode Script

1 (LOW CONVERSATION IN SERBIAN) Only two today.
Goran.
Zamir.
Get in.
(CATTLE LOWING) (COWHERD URGES CATTLE ON) (MILKING MACHINE CHUGS) Here comes trouble.
Hi.
Why are you here? It's a school day.
(MOTOR OFF) (CATTLE LOWING) Oh, Zaboga! ~ What's up? ~ (SIGHS) It's blocked again.
Oh, OK, I'll be there in a minute.
Thank you.
(SPEAKS SERBIAN) (SERBIAN) (GRUNTS) (STRAINS AND GRUNTS) (GASPS) Just up there, mam.
Just up there.
Thanks, love.
Morning.
Morning.
Got any nose pegs back there? Smells worse than my old man's lavvy.
You've been living in the city too long.
(INHALES) That's just country air.
~ So what have we got? ~ A dead man face-down in a slurry pit.
IC-1 male, about 5'11", 160 pounds.
Two farmhands found him this morning Milosh Beqiri and Danny Pryor, the owner.
Pryor? What time? ~ Just before eight.
~ Gosh.
~ So, is that them? ~ Yeah.
~ Beqiri - where's he from? ~ Kosovo.
~ What's that for? ~ For the fumes.
Phwoar! So how did he end up in there? He was an avid swimmer.
Maybe the pool was shut.
Very funny.
~ And this was eight o'clock? ~ Just before eight.
Float him carefully towards me.
He been in there long, Marcus? (SIGHS) It's hard to say.
The nitrate in the slurry affects the decomposition.
Ohh, can't breathe in this thing! Well, what's your best guess? ~ (Exhales heavily) ~ Hours? Days, weeks, what? I don't know.
A while.
If anything, I'd say weeks.
Right, boys, let's get these bags on his hands.
Is it possible he could have fallen in by accident .
.
overcome by the fumes? It's unlikely.
There's a blockage in the tank.
The older fella, Danny Pryor, he was clearing it and up popped the body.
Be careful to preserve the scene.
On one, two ~ Marcus Marcus! ~ Lift.
Hey, be careful! I want this tank dredged and I want you two to do it.
Bit of a turn-up, isn't it? Yeah, you could say that.
Pryor's Farm.
Didn't this used to be Samuel Pryor's farm? Yeah, he's my uncle.
My brother Rob and myself moved down and took the farm on when he passed away.
Oh, does he still work here? No, no, he's too much of a night owl.
He's a pub landlord now.
Did you know my uncle, then? I came up here a couple of times to talk to him about disturbances.
Had a habit of chasing travellers off his land waving a shotgun.
Actually, as I remember, it was a hunting rifle.
(CHUCKLES) And you've no idea who that poor fella is? No, none at all.
How many acres do you manage? Close to 600.
Phew.
It must take quite a workforce.
All that livestock.
Have you got a kettle in there? I was just out the shower when I heard Danny shouting and I went to take a look.
My first thought was Toby had had an accident, and then I saw the body.
(DOOR OPENS) In the slurry pit, of all places.
Hello.
Keeping your lad at home today? Yeah, that's probably wise.
No.
Toby's home-schooled.
He wants to know who you are.
Ah.
Ooh! My name is See if I can remember this.
I think you meant E.
Unless your name's Vira? Oh, right! My deaf awareness training, oh, was way back.
I'm impressed.
Most people just stare like statues.
Kids are the worst.
Why do you home-school? We just thought it was best for Toby.
Karen used to be a teacher.
Oh, right.
A long time ago.
We'll just be next door.
So why the delay before calling the police? Mm? You said you called just before eight? Yeah.
And you called as soon as you found the body? Shortly after, yeah.
Only some of the muck on the body had been washed clean in patches.
So it must have surfaced before that downpour at seven.
So why did you wait? Sorry.
I thought I was doing them a favour.
~ Who? ~ My labourers.
I err figured they wouldn't want police sniffing round them so I paid them for the day and told them to knock off early.
Right, I'm gonna want their names.
You collect your men from Morris Road in Alnwick? ~ And always the same men? ~ The same pool of men.
It's first come, first serve.
Milosh? DCI Stanhope needs contact details for Zamir and Goran.
Zamir Ilic and Goran Vlasic.
I don't know their addresses.
~ But they're foreign nationals? ~ Serbian.
Can you write their names down for me, please? And I'll need to check your work permit and visa.
I worked here last summer and then enquired about this place.
Back then, it was used for storage.
All windows boarded up, holes in the roof big enough for rain to pour through.
Here.
These are my papers.
I'll need to photograph these and send them in.
I won't be a minute.
Oh.
A lot of work! ~ Do you pay Danny Pryor rent? ~ Of course.
~ Is he a good boss? ~ Danny? Yes, he's a good man.
Very honest.
Oh.
This is my wife, Milanka, and my son, Tomas.
~ How old's your son? ~ Four.
Everything is spaceships and astronauts at the moment.
They're not here with you? No, they're back home in Pristina.
It's not ideal, but this is where the work is.
They'll come here once I've finished their home.
Thank you.
They've found something at the pit.
Right.
Thanks, Mr Beqiri.
Another body? It's not, is it? Ballast.
So our man WAS weighted down.
Feeling spiritual are you? Help yourself.
Old med school trick for cadaver day.
Some of them weren't too fresh.
Not a word.
~ Ah, a young fella.
~ 23, 24.
