The Doctor Blake Mysteries (2013) s05e05 Episode Script
Measure Twice
1 - Yes? - Good morning, ma'am.
Beautiful day, isn't it? Tell me, do you think the world could ever look like the earthly paradise - you see in this picture? - Not interested.
OK, well perhaps we could talk Hi.
I'm Ethan Young and I'm here to talk Hi.
I'm Ethan Young and I'm here to talk to you about I've told you lot a thousand times, we are not bloody interested! - But I'm just - No! I've had it with you and all the rest of you nutters.
Get off my property.
Now! Have a nice day.
New car, Mr Armstrong? What time is it? It's just past 10:30 now, sir.
I told you to come by at 11:00.
You said 10:30, Mr Armstrong.
I'm not ready yet.
Come back later.
Sure you'll be ready then? - Hello! - I'll put this in the kitchen.
Uncle Vern, it's us! Hello! Vern! Vern, you old bugger, where are ya? - What have we got, Charlie? - Victim's name is Vern Armstrong.
We got a call from his niece -- a Mrs Florence Bowman.
- That's her out the front? - Yeah, with her husband, Trent.
They were coming over for a Sunday lunch.
Right.
Vern's a carpenter.
Well, he was.
He retired a while back.
The boy in the car.
Jehovah's Witness? Ethan Young.
He was found with the body.
Well, no guesses as to the cause of death.
- Catastrophic blood loss.
- Stabbed repeatedly.
Evidence of arterial spray.
You conducted an initial search, yes? In here and through the rest of the house, yeah.
Tell Ned to start bagging all the tools for testing.
And these footprints? Ethan's shoes had blood on the soles.
Same size, same tread.
Looks like we've got a match.
He was still breathing.
I was looking for something to stop the bleeding, but when I got back he was already gone.
And prior to this you were out doorknocking all morning? - Witnessing.
- Ah.
Yes.
Here, um my maps.
So you can see where I've been.
It was my turn to do this area this week.
Your turn? Yes, well the elders at Kingdom Hall allocate us an area to witness in.
Looks like you've got quite the juvenile record here.
Assault with a deadly weapon.
A knife, wasn't it? It was a long time ago.
Did you know the victim? I'd visited Mr Armstrong a few times.
Yes, I'd left him copies of The Watchtower.
And we'd normally sit in his workshop.
He'd fixed a radio for my mother a few months ago.
He's He was a very nice man.
And did you manage to, um convert him? No, not yet, but I was trying.
Seems pretty simple to me -- yes or no.
Well, if somebody tells me that they're religious, that they're a devout Catholic or Protestant, then I'll leave.
But if they ask about the truth, then I'll answer as many questions as I can for as long as they need me to.
Really? We save as many people as we can before the new system begins.
But you couldn't save Mr Armstrong.
That's why I was saying a prayer for him, Doctor.
He'll never be resurrected by Jehovah.
Not now.
Ethan, this is Vern's street here.
When you found the body, what time was that? Around 12:15, I think.
And that was the first time you'd been to the house today? Yes.
Why? Well, because a neighbour says she saw you out the front almost two hours earlier with Vern while he was washing his car.
Well, yes, I-I had been there earlier.
I thought you were asking me if it was the first time I'd been inside which which which is true.
I-I That was But yes, that was the second time I-I'd been there today.
I-I apologise.
You're you're correct.
You feel like trying that again? Sorry I'm late, Alice.
Came as quickly as I .
.
could.
Well, Vern, looks like it's just you and me.
You've been in the wars, haven't you? Damage to the jugular and carotid artery.
Lacerations to the palm and flexor aspects of the fingers.
You were trying to protect yourself, weren't you? You started without me.
Yes.
Sorry, I, um I thought - When I arrived, you were - Upstairs.
I was only gone a moment.
Yes.
Well you're here now, thankfully.
Should we, um That is strange.
Alice, look here.
This, um I'm not sure how to describe it, but a kind of fishtailing at the edge of the wound there.
Mm, quite a thick blade.
Very sharp.
What's that in there? Those black spots? I'm not sure.
Bear with me a second.
I can send a sample to Melbourne for analysis.
We could have the results in two or three days.
Two or three days? Tuesday's a bank holiday.
There's something else there too.
Let me see if I can Ah, there we are.
Look.
Look at that.
Bone, perhaps, or part of the larynx? I might test this one myself.
- If that's alright with you.
- Of course.
Ballarat Hospital Morgue, Dr Harvey speaking.
I'm sorry, who is this? How are we supposed to know who to call and who not to call? It's not like you blokes explained everything that happens now.
It's alright, Trent.
Senior Sergeant Davis has to ask these questions.
Now you were close? I'm Vern's only relative.
He was mother's younger brother.
Yeah, and I worked with him for ages.
He passed his share of the business over to me when he retired.
- He was a top bloke.
- And you took over? A couple of years back.
Right.
Did he have any enemies, that you know of? Any grudges, dissatisfied customers? No.
No, I don't think so.
Right, love? Oi, keep it down in there, the both of ya! - Sorry about that.
- Yes.
Florence, your uncle.
Uh, he was extremely private.
Vern didn't care much for visitors.
But he invited you around Sunday lunch? Well, he just telephoned, out of the blue.
I made him some Irish stew.
That was his favourite.
I should go see to the children.
Good afternoon.
- So you gonna charge him or what? - Who? Who do you think? The Bible basher.
Mr Bowman, we're still gathering evidence.
Why? You caught the bloke red-handed.
What more do you need? I'm sorry, if you could just wait outside Oh, for how long?! Is this how you treat innocent people? - Um, that's not up to me.
- She's very upset.
I can't say I blame her.
Audrey Young.
My son is Ethan Young.
Percy Walker.
Chief Superintendent Lawson.
Do you know the Youngs? The boy's my apprentice.
Audrey asked if I'd drive her in.
- But he hasn't done anything wrong! - Vern was a mate.
Are you even listening to me? - Are you? - If I could talk to your superior - A Witness? - I want to talk to your superior now! No, why? What's that got to do with anything? - You're in charge? - Yes, Mrs My son has done absolutely nothing wrong.
Audrey And frankly, I don't understand why you insist on keeping him here.
Well, legally, we can detain him for up to 24 hours Without charge.
Yes, so the constable told me.
- It's utterly ridiculous.
- Well, I'm afraid it's the law.
- Can you take me to him? - I'm sorry, I can't.
Can you give me one good reason why? Your son was found kneeling over a dead body with blood on his hands.
It makes him a suspect.
That's all the reason I need.
Well, how do I even know he's alright? - He's been looked after.
- Well, then .
.
I'd best make myself comfortable.
Ethan .
.
I've been asked to come and check on you, make sure you're alright.
Is there anything I can do for you? I liked him.
Mr Armstrong, I mean.
I know the police don't think I did.
They're judging me.
They're doing their job.
I know, but I don't think it's fair to judge somebody purely based on who they used to be.
Ethan, tell me .
.
when you arrived at Vern's place, you came through the front garden, yes? Yes.
Do you recall seeing anyone on the street? Anyone around the house? No.
Doc you'd better come quick.
You're needed at home.
It was silly.
I was just draining the potatoes at the sink and then I thought I saw someone out the window.
So I looked up, and before I knew it, I'd It serves me right for not watching what I was doing.
You saw someone outside? Well, now I'm not sure, to be honest, Lucien.
Oh, I'm sorry, Jean.
The divorce, this business with the church, all of it weighing so heavily on your mind.
Well, no, I'm fine.
Besides, Charlie told me about Vernon Armstrong.
Shouldn't you be somewhere else? Oh, Charlie will have everything under control.
I can stay here.
No, no, I'll see you at dinner.
- Are you quite sure? - I'm fine.
Off you pop.
Right.
So how long have I got? To get in, simulate the murder, get out without being seen? Let's say three minutes.
- That's not a lot of time.
- I know.
Ethan Young arriving just as the killer was leaving? Improbable.
Let's see if it's impossible.
Alright, Charlie, clock's ticking.
One, two, three, four Ah, Charlie.
