Midsomer Murders (1997) s22e03 Episode Script

1
Those things will
be the death of you.
Plus, I'm not having you go
downstairs with your head
wreathed in smoke.
Steam.
Whatever.
It looks like your head's on fire.
Got some business.
Seriously?
It won't take long.
Victor.
You don't have to win every time.
Evening, sir.
How are you doing?
Thank you very much.
You could at least crack a smile.
It's hard to know where Victor's
arse ends and Joshua's lips begin.
All these people are here
to celebrate your birthday,
the least you can do
is raise a glass.
No, I shouldn't.
Listen, one of us
should be drinking.
And seeing as I can't,
it might as well be my sister.
You promise?
The baby is safe, Alicia. OK?
How dare you?!
It's the truth.
And I've got the photos to prove it!
Don't you walk away from me!
I never touched him.
I promise.
He was dead before I
Good evening. I'm Inspector Doppler.
Doppler of the Yard, they call me.
Sadly, it's my duty
to inform that you this
is now a crime scene.
If you'd like to return to the hall,
I shall address you
in a few moments.
What do you think, Mum?
Too much blood?
Well, it is the jugular.
It's bound to spurt.
Shame. Nice shirt, that.
Right, let's see if anyone's
bright enough to solve the mystery.
One of your best, I think.
Hugo. Glasses.
Yes, glasses.
Rest of the character.
Ladies and gentlemen,
it's my job to uncover the identity
of a murderer who hides
in plain sight.
Now, I should warn you,
unravelling this won't be easy.
There will be lies.
There will be red herrings.
There may even be more murders.
I'm I'm just gonna go upstairs.
It's nothing. I'm fine.
Can you beat me to it?
Do you have what it takes?
Victor?!
Somebody help him!
Victor!
- Where's the tortoise?
- What?
I can't find the tortoise.
Well, it must be somewhere.
Betty always plays
with the tortoise.
Why can't things be put
back where they, I mean,
how hard, is it?
It's a perfectly good game
and now it's
Look, I don't think it matters.
And when she comes down
from her bath, neither will Betty.
I'm going to take a wild guess
and say this isn't really
about a missing board-game piece.
There's some hidden
meaning, is there?
Well, you tell me. You've been
in a foul mood all evening.
I just don't like losing things.
Well, I'm sure Betty
and I will bear that in mind.
Yes. Winter.
Really?
Yes, of course. I'll see you there.
You have to go?
Don't wait up.
You know, not everything
has to mean something.
Says the detective.
Nice togs, sir.
Very Fisherman's Friend.
I find it beats drowned rat.
Victor Karras.
Head of Karras Games.
Board games, mainly.
High-end stuff, old-fashioned,
beautifully made.
Apparently very classy.
We bought Betty one.
Does she play it?
When we've got all the pieces.
Never mind.
Access by chain ferry only.
They don't make it easy, do they?
Well, perhaps Victor Karras
valued his privacy.
Or his safety.
I'd say that was a bit less
successful, wouldn't you?
They're all life-size replicas of
various Karras games apparently.
Probably wishes now they didn't
include Dogman here.
Anubis.
Sorry?
Anubis.
Embalmer, protector of tombs.
The god who got to
decide a soul's fate.
Closet Egyptology expert?
Closet The Mummy Returns fan.
So, this is just a nasty
accident, isn't it?
It would be if Anubis here
had actually done him in.
He didn't?
Cyanide.
Poison?
You're sure?
As much as I can be at this stage.
Bright red, see?
Tell-tale sign.
Cyanide prevents the cells
from using oxygen.
So the bright red oxyhaemoglobin
stays in the blood.
The poor chap was as good as dead
long before Anubis got involved.
Any idea how the cyanide
was administered?
Most likely in something he ate
or drank, don't you think?
And how fast, afterwards?
Anything from, say,
two to 15 minutes.
Half an hour, tops.
So, time of death?
Most witnesses have it at between
10 past and quarter past eight,
which seems about right.
Let's find out what Victor Karras
did, where he went, what he ate
and drank in the
half-hour before he died.
That's our window.
I understand this isn't easy,
Mrs Karras, but I'd like to know
about your movements
from around 7:30.
We were in the bedroom.
Josh was there, too.
Josh?
Joshua Kilbride.
He's been Victor's assistant
for years.
He needed Victor's signature
on a couple of things.
Why do I have to do this now?
Don't want anything
hanging over us, do we?
Not on your big night.
You'll thank me in the morning.
I doubt it.
Pay no attention, Joshua.
I never do.
Those things will be
the death of you.
One a day, that was the rule.
The doctor told him so and
he'd already vaped in the morning.
You said your husband had a whisky?
