Silent Witness (1996) s15e08 Episode Script

My brother was evil.
I feel guilty about what he did.
I feel guilty about grieving for him.
Do you really think her work got her killed? I can't prove anything.
Who did Rachel feel compelled to confront? My sense was that she'd made some kind of breakthrough.
My daughter has spina bifida.
Are you personally going to guarantee her safety? Leo, what is going on? Where are you? Found him like this, didn't we? Together.
He wants to see you.
Gotta go.
Right.
Here I am.
I just wanted to express my sympathy.
I'm talking about all the unwanted attention you're getting from coppers, forensics and the rest.
Must be very stressful.
I mean, you're under the microscope, aren't you? Business as usual.
That's my motto.
Looks bad, though, that woman dying like that.
Kruger.
Looks like she found something.
Not your problem, though, is it? Things have changed, Daniel.
A blind man can see that.
And that change needs to be reflected.
You think I can't go elsewhere for my needs, you're deluded.
How much? We'll figure out the details later.
It's the principle.
All right.
I'll sleep on it.
How's that? Daniel Kessler left the Met under something of a cloud, to put it mildly.
He had a reputation for taking kickbacks and beating up suspects and so on, but he had an arrest sheet a mile long, so So, chalk it up to professional enthusiasm? Right, until this unfortunate event.
Christ.
Yes.
Kessler said that he was looking for Potter in one of his known haunts and found him like this.
He wasn't just murdered, he was brutalised.
And a couple of months before, he had fed him some dud intelligence and left Kessler with a bit of egg on his face in Old Bailey Court Number One.
He was never charged with this? No.
His partner corroborated the whole story, said they had found him like this.
DI Bridges? DS Bridges, as was.
Rumour has it that Kessler was the father of Bridges' child.
Whoa.
If true, is some leverage.
If.
The provenance of all this scandalous info is Miriam Wade.
Yeah, well, the team of her guys at her law firm, but yes.
What's her angle on it? She must have an angle on it.
She thinks that Rachel Kruger and Owen had found proof that her brother was murdered and that's why they were killed.
Have you told Leo about this? I'm just gonna ring him now.
Maybe wait until tomorrow.
Why? He's not himself.
Can't put my finger on it.
Try.
He's angry about something.
And it's not about Rachel Kruger or this case.
He just thinks it is.
Thank you very much! Ashley, don't do that.
See why your missus left you! Who wants another drink, boys? Yeah.
You gettin' one? Sweet.
Here y'are, darlin'.
Daniel.
I don't wanna do it any more.
I'll remortgage the house.
I'll I'll take out another credit card.
When you gonna pay that credit card back, Ellis? When you win the lottery? Come here.
I hear you, Daniel, I do.
How much are you on? What, 19 grand? You think that's what you're worth? Risking your life, hanging out with kiddie boffers, mopping up cum and puke, peering up arseholes for carving knives.
What do footballers get paid, eh? What do pop stars get paid? What's the Home Secretary on? It's just us, mate.
No-one else gives a shit.
It's not that I'm not grateful.
I am.
You cut me in and I appreciate that, always, I do.
I just Don't wanna do it any more.
Then don't.
I respect your decision.
Really? Really.
Come here, you nutter.
Sorry.
Jesus Christ! Say no more.
I'll take this reprobate home with me.
No, sorry No, it's fine, honestly.
He can stay the night at mine and in the morning, me kids'll jump on his head.
That'll teach him! That's a really kind offer, but there's no way I can accept.
OK, if you're sure.
Yeah.
Right, come on, you.
In you get, that's it.
Go on.
There you go.
Oh, nice! Wait there.
Sorry.
Oi! I think he's ready for bed.
Right.
Er, it's upstairs on the right.
Right, on the right.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Sweet.
No worries.
Oi, come on.
It's, er, it's Daniel, by the way.
Oh, it's Sharon.
Sharon, would love a quick cup of coffee, if there's one going.
Of course.
He didn't! Yes, he did.
Ohh.
Oh, no.
Ellis told me about your job falling through.
Yeah, it was a blow.
I mean, it was the whole reason we came here in the first place.