- Comfy up there? - Very comfy, thanks, Doc.
So it could be done.
Yeah, but you'd be taking a big risk the people in this house wouldn't see you.
What about going over this fence? Apparently this place is currently unoccupied.
So, someone could have killed Vern and fled over this fence before Ethan arrived and found him.
Oh, but like you said, it's improbable.
All these will need testing too, Charlie.
Yeah.
Poor bloke, really was all alone.
Mind you, sounds like he preferred it that way.
Something I still don't understand.
- Ethan said he found Vern here, yes? - Mm.
And then he made his way across to here, looking for a rag or some cloth to staunch the bleeding.
And then he just heads straight back to the body.
No no deviation.
Wouldn't you keep looking? Well, unless that's not what you were looking for.
Doc.
Thank you, Charlie.
Charlie.
£1,500! Yeah.
Much of the furniture was handmade, with secret compartments built in.
I bet the Bowmans will be interested to hear the news.
- Mm.
- What about Ethan Young? Spending the night at Her Majesty's pleasure.
I just tried to convince his mother not to spend the night in the corridor.
And? Well, let's just say that she refused, not before reciting a sermon at me.
Yes, that sounds like Audrey.
The Courier did an article on Jehovah's Witnesses last year about that hall they built, in Sebastopol.
- Never get rid of them now.
- Oh, come on, Matthew.
Do you really think deep down they're all that different from your lot? My lot don't show up on your doorstep of a morning and try and convert you.
Really? Funny, I seem to remember a little thing called the Crusades.
Oh, look, rubbish.
Very easy to lecture on religion if you don't have a horse in the race, isn't it? - Charlie, you finished for the night? - Yeah.
- Oh, I'll get it, I'll get it.
- What's the final count? A bit over £2,000 in nine different spots.
And we found these.
They're for the new Chrysler we found in the driveway.
And? The car isn't registered to Vern Armstrong.
Florence.
We're looking for Harry Lynch.
I will let him know that you're here.
Thank you.
Morning, Doc.
Percy Walker, as I live and breathe.
How are those knees of yours? Yeah, they hurt like buggery on cold mornings.
You're living in the wrong town, then.
Least I've got the young fella to do the grunt work now.
- Young fella? - Ethan.
Works with me and Trent Bowman.
Nice of your lot to finally get round to letting him go this morning.
Percy you and Vern, you knew each other well, didn't you? Well, we were partners for 20 years before Trent took over his share of the business.
I looked after the plumbing side of things and Vern did just about everything else.
And tell me, what was he like? He was a grumpy old bugger.
He was a good mate, though.
- Sergeant.
- Mr Lynch.
- Mr Lynch, how do you do? - You wanted to speak to me.
We have a few questions about Vern Armstrong.
- Did you know him? - Not especially.
Why? Well, because we found a car that you own parked in his driveway.
Oh, yeah, I let him borrow it a few days ago.
You let a man you barely know borrow your car? Is that illegal now? Do you mind if we continue this out the back? It's not going to get much more private than this, Sergeant.
Righto.
Nothing to see through here.
Store room in there.
And, uh, toilets.
That's it.
Leaky pipe.
- Where's a plumber when you need one? - Where indeed? You just happened to have one in your cafe only moments ago.
Best give him some room.
Yeah, hang on.
Well, I don't suppose there's any point in me saying, "This isn't what it looks like"? So what then? Well, he keeps trying to buy the pot.
And I know Jimmy's bluffing, because - Wouldn't stop twitching? - Mm! £40 he gave me, all for a pair of ladies.
You know what they about a fool and his money? I do.
Forty quid? So you wouldn't usually play stakes that high? 'Course not! Just a few blokes letting off some steam.
Nothing grand.
Still, uh, your wife wouldn't have been too happy when you told her the news.
About losing the car, I mean.
That's the real reason Vern Armstrong had it.
You've been charged with illegal gaming before, Harry, in Mildura and Bacchus Marsh.
And that's how you knew about the back room, is it? Clever bloke, this one.
We found a lot of money that no-one can account for in Vern's workshop.
And? Who's to say Vern was even part of the game? Maybe he bought a custard tart or something.
I don't know.
Vern was carrying something else in this bag, Harry.
There's no trace of any food.
Yes, he was a regular player.
Well, he must have been pretty decent at cards.
At poker he was average.
At blackjack, better than average.
So that's how he was making all his money, then? Oh, he'd been on a winning streak the past month or so, sure.
I'd call £2,000 more than a winning streak.
Well, Vern was making some pretty decent coin, off me especially.
Bully for him.
You must be the biggest mug punter in Ballarat, Harry.
No-one else would be stupid enough to drop a small fortune and a brand-new car all to the one bloke.
But you know what they say about a fool and his money.
Well, I don't know why you're so upset, Chief Superintendent.
The last bloke in charge here knew what was going on in my cafe.
He never kicked up a fuss.
A man is dead, Harry! And the doctor is testing every potential weapon in your cafe.
You'd better pray he doesn't find anything out of the ordinary.
You reckon he was cheating other people too, then you might want to give us some names.
- Morning, Jean.
- Oh, Rose! Is Lucien in, by any chance? Oh, I'm sorry, he's just ducked off with Charlie.
Oh, well, I, um It was just that article, that Jehovah's Witness article that I mentioned the other night.
It's nothing important.
You know last night, Rose, you barely tried to get any of the really juicy details out of Matthew or Charlie.
Maybe I should ask Lucien to come home? Oh, no, please don't, Jean.
You don't have to do that.
I'm not sick.
Not really.
Charlie would stand by you.
You know that, don't you? What if I don't want him to? I've already already had the next 10 years of my life planned out.
A baby wasn't I've never been the sort that can't wait to have them.
I just Don't feel ready.
You must think that I'm a complete idiot.
- No, Rose.
- It's OK.
I mean, even I think that I'm a complete idiot.
I was 19 when I was married.
Much younger than you are now.
And I was already pregnant.
With your eldest son? No.
It was a girl.
Well, that's what the doctor said.
We lost her mid-term.
I never really talked about it with Christopher or my mother, or I just kept it to myself.
You've never told anyone else? What was I going to say? She was my punishment for our transgression against God.
That's how it felt to me.
What if I don't believe in God? I can't tell you what to believe in, Rose.
But whatever else happens, you are never alone.
Never.
Yep, placed some bets against Vern.
So what? A man's got to make a living, doesn't he? If you really needed the money, why not just ask Vern for a loan? Unless, of course, you weren't as close as you and your wife led us to believe.
- No, it's rubbish.
- Oh, yeah? It is.
Go on, tell him.
Well? Trent and Vern didn't exactly see eye to eye.
Mr Armstrong didn't like him.
Right, and you're just an innocent as they come, aren't ya? Hiding behind your bloody Good Book! According to Harry Lynch, you couldn't stand Vern either.
You knew he'd won a large sum of money -- a large sum you'd contributed more than your fair share to What's this -- a stitch up, is it? And now he's dead, all your money problems are solved, aren't they? Look, I can explain everything.
In my toolbox, here.
Bloody hell! You right, Charlie? Yeah.
You might want to get that looked at, Sergeant.
Ah, I'll be right.
This is the form for assaulting a police officer.
All it needs is my signature.
Do yourself a favour, son.
Exactly how much money did you lose to Vern? Just under 60 quid.
Never should've come to that.
Is that why you decided to pay him a visit, to get your money back? No, hang on Your wife said Vern didn't care much for visitors.
So what was the plan? You'd pop by then put the hard word on him? That's not what happened.
So you expect us to believe that you were only there for Sunday lunch? Look, I was there 'cause Harry Lynch sent me, alright? And now he's thrown me in to cover his own backside.
He's a lot more dangerous than you lot think, I swear to God.
Yes.
So dangerous, in fact, you let your wife work in his cafe.
Come on, Trent! He told me to break Vern's hands, both of them.
You owed Harry money as well, didn't you? Yeah, maybe I ran up a little bit of a tab.
I couldn't help it.
Business had a bad year and I had this contract that fell over.