Josh had one, too.
And then you went to the party?
Not right away.
Victor had some
business to deal with.
I don't know what or who with.
Did your husband eat or drink
anything at the party?
Some champagne, that's all.
Er, he said he wasn't
feeling very well.
I told him he had
to drink something.
It was good manners.
Is it possible someone could've
tampered with your husband's drink?
Tampered? What do you mean?
We believe your husband
was poisoned, Mrs Karras.
Poisoned?
Will you be OK?
Crossing the Styx?
As long as I remember
to pay the ferryman.
Would you do me a favour?
I'm going to be tied up here
a bit longer
and I can't get a mobile signal.
Do you want me to let Sarah know?
Tell her I'll be late.
Yeah, and also that I'm
Just that I'll be late.
I wouldn't hang about, though.
It's getting a bit biblical.
Sir, I spoke to Helen Welles.
It's her company that does
the murder mysteries.
It's a bit of a family affair,
actually.
Her husband's the detective
and her son's one of the waiters.
What's her story?
They were here
midafternoon to set up.
Everything was done
through Joshua Kilbride,
he's Victor Karras's PA.
She didn't know Victor Karras?
Met him for the first time today,
same with the caterers.
We know Victor Karras
didn't eat anything.
And the champagne came
from a fresh bottle.
So right now, I'm only interested
in who was near enough to poison him
under everybody else's noses.
That's the immediate family
and the three murder mystery actors.
The others, get their details.
They can go home.
Maybe we should do the same.
Right, just over there.
Yeah, that way.
Just a moment, please.
It's the ferry.
Prussic acid?
There are bottles of the stuff
locked in a storeroom.
The thing is, the key's
just on a nail outside.
Anyone could have got it.
So
So prussic acid is another name
for hydrogen cyanide.
Mrs Karras?
The ferry's gone.
It just washed away.
There's no other way off the island.
What about a boat?
The current just took out the ferry.
You wanna try it on a boat?
So what are you saying? We're stuck?
Until someone can work out
how to get us to the mainland,
no-one's going anywhere.
Ladies and gentlemen,
as you are aware,
for the time being, none of us
is leaving this island.
However, doesn't mean that
the investigation will stop.
DS Winter here and I
will be talking to all of you.
And I would like you to make
yourselves available at any time.
Meanwhile, I'd like everyone's
mobile phones and computers.
You're kidding.
And you are?
Danni Karras. Victor was my father.
And you can't just take our phones.
I'm sure nobody minds, if it
helps them catch the murderer.
I've got nothing to hide.
For God's sake, Danni.
Just do as he asks. There's no
signal, it's not like you can
It's not about that.
She's just saying we have rights.
I'm quite capable of speaking
for myself, thank you.
Just saying.
We do have to get
to the bottom of
I'm sorry. Who asked you?
Do you mind?
He's my husband.
Please. Can we not row?
It sounds like somebody here
would prefer it if
the murderer wasn't found.
Have you got something to say?
You tell me.
I'm not the one
keeping my cards hidden.
That's enough, all of you!
Do you think this is
some sort of game?
I watched my husband die tonight.
Killed by someone in this room.
Do whatever you need
to do, Inspector.
You can hand over your devices
to Sergeant Winter on your way out.
Those with laptops, please get them
and hand them in right away.
So, the game's afoot.
Hugo Welles.
We have a lot in common.
Really?
We're both students
of the human mind, Inspector.
The killer's psyche.
Like you, I solve mysteries.
I see.
Restoring order to chaos,
righting wrongs.
Please, look on me as a resource.
We're gonna get to the bottom
of this. I know we are.
We?
It doesn't have a password on it.
Victor didn't think he needed it.
You're not much of a fan
of Danni Karras, are you?
Daddy's golden girl? Not much.
Because?
She's greedy, ambitious and has
a fist where her heart ought to be.
Do you think she could've
killed her father?
Honestly? I've no idea.
But whatever she might say,
trust me, she's not that sorry.
Why not?
Victor was meant to retire this year
and Danni was all set to
take over the business.
She'd already started
a big PR drive.
Online, magazines,
newspapers, you name it.
Company relaunch. The whole works.
Only Victor changed his mind.
How did she react?
Publicly? Full support.
"My father's the company's
greatest asset." All that guff.
And privately?
Not so much.
You know, the only reason he drank
anything is because I made him.
Because I said it would be polite.
If that's how
It's not your fault.
I don't understand.
One of us?
They'll find out.
They'll catch whoever did this.
I promise.
I didn't kill my father, Inspector.
And certainly not for a job that
might not exist in six months' time.
Is Karras Games in trouble?
We're facing a hostile takeover bid.
But we're fighting for survival.
