Death In Paradise (2011) s08e02 Episode Script
Season 8, Episode 2
1 And here's where it all began, back in '75 when my father only had two parakeets to his name.
Today, as you've seen, we have 63 different species.
And I'm proud to say we're very much still a family business.
For the Shepherd family, this isn't just a zoo, this is our home.
[MOBILE PHONE BEEPS.]
Enjoy! [LINE RINGS.]
Got your message.
What have you found? Honestly, her heart is fine.
I'm not getting any anxiety from her.
I don't know.
Audrey, she just doesn't seem herself lately.
Maria! We talked about this.
You're eight months.
We can't risk you going into their cages.
I know you're being protective, but if you are like this now, what are you going to be like when the baby actually arrives? [WHISPERS.]
Goodnight, you beautiful girl.
Thanks for visiting Saint Marie Zoo.
Come again soon.
You didn't have to wait.
I'm sure you're all keen to get home.
- Xander.
- It's Saturday.
You guys go ahead.
I'll just stick this in the safe.
Really, I'd know if Audrey was unhappy.
It's my job.
All the same, I just think I should stay with her tonight.
All night? You don't have to do that.
Obviously, you can do what you want, but you heard what Marina said.
Thank you, Iris.
I'm glad somebody trusts my opinion.
Come on, you know it's not that.
What happened to Xander? I don't know, maybe he's found something better to do.
Xander? - Xander! - Is that a dart? Get the antidote.
- Quickly, go, go! - No, wait, wait! It's too late, he's He's dead.
MUSIC: [You're Wondering Now by The Specials.]
Mrs Michelin, how nice to hear from you.
No, I haven't forgotten.
Blue and pink boat named Samantha.
Coming and going, we get right on And to you, Mrs M.
That must be the third time she's called today.
I don't know how you stay so polite, sir.
You never know, Florence, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
Missed a bit.
Sir, are we really doing all of this for her benefit? No, no, no, not entirely.
But we do want to make a good impression, don't we? She's just out of police college, shouldn't she be trying to impress us? You're forgetting, she's going to report every tiny thing - we do back to her - Commissioner! Oh, we weren't expecting you till the morning.
I thought it might be useful for Ruby to meet you all before she starts in earnest.
Detective Inspector Mooney, meet Officer Ruby Patterson.
Well, delighted to have you here, Ruby.
This is DS Cassell.
- And - JP Hooper.
- I'm really looking forward to working with you.
- Same.
Same.
I feel like I know you all already.
I mean, uncle said Commissioner Patterson has told me so much about all of you.
All glowing, I hope.
Uh, I can't wait to get started.
Which one is my desk? Here, I'll show you.
She's a remarkable young woman.
Of course, a raw talent such as hers will always benefit from some firm guidance.
Say no more, Commissioner.
If Ruby is a young sapling, think of us as the rich peaty soil in which Well, you get the gist.
[PHONE RINGS.]
I suggest you spend the next couple of hours getting to know your new colleagues.
I will expect a full report in due course.
Sure thing, unc Commissioner Patterson.
So, you will probably want to observe at first.
- If you have any questions, just - Actually, I have a whole heap.
Like, how long do we get for lunch, because my brain can't function - on an empty stomach? - Well I brought the essentials - pepper sauce - because it is not tasty unless it tingles! And a plant, which will most certainly be dead by the end of next week.
Trust me, I kill everything! Sorry, folks, to be the bearer of bad news.
There has been a murder at the zoo.
Oh, no! Not one of the animals? So, at six o'clock Xander put the takings in the safe before he joined the others.
But he never made it.
- So who found his body? - All of them.
His brother, his sister, his wife.
And a member of staff.
Do we know if the money made it to the safe? Just about to check, sir.
I have the combination to the safe right here.
According to this, the zoo shuts at five.
So it would have been empty at the time of the murder.
Human-wise, anyway.
Did you know there are over 60 different species here? Why didn't anyone tell me about this place? I love a good zoo.
How are you getting on, Ruby? Is that a tranquilliser dart? It seems to be, sir, yes.
You'll also notice he has got blue lips with foaming at the mouth.
It's actually pretty disgusting.
I suggest the dart was filled with some sort of poison.
That's what I just said to JP.
I said poison.
I assume, being a zoo, they keep a dart gun here.
Yes, sir, but check this, the cupboard has been smashed open and the gun is missing.
- Is it now? - Sir, the money was in the safe.
So the killer wasn't after cash.
That means Xander must've been killed on his way back from the office.
I also found these in the safe, sir.
Hate mail.
Going back ten months.
You think these could be from the killer? - It's hard to say.
But why lock them in the safe? Most people would just go to the police, wouldn't they? This Xander person must've had something to hide.
We know this place was locked at the time of the murder.
So how do we suppose the killer got in? JP, Ruby, search the perimeter.
See if you can find any hidden entry points.
Sure thing, Mr Mooney, sir! Unless the shooter is still in here somewhere hiding.
No, I've never seen these before.
He didn't mention them to me.
"You should be behind bars, not the animals" I might be wrong but doesn't that sound like the animal rights lot? Sorry, why would Xander be a target for them? Well, there's still some ignorant people out there who believe that keeping animals in cages is cruel.
Comes with the territory.
These would have nothing to do with his murder.
I wouldn't waste your time with them.
FLORENCE: Did Xander have any enemies that you know of? Xander, no chance.
- He was solid.
- So how was he? In the hours before he died, any unusual behaviour? I don't know about the rest of you but to me, he seemed quite preoccupied.
Well, of course he was, the zoo was haemorrhaging money and he seemed to be the only person taking any responsibility.
When was the last time any of you saw him alive? Just after the clean-up, about six.
We always have tricks on a Saturday.
He said he was going to take the day's takings, put them in the safe and then come back and join us in here.
You guys go ahead, I'll just stick this in the safe.
Then he just He never showed.
Xander! Any of you hear the gun fire? The thing with dart guns is, they really don't make much noise.
So, we wouldn't have heard it in here.
You closed the zoo at five.
Any way a visitor could have stayed behind, stowed away somewhere? I count them in and out, every last one.
There's no way.
I'm curious, what makes an English man start a zoo in the middle of the rainforest? My dad, he never got on with England.
He had this dream about kids and animals living together - in the wild.
- It's not exactly the wild.
- All the animals are in cages.
- That's since 1990.
I suppose you're probably too young to have visited back then.
Actually, it's the first time I've ever been here.
Well, that's a shame.
I mean, you're really not seeing us at our best.
You should come back.
Perhaps next time I could give you a private tour.
Thanks, I'll bear that in mind.
Shooter had a clear shot at Xander from here.
I'm thinking, they wiped the gun clean and dropped it where they stood.
And then And then he left the way he came in and disappeared back into the rainforest.
That's a solid theory, Ruby.
But this can't be where the shooter came in.
But we checked the whole of the perimeter and this is the only gap in the fence.
And it's where the gun was found.
You see here, where the wires were cut, the edges curl inwards, not outwards, meaning - The wires were cut from the inside.
- Exactly right, JP.
I have a feeling all this is for our benefit.
The smashed gun cupboard, the gun placed right where we were sure to find it, the hole cut in the fence.
Whoever did this wanted to create the appearance of a break-in, but it was no such thing.
Which means Xander could only have been shot by one of four people.
Mm-mmm! You are way better than my uncle described you! Except at the moment he was shot, all four of them were in the staff room drinking beers.
So how do you shoot someone from 60ft away without the three people next to you noticing? Pardon me again for the little hold-up, we had certain unforeseen obstructions, but it's been dealt with.
So, Alfie Shepherd raises three children alongside the leopards - and the caimans.
- Yes, sir.
Although I found Xander's details on a social networking site, and it looks like he was sent to boarding school in England when he was 15.
Never understood boarding school.
Basically just prison with cricket, isn't it? As far as I can tell, Xander only returned from England five years ago, just before his father died.
- With the wife in tow? - No, sir.
Looks like they met over here.
They've only been married four years.
She's a vet and an animal psychologist.
Well, might be worth checking with UK police.
Just on the off chance they've got something on record for her.
Dylan Shepherd is a primatologist.
He's an expert on the green monkey.
And I got the sense he might be a bit of a ladies' man.
Why would you say that? You know when we spoke alone, he gave me his number and offered me a private tour of the zoo.
So an hour after his brother is murdered, he's hitting on a detective.
That's ice-cold.
Are we sure we don't have a more flattering photo of Iris? I mean, you see, this is the reason why you should always take two.
Iris is a herpetologist No, not a clue.
An expert in snakes and lizards.
She runs the reptile house.
I was always super scared of that place.
My brother used to tell me stories about a kid who got bitten by a snake there and died.
You think he made it up? Well, you could never tell with Darcus, but to this day I can't even look at a snakeskin handbag.
OK, what do we know about Iris? Doesn't seem to have a much of a life outside the zoo.
Woman's got money, she was wearing a $5,000 watch.
Could be fake.
Trust me, I used to work in a pawn shop, I know fake.
I suspect it is real.
I ran a financial check and she has eight different credit cards, all maxed to the limits.
And last but not least Zookeeper.
Theo Roberts, born in Saint Marie in 1982.
One brother, moved to the British Virgin Islands when he was eight.
Oh, and he spent the last 15 years in and out of jail.
He's still on parole now.
- What was he in for? - Nothing major - theft mostly.
Right, have we checked Xander's personal effects, mobile phone, wallet, that sort of thing? His wallet's here, sir.