Harry was obsessed with getting his own back.
He thought Vern was cheating, so he wanted to send a message.
I see.
So you agreed to seriously injure Vern in exchange for having your debts wiped clean? No! I said I'd go over Sunday lunch to find out what type of system Vern was using to win so many pots.
That's it.
- And what'd you find? - Nothing.
When I got there he was already dead.
Well, none of these cards you confiscated from the cafe have any marks on them, so the most obvious way to cheat at blackjack is card counting.
Hard, but not impossible for people with a good memory.
They'll use names or acronyms.
Mm.
Mnemonic devices.
Uh, yep.
Another way is, uh, palming cards or bottom dealing, or simply waiting to join a game.
When did you become such an expert? Well, my old man liked to gamble.
The victim was probably using one of these systems.
Harry Lynch wants to know which one, uses Trent to find out.
Not a bad motive, but, really, it applies to anyone who lost money to Vern.
Yeah, well Harry Lynch lost the most.
Vern was destroying his game, so he's staying put.
What about the tools from the workshop and the cafe? No, nothing.
Alice is testing that chisel we found.
I thought we finally had a positive test.
Yes.
Positive, but not for blood, eh? No, it's linseed oil.
Which gives a false positive.
Blood, linseed oil.
Both react in much the same way.
In any case, Alice, I think this blade is too thick to have caused the kind of fishtailing that we see at the edges of those wounds.
Which leaves us right back at square one, I'm afraid.
Yes.
"Unlawful gaming"! "Occupier of a premises used for the purpose of betting"! - You're charging me.
- Seems that way.
I take it there'll be no more card games at Baker's Cafe? No-one's banging down the door for our scones, Matthew.
Well, you'd better start making some better scones then, Harry.
I need that extra money just to get by.
No-one's being hurt.
Not unless you're Vern Armstrong, or you need to send a message and break someone else's hands? Am I still free to go? - Hello.
- Ahh.
If you're looking for Charlie, he's already gone home.
I thought he would have.
I suppose Edward Tyneman's spies have heard about Baker's Cafe? An underground gambling ring in Ballarat.
Exciting stuff.
- Mm.
- Gin rummy? Why not? Did your mother teach you how to play? A friend.
Mum does not like cards.
Your Pop taught me.
Man was obsessed.
- She doesn't talk about him much.
- No.
He was a complicated bloke.
Bit of a cold fish.
- Oh, it runs in the family, then? - Oh, thank you.
Oh, when he was winning he was funny and generous.
I must have been about nine, and Vera was seven, when he bought us both bikes.
Said he was going to teach us how to ride.
The only problem was, he didn't know how to ride himself.
We must have looked like complete fools.
And when he wasn't winning? Oh, we learnt to keep our distance.
Your Nan did too.
Still, at least you got a new bike out of it.
We did.
Then one day we came home from school and they'd both gone.
He said that someone had nicked them.
But we knew.
Like I said -- complicated bloke.
I win this hand, you tell me the prime suspect for the case.
Oh, yeah? That confident, are you? - I knock.
- What? - Show me your cards.
- No! I don't know what I'm looking at.
Neither do I, yet.
I had to leave it in some solvent overnight, and let it oxidise in sunlight on the windowsill all day.
Now what? Now comes the hard part -- identification.
So all the police really know is that everyone owes money to Vernon Armstrong in one way or another.
Yes.
Except for our young Jehovah's Witness, who, at this point at least, is only guilty of not being Catholic or Protestant.
Do you think that what they believe in is a little bit strange? Well, no stranger than any other branch of Christianity, really.
- In in my opinion.
- Mm.
You know the Youngs? I knew them.
They were parishioners.
They were never very well connected, to be honest.
The husband, Douglas, was killed in a car crash.
Audrey converted not long after that.
- As did young Ethan, obviously.
- Yes.
He comes past the street every few months.
He never pushes.
I'd just be wasted breath.
He pretty much said that in passing.
Audrey, on the other hand Is a little more zealous, I'm guessing.
Yes, you might say that.
I suppose she was looking for answers, once Douglas died.
And she wasn't getting them at Sacred Heart.
Well, we all have different needs, Lucien.
You're quite right, Jean.
I I'm sorry.
Sometimes you need to bend to the church.
And sometimes you want it to bend to you.
But it doesn't necessarily work out that way.
Now, can I help you with the identification? Please.
Now, what I think Mrs Blake went back to Hong Kong to be with her daughter? Yes.
And both Lucien and Mei Lin want to move on with their lives.
Start afresh.
I knew that she'd left but I had no idea what the both of you had been through.
But that doesn't matter, does it? No.
Lucien will still be divorced.
You cannot be married here, Jean.
And? Go on, Father.
I need to hear you say it.
If you marry Lucien, you will be spiritually ostracised, unable to partake of the sacraments of communion or confession.
You will be outside the church, Jean.
And you truly believe that that's all God's will? Church doctrine is extremely clear on these sorts of issues.
I'm afraid you have a very difficult choice to make.
What if I can't make that choice? Ask for guidance.
I'm sure the right answer will come.
I am sorry, Jean.
Vern Armstrong's having a Catholic funeral? So? Ethan said when he was interviewed that he didn't approach anyone known to already have firmly held religious beliefs, yes? Then why was Ethan really going around there so often? Exactly.
Hm! Clever.
- Doc? - Yes? I think I've got something.
It's a will.
With everything going to the Bowmans, by the looks of things.
See here? - Trent will be happy.
- Yes.
Yes, I'm sure.
Charlie.
A savings account.
F.
E.
Lloyd.
The niece? Florence? Her maiden name would be my guess.
Oh.
And, Charlie, this room.
You notice anything unusual? No books.
Look, beside the bed -- no books.
No copies of the Watchtower.
No letters or notes anywhere on the desk.
Nothing whatsoever written down in here, or the rest of the house, I'm guessing.
So you're thinking that I'm thinking that Vern was probably illiterate.
Now those tins, with the colours painted on them -- shorthand, to remind him what was inside each one, without him having to see or smell the contents.
He would have had to have had an incredibly sharp memory.
Which might explain why he was so successful at cards.
If he was illiterate, then who wrote this? The bank book was so well hidden.
But think about it, Charlie.
This place was searched thoroughly, top to bottom.
Someone planted it.
You don't get it.
We had to forge the will.
- He practically made us.
- He made you? He was taking food right out of my kids' mouths.
If he'd done the right thing, I would have never Never what? Always someone else's fault with you, isn't it Trent? Like you'd know anything about it.
Failing business, a bad bet at the tables, an empty pantry at home.
I've met a hundred blokes like you before.
- I'm not saying another word.
- Good.
Because you've been lying to us from the start.
You know what this tells me? That both of you were prepared to break the law to get what you wanted.
Now we know either Trent or his wife broke into that house and planted the will after the police found the body, yes? Mm.
Well, if the idea was in fact to murder Vern and plant the will, wouldn't you do it at the same time? Why on earth would you come back and do it later? Well, maybe he was interrupted by the young Witness before he had the chance.
I'll pull Florence Bowman in.
Good.
Let's see if she's singing the same tune as her husband.
Matthew.
That's the sliver we extracted from Vern's neck.
It's a fragment of copper.
And those other black spots we found -- tiny particles of copper and stone, which if anything, point us back to Ethan Young.
You think the boy may have done it now? Oh, fine, but I need more to go on than just your intuition.
Well, first it was that girl from the newspaper yesterday, and now this.
I suppose we should just get used to this sort of treatment.
Mrs Young, is there somewhere we can talk in private? Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of these brothers and sisters, Sergeant.
Audrey, please.
This should only take a moment.
Thank you for that.
Yes, thank you ever so much.
I know the police released Ethan without charge.
But there are still some discrepancies, some half-truths we need to get to the bottom of.
My son, Doctor, has Jehovah in his heart.
He is kind, he's hardworking.
Even today, when everyone else takes a holiday, he's out digging trenches.
And I know for a fact that he wouldn't lie.
Not to you, not to anyone else.
Then why was he visiting a man with your literature, if that man was a devout Catholic who couldn't read? Well, he was probably reading it aloud.