Pff Some welcome to the Beautiful South that turned out to be.
My own fault.
We shouldn't have come without a contract.
Ellis has settled in well.
Yeah, that's thanks to you, I hear.
Big change, you know.
Moving down to London.
Going from Cat C to Cat A.
Hear you've got some right scary bastards.
Nah, they don't scare me.
It's all posture.
Front.
They're the ones who are scared.
In their hearts, they know they're worthless.
Still, someone's got to deal with them.
Well I've taken up enough of your time.
No, no.
Don't be silly.
It's nice to have someone to talk to.
Oh.
Sorry.
That sounded really lame.
No.
No, it didn't.
You probably haven't made many friends down here yet, have you? No.
No, I haven't.
Ahh.
You're desperately homesick, aren't you? Oh, come on.
Oh, Sharon.
You know? Everyone needs someone to talk to.
You know? OK, you've got Ellis, but well, he strikes me as the, er keep-it-all-in type, you know? A man's man.
That's a rubbish Northern accent! Well, on that very low note, I shall take my leave.
Sorry about last night.
Dunno what happened there.
You let your hair down.
We all did.
Now, come on, get that down you.
We need to go and have a word with a certain person.
We're putting things on ice for a bit.
All this scrutiny, we'd be mad not to.
So, I slept on it.
Get rid of him.
Oi, don't you talk to one of my officers like that.
Righty-o.
Right.
Bend over.
Only joking.
Jesus Christ.
Stay with me.
Come on.
Daniel, move! This is my blood.
And this is expirated blood.
It's blood.
I couldn't tell you yet whether it's expirated or not.
No, I'm telling you it is.
He coughed it up when I was clearing his airways.
Good memory for a man who's just been stabbed.
There's a deep incision to his throat and extensive blood deposits.
Body in a foetal position, consistent with victim trying to protect himself from repeated blows.
He's just killed a prison guard he's not the bloody victim.
It's OK, Gordon.
It's it's not what he means.
Any attempt made to save this man? Dr Ross? I, er, focused my efforts on Ellis Roberts.
He was still alive.
Too bloody right.
So you were walking past the cellblock entrance and heard what? Screaming.
I didn't know it was Roberts.
Just came running.
Johnson was holding the shank and kneeling next to Roberts' body.
Like he was going to stab him again? Yeah.
That's when I waded in.
Detective Sergeant? Twist of cellophane found in a hollow in his shoe.
I need access to Ellis Roberts' locker and his car, please.
Why? What's going on? It doesn't concern you.
It doesn't concern me? I just seen that kid die right in front of my eyes, so don't tell me it doesn't concern me! Hey What? There.
Take as many pictures as you want.
Move! Get back here now! Harry? No! No! No! No! No! No! No! I deserve that.
I know I do.
The presence of bilateral periorbital haematomas and a nasal fracture suggests a sustained blunt-force traumatic assault to the head.
The tramlined bruises across the arms and hands are consistent with the victim attempting to defend himself from heavy blows with some cylindrical object.
As well as the bruises, x-rays show that he sustained six broken fingers four on the left hand, two on the right.
These injuries would've made it impossible for Johnson to hold onto the blade.
What's your point? Kessler claimed that he beat Johnson to death as an act of self-defence.
He was defending Ellis Roberts, who was still alive and bleeding heavily.
Once Johnson was unable to hold onto the blade, who or what was Kessler defending them against? Let's move on.
They found cocaine in Ellis's car.
Drugs? No.
No.
No, there's no way Sharon.
Sharon, they found them.
They found them.
They did, I'm sorry.
Now, look, what this means is, they're gonna try and build on it.
The police.
They'll try and pin the murders of the two prison inspectors on him.
Yeah, I used to be a copper, I know how they tick.
Dead men can't defend themselves.
Now, look Of course we know it's all a pack of lies, don't we? But we have to back him up.
What? Who? Who? Ellis.
Look, when they asked him where he was on Sunday night, he said he was home with you.
But he wasn't.
There is a single slash wound to the throat consistent with the tangential movement of a sharp implement across the skin surface.