You ran his prints? Nah, he's not on the system.
What's your estimated time of death? The farmer doesn't keep a log of how much nitrate he adds, but from his estimates, time of death would be some time in the last four to five weeks.
~ You can't be more accurate than that? ~ Best guess only, I'm afraid.
(SIGHS) So if he'd stayed in that muck .
.
how long before he disappeared completely? Six months to a year? I mean, the nitrate would break everything down eventually.
Everything but his pearly whites.
What's he done to deserve that, eh, Marcus, hm? The why is your field.
But the how See this bruising? He was strangled by someone right-handed.
It was probably a man.
~ Grabbed from behind.
~ Strangled? These marks on his torso, from the rope and the weight of the sandbag.
Good news - if you want to call it that - is that they're ~ Post-mortem.
~ Exactly.
So, dead before he was dumped? Yes.
Well, that's something, I suppose.
No surprises in his bloodwork - just traces of nicotine and alcohol.
And this.
What's that? A scar, a birthmark? You know what? This fella's had a tattoo removed.
Yes, he has, and recently.
Now our farmer, Danny Pryor, hires migrant workers.
So is it possible our fella is an old employee of his? Kenny, check missing persons, immigration advice groups, drop-in centres, benefits offices, the lot.
Er the Slurry Appreciation Society? Very funny.
Let's find the fella a name, eh? A forensic artist just sent this through.
Say hello to Slurry Man.
Great.
~ Here, Ken, get these circulated.
~ Ma'am.
Our fella, we think, has had a tattoo removed.
So let's check all of those places that do that sort of thing.
Someone might remember him.
Helen, Danny Pryor and Milosh Beqiri - have you got anything on them? No.
The only blip in the radar was 2007, when Danny Pryor made page four of the Gazette for evicting some travellers off his land.
Well, keep digging and call the Kosovan Embassy, see if they've got anything on Beqiri.
What about our two missing farm workers? Anything? ~ We found something on Goran Vlasic.
~ I pulled in a favour from a mate at CID.
~ And I answered the call and spoke to him, so ~ So what have you got? It turns out, last year, Goran Vlasic popped up on CID's radar.
His name was linked with a gun-running case.
CID thought he was just a low-level grunt providing security for the guy in question.
They couldn't pin anything on him.
Right, have you got the address? ~ Mm.
~ Great.
(BUZZER SOUNDS) WOMAN: Sorry, I'm not interested! It's the police, love.
Can you let us in? (ENTRY BUZZER) How can I help you both? DCI Vera Stanhope.
That's DS Healey.
Mr Vlasic - do you know where we might find him, Mrs? Ms Johnson, caretaker.
I saw Goran leave about half an hour ago.
What about a bloke called Zamir Ilic? Goran and Sammy both mixed up in something, are they? Sammy Ilic? He lives upstairs.
Second floor.
AIDEN: How well do you know them? We have a chat now and then.
Nice men - foreign.
But they always pay their rent on time.
(KNOCKS AT DOOR) He got any friends or family that you know of? I'm not one to pry.
He's nipped out too.
(HEAVY THUD FROM INSIDE) Mr llic? Mr Ilic, it's the police.
Could you unlock this, love? Mr Ilic? Sammy? (DOOR CREAKS) Just wait here, Miss Johnson.
Mr Ilic? Are you in here? Mr Ilic? (CHOKES AND SPLUTTERS) Mr Ilic, stay with us, love.
Mr Ilic, you stay with us.
Aiden! (HISS OF AIR) (SIREN WAILS) For someone who hated mess, he chose a messy way to go out.
So Zamir Ilic kills our Slurry Man, and then when he resurfaces, he panics and tries to take his own life? Did you find the bullet? What's left of it is still jangling around in his neck.
Walther 9mm automatic.
Serial number's been scratched out.
Yeah, and a workmate who was affiliated with a gun-running case living a couple of doors away.
Right, get all this to the print lab, get Edwards over to the hospital.
I want Ilic printed and as soon as he's lucid, we need to question him.
Has Goran Vlasic been in touch? And do you know where he might have gone? No.
Just my luck, eh? I get all the lowlifes working on my farm.
Well, it's just a shame you gave those lowlifes a chance to scarper.
(SIGHS) Where were you, ten o'clock this morning? I was here.
Why? ~ And Milosh Beqiri? ~ He was here too.
Are you sure? I've checked with the uniform on the gate.
Nobody left since they got here at 8:30.
Right.
Look, this is a reconstructed photo-fit picture of the fella we found in your pit.
Either of you recognise him? KAREN: No.
Do you have a name? No, not yet.
Mr Pryor? No, I don't.
Are you sure? Is he not someone who could have worked here before? No.
Sorry, I can't help.
I can take a copy and put it on my market stall tomorrow, if you like.
Yeah.
Yeah, great Dan, advertise.
People really want to shop at the murder farm.
I'm just trying to help.
Hello, love.
You finished early today? He's just on a break.
Four minutes and counting.
So where is he, then, Mr Beqiri? He's in the south field.
~ Which is? ~ You can follow Toby.
He's playing postman.
Right.
Thank you.
Hey! Thank you.
Wow, ham and cheese! My favourite.
You should get back.
We don't want teacher to keep waiting.
He's great.
Any news? Zamir Ilic he's been rushed to hospital.
We think he tried to take his own life.
I will pray for his recovery.
Have you heard from Goran Vlasic since he left the farm this morning? No, why? AIDEN: He's legged it.