So as far as motives go, Inspector,
you may want to rethink.
Can you tell me where
you were earlier this evening?
At the party, like everyone else.
All the time?
I went out for a cigarette.
Ever since Eleanor got him
to switch to vaping,
Dad had got all
evangelical about fags.
You think you can just
walk in here demanding money?
I don't want your money.
What DO you want?
For you to do the right thing.
To admit that you lied
and cheated me.
I have no idea
what it was all about.
After that, I went back inside,
didn't want to be late
for the party.
Three-line whip and all that.
And at the party,
did you see your father?
Not to talk to.
Noah was still smarting.
Noah?
My partner.
Earlier in the day,
he'd given Dad a present.
You shouldn't have done.
The platter that got broken
the other day, it's kintsugi.
The Japanese art of
repairing broken pottery.
You don't hide a repair.
You accept it, celebrate it.
This is, erm, glass,
not pottery.
I had a bit of a scavenge.
Salvaged some of the bits
I found in the bin today.
And nothing's wasted.
Beautiful, isn't it?
I'm telling you,
kintsugi is the next big thing.
I don't think Dad
was very impressed.
With the present?
With the pitch.
Noah's looking for investors.
Dad made it pretty clear he wasn't
going to be one of them.
How did that make Noah feel?
I don't think he spiked Dad's drink,
if that's what you mean.
But ask him.
You never know, the head-on approach
might just crack the case wide open.
I was Victor Karras's accountant
until about six months ago.
Then he decided to take
his business elsewhere,
that's how they describe it.
He fired you.
Well, there was a mix-up.
It was a lot of nonsense.
Victor's tax return
was late and he had to pay
a hefty fine, thousands.
He blamed Paul.
How did that make you feel?
Clients come and go, Sergeant.
I got over it.
Look Victor invited us tonight
and we were happy to be here.
What time did you come
down to the party?
A little before eight.
I remember because Paul
had his shot at 7:45.
His shot?
B12. I'm anaemic.
It stops me, you know, keeling over.
And then?
We both came down and were
in the hall right up until
I just keep seeing him.
Victor on the floor just
Catch who did this,
Sergeant, please.
They'll be comparing
what we say, details,
time lines, granular stuff.
Really?
Seeing if our stories match.
That's what I'd do.
What if they don't?
It's easy to make a mistake.
Then what?
I wouldn't worry.
A trained detective
can tell the difference
between a mistake and a lie.
Can they?
Yes, there are signs.
'Tells' we call them.
It was the solution to the mystery
in Dead Beckoning, wasn't it?
Murder at the yacht club.
The victim was stabbed with
a pair of nautical dividers.
Gosh.
It was marvellous.
The killer gave himself away
when Hugo pressed him on his alibi.
With experience, you get
to recognise the signs.
You can tell what
someone's thinking.
Really?
Can you tell what
I'm thinking right now?
What are we going to do?
It'll be OK. Trust me.
You think it's one of them?
Can't quite see it, can you?
Then again, it might be me.
They know about Dad changing
his mind and staying on.
They say it gives me a motive.
That's crazy.
It's also true.
It's called Hounds and Jackals.
They were playing it 4,000
years ago in Ancient Egypt.
I'm more of a draughts man, myself.
Victor loved them. Games, puzzles.
He had that sort of mind.
I can see.
And that?
It's a Japanese puzzle box,
very intricate,
almost impossible to get into.
Victor gave me this
for my last birthday.
To bring me good luck.
He hid it in there.
Said if I could figure out how
to find it, I could keep it.
And you did?
I did not.
In the end, he took pity
on me and opened it.
He waited until I was
out of the room, mind.
So no idea how to get in?
Not a clue.
I'm afraid reception's a bit patchy
around here at the best of times.
I was hoping to call my wife.
You might have a bit more
luck on the landline.
Just no guarantee you'll get
to the end of your conversation.
Mrs Karras?
I'm fine. It's just the baby.
Do you have children, Inspector?
A little girl.
This one's a boy,
I'm sure of it.
What does Danielle make
of you being pregnant?
She's been an only child
for a long time.
I don't worry too much
what my stepdaughter thinks.
Besides, it doesn't really matter.
I'm not keeping it.
I'm a surrogate for my sister.
Alicia?
She wants a baby and can't conceive.
I don't and can.
It's the obvious solution.
I hope it works.
And I've arranged a room
for you and your sergeant.
You'll find toothbrushes and some
of Victor's pyjamas on the bed.
Thank you.
Landline's down too, then?
Looks like it.
Victor's?
Yeah.
Bit on the generous side.
Still, yours should fit OK.
Why?
I gave them a rinse.
Who knows how long
they'll have to last?