The combination of a short blade, consistent with the one found at the crime scene, and a deep wound.
A possible explanation is that the victim's head was drawn back to expose the throat.
I think that we should check his forehead for fingerprints or palm prints, maybe.
So, Johnson crept up on him from behind? Or Roberts trusted the killer and the attack was a surprise.
If Roberts was in business with Johnson, he probably wasn't expecting to get stabbed by him.
If.
We found drugs in his car and Johnson controlled all the traffic going in and out of Redhill.
What's more, Roberts had no alibi worthy of the name for the night of the Kruger and Owen murders murders all the evidence suggests were carried out by a prison guard.
Well, it sounds like you've solved four murders in one morning.
That must be some sort of a record.
OK.
Let's all take a breath, shall we? I share your frustration.
Do you share my doubts? What, about The Kessler Version? Too bloody right.
Roberts' throat was cut from left to right and Johnson was left-handed.
And why would he want to kill him in the first place? Johnson was ambidextrous, or close enough, and drug dealers kill each other all the time.
Well, yes.
It's a lot of niggling questions, all of which can, to some extent, be answered.
Thanks.
She could be right about Roberts killing Kruger and Owen.
Maybe they were getting close to exposing Kessler's illegal activities.
Mm.
And Kessler is smart.
He would know that if anything did happen to them, that he would be the prime suspect, so So, he gets Roberts to kill them and then makes sure he's on every camera in Redhill when the deed is done.
Wonderful.
If only we could prove a bloody word of it.
But the bottom line is, DI Bridges hasn't behaved unprofessionally and the fact that she worked with Kessler isn't grounds to try and get her removed.
So, we're stuck with her and her belief that now all four murders have been solved.
Come on, she doesn't believe that! He's holding a baby over her it's bloody obvious! Miriam, it's Harry Cunningham.
Look, these rumours about, er, Daniel Kessler being the father of Bridges' child How hard would it be to, er, put them to the test? Would you like one of these? My little one won't mind.
Oh, that's kind, but Yes, please.
All right, then.
Thanks.
No problem.
I'll get rid of that.
He just drove off? Yeah.
Did you get his number? No.
But you're OK? Could've been worse, I suppose.
You'll, er, need to file a police report.
Insurance.
Sure.
Yeah, I'll do it first thing.
I was calling and calling and calling you.
Your phone must be on silent.
Here, Chris? Chris, come and help Daddy.
Come on, be a good boy.
There you go.
Let's do Daddy's work.
Will you hold this for me? Yeah? Be careful.
That's it.
You're a big boy now, ain't ya? Gotcha! Leo? Who said chivalry's dead? He's keeping her close.
Good afternoon.
Professor Dalton.
Sharon's come to view her husband's body.
Family members only, I'm afraid.
I won't come in.
Just here for support.
You OK? Daniel? Nikki Alexander.
Of course.
How are you doing? Just wish I'd got to that cell ten seconds earlier, you know? Actually, on that note, we're trying to dot the I's and cross the T's on the forensics.
There's no chance that I could take your palm print, is there? My palm print? Ah, sweet.
Yours? Godson.
Don't leave it too long.
You won't be35 for ever.
Good guess.
So, come on, then.
What is it? A, B, or C? You don't want kids.
You're waiting for Mr Right.
You've met Mr Right, but Mr Right's a bloody idiot who doesn't know what's good for him.
Done.
You don't have to answer that.
Here.
That's my lot.
Four! Glutton for punishment.
Wow.
Ellis.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry.
I'm sorry.
Match for what? We found a very distinct palm print on Ellis Roberts's forehead, suggesting that his head was held with force.
My palm print? That's right.
That's it.
Um when I was staunching the wound, he had a spasm.
A spasm? Yeah.
His head started banging on the floor, so I, you know, tried to hold him steady.
Could you show me? Yeah, course.
So, I held the wound like this and his head like that.
No.
That's not it.
You see, the palmar flexion creases tell me that the hand was the other way around, with the thumb up, not down.
Yeah, that's right.
Where's Sharon? Well, she was in a bad way.
We put her in a car.
What do you mean, you put her in a car? Where is she? She's gone.
