Silent Witness (1996) s19e01 Episode Script

Just tell me! Just tell me! I'll kill you! This is my home! We've got a suspect fleeing the scene.
Tony Hamilton - married bloke she was seeing.
Her mate says she was pregnant with his baby.
She was pregnant? ' "Was'" being the operative word.
I want the bastard for murder if she dies but first, we need evidence she was pushed She's not going to die.
Look, DI Porter, I think the less you tell me now, the better.
Hi, Suzie.
I'm Dr Alexander.
Nikki.
If this hurts, tell me and I'll stop.
Don't worry.
Can't feel a thing.
- How's your mum? Is she all right? - She's good, thank you.
That's it.
Just turn around and sit down.
There you go.
Thanks.
Oh! Don't worry, I'll get your bag for you.
There you are.
Thank you.
Nikki? Scott! Wow.
Hello.
Auckland - five years, Sydney - three years, Manila - four years, erm Bangkok - nine years, and London - two weeks.
- Two weeks? What brought you home? Erm, my mum.
She, erm she died.
- Oh, I'm sorry.
- No Listen, do do you want to get a coffee or something? - Yeah.
- Yeah? Guy with the duffel coat, hood up, rain or shine, always sat at the back.
Oh, God.
Him.
' "Weapons.
'" That's it.
Weapons! - Genius.
- OK.
My turn.
Go easy on me.
No chance.
Professor Roach.
I mean, we were heading off round the world together then, one tutorial with the battle-axe later, we're not.
Suddenly you had to get on with your life.
The Institute of Pathologists would not wait.
Wh-What ever happened to Roach? I mean, do you still see her? We came up against each other in court.
Got messy.
Who won? See, you were always formidable.
I don't feel very formidable - Even then.
21 going on 41 - Shut up.
It was a turn-on, actually.
OK, enough.
It's work.
Do this again? You made me jump.
ID, please.
Thank you very much.
Need these? Nice gaff - and soon to be on the market.
You going to put in an offer? I might dust down the old decks.
The deceased is Max Walsh, who's a record producer and DJ, hence the No, me neither.
You own a set of decks? Oh, brought the ruckus back in the day.
OK.
Photographic evidence, please.
Why are you in such a jolly mood? Oh, just ran into an old friend.
Male or female? Male, as it happens.
' "As it happens.
'" Defensive.
Very interesting.
- DS Calvin Jones.
Nikki Alexander.
- Hi.
All right? Erm, just down here.
It looks like suicide, but as he was semi-famous, I just want to cover the bases.
Who was that? Sophia Haddon, Walsh's PA.
She found the body.
So, what've we got? Blood distribution's confined to the bath, ie, he wasn't moved after he was cut, and no signs of a struggle.
Wow, this was no cry for help.
No? No.
You've got to cut through the tendons to reach the arteries, and they're more likely to clot than bleed out.
So how did he manage it? Where there's a will I'll have a better answer when I've cleaned him up.
Here we go.
One knife short.
So, no forced entry at front or back doors, - which have multiple locks.
- Everything points to suicide? Right down to the turned-over photographs downstairs.
Morphine sulphate.
Typically used in the management of chronic pain.
The PA says Walsh recently got the all clear after the removal of a tumour.
- But if he was in remission - Why wasn't that a happy ending? See you later.
David Why don't you try and get him out today? Nothing too ambitious - just see if you can get him to do something useful.
Define ' "useful'".
- I'll do my best, OK? - Thank you.
Have a good day.
Come here.
Ready steady Wey-hey! Perfect timing.
Just turn that off, Dad.
How about we resurrect the pool? It's her birthday tomorrow.
Would've been her birthday.
It's a ' "no'", then? OK.
You know, I could've gone to uni last year.
- Well, why didn't you?! - Cos I wanted to be here when you got out of prison! Well, you should've gone! The body is that of a 42-year-old male identified as Max Walsh.
On the right arm, there's an L-shaped incision along the length of the ulnar artery that completely severs the tendons of the finger flexors.