I just turn mine inside out, sir.
I asked about
the, erm, prussic acid.
Apparently, it was left over
from when the house was fumigated
a few years ago.
No-one thought to get rid of it.
You don't snore, do you, Winter?
Certainly not.
Although I'm told that
I do breathe heavily.
And grind my teeth. And talk.
Several villages
along the banks of the river
have been evacuated.
I don't know if
he's tried calling.
The landline's down too.
I blame Brenda.
The storm. They gave it a name.
They chose Brenda?
Yeah, apparently.
It doesn't fully capture the raw,
elemental power of nature, does it?
Anyway, John wanted me to let you
know he was going to be late.
That's nice of him.
Only now he's not
coming home at all.
What?
The chain ferry's gone,
you can't get a boat across
and there's no
other way off the island.
What, he's trapped?
Er, marooned.
It's not like they're in any danger.
Apart from the obvious.
What, being flooded?
If only. No, they're stuck
in the house with a killer.
And I'd say the closer those two
get to unmasking them,
the more dangerous it'll get.
Wouldn't you?
Sir. There's someone in the study.
Too late.
Sir.
Off you go, then.
I saw someone slip out,
which I thought was suspicious
in this weather, you know,
and at night, so I thought I'd
Have a go?
Er, lend a hand.
Do you have any idea who it was?
Well, it was so dark,
you know, and the rain.
It was very confusing.
Next time you feel like helping,
Mr Welles, will you do me a favour?
Of course, yes.
Don't.
You know, stopping you from
catching whoever was out here
might've been deliberate.
Amber weather warnings
have been issued by the Met Office
as Storm Brenda continues to
lash the country.
Flooding is now a very real
possibility for many communities
and rescue services are working
tirelessly along the banks
of the river and neighbouring towns.
With temperatures set to fall,
snow and blizzard conditions
are forecast within the next few
days and travel chaos may ensue.
The plots, the whodunnit, and how,
I come up with all of them.
I'm guessing you know
a bit about poisons.
You found one of my clues.
The next murder weapon.
My sergeant did.
I was gonna be the next victim.
Someone had laced my profiteroles.
How enterprising.
I'm a stickler for research.
My stories explore the darker
reaches of the human condition,
and it's important to
get the science right.
I've used arsenic,
aconite, hemlock, twice.
I'm a big fan of botulinum,
particularly nasty.
How about cyanide?
Have you ever used that?
That's one of my favourites.
I used it on He Who Slays the Piper.
Murder most foul at
a plumber's convention.
You told my sergeant you'd never met
Victor Karras before yesterday.
No, I always dealt with
Joshua, his assistant.
Then perhaps you can tell me
what the row was about?
I'm not sure I follow.
You were seen rowing with Victor
just before the party.
I'm wondering what that could have
been about if you'd never met?
OK, 25 years ago,
I I invented a board game.
A serial killer is loose
in the great London smog of 1952.
You're a policeman,
can you catch him in time?
Anyway, I sent it to Karras Games.
Naturally, I thought I'd come up
with the next Monopoly.
So what happened?
Well, nothing, of course.
So, I just shrugged
and sort of forgot about it.
Then, a couple of years later,
they announced their brand-new game,
which was my game,
except you were the killer,
not the detective.
You think they stole your idea?
Of course they did.
I tried to sue, but they were
big and powerful and I I wasn't.
So you dropped the case.
I'm not stupid.
I knew I couldn't win.
I just got on with my life,
tried to pretend it never happened.
So, when Joshua contacted me
about doing a murder mystery,
I couldn't believe it.
Victor Karras, a chance
to confront him face to face.
You think you can just walk
in here demanding money?
I don't want your money.
I want you to apologise.
Well, he just laughed in my face.
And afterwards?
Well, I went and found the others
and did the first part
of the murder mystery.
Right away?
OK, erm, I was upset.
I needed a moment to myself.
So I went to get a drink.
Where? The hall?
The kitchen.
Can anybody vouch for that?
I don't know. It was very busy.
Your son served Victor
his champagne, I understand.
What, you think I put cyanide
in the champagne
and got Andrew to give
that glass to Victor?
Well, that's absurd.
Consider this, Victor Karras
didn't die when we think he did.
Mr Welles
He actually died much later,
an elaborate ruse to throw us
off the scent.
So elaborate it involved him also
being impaled by a life-size
figure of Anubis?
Smoke and mirrors. Have you
checked for traces of fake blood?
Alright, they ALL did it.
What?
Not one killer.
Multiple killers.
Each contributing a grain
of cyanide, I suppose.
Yes, well, when
you put it like that.
Erm
Thank you, Mr Welles.
The room where it happens?
