Vera s11e01 Episode Script

1 [haunting music.]
[Presenter.]
Please give it up for the man of the moment, Tony.
Same again? No, not for me.
I've gotta go.
Night, Jim.
[tense music.]
These tears that I've cried Been falling for years I've found it hard inside [tense music.]
The lovely, Leslie, there with a beautiful song.
Big hand everyone.
Now next up it's Brian with "Sledge Hammer.
" It was amazing, love.
[tense music continues.]
[dramatic music.]
[seagulls squawking.]
[tense music.]
[gentle theme music.]
[Jac.]
Okay, make sure [dramatic music.]
Good morning, ma'am.
Well it's morning, Jac.
Whether it's good or not remains to be seen.
Call came in about an hour ago.
A member of the public found the body at the foot of the monument.
And what was this member of the public doing up at five A.
M.
? He works a night shift at the bakery up the road.
He was on his way home.
Ah, right.
They got a name? According to the driver's licence, Jim Tullman.
Born 1959 and lives over in South Shields.
How'd he die? Well from what I saw, someone beat him to death.
[gentle music.]
[Vera.]
Malcolm, what have we got? [Malcolm.]
Well it's a prolonged and violent assault.
[Vera.]
Well how do we know he didn't just take a tumble down these steps? There's a number of blows to the head and the torso.
Fatal blow, probably is this one here at the back of the skull.
Were you on the whiskey last night? Sadly not.
No, that's coming from the victim's clothes.
We found the murder weapon? Nothing yet.
What are we looking for? Well if I had to narrow it down, I'd say we were looking for something that was both heavy And blunt.
Right, thanks for that.
Did he die here or was he dumped? I'd say he died here.
He's a sturdy looking fella.
Looks fit for his age.
I mean, he'd have been hard to overcome.
Well maybe there was more than one assailant.
Or he was taken by surprise.
Any defence wounds? Er, none that I could see.
So he didn't put up a fight? Nope.
It doesn't look like it.
So what, you just sat there and took it, did you pet? Time of death? He's fairly fresh actually.
I'd say some time in the last six hours.
[tense music.]
Kenny, is that who found the body? Yeah.
He came across him around five.
Did he see anyone else around? No.
But then it was early.
Right.
So get him over to the station, make a formal statement.
Make sure he gets a cuppa.
Aye, will do.
We've started collecting CCTV from the main road and I've got uniform down there knocking on doors.
Right.
Why here? I mean, it's not the kind of place you stumble across, is it? Was he meeting someone? Well it's a funny time to be having to meeting.
Next of kin? Electoral register had his son living with him, John-Paul Tullman.
Right.
Come on.
[tense music.]
[doorbell ringing.]
Er, we're looking for John-Paul Tullman.
DCI Vera Stanhope, Northumberland and City Police.
This is DS Healy.
We really need to speak to him, love.
John-Paul? [John-Paul.]
What's going on? It's the police.
What do you want? Oh, it's best if we step inside, love.
No, no.
You're all right out there.
Well there's no easy way to say this.
I'm afraid we found a body, sir.
And we believe it to be that of your father.
We are so sorry, sir.
We believe your father was the victim of an assault.
We found his body near the Collingwood Monument.
What was he doing there? Well that's what we need to establish.
Did he know anyone over that side? No.
When did you last see him? - Can I sit? - Last night, about seven o'clock.
Just before he went to the club.
The social club at the end of the road.
Jim went every Sunday.
And where were you two last night? John-Paul was here.
I stayed over at my sister's in Marsden.
Were you here all night? [John-Paul.]
Aye.
All night.
Do you not normally wait up for your dad? After the club he'd sometimes go back to the Clayton's for a drink.
What, and they're friends of his are they? The Claytons? Gary and Leslie.
Yeah, they go way back.
And your mam? She around? No.
And where is she? I don't know.
And I don't care.
Now is that your dad's van parked out front? Only I notice he's got a smashed windscreen.
Did he have an accident? Dad said it was just some punter that he'd had an argument with.
But we thought it had something to do with the court case.
What court case is this? [tense music.]
Some lad was getting charged with assault.
Me dad saw it happen.
He was supposed to be giving evidence against him this morning.
Which court? Northumberland Law Court, I think.
[gentle music.]
[Vera.]
Who's prosecuting? [Aiden.]
Harriet Kapoor.
[tense music.]
Yep, about to go in now.
DCI Stanhope, didn't know you were involved in this case? Ah, we're not, love.
Not directly.
Would you excuse us? We're here about your witness, Jim Tullman.
Tell me you know where he is.
He's halfway to the morgue by now, pet.
Guessing it wasn't natural causes.
No, he was beaten to a pulp.
How well did you know him? I didn't.
We had a meeting to go over his evidence a few weeks ago.
Damn.
And he was a solid witness.
Calm, credible, and best of all he was ready to identify Marcus Hynde.
What's the story with Hynde? He assaulted a kid called Victor Samassi and put him in a coma.
Safe to say he's violent then.
Oh God, you think his death's connected to the case, don't you? Well you've got to question the timing.
Monica's kicking off out here.
[Monica.]
This is absolutely ridiculous.
We've been waiting here for hours.
- No, I don't need to calm - Please, madam, just.
Why haven't we started yet? [Harriet.]
There's a problem with our witness.
[Monica.]
What problem? Erm, it's Mr.
Tullman, love.
I'm afraid he's dead.
Er, okay, so what are you gonna do? Me and my brother have been waiting seven months for this so I'd like to know when he can expect to get some justice? I'm going to ask the judge for more time to prepare a new strategy.
I told you this would happen.
Monica, you have to be patient.
Er, sorry about that.
It's all right.
It's understandable.
This is Ewan Webster, he works for a charity that represents victims.
Ah, DCI Stanhope, DS Healy.
Where is Marcus Hynde? [gentle music.]
Marcus Hynde? Northumberland and City Police.
We'd like to ask a few questions about Jim Tullman.
Marcus, what's going on here? It's the police, mum.
They wanna ask me some questions.
What questions? What's your name, love? Andrea.
Patrick, his brother.
Well, Andrea, we're investigating the murder of Jim Tullman.
Wait, is that the witness? So why are you talking to Marcus? Because I understand Mr.
Tullman was due to begiving evidence against your son in court this morning.
You lot really are unbelievable.
Look, I'm sorry this Tullman bloke is dead, but as for his evidence, it was wrong.
Marcus is innocent.
Now, if you don't mind, he has got a training session to get to.
Before you go, one question, where were you last night? At home.
All of us.
You two make a nice couple.
So you'd be wanting me to check them out.
Aye.
And start with the smart arse brother.
James Tullman, known as Jim.
60 years old, was found beaten to death at the foot of Collingwood Monument early this morning.
Now we haven't had Malcolm's report yet, but safe to say this was an unusually violent attack.
Kenny, what have we got on Tullman? Bare bones at the moment.
No criminal record.
No debts.
Worked as a self-employed builder.
Any issues with the clients? We're checking on that, ma'am.
Right.
What about the wife? Her name's Barbara Tullman.
They'd been separated for about two years.
We're still trying to get an address for her.
Right, well quick as you can with that.
Now then the son, John-Paul, said his father was a regular at a social club on Trent Street and he went there at 6:45 last night.