Helping others where they couldn't help themselves.
Audrey we only want to speak with him.
I give you my word.
Now, please, can you tell us where he is? - Better let me.
- Yes, Charlie.
Doc! He's fallen.
Or he was pushed.
He's alive.
Damn thing's pierced him right the way through.
We need an ambulance, Charlie.
We need it now! - Injuries? - Concussion from the fall.
On my three, lads.
One, two, three.
I suspect multiple broken ribs.
Single puncture wound, damage to an intercostal artery.
Nurse, we're going to need several pints of O-negative.
Doctor Blake, I'll need you to attend.
- Of course.
Wait! - What? You can't transfuse.
His religious beliefs forbid it.
Doctor, he's bleeding out.
You! What did you do?! - No! What do you do to my boy? - What's happened? Is he alive? Yes, he is.
The operation went very well.
He'd lost a lot of blood.
We had to perform an infusion - What?! - .
.
using saline.
- Why would you do that? - I promise you.
What about his hopes of being resurrected? What about his eternal life on paradise Earth? - How could you? - Audrey.
- Aud - Mr Walker.
Percy.
Please explain to her it's not what she thinks.
Mummy's nearly finished, I promise.
Yes, we did it.
The debts, the forgery -- it's all true.
But we didn't kill anyone.
Please, I'm telling you the truth.
Florence, my Sergeant caught you doing a runner from Ballarat.
I wasn't running from Ballarat.
I was running from Trent.
I always loved my uncle, but he and Trent, they just Vern didn't approve.
"Marry in haste, repent at leisure.
" I should have listened.
The amount of times that we went hungry because Trent bet everything we had on a bad hand.
Or we nearly froze because he just forgot to pay the electricity bill.
And that's why you took the job at the cafe? Vern didn't call you to invite you to lunch.
You called him, didn't you? Trent did.
I only found out later.
I thought I thought maybe Uncle Vern had come around a bit.
I was excited.
Did Trent tell you why? He just said he needed to discuss something with Vern.
That it was private.
I should have asked.
We found this in his study.
Vern wasn't trying to steal from you or your family.
He just didn't want Trent to have that money.
He was trying to find a way of getting it back to you.
Only you.
I'll be keeping your husband here for the full 24 hours until tomorrow morning, while we continue our investigation.
Do you understand what it is I'm telling you? Thank you.
Hey, guess what? It's time to go.
- I just started! - I know.
We can finish it on the way.
Come on.
Bad day? I believe young Ethan was attacked on a worksite.
- You? - Oh, nothing as awful as that.
Oh, Lucien.
Do you mind? Of course.
And it's still touch and go for the boy.
Oh, poor Audrey.
She must be frantic.
Yes.
She arrived with Percy Walker just as I was leaving surgery.
At least she isn't alone.
He does an awful lot for her.
Yes.
Tell me, Jean, do you think perhaps they might be, um well - More than friends? - Mm.
It's possible.
What would that matter? Well, it Oh, I have no idea.
Why would anyone want to kill that boy? Well, because, um, he's been implicated in Vern's murder, or maybe an accomplice wanted to silence him.
Perhaps perhaps he worked out who did it and Oh, I don't know.
Matthew still thinks it's all to do with Vern's gambling.
But you don't.
Either way, it sounds like Ethan knew something.
Yes, something.
Something he's kept from the police.
But what? Only one way to find out.
Come here.
Doctor, I owe you an apology.
I spoke to Ethan's surgeon and he explained to me about the saline.
All I heard was 'transfusion' and I was just so scared.
Of course.
How can any of this be part of His plan? He seems like a fine young man who deeply cares about helping people.
He does.
He told me about Mr Armstrong, about how he couldn't read and write.
He was helping him with some paperwork.
That was his big secret.
I see.
Did he say what kind of paperwork? No.
But after that poor man died .
.
Ethan told me it could make us quite a lot of money.
I know he struggled with his decision about keeping his secret, but in the end No, no, no, no.
He did the right thing.
As I said Jehovah is in his heart.
Yes.
Audrey, what did he do with this paperwork? I don't know.
Bloody tins.
Only one green one.
And what do we have? Green paint.
Dammit.
He really was quite ingenious, wasn't he? So very clever with his hands, which is, of course, what this is all about.
Right, Percy? Watching your old friend with nothing but time on his hands while you were still wading in other people's muck day in and day out.
Like you've ever done a real day's work in your whole bloody life.
A patent application for what appears to be .
.
a portable electric drill.
Every handyman in the country, if not the world, would want one.
We used to talk about ideas like that all the time.
That should have been half mine.
Of course, Vern couldn't fill out the paperwork on his own, so he enlisted the help of someone he could trust, Ethan Young, who only told two people about what he was doing.
Two people in the entire world.
His mother .
.
and his boss.
I'd say you stabbed Vern with that brick chisel you're so fond of carrying on your toolbelt.
You murdered him and stole his prototype, just moments before Ethan arrived.
You escaped over the fence, but you didn't have the paperwork or the battery charger.
So you focussed on the boy, pretending to care, consoling him, getting him to tell you everything.
At which point, of course, he had to be dealt with.
That paperwork is worth an absolute fortune, and he decided he was just going to tell the police about it.
He was going to give it away.
And Audrey? She's a good woman.
Together we would have probably scraped by, at least until my knees gave out.
But given a choice between scraping by and being filthy bloody rich, I choose rich.
I've earned it.
Percy, there's nowhere left to run.
Is that so? What, did you think I was just gonna put me hands up and come quietly? Honestly? I was hoping that would be the case.
Now now Percy, I Lucien.
Ahh.
I've missed dinner, haven't I? It'll keep.
How are you feeling? Oh Fit as a fiddle, I'd say, but for the hole in my chest.
What were you thinking, Lucien? I was thinking I could talk my way out of it.
Clearly I was wrong.
Lucien, I have to ask.
You knew you'd suffered a tension pneumothorax, but you released the pressure on your heart using your own pen as a chest drain tube.
I had to improvise, Alice.
Well I have a lot of questions.
Which can wait.
Feel better.
Thank you, Alice.
Thank you, Alice.
How did they know where I was? The neighbours heard the noise and called the police.
Oh.
Well, thank heavens - Bloody thing.
- Just lie back.
I'm going to get you some water.
Thank God Lucien was still alive when the police arrived.
And you, Rose? Turns out that my situation was a false alarm.
An extremely convincing one.
So you're not? It's all a bit mixed up at the moment.
I'm not really sure how to feel.
Well, if you do decide you need to talk Thank you, Jean.
- Still on duty? - Clocking off soon.
- That's a long day.
- Mm.
Rose, is everything alright? I mean, you've barely picked a fight, or tried cornering me for a quote for the front page.
- Is there something I've done? - No, nothing.
I was beginning to get worried.
Well, let's see if we can fix that.
A statement for the Courier, Senior Sergeant? Well, Miss Anderson, we've arrested Percival Archie Walker for the murder of Vernon Armstrong.
He's been charged with two counts of attempted murder.
- So Percy Walker's confessed? - He has.
Ethan Young? He's corroborated everything you've told me, and his surgeon thinks he should make a full recovery.
Ahh.
Speaking of which, I'm going to let you get some rest.
Charlie.
Just as I was blacking out .
.
I thought I saw someone in the doorway of the workshop.
Well, it definitely wasn't Walker.
He was still out like a light when we got there.
So were you.
Right.
- 'Night, Charlie.
- 'Night, boss.
You need to be more careful.
I nearly lost you tonight.
Yes, I know.
I know.
You're quite right.
Jean .
.
there's something I need to tell you.
I am a thoroughly dreadful patient.
I am just awful.
Well, lucky I'm here to look after you, then.
Don't ever do that again or I'll have to finish you off myself, understood? Understood.
Understood.
Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Christine Pryor.
Are you sure you should be doing that? - I'm perfectly fine, Rose.
- Yes, I can see that.
He won't stop annoying you until he's working.
There's always that one girl that doesn't fit in and tries too hard.