Goodbye, Mr Welles.
I've got plenty more theories,
you know. Very happy to share.
No, no. Please you
keep them to yourself.
Bit rude.
What if they find something?
They won't.
Are you sure?
I took care of it.
Wow.
What do you think?
It's very, erm, analogue.
There's nothing wrong with some good
old-fashioned coppering, Winter.
Back to basics, you know? Logic.
Deduction. The mind, Winter.
You're enjoying this, aren't you?
Any joy with Victor's computer?
A daily anagram.
More games.
I took a look at the
financials, but nothing leaps out.
It's like searching
a haystack without knowing
what a needle looks like.
Anyway, back to the salt mines.
You can rub
that question mark out.
Alicia Matheson was with her
husband the whole time.
Really?
That's what she told me.
Danni Karras says she saw her
on her own just before eight.
Yes. I came upstairs briefly.
You told my sergeant you were
with your husband the whole time.
I'm sorry, I was
well, I was a bit embarrassed.
Why?
I have eczema. It was playing up.
I I didn't want it
to ruin the evening,
so I went to get some of this.
I make it myself, with lavender oil.
So you see, Inspector,
it's nothing shady,
I was just a bit yucky.
Very nice.
Your sister told me about the baby.
Isn't she amazing? So generous.
I we tried everything,
but the IVF wasn't working
and we couldn't
It's so expensive.
I tried to help, but I work for
a shipping firm.
I enjoy it, but it doesn't pay much.
And, erm, it wasn't just the money,
though, it was
it was thinking this time
it'll work, this time
and then it
So your sister stepped in?
And now everything is wonderful.
Thanks to her.
He knows about the game.
And he said Andrew gave
Victor his champagne.
He's fishing.
Barnaby doesn't know anything.
It's textbook stuff.
He's just trying to smoke you out.
It's spaghetti against the wall.
Which sometimes sticks.
So
what if I find the killer?
Wouldn't that prove your innocence?
The police.
They don't seem to
want my help, so
why not beat them to it?
This is gonna be fun.
Bad.
Did Victor Karras know you'd been
stealing from him for months?
There was a routine email
about Victor's household insurance.
On the list there was a designer
watch, high-end, but I couldn't seem
to find any record of it having been
bought on any of his credit cards.
You had access to the business
credit cards, isn't that right?
So?
So I dug a bit deeper.
And I found that there were
no statements for one of his cards
for the last six months.
Someone deleted them from both
your computer and Victor's.
I was able to restore the original
versions of the deleted files.
Clever you.
It was you who broke into the study
last night, wasn't it?
You deleted the files
to cover up your fraud.
That's an ugly word.
You used the card to make
purchases totalling ã68,000.
What word would you use?
Do you know what it's
like to be taken for granted?
Without me, nothing would've worked.
But Victor didn't care,
or even notice.
So I decided to
Steal?
Balance the books.
Any idea who sent me this?
I'd start with Paul Matheson
because he'd always blamed me
for Victor firing him.
That I was the reason the tax return
was late and Victor was fined.
It's not true, but it
made him feel better.
Paul always said he'd
get his own back.
What's the betting he has?
Yes. Yes, it was me.
And the message on the desk?
You tipped them off?
We'd both worked so hard.
You were in on this?
I was shopping about six weeks ago.
I saw Joshua buying
a watch, a nice one.
I assumed it was for Victor,
but weeks went by and neither Victor
nor El mentioned it
and he certainly wasn't wearing it,
which made me wonder.
So last time I was here,
I had a good look round.
And you found proof?
Receipts, a huge telly,
foreign currency, body care stuff.
The plan was to gather enough
evidence and then tell Victor.
Revenge.
Payback.
Joshua forgot to file the return.
But he lied, covered his backside,
and Victor believed him over me.
Well, this way, Victor
would see the truth.
Only Victor died before
you could do anything.
Erm, will Joshua be charged?
That's up to Mrs Karras.
He should've known better.
You don't cross Eleanor
and you don't stand in her way.
What my sister wants, Inspector,
my sister usually gets.
You know, if he was here
right now, he'd love all of this.
Everyone stuck here.
Secrets, lies,
not knowing who to trust.
One giant game.
When did you become so bitter?
He promised me the job.
He didn't think you were ready.
I'm sure you went out of your way
to convince him otherwise.
I am not your enemy, Danni.
I never was.
He loved you.
We both do.
Everything goes to you now,
doesn't it?
The house, controlling shares
in the business.
Everything.
That's right.
Well played.
There's something
I should've told you.
Victor was convinced there was a
leak inside the company, a mole.
He hired somebody to find out.
An investigator?
He didn't tell anyone
else he'd done it.