And the same L-shaped incision is also present on the left arm.
And that's weird? In the context of self-inflicted wrist wounds, yeah.
After cutting the tendons in one arm, he wouldn't be able to grip the knife to cut the other.
So, one of the cuts should be shallow and messy? Yeah.
But they're as deep and precise as each other.
There's some sort of adhesive substance in the hair of the left armpit.
Hmm.
Right armpit's clean.
I'll take samples.
Thomas.
What Is it possible he put that there himself? No.
Not that far down.
Gag reflex would have kicked in.
Most likely it was placed there after he died.
Making this murder? Nikki? Is this a case you worked on? Irene Dawes.
A retired nurse.
- When? - Found dead in the bath three months ago.
My findings at the inquest argued for suicide.
But now you've got your doubts? She was holding a quartz nurse's watch and it's set to the same time.
And Irene also had cancer.
Christ.
The killer either knows the details of Irene's suicide and copied them or he killed her, too.
What does your gut tell you? My gut tells me I've missed a murder.
I was called out to the death of Irene Dawes just over three months ago.
She'd been dying a slow, painful death.
So suicide wasn't a stretch? No.
But her son didn't buy it.
He's a Catholic priest.
And he remained unconvinced even when we found searches about morphine fatality in her web history.
What was in those blister packs? Morphine sulphate tablets.
Which Max Walsh was also taking.
Exactly.
And this? Did he want the hands to bisect the watch? Does the time mean something to him? Pass.
But there's another commonality.
At both scenes, there were pictures of relatives turned face down.
Textbook suicide hallmark.
If that's his thing, faking suicides, there could be other killings we haven't linked yet.
Or that weren't even investigated as murders.
Making this the work of a serial killer.
Both victims were terminally ill.
Maybe he sees killing as an act of mercy.
Who was the DS on it? DI Pamela Rankin.
You know her? Of her.
How did a suicide get a DI? Irene's son has some friends in the force.
Right.
- All right, I'll call Rankin tomorrow.
- Tomorrow? - This has to be handled - You're going to have to talk to her I'm not telling a DI she missed a murder until we're sure.
Then we'll make sure.
- You OK? - Yeah.
You know, the watches stuff's compelling, but it doesn't prove Dawes was murdered.
I know what you're doing, and I appreciate it.
But I've got to face this, and I've got to find out what I missed.
Course you do.
You're Nikki.
Sleep tight.
Shit! Excuse me.
Dr Alexander.
Father Dawes.
Is there somewhere we can talk? Not now.
Erm I have an appointment.
Be back at one, Gary.
Two minutes.
Please.
I may have a chance to re-examine your mother's death.
What good would that do? I don't know yet.
But last time we met, you were adamant that she hadn't taken her own life, that I'd got it wrong.
Is that still your view? Yes.
Nothing's happened in the interim to make you doubt it? Nothing.
Anyway, what does it matter? Because if I go down this road, I want your blessing.
Why? I want you on side.
And, to be frank, it makes things easier if we need to exhume.
No.
What? It's too late.
The death certificate said suicide.
- Death certificates can be changed.
- But God's judgment cannot! My mother is now by his side, or not.
I'm confused.
You never believed it was suicide.
And now we might get a chance to prove it, you won't cooperate? This isn't official, is it? It's just a hunch.
So, how do you think you're faring, Tony? As a free man? Fine.
I'm going to need a longer answer than ' "fine'", I'm afraid.
My son and my wife are helping me to adjust.
You sound like you're reading from a script.
Telling me what I want to hear cos you want me off your back.
How did you get here today? My son drove me.
Like last week.
And the week before, and the week before that.
Lydia's working.
- She's got a very demanding job.
- What does she do? She's a lawyer.
She's not using her work as an excuse to avoid you? In six months, she's never accompanied you once, you barely mention her.
- What am I supposed to think? - It's none of your business.
It is my business, Tony because it relates to the issue of your reacclimatisation.