No sign of a mobile.
That's a bit odd, isn't it? I mean, everyone has a mobile.
See if there's anything registered to his name.
[WATER SPLASHES.]
Now, here's a puzzle for you.
Marina told us the zoo was haemorrhaging money.
So why did Xander blow $300 on fillet steak at the Panama Hotel yesterday? JP, Ruby, first thing tomorrow, head over to the Panama, - find out who he was lodging with.
- Yes, sir.
Should we go undercover, check in as Mr and Mrs Jones? We could say we're on our honeymoon.
They might give us free stuff! No need for that, Ruby.
We just go in as ourselves and ask a few questions but it was an interesting suggestion, Ruby.
- Inspector.
- Commissioner.
Glad to see you're settling in, Officer Patterson.
Uncle Selly, you didn't need to check up on me.
Merely returning as promised.
Is this mother? Did she ask you to keep an eye out? Why don't we talk about this at dinner? Thank you for your help today, JP.
No problem! That's what I'm here for! Ah, Catherine! What a pleasant surprise! I hope you don't mind, Jack, but there's two women from the Gazette outside.
They'd like a photograph.
- Maybe in your swimming costume.
- Sorry? They're running an article about the first detective to do the Saint Marie Big Swim.
Oh, and who is this? [SHE CHUCKLES.]
You, of course! You're doing the Big Swim? Mm.
I'm not sure if that's courage or insanity.
But, um, good luck to you.
Ready, Ruby? [HE LAUGHS.]
I think what you're doing is fantastic, Jack.
You're going to raise so much money for the children's hospital.
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS.]
Yeah.
Just one more.
OK.
Just keep that pose.
You didn't say you were picking me up.
I wanted to surprise you.
When did your boss start doing modelling work? The inspector is a man of hidden talents.
That's enough, it's fine.
Thanks, Jack.
- How are you, Patrice? - All good.
Why didn't you tell us you were doing the Big Swim, huh? Because I'm not! I've no idea where all this came from.
Unless Playing shuffleboard a few weeks ago, Delroy from the pharmacy, he suggested a forfeit, swimming out to Devil's Rock.
But that was a joke.
I'm not sure he was joking, sir.
I just checked online, you've even got a sponsorship page.
Good for you, Jack! I did it last year.
The hardest part is getting through the first mile, but after that, you can really start to enjoy yourself.
Sorry, when does this event happen? Don't worry, sir.
It's not for two days.
This is an absolute calamity.
What am I going to do, Florence? I'd struggle to swim a length of the bath, never mind Patrice says he'd be glad to give you some training tips.
Well, that's very kind of Patrice, but what am I supposed to achieve in two days? And how am I front-page news?! Xander only got page two, and he was murdered! Well, this might cheer you up, sir.
I heard back from the UK police overnight.
- Oh, yes.
Xander's wife, Marina.
What about her? Apparently she has three separate restraining orders, two drug testing clinics and one laboratory.
She used to be a member of a pretty extreme animal rights group.
Remember, we asked her about those animal rights letters.
Yeah, and she said we were wasting our time.
She was adamant.
Too adamant, maybe.
I want you to search Xander's house this morning.
Let's sound her out while we're at it.
So, how are things with you and Patrice? Seems to be going well.
Um Is that a good "um" or a bad "um"? I'm not used to things feeling this easy.
It's like I'm waiting for something to go wrong.
Ah, Florence There's little enough happiness in the world.
When it comes your way, you've got to grab it with both hands.
I was lucky enough to spend 25 years and four months with Kathleen.
You know, the biggest regret is the six months wasted plucking up the courage to ask her out in the first place.
Take it from me, you don't want to waste a second.
[HE SIGHS.]
Besides, he's absurdly handsome, and he's got his own bar.
If you don't want him, I'll have him.
Looks fine, Ruby, honestly.
Helmet hair is no joke, JP.
The struggle is real.
So, let's first go into the reception.
- SHE SCREAMS - Sandrine! I didn't recognise you! No way, girl.
- I'll just - Look, I'm a police officer! - SHE SCREAMS - The world's gone crazy! [SHE LAUGHS EXCITEDLY.]
It's so good to see you.
Oh, my God.
Give me some love.
You wouldn't happen to know where Xander kept his mobile phone, would you? He didn't have one.
We don't believe in them.
When you read what the blue light does to your brain Are you sure you won't sit down, Mrs Shepherd? Thanks, but I'm pregnant, not infirm.
So, you're the zoo's vet? An animal psychologist? Right.
Forgive me, what exactly does an animal psychologist do? I'm guessing you don't have leopards up on the couch, banging on about their mothers? Uh The welfare of our animals is paramount.
It's my job to ensure they're happy, as well as healthy.
And you've never felt conflicted at all? By the fact that the animals are in captivity, behind bars? No, why would I? We know about your history of animal rights protests.
That was years ago.
Why would you bring that up now? It's just your sister-in-law, Iris, I don't know if you remember, she suggested these might be the work of what did she call them? - the animal rights brigade.
You think I'd send hate mail to my own husband? Well, you have to admit, it certainly seems like a coincidence.
Why would Xander's death have anything to do with animal rights? It was personal.
Now, that suggests you know of at least one person who had a reason to silence your husband.
I'm not pointing the finger here, OK? But the truth is, he was stealing from us.
I tried to defend him, but Xander was so sure of it, he He was going to report him to you guys today.
Report who? Our zookeeper - Theo.
You were born here on Saint Marie, is that right, Theo? That's it, yeah.
I moved to the British Virgin Islands when I was about eight.
Mum and Dad opened a bar out there, but I always dreamed of coming back here.
Would I be right in thinking that your career up till now has been a little chequered? Yeah.
Yeah, that is, um That is one way of putting it.
So, how come you ended up getting into trouble? When we moved to the BVis, I guess I was a little lost.
Went off the rails, usual story.
But that was then.
Now, thanks to this place, I've been given a second chance.
- Still on parole, though.
- Technically, yeah.
But look around you.
Why would I risk losing all this? Nevertheless, Xander got it into his head that you were stealing from him.
He just assumed that was me because I had previous.
Look, I'm a changed man.
You can talk to my parole officer.
You were desperate to avoid going back to jail, willing to do anything to stop him, - whatever it took.
- No, no.
No You've seen my record, I've never hurt anyone.
Besides, I was in the staffroom the entire time.
How could I have done it? Call me! We need to find ourselves a party.
Oh, it's such a small world.
I literally haven't seen Sandrine in, like, seven weeks.
Ruby, it's generally best not to get yourself distracted in the middle of a murder investigation.
- Oh, I'm sorry, JP.
I - It's fine.
As it happens, the manager has no record of who Xander was meeting anyway, so this was a waste of time.
Not at all, JP.
I've got the full low-down from Sandrine.
Your hunch was right, sir.
Xander did own a mobile phone.
His last call was 45 minutes before he died.
They are just trying to establish who it was to.
So, where is the phone now? And why did Marina claim he didn't have one? All that guff about the blue light.
Do you think she was lying about the letters, too? I suspect not.
I have a hunch the letters were just a decoy, like that hole in the face and the broken gun cupboard, just to put us off the scent.
Sir, we've just come back from the Panama Hotel.
You tell him, Ruby.
Right, so, my friend Sandrine's friend Mimi is a waitress there and, lucky for us, she's a world-class eavesdropper.
Anyway, she told me that Xander was eating steak for lunch with the guy who owns Adventure Parks.
The meeting was about Xander selling the zoo.
But wait for the kicker.
Halfway through lunch, Dylan Shepherd arrives, starts yelling blue murder and security have to drag him out by the scruff of his neck.
Excellent work, Ruby.
Sounds like some really tenacious investigating there.
Oh, and one more thing, sir, Sandrine's grandfather used to work here at the zoo.
She told me before he died he went a bit gaga, started ranting about a cover-up here, how someone had gotten away with murder.
With all due respect to Sandrine's grandad, I'm not sure how admissible But I was thinking, what if it had something to do with my brother's story about the kid and the snakes? - But you said he made it up.
- I checked last night.
He said he heard it from the older kids.
That's just a rumour.
A rumour has to start somewhere.
Well, if you think there's something in it, Ruby, no harm in checking it out.
Isn't that right, JP? You have to trust your gut, right, Mr Mooney? It's DI Mooney.
OK? DI Mooney.
What's the name of that ambulance man? The fella who's been driving since forever? - Archie Maddox? - Archie Maddox.
Why don't you two pay him a visit, see if he remembers anything about the snake incident? Florence, you and I, I think it's about time we had a chat with the monkey man.
Better hope he doesn't proposition you again.
I don't know what came over me.
When I saw them sitting there, eating steak and drinking wine, I just I lost it.
Made a complete fool of myself.
I'd say your reaction was understandable.
You must have felt betrayed.
If I'd known it would be our last proper conversation, then I Would I be right in thinking that you have more of an emotional connection to the zoo than your brother had? I've spent my entire life here, all right? Xander, he only came back five years ago.
What brought him back? Our dad, he was He was sick.
So, how come Xander ended up taking up the reins of the whole operation, given he'd only recently returned? You must have assumed it would all come to you, no? Maybe.
I don't remember.
I don't like to dwell on things.
Just out of interest, why was Xander sent back to Britain in the first place, given you and your sister both stayed put? You'd have to ask my old man.
Sadly, he's buried over there.
Fun fact about the green monkey, Florence, you can read their emotional state by their facial expressions.
Isn't that right, Dylan? Look, whatever he did, he was still my brother and I loved him.