I spoke to the staff at the club and they confirm that Tullman arrived at seven and left around 9:30.
What about these friends of his? Gary and Leslie Clayton? They both say that Tullman left the club early.
Said he had a big day tomorrow and needed to get home.
Yeah, well I'll need to talk to them.
Now he tells them he's going home, which is no more than 200 yards down the road.
But instead he ends up in Tynemouth.
Now how'd he get there? Didn't walk.
So was he with someone? Hm? Was he given a lift? If so, who by? Now if he was on his own, his best bet would be to take the ferry.
Jac, are you checking on that? We're talking to the ferry company about getting CCTV.
Right.
But the real question is why was he in Tynemouth? Hm? Now his son is adamant he didn't know anyone over that side.
So we better check on that.
And what about motive, ma'am.
Well that's a good question, Mark.
We can't rule this out being a random attack, but he was due to give evidence against a Marcus Hynde in court this morning.
And if we didn't find that suspicious then we shouldn't be doing this job.
Now I'll be talking to the CPS later today to get the details of the case.
But in the meantime, let's do a background check on this Marcus Hynde, and the family.
Could be they're the ones behind this.
Oh, and John-Paul says his dad's windscreen was smashed recently and he thought it might have something to do with the case.
Aiden, what have we got on the windscreen? Well he claimed for the damage against the windscreen.
He's I've got the insurance company calling me later.
Ma'am, Malcolm's ready for you now.
[tense music.]
Have you finished then? Postmortem's done.
You're gonna have to wait for any lab results.
So he died from cerebral haemorrhage caused by the blow to the back of the skull.
We also found what looks like splinters in the wound.
So heavy, blunt and wooden? Correct.
We've sent the splinters off for analysis, see if they can identify the wood.
Meantime, take a look at that.
It was lodged inside your victim's throat.
And, wait for it, placed there after he died.
[tense music.]
What? Someone put it there? My God, the speed of your mind.
So is it his ring? Doubtful, there are no ring marks on any of his fingers.
We will check it for DNA.
It is hallmarked, so you should be able to find out where it was made.
Other than that, it doesn't really tell us much.
Oh, it tells us one thing, Malcolm.
[Malcolm.]
Which is? Tells us this was personal.
[dramatic music.]
[Aiden.]
At least we know it wasn't random.
The fact the killer brought a ring suggests it was premeditated.
Maybe, maybe not.
Killer could have been wearing it.
And shoving it down his throat could have been an after thought, a reflex action.
There's nothing about this killing that says it was planned.
It's messy.
Though I think it's safe to say he was the intended target.
We'll talk to the son, see if he recognises the ring.
And, Kenny, can you contact the local jewellers? See if any of them can identify the hallmark.
Already on it, ma'am.
Jac, is that Tullman's route from the club to the Monument? Yeah.
CCTV shows Tullman boarded the the 22:10 service and arrived in North Shields at 22:18.
Last sighting of him was at 22:21 as he leaves the North Shields terminal.
[Vera.]
Well looks like he was on his own.
[Jac.]
Yeah, as far as we can tell.
Right, so we've got a two hour window from the terminal to the Monument.
But it's only a 15 minute walk.
So we need to determine where he was in the interim.
John-Paul and Amber have turned up at the morgue to identify the body.
Ah, well.
[tense music.]
I wanna know who did it to him.
Well, that's what me and my team are working to find out.
So can I ask you to take a look at something? Either of you recognise that ring? Never seen it before.
- No? - Your dad never wore a ring? He wasn't one for jewellery.
What about a wedding ring? He and your mam were married for 30 odd years, weren't they? And dad never wore one, even when they were together.
So you say you're not in contact with your mam.
So presumably she doesn't know yet what's happened? Look, what is this? You lot are meant to be finding out who did it.
That's what we're doing.
What, by asking about what his marriage and damn rings? Have you seen his body? Someone kicked the life out of him.
I'll get you at the car.
[gentle music.]
[Vera.]
Oh, dear.
His mam is a sore topic, is it? He doesn't like to talk about her.
Did his dad talk about her? Not to me.
We weren't that close.
Ah, but you must have got to know him a bit if you were living in his house? The only time Jim spoke to me was when he wanted something done.
Like what? Cooking.
Cleaning.
His washing.
Jim was a bit old-school when it came to things like housework.
Ah, a woman's place is in the home, eh? Something like that.
I should go check on John-Paul.
Sorry, love.
So what do we think about John-Paul's girlfriend? [Aiden.]
Hm? She's hiding something.
Get Mark to check her alibi.
Make sure she was at her sister's last night.
Are you listening to me? Of course.
Well it doesn't look like you are.
I've to tell Mark to check on Amber's alibi.
Anything else? Aye, you can lose the attitude.
[Gary.]
Honest, we We're still trying to get were heads around it.
I mean It just doesn't seem real.
How long had you known Mr.
Tullman? Oh, 30 years plus.
We met on the first day of were apprenticeship.
Been best mates ever since.
It was Jim introduced me and Leslie.
And Sunday nights here at the club, that was a regular thing was it? Aye, we've been coming since they started the karaoke.
Of course Leslie's the singer.
How was he last night? Jim? Just his usual self.
Did he have much to drink? A couple of pints.
Any spirits? Whiskey? No.
So why did he leave early last night? Well he had the court case.
Did he mention feeling harassed about giving evidence? No, nothing like that.
Hmm.
So after Jim left, what did you two do? We stayed and had another couple of drinks and then we headed home about 10.
Right, well thanks for your time.
Someone attacked Jim, in town.
He told me about it.
Some lad went for him in the street, started shouting abuse, pushing him around.
When was this? Couple of weeks ago.
He say where abouts in town? Jutland Street, I think.
[tense music.]
[Vera.]
If some lad did have a go at Tullman on Jutland Street then there should be plenty of CCTV footage.
And I'll lay money it was Marcus Hynde.
[Harriet.]
So, what do you want to know about the Hynde case? [Vera.]
Well, anything you can tell us.
Okay, so it's a Saturday night, closing time, and Victor Samassi gets into an argument with some drunk lad in the kebab shop.
Marcus Hynde? No, this is his brother, Patrick.
Marcus comes in later.
So Victor leaves the shop, but as he's heading for his bus Patrick catches up and it kicks off.
Problem is Patrick's so out of it Victor just pushes him away.
And that's when it happens.
What? Oh, well last thing Victor remembers is someone attacking him from behind.
He hits the ground and 10 hours later he wakes up in the ICU.
So Marcus jumped in for his brother? Except nobody knew that until Jim Tullman gave his statement.
He saw the attack and identified Marcus Hynde as the assailant.
What about CCTV? [Harriet.]
Blind spot.
What? And no other witnesses? So Jim Tullman was your entire case.
And without him, I've got nothing.
Hmm.
Marcus Hynde, what's he like? Mm, a good kid.
On paper.
Never been in trouble.
Talented footballer, too.
What? Professional? Under 19s at the moment, but he's being courted by a few EPL clubs.
So a lot at stake for him then? Hm, just money, fame and glory.
Hm.
[dramatic music.]
[men shouting indistinctly.]
Kapoor reckons he's about to be snapped up by some big club.
Not if he plays like that.
[Vera.]