Is that even a bloody word? She files for divorce soon as you're arrested and then takes you back when you're released? You know we lost our daughter.
Do you talk about that with your wife? Is that something you share? Help each other with? The terms of your parole mean that, after today, we meet only bi-monthly, but that decision is at my discretion.
What do you mean? I mean if I feel you're hiding something, and I do you'll be back here next week.
My wife, she tries, she does, she wants to want me around, but I disgust her.
And how does that make you feel? Angry? Sometimes.
What about Suzie Banks? Do you feel anger toward her? Tony.
Since your release have you tried to contact Suzie Banks? No.
Of course not.
Nikki.
Been trying to get hold of you.
DI Rankin.
I've just had Father Dawes on the phone asking why we're re-examining the death of his mother.
I had to come clean and say I had no bloody clue what he was on about, which made me look great.
- Really professional - I'm sorry.
Oh, no worries, seriously.
It's not like he sits on every local authority panel going, runs outreach programmes, and is a decorated Army chaplain to boot.
It's not like he's a fully paid-up friend of the force, and all-round do-gooding pain in the arse Yeah, I think you've made your point.
Nikki And I don't want an apology.
I want an explanation.
He was so certain that his mother hadn't taken her own life.
And? And I wanted to know if he still felt the same way.
Yeah, but it's not your job to ask those questions.
It's mine.
I suppose I didn't remember you asking too many questions first time round.
Irene Dawes committed suicide.
The fact that you have a case with vaguely similar hallmarks - doesn't mean shit.
Are we clear? - I'd call them remarkably similar.
Are we clear?! Yes, we're clear.
And you'd better remember which team you play for, DS Jones.
Have you thought this through? If you prove Irene Dawes's death was murder, not suicide, there'll be far-reaching consequences.
Yes, there will.
And likely as not, no good will come of it.
Not for her, not for her family, and not for the Lyell.
Bottom line - you worked with the evidence you had, and your conclusions were sound.
You're saying I turn a blind eye to protect the reputation of the Lyell? More your own.
If it turns out you got it wrong with Irene Dawes, that you missed a murder every case you've given evidence in that was remotely controversial will be fair game.
Fresh meat for new appeals, quite possibly successful ones.
I can't believe I'm hearing this! I'm prepared to hold up my hand and say I got it wrong, and all I ask is that you have my back! - And I do.
- Bullshit! You just told me you don't! If you don't call the coroner, I will.
Shit.
What are you doing? I'm just here to see my parole officer.
Same as you.
You're lying.
Relax, Tony.
Relax.
You stay away from me.
Here, Dad! Get back in the car.
No, what's going on? You must be David.
I've heard a lot about you.
What? - Get back in the car.
- No, hold on a minute.
Stay away.
Come on.
I'll drive.
She's adorable.
And you want to know who Mum is.
Right.
Erm, she was a nurse at Bangkok Infirmary.
I was her boss - deputy supervisor of ER.
Good for you.
Well, yeah and no.
I mean, we're not exactly on speaking terms.
I'm sorry.
No, no, look, you're in the middle of something, don't worry.
A problem shared Do you want to talk about it? Dad! Hey! You going to tell me who that man was? Somebody you was inside with? Who was he? I don't want to talk about it.
You don't want to talk about it, you never do.
His name's Carmichael.
OK.
Did you know him well? In prison, I was a target.
Because of what I was supposed to have done, and because I had money.
Carmichael protected me.
What does that mean? - Doesn't matter.
- Of course it matters! Dad, you weren't supposed to be in there, you were innocent.
What? Don't you feel angry about it? About any of it? All the people that let you down, all the people that betrayed you? No-one betrayed me.
Your so-called expert lawyers that were supposed to prove your innocence, never mind the ones that backed up the police lies.
I mean Don't you want to see them pay? No.
OK, then what about Suzie Banks? You know, I don't care that she ended up in a wheelchair.
She lied.
She told the police that you pushed her out of that - She had her reasons.
- Dad! You went to prison, right? You lost everything.
She had her reasons.