Yes, thank you very much.
You've been very helpful.
That was Theo's parole officer.
He confirmed Theo had a difficult childhood.
He even saw a psychiatrist in the British Virgin Islands when he was ten, but there is no history of violence.
Well, that backs up what he said to us.
This is driving me nuts.
OK, Dylan, Marina, Iris and Theo went this way.
Xander went that way.
He put the money in the safe and then he was making his way back towards the others, zip.
But how? They were all in the staffroom the entire time.
- [HE SIGHS.]
- [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
I don't suppose you could train a monkey to fire a tranquilliser gun, could you? Louis Ternier he's a private investigator the last number Xander called.
What was Xander doing with a PI? I bet this is something to do with the missing phone.
We'll find out when he calls me back.
Sir, look, you're famous! Do you have to remind me? Well, Archie will be there tomorrow and he suggested we all drink plenty of water, just in case you get stung by a jellyfish and one of us needs to pee all over it.
Thank you, Ruby.
That's very reassuring.
Now, did Archie remember anything about the snake bite story? Yep, he said it was all true the snake, the boy, the bite.
Well, he wasn't on duty that night, so he doesn't remember much about it, but he thinks it happened around 1990.
1990? 1990 Xander would have been 15 in 1990.
That was the year he was packed off to boarding school.
What was it your friend's grandad said? Something about someone getting away with murder? What if it's all connected? What if that's the reason why Dylan was so reluctant to open up about it? We need to go back and talk to him.
Yeah, the only problem there is it would be easier to get a straight answer out of one of his monkeys.
Sir, this might be a crazy idea, but remember the tour he offered me? You're going to go on a date with a murder suspect? No, that wouldn't be a date-date.
But if Dylan thinks I'm off-duty, if he thinks I'm just interested in the zoo, maybe he will lower his guard.
Well, if there some way of us listening in.
I found it in the back of the store cupboard, sir.
[RADIO INTERFERENCE.]
- That good, sir? - No, back where you were, JP.
- The more you live with them - There, stop.
The more you come to see that, really, they're just like us.
I mean, they feel jealousy, they feel anger.
They feel love.
I'm afraid they're not really into monogamy.
So, no monkey weddings.
None that I've been invited to, no.
So, um, what about you? I take it you're not married? It's just you're not wearing a ring.
What did I tell you? Man totally thinks it's a date.
No, my job doesn't leave me much time for that.
I get it.
I mean, I hardly meet anyone.
The only females I know are two feet tall, covered in hair.
Anyone else peckish? Cos, lucky for you boys, Ruby brought the snacks! I can't imagine what it's like, growing up in a zoo.
It was paradise.
We were feral, like tiny Tarzans.
[SHE INHALES SHARPLY.]
Ah Yeah, it's a mosquito.
Sorry, the place is full of them this time of the day.
I suppose, when you live here, you barely notice them.
- I'm sure I'll live.
- Yeah.
You know, I heard this story when I was younger about a child who got bitten by a snake.
You shouldn't believe everything you hear.
So it's not true? It was a stupid dare that went wrong.
The barefaced liar! Xander, he was only trying to scare me.
It was you? You're the one who was bitten? But it wasn't a big deal.
They gave me the antivenom.
But it spooked Mum and Dad, and so they decided to send Xander away for a bit, give him some some discipline.
But if it was an accident, it's quite an extreme reaction, no? To send your child to the other side of the world? - It wasn't my decision.
Anyway, look, it's It's getting late, so I should let you go DS Cassell.
Looks like the whole snakebite story is a dead end.
Well, that depends whether you believe Dylan's story or not.
Well, to be fair, I've had plenty worse dates than that.
Come on, now Come on I know she's trying her best, sir, but she's so extra.
Why don't you just have a gentle word with her? Because anything I say, she's just going to report it straight back to her uncle.
And he was giving her all this sexy monkey chat, but she wasn't having any of it.
So, my girlfriend went on a date with another guy and you all encouraged it? If it helps, all three of us were listening in the whole time.
Florence, please tell me they've never No, no, never.
As far as you know.
[THEY LAUGH.]
How are you feeling about the swim tomorrow, Jack? I'm trying to put it out of my mind, to be honest with you.
I think you're more prepared than you think you are.
Do you ever ride a bike, go for a run? The closest I ever get to exercise is playing darts.
I think it's about time I told Catherine this has all been a terrible mistake.
Here is the hero of Saint Marie.
Have you checked your sponsorship page, Jack? You're up to $2,000.
- Wow! - 2,000? Half the island sponsored you and I'm sure they'll all be there to cheer you on.
Time to stop and think A while All four of them were in here.
Xander's body was lying here.
And the gun was found over there, beside the fence.
There's no way.
There's no way they had time to shoot Xander, hide the gun here and make it back to the staffroom.
Unless Unless there was a second gun.
Do you think the gun we found was a decoy? - Like the hole in the fence? - Has to be.
That was the PI.
Apparently, Xander was paying him to obtain evidence.
- What kind of evidence? - He's sending it through now.
I promise we'll look into it as soon as we can.
All right, listen up, everyone.
I've just had a tip-off about a secret smuggling operation down at the harbour.
It's OK, Ruby.
We all know Mrs Mitchell and she calls four times a day.
Well, then, she must be serious.
I mean, shouldn't we check it out? Honestly, Ruby, it would be a waste of You know what, Ruby? It couldn't do any harm.
Why don't you pop down there, keep lookout for a bit? You mean, on my own? I have every faith in you.
Sir this is the evidence.
Xander received it an hour before he died.
Well, what do you know? Dylan and Marina.
I knew he was hiding something.
We're not here to judge you, Mrs Shepherd.
Go ahead, I deserve to be judged.
I cheated on my husband with his own brother.
Do you mind me asking how long? It started six months after our wedding.
The truth is, I should never have married Xander.
So, why did you? Because he did a convincing impression of a human being, which lasted right up until he put a ring on my finger.
The real Xander? Cruel, controlling, obsessive.
It was a living nightmare.
When did you first see the pictures? He left his phone on his desk when he went to empty the tills.
As soon as he died, I knew what you'd think if you saw these, - but you have to believe me, I nev - Here was proof - that Xander knew about you and Dylan.
- Yeah, but You had to find a way to protect yourself and your unborn child.
Being a vet, the only weapon you had was a tranquilliser gun.
But as a vet, I would never harm a living soul.
And however miserable I was, I would never want to leave my child without a father.
So, it's definitely Xander's? Even if it isn't, I'm finished with this family.
I just want to go home.
I'm sick of paradise.
I tell you what, JP, this is some serious tedium.
Police work is not like what you see on TV.
Actually, Ruby, I'm a bit busy right now.
I thought we'd be out chasing bad guys.
That's why I left hairdressing.
Well, that and a little incident with a hair relaxer.
But, I mean, we should all be going natural anyway.
[ENGINE REVS.]
Hold the phone, JP.
You are not going to believe this.
It's Samantha.
Mrs Michelin's boat, it was here all along.
You know what? Make a note of the time and take a picture.
A picture?! A picture is not going to stop an international smuggling ring.
- I'm going in.
- No, no, no.
Wait.
Do not do anything until I get there.
[SHE SIGHS.]
[HE SIGHS.]
I wasn't asking for back-up.
I would have been just fine without you.
I know you would, but Don't you trust me or something? Morning, sir.
Permission to come on board.
Well, you can, sugar.
Not so sure about your friend.
I take it all these aren't just for personal use, - Mr? - Delacroix.
Emile Delacroix.
No, no, no.
This is my profession.
I'm a purveyor of finest rum.
Perhaps I could interest you in a little sample, sugar? Oh, no.
Rum and I are not a good combination, like petrol on a barbecue.
Oh, you needn't worry yourself with those - it's just a few clothes, sentimental items.
Would you mind opening this for me, sir? I would, only I can't for the life of me remember where I put my keys.
Any chance it's the one hanging around your neck? [HE LAUGHS.]
You keen eyes, um [HE CLEARS THROAT.]
[HE GRUNTS.]
Like I say, nothing of any value, ey? Whatever can that be? Is this yours, sir? I've never seen it before in my life.
Now, what would you say to a case of free rum each, huh? Hold this for one second.
I, I, I Really wouldn't do that.
- Snakes! Snakes! Snakes! Snakes! - Stop right there! Stop! Hold him down while I get my cuffs! [THEY GRUNT.]
[DART GUN FIRES.]
[JP GROANS.]
You shot me.
Emile Delacroix, I'm arresting you for the murder of Xander Shepherd.
It's fine.
It's fine, I'm good.
Thank you.
Thank God that dart only had tranquilliser in it.
- It wasn't too sore, no? - Not at all, sir.
I just felt a tiny sting, then I felt dizzy, and after that I don't remember anything.
Shot in the line of duty, what? As for you, Ruby, congratulations on your first arrest.
Now, let's see what this Emile fella has to say for himself.
Sir, you might want to take a look at this first.
Xander who? I wouldn't know him if he were sitting right there.
Well, you're unlikely to find him sitting anywhere because two days ago he was murdered with a tranquilliser gun.
Ah, so when you found on my boat [HE LAUGHS.]
I see how you could jump to certain conclusions.
It's not just the gun, Emile.
We also found a couple of rare and deadly snakes, but I'm sure there's a perfectly innocent explanation for that.
All right, all right.
Maybe rum is not the only thing I sell.
Now and again, I also deal in livestock.
And that is not even mine.