Just rubs people up the wrong way.
Yeah.
In my class that was me.
Beautiful day, isn't it? Tell me, do you think the world could ever look like the earthly paradise - you see in this picture? - Not interested.
OK, well perhaps we could talk Hi.
I'm Ethan Young and I'm here to talk Hi.
I'm Ethan Young and I'm here to talk to you about I've told you lot a thousand times, we are not bloody interested! - But I'm just - No! I've had it with you and all the rest of you nutters.
Get off my property.
Now! Have a nice day.
New car, Mr Armstrong? What time is it? It's just past 10:30 now, sir.
I told you to come by at 11:00.
You said 10:30, Mr Armstrong.
I'm not ready yet.
Come back later.
Sure you'll be ready then? - Hello! - I'll put this in the kitchen.
Uncle Vern, it's us! Hello! Vern! Vern, you old bugger, where are ya? - What have we got, Charlie? - Victim's name is Vern Armstrong.
We got a call from his niece -- a Mrs Florence Bowman.
- That's her out the front? - Yeah, with her husband, Trent.
They were coming over for a Sunday lunch.
Right.
Vern's a carpenter.
Well, he was.
He retired a while back.
The boy in the car.
Jehovah's Witness? Ethan Young.
He was found with the body.
Well, no guesses as to the cause of death.
- Catastrophic blood loss.
- Stabbed repeatedly.
Evidence of arterial spray.
You conducted an initial search, yes? In here and through the rest of the house, yeah.
Tell Ned to start bagging all the tools for testing.
And these footprints? Ethan's shoes had blood on the soles.
Same size, same tread.
Looks like we've got a match.
He was still breathing.
I was looking for something to stop the bleeding, but when I got back he was already gone.
And prior to this you were out doorknocking all morning? - Witnessing.
- Ah.
Yes.
Here, um my maps.
So you can see where I've been.
It was my turn to do this area this week.
Your turn? Yes, well the elders at Kingdom Hall allocate us an area to witness in.
Looks like you've got quite the juvenile record here.
Assault with a deadly weapon.
A knife, wasn't it? It was a long time ago.
Did you know the victim? I'd visited Mr Armstrong a few times.
Yes, I'd left him copies of The Watchtower.
And we'd normally sit in his workshop.
He'd fixed a radio for my mother a few months ago.
He's He was a very nice man.
And did you manage to, um convert him? No, not yet, but I was trying.
Seems pretty simple to me -- yes or no.
Well, if somebody tells me that they're religious, that they're a devout Catholic or Protestant, then I'll leave.
But if they ask about the truth, then I'll answer as many questions as I can for as long as they need me to.
Really? We save as many people as we can before the new system begins.
But you couldn't save Mr Armstrong.
That's why I was saying a prayer for him, Doctor.
He'll never be resurrected by Jehovah.
Not now.
Ethan, this is Vern's street here.
When you found the body, what time was that? Around 12:15, I think.
And that was the first time you'd been to the house today? Yes.
Why? Well, because a neighbour says she saw you out the front almost two hours earlier with Vern while he was washing his car.
Well, yes, I-I had been there earlier.
I thought you were asking me if it was the first time I'd been inside which which which is true.
I-I That was But yes, that was the second time I-I'd been there today.
I-I apologise.
You're you're correct.
You feel like trying that again? Sorry I'm late, Alice.
Came as quickly as I .
.
could.
Well, Vern, looks like it's just you and me.
You've been in the wars, haven't you? Damage to the jugular and carotid artery.
Lacerations to the palm and flexor aspects of the fingers.
You were trying to protect yourself, weren't you? You started without me.
Yes.
Sorry, I, um I thought - When I arrived, you were - Upstairs.
I was only gone a moment.
Yes.
Well you're here now, thankfully.
Should we, um That is strange.
Alice, look here.
This, um I'm not sure how to describe it, but a kind of fishtailing at the edge of the wound there.
Mm, quite a thick blade.
Very sharp.
What's that in there? Those black spots? I'm not sure.
Bear with me a second.
I can send a sample to Melbourne for analysis.
We could have the results in two or three days.
Two or three days? Tuesday's a bank holiday.
There's something else there too.
Let me see if I can Ah, there we are.
Look.
Look at that.
Bone, perhaps, or part of the larynx? I might test this one myself.
- If that's alright with you.
- Of course.
Ballarat Hospital Morgue, Dr Harvey speaking.
I'm sorry, who is this? How are we supposed to know who to call and who not to call? It's not like you blokes explained everything that happens now.
It's alright, Trent.
Senior Sergeant Davis has to ask these questions.
Now you were close? I'm Vern's only relative.
He was mother's younger brother.
Yeah, and I worked with him for ages.
He passed his share of the business over to me when he retired.
- He was a top bloke.
- And you took over? A couple of years back.
Right.
Did he have any enemies, that you know of? Any grudges, dissatisfied customers? No.
No, I don't think so.
Right, love? Oi, keep it down in there, the both of ya! - Sorry about that.
- Yes.
Florence, your uncle.
Uh, he was extremely private.
Vern didn't care much for visitors.
But he invited you around Sunday lunch? Well, he just telephoned, out of the blue.
I made him some Irish stew.
That was his favourite.
I should go see to the children.
Good afternoon.
- So you gonna charge him or what? - Who? Who do you think? The Bible basher.
Mr Bowman, we're still gathering evidence.
Why? You caught the bloke red-handed.
What more do you need? I'm sorry, if you could just wait outside Oh, for how long?! Is this how you treat innocent people? - Um, that's not up to me.
- She's very upset.
I can't say I blame her.
Audrey Young.
My son is Ethan Young.
Percy Walker.
Chief Superintendent Lawson.
Do you know the Youngs? The boy's my apprentice.
Audrey asked if I'd drive her in.
- But he hasn't done anything wrong! - Vern was a mate.
Are you even listening to me? - Are you? - If I could talk to your superior - A Witness? - I want to talk to your superior now! No, why? What's that got to do with anything? - You're in charge? - Yes, Mrs My son has done absolutely nothing wrong.
Audrey And frankly, I don't understand why you insist on keeping him here.
Well, legally, we can detain him for up to 24 hours Without charge.
Yes, so the constable told me.
- It's utterly ridiculous.
- Well, I'm afraid it's the law.
- Can you take me to him? - I'm sorry, I can't.
Can you give me one good reason why? Your son was found kneeling over a dead body with blood on his hands.
It makes him a suspect.
That's all the reason I need.
Well, how do I even know he's alright? - He's been looked after.
- Well, then .
.
I'd best make myself comfortable.
Ethan .
.
I've been asked to come and check on you, make sure you're alright.
Is there anything I can do for you? I liked him.
Mr Armstrong, I mean.
I know the police don't think I did.
They're judging me.
They're doing their job.
I know, but I don't think it's fair to judge somebody purely based on who they used to be.
Ethan, tell me .
.
when you arrived at Vern's place, you came through the front garden, yes? Yes.
Do you recall seeing anyone on the street? Anyone around the house? No.
Doc you'd better come quick.
You're needed at home.
It was silly.
I was just draining the potatoes at the sink and then I thought I saw someone out the window.
So I looked up, and before I knew it, I'd It serves me right for not watching what I was doing.
You saw someone outside? Well, now I'm not sure, to be honest, Lucien.
Oh, I'm sorry, Jean.
The divorce, this business with the church, all of it weighing so heavily on your mind.
Well, no, I'm fine.
Besides, Charlie told me about Vernon Armstrong.
Shouldn't you be somewhere else? Oh, Charlie will have everything under control.
I can stay here.
No, no, I'll see you at dinner.
- Are you quite sure? - I'm fine.
Off you pop.
Right.
So how long have I got? To get in, simulate the murder, get out without being seen? Let's say three minutes.
- That's not a lot of time.
- I know.
Ethan Young arriving just as the killer was leaving? Improbable.
Let's see if it's impossible.
Alright, Charlie, clock's ticking.
One, two, three, four Ah, Charlie.
- Comfy up there? - Very comfy, thanks, Doc.