What do we know about the mam? Single parent.
Honest.
Hardworking.
And how about the brother, Patrick? Fancies himself as a gangster.
Your boy's got an attitude problem.
Talking of attitude problems, what's going on with Aiden? How do you mean? Well he's been a bit off lately.
Probably trouble at home.
What makes you say that? Well he's a cop, isn't he? So you were right about Jutland Street.
I looked into the Tullman incident and it didn't involve Marcus Hynde.
Patrick? Who the hell do you think you are? If you think that little thug's getting away with it, then you're wrong.
Just because you got to Tullman doesn't mean I'm gonna stop.
Are you here to arrest him? Monica, I need you to leave.
They killed our witness, you know.
Jac, I need you to deal with this.
[Jac.]
Sorry, I'm gonna have to ask you to move on.
Where's Patrick? He's not here.
Kenny.
Where do you think you're going? Can't just walk into my house.
Ah, this warrant says different, love.
[tense music.]
[Kenny.]
Back door! Back door! [Aiden.]
Come here! Stop.
Hey! [dramatic music.]
Aye, all right, I'm going, I'm going.
He hasn't done anything.
- Get off us, man.
- Ma'am? You got a minute? [tense music.]
Check the bag, ma'am.
[tense music continues.]
Heavy, blunt and wooden.
[gentle music.]
Oh, you're in early.
I wanted to get ahead on some things.
Patrick Hynde's brief's turned up.
What? All ready? Yeah, they're talking now.
And I called forensics, it's gonna be at least a day before they can tell us if the bat was a murder weapon.
Yeah, what about his alibi? The family's closing ranks.
They all say they were at home on Sunday night.
So this is all we have on him? It's not much but it's a start.
Well let's see what he's got to say for himself.
Tell you what, you're no slacker, Patrick.
I'll give you that.
What are you? 22? Look at everything you've done already.
We've got here, possession, common assault, ABH, breach, drunk and disorder- Well you only live once, eh? And now you've got witness intimidation to add to your CV.
Hmm? Now these images were captured three weeks ago on Jutland Street.
And I reckon that's you and that's Jim Tullman.
Don't know a Jim Tullman.
Course you do.
He was due to give evidence at your brother's trial.
The one that didn't show up.
Aye, that's the one.
But to be fair, he did have a good excuse, Patrick.
Someone had beaten him to death.
So what did you say to him here? I really don't remember.
Did you follow him after this point? Why would I follow him? Well to make sure he didn't give evidence against your brother.
Word is that Marcus is a real talent.
Lot of big teams looking at him.
He's the Tyneside Messi.
So lots to look forward to then.
Big contract, lots of money.
Ah, but if Marcus went to prison there'd be no meal ticket for you and your mam, would there? Why do you have a baseball bat in your bedroom, Patrick? For playing baseball.
I'm kidding, obviously.
I keep it for protection.
There's a lot of dangerous people running about.
So you have used it on someone then? Not yet.
What about van windscreens? Hmm? Tullman was being harassed in the weeks leading up to your brother's trial.
And I reckon it was you doing the harassing.
You attack him in the street, you smash up his van.
But that wasn't working, was it? 'Cause he was still going to identify your brother.
So the night before your brother's trial you decided to shut him up for good.
Just one problem.
I was at home with mam and Marcus that night.
[tense music.]
Well there's no doubt he's threatening Tullman here.
And it's probably him smashed that windscreen.
Which makes him the main candidate for Tullman's killing.
But he has an alibi.
What? His mam and his brother? Come on.
Well it doesn't matter how weak it is, does it? If we can't place him in Tynemouth on the night then it holds up.
And at the minute we can barely place Tullman in Tynemouth.
Jac, where are we with Tullman's movements after he got off that ferry? He's not showing up in any of the recordings we've got so far.
But there's still more to go through.
Oh, well, we're getting nowhere fast here.
Well as far as I'm concerned, Patrick's got it in his locker to carry this off.
And he's got motive.
Tullman was a threat to his brother's career.
Well I've no doubt he's capable of it.
But it's the ring that bothers me.
I mean shoving it down his throat? That's not this lad's style.
It's too imaginative.
Kenny, where are we with the jewellers? I found a place in Eastbourne.
There's a bunch of jewellers have studios there.
I was going to head down and see if anybody knows who made it.
Right, well we've still got two hours before we have to release him.
Ma'am.
Let's see if forensics come back with anything on the bat.
What? I spoke to Holly Fenn, Amber Fenn's sister.
Now she says that Amber stayed over at her flat on the night of the murder.
- Mm.
- But I've been through Amber's call history and she made two calls to a landline that night at 8:35 P.
M.
and 10:15 P.
M.
Let me guess, the sister's landline? Aye.
So why was she calling her sister's flat if she was there already? Why indeed.
[tense music.]
So can you tell me again, pet, where you were two nights ago? I said, I was at my sister's.
Aye, you did.
But your phone records say otherwise.
You phoned your sister's house twice that night.
Er, yeah, that's right.
I went out to the shop.
I called Holly to ask if there was anything she needed.
[Aiden.]
Calls are 90 minutes apart.
Must've been one hell of a big shop if it took you that long.
Now listen, love.
We can take you and your sister down to the station and keep you there until you tell us the truth, but it'd be much easier if you just told us now, pet.
I was meeting someone.
Who were you meeting? Who were you meeting? I'm sorry.
I should have told you, but I didn't wanna get you upset.
She got in touch after I announced the pregnancy on Facebook.
She said she wanted to be part of it, proper gran like.
Is this John-Paul's mam, Barbara? She's really nice, John-Paul.
Where are you going? When did she get in touch? Couple of months ago.
So you've seen her more than once.
About half a dozen times.
Did John-Paul's dad know? No.
Barbara warned me to be ultra careful whenever we were meeting.
Why? [Amber.]
She was worried what Jim would do if he found out.
Where is she? She works at a cafe.
The Royal.
The one in Tynemouth? [tense music.]
[bell tinkling.]
[Doug.]
What can I get ya? I'm looking for Barbara Tullman.
[Doug.]
Who's asking? Is she here or not? Yeah, she's here.
DCI Vera Stanhope, Northumberland and City Police.
This is DS Healy.
Is there somewhere we can chat? I take it this is about Jim? Aye.
All right, erm I'm going upstairs for a bit, Doug.
Yeah, sure, take your time.
Do you wanna come through? [tense music.]
You worked here long? Just after I left Jim.
Doug's an old school pal.
He gave me a job and a place to stay.
It's not great, and it stinks of chip fat but it's me own space.
Did Amber tell you where I was? Er, she did, love.
Er, and I'm guessing it was Amber told you about your husband? And I'm afraid John-Paul knows you've been in contact.
My fault.
I should never have asked Amber to lie about our meetings.
So why did you? Because I was scared of Jim finding out.
You're not mourning him then? Yeah, I'm mourning him.
He was the father of me son.
But I won't miss him.
Now the night Jim died, any idea why he came to Tynemouth? No.
It wasn't to see me if that's what you're thinking.
But you were here.
Right? Yeah.
Until about nine, when Amber left.
And I walked her to the bus stop, went for drink at the Maltman and I was back here for about half 11.
And you didn't see him? I haven't seen Jim since the night I walked out on our marriage.