I think you'd better leave, too.
What did you say to her? Please don't make me have to call security.
Hi.
Hi.
Are you OK? Yeah.
Overkill on the old wedding plans, eh? The wedding's off.
He bailed.
Gotta love the British press.
You know, I thought when, er when he died, the headlines would die with him.
But it's, um He's a myth now.
He's a bogeyman.
What did he say? Alan? Um, that it was about the children that we that we planned to have.
They cancelled the wedding.
It's their future he was worried about, the shadow they'd grow up in.
I'm sorry.
I told myself this one was different.
'I'll get rid of that.
' Bloody hell.
Bloody hell, indeed.
Are you sure you're not in over your head, Dr Cunningham? 'Emergency.
Which service do you require?' Yeah, police! All clear.
I'm sorry, I just Thanks.
Best to be safe than sorry.
Daniel Kessler is Alex Bridges' father.
So, what's the plan? We threaten a senior police officer with an illegally obtained DNA sample? We give her an opportunity to come clean.
We don't know that she covered for him.
Look Does this really look to you like he slipped in the blood? It's not impossible.
Given all we know.
I'll do it.
You'll do it? I'll speak to her.
Woman to woman.
No, stay on campus and I'll come and collect you.
I'll explain later.
It's nothing to worry about.
Yeah.
Love you.
Liar.
I think this is yours.
Mm.
Nice house.
Shame you don't own it.
I haven't met Janet, but I did drive by this morning and see her leave for work.
Get out of my house! What are you gonna do? Call the cops again? Think they'll come? No.
I don't think she's happy, Leo.
What's changed? In the pictures on your phone, she seems carefree, confident.
That special look women have when they're loved and cherished.
What is it with you and the ladies, eh? Just doesn't quite pan out, does it, Leo? Couldn't save Rachel Kruger.
Couldn't save Theresa.
Couldn't save Cassie.
Some loser ran my wife and kids over, they would die screaming, I can tell you.
Sod the law, screw the consequences.
Did you? Get even, Leo? Did you do right by your Theresa? Your Cassie? Nah.
You did nothing, did you? You sat at home, moping and crying.
Sat at home wishing you were the kind of man that could do something.
Mm.
Hm.
I'll give you that one.
Just that one.
And no more.
Ever.
You should've called.
I'm kind of in the thick of it.
Can we talk in your office? About what? It's a private matter.
It's about Daniel Kessler.
Daniel Kessler is not someone you need to worry your pretty little What about your husband? Does he need to worry about him? You accepted Kessler's account of what happened in that cell at face value, and you're not asking the questions you should be asking Let's get back to my husband.
In a minute.
In 2003, you were a key witness in an inquiry into Kessler's activities, specifically the death of his source, Craig Potter.
That's public knowledge.
So what? Without your exculpatory testimony, Kessler would've faced a murder charge.
He didn't kill Potter, we found him like that, and that's what I told the inquiry.
So what? So, why, as you were such a staunch defender of him then, can you not even bear to look at him now? I know that Daniel Kessler is the father of your son, Alex.
How dare you? Is that what he held over you when it came to Potter's death? How dare you! Look at these pictures and tell me that's how you found him.
Look at them.
How did you get Alex's DNA? Look at them, Andrea.
I have a right to know.
No, you have more important things to worry about.
If you lied about Craig Potter to save your marriage then the blood of Kessler's other victims is on your hands.
What other victims? Oh, come on, Andrea.
We both know that he killed Johnson and Roberts and we both know that one of the guards probably Roberts killed Kruger and Owen at his command.
So, I have one question is he going to get away with it again? Blackmailing a police officer.
That's not the end of your career.
That's prison.
No-one deserves to die like this.
No-one.
Nigel, he We had problems conceiving.
We called Alex our little miracle.
Our gift from God.
I beg you.
Alex is just a little boy.
This will destroy him.
Please.
If there was another way, but there isn't.
Is there? It's draft e-mails, it's letters, er, interview transcripts, aide memoires.
Peter.
It's going to tell us who killed her, Leo.
Peter, slow down.
Just give me the headlines.
OK.