I'm just looking after it for someone.
Here's the thing, Emile, I can see from your sheet you've got six outstanding warrants tax evasion, fraud, harassment.
Now, do you really want me to add obstructing an investigation to that list? Look, it's the truth.
She gave it to me just after her brother died.
Get rid of this.
Don't ask me what a sweet girl like Iris is doing with a dart gun, but she asked me to hide it.
Sorry, no, I don't think I know any Emile.
Did I mention the gun had two sets of fingerprints on it? The snakes were of a rare type that could only have been bred by one person within a thousand miles of here.
Maybe he stole them, this Emile person.
I understand there's a thriving black market in rare animals.
A lot of money to be made, Iris.
- I like your watch, by the way.
- This? Oh, no, this is just a cheap knock-off.
Are you sure? Because we have it on good authority that not only is it genuine, it would have cost you $5,000.
[SHE EXHALES.]
You don't know what it was like, always having to wear my brother's cast-offs, never having anything that was mine.
And you've been trying to make up for it ever since? That's how the debt racked up.
Eight different cards, all maxed to the limit, no way of paying it off until Emile came along.
I never wanted to sell them.
He offered me $1,000 a snake.
Must have seemed like the answer to all your prayers.
Yeah, at first.
But then he kept changing his mind, said he could only get $200 a snake, so I had to keep breeding more and more of them.
I had to start borrowing equipment from the zoo just to keep up.
And that's how Xander got wind of it.
Yeah, he spotted a missing vivarium.
I told him it was being repaired, but he was suspicious.
So you finally found a way out of your debt, and Xander was about to bring it all crashing down, - so you got your hands on this.
- No, no, no.
It wasn't for that.
It was going to be one last job.
A monkey $10,000 - well, that's what he said.
A monkey? I was supposed to wait until everyone had left and then make it look like it had escaped, but then Xander was shot with a dart.
I knew, if anyone found it on me, how it would look.
So you admit you had this gun on you when Xander died? Yeah, it was in my bag.
But I was right here the whole time.
Xander was making his way back from the office, towards the staffroom, and he was shot in the back with a poison dart.
The gun was in Iris' bag.
She never left the staffroom none of them did.
We have four suspects, not one of whom could have fired this gun.
What if I've been barking up the wrong tree this whole time? What if everything I thought was fake the hole, the letters, was real and everything I thought was real was fake? Sir, Patrice is at the beach.
They are wondering where you are.
There he is.
Ah, you look good sir.
Why, if it isn't James Bond.
Turtle Pete found this wet suit for me, second-hand.
Took four men to get me into it.
On behalf of the island, I can't thank you enough for what you are about to do.
Good luck, Jack.
I don't think I can do this.
Of course you can, sir.
What would Kathleen say if she was here? After she was done laughing herself silly, she would probably say, "Come on, Mooney, get this stupid thing" "over and done with.
" Whoo! Have you ever done anything like this before? No.
OK, I have to ask, because I need to know what I have done to offend you.
Because, last time I checked, you shot me.
"Noisy, clueless, clumsy," "how she got through police college is a miracle.
" That's just some of that nicer things you said about me.
- When did I say that? - Back of the ambulance.
I was delirious.
It's fine, JP, at least now I know how you really feel about me.
On your mark.
Ready.
Come on, sir, you can do this! Yes! - The gun.
- What about it? The gun.
So how do you shoot someone from 60 feet away without the three people next to you noticing? When was the last time any of you saw him alive? Of course they didn't! It's a mosquito.
I suppose when, you live here, you barely notice them.
I just felt a tiny sting.
Oh, but that's clever.
What if I've been barking up the wrong tree this whole time? It's blindingly obvious when you think about it.
I know the how, now all we need is the who and the why.
We need to get back to the zoo.
OK, who's can help me get out of this ridiculous wet suit? Now, for the purposes of this demonstration, JP is going to be Xander.
If the rest of you could just stand exactly where you were when Xander went off to put the money in the safe.
So, Xander went off to put the money in the safe.
He headed off in that direction, towards the office, while the rest of you turned and walked towards the staffroom.
If you could just show us exactly how you did that.
Sorry, you you just want us to walk? If you wouldn't mind.
That's it.
That's it, just keep walking for now.
1990? Xander would have been 15.
That was the year he was packed off to boarding school.
Yes, but why? It was you? You're the one that was bitten? Unless Well, that depends whether you believe Dylan's story or not.
Stop right there.
I need to make a phone call.
Make sure nobody leaves.
Where are you going, sir? Well, if I'm not greatly mistaken, it's all about the book.
44 years ago, an English man arrived here with a dream of raising his family in paradise.
But, as we all know, paradise never lasts.
Sooner or later, a serpent is bound to slither along, put the kibosh on everything.
Three days ago, Xander Shepherd was murdered by one of the four people he lived and worked alongside every day.
The brother, who resented him taking his place as head of the zoo and who wanted him to stop him selling it at all costs.
Sister, whose illegal animal smuggling operation Xander was about to expose.
The wife, who'd endured four years' cruel behaviour and who knew Xander finally had proof of the affair with his brother.
And the zookeeper he'd accused of stealing, desperate to avoid being sent back to jail.
But before we get to the who, we should discuss the how.
I'll admit, this had me stumped.
Not one of you left the staffroom forasmuch as a second.
Now, our own Officer Hooper was shot in the line of duty yesterday with a tranquilliser gun.
Yeah, believe it or not.
Now, as he said himself, all he felt was a small, sharp sting.
And, as DS Cassell discovered, this place is rife with mosquitoes in the early evening.
So, when Xander felt a sudden prick in his back, could easily have dismissed it as nothing, carried on walking.
But how did the killer fire the gun without anyone noticing? The answer couldn't be simpler.
Consider the starting pistol.
It's only purpose is to make a noise.
It doesn't actually fire anything.
But this is the opposite.
There was a projectile, in this case a dart but there was no gun.
No weapon whatsoever.
The killer simply concealed the dart in their hand, and then at that split second, when Xander turned away they jabbed it into his back before joining the others.
Xander made it all the way to the office and halfway back again before the poison finally took hold.
But how can we tell which one of you was holding the poison dart? You all walked the same path.
Each of you had a motive, but only one of you turned at that split second.
Meaning you are the closest person to Xander.
Me? I knew it was you, I knew it, I just couldn't work out why until I remembered you telling us that your family left the island when you were eight Moved to the British Virgin Islands when I was about eight.
which would have been 1990.
That was the year Alfie Shepherd put all his animals behind bars, that was the year Xander was sent away to boarding school, after a young boy was bitten by a snake.
Your parole officer told us that you had a difficult childhood.
You even saw a psychiatrist.
I just called him and he confirmed the why.
Dylan claimed it was him that was bitten by the snake, but it wasn't.
The truth is, it was your elder brother.
That's right, isn't it, Theo? Tragically, a couple of hours later, he died.
Should never have happened.
It was just some sort of a dare by Xander that went horribly wrong.
Of course, the Shepherd family did everything in their power to hush it up.
That's why Xander was sent away.
I assume they offered your parents enough blood money not to press charges, certainly enough to open their own bar in the British Virgin Islands.
But understandably, you were deeply traumatised.
That anger had been festering inside for, what, nearly 30 years? It must've been in prison when you heard that Xander, your brother's killer, had returned to Saint Marie.
So, as soon as you were released, you came here yourself.
You started sending those letters as a decoy.
And you applied for a job at the zoo, somehow you got it.
They didn't recognise you.
And you started planning what should have been the perfect murder.
Taking great pains to create the illusion that all this was the work of an outsider.
And if it wasn't for a few tiny bent wires, you might even have got away with it.
Xander didn't tell anyone about the letters for the same reason that Dylan couldn't admit the truth to DS Cassell because it had been drilled into them from an early age, this was the family's dirtiest secret, a secret they could never share with anyone.
Little did they know that the secret had returned in the form of Theo Roberts that you were just biding your time, waiting for the moment when at last you could take your revenge.
[SHE SQUEALS.]
We trusted you.
We treated you like family.
I hope your baby gets to grow up.
My brother never did.
At least now he can rest in peace.
- Ruby, what are you doing? - Oh, who are we kidding? We both know I'm not cut out for this.
Everything you said in the ambulance is true.
- I take it all back.
I shot a fellow officer with a dart gun.
I mean, that's like the first thing they tell you not to do.
But you also got information on Xander's lunch.
And who spotted Iris' watch? Emile's boat? Who told DI Mooney about the snake bite story? Officer Ruby Patterson, that's who.
Good evening, officers.
I just came to congratulate you on solving the Shepherd case.
No, you didn't.
You came to check up on your niece.
Well as I'm here, I might as well ask, how have you found your first week? I've got to be honest, unc I've loved every second of it, and I think Officer Hooper and I are going to make a dream team.
- Right, JP? - You bet we are.
- It was good of you to come back, Jack.
- Not a bit of it.
If the island's generous enough to stump up that sort of cash, what choice do I have? Well, then, once more on to the beach, Detective Inspector.
- Jack! - Hold on.
You didn't think we'd let you do this on your own, sir? Well, not that I don't appreciate the support, but have you thought this through? If we all drown, it'll wipe out the entire Saint Marie police force in one fell swoop.
That's a good point, sir.
Actually, maybe I should just stay here.
- No, you're a part of the team now, Ruby.
- Whether you like it or not.
- But what about my hair? - Ready.
To your marks.
[THEY SHOUT AND LAUGH.]
.
.