So it could be done.
Yeah, but you'd be taking a big risk the people in this house wouldn't see you.
What about going over this fence? Apparently this place is currently unoccupied.
So, someone could have killed Vern and fled over this fence before Ethan arrived and found him.
Oh, but like you said, it's improbable.
All these will need testing too, Charlie.
Yeah.
Poor bloke, really was all alone.
Mind you, sounds like he preferred it that way.
Something I still don't understand.
- Ethan said he found Vern here, yes? - Mm.
And then he made his way across to here, looking for a rag or some cloth to staunch the bleeding.
And then he just heads straight back to the body.
No no deviation.
Wouldn't you keep looking? Well, unless that's not what you were looking for.
Doc.
Thank you, Charlie.
Charlie.
£1,500! Yeah.
Much of the furniture was handmade, with secret compartments built in.
I bet the Bowmans will be interested to hear the news.
- Mm.
- What about Ethan Young? Spending the night at Her Majesty's pleasure.
I just tried to convince his mother not to spend the night in the corridor.
And? Well, let's just say that she refused, not before reciting a sermon at me.
Yes, that sounds like Audrey.
The Courier did an article on Jehovah's Witnesses last year about that hall they built, in Sebastopol.
- Never get rid of them now.
- Oh, come on, Matthew.
Do you really think deep down they're all that different from your lot? My lot don't show up on your doorstep of a morning and try and convert you.
Really? Funny, I seem to remember a little thing called the Crusades.
Oh, look, rubbish.
Very easy to lecture on religion if you don't have a horse in the race, isn't it? - Charlie, you finished for the night? - Yeah.
- Oh, I'll get it, I'll get it.
- What's the final count? A bit over £2,000 in nine different spots.
And we found these.
They're for the new Chrysler we found in the driveway.
And? The car isn't registered to Vern Armstrong.
Florence.
We're looking for Harry Lynch.
I will let him know that you're here.
Thank you.
Morning, Doc.
Percy Walker, as I live and breathe.
How are those knees of yours? Yeah, they hurt like buggery on cold mornings.
You're living in the wrong town, then.
Least I've got the young fella to do the grunt work now.
- Young fella? - Ethan.
Works with me and Trent Bowman.
Nice of your lot to finally get round to letting him go this morning.
Percy you and Vern, you knew each other well, didn't you? Well, we were partners for 20 years before Trent took over his share of the business.
I looked after the plumbing side of things and Vern did just about everything else.
And tell me, what was he like? He was a grumpy old bugger.
He was a good mate, though.
- Sergeant.
- Mr Lynch.
- Mr Lynch, how do you do? - You wanted to speak to me.
We have a few questions about Vern Armstrong.
- Did you know him? - Not especially.
Why? Well, because we found a car that you own parked in his driveway.
Oh, yeah, I let him borrow it a few days ago.
You let a man you barely know borrow your car? Is that illegal now? Do you mind if we continue this out the back? It's not going to get much more private than this, Sergeant.
Righto.
Nothing to see through here.
Store room in there.
And, uh, toilets.
That's it.
Leaky pipe.
- Where's a plumber when you need one? - Where indeed? You just happened to have one in your cafe only moments ago.
Best give him some room.
Yeah, hang on.
Well, I don't suppose there's any point in me saying, "This isn't what it looks like"? So what then? Well, he keeps trying to buy the pot.
And I know Jimmy's bluffing, because - Wouldn't stop twitching? - Mm! £40 he gave me, all for a pair of ladies.
You know what they about a fool and his money? I do.
Forty quid? So you wouldn't usually play stakes that high? 'Course not! Just a few blokes letting off some steam.
Nothing grand.
Still, uh, your wife wouldn't have been too happy when you told her the news.
About losing the car, I mean.
That's the real reason Vern Armstrong had it.
You've been charged with illegal gaming before, Harry, in Mildura and Bacchus Marsh.
And that's how you knew about the back room, is it? Clever bloke, this one.
We found a lot of money that no-one can account for in Vern's workshop.
And? Who's to say Vern was even part of the game? Maybe he bought a custard tart or something.
I don't know.
Vern was carrying something else in this bag, Harry.
There's no trace of any food.
Yes, he was a regular player.
Well, he must have been pretty decent at cards.
At poker he was average.
At blackjack, better than average.
So that's how he was making all his money, then? Oh, he'd been on a winning streak the past month or so, sure.
I'd call £2,000 more than a winning streak.
Well, Vern was making some pretty decent coin, off me especially.
Bully for him.
You must be the biggest mug punter in Ballarat, Harry.
No-one else would be stupid enough to drop a small fortune and a brand-new car all to the one bloke.
But you know what they say about a fool and his money.
Well, I don't know why you're so upset, Chief Superintendent.
The last bloke in charge here knew what was going on in my cafe.
He never kicked up a fuss.
A man is dead, Harry! And the doctor is testing every potential weapon in your cafe.
You'd better pray he doesn't find anything out of the ordinary.
You reckon he was cheating other people too, then you might want to give us some names.
- Morning, Jean.
- Oh, Rose! Is Lucien in, by any chance? Oh, I'm sorry, he's just ducked off with Charlie.
Oh, well, I, um It was just that article, that Jehovah's Witness article that I mentioned the other night.
It's nothing important.
You know last night, Rose, you barely tried to get any of the really juicy details out of Matthew or Charlie.
Maybe I should ask Lucien to come home? Oh, no, please don't, Jean.
You don't have to do that.
I'm not sick.
Not really.
Charlie would stand by you.
You know that, don't you? What if I don't want him to? I've already already had the next 10 years of my life planned out.
A baby wasn't I've never been the sort that can't wait to have them.
I just Don't feel ready.
You must think that I'm a complete idiot.
- No, Rose.
- It's OK.
I mean, even I think that I'm a complete idiot.
I was 19 when I was married.
Much younger than you are now.
And I was already pregnant.
With your eldest son? No.
It was a girl.
Well, that's what the doctor said.
We lost her mid-term.
I never really talked about it with Christopher or my mother, or I just kept it to myself.
You've never told anyone else? What was I going to say? She was my punishment for our transgression against God.
That's how it felt to me.
What if I don't believe in God? I can't tell you what to believe in, Rose.
But whatever else happens, you are never alone.
Never.
Yep, placed some bets against Vern.
So what? A man's got to make a living, doesn't he? If you really needed the money, why not just ask Vern for a loan? Unless, of course, you weren't as close as you and your wife led us to believe.
- No, it's rubbish.
- Oh, yeah? It is.
Go on, tell him.
Well? Trent and Vern didn't exactly see eye to eye.
Mr Armstrong didn't like him.
Right, and you're just an innocent as they come, aren't ya? Hiding behind your bloody Good Book! According to Harry Lynch, you couldn't stand Vern either.
You knew he'd won a large sum of money -- a large sum you'd contributed more than your fair share to What's this -- a stitch up, is it? And now he's dead, all your money problems are solved, aren't they? Look, I can explain everything.
In my toolbox, here.
Bloody hell! You right, Charlie? Yeah.
You might want to get that looked at, Sergeant.
Ah, I'll be right.
This is the form for assaulting a police officer.
All it needs is my signature.
Do yourself a favour, son.
Exactly how much money did you lose to Vern? Just under 60 quid.
Never should've come to that.
Is that why you decided to pay him a visit, to get your money back? No, hang on Your wife said Vern didn't care much for visitors.
So what was the plan? You'd pop by then put the hard word on him? That's not what happened.
So you expect us to believe that you were only there for Sunday lunch? Look, I was there 'cause Harry Lynch sent me, alright? And now he's thrown me in to cover his own backside.
He's a lot more dangerous than you lot think, I swear to God.
Yes.
So dangerous, in fact, you let your wife work in his cafe.
Come on, Trent! He told me to break Vern's hands, both of them.
You owed Harry money as well, didn't you? Yeah, maybe I ran up a little bit of a tab.
I couldn't help it.
Business had a bad year and I had this contract that fell over.
Harry was obsessed with getting his own back.
He thought Vern was cheating, so he wanted to send a message.