Well if you don't mind me asking, why did you leave? I had to get out of there.
Ah, well, can't have been easy after 30 odd years.
Leaving your son, too.
No, John-Paul didn't need me anymore.
Why didn't you get divorced? Because Jim was stalling.
Or maybe you still have feelings for you? Can I just put you straight on Jim Tullman? Look, you're gonna talk to John-Paul and Gary and Leslie and all his clients and his work mates and they'll all tell you that it was a stand up bloke.
That was his public image.
In private he was a cruel, controlling man.
He stalled on the divorce to keep me on a string.
Hm.
Okay, just one other thing, love.
We found a ring at the crime scene.
Have you seen that before? Sorry.
Don't recognise it.
No? Well, that's it.
Thank, love.
Thank you.
[tense music.]
Could I have an egg and tomato roll, love? Doug, isn't it? Yeah.
Right, now was it you who locked up on Sunday night, Doug? Only it couldn't have been Barbara because she said she was out on Sunday night.
Er, yeah.
come to think of it, it was me.
What time? Well we closed about 10, I did some prep for the next day, left at 11.
And then where'd you go? Well it was late, I went home.
My place is a couple of streets back.
Did you see anyone? No.
No one.
Oh, right.
And I'll have one of them, love.
Do we believe her? She didn't see him.
It's only a 10 minute walk from that cafe to the Monument.
[Aiden.]
I'll check with the pub, see if anyone remembers her.
Mm and do a background on Doug, the cafe owner.
I had the feeling he was protective of Barbara.
Mind you, I'm beginning to see Tullman in a different light.
I mean, she didn't actually say the words but I reckon that was an abusive marriage.
We've only got her word for that.
Well there must've been something going on for her to prefer that tiny flat over a cafe to what she had before.
Get Jac to check with the solicitor, see what was really going on in that divorce.
Now come on I'll give you a lift home.
No, no.
You're all right.
I've still got some paperwork to do.
I'll head off later.
I'll see you in the morning, boss.
[tense music.]
[phone ringing.]
Jac? Ma'am, I'm at the ferry terminal going through the CCTV again and I found something weird.
That a technical term, is it? Weird? There's a jogger, on the quay side, just before Tullman boards the ferry.
A jogger? I think it's Monica Samassi.
[dramatic music.]
[Vera.]
Hey, come on.
Where's the Land Rover? [Vera.]
Well it's parked round the side.
What are you stood there thinking about? I was just wondering why we're here.
'Cause Monica was seen at the ferry terminal night Tullman died.
But she's got no reason to kill Tullman.
No motive.
If anything, she needed him alive to get her brother justice.
Yeah, might just be a coincidence.
And you don't like coincidences.
So get your paperwork done, did ya? Yeah.
Yeah, all done.
[tense music.]
[Vera.]
Let's hope the lift's working.
[doorbell ringing.]
What do you two want? Oh, I just need to have a quick word, pet.
Thanks.
Now what you're feeling, Victor's, entirely normal but you have to Everything all right? Sure, we were just talking about Victor maybe going outside soon.
Isn't that right, Victor? [Presenter.]
Imagine a robot- [Monica.]
Victor, don't be rude.
[Presenter.]
And sounds like a human- Well why not let your brother watch the TV? We can talk in here.
[Presenter.]
Science fiction but with Sophia, one of the world's most intelligent robots, it's become a reality.
[Presenter.]
And after flying in from Hong Kong, she joins us now alongside her creator, David Hanson.
Welcome to both of you.
And I can't keep my eyes off her, it's just the most extraordinary thing.
She's so realistic.
I mean- [door slamming.]
Sorry about that.
That's all right, love.
He used to be outgoing.
Fun.
Now he's like a zombie.
I mean the doctor said we should expect some psychological fallout, but it's been seven months.
Is he talking to anyone? I organised a counselling session through the charity, but Victor refused to attend.
He doesn't like leaving the flat, he gets panic attacks if he goes out.
Oh, so he does go out? Only if I'm with him.
And he needs me constantly by his side.
I've had to go part time at the gym just so I can stay home with him.
So you've no one else to help care for him? Mum died last year.
It's just me.
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
Must be a struggle for ya.
But I'm gonna have to ask you where you and your brother were the night Mr.
Tullman died? We were both here.
All night? Not all night.
I went for a run.
And what time was that? I don't know.
About 10.
Do you usually go for a run at 10 o'clock at night? No.
Victor doesn't like being left in the flat on his own.
So I had to wait until he went to sleep.
So where'd you go? Not far.
Quick five K.
Did you go near the ferry terminal? I might have.
I've got a running app on my phone.
It sets up my routes.
Why is the terminal so important? Because Mr.
Tullman was at the terminal at the same time, boarding the ferry.
And you didn't see him? Even if I had, I couldn't tell you.
I've never actually met the man.
So how long have you been doing this? Couple of years now.
I was looking to do some volunteering and this seemed a worthwhile cause.
[Aiden.]
Do you normally do home visits? I usually see clients at our base, or in court, but Victor's agyrophobia is really quite acute.
What are your thoughts on Monica? She puts up a tough front, but she's worried about Victor.
I think she thought the court case would help him move on.
So much for that.
[Vera.]
Did you ever meet Tullman? - Briefly.
- Kenny, what have you got? I had a short session with them about witness intimidation a week or so ago.
And was he being intimidated? No, it's just a routine chat.
And he was very relaxed.
He mention any confrontation with Patrick Hynde? Not to me.
He was calm, confident.
That's why it's all so infuriating.
He's almost the perfect witness.
So will the case be dropped? Who knows? Harriet's a good lawyer.
She might be able to get a conviction even without Tullman's testimony.
I just hope, for Victor and Monica's sake that she does.
Will you excuse us, love? Of course.
Right, cheers.
Kenny's found the jeweller.
[Vera.]
It's about time.
It's mine, but it's an old design.
That dates about three years ago.
[Vera.]
And did you sell many of those, love? Not enough to keep making them.
I'd say about 20 maybe.
[Aiden.]
Do you have records for all the people that you sold them to? If they bought it on me online shop, yeah.
But mostly I sell through galleries or craft fairs.
Ah, well, whatever you've got, love, if you could get it over to us as as soon as you can? That's a pretty design.
Thanks.
It was my take on the old betrothal rings.
When you say betrothal ring? Like an engagement ring.
So whoever bought this Is probably gonna propose.
Thanks, love.
[tense music.]
Ma'am.
Jac, have you come across any evidence of a girlfriend in Tullman's life? No, ma'am.
If he did have someone, he kept them well hidden.
[phone ringing.]
What about the solicitor? What's going on with the divorce? I'm speaking to her later.
[Aiden.]
Ma'am? Malcolm needs to see you.
Right.
So the bad news is your baseball bat was clean.
The lab found no trace of Tullman's blood or DNA on it.
Brilliant.
That was the one piece of physical evidence we had against Patrick Hynde.
Well it is unlikely that the killer used a baseball bat.
Traditionally they're made of either ash or maple.
But analysis of the splinters we found in the wounds show that the weapon was made of pine.
And it had also been treated with a finish.
What sort of finish? Standard timber treatment.
But the big surprise came with the toxicology report.
We found traces of GHB in his system.