(SIGHS) I should've known.
Goran mixes with some undesirable types.
And lately, he's Well, he's been on Zamir's case.
Like, whatever Zamir does, Goran is on his back.
You wouldn't happen to know where Goran would be? ~ (PHONE RINGS) ~ Does he have any girlfriends? I don't ask questions.
I have a family.
I can't afford to poke my nose into other people's business.
Ma'am? We've got to go.
Tyneside ferry.
~ Well, if you hear of anything, you let us know.
~ Of course.
~ Cheers, thank you.
~ Have a nice trip.
Yes, sir? One way to Amsterdam, please.
I need you two on this door.
This is Goran Vlasic, keep an eye out for him.
You two at that door at the back, yeah? Excuse me? Goran Vlasic? Agh! Urgh! Now, I take that as a yes.
Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions about Zamir Ilic? (DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES) Here we are.
Mr Vlasic, were you working at Pryor's Farm this morning? ~ Yes.
~ With Zamir Ilic? ~ What's this about? ~ Just answer the question.
Yes, I worked with Ilic.
And where did you go when you left the farm? I went home by bus.
~ And once you were home? ~ I packed a bag and headed to train station.
What for? Were you fleeing? ~ Sorry? ~ Running away, legging it.
No.
I fancied a holiday.
(SCOFFS) What train did you catch? 9:50 to Newcastle.
See, this doesn't explain why you ran at the ferry terminal.
~ I thought you were Immigration.
~ There's a problem with your papers? Do you know this fella? ~ No.
~ No? Now, this is the gun Zamir Ilic was shot with this morning.
Do you recognise it? What? Ilic was shot? Do you know who supplied him with this weapon? We know you have contacts.
Whoa, whoa, I don't know what you're talking about.
Don't you? (CHUCKLES) Now, you see, Milosh Beqiri told us you and Zamir had a volatile relationship and sometimes, on occasion, you bullied him.
Look, Ilic was a lazy man and I had no time for him, OK? I'd like to speak to my solicitor now.
Yeah, I think that's a very good idea, sir.
You see, you never asked.
What? You never asked how Zamir was doing.
~ I assume he's dead.
~ No.
No, he's still alive.
And when he speaks, you'd better hope he backs up your story.
(PHONE RINGS) Bethany? Boss, I'm at the hospital.
Zamir Ilic has just passed away.
Oh.
He got rushed into surgery just after I got here.
He died on the operating table.
~ You're not in the bath, are you? ~ There's nothing we can do till morning, so get yourself home, pet.
One of the paramedics who treated him stopped by.
They found some car keys in the ambulance.
They reckon they fell out of Zamir's pocket.
I'll pick you up in half an hour.
(BLEEPING) It's a taxi.
Brown's Mini Cabs? Are they still going? ~ You know 'em? ~ Well, they're up by the station.
Used give me a ride home, you know, after a night out.
Well, unless you find anything better in the flat, we can use that.
OK.
I'll circulate it.
Spotless.
As if it's just been driven off a garage forecourt.
Yeah.
Poor Sammy.
It's always the quiet ones.
(DISPATCHER TALKS OVER RADIO) How long had he worked here? Since November last year.
He does the graveyard shift - 8:00 till 4:00, four on, three off.
Have a look at this.
Did you ever see him with this fella? No.
But Sammy doesn't didn't like to come into the office.
He had a thing about mess, you see.
What, OCD? Usually when the drivers bring their cars back, I need to crack out the dust buster and bleach, but with Sammy, it's it was always immaculate.
Did anyone hold a grudge? One of the other drivers, perhaps, or a customer? Wouldn't say boo to a goose.
How'd you contact him? By mobile? Aye.
~ It's this number.
~ Thanks.
Anything? No, it's just going to voicemail.
We turned that flat upside-down today, there definitely wasn't a phone there.
First thing in the morning, get onto the phone company.
I want to know when his mobile was last used.
Now, I've got something for you.
Now, see if you can do something with that for me, pet.
There.
It's only my mac.
Leave it with me.
(CHURCH BELL CHIMES) Hiya.
DS Healey and DCI Stanhope.
I understand you remember this fella? You told one of my officers he had a tattoo removed.
Yeah, that's him.
Young chap.
Skinny.
Nice eyes.
I've got a thing for eyes.
When was this? ~ Two, three months ago.
~ You don't recall his name? ~ I didn't speak to him.
Geoff dealt with him.
~ Is that Geoff? No.
Er Geoff left.
Know where we can get hold of him? He's in India, finding himself.
Thanks, love.
Hang on.
Geoff took before and afters.
Not for posterity, neither.
The insurance company insisted on it.
He got sued a while back - before he started here, I might add.
Here it is.
~ What, this one? ~ Mm-hm.
Well, what sort of a design's that? Get Helen onto POLCA.
See if she can get one of them What do you call it?.
.
cryptologists to take a look at that.
See this discolouration here? What, bruising from the surgery? Some.
But this part is older.
Maybe the placing of the entry wound was designed to cover something up.
Oh.
Also, one side of his windpipe is concave.
Could be crush trauma, could be impact damage.
Come on, Marcus! The tissue damage and surgical scarring make it difficult to say one way or the other.
I have to write this up as inconclusive.
~ You're kidding me? ~ No.
I'm not.
Off the record? I'm inclined to say someone tried to strangle Ilic and then put a gun to his throat to cover it up.