At the beginning of last week, she got a warrant via the Home Office, granting access to the bank records of all the staff at Redhill.
OK.
Anything to do with the death of James Wade? OK She wrote to the coroner, requesting digital copies of Wade's postmortem pictures.
I mean, she had hard copies.
But, Leo, she wanted to blow them up.
Any sense of what she was looking for? No.
No, I'm sorry.
I It's OK.
It's OK, we can get hold of those photographs ourselves.
What are these? Blanket fibres, maybe? Fibres are the same grey as the blanket on Benjamin Johnson's bed, so presumably standard Redhill issue.
Yeah, but it's stuck to his skin with some kind of adhesive.
Is there anything in the death report about a medical patch? No.
Nothing.
I need to give a formal statement.
Give a statement or take a statement? Give a statement.
After I pronounced Wade dead, I checked him for external injuries I would have found a patch.
Yeah, but if it was Kessler who smuggled in the patch to Wade, it makes sense that Kessler would have removed it before you arrived.
Yes.
He'd also have had a strong financial incentive to do that.
What? The fentanyl can be extracted from the patches and converted into China White.
That patch could be worth £1,000 in the prison market.
I can think of another reason why Kessler would've removed the patch.
Didn't you say all the staff knew about Wade's opiate intolerance? What, he supplied him the patch with the intention of poisoning him? Well, Wade had a bounty on his head.
You want a prisoner taken out at Redhill, who better to go to? Hang on.
Why would Wade take a drug which he knew was going to kill him? He was in agony with the cancer, put him in total denial.
I think Rachel saw the adhesive residue as evidence of a medical patch, put it all together So, who removed it and why? And then, with a couple of glasses of wine inside her, decided to confront Kessler there and then.
Rachel, Rachel, stop the car! Nick, just get off! Get off the car! Stop! Stop the car.
Just get off! I've got a visitor for you, Daniel.
Daniel Kessler, I'm arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Craig Potter in June 2003.
You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later Craig Potter.
Potter, Potter, Potter.
Pimp, right? Dead on the toilet.
Like Elvis.
This isn't a joke, Daniel.
Ooh.
Using me first name.
Very clever.
Make it personal.
Cor, me guard's down now.
What was your question again? I said, this isn't a joke.
Yeah, it is.
Bloke like Craig had a ton of enemies.
We found him like that.
Not according to our new eyewitness.
Oh, yeah? Yeah.
One Detective Inspector Andrea Bridges.
She wouldn't.
She already did.
Kessler's been arrested for Craig Potter's murder.
Christ, your chat with Bridges did the trick.
I think it was the DNA test on her son that did the trick.
If Kessler's back is up against the wall, he might be disposed to fill in some blanks.
There are questions we need to put to him about Wade's death questions which Rachel Kruger wanted answers to.
Where did Nikki Alexander dig her dirt on my friend? Miriam Wade.
And you didn't have a problem with that? Getting leverage from James Wade's sister? Getting the truth, as it turned out.
You tell me your questions, I'll put 'em to him.
Did Rachel Kruger question you about the death of James Wade? As the Buddha once said what's in it for me? Depending on the quality of your answers, your co-operation will be noted.
Yeah.
Twice.
Let's start with the second time.
Last Thursday, I got an e-mail from Kruger asking to meet urgently and not at Redhill.
But we were short-handed at the prison, so I ended up speaking to her on the phone.
And what was so urgent? She wanted to know if, when I'd given Wade CPR, I'd seen a a plaster, a medical patch on him.
Ellis Roberts had said he was wearing one, but Dr Ross said he wasn't.
And what did you tell her? The truth he was wearing a patch.
Was Dr Ross ever alone with Wade's body in the cell? Yeah.
Yeah, he was Get out of my sight.
The patch.
Why's it so important? It was almost certainly the delivery mechanism for the fentanyl which killed Wade.
The fact it wasn't recovered Is suspicious in itself.
Right, Kessler's telling the truth.
If he had supplied and removed the patch, he wouldn't admit to seeing it at all.
Oh, sorry.
Um I'm Professor Leo Dalton.
I've been working with your father.