I didn't say it justified what she did.
Well, that's that's good.
That's good to know.
She must She must have really been something.
What if whoever killed Walsh had access to, or knowledge of, the details of Irene's suicide? I mean, that's not impossible, right? - No, it's not, but - I mean, you said there was no evidence that Irene Dawes was force-fed those tablets.
I mean, no vomit or saliva or restraining injuries to her wrists? No bruising to the mouth and tongue either.
But she died of morphine overdose.
Conclusion? She took those pills voluntarily.
You were right first time.
Suicide.
- I don't know - Another one? My shout.
Least I can do.
- Same? - Er, yeah, thanks.
Nikki's phone.
Oh, wait a sec, I'll just get her.
It's for you, obviously.
Hi.
Bad time? Erm, no.
I think you'll want to see this.
OK.
Five minutes.
OK.
Bye.
- Got to run? - Yeah.
Call you later.
Sorry.
Nikki, wait.
Maybe this is nuts, but do you think it's coincidence that you attended both scenes? What do you mean? I mean, if this is foul play - two victims, one killer I mean, what are the odds of you getting the call twice? Well, if someone's active on our patch, it's not that much of a stretch.
Like I said, nuts.
Ah.
Lunch date? What is it I'll want to see? Tox shows presence of morphine in Walsh's blood.
Enough to incapacitate him? Probably.
Well, Walsh did have morphine sulphate pills in his fridge.
If he'd ingested them, we'd have found them in his stomach contents.
The morphine's in his blood, but not his stomach? Correct.
If it got there intravenously, the needle would've woken him, and we'd have a struggle.
Killer had that covered.
The substance in Walsh's underarm hair is a local anaesthetic called lidocaine.
There.
Needle mark.
Redness suggests it was made close to death.
Found more traces of the spray on the bedsheets and the arm of his T-shirt.
Time of death? Midnight to 4am.
Right, let's assume Walsh was asleep.
The killer gains entry, somehow And applies the anaesthetic so he won't feel the needle.
The anaesthetic takes care of the needle, the needle delivers the morphine.
How long till he's out cold? Five minutes, ten at the most.
That's why we've got no defensive wounds.
And why he can transport Walsh to the bath without waking him.
Killer's forensically aware and physically strong.
No drag marks on the body.
None on the carpet, either.
No signs of a struggle at all.
He stops the clocks and the breath in their throats.
A veritable angel of death.
And Irene Dawes? Did he inject her, too? Only one way to find out.
Who's in charge here? Let me through! I'm so sorry, Father.
This really had nothing to do with me.
Body is embalmed, and in relatively intact condition.
Her son saw the embalming as a sign of her loss of faith.
A concern with body over soul.
Nikki? Nothing.
Needle mark.
Still partly reddened.
Meaning? Meaning it was inflicted right before death, never had a chance to heal.
We'll test for the anaesthetic spray we found on Walsh.
Nikki? Oh, my God.
Nikki, wait up.
Nikki? Remember when I told you about the watches at both scenes? Mm-hm.
You said something like, '"Of course you're going to pursue a link.
You're Nikki.
'" - Yes? - You were certain of it.
- Because you know me.
- Yeah.
Well, what happens if the killer also knows me? Was just as certain that I'd look for a link? Banked on it, in fact.
What are you talking about? I don't know.
That they wanted me to make a mistake, a critical error.
And, my God, they succeeded.
I missed a murder! - Hold on.
- Maybe that's what this is all about! What, two people murdered to make you look bad? How would they know when you're on call? I've worked the same shift for two years.
All right, or the borders of your jurisdiction? - It's on the bloody Lyell Centre website! - All right.
Maybe you just made an innocent mistake, yeah? God knows we all do from time to time Someone's been in my flat.
I'm sure of it.
What? Oh, forget it.
Nikki Wait! Tell me, then.
Hello.
- Hiya.
- How'd it go? I couldn't get what I wanted.
Total waste of time.
Got stuck in traffic.
What do you want? Get in, you pillock.