GHB? Normally it's very hard to detect because the body processes it so quickly.
But your victim was dead and his body wasn't processing anything at all.
So what's a 60-year-old builder doing taking GHB? Well it's not hard to get hold of, so I've heard.
And there was alcohol found in his system.
So could have been spiked.
You do know that's not him, don't you? [tense music.]
Spiked at the social club? We don't know the drug got into a system at the club.
And given how fast GHB works, it's more likely he ingested it after he left the club.
Anyway, Gary said Tullman had only had a couple of pints, except there was a strong smell of spirits on the body.
[Aiden.]
I'll get Mark to check the club again, shall I? Well yes, please.
Get him to talk to the bar staff, all the regular punters.
Find out what he was drinking and if anyone bought him one.
What are we doing here anyway? Looking for a murder weapon.
[tense music.]
[phone ringing.]
[Aiden.]
All right, cheers, Mark.
[tense music.]
Right, now look at this.
This look like pine to you? Could be.
Course it bloody is.
Get forensics back over here.
You think the killer used on of these? Aye.
And if they did, they improvised the weapon which suggests no forward planning.
[Aiden.]
Well what about the ring? Exactly.
They didn't think to bring a weapon, but they brought the ring.
Now why are you sleeping in the office? And don't give us that look.
Saw your toothbrush in the loo this morning.
I'd rather not discuss it.
Tough, you're my sergeant and you're working my case.
I want to be sure you're not distracted.
Are you saying I'm not on the ball? I'm saying you've been prickly.
Look who's talking.
Come again? Charlie and me have been arguing a bit.
Nothing big but it's draining.
And some nights I can't face it.
So you're hiding in the office? I don't hide.
I'm trying to give us both some space.
Oh, oh, that's big of you.
So while you're kipping in the office, eating takeaway and listening to the footie, she's stuck at home looking after the bairn on her own.
[phone ringing.]
No more sleeping in the office.
Either sort it out with your missus, or find somewhere else to stay.
DCI Stanhope.
[Jac.]
Ma'am, it's Jac.
We've just received a 999 call from Amber.
She's at the Royal Cafe.
I haven't even done anything wrong.
But you won't even listen.
You just believe their lies.
Oh, you shut up as well.
Calm down.
I wanna see her, now.
No, Amber doesn't wanna see you, son.
[Aiden.]
John-Paul, I need you to calm down.
That witch has got Amber in there.
She wants to be here.
Crap, you've turned her against us.
John-Paul, you're not helping anything here.
Why don't you just leave it for now and go cool down somewhere? I'm not leaving without Amber.
What, you fancy a night in a cell? That's fine by me.
[John-Paul.]
I just Amber back.
Well threatening her's not gonna make that happen, is it? Now go home.
I can't.
Why not? I don't wanna be on me own.
Oh, God.
Look, John-Paul, I know it's hard losing your dad, but you're just gonna have to face it, pet.
Now I'll talk to Amber, I'll see what I can do.
Now go home.
I don't want him back again.
I won't have Barbara upset like that.
If he does come back then I might just have to- You might have to what, Mr.
Rooney? Now I reckon Barbara and Amber would appreciate a cup of tea.
Don't you? Hm? [gentle music.]
[phone ringing.]
Aiden, hold on.
Right, go on.
I dropped John-Paul back at the house.
[Vera.]
And how was he? Oh, he's like a big kid.
To be honest, I felt a bit sorry for him.
Where are ya? [Aiden.]
I'm back at the station.
Aiden, I've told you about that.
[Aiden.]
Tullman's insurance claim came in.
The one that he put in for the damage to his van windscreen.
Oh, does it tell us anything? [Aiden.]
Well according to the statement he left the van on Peel Road and he came out to find the windscreen smashed.
Peel How do I know Peel Road? [Aiden.]
It intersects with Hebden Close.
Where the Hynde's live? Marcus, don't go anywhere, pet.
Now don't go anywhere.
Marcus, come back inside the house.
Sweetheart, come back inside.
Marcus, don't go anywhere, sweetheart.
Marcus, don't, come back in.
[dramatic music.]
[car horn honking.]
[dramatic music continues.]
What's happened? Where is he? Patrick, have you tried phoning him again? [Patrick.]
What's the point? Because I'm worried about him.
Right, he's 19 for Christ's sake.
I was staying out when I was 15.
Will you just try him again? I'm just saying, I didn't see you worrying this much when it was me.
Because you didn't matter.
I didn't mean that.
I just meant Can you please call him again? Straight to voicemail.
Well we can put out an alert on Marcus if you tell us why Jim Tullman came to see ya.
Who? The fella who was going to testify against your son.
We know Tullman's van was parked on Peel Road about a week ago.
So did he come to see you? Course not.
Well someone smashed his van up when it was round the corner.
Panned in his windscreen.
It wasn't me.
Hold on, what day was this? Tuesday? Well there you go then, I work all day on Tuesdays.
Seven till four.
And I was in Hull last Tuesday.
So even if Tullman did come to the house, there was nobody here.
How about Marcus? Was Marcus here on Tuesday? Now it could be Tullman paid a visit to Marcus Hynde at his home a week before the murder.
And as we all know a meeting between the accused and a key witness before a court case could result in a mistrial.
So what we're interested in here is whether this little tete a tete was the reason he was killed.
But first things first, we need to find Marcus Hynde and bring him in.
We've got an alert out on him and traffic's looking out for his car.
Good.
Now in the meantime, Kenny, what's going on with forensics? The team went back to the crime scene this morning, ma'am.
Right, and, Jac, did you talk to the solicitor? [Jac.]
Yes, ma'am.
Seems Barbara had been pushing for the divorce, but Tullman was resisting.
Why was he resisting? The solicitor didn't say, but she did mention that Tullman caved three weeks ago.
So he agreed to the divorce? Yeah, but here's the thing.
As soon as he did, Barbara got cold feet.
She was refusing to sign off on it.
[Aiden.]
Good night? Oh, I spent three hours playing Bingo.
Did you win anything? No, but I did speak with someone who was at the karaoke on Sunday night.
He showed us some videos of his mate singing.
I got him to send you one over.
You should have it by now.
Is this relevant? You'll see.
[Vera.]
That's Gary and Leslie.
[Aiden.]
It looks like they're arguing.
Where's he going? What time was this filmed? Around 9:40.
[tense music.]
You all right, Leslie, pet? Come in.
Er, Gary not around? He's gone.
[Vera.]
Gone? Gone where? He's at the Lennox Street Hotel.
Oh.
Now then, the night your mate, Jim, was killed.
Gary said you and he left the club together and came back here.
Hm? But that's not what happened, is it Leslie? We know you and Gary had a row at the club and I'm going to stick my neck out here and guess that row was about Jim Tullman.
You were fond of him weren't ya? I was his first girlfriend, before he met Barbara.
I started seeing Gary after that.
Not because I liked him, but he was Jim's friend and well I thought That you'd still be close to Jim.
So for 30 years you've been in love with your husband's best mate? You must think I'm pathetic.
It's none of my business, love.
But what I am wondering is this, why was Gary so angry that night? Hm? I mean, why then? After all this time? I waited a year after Barbara left Jim.
I gave him his space and then I told him how I felt about him.