Oh, right.
Um he's out, but he'll be home soon.
Is he expecting you? Um, well, as a matter of fact, I'm a bit early.
D'you want me to call him and find out where he is? Oh, look, don't worry.
I'm not in a hurry.
All right.
Can I use the toilet? Er, yeah, sure.
It's down there, on the left.
Thanks.
What are you doing? That's my medication! Who are you? I'm sorry.
What's going on? Julie.
Dad.
I think you'd better leave, Professor Dalton.
Open up your shirt.
You must have hit that drain cover pretty hard.
Dad, what's he talking about? Dad? Everything's going be all right, Julie.
Everything's going be all right.
I was approached anonymously by a man representing the families of Wade's victims.
A man? All our contact was by phone.
We never met face to face.
But he knew all about my financial problems arising from Julie's illness.
He offered you a fee to kill Wade? Half now half later.
But Wade was dying anyway and painfully.
Yeah, I told him that.
He said Wade was strong as an ox, he could live for another 20 years.
That's what he said? "As strong as an ox"? What of it? How did, er how did you convince Wade to put the noose round his neck? Thought I was allergic.
It's just a turbo-charged aspirin.
It'll take the edge off.
Lay it on me, then, Doc.
Rachel Kruger found the payments when she ordered the disclosure of your bank records.
I told her they were for private consultations and she cut me some slack.
Hope it was something serious.
It was a wealthy private patient.
I'll still need to see the invoice.
Yeah, sure, it's It's in my files at home.
How about you pop it by my office first thing? You'd seen enough of her to know she'd see through any bullshit invoices? I knew if she was killed Kessler and the guards in his pocket would fall under suspicion.
When we were talking about the payments, she took a call from her husband.
Don't let Mum go to too much trouble, or I'll never hear the end of it.
Sure, see you both tomorrow.
Love you.
Sorry.
You expected her to be home alone? Had the shock of my life when Nick Owen opened the door.
Did you know that Rachel had a bullet lodged in her spine from her days with the Military Police? Yes.
She told me.
So, you knew that she lived with the spectre of sudden death every minute of her day.
That every time she she kissed her daughter goodnight, she knew she could be saying goodbye.
How could a doctor, of all people, kill someone so manifestly decent and courageous and worthy of whatever life she had left? Do you have children of your own, Professor? Then I'm sorry.
There's no possible way you can understand.
Even with the cancer, he was strong as an ox.
The police can't prove it.
I certainly can't prove it.
But I know it.
You didn't want to be a Wade any more.
You wanted him gone before the wedding.
And the cancer wasn't killing him fast enough, was it? And all you did was get two innocent people killed and now you will be a Wade until the day you die.
Yes, I will.
I know you tried.
Tried to help Peter Kruger by feeding us Kessler.
Got away with so many crimes he did commit, why not get him sent him down for one he didn't? I was his first.
Practise.
A chance to find out what he liked and didn't like.
Hone his tastes.
And all my parents did was send him to see an expensive shrink and urge me to keep my top on on summer holidays.
Like I needed persuading.
Hi.
Hi.
Leo, I'm I'm going to say something and your instinct is going to be to disbelieve it, but Well, until you say it, I Basically, I would really like you to shut up and listen.
OK.
Um The other day, I asked you if you'd changed your mind about adopting.
I didn't mean it.
I was just angry.
But you had every right to be.
Leo.
Sorry.
The truth is, I've more than accepted your decision.
The truth is, I don't want a child any more.
Your loss, your terrible, terrible loss and the way you deal with it, your courage, is so much a part of you, so much a part of the man I love that I know it sounds crazy, but I'm happy with our decision.
It says everything about how much we already have, about our life, our wonderful, wonderful life together.
Janet So, as of now Janet.
The whole question is over with.
Settled.
Finished.
OK? Leo.
I love you.
I'm sorry, Janet.
I'm sorry, but it's not enough.
I just don't love you any more.
That's the girl you asked me about.
And they never know how she died.
You thought that her death was suspicious, but you didn't tell me.
You think I did something to her.
You think I hurt her.
Is it in us? Is it in my son?