I see.
So you agreed to seriously injure Vern in exchange for having your debts wiped clean? No! I said I'd go over Sunday lunch to find out what type of system Vern was using to win so many pots.
That's it.
- And what'd you find? - Nothing.
When I got there he was already dead.
Well, none of these cards you confiscated from the cafe have any marks on them, so the most obvious way to cheat at blackjack is card counting.
Hard, but not impossible for people with a good memory.
They'll use names or acronyms.
Mm.
Mnemonic devices.
Uh, yep.
Another way is, uh, palming cards or bottom dealing, or simply waiting to join a game.
When did you become such an expert? Well, my old man liked to gamble.
The victim was probably using one of these systems.
Harry Lynch wants to know which one, uses Trent to find out.
Not a bad motive, but, really, it applies to anyone who lost money to Vern.
Yeah, well Harry Lynch lost the most.
Vern was destroying his game, so he's staying put.
What about the tools from the workshop and the cafe? No, nothing.
Alice is testing that chisel we found.
I thought we finally had a positive test.
Yes.
Positive, but not for blood, eh? No, it's linseed oil.
Which gives a false positive.
Blood, linseed oil.
Both react in much the same way.
In any case, Alice, I think this blade is too thick to have caused the kind of fishtailing that we see at the edges of those wounds.
Which leaves us right back at square one, I'm afraid.
Yes.
"Unlawful gaming"! "Occupier of a premises used for the purpose of betting"! - You're charging me.
- Seems that way.
I take it there'll be no more card games at Baker's Cafe? No-one's banging down the door for our scones, Matthew.
Well, you'd better start making some better scones then, Harry.
I need that extra money just to get by.
No-one's being hurt.
Not unless you're Vern Armstrong, or you need to send a message and break someone else's hands? Am I still free to go? - Hello.
- Ahh.
If you're looking for Charlie, he's already gone home.
I thought he would have.
I suppose Edward Tyneman's spies have heard about Baker's Cafe? An underground gambling ring in Ballarat.
Exciting stuff.
- Mm.
- Gin rummy? Why not? Did your mother teach you how to play? A friend.
Mum does not like cards.
Your Pop taught me.
Man was obsessed.
- She doesn't talk about him much.
- No.
He was a complicated bloke.
Bit of a cold fish.
- Oh, it runs in the family, then? - Oh, thank you.
Oh, when he was winning he was funny and generous.
I must have been about nine, and Vera was seven, when he bought us both bikes.
Said he was going to teach us how to ride.
The only problem was, he didn't know how to ride himself.
We must have looked like complete fools.
And when he wasn't winning? Oh, we learnt to keep our distance.
Your Nan did too.
Still, at least you got a new bike out of it.
We did.
Then one day we came home from school and they'd both gone.
He said that someone had nicked them.
But we knew.
Like I said -- complicated bloke.
I win this hand, you tell me the prime suspect for the case.
Oh, yeah? That confident, are you? - I knock.
- What? - Show me your cards.
- No! I don't know what I'm looking at.
Neither do I, yet.
I had to leave it in some solvent overnight, and let it oxidise in sunlight on the windowsill all day.
Now what? Now comes the hard part -- identification.
So all the police really know is that everyone owes money to Vernon Armstrong in one way or another.
Yes.
Except for our young Jehovah's Witness, who, at this point at least, is only guilty of not being Catholic or Protestant.
Do you think that what they believe in is a little bit strange? Well, no stranger than any other branch of Christianity, really.
- In in my opinion.
- Mm.
You know the Youngs? I knew them.
They were parishioners.
They were never very well connected, to be honest.
The husband, Douglas, was killed in a car crash.
Audrey converted not long after that.
- As did young Ethan, obviously.
- Yes.
He comes past the street every few months.
He never pushes.
I'd just be wasted breath.
He pretty much said that in passing.
Audrey, on the other hand Is a little more zealous, I'm guessing.
Yes, you might say that.
I suppose she was looking for answers, once Douglas died.
And she wasn't getting them at Sacred Heart.
Well, we all have different needs, Lucien.
You're quite right, Jean.
I I'm sorry.
Sometimes you need to bend to the church.
And sometimes you want it to bend to you.
But it doesn't necessarily work out that way.
Now, can I help you with the identification? Please.
Now, what I think Mrs Blake went back to Hong Kong to be with her daughter? Yes.
And both Lucien and Mei Lin want to move on with their lives.
Start afresh.
I knew that she'd left but I had no idea what the both of you had been through.
But that doesn't matter, does it? No.
Lucien will still be divorced.
You cannot be married here, Jean.
And? Go on, Father.
I need to hear you say it.
If you marry Lucien, you will be spiritually ostracised, unable to partake of the sacraments of communion or confession.
You will be outside the church, Jean.
And you truly believe that that's all God's will? Church doctrine is extremely clear on these sorts of issues.
I'm afraid you have a very difficult choice to make.
What if I can't make that choice? Ask for guidance.
I'm sure the right answer will come.
I am sorry, Jean.
Vern Armstrong's having a Catholic funeral? So? Ethan said when he was interviewed that he didn't approach anyone known to already have firmly held religious beliefs, yes? Then why was Ethan really going around there so often? Exactly.
Hm! Clever.
- Doc? - Yes? I think I've got something.
It's a will.
With everything going to the Bowmans, by the looks of things.
See here? - Trent will be happy.
- Yes.
Yes, I'm sure.
Charlie.
A savings account.
F.
E.
Lloyd.
The niece? Florence? Her maiden name would be my guess.
Oh.
And, Charlie, this room.
You notice anything unusual? No books.
Look, beside the bed -- no books.
No copies of the Watchtower.
No letters or notes anywhere on the desk.
Nothing whatsoever written down in here, or the rest of the house, I'm guessing.
So you're thinking that I'm thinking that Vern was probably illiterate.
Now those tins, with the colours painted on them -- shorthand, to remind him what was inside each one, without him having to see or smell the contents.
He would have had to have had an incredibly sharp memory.
Which might explain why he was so successful at cards.
If he was illiterate, then who wrote this? The bank book was so well hidden.
But think about it, Charlie.
This place was searched thoroughly, top to bottom.
Someone planted it.
You don't get it.
We had to forge the will.
- He practically made us.
- He made you? He was taking food right out of my kids' mouths.
If he'd done the right thing, I would have never Never what? Always someone else's fault with you, isn't it Trent? Like you'd know anything about it.
Failing business, a bad bet at the tables, an empty pantry at home.
I've met a hundred blokes like you before.
- I'm not saying another word.
- Good.
Because you've been lying to us from the start.
You know what this tells me? That both of you were prepared to break the law to get what you wanted.
Now we know either Trent or his wife broke into that house and planted the will after the police found the body, yes? Mm.
Well, if the idea was in fact to murder Vern and plant the will, wouldn't you do it at the same time? Why on earth would you come back and do it later? Well, maybe he was interrupted by the young Witness before he had the chance.
I'll pull Florence Bowman in.
Good.
Let's see if she's singing the same tune as her husband.
Matthew.
That's the sliver we extracted from Vern's neck.
It's a fragment of copper.
And those other black spots we found -- tiny particles of copper and stone, which if anything, point us back to Ethan Young.
You think the boy may have done it now? Oh, fine, but I need more to go on than just your intuition.
Well, first it was that girl from the newspaper yesterday, and now this.
I suppose we should just get used to this sort of treatment.
Mrs Young, is there somewhere we can talk in private? Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of these brothers and sisters, Sergeant.
Audrey, please.
This should only take a moment.
Thank you for that.
Yes, thank you ever so much.
I know the police released Ethan without charge.
But there are still some discrepancies, some half-truths we need to get to the bottom of.
My son, Doctor, has Jehovah in his heart.
He is kind, he's hardworking.
Even today, when everyone else takes a holiday, he's out digging trenches.
And I know for a fact that he wouldn't lie.
Not to you, not to anyone else.
Then why was he visiting a man with your literature, if that man was a devout Catholic who couldn't read? Well, he was probably reading it aloud.