And what did he say? He said he felt the same.
So we began meeting during the day when Gary was at work.
And I'm guessing Gary found out? Yes.
But then Jim wanted more from the relationship and I said I wasn't ready.
And he said that was fine.
But when we met after that he spoke about Barbara, said she'd had to certain thoughts about the divorce and that they'd been in touch.
Leslie, where did Gary go after you rowed? I don't know.
Thanks, love.
[tense music.]
[Kenny.]
Ma'am? Kenny, Gary Clayton.
He found out Tullman was having a fling with his missus, and I reckon that gives him a pretty strong motive for murder.
He's over at the Lennox Street Hotel.
So get a team over there and pick him up.
- Will do.
- Hold on.
Aiden? [Aiden.]
Ma'am, I'm at Bridget Cove.
Where are you? Popped up on their system about an hour ago.
He was arrested for going on a joy ride last night.
They had two patrol cars under chase out of Newcastle.
They finally caught up with him two miles down the road.
Anyone hurt? Yeah, arresting officer.
He punched him and broke his nose.
Oh, for God sake.
They've got him in interview room.
[gentle music.]
Well you've really gone and done it now, Marcus.
I mean most people will call it a night after the reckless driving.
But not you.
Oh no.
You had to top it off by taking a pop at the traffic officer.
What the hell were you thinking? I wasn't thinking.
Oh, no, well course.
You got a lot on your plate haven't you, pet? GBH charge, delayed court case.
It's not just the court case.
Oh, what else is there? She's picked out a house, you know? She says she's buying it as soon as I start earning money.
Oh, this your mam you're talking about? I didn't mean to hurt that lad.
Now if you're talking about Victor Samassi I need you to think very carefully about what you say next, love.
Might be an idea to call your solicitor.
I don't know what happened.
I really don't.
I remember it was Patrick who started it, that lad, he was just defending himself.
And I went I lost it.
I kept hitting him.
I couldn't stop.
When it was over, when I saw his face I'm so sorry.
If you were that sorry, Marcus, why didn't you admit to what you'd done? I wanted to go to the police.
I wanted to hand myself in, but- What, your mam wouldn't let ya? Well she said that it was a one off and that good people shouldn't be punished for making one mistake.
And what do you think? I just think about that lad.
Hey, hold up, not done yet.
I need to ask you about Jim Tullman? Now I know we came to your house to see ya.
He turned up at the front door.
This was after Patrick had a go at him in town.
He told me to call Patrick off.
He said that he was wasting his time.
So you smashed up his van? What? No, that wasn't me.
I mean, yes, it did happen while he was at my house, but I didn't do it.
So who did? No idea.
Linda, the neighbour, like she was the one that saw it.
She said that it were some bloke on a motorbike.
What did Tullman mean when he said Patrick was wasting his time.
He said that he was gonna change his testimony and he was gonna tell the court that it wasn't me who he saw.
Yeah, right.
Why would he do that? I've no idea, because he did see me.
He saw what I did to that lad.
Yeah, hold on.
Tullman was gonna let you off the hook? And he told you this over a week ago? So how come this is the first we've heard of it? Because I didn't tell anyone.
Why not? I was hoping Tullman wouldn't change his mind.
The truth is I wanted him to testify against me.
I needed him to do what I was too scared to do.
We only have Marcus's word that Tullman was changing his evidence.
Well no reason to lie, he'd already confessed.
So what made Tullman change his mind? Well that's what I wanna know.
Kapoor said he was the ideal witness.
So did Webster.
So why did he switch? Bribery? Oh, well, whatever the reason he did change his tune, which meant he was no longer a threat to the lad.
He was still a problem for his mum and Patrick, they didn't know he was changing.
They had motive.
And then there's Gary Clayton.
I mean, if he thought that Tullman was sleeping with his wife, that says crime of passion to me.
Have we brought Clayton in yet? He checked out the hotel.
They're trying to track them down.
Don't the Samassi's have motive now? Tullman changing his evidence would mean that Marcus would walk free.
And Monica Samassi was very keen on getting her brother justice.
And she was at the ferry terminal.
Yeah, but they would have had to have known Tullman was changing his evidence.
Maybe Tullman told them? Well he's not gonna do that, is he? And even if he had, she'd have gone straight to Kapoor.
Maybe.
Or maybe she felt so betrayed by Tullman that she killed him before he had the chance to exonerate Hynde.
Okay.
All right.
Jac, look at Monica.
See if there's any way she could have known Tullman was switching.
Don't sit down, we're going out.
See if we can get some answers from Mrs.
Tullman.
There's no way I was going to get back together with that man.
So why did your husband tell Leslie Clayton that you were? I haven't got a clue.
But knowing Jim he'd have his reasons.
So you weren't in contact with him? No.
Leslie said you were.
Yeah, well.
Won't be the first time in her life that Leslie's got it wrong.
I've told you before, I washed my hands of Jim.
I didn't want him in my life.
So why did you stall on the divorce? Aye, the solicitor said your husband was ready to proceed.
The only person stalling was you.
So why didn't you sign? Oh, you're right.
You're right.
Jim offered me a divorce on condition that I gave up my share of the house.
I mean, how am I gonna agree to that? Look at me, I'm a waitress.
I've got no cash, no savings, no home.
I needed Jim to buy me out so I could start again.
So what happens to the house now? I mean technically you're still married, so that means it goes to you, right? I hadn't really thought about it.
[Aiden.]
Somehow I doubt that.
Whose motorbike is that? Oh, that's Doug's pride and joy.
Did Doug know about the troubles you had with your husband, and the divorce? How'd you mean? Did you discuss it with him? Er, yeah, I might've had a chat about it.
What did he think? Well it was out of order.
What? That your husband was out of order? Where is Doug now? Oh, erm, Amber asked him to get some things from the house.
Thanks, love.
[tense music.]
Mr.
Rooney? Oi, oi, oi, hold on.
Hold on.
That was nothing to do with me.
[tense music.]
John-Paul? [John-Paul groaning.]
John-Paul? Help.
[car horn honking.]
[tense music.]
How's John-Paul doing? Injuries are bad but not life-threatening.
Kept him in overnight.
We can speak to him this afternoon.
Right.
That Mr.
Egg and Chips in there? Yeah.
Well he can wait.
Morning, ma'am.
It wasn't me.
Look, I never laid a finger on that lad.
And that's the God's truth.
I just went over to pick up some clothes for Amber.
That was all.
Why were you running? I wasn't.
I was just leaving.
Leaving? What? You were gonna abandon him? Leave him there in that state? [Aiden.]
Why did you not call an ambulance? I guess I was frightened.
[Vera.]
Of what? Of whoever did that to him.
I was worried they might still be about.
Oh, doesn't sound like the tough guy who was issuing threats a couple of days ago.
No, look, I didn't mean anything by that.
Ah, so what do you make of that then? Well, that wasn't me.
Well we have a witness who saw a man smash that windscreen.
And she said the man left on a What sort of vehicle was it, DS Healy? A motorbike.
You have a motorbike, don't you? I was angry.
Look, he'd upset Barbara by cheating her out of her share of the house.
So I went to see him.
Oh, how'd that go down? He didn't wanna know.
He told us to sod off and mind me own business.