And come along sisters U-N-I-T-Y, this unity So come along brothers and sisters, whoa
Today, as you've seen, we have 63 different species.
And I'm proud to say we're very much still a family business.
For the Shepherd family, this isn't just a zoo, this is our home.
[MOBILE PHONE BEEPS.]
Enjoy! [LINE RINGS.]
Got your message.
What have you found? Honestly, her heart is fine.
I'm not getting any anxiety from her.
I don't know.
Audrey, she just doesn't seem herself lately.
Maria! We talked about this.
You're eight months.
We can't risk you going into their cages.
I know you're being protective, but if you are like this now, what are you going to be like when the baby actually arrives? [WHISPERS.]
Goodnight, you beautiful girl.
Thanks for visiting Saint Marie Zoo.
Come again soon.
You didn't have to wait.
I'm sure you're all keen to get home.
- Xander.
- It's Saturday.
You guys go ahead.
I'll just stick this in the safe.
Really, I'd know if Audrey was unhappy.
It's my job.
All the same, I just think I should stay with her tonight.
All night? You don't have to do that.
Obviously, you can do what you want, but you heard what Marina said.
Thank you, Iris.
I'm glad somebody trusts my opinion.
Come on, you know it's not that.
What happened to Xander? I don't know, maybe he's found something better to do.
Xander? - Xander! - Is that a dart? Get the antidote.
- Quickly, go, go! - No, wait, wait! It's too late, he's He's dead.
MUSIC: [You're Wondering Now by The Specials.]
Mrs Michelin, how nice to hear from you.
No, I haven't forgotten.
Blue and pink boat named Samantha.
Coming and going, we get right on And to you, Mrs M.
That must be the third time she's called today.
I don't know how you stay so polite, sir.
You never know, Florence, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
Missed a bit.
Sir, are we really doing all of this for her benefit? No, no, no, not entirely.
But we do want to make a good impression, don't we? She's just out of police college, shouldn't she be trying to impress us? You're forgetting, she's going to report every tiny thing - we do back to her - Commissioner! Oh, we weren't expecting you till the morning.
I thought it might be useful for Ruby to meet you all before she starts in earnest.
Detective Inspector Mooney, meet Officer Ruby Patterson.
Well, delighted to have you here, Ruby.
This is DS Cassell.
- And - JP Hooper.
- I'm really looking forward to working with you.
- Same.
Same.
I feel like I know you all already.
I mean, uncle said Commissioner Patterson has told me so much about all of you.
All glowing, I hope.
Uh, I can't wait to get started.
Which one is my desk? Here, I'll show you.
She's a remarkable young woman.
Of course, a raw talent such as hers will always benefit from some firm guidance.
Say no more, Commissioner.
If Ruby is a young sapling, think of us as the rich peaty soil in which Well, you get the gist.
[PHONE RINGS.]
I suggest you spend the next couple of hours getting to know your new colleagues.
I will expect a full report in due course.
Sure thing, unc Commissioner Patterson.
So, you will probably want to observe at first.
- If you have any questions, just - Actually, I have a whole heap.
Like, how long do we get for lunch, because my brain can't function - on an empty stomach? - Well I brought the essentials - pepper sauce - because it is not tasty unless it tingles! And a plant, which will most certainly be dead by the end of next week.
Trust me, I kill everything! Sorry, folks, to be the bearer of bad news.
There has been a murder at the zoo.
Oh, no! Not one of the animals? So, at six o'clock Xander put the takings in the safe before he joined the others.
But he never made it.
- So who found his body? - All of them.
His brother, his sister, his wife.
And a member of staff.
Do we know if the money made it to the safe? Just about to check, sir.
I have the combination to the safe right here.
According to this, the zoo shuts at five.
So it would have been empty at the time of the murder.
Human-wise, anyway.
Did you know there are over 60 different species here? Why didn't anyone tell me about this place? I love a good zoo.
How are you getting on, Ruby? Is that a tranquilliser dart? It seems to be, sir, yes.
You'll also notice he has got blue lips with foaming at the mouth.
It's actually pretty disgusting.
I suggest the dart was filled with some sort of poison.
That's what I just said to JP.
I said poison.
I assume, being a zoo, they keep a dart gun here.
Yes, sir, but check this, the cupboard has been smashed open and the gun is missing.
- Is it now? - Sir, the money was in the safe.
So the killer wasn't after cash.
That means Xander must've been killed on his way back from the office.
I also found these in the safe, sir.
Hate mail.
Going back ten months.
You think these could be from the killer? - It's hard to say.
But why lock them in the safe? Most people would just go to the police, wouldn't they? This Xander person must've had something to hide.
We know this place was locked at the time of the murder.
So how do we suppose the killer got in? JP, Ruby, search the perimeter.
See if you can find any hidden entry points.
Sure thing, Mr Mooney, sir! Unless the shooter is still in here somewhere hiding.
No, I've never seen these before.
He didn't mention them to me.
"You should be behind bars, not the animals" I might be wrong but doesn't that sound like the animal rights lot? Sorry, why would Xander be a target for them? Well, there's still some ignorant people out there who believe that keeping animals in cages is cruel.
Comes with the territory.
These would have nothing to do with his murder.
I wouldn't waste your time with them.
FLORENCE: Did Xander have any enemies that you know of? Xander, no chance.
- He was solid.
- So how was he? In the hours before he died, any unusual behaviour? I don't know about the rest of you but to me, he seemed quite preoccupied.
Well, of course he was, the zoo was haemorrhaging money and he seemed to be the only person taking any responsibility.
When was the last time any of you saw him alive? Just after the clean-up, about six.
We always have tricks on a Saturday.
He said he was going to take the day's takings, put them in the safe and then come back and join us in here.
You guys go ahead, I'll just stick this in the safe.
Then he just He never showed.
Xander! Any of you hear the gun fire? The thing with dart guns is, they really don't make much noise.
So, we wouldn't have heard it in here.
You closed the zoo at five.
Any way a visitor could have stayed behind, stowed away somewhere? I count them in and out, every last one.
There's no way.
I'm curious, what makes an English man start a zoo in the middle of the rainforest? My dad, he never got on with England.
He had this dream about kids and animals living together - in the wild.
- It's not exactly the wild.
- All the animals are in cages.
- That's since 1990.
I suppose you're probably too young to have visited back then.
Actually, it's the first time I've ever been here.
Well, that's a shame.
I mean, you're really not seeing us at our best.
You should come back.
Perhaps next time I could give you a private tour.
Thanks, I'll bear that in mind.
Shooter had a clear shot at Xander from here.
I'm thinking, they wiped the gun clean and dropped it where they stood.
And then And then he left the way he came in and disappeared back into the rainforest.
That's a solid theory, Ruby.
But this can't be where the shooter came in.
But we checked the whole of the perimeter and this is the only gap in the fence.
And it's where the gun was found.
You see here, where the wires were cut, the edges curl inwards, not outwards, meaning - The wires were cut from the inside.
- Exactly right, JP.
I have a feeling all this is for our benefit.
The smashed gun cupboard, the gun placed right where we were sure to find it, the hole cut in the fence.
Whoever did this wanted to create the appearance of a break-in, but it was no such thing.
Which means Xander could only have been shot by one of four people.
Mm-mmm! You are way better than my uncle described you! Except at the moment he was shot, all four of them were in the staff room drinking beers.
So how do you shoot someone from 60ft away without the three people next to you noticing? Pardon me again for the little hold-up, we had certain unforeseen obstructions, but it's been dealt with.
So, Alfie Shepherd raises three children alongside the leopards - and the caimans.
- Yes, sir.
Although I found Xander's details on a social networking site, and it looks like he was sent to boarding school in England when he was 15.
Never understood boarding school.
Basically just prison with cricket, isn't it? As far as I can tell, Xander only returned from England five years ago, just before his father died.
- With the wife in tow? - No, sir.
Looks like they met over here.
They've only been married four years.
She's a vet and an animal psychologist.
Well, might be worth checking with UK police.
Just on the off chance they've got something on record for her.
Dylan Shepherd is a primatologist.
He's an expert on the green monkey.
And I got the sense he might be a bit of a ladies' man.
Why would you say that? You know when we spoke alone, he gave me his number and offered me a private tour of the zoo.
So an hour after his brother is murdered, he's hitting on a detective.
That's ice-cold.
Are we sure we don't have a more flattering photo of Iris? I mean, you see, this is the reason why you should always take two.
Iris is a herpetologist No, not a clue.
An expert in snakes and lizards.
She runs the reptile house.
I was always super scared of that place.
My brother used to tell me stories about a kid who got bitten by a snake there and died.
You think he made it up? Well, you could never tell with Darcus, but to this day I can't even look at a snakeskin handbag.
OK, what do we know about Iris? Doesn't seem to have a much of a life outside the zoo.
Woman's got money, she was wearing a $5,000 watch.
Could be fake.
Trust me, I used to work in a pawn shop, I know fake.
I suspect it is real.
I ran a financial check and she has eight different credit cards, all maxed to the limits.
And last but not least Zookeeper.
Theo Roberts, born in Saint Marie in 1982.
One brother, moved to the British Virgin Islands when he was eight.
Oh, and he spent the last 15 years in and out of jail.
He's still on parole now.
- What was he in for? - Nothing major - theft mostly.
Right, have we checked Xander's personal effects, mobile phone, wallet, that sort of thing? His wallet's here, sir.
No sign of a mobile.
That's a bit odd, isn't it? I mean, everyone has a mobile.