He didn't know who to trust.
There was a report.
It came back last week.
Proof, he said.
He knew the mole's identity?
I think so.
He didn't tell you?
No, but it was someone close.
I'm sure of it.
After the meeting with
the investigator, he was subdued,
like he'd got bad news.
Where is this report now?
He hid it. It's not in the safe,
I know that much.
He said too many people
knew the combination.
Why didn't you mention this before?
I didn't want to believe it,
that someone so close to us
could betray us and then kill
to protect themselves.
And you think that's what happened?
He was going to reveal
their identity this weekend.
Only he never got the chance.
Did you know about Joshua Kilbride
defrauding Victor Karras?
It was my idea.
After everything Josh had done
for that
You had every reason to resent
Victor Karras, didn't you?
He also cheated your mother.
Yeah, I didn't know anything about
that. Mum only told me today.
I had no idea.
Believe me, I didn't poison Victor.
And I didn't help my mother to
either. I had no reason.
What about Joshua?
Joshua didn't kill Victor.
We had every reason
to keep him alive.
I'm sorry Victor Karras is dead.
Not because of the way he died,
or the pain it's caused.
I'm sorry because it means
we can't carry on bleeding him.
Bit by little bit.
And for Victor to be too
arrogant and stupid
to even know it's happening.
I loved that we could do that.
It meant we were smarter, stronger.
It meant we'd won.
Andrew Welles said that his mother
never said anything about her link
with Victor Karras.
Go on.
A coincidence like that,
you'd think you'd mention it.
Yes, you might.
So, I'm thinking,
what if it was her idea?
If she wanted to confront Victor,
she could hardly
make an appointment.
The murder mystery
gave her a way in.
But it was Joshua Kilbride
who approached them
because of his relationship
with Andrew.
She couldn't have planned for that.
If Andrew's telling the truth.
They're in it together?
If Victor Karras didn't want to
put something in the safe,
where would he hide it?
It depends what it is.
A report that revealed
who had betrayed him.
A secret compartment?
A loose floorboard?
No, it's too obvious.
Everywhere you look, it's games.
Figures in the hall,
board games laid out.
You have to solve an anagram
to get into his computer.
Everything's a game, a puzzle.
And if Victor wanted
to hide something,
it would be in plain sight.
And he'd get a kick knowing
he was the only one that knew
that it was there.
Winter, you're a psychological
genius.
I am?
And only Victor knew how to get in?
Victor liked a puzzle.
So do I?
Where have you been?
I think I've found something.
Are you gonna tell the police?
Not yet.
Not till I know more.
No good deed goes unpunished.
That's what they say, isn't it?
Thank you.
El?
I'm fine, I promise.
Don't be daft.
We need you to stay strong.
Healthy for all of us.
Not long now.
This baby it means the world.
You know that, don't you?
Now who's being daft?
I was never any good at board games.
Too impatient.
I was playing one the other night.
Did you win?
Not so's you'd notice.
Would you give up all this?
You know, for something
cushy behind a desk?
Are you kidding? Why, would you?
Help!
Alicia!
Alicia!
She just collapsed.
She can't breathe.
Teacup smells of almonds.
Cyanide?
There must be something we can do.
B12. That's what she needs.
Your injection kit,
in your room. Now.
I don't understand. Why would
anyone want to poison Alicia?
Cui bono.
Sorry?
It's Latin.
Who gains?
Or rather, who benefits
from attacking Victor Karras
and Alicia Matheson?
Is this a trick question?
You really think it's one of us?
That's ridiculous.
Evidence to the contrary.
I hate this.
Not so much fun when it's real?
Why are you so hostile?
Something to hide, maybe?
I've got work to do.
But ask yourself,
why can't it be Poirot over there?
How come he gets to ask
all the questions?
What do any of us know about him?
Textbook deflection.
Interesting.
God, you're an idiot.
She's breathing better.
The B12 injection
seems to have worked.
We believe the poison
was either already in the cup
or added soon afterwards.
But Eleanor poured my tea.
Well, she poured everyone's.
Did she?
You don't think?
I don't No, that
doesn't make any sense.
Not Eleanor.
Joshua.
They told you.
A petty thief.
How, could you?
Maybe if you and Victor had treated
me better, I wouldn't have had to.
We treated you like family.
No, no.
That's just the lie you tell
yourself to make you feel better.
When this is over, pack your things.
I want you gone.
What, no verbal warning?
Get out of my sight.
This means something.
But I can't
It's, like, out of reach.
If I can just
It's a lot harder in real life.
We know Alicia Matheson
was alone at about 7:50
because she went
to get the cream for her arm.
So, what if she saw something?
She'd have told us.
Unless she didn't realise
the significance of what she saw.