Scott.
Hi.
I was in the neighbourhood, wasn't sure what you were cooking, so, erm Are you OK? Yeah.
Hey! Scott? Scott? Something happened at Dad's parole meeting, didn't it? Whatever it is, you can tell me.
What would be the point? You don't care about him.
That's not true.
Mum, you divorced him before he was even found guilty.
- I had no choice.
- Mmm.
- No, of course you didn't.
- Not if I wanted to keep my job.
You should have told them where to stick it.
No job, no school fees, no mortgage payments, no roof over our heads I had to shore things up for us and that meant stepping away from your dad for a while.
If you think it was easy for me, you're wrong.
We are going to get back.
Clarissa.
Can you check this for prints and DNA? Sure.
What's its provenance? My flat.
I'll explain later, but can we keep this between us? OK.
Sure.
Where's Jack? Back at Walsh's - looking for links to Irene Dawes.
Nikki Want to get a coffee or something? Maybe later.
Jones? Flyer for a cancer support group.
Walsh had cancer.
We know that.
Look at the address.
St Stephen's Church Hall.
St Stephen's is Father Dawes' church.
If he knew Max Walsh - changes everything.
He was an Army chaplain.
It's basic medical training, right? He'd know how to administer the morphine.
You've got a nerve coming here.
I'm sorry.
But I need access to your mother's medical records going back two years.
Digging up her body wasn't enough? We're looking for a link between Irene and a recently deceased male.
We believe that this man was murdered and the scene staged to resemble suicide.
And my mother? Well, you always insisted that she didn't commit suicide.
What did you think happened if it wasn't foul play? Did anyone befriend Irene in the weeks before her death? I don't know.
In the last months we didn't talk.
She got caught up in a ridiculous lawsuit and it came between us.
What kind of lawsuit? A chemicals factory in Stratford had been supposedly polluting the air, causing a higher incidence of cancer.
There was no evidence to prove the case - pure opportunism on the lawyers' part.
Did they win? As far as I know, it's still dragging on.
Instead of her making her peace with God, my mother wasted her time seeking compensation she could never spend.
I could never understand it.
And then she came clean.
About what? Why she needed the money.
She wanted to approach Dignitas.
So she can end her life.
Remember Harold Shipman? What, the doctor who killed his patients? Felt like he killed one, then got a taste for it.
Father Dawes helps his mum out of her misery, but instead of feeling guilty or grief-stricken he feels merciful.
Empowered.
What the hell are you doing here? Anthony Dawes, I need you to come with me and answer some questions.
Are you sure you won't come? Dad Did she ever come and visit you? I mean, like, just just once.
It's her birthday.
You know, if she hadn't have done it we could've we could've gone back, you know.
We could've.
Dad, let's go.
All right, I'm leaving! I mean it! Ready steady Wey-hey! Does the name Max Walsh mean anything to you? No.
Who is he? He attended a cancer support group in your church hall.
The hall's rented out to various entities.
I have no dealings with them whatsoever, beyond collecting payment.
But the hall's effectively part of the church.
You share a car park.
So? So no-one attending a support group ever wandered into your church? Approached you in the car park for some kind words? That's never happened? I didn't say that.
- Hello? - Well, you kind of did.
You said ' "no dealings whatsoever'".
The clock stopped cos the battery was removed and put back the wrong way.
But I recovered a thumbprint that scored a match on the database - retired pathologist, erm, Belinda Roach.
What? Do you know her? She taught me at the Institute of Pathologists.
OK.
We need to go to Thomas with this now.
- Please, just let me process this.
- Sorry, Nikki.
You've got to tell me what's going on.
To say you haven't been yourself lately would be a bloody understatement.
Ten years ago, we came up against each other in court.
Me for the CPS, her for the defence.
- And what was the case? - Attempted murder.
A young woman was pushed from a high building after a struggle.
She had coin-shaped bruises on her arms and shoulder and the accused's prints were all over her.
He said that he was trying to stop her from throwing herself out.