See if there's anything registered to his name.
[WATER SPLASHES.]
Now, here's a puzzle for you.
Marina told us the zoo was haemorrhaging money.
So why did Xander blow $300 on fillet steak at the Panama Hotel yesterday? JP, Ruby, first thing tomorrow, head over to the Panama, - find out who he was lodging with.
- Yes, sir.
Should we go undercover, check in as Mr and Mrs Jones? We could say we're on our honeymoon.
They might give us free stuff! No need for that, Ruby.
We just go in as ourselves and ask a few questions but it was an interesting suggestion, Ruby.
- Inspector.
- Commissioner.
Glad to see you're settling in, Officer Patterson.
Uncle Selly, you didn't need to check up on me.
Merely returning as promised.
Is this mother? Did she ask you to keep an eye out? Why don't we talk about this at dinner? Thank you for your help today, JP.
No problem! That's what I'm here for! Ah, Catherine! What a pleasant surprise! I hope you don't mind, Jack, but there's two women from the Gazette outside.
They'd like a photograph.
- Maybe in your swimming costume.
- Sorry? They're running an article about the first detective to do the Saint Marie Big Swim.
Oh, and who is this? [SHE CHUCKLES.]
You, of course! You're doing the Big Swim? Mm.
I'm not sure if that's courage or insanity.
But, um, good luck to you.
Ready, Ruby? [HE LAUGHS.]
I think what you're doing is fantastic, Jack.
You're going to raise so much money for the children's hospital.
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS.]
Yeah.
Just one more.
OK.
Just keep that pose.
You didn't say you were picking me up.
I wanted to surprise you.
When did your boss start doing modelling work? The inspector is a man of hidden talents.
That's enough, it's fine.
Thanks, Jack.
- How are you, Patrice? - All good.
Why didn't you tell us you were doing the Big Swim, huh? Because I'm not! I've no idea where all this came from.
Unless Playing shuffleboard a few weeks ago, Delroy from the pharmacy, he suggested a forfeit, swimming out to Devil's Rock.
But that was a joke.
I'm not sure he was joking, sir.
I just checked online, you've even got a sponsorship page.
Good for you, Jack! I did it last year.
The hardest part is getting through the first mile, but after that, you can really start to enjoy yourself.
Sorry, when does this event happen? Don't worry, sir.
It's not for two days.
This is an absolute calamity.
What am I going to do, Florence? I'd struggle to swim a length of the bath, never mind Patrice says he'd be glad to give you some training tips.
Well, that's very kind of Patrice, but what am I supposed to achieve in two days? And how am I front-page news?! Xander only got page two, and he was murdered! Well, this might cheer you up, sir.
I heard back from the UK police overnight.
- Oh, yes.
Xander's wife, Marina.
What about her? Apparently she has three separate restraining orders, two drug testing clinics and one laboratory.
She used to be a member of a pretty extreme animal rights group.
Remember, we asked her about those animal rights letters.
Yeah, and she said we were wasting our time.
She was adamant.
Too adamant, maybe.
I want you to search Xander's house this morning.
Let's sound her out while we're at it.
So, how are things with you and Patrice? Seems to be going well.
Um Is that a good "um" or a bad "um"? I'm not used to things feeling this easy.
It's like I'm waiting for something to go wrong.
Ah, Florence There's little enough happiness in the world.
When it comes your way, you've got to grab it with both hands.
I was lucky enough to spend 25 years and four months with Kathleen.
You know, the biggest regret is the six months wasted plucking up the courage to ask her out in the first place.
Take it from me, you don't want to waste a second.
[HE SIGHS.]
Besides, he's absurdly handsome, and he's got his own bar.
If you don't want him, I'll have him.
Looks fine, Ruby, honestly.
Helmet hair is no joke, JP.
The struggle is real.
So, let's first go into the reception.
- SHE SCREAMS - Sandrine! I didn't recognise you! No way, girl.
- I'll just - Look, I'm a police officer! - SHE SCREAMS - The world's gone crazy! [SHE LAUGHS EXCITEDLY.]
It's so good to see you.
Oh, my God.
Give me some love.
You wouldn't happen to know where Xander kept his mobile phone, would you? He didn't have one.
We don't believe in them.
When you read what the blue light does to your brain Are you sure you won't sit down, Mrs Shepherd? Thanks, but I'm pregnant, not infirm.
So, you're the zoo's vet? An animal psychologist? Right.
Forgive me, what exactly does an animal psychologist do? I'm guessing you don't have leopards up on the couch, banging on about their mothers? Uh The welfare of our animals is paramount.
It's my job to ensure they're happy, as well as healthy.
And you've never felt conflicted at all? By the fact that the animals are in captivity, behind bars? No, why would I? We know about your history of animal rights protests.
That was years ago.
Why would you bring that up now? It's just your sister-in-law, Iris, I don't know if you remember, she suggested these might be the work of what did she call them? - the animal rights brigade.
You think I'd send hate mail to my own husband? Well, you have to admit, it certainly seems like a coincidence.
Why would Xander's death have anything to do with animal rights? It was personal.
Now, that suggests you know of at least one person who had a reason to silence your husband.
I'm not pointing the finger here, OK? But the truth is, he was stealing from us.
I tried to defend him, but Xander was so sure of it, he He was going to report him to you guys today.
Report who? Our zookeeper - Theo.
You were born here on Saint Marie, is that right, Theo? That's it, yeah.
I moved to the British Virgin Islands when I was about eight.
Mum and Dad opened a bar out there, but I always dreamed of coming back here.
Would I be right in thinking that your career up till now has been a little chequered? Yeah.
Yeah, that is, um That is one way of putting it.
So, how come you ended up getting into trouble? When we moved to the BVis, I guess I was a little lost.
Went off the rails, usual story.
But that was then.
Now, thanks to this place, I've been given a second chance.
- Still on parole, though.
- Technically, yeah.
But look around you.
Why would I risk losing all this? Nevertheless, Xander got it into his head that you were stealing from him.
He just assumed that was me because I had previous.
Look, I'm a changed man.
You can talk to my parole officer.
You were desperate to avoid going back to jail, willing to do anything to stop him, - whatever it took.
- No, no.
No You've seen my record, I've never hurt anyone.
Besides, I was in the staffroom the entire time.
How could I have done it? Call me! We need to find ourselves a party.
Oh, it's such a small world.
I literally haven't seen Sandrine in, like, seven weeks.
Ruby, it's generally best not to get yourself distracted in the middle of a murder investigation.
- Oh, I'm sorry, JP.
I - It's fine.
As it happens, the manager has no record of who Xander was meeting anyway, so this was a waste of time.
Not at all, JP.
I've got the full low-down from Sandrine.
Your hunch was right, sir.
Xander did own a mobile phone.
His last call was 45 minutes before he died.
They are just trying to establish who it was to.
So, where is the phone now? And why did Marina claim he didn't have one? All that guff about the blue light.
Do you think she was lying about the letters, too? I suspect not.
I have a hunch the letters were just a decoy, like that hole in the face and the broken gun cupboard, just to put us off the scent.
Sir, we've just come back from the Panama Hotel.
You tell him, Ruby.
Right, so, my friend Sandrine's friend Mimi is a waitress there and, lucky for us, she's a world-class eavesdropper.
Anyway, she told me that Xander was eating steak for lunch with the guy who owns Adventure Parks.
The meeting was about Xander selling the zoo.
But wait for the kicker.
Halfway through lunch, Dylan Shepherd arrives, starts yelling blue murder and security have to drag him out by the scruff of his neck.
Excellent work, Ruby.
Sounds like some really tenacious investigating there.
Oh, and one more thing, sir, Sandrine's grandfather used to work here at the zoo.
She told me before he died he went a bit gaga, started ranting about a cover-up here, how someone had gotten away with murder.
With all due respect to Sandrine's grandad, I'm not sure how admissible But I was thinking, what if it had something to do with my brother's story about the kid and the snakes? - But you said he made it up.
- I checked last night.
He said he heard it from the older kids.
That's just a rumour.
A rumour has to start somewhere.
Well, if you think there's something in it, Ruby, no harm in checking it out.
Isn't that right, JP? You have to trust your gut, right, Mr Mooney? It's DI Mooney.
OK? DI Mooney.
What's the name of that ambulance man? The fella who's been driving since forever? - Archie Maddox? - Archie Maddox.
Why don't you two pay him a visit, see if he remembers anything about the snake incident? Florence, you and I, I think it's about time we had a chat with the monkey man.
Better hope he doesn't proposition you again.
I don't know what came over me.
When I saw them sitting there, eating steak and drinking wine, I just I lost it.
Made a complete fool of myself.
I'd say your reaction was understandable.
You must have felt betrayed.
If I'd known it would be our last proper conversation, then I Would I be right in thinking that you have more of an emotional connection to the zoo than your brother had? I've spent my entire life here, all right? Xander, he only came back five years ago.
What brought him back? Our dad, he was He was sick.
So, how come Xander ended up taking up the reins of the whole operation, given he'd only recently returned? You must have assumed it would all come to you, no? Maybe.
I don't remember.
I don't like to dwell on things.
Just out of interest, why was Xander sent back to Britain in the first place, given you and your sister both stayed put? You'd have to ask my old man.
Sadly, he's buried over there.
Fun fact about the green monkey, Florence, you can read their emotional state by their facial expressions.
Isn't that right, Dylan? Look, whatever he did, he was still my brother and I loved him.
Yes, thank you very much.
You've been very helpful.