(PHONE RINGS) What? What? Thanks, Marcus.
Who authorised that? That's off the record! Hold, hold, hold, hold, hold.
Raymond Bourne, Mr Vlasic's legal representative.
Well, bully for you! You're not taking him anywhere.
Your client's charged with assaulting a police officer.
~ Those charges can't stand.
~ Want to bet? Witnesses at the scene confirmed that said police officer failed to identify himself.
You what? So unless you have evidence enough to charge my client with another crime, he's homeward bound.
AIDEN: I know, I know.
Now, Marcus is recording Zamir Ilic's death as inconclusive, which means we may be looking at a double murder.
And now our main suspect is back on the street.
~ I know.
~ No, pet.
If you knew, he'd still be in custody.
And why are we still referring to our victim as Slurry Man? How hard can it be to find a name? ~ I'm trying.
~ Well, try harder, Kenny.
Come on, man! That's your fault, upsetting her.
Zamir Ilic's phone records.
It's a pay as you go.
Multiple calls made to and from the same number.
~ Brown's Mini Cabs.
~ No friends, family? No, it's just the last ping which registered at 10:02 this morning to Ilic's address.
~ After that, the signal goes dead.
~ So someone turned it off? Or destroyed it.
Aiden, what have you got with the gun? Zamir's thumbprints are on the trigger, partials on the handle, nothing on the bullets.
Put it on the board.
Kenny, cameras? The nearest CCTV is er round the corner in Talbot Road.
What, is that all we have? Have we nothing, apart from your overtime sheet? I might have something.
I spoke to a Professor McLeish at Newcastle Uni.
After a long, boring lecture about masculine versus feminine and pagan symbolism, blah, blah, he identified Slurry Man's tattoo as a luck charm, designed to ".
.
make those you need to impress well-disposed towards you.
" Well, that worked well! ~ Pagan? ~ No, no, it's Romany.
Romany? What, as in a traveller? Keep that.
Oh, that smells better! Good as new.
You all right? Can I help you? Is there a site manager, pet, someone in charge? ~ Morning.
~ (GIRL HAMMERS ON CARAVAN) ~ Da! ~ Yeah? ~ Police to see you! ~ Huh? ~ Did you say anything to 'em? ~ They want to talk to you.
Now, how can I help you, ladies? DCI Vera Stanhope.
Do you know this man? And what's it to you? ~ Do you recognise him, pet? ~ Sig, get inside now.
Rene! Come and get Sig, take her in, please.
What's going on? Some police ladies asking questions.
Sig, inside! Come on, Sig, give us a hand letting this out.
Is he in trouble or did he win a good citizen award? No, this man was found dead yesterday morning.
No How? His body was found at Pryor's Farm.
We believe he was murdered.
~ Oh, Jesus.
~ Do you know him? That's Jack, Jack Reeves.
He's one of ours.
Billy? ~ Morning.
~ These are the police.
It's about Jack.
Yeah? Is this your son? Jack Reeves? That's him.
But if you're looking for him, he ain't here.
No, they found him, Billy, up at Pryor's Farm.
I think we better go inside, sir.
If my Jackie's in trouble, that's his lookout.
What did he do? ~ Was he caught nicking? ~ He's been murdered, sir.
I think we had better go inside.
Sir.
What was that look for, eh? ~ Could you give him some space? ~ See that look he just gave me? Just think about what's happening here, sir.
Just think.
Now, if you don't mind? How long was he in there? We think about four weeks.
It's definitely him? Well, we're gonna need someone to make a formal identification, but ~ There must be some mistake.
~ I can do that.
That's not why I'm looking at you.
How can our Jack be in Alnwick still? How can that be? I don't know.
You say he left home about three months ago? Hm? Yeah, about that.
So where was he staying after he left here? No idea.
We lost touch.
Did something happen between yourselves and your son, something that made him leave home? (SIGHS) Drugs.
Oh.
He was using? Yeah.
Do you recognise this, pet? That's Jack's.
I'll make some tea.
Would you like some tea? I'll make a pot.
Which school did Jack go to? Millerbridge.
Good student? Aye, he put in the hours.
Bloody thing! Did you replace the can? I asked you twice to replace the can.
~ I'll do it in a minute.
~ Jesus, Billy.
How can he end up on that farm? He moved away.
He left and moved away.
(SHE SOBS) Where do you keep your glasses, love? Jack let himself get infected by that muck.
There was no helping him after that.
What drugs was he taking? Heroin, I think.
Using a pipe.
And that's why you asked him to leave? I couldn't have that going on under our roof.
Has he been back since? No.
I kept hoping he would.
And you can't think of anyone who might have fallen out with him? Right, erm, we'll be So, when you're ready, Mr Reeves That lad had no signs of drug use.
Maybe he'd got himself clean.
Get on at Aiden and Kenny.
Tell them we've got an ID.
Yeah.
(SIGOURNEY SNIFFLES) You all right, pet? Yeah, fine.
I saw your dress.
Oh, it's beautiful, that.
When's the big day? Oh, no.
It's not mine.
Ma's re-shaping it for my cousin.
~ Oh.
~ She gets married next month.
Right.
Da told us what happened to Jack.
Pryor's Farm too.
Bit weird, that.
Why's that? What with him being born in the field beside it.
Same as me.
~ I'd better go inside.
~ Right.
(INHALES SHARPLY) Dear God, have mercy on my boy.