Or she was scared of it.
What if she saw something
or someone
who she didn't want to
believe was guilty?
Like the sister who's
carrying her baby.
Unless he changed his will,
then yes, Inspector,
my husband left everything to me -
it's not unusual.
But it is a motive.
Money always is.
Only if you want it and I don't.
I want my husband back.
Have you any idea how the poison
got into your sister's tea?
None.
A room full of people,
no-one saw a thing,
other than you handing out the cups.
Are you really suggesting
I poisoned my own sister?
The same sister I'm carrying
a baby for, that sister?
Perhaps you changed your mind.
Decided you wanted to keep the baby.
A, that's ridiculous.
B, there is no
legally binding contract
for surrogates in this country.
I am the legal parent. If I wanted
to keep the baby, I could.
I love my sister.
It is about time she was happy.
I'm giving her life, Inspector.
Why on earth would I
want to take it away?
Hugo.
He came to see how I was.
That's kind.
Erm, I should go.
Leave you to rest. Thank you.
I made you this.
It's from a can,
so it's perfectly
Sorry I just thought
I was going to lose you.
Hush.
What if whoever it was tries again?
Well, then I've got
you to look after me,
and our baby, haven't I?
Up and down the country,
communities have been cut off
as rivers burst their banks,
with widespread flooding reported.
Amber and yellow warnings
are still in place,
but the worst of Storm Brenda
seems to have passed.
This is driving me crazy.
It's like being on Alcatraz.
Not for much longer.
Why? What's happened?
Hugo is close to a solution.
That's right.
And when he reveals it,
some of you will have
to eat your words.
Hello?
Aarggh!
What is that?
It's from a game, Hounds and Jackals.
Pretty apt, I'd say.
His wife said that she last
saw him at 11:30 last night
when they went to bed.
So why did he come down here?
I want to know where everyone
was between then and this morning.
What do we do with him?
We can't move him.
Fleur would kill us, me especially.
And, in the absence of a freezer,
let's hope the cavalry get here
before too long.
What is it?
Good luck.
I don't understand.
Hugo Welles was holding it.
The chain is broken.
As if he tore it off.
But that's that's impossible.
You already sugared it.
Sorry.
Where were you
after 11:30 last night?
I was in my room.
The first I knew about
what had happened was
this morning.
When you found the body?
Have you any idea how
Hugo Welles came to have this?
I keep it in a jewellery
box in my room.
Somebody must've taken it.
I didn't do anything, Inspector.
You have to believe me.
What? No mark at all?
No scratches, nothing.
If she'd been wearing the charm
when it was ripped off,
wouldn't there be a mark?
Maybe.
It's hardly conclusive, though.
How did you get on with the others?
Well, they all swear
that they were in bed.
There's a surprise.
Although there was one thing.
Apparently,
Helen Welles told everyone
that her husband was on the verge
of cracking the case.
Was he? Did she say how?
Just that he'd worked it out.
I'll talk to her.
Mind if I have a go at this?
Be my guest.
See which one of us cracks it first.
Another game?
It's catching.
Hugo gave this to me.
He found it outside
in the grass by the river.
You didn't tell me about this, Mum.
Erm, your father asked me
not to tell anyone.
Hugo thought it had something to do
with what was thrown into the river
the night before last?
He just wasn't sure what.
And then we were
sitting on the stairs
and suddenly he leapt to his feet.
He was buzzing.
He gave it to me to look after.
He said it was really important.
Said he knew how
Victor was poisoned.
He was so excited.
He just needed the last
piece of the jigsaw.
I wish he'd never started.
She, erm she needs to rest.
He wanted to wait, you know,
until everyone was assembled.
The big reveal.
Just like we do
All these years,
writing about murder, death
like it's some sort of
parlour game.
It isn't, is it?
How am I supposed to work without
a phone or the internet or anything?
I'm sure you'll think of a way.
It's ridiculous.
You could always try shouting at it
until it does what you want.
I don't want to be here anymore.
None of us do.
I don't want to be with you.
When all this is over,
I'm moving out.
What do you mean?
How long's this gonna go on for?
I get that you're frustrated.
But I am sick of you
taking it out on me.
Find someone else to kick, Danni.
I'm done.
So he'd worked out how
Victor was poisoned?
Apparently.
And it has something
to do with this?
Well, it'd help if
I knew what it was.
So one minute he didn't know
and the next minute he did?
Did everything but shout eureka.
Where was he when he saw the light?
The vape kit.
What about it?
Eleanor Karras told us
that Victor wanted to vape
just before the party.
She made him put it away.
Yeah, that's right.
So where is it? It was last seen
in the dressing-room.
But it's not there.