That was Theo's parole officer.
He confirmed Theo had a difficult childhood.
He even saw a psychiatrist in the British Virgin Islands when he was ten, but there is no history of violence.
Well, that backs up what he said to us.
This is driving me nuts.
OK, Dylan, Marina, Iris and Theo went this way.
Xander went that way.
He put the money in the safe and then he was making his way back towards the others, zip.
But how? They were all in the staffroom the entire time.
- [HE SIGHS.]
- [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
I don't suppose you could train a monkey to fire a tranquilliser gun, could you? Louis Ternier he's a private investigator the last number Xander called.
What was Xander doing with a PI? I bet this is something to do with the missing phone.
We'll find out when he calls me back.
Sir, look, you're famous! Do you have to remind me? Well, Archie will be there tomorrow and he suggested we all drink plenty of water, just in case you get stung by a jellyfish and one of us needs to pee all over it.
Thank you, Ruby.
That's very reassuring.
Now, did Archie remember anything about the snake bite story? Yep, he said it was all true the snake, the boy, the bite.
Well, he wasn't on duty that night, so he doesn't remember much about it, but he thinks it happened around 1990.
1990? 1990 Xander would have been 15 in 1990.
That was the year he was packed off to boarding school.
What was it your friend's grandad said? Something about someone getting away with murder? What if it's all connected? What if that's the reason why Dylan was so reluctant to open up about it? We need to go back and talk to him.
Yeah, the only problem there is it would be easier to get a straight answer out of one of his monkeys.
Sir, this might be a crazy idea, but remember the tour he offered me? You're going to go on a date with a murder suspect? No, that wouldn't be a date-date.
But if Dylan thinks I'm off-duty, if he thinks I'm just interested in the zoo, maybe he will lower his guard.
Well, if there some way of us listening in.
I found it in the back of the store cupboard, sir.
[RADIO INTERFERENCE.]
- That good, sir? - No, back where you were, JP.
- The more you live with them - There, stop.
The more you come to see that, really, they're just like us.
I mean, they feel jealousy, they feel anger.
They feel love.
I'm afraid they're not really into monogamy.
So, no monkey weddings.
None that I've been invited to, no.
So, um, what about you? I take it you're not married? It's just you're not wearing a ring.
What did I tell you? Man totally thinks it's a date.
No, my job doesn't leave me much time for that.
I get it.
I mean, I hardly meet anyone.
The only females I know are two feet tall, covered in hair.
Anyone else peckish? Cos, lucky for you boys, Ruby brought the snacks! I can't imagine what it's like, growing up in a zoo.
It was paradise.
We were feral, like tiny Tarzans.
[SHE INHALES SHARPLY.]
Ah Yeah, it's a mosquito.
Sorry, the place is full of them this time of the day.
I suppose, when you live here, you barely notice them.
- I'm sure I'll live.
- Yeah.
You know, I heard this story when I was younger about a child who got bitten by a snake.
You shouldn't believe everything you hear.
So it's not true? It was a stupid dare that went wrong.
The barefaced liar! Xander, he was only trying to scare me.
It was you? You're the one who was bitten? But it wasn't a big deal.
They gave me the antivenom.
But it spooked Mum and Dad, and so they decided to send Xander away for a bit, give him some some discipline.
But if it was an accident, it's quite an extreme reaction, no? To send your child to the other side of the world? - It wasn't my decision.
Anyway, look, it's It's getting late, so I should let you go DS Cassell.
Looks like the whole snakebite story is a dead end.
Well, that depends whether you believe Dylan's story or not.
Well, to be fair, I've had plenty worse dates than that.
Come on, now Come on I know she's trying her best, sir, but she's so extra.
Why don't you just have a gentle word with her? Because anything I say, she's just going to report it straight back to her uncle.
And he was giving her all this sexy monkey chat, but she wasn't having any of it.
So, my girlfriend went on a date with another guy and you all encouraged it? If it helps, all three of us were listening in the whole time.
Florence, please tell me they've never No, no, never.
As far as you know.
[THEY LAUGH.]
How are you feeling about the swim tomorrow, Jack? I'm trying to put it out of my mind, to be honest with you.
I think you're more prepared than you think you are.
Do you ever ride a bike, go for a run? The closest I ever get to exercise is playing darts.
I think it's about time I told Catherine this has all been a terrible mistake.
Here is the hero of Saint Marie.
Have you checked your sponsorship page, Jack? You're up to $2,000.
- Wow! - 2,000? Half the island sponsored you and I'm sure they'll all be there to cheer you on.
Time to stop and think A while All four of them were in here.
Xander's body was lying here.
And the gun was found over there, beside the fence.
There's no way.
There's no way they had time to shoot Xander, hide the gun here and make it back to the staffroom.
Unless Unless there was a second gun.
Do you think the gun we found was a decoy? - Like the hole in the fence? - Has to be.
That was the PI.
Apparently, Xander was paying him to obtain evidence.
- What kind of evidence? - He's sending it through now.
I promise we'll look into it as soon as we can.
All right, listen up, everyone.
I've just had a tip-off about a secret smuggling operation down at the harbour.
It's OK, Ruby.
We all know Mrs Mitchell and she calls four times a day.
Well, then, she must be serious.
I mean, shouldn't we check it out? Honestly, Ruby, it would be a waste of You know what, Ruby? It couldn't do any harm.
Why don't you pop down there, keep lookout for a bit? You mean, on my own? I have every faith in you.
Sir this is the evidence.
Xander received it an hour before he died.
Well, what do you know? Dylan and Marina.
I knew he was hiding something.
We're not here to judge you, Mrs Shepherd.
Go ahead, I deserve to be judged.
I cheated on my husband with his own brother.
Do you mind me asking how long? It started six months after our wedding.
The truth is, I should never have married Xander.
So, why did you? Because he did a convincing impression of a human being, which lasted right up until he put a ring on my finger.
The real Xander? Cruel, controlling, obsessive.
It was a living nightmare.
When did you first see the pictures? He left his phone on his desk when he went to empty the tills.
As soon as he died, I knew what you'd think if you saw these, - but you have to believe me, I nev - Here was proof - that Xander knew about you and Dylan.
- Yeah, but You had to find a way to protect yourself and your unborn child.
Being a vet, the only weapon you had was a tranquilliser gun.
But as a vet, I would never harm a living soul.
And however miserable I was, I would never want to leave my child without a father.
So, it's definitely Xander's? Even if it isn't, I'm finished with this family.
I just want to go home.
I'm sick of paradise.
I tell you what, JP, this is some serious tedium.
Police work is not like what you see on TV.
Actually, Ruby, I'm a bit busy right now.
I thought we'd be out chasing bad guys.
That's why I left hairdressing.
Well, that and a little incident with a hair relaxer.
But, I mean, we should all be going natural anyway.
[ENGINE REVS.]
Hold the phone, JP.
You are not going to believe this.
It's Samantha.
Mrs Michelin's boat, it was here all along.
You know what? Make a note of the time and take a picture.
A picture?! A picture is not going to stop an international smuggling ring.
- I'm going in.
- No, no, no.
Wait.
Do not do anything until I get there.
[SHE SIGHS.]
[HE SIGHS.]
I wasn't asking for back-up.
I would have been just fine without you.
I know you would, but Don't you trust me or something? Morning, sir.
Permission to come on board.
Well, you can, sugar.
Not so sure about your friend.
I take it all these aren't just for personal use, - Mr? - Delacroix.
Emile Delacroix.
No, no, no.
This is my profession.
I'm a purveyor of finest rum.
Perhaps I could interest you in a little sample, sugar? Oh, no.
Rum and I are not a good combination, like petrol on a barbecue.
Oh, you needn't worry yourself with those - it's just a few clothes, sentimental items.
Would you mind opening this for me, sir? I would, only I can't for the life of me remember where I put my keys.
Any chance it's the one hanging around your neck? [HE LAUGHS.]
You keen eyes, um [HE CLEARS THROAT.]
[HE GRUNTS.]
Like I say, nothing of any value, ey? Whatever can that be? Is this yours, sir? I've never seen it before in my life.
Now, what would you say to a case of free rum each, huh? Hold this for one second.
I, I, I Really wouldn't do that.
- Snakes! Snakes! Snakes! Snakes! - Stop right there! Stop! Hold him down while I get my cuffs! [THEY GRUNT.]
[DART GUN FIRES.]
[JP GROANS.]
You shot me.
Emile Delacroix, I'm arresting you for the murder of Xander Shepherd.
It's fine.
It's fine, I'm good.
Thank you.
Thank God that dart only had tranquilliser in it.
- It wasn't too sore, no? - Not at all, sir.
I just felt a tiny sting, then I felt dizzy, and after that I don't remember anything.
Shot in the line of duty, what? As for you, Ruby, congratulations on your first arrest.
Now, let's see what this Emile fella has to say for himself.
Sir, you might want to take a look at this first.
Xander who? I wouldn't know him if he were sitting right there.
Well, you're unlikely to find him sitting anywhere because two days ago he was murdered with a tranquilliser gun.
Ah, so when you found on my boat [HE LAUGHS.]
I see how you could jump to certain conclusions.
It's not just the gun, Emile.
We also found a couple of rare and deadly snakes, but I'm sure there's a perfectly innocent explanation for that.
All right, all right.
Maybe rum is not the only thing I sell.
Now and again, I also deal in livestock.
And that is not even mine.
I'm just looking after it for someone.