Let him into your kingdom.
Forgive him his sins.
Whatever he did, whatever he was, my Jackie couldn't help it.
He couldn't fight the temptations that came for him.
Amen.
Bethany, did you find anything? Oh, yeah, turns out the travellers weren't on Danny Pryor's land.
They were in a neighbouring field, then Danny Pryor bought the field from under the travellers' feet and gave them the boot.
That must've stuck in their throats.
And he paid above the market price.
Well, maybe Jack Reeves took it upon himself to confront Danny Pryor about that.
Right, I'm off.
Night.
Night.
Aiden, turn your car round.
How about I buy you a shandy? And you want to buy me a drink here, why? It's not a blanket party, is it? A what? Have a look at this.
Incident report filed by a John Reeves - AKA Jack Reeves - two months ago for assault.
~ Filed by? ~ Mm.
~ He was the complainant? ~ Right.
Look at the landlord's name.
"Robert Pryor".
Pryor? As in the farm? He used to co-own it.
He's Danny Pryor's brother.
What can I get you? We wondered if we could have a word with your landlord, pet.
Yeah, er Rob, mate! Some people to see you! Hark.
Who calls my name? DCI Vera Stanhope, DS Healey.
He came in here, causing a disturbance, so I asked him to leave and he kicked off.
That's funny.
There's nothing in the witness statements about a disturbance.
Oh, you say "witness statements", I hear "beer goggles".
~ Did you know Jack Reeves? ~ No.
So why do the witnesses say you just walked up to him and asked him to leave? That sounds to me like you knew him.
(SIGHS) Fine.
Look, I didn't know him but I knew what he was.
Oh, what's that? A traveller.
And I don't like them.
No? Why's that? Because there used to be a bunch of them buzzing around that farm like mosquitoes.
Drove my uncle to an early grave.
Just so happens, Jack Reeves was one of those mosquitoes.
What? Up until 2007, Jack lived beside Pryor's Farm.
~ Well, what are the odds? ~ What are the odds? Seven weeks ago, you had an altercation with a man who yesterday turned up murdered on your brother's farm? ~ What ARE the odds? ~ I know what it looks like.
~ So do we.
~ You're barking up the wrong tree.
Really? So which tree should we be barking up? Your brother's? £2.
60, please.
Smashing.
Thanks very much.
Enjoy it.
Cheers.
Morning.
Morning.
My brother called, said you'd been in touch.
Did he tell you we've ID'd the body found at your farm? Would you mind just Can you keep your voice down, please? Yes, he said that is was Jack Reeves.
Mm, ring a bell? Should it? You evicted his family off your land eight years back.
Erm I needed to expand my business, so I took out a bank loan, I paid off my brother and bought up some of the neighbouring land.
~ In one of the fields, there were some travellers.
~ Yeah, who you evicted.
I needed the field for my livestock.
Oh, so it was just for business purposes, was it? I didn't lose much sleep over it.
Did Jack Reeves pay you a visit recently at the farm, to confront you about this? No.
~ You sure about that? ~ Yeah, hand on my heart, no, he didn't.
What about Zamir? I thought you had him pinned for this? I never said that.
No.
We're looking at a possible double murder.
(VEHICLE APPROACHING) You all right, pet? Do you want a lift? No, you're all right.
Bus'll be along in a minute.
Come on.
I don't bite.
(LAND ROVER STOPS) Keep you company till it gets here.
You don't have to.
Oh, I know that.
So do you want to tell me about you and Jack Reeves? Nothing to tell.
That tattoo on your arm.
That's the same as Jack's.
Don't mean nothing.
~ So who gave them to you? ~ Someone on the site.
~ Recently? ~ Six months ago.
Mm? Jack had his removed, did you know that? After he left home.
Now, why would he do that? You two have a falling out? No.
Was it the drugs? Yeah, that was it.
How much is a return fare to Grangewood? I'll keep you company.
Now, you and Jack .
.
were you sweethearts? No.
~ Have you seen him since he left home? ~ God, no! ~ So what's with the tattoo? ~ It's tradition.
Tradition? How do you mean? That wedding dress? Was that dress meant for you, pet? Can you stop asking about Jack? I don't want to talk about him.
~ Morning.
~ They were getting hitched.
~ Who? ~ Sigourney O'Brien and Jack Reeves.
Bethany checked with the registry.
They were due to marry three months ago.
The day before the wedding, Jack came to see me to say it was cancelled.
Did he give a reason? There was little discussion, but it was clear that it was his decision.
Why's that? (DOOR OPENS) Father.
~ Milosh.
See you on Sunday? ~ Of course.
(VERA CHUCKLES) Maybe it was the lure of the hills.
Maybe Jack just didn't have enough in common with a 16-year-old girl.
After the wedding was called off, was there any fallout from the families? I don't want to cast aspersions, considering what's happened to Jack.
Please, cast away.
~ We had some trouble.
~ With Jack? The fathers.
I recall Mr O'Brien threatening Mr Reeves.
He said if he ever saw Jack again, he would rip him apart.
Those were his exact words? That was the gist.
Right, well, thanks, Father.
You know, I ran into Jack, just over a month ago at the food bank we run in our church hall.
What, he came in for a food parcel? No, he volunteered.
Ended up spending the whole weekend with us, packing and sorting.
Jack Reeves had a good soul.
I always liked him.
I hope you find whoever did this.
Ohh, so do we, mate I mean, Father.