I think that this
is a part of the kit.
I think that's what the killer
threw into the river.
But why?
Because that's how
Victor Karras was poisoned.
He didn't drink cyanide or eat it,
he inhaled it.
But
I know the last time
he vaped was in the morning.
And whoever heard of
slow-acting cyanide?
How are you getting on?
Erm, I'm about that far away
from going at it with a hammer.
Try not to. It's worth a fortune.
Yeah, well, I take it out,
I put it in.
Nothing. I mean, it's beautiful,
I'll give you that.
Everything matches perfectly.
It's
But
In some cultures,
artists would include
a deliberate imperfection
in their work
to show that they
were merely human.
You see, God is perfect
but humans, not so much.
One private investigator report.
I don't love you anymore.
No, see, I think that's a lie.
I think you were much
more interested in Dad.
Don't be stupid.
Your latest get-rich-quick scheme.
And since you'd spaffed
away your own money,
you wanted his instead.
I was just the way in.
That's not true.
Now he's gone, you want to sod off.
So go. I'm not stopping you.
And good luck finding
some other sucker for this.
It's the future.
It's lipstick on a pig.
See?
Hey, one bar.
No, it's gone. Back again.
The investigator traced
a series of texts and calls
to the opposition,
all from a pay-as-you-go phone.
Yeah, of course.
But he was able to match GPS traces
and calls to a regular smartphone.
Whose?
It doesn't say, just a number.
Well, how are we gonna
match a name to it?
One bar, you said?
Yours, I believe.
You were the mole.
Dan?
Karras Games is going under,
nothing can stop it.
All I did was speed things along
and make some money out of it.
It was the smart thing to do.
And the 30 pieces of silver
didn't hurt, right?
But then your father
found out it was you.
What, Dad knew?
He hired an investigator.
Well, that wasn't
Why didn't he tell me?
I could've explained.
It was just a way of
It wasn't about him, or us.
It was just just business.
He wasn't meant to find out.
Why did he do that?
Get an investigator to dig?
Because now he died
thinking I that I
Your father was going to reveal
everything after the party.
And you think I killed him
to stop that from happening?
I didn't know, Inspector,
about the investigator
or the report.
And if I did, what
would've been the point?
The damage was already done.
There was only one person
who I never wanted to find out.
And he's the only one who knew.
What happened there?
A disagreement.
Quite a jigsaw.
You repaired this
with stuff thrown out
on the day of the party, didn't you?
That's right. From
the bins outside. Why?
The river's definitely
going down, sir.
Should be able to get
a boat across later,
start ferrying people
to the mainland.
OK, let's keep that
to ourselves for now.
In the meantime, see
if you can find out what,
erm, NitRile means, if anything?
But how? There's no internet.
Once upon a time,
we had things called books.
They can be quite useful.
That room's full of them.
See what you can find.
Acetonitrile, it's a compound
containing carbon and nitrogen.
Is it a poison?
Yes. But here's the thing,
it takes 12 hours to work.
12 hours?
Yeah, in that time, it metabolises.
It changes into something else.
Slow-acting Cyanide.
So, the murderer replaces
the cartridge from the vape kit
with the poisoned one.
Then gets rid of the empty ampoule,
assuming it will get lost
in the rest of the rubbish.
They have a perfect alibi.
They can be wherever they want to be,
with whoever they like,
when Victor dies.
There's just one loose end.
The vape kit itself.
And they have to retrieve that
because if we get hold of it,
we'll find traces of acetonitrile.
Not a problem.
After all, they've got
12 hours to do it.
Then all they have to do
is wait until dark
and then throw it in the river.
Fool-proof.
They didn't count on Noah Adomakoh
going through the bins,
getting raw materials to prove
kintsugi is the next big thing.
So that's the how.
Just the who and the why to go.
I've got a good idea who.
We just have to prove it.
You should all be able to
go home within the hour.
At last.
Are you close to solving the case?
The investigation is ongoing,
but in the light of evidence
retrieved not only at the scene
of the crimes,
but also the grounds by the river
Thank you, Sergeant.
I'm confident that
after forensic examination,
we'll be in a position
to make an arrest.
I could do with a change of clothes.
Only so many times you can
turn your socks inside out, right?
Yeah, it'll be good to get home.
I expect so.
Or not?
Sarah and me, we had words,
just before I left.
Obviously, I haven't been able
to speak to her since.
Well, the thing is, I was
Abrupt?
High-handed? Intransigent?
Yes, thank you, Winter.
Actually, it was all of the above.
Well, I'm sure you'll think of a way
to make it right, sir.
If everyone would like
to go outside,
I'll try and find out
what the problem is.
Hello, Alicia.
You set