So I waited down the road and when he came out, I followed him.
And then smashed his windscreen.
Like I said, I was angry.
You know what this is? What's that, ma'am? Some girl he had a thing for back in the day, a girl he had no hope of landing 30 years ago comes knocking on his door with nothing but the clothes on her back and an estranged husband with a grudge.
But he takes her in.
He gives her a job, roof over her head, 'cause he's a decent bloke, he's a nice fella.
I was being a friend.
Ah, well, you can tell yourself that if you like, love.
But I think deep down you thought maybe, just maybe, this might turn into something more.
Maybe a romance.
But there was just one problem, Jim Tullman.
I mean, how were you and Barbara going to get together with Jimbo on the scene? Hm? And I bet you'd have done anything to rid her of that bully of a man.
He did come to the cafe that night, didn't he? Doug, we've looked at every aspect of that man's life and the only person he knew in Tynemouth was Barbara.
He came to the back door.
He said he wanted to see Barbara.
I told him she was out.
But he said he'd wait.
Did you give him something to drink? What? No, of course not.
So he came to the cafe.
Then what happened? Well that was it.
He waited and when she didn't show, he left.
And you just let him go? What else would I have done? What else? Well maybe you decided enough was enough.
Maybe you followed him up to that monument and killed him.
'Cause that would have solved everything, wouldn't it? He'd be dead, Barbara would get the house and you'd get Barbara.
I didn't kill him.
I didn't do anything.
I just sat there while he slagged me off.
I sat there like a bloody coward 'cause the truth is I was scared of him.
There, are you happy? Why'd he come to see Barbara? I don't know.
When he left he said, "Tell her it's about the fig tree.
" The fig tree? What did he mean by that? I've no idea.
I never heard cowardice being used as defence before.
Well just 'cause he's a coward doesn't mean he's not a murderer.
Tullman was incapacitated by the GHB.
Now you don't have to be brave to tackle a fellow who's been drugged, do ya? Now listen up, everyone.
Tullman did visit the Royal Cafe the night he died.
He went there looking for his wife, Barbara, but instead found Doug Rooney, the cafe owner.
Now Rooney said Tullman was abusive and then left.
But I want a forensic team going over that cafe, and Barbara's flat upstairs.
Will you get onto that, Jac? And Mark, Rooney said Tullman mentioned the fig tree.
Now what is that? Is it a restaurant, shop, cafe? Find out.
Ma'am, Anita Sinha, the jeweller, has sent a list of her customers who bought the betrothal ring.
Now is there anyone with a connection to Tullman? Not that I can see right now, no.
Right, well keep digging, Kenny.
- Will do.
- Thank you.
Forensics have confirmed that the wood post found at the crime scene is the same type of wood as the splinters found on Tullman's body.
They find the actual murder weapon? No, but uniform, they've picked up Gary Clayton outside a pub on the riverside.
Right.
Look at the state of you, man.
[Gary.]
Me wife doesn't love us.
Oh, here we go.
She loves him.
Always has done.
I knew, even when we got married.
The barman stopped serving him and called the police once he refused to go.
Right, Gary, I need to talk to you about the night Jim died.
But you're in no state to answer any questions now - so I need you to go home.
- I went after him.
Gary, for your own good I need you to button it.
I was gonna have it out with him, man-to-man, mano-e-mano, but I ended up doing something terrible.
Gary I'm warning you.
I went to a strip club.
You what? I couldn't find him, could I? Give me strength.
I didn't really want to go, but, see, I knew Leslie wouldn't approve.
Didn't enjoy it though.
Nice girls, but I just felt out of place, like.
Make sure you get him home, let him sleep it off.
Bloody idiot.
And on the subject of sleep, where did you end up spending the night? My mate's house.
You need to make good with your missus.
Yeah, well maybe Charlie needs to make good with me for once.
Oh, grow up.
You're a husband and a father.
I don't see why it's always me that has to back down.
No, well, if you don't, you risk losing them.
You could end up like him.
I'll never end up like him.
- Jac? - Can't afford the posh hotels.
Seriously, Aiden, whatever it takes.
Jac, give me some good news.
The search team are on their way to the cafe.
Right, listen, is there any way Monica Samassi could have known Tullman might change his testimony? On the day Tullman died she did get a few calls.
Most of them came from an office at the law court.
Well, well, well.
It was a mistake, I was just trying to manage her expectations.
Monica had become completely obsessed with the case.
She'd pinned everything on Marcus Hynde being found guilty.
Oh, and knowing how strongly she felt you thought it'd be a good idea to tell her Tullman was switching.
Look, Kapoor asked me to go and see him, just to sound him out, and I got the impression he was wavering.
Oh, you hear that? He got the impression.
Bad enough he tells Monica her only witness is about to betray her, it might not even have been true.
I thought it was true.
I've been doing this long enough to know when a witness is getting cold feet.
So why not tell Kapoor? I don't know, I hoped I was wrong.
But I still felt I had to prepare Monica for disappointment.
Oh, and in doing so you gave her a reason to go after Tullman.
No, she understood.
She said she didn't hold it against him.
Pull the other one.
There's that lass stuck in a flat with a brother she can't help and the one man who could have got her justice is bottling it.
Gonna let Marcus Hynde walk free.
Now if that was you, that was your brother, wouldn't you have held it against him? [tense music.]
Why am I here? Because you saw Tullman was going to change his testimony.
Webster called you, the day before the trial.
Hey, that must've been a gut punch that.
Marcus Hynde walking free after what he did to your brother.
Now we downloaded the routes for your running app.
The night Tullman died you ran more than five K.
Hmm, according to the app you ran from your flat, all the way to Tullman's house.
Then you turned your phone off, because there's nothing more recorded on the app.
[Monica.]
I didn't kill Tullman.
Well you went to find him.
Because I wanted to know if he was gonna let Hynde walk free.
How did you know where he lived? I knew his name.
Webster told me he was a builder.
So it was easy to find out where he lived.
I ran over there to have it out with him, but he wasn't in.
I didn't see him.
Well you must've seen him when you followed him to the ferry terminal.
I didn't follow him.
And I didn't know he was on that ferry.
I'm telling the truth.
Going along the river is the fastest way back to the flat.
I was just going home.
Why turn your phone off? It must've ran out of battery.
Okay.
Okay.
So let's go back to Tullman's house.
According to the app, you were there for 10 minutes.
[Monica.]
I waited to see if he came back.
How do you know he wasn't in? I rang the bell.
No one answered.
[Vera.]
You didn't see John-Paul? Who's John Paul? His son.
He said he was home all night.
Well he's lying.
There was no one there.
[tense music.]
The night your dad died, you remember that, don't you? 'Cause you told us you were home all night.
Aye, and I was.
I never went out.
Really? Only we know someone who came knocking on your door that night and there was no answer.
I must've been in bed.
At 10 o'clock? I was tired.
Now leave me alone.
Tell us about the person who attacked you.
You must be able to remember something about that.
Was it a man or a woman? Old, young, big, small? I don't remember.
Was it Doug Rooney? I said, I don't remember.
Tell us about the fig tree.
I don't wanna talk anymore.
[tense music.]
What was all that about? I don't know yet.
But I tell you what it's not about, it's not about the Hyndes or the Samassis.