Gives O'Brien motive - anger over the slight.
Well, get a search warrant for his caravan and look into his background.
See if you can link O'Brien to Zamir Ilic.
Ma'am, you should take a look at this.
Footage from the Fox and Hounds pub.
DS Uttley had archived a copy to the server.
Robert Pryor throws Jack Reeves out.
BETHANY: What are you watching? Footage of two men wrestling.
Are you showing us your home movies, Kenny? 23:11.
Jack comes back.
Is that the barman Ben Marsh? The two of us We used to be an item.
You were in a relationship with Jack Reeves? Yes.
Yes.
I mean, Jack was a really hard person not to like.
That was his problem, he was always trying to please everyone.
The whole wedding thing, it broke his heart.
Oh, so you knew about that? In my defence, I told them to go through with it.
The day before, he turned up on my doorstep with his bags and said he'd left home and he was he was tired of pretending to be something that he wasn't.
So he moved in with me.
Why didn't you tell us this before? It sounds silly, but I'm up for bar manager here and if Rob knew about my personal life He was living with you? Only for about three weeks.
Then one day, he left, called it his "awakening", said he'd discovered something amazing and had to follow another path.
He headed back home, to Grangewood.
I knew he really missed his mum and dad, but his dad didn't want him, turned him away.
So after his dad turned him away .
.
where did he go? Er he said he was living out of an old camper up in Thropton Woods.
D'you think he's having us on? Now what? ~ Now, the main road's that way, right? ~ Yeah.
So up here.
There it is.
Phew! (EXHALES HEAVILY) Hm Well, he's not one for home cooking.
So why's the oven handle in constant use? Open it.
Go on, have a look.
(BANGS ON COOKER) What? False back plate.
Hey, I hope there's nothing that explodes.
(CLATTERS COOKER) (EXHALES) 920 quid.
Maybe he WAS a drug dealer.
Nah! No, his boyfriend said he wasn't into drugs.
Bethany ran the camper's numberplates.
It was registered SORN four months ago and marked as scrapped - place in Bedlington.
~ Right.
~ She's chasing the named owners.
SOCO were still dusting inside for prints.
We've got multiples, some for Jack Reeves, but we've also got Frank O'Brien's prints.
Frank O'Brien was here? We've got your record here.
A handful of ASBOs, disturbing the peace, three charges of assault Well, that was when I was younger.
~ Want to tell us about the time you tried to strangle a man? ~ (SCOFFS) Is that what this is about, eh? I was a bouncer in a nightclub and I got into a few scrapes, nothing more.
Do you know this fella? ~ No.
~ Zamir Ilic.
~ Recognise the name? ~ I don't know him.
What about Goran Vlasic? No.
Hm? Did Jack Reeves have a drug problem? ~ Well, that's what they told everyone, wasn't it? ~ Who, Billy and Deirdre? I never saw no drugs.
Hm.
Now, this is where Jack had been living.
Do you recognise it? (SIGHS) ~ Your prints were all over it.
~ Yeah.
I tell you what.
Let's go back three months when Jack dumped your daughter.
Ooh, how'd you feel about that? ~ I was angry.
~ Mm? My Sig was devastated.
And I bet it hurt, him coming out of the closet like that? Wait Out the what? All that money you'd spent.
Oh, that must have been hard to live with.
The humiliation.
Ooh! That why you went after him, is it? Look My prints are all over that because a few months back, I tried to fix it, but it was just a piece of junk, so I gave it to Billy to strip down.
~ You gave this vehicle to Billy? ~ Yeah.
As for Jack I had no idea he dumped my Sigourney because he preferred blokes.
And you know what? I wish you hadn't have told me that.
CHILD: You'll have to be small.
I wondered when you'd be back.
What did Frank say? Did he do it? You've been lying to us, Mr Reeves.
I'll start with the drugs.
Your Jack wasn't taking heroin, was he? (SIGHS) We had to tell the site something.
~ You couldn't tell them the truth? ~ We didn't know the truth.
Jack just changed his mind the day before the wedding, just like that.
We had to cover for him, send him away.
Except we've also found his camper van.
~ Jack's what? ~ In Thropton Woods.
What are you going on about? Frank O'Brien told us he gave you that van for scrap.
Billy? Mr Reeves when did you last see your son? Tell them, Bill.
Mr Reeves? Six weeks ago.
You knew where my Jack was? We also spoke to Ben Marsh.
Do you know Ben Marsh? ~ I know the name.
~ Mrs Reeves? She doesn't know about it, any of that.
Someone please tell me what you're all talking about.
It's Jack! The reason why he called off the wedding was because Because what? Because he said he thought he was gay.
~ Oh, my God, Billy, what have you done? ~ I've done nothing.
I just said it was best if he went away for a bit, laid low for a while.
(SHE EXHALES HEAVILY) He also told us Jack came to you, three weeks after he left here, and asked if he could come back and you said no.
Gave him the camper van so he'd have somewhere to stay.
~ I was looking out for him.
~ Don't! I couldn't have that going on here.
Not under my roof.
And if Frank had found out, he would've killed him.
You told him he couldn't come home? I was protecting him.
Listen to yourself! All of this mess because of your stupid bloody pride! (DOOR SLAMS) (SIGHS) Morning.
Anything? If you'd like to step on, ma'am.
I've got something to show you.
John They're a child's prints! They're everywhere.
Have you got a map on that phone? Yeah, of course.