Here's the thing, Emile, I can see from your sheet you've got six outstanding warrants tax evasion, fraud, harassment.
Now, do you really want me to add obstructing an investigation to that list? Look, it's the truth.
She gave it to me just after her brother died.
Get rid of this.
Don't ask me what a sweet girl like Iris is doing with a dart gun, but she asked me to hide it.
Sorry, no, I don't think I know any Emile.
Did I mention the gun had two sets of fingerprints on it? The snakes were of a rare type that could only have been bred by one person within a thousand miles of here.
Maybe he stole them, this Emile person.
I understand there's a thriving black market in rare animals.
A lot of money to be made, Iris.
- I like your watch, by the way.
- This? Oh, no, this is just a cheap knock-off.
Are you sure? Because we have it on good authority that not only is it genuine, it would have cost you $5,000.
[SHE EXHALES.]
You don't know what it was like, always having to wear my brother's cast-offs, never having anything that was mine.
And you've been trying to make up for it ever since? That's how the debt racked up.
Eight different cards, all maxed to the limit, no way of paying it off until Emile came along.
I never wanted to sell them.
He offered me $1,000 a snake.
Must have seemed like the answer to all your prayers.
Yeah, at first.
But then he kept changing his mind, said he could only get $200 a snake, so I had to keep breeding more and more of them.
I had to start borrowing equipment from the zoo just to keep up.
And that's how Xander got wind of it.
Yeah, he spotted a missing vivarium.
I told him it was being repaired, but he was suspicious.
So you finally found a way out of your debt, and Xander was about to bring it all crashing down, - so you got your hands on this.
- No, no, no.
It wasn't for that.
It was going to be one last job.
A monkey $10,000 - well, that's what he said.
A monkey? I was supposed to wait until everyone had left and then make it look like it had escaped, but then Xander was shot with a dart.
I knew, if anyone found it on me, how it would look.
So you admit you had this gun on you when Xander died? Yeah, it was in my bag.
But I was right here the whole time.
Xander was making his way back from the office, towards the staffroom, and he was shot in the back with a poison dart.
The gun was in Iris' bag.
She never left the staffroom none of them did.
We have four suspects, not one of whom could have fired this gun.
What if I've been barking up the wrong tree this whole time? What if everything I thought was fake the hole, the letters, was real and everything I thought was real was fake? Sir, Patrice is at the beach.
They are wondering where you are.
There he is.
Ah, you look good sir.
Why, if it isn't James Bond.
Turtle Pete found this wet suit for me, second-hand.
Took four men to get me into it.
On behalf of the island, I can't thank you enough for what you are about to do.
Good luck, Jack.
I don't think I can do this.
Of course you can, sir.
What would Kathleen say if she was here? After she was done laughing herself silly, she would probably say, "Come on, Mooney, get this stupid thing" "over and done with.
" Whoo! Have you ever done anything like this before? No.
OK, I have to ask, because I need to know what I have done to offend you.
Because, last time I checked, you shot me.
"Noisy, clueless, clumsy," "how she got through police college is a miracle.
" That's just some of that nicer things you said about me.
- When did I say that? - Back of the ambulance.
I was delirious.
It's fine, JP, at least now I know how you really feel about me.
On your mark.
Ready.
Come on, sir, you can do this! Yes! - The gun.
- What about it? The gun.
So how do you shoot someone from 60 feet away without the three people next to you noticing? When was the last time any of you saw him alive? Of course they didn't! It's a mosquito.
I suppose when, you live here, you barely notice them.
I just felt a tiny sting.
Oh, but that's clever.
What if I've been barking up the wrong tree this whole time? It's blindingly obvious when you think about it.
I know the how, now all we need is the who and the why.
We need to get back to the zoo.
OK, who's can help me get out of this ridiculous wet suit? Now, for the purposes of this demonstration, JP is going to be Xander.
If the rest of you could just stand exactly where you were when Xander went off to put the money in the safe.
So, Xander went off to put the money in the safe.
He headed off in that direction, towards the office, while the rest of you turned and walked towards the staffroom.
If you could just show us exactly how you did that.
Sorry, you you just want us to walk? If you wouldn't mind.
That's it.
That's it, just keep walking for now.
1990? Xander would have been 15.
That was the year he was packed off to boarding school.
Yes, but why? It was you? You're the one that was bitten? Unless Well, that depends whether you believe Dylan's story or not.
Stop right there.
I need to make a phone call.
Make sure nobody leaves.
Where are you going, sir? Well, if I'm not greatly mistaken, it's all about the book.
44 years ago, an English man arrived here with a dream of raising his family in paradise.
But, as we all know, paradise never lasts.
Sooner or later, a serpent is bound to slither along, put the kibosh on everything.
Three days ago, Xander Shepherd was murdered by one of the four people he lived and worked alongside every day.
The brother, who resented him taking his place as head of the zoo and who wanted him to stop him selling it at all costs.
Sister, whose illegal animal smuggling operation Xander was about to expose.
The wife, who'd endured four years' cruel behaviour and who knew Xander finally had proof of the affair with his brother.
And the zookeeper he'd accused of stealing, desperate to avoid being sent back to jail.
But before we get to the who, we should discuss the how.
I'll admit, this had me stumped.
Not one of you left the staffroom forasmuch as a second.
Now, our own Officer Hooper was shot in the line of duty yesterday with a tranquilliser gun.
Yeah, believe it or not.
Now, as he said himself, all he felt was a small, sharp sting.
And, as DS Cassell discovered, this place is rife with mosquitoes in the early evening.
So, when Xander felt a sudden prick in his back, could easily have dismissed it as nothing, carried on walking.
But how did the killer fire the gun without anyone noticing? The answer couldn't be simpler.
Consider the starting pistol.
It's only purpose is to make a noise.
It doesn't actually fire anything.
But this is the opposite.
There was a projectile, in this case a dart but there was no gun.
No weapon whatsoever.
The killer simply concealed the dart in their hand, and then at that split second, when Xander turned away they jabbed it into his back before joining the others.
Xander made it all the way to the office and halfway back again before the poison finally took hold.
But how can we tell which one of you was holding the poison dart? You all walked the same path.
Each of you had a motive, but only one of you turned at that split second.
Meaning you are the closest person to Xander.
Me? I knew it was you, I knew it, I just couldn't work out why until I remembered you telling us that your family left the island when you were eight Moved to the British Virgin Islands when I was about eight.
which would have been 1990.
That was the year Alfie Shepherd put all his animals behind bars, that was the year Xander was sent away to boarding school, after a young boy was bitten by a snake.
Your parole officer told us that you had a difficult childhood.
You even saw a psychiatrist.
I just called him and he confirmed the why.
Dylan claimed it was him that was bitten by the snake, but it wasn't.
The truth is, it was your elder brother.
That's right, isn't it, Theo? Tragically, a couple of hours later, he died.
Should never have happened.
It was just some sort of a dare by Xander that went horribly wrong.
Of course, the Shepherd family did everything in their power to hush it up.
That's why Xander was sent away.
I assume they offered your parents enough blood money not to press charges, certainly enough to open their own bar in the British Virgin Islands.
But understandably, you were deeply traumatised.
That anger had been festering inside for, what, nearly 30 years? It must've been in prison when you heard that Xander, your brother's killer, had returned to Saint Marie.
So, as soon as you were released, you came here yourself.
You started sending those letters as a decoy.
And you applied for a job at the zoo, somehow you got it.
They didn't recognise you.
And you started planning what should have been the perfect murder.
Taking great pains to create the illusion that all this was the work of an outsider.
And if it wasn't for a few tiny bent wires, you might even have got away with it.
Xander didn't tell anyone about the letters for the same reason that Dylan couldn't admit the truth to DS Cassell because it had been drilled into them from an early age, this was the family's dirtiest secret, a secret they could never share with anyone.
Little did they know that the secret had returned in the form of Theo Roberts that you were just biding your time, waiting for the moment when at last you could take your revenge.
[SHE SQUEALS.]
We trusted you.
We treated you like family.
I hope your baby gets to grow up.
My brother never did.
At least now he can rest in peace.
- Ruby, what are you doing? - Oh, who are we kidding? We both know I'm not cut out for this.
Everything you said in the ambulance is true.
- I take it all back.
I shot a fellow officer with a dart gun.
I mean, that's like the first thing they tell you not to do.
But you also got information on Xander's lunch.
And who spotted Iris' watch? Emile's boat? Who told DI Mooney about the snake bite story? Officer Ruby Patterson, that's who.
Good evening, officers.
I just came to congratulate you on solving the Shepherd case.
No, you didn't.
You came to check up on your niece.
Well as I'm here, I might as well ask, how have you found your first week? I've got to be honest, unc I've loved every second of it, and I think Officer Hooper and I are going to make a dream team.
- Right, JP? - You bet we are.
- It was good of you to come back, Jack.
- Not a bit of it.
If the island's generous enough to stump up that sort of cash, what choice do I have? Well, then, once more on to the beach, Detective Inspector.
- Jack! - Hold on.
You didn't think we'd let you do this on your own, sir? Well, not that I don't appreciate the support, but have you thought this through? If we all drown, it'll wipe out the entire Saint Marie police force in one fell swoop.
That's a good point, sir.
Actually, maybe I should just stay here.
- No, you're a part of the team now, Ruby.
- Whether you like it or not.
- But what about my hair? - Ready.
To your marks.
[THEY SHOUT AND LAUGH.]
.
.
And come along sisters U-N-I-T-Y, this unity So come along brothers and sisters, whoa