And it's not about Jim Tullman witnessing an assault.
[phone ringing.]
We've missed something.
Jac? I found something at the flat, ma'am.
[Vera.]
Well, what is it? [Jac.]
There's two shirts.
And they're covered in blood.
So, two articles of clothing, one large man's shirt and one medium sized Northumberland Daggers replica football top.
What about the blood? Well tests show it's human and it's the same blood on both shirts.
Well someone lost a lot of it.
Can you date the blood? Determine when it got onto the shirts? That's a little bit beyond us I'm afraid.
It has to be within the last two years.
Oh really, DS Healy, and that's your scientific opinion, is it? Well the Daggers shirt, that design is from two seasons ago.
Oh, well I suppose I'll have to give you that.
Well done.
[tense music.]
Ma'am, Barbara Tullman's in custody now.
Right.
Er, ma'am, regarding the fig tree.
The only local reference I found was a restaurant in Jesmond, but it closed down.
When did it close? About 18 months ago.
I'm gonna show you a couple of photos of some items we found in your flat, under your bed wrapped in plastic.
So do you want to tell us about those? We've tested these blood stained shirts, it's the same blood on both.
So who's ever blood it was, they lost a lot of it.
Okay.
All right.
I'll tell you what I think.
I think these shirts belong to your husband and your son and whatever happened to cause this is the reason that Jim was killed and John-Paul is lying in a hospital bed.
Now I don't know exactly what happened, but I believe it has something to do with these shirts and the Fig Tree restaurant.
I don't know the whole story.
I was only there part of the night.
It was Jim's birthday.
John-Paul wanted to celebrate.
He booked a table at the Fig Tree.
Night was a disaster.
Jim was in a foul mood and it didn't help that the table next to us was getting a bit loud.
Eventually Jim tells them to keep it down.
Usually people did what Jim said.
But this bloke stands up to him, tells him they've a right to enjoy their meal.
So then what happened? Well this time the whole restaurant's looking at us.
Not only is Jim angry, he's lost face and I know there's gonna be trouble.
Outside, Jim puts me in a taxi, sends me home and him and John-Paul wait outside the restaurant.
And I'm guessing they were wearing these shirts.
Couple of hours later, they come home covered in blood.
I ask Jim what happened, he just tells me to get rid of the shirts.
So why didn't you? I don't know.
I planned to.
But then about a week later I saw this story in the local paper.
This young lawyer who'd collapsed in court, died of a blood clot.
And there was a picture of him.
Oh, I felt sick.
I knew Jim had done this.
He'd killed this poor man.
So why not go to the police? 'Cause me son was involved.
Why did you keep these shirts for so long? I told him if he didn't let me go I'd send them to the police and tell them what he'd done.
It worked.
What was this fella's name? Aldo.
Aldo Rossi.
[dramatic music.]
[Aiden.]
Interview terminated, 16:42.
The list, Kenny.
The list.
The ring list.
I knew it.
Aldo Rossi.
Well done, Kenny.
He bought a ring from Anita Sinha, paid by credit card, on the 14th of August, 2017.
Now who did he buy that ring for? [tense music.]
[doorbell ringing.]
It's two years since he died.
I'm only now getting back to normal.
Yeah, well we're sorry to be opening old wounds, Mrs.
Rossi.
The wounds never close, me dear.
And I guess we'd like to start by asking what kind of person Aldo was? He was a remarkable young man.
But I'm biassed, I suppose.
Did he have anyone special in his life? A girlfriend or fiance, maybe? No.
Oh, there were a lot of girls who liked him, but Aldo always said he wasn't the type to settle down with a wife and kids.
Oh, is that right? So no one he was close to? Well he had lots of friends.
Friends like Ewan? Yes, Ewan Webster.
Do you know him? He and Aldo were as thick as thieves.
[dramatic music.]
[tense music.]
To have lost him like that.
Oh, that can't have been easy.
A loss that can't be recovered.
Hmm.
So that night at the fig tree, they were waiting outside for you.
It all happened so quickly.
Tullman was punching Aldo before I knew it.
And the son too.
Aldo's face was covered in blood.
He went down so Tullman kicked him in the temple.
I tried to help him but the son had me up against the wall.
Didn't hit me.
Just held me there.
Let me watch as Tullman jumped on Aldo's head.
I thought he was gonna kill him.
But he didn't.
Aldo walked away.
I took him home.
He was in a bad way but he said he was all right.
He even made a joke about it.
Then six days later I get a call.
He's collapsed.
Dropped dead.
Why didn't you tell anyone at the time? I thought about it, but I couldn't identify Tullman and the doctor at the hospital said she couldn't confirm that Aldo's death was a result of the assault.
So how did Tullman come into it? Witness orientation.
I was there when they showed him round the court, and as soon as I saw him I knew.
Well, you should have come to us.
We both know how it works.
A two-year-old crime, no witnesses, no forensics.
I wouldn't get justice.
So you doled out your own? No, I didn't start out on some revenge mission.
I tried to forget about it.
But after about a week realised it wouldn't let go of me.
I went to his house, I just wanted him to admit what he'd done.
He denied everything.
Said I'd made a mistake.
Said I was harassing him and that if I didn't leave him alone he was gonna call the police.
Can you believe that? Well I think you must have spooked him 'cause I reckon that's why he backed out of identifying Marcus Hynde in court.
Or maybe he was afraid it would draw attention to himself.
Hm.
I feel bad for Victor and Monica though.
They deserve their justice too.
How'd you get the GHB into him? I promised him I'd leave him alone if he just had a drink with me.
To toast Aldo.
And he thought about it.
He looked me over, weighed me up, must have decided I wasn't a threat.
So we walked up to the monument and he's drinking all the way.
My plan was just to get him to admit what he'd done.
I didn't care about the court.
I just needed to hear him say it was him.
And did he? He laughed.
Well that would have been the effect of the drugs, pet.
I could feel the anger build.
I tried to walk away.
Got as far as the gate but I could still hear him.
And it was just lying on the grass.
So I picked it up.
And I walked back over there.
And he's still laughing.
And I hit him.
And I kept hitting him until I was exhausted.
Why did you shove the ring down his throat? I did it for Aldo.
I thought he'd appreciate the flourish.
Thought I'd feel better.
Ah, but you didn't though, did you, pet? Hm? Maybe for a day or two.
But then there was John-Paul.
It didn't seem right that Tullman should be the only one punished.
Well you stopped short of killing him.
Why? I don't know.
There was a cot, still in the box.
I just Me and Aldo wanted kids too.
Ewan Webster, I'm arresting you for the murder of James Tullman.
You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something you later rely on in court.
Anything you do say [gentle music.]
Right, so, er, do you want dropping anywhere? At home? I've called a truce.
Me and the wife are having dinner tonight, we're gonna try and sort things out.
Oh good.
Now if you want my advice, be patient.
Listen to her and be prepared to compromise.
Right, that's your advice is it? Aye.
Patience and compromise? Yeah, and be flexible.
[Aiden.]
Oh.
Flexible.
Can you hear yourself? [Vera.]
Are you saying I'm not flexible? [Aiden.]
I'm not saying anything.
[Vera.]
Oh, I'm flexible, mate.
I put up with you for a start.
[gentle music.]
[upbeat theme music.]