Whatever happened to paper maps, hm? I'll make sure I carry one next time.
What do you make of that? (FAINT RUSTLING) ~ Do you hear that? ~ No, I can't hear Ssh, ssh.
(MOTOR ENGINE APPROACHING) Can you hear that? We're less than a quarter of a mile from Pryor's Farm.
Toby! Let him go! We know where's he's heading.
Aiden.
Hello, pet.
You remember me, Vera? ~ Would you translate for me, love? ~ Yeah.
I want you to ask your son what he was doing in the woods just now.
You, in the woods, before, doing what? He says he was just exploring.
Now, that field, that backs onto that path was that the one you bought in 2007? Yeah.
Why? Well, Jack Reeves, the man from the pit, has being living out of a camper van in the woods near there.
Now, I want you to ask your son, does he recognise this man? He says he came across the camper van a couple of weeks back.
But he didn't go near it, cos it scared him.
He was just plucking up the courage to go inside.
He wanted to keep it a secret.
You know, like a camp.
You know what kids are like.
He says he's sorry he went off the farm.
It won't happen again.
You all right, Mr Pryor? Yeah, fine.
Hm.
Yeah, just relieved that nothing happened to Toby.
So would you like us to bring our own signing interpreter? No, why? Well, I can't be sure you're accurately translating what your son's telling us.
So should we start again? I'm sorry? Because we have prints from inside that camper van that we believe belong to Toby.
No.
And I'm sure I saw make the sign for "friend".
You? He said that he'd promised Jack not to tell.
It was just their secret and He did meet Jack in the south field, they became friends and they used to talk by the old gate.
Sorry.
Sorry, sorry.
Daddy's just a little bit tired.
OK? So how did they communicate? Do ask him, could Jack sign? He knew basic signs but .
.
Toby helped.
He helped teach him some more.
Anything else? Yeah, he said Jack used to buy him sweets We don't always allow sweets.
.
.
and one day he would take him away.
We should call social services.
~ What for? ~ What for? He was grooming the boy.
No.
No, I don't think he was.
What was it that Ben Marsh said? Jack had discovered something amazing.
~ Yeah.
So? ~ Get in.
Patience, DCI Stanhope, I know you think I'm a living, breathing Wikipedia (HELEN SIGHS AND TUTS) Oh, come on, come on, Helen! Anything? Jack Reeves attended Millerbridge High School until 2007.
And Just checking the staff list.
"Parker, Pilcher, Pryor" Bingo! So Karen Pryor was a teacher at Millerbridge whilst Jack Reeves was a pupil there? Yep, correct.
MAN: Karen wasn't a teacher here.
She wasn't? No, she was our SENCO - our Special Education Needs Coordinator.
What, so she didn't teach Jack Reeves? No, not formally.
You see, Jack wasn't statemented.
I don't think his parents acknowledged his problem.
But we have a policy here of allowing full access to the curriculum for all children and Jack thrived because of that.
Mrs Pryor was able to organise some one-on-one sessions, extra help during exams, that sort of thing.
~ His problem? ~ For want of a better word, his disability.
Was he, by any chance, hard of hearing? Well, he rarely made a fuss about it, but, yes.
Jack Reeves was partially deaf.
Thanks, Dr Moore.
~ Well, have you checked his notes? ~ I did.
And? The hearing loss isn't severe enough to be flagged.
He's not registered disabled.
Check Billy Reeves' notes.
See if he's got any hearing loss.
"William Michael Reeves.
" Same.
~ A mild hearing loss in one ear.
~ The condition runs in the family, right? So it's possible young Toby is Jack Reeves's son.
~ Ma'am.
~ Thanks, Janet.
Oh, Mrs Pryor, thanks for coming in.
I wasn't aware I had a choice.
So, how old was Jack Reeves when you began sexual relations with him? Let's have a look.
According to our records, he was 16, you were 26.
~ 25.
~ Right.
25.
And he was a student of yours? It only happened a couple of times.
Oh I'd married Danny and .
.
I probably thought being a farmer's wife was gonna be all Darling Buds Of May.
But I was bored.
I'd come home and there was no-one to talk to.
I guess Jack was the same lonely, lost, a little bit broken.
So what happened? We spent a lot of time together.
We were close.
I really liked him and one day it just happened.
You tell your husband? No.
No, not straightaway, but .
.
when I fell pregnant I had to.
Danny can't have children.
Oh, right.
And this was in 2007? So, is that why Danny evicted the travellers off your land? Yeah, we both didn't want Jack to find out, so we thought that was the easiest solution.
I thought once Toby was born, it wouldn't really matter who his real dad was.
Then he was diagnosed with a hearing loss.
So you home-schooled to keep him hidden? I was trying to protect him.
How did Jack find out? A couple of months ago, Danny's birthday was at The Fox and Hounds.
I was leaving early to take Toby home.
Rob was walking us to the car and we bumped into Jack outside.
I hadn't seen him since school, so I barely recognised him, but he knew me.
And as soon as he saw Toby .
.
I could see it in his eyes, he knew.
And after that, did he contact you? He came to the farm, but Danny confronted him and threatened to call the police if he didn't leave.
That's the last I saw of him.
And Toby never mentioned seeing him? No.
Did Danny know where Jack was staying? No, I asked him.
I actually asked him if he killed Jack.
What kind of wife does that? (WIND BLOWING) This is our fault.
My fault.
I should've kept more of an eye on Toby.