Helping others where they couldn't help themselves.
Audrey we only want to speak with him.
I give you my word.
Now, please, can you tell us where he is? - Better let me.
- Yes, Charlie.
Doc! He's fallen.
Or he was pushed.
He's alive.
Damn thing's pierced him right the way through.
We need an ambulance, Charlie.
We need it now! - Injuries? - Concussion from the fall.
On my three, lads.
One, two, three.
I suspect multiple broken ribs.
Single puncture wound, damage to an intercostal artery.
Nurse, we're going to need several pints of O-negative.
Doctor Blake, I'll need you to attend.
- Of course.
Wait! - What? You can't transfuse.
His religious beliefs forbid it.
Doctor, he's bleeding out.
You! What did you do?! - No! What do you do to my boy? - What's happened? Is he alive? Yes, he is.
The operation went very well.
He'd lost a lot of blood.
We had to perform an infusion - What?! - .
.
using saline.
- Why would you do that? - I promise you.
What about his hopes of being resurrected? What about his eternal life on paradise Earth? - How could you? - Audrey.
- Aud - Mr Walker.
Percy.
Please explain to her it's not what she thinks.
Mummy's nearly finished, I promise.
Yes, we did it.
The debts, the forgery -- it's all true.
But we didn't kill anyone.
Please, I'm telling you the truth.
Florence, my Sergeant caught you doing a runner from Ballarat.
I wasn't running from Ballarat.
I was running from Trent.
I always loved my uncle, but he and Trent, they just Vern didn't approve.
"Marry in haste, repent at leisure.
" I should have listened.
The amount of times that we went hungry because Trent bet everything we had on a bad hand.
Or we nearly froze because he just forgot to pay the electricity bill.
And that's why you took the job at the cafe? Vern didn't call you to invite you to lunch.
You called him, didn't you? Trent did.
I only found out later.
I thought I thought maybe Uncle Vern had come around a bit.
I was excited.
Did Trent tell you why? He just said he needed to discuss something with Vern.
That it was private.
I should have asked.
We found this in his study.
Vern wasn't trying to steal from you or your family.
He just didn't want Trent to have that money.
He was trying to find a way of getting it back to you.
Only you.
I'll be keeping your husband here for the full 24 hours until tomorrow morning, while we continue our investigation.
Do you understand what it is I'm telling you? Thank you.
Hey, guess what? It's time to go.
- I just started! - I know.
We can finish it on the way.
Come on.
Bad day? I believe young Ethan was attacked on a worksite.
- You? - Oh, nothing as awful as that.
Oh, Lucien.
Do you mind? Of course.
And it's still touch and go for the boy.
Oh, poor Audrey.
She must be frantic.
Yes.
She arrived with Percy Walker just as I was leaving surgery.
At least she isn't alone.
He does an awful lot for her.
Yes.
Tell me, Jean, do you think perhaps they might be, um well - More than friends? - Mm.
It's possible.
What would that matter? Well, it Oh, I have no idea.
Why would anyone want to kill that boy? Well, because, um, he's been implicated in Vern's murder, or maybe an accomplice wanted to silence him.
Perhaps perhaps he worked out who did it and Oh, I don't know.
Matthew still thinks it's all to do with Vern's gambling.
But you don't.
Either way, it sounds like Ethan knew something.
Yes, something.
Something he's kept from the police.
But what? Only one way to find out.
Come here.
Doctor, I owe you an apology.
I spoke to Ethan's surgeon and he explained to me about the saline.
All I heard was 'transfusion' and I was just so scared.
Of course.
How can any of this be part of His plan? He seems like a fine young man who deeply cares about helping people.
He does.
He told me about Mr Armstrong, about how he couldn't read and write.
He was helping him with some paperwork.
That was his big secret.
I see.
Did he say what kind of paperwork? No.
But after that poor man died .
.
Ethan told me it could make us quite a lot of money.
I know he struggled with his decision about keeping his secret, but in the end No, no, no, no.
He did the right thing.
As I said Jehovah is in his heart.
Yes.
Audrey, what did he do with this paperwork? I don't know.
Bloody tins.
Only one green one.
And what do we have? Green paint.
Dammit.
He really was quite ingenious, wasn't he? So very clever with his hands, which is, of course, what this is all about.
Right, Percy? Watching your old friend with nothing but time on his hands while you were still wading in other people's muck day in and day out.
Like you've ever done a real day's work in your whole bloody life.
A patent application for what appears to be .
.
a portable electric drill.
Every handyman in the country, if not the world, would want one.
We used to talk about ideas like that all the time.
That should have been half mine.
Of course, Vern couldn't fill out the paperwork on his own, so he enlisted the help of someone he could trust, Ethan Young, who only told two people about what he was doing.
Two people in the entire world.
His mother .
.
and his boss.
I'd say you stabbed Vern with that brick chisel you're so fond of carrying on your toolbelt.
You murdered him and stole his prototype, just moments before Ethan arrived.
You escaped over the fence, but you didn't have the paperwork or the battery charger.
So you focussed on the boy, pretending to care, consoling him, getting him to tell you everything.
At which point, of course, he had to be dealt with.
That paperwork is worth an absolute fortune, and he decided he was just going to tell the police about it.
He was going to give it away.
And Audrey? She's a good woman.
Together we would have probably scraped by, at least until my knees gave out.
But given a choice between scraping by and being filthy bloody rich, I choose rich.
I've earned it.
Percy, there's nowhere left to run.
Is that so? What, did you think I was just gonna put me hands up and come quietly? Honestly? I was hoping that would be the case.
Now now Percy, I Lucien.
Ahh.
I've missed dinner, haven't I? It'll keep.
How are you feeling? Oh Fit as a fiddle, I'd say, but for the hole in my chest.
What were you thinking, Lucien? I was thinking I could talk my way out of it.
Clearly I was wrong.
Lucien, I have to ask.
You knew you'd suffered a tension pneumothorax, but you released the pressure on your heart using your own pen as a chest drain tube.
I had to improvise, Alice.
Well I have a lot of questions.
Which can wait.
Feel better.
Thank you, Alice.
Thank you, Alice.
How did they know where I was? The neighbours heard the noise and called the police.
Oh.
Well, thank heavens - Bloody thing.
- Just lie back.
I'm going to get you some water.
Thank God Lucien was still alive when the police arrived.
And you, Rose? Turns out that my situation was a false alarm.
An extremely convincing one.
So you're not? It's all a bit mixed up at the moment.
I'm not really sure how to feel.
Well, if you do decide you need to talk Thank you, Jean.
- Still on duty? - Clocking off soon.
- That's a long day.
- Mm.
Rose, is everything alright? I mean, you've barely picked a fight, or tried cornering me for a quote for the front page.
- Is there something I've done? - No, nothing.
I was beginning to get worried.
Well, let's see if we can fix that.
A statement for the Courier, Senior Sergeant? Well, Miss Anderson, we've arrested Percival Archie Walker for the murder of Vernon Armstrong.
He's been charged with two counts of attempted murder.
- So Percy Walker's confessed? - He has.
Ethan Young? He's corroborated everything you've told me, and his surgeon thinks he should make a full recovery.
Ahh.
Speaking of which, I'm going to let you get some rest.
Charlie.
Just as I was blacking out .
.
I thought I saw someone in the doorway of the workshop.
Well, it definitely wasn't Walker.
He was still out like a light when we got there.
So were you.
Right.
- 'Night, Charlie.
- 'Night, boss.
You need to be more careful.
I nearly lost you tonight.
Yes, I know.
I know.
You're quite right.
Jean .
.
there's something I need to tell you.
I am a thoroughly dreadful patient.
I am just awful.
Well, lucky I'm here to look after you, then.
Don't ever do that again or I'll have to finish you off myself, understood? Understood.
Understood.
Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Christine Pryor.
Are you sure you should be doing that? - I'm perfectly fine, Rose.
- Yes, I can see that.
He won't stop annoying you until he's working.
There's always that one girl that doesn't fit in and tries too hard.
Just rubs people up the wrong way.
Yeah.
In my class that was me.