Did she present as a likely suicide? Suspect was her boss and ex-lover.
They'd had a fling which ended with her getting pregnant.
The bruising on her arms, scratches on him, overwhelming signs of a struggle all added up to pushing and not pulling.
But Professor Roach disagreed? She also made explicit reference in court to having taught me.
Cited my youthful tendency to be '"overly certain and play the lone wolf'".
Professional I hope you gave as good as you got? Oh, I did.
I chastised her for breaching the teacher-student compact, I characterised her as eccentric, and her evidence as the fruits of a mind clearly divorced from sound rational judgment.
Somehow, the word ' "eccentric'" stuck.
The CPS lawyer used it repeatedly when trashing her evidence.
Even the judge called her eccentric.
Next day, a reporter found Roach in the pub at lunchtime, and that was it.
Eccentric and drunk.
We got our guilty verdict, and Roach got fed to the vultures.
Oh, my God.
OK.
Let's get some perspective.
Just let me speak to her.
I owe her that much.
I need you to trust me.
No, Nikki, you need to trust us.
If you tell Thomas, he will tell DS Jones.
It's over.
I can't destroy her twice, not until I know I'm right.
Please.
Jack.
Nikki.
- What are you doing here? - I just came to see you.
How did you know where I worked? - Well, you told me.
- No, I didn't.
OK, we'll, erm, agree to disagree, shall we? What is it, Nikki? What's happened? You don't work in the ER at Bangkok Infirmary, do you? Oh, you've been checking up on me? Time well spent, as it turns out.
Why did you lie to me? Because Because the truth is pretty embarrassing.
I did work at the hospital, but I was a porter.
A lowly shit-shoveller.
What else have you lied about? Oh, Nikki Do you know what? I need to be somewhere.
Right now.
- How can I help? - I know DI Porter's retired, but I need to speak to him about a case we worked on in 2005.
Sorry to tell you, but, erm, Murray died last year.
Do you mind telling me how? Why? Call it professional curiosity.
Inquest inconclusive.
But it was likely he drowned.
Thank you.
Belinda? What do you want? Better come in.
A thumbprint belonging to you was lifted from my flat.
From my kitchen clock, to be precise.
The time was set at 2.
45.
As it was on watches recovered from these two crime scenes, both of which I attended.
I checked the transcript.
evidence, the end of the third sitting.
The moment you think I betrayed you.
It was ten years ago.
Do you honestly think I remember what time you finished giving your half-arsed evidence? Are you completely out of your mind? So you don't blame me - for this? For what happened to you? Any of it? Oh, I didn't say that.
I do blame you, Nikki.
You didn't just betray me, you ruined me.
Even now you don't grasp the consequences of what you did.
Well, enlighten me.
I wouldn't waste my breath.
Well, suddenly, the idea you'd recall what time I gave evidence - doesn't seem so crazy.
- Three convictions! Three convictions resting on my testimony, two of them murders quashed on appeal following the Hamilton case.
That's three guilty men walking the streets.
That is on you! You didn't just trash me when you called me eccentric - you trashed my work! Let's get back to your thumbprint in my kitchen.
I'm here to give you a chance to explain it! Someone's trying to set me up.
Frame me.
The only thing is, are you going to fall for it? Oh, you'll have to do better than that.
Hang on.
Belinda? Belinda! Oh, God.
Belinda? Oh, God.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine Nikki? No! No Nikki? Someone's trying to frame me, it's obvious! I am arresting you on the suspicion of the murder of Belinda Roach.
So we just abandon her? Is that it? - Screw that.
- Jack.
Jack, we keep our heads.
Someone was following me, tailgating me.
Was it you? Did I follow you? He is angry.
And when he was 15 and people wrote ' "baby killer'" on his school bag, he was even worse.
But you weren't here to see that, or deal with it.
I've seen him before.
Here with Father Dawes.
I don't know where he is.
I really don't.
Suspected of a dozen kills but only convicted of one.
He's involved somehow, which means you're not safe.
Nikki Nikki!