I shouldn't have given him so much freedom.
How did your brother react when you told him a traveller had fathered your child? I didn't go into detail, I just I just told him a gypo was bothering Karen.
Mm, then you and your brother pay him a little visit? No.
Slurry pit your idea, was it? You bought the earth from beneath his feet eight years ago and this time what? Wipe him off the face of it for good? For God's sake! No.
If I had, I would've buried him as far away from the farm as possible, somewhere where no-one would ever find him, especially .
.
especially Toby.
Check his story with his brother.
I want all eyes on Danny Pryor.
(HORN TOOTS) DIANE: Won't be long.
That's Sammy's fares for the last two months.
Thanks.
The 12th of last month, he had a fare up to Pryor's Farm.
~ That's four weeks ago.
~ Yeah, from St Paul's Church in Alnwick.
And "ZI", that's Zamir, right? Oh, yeah.
I need to update that, don't I? Yeah, so what happened four weeks ago? He suddenly switched to nights? Oh, that happens a lot.
They get regular day work and ask to switch.
Thanks, love.
Regular day work.
What if Ilic saw something when he was dropping off his fare at the farm? I mean, he had OCD, so what's he doing shovelling muck, anyway? Work's work.
Yeah, but Goran said he was lazy.
Well, that's no wonder, he was working two jobs.
When did the man sleep? So how come, a month back, he suddenly starts getting regular shifts on the farm? He was bribing Danny Pryor? Danny doesn't hire the workforce.
Get in.
Aiden.
Milosh? Mr Beqiri? Got it, thanks.
Ma'am? Ma'am.
He's not here.
We found his tractor in the south field.
No Milosh, but there's some fresh bike tracks on the footpath.
Right, check around the farm and put out an all-ports.
And see what Helen's got on him.
Helen? I've got something! Smashed up mobile phone.
Could be Ilic's.
And ~ A memory card.
~ Bingo! Milosh? No, no, no, you've got this all wrong.
He's part of our family.
He eats with us.
He spent last Christmas with us, for God's sake! ~ What was the date Zamir's cab was up here? ~ 12th.
What about his family? He wouldn't jeopardise everything here.
This is their home! ~ Mr Pryor ~ They're coming next month! He has no family! We talked with the Kosovan Embassy in London.
Milosh Beqiri's wife and son were killed in a car crash two years ago in Pristina.
I'm sorry.
Milosh was the driver.
Ma'am, here it is.
Ilic filmed the whole thing.
No (MUFFLED) Oh, God.
I don't understand.
(SIGHS) Maybe he wanted you to accept him, to be his family.
Do you know where he is? Is that Milosh Beqiri? Yes.
~ Does Danny know? ~ Yes.
You knew Jack Reeves from the food bank? Yes.
Did you kill him? Milosh? No! Jack was a good man.
It was an accident.
What happened? (MILOSH EXHALES) We were volunteering at the food bank.
And the church supplied a crate of beers.
We all had a bit too much.
Jack said he lived near the farm .
.
so we shared a taxi.
Zamir Ilic was the driver? Yes.
On the way, I told Jack about my wife and son.
I told him they were back in Pristina .
.
told him how I missed them.
He understood, he said, he missed his son too.
And then he said his name.
Toby.
I'd heard Karen and Danny talking in the farmhouse about a boy called Jack who Karen used to know.
And I pieced it all together.
And then .
.
Jack told me how much it hurt to be without his son.
And that moment I saw it.
I saw the pain he was going to cause.
I said to him "You know what it's like to lose a son, to have someone you love snatched away from you.
" So I grabbed him around his neck and I squeezed.
And Ilic Ilic stopped the car and he started yelling at me to let him go.
So I did .
.
but Jack was dead.
What did Zamir Ilic do? Did he help you dispose of the body? No.
He couldn't bear to touch it.
I carried it myself to the slurry pit.
Ilic promised me he wouldn't tell anyone.
In return, I'd find him work on the farm.
And I did.
But when the body resurfaced, I panicked.
I went to Ilic to try and scare him off, but he told me he'd filmed the whole thing on his phone.
For insurance, he said.
So you killed him too? Things got out of hand.
(CHURCH BELL CHIMES) Milosh Beqiri, I'm arresting you for the murders of Jack Reeves and Zamir Ilic.
You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you fail to mention, when questioned, something you later rely on in court.
One more thing.
Where did you get the gun? Vlasic.
I got it from Goran Vlasic.
Be sure to speak clearly.
Oh, don't worry, I'll shout my name in his ear.
You going somewhere? Not that it's any of your business.
Just for a few days.
So, where's Billy? Over by the lake.
VERA: Nice spot.
No.
No, ta.
If you're going to stand there, you might as well have a drink with me.
Here.
I heard you caught him.
Mm-hm.
Is that what you came to tell me? Mm .
.
and er .
.
to give you this.
Ta.
(EXHALES HEAVILY) We used to come up here, me and Jackie, when he was a boy.
Used to walk down from that road there and we'd sit here for hours, casting off.
This was our spot.
I heard about the boy.
Jack's boy.
The last time I saw Jack, he said he had something to tell me.
Some news.
He said I'd be proud.
I should've listened.
(SIGHS) Do you think they'll let me see him? I don't know, pet.
Well, I could ask.
Mm.
Maybe I could take him fishing.
Yeah.
Maybe he'd like that.
Are there still fish in there? In there? Nah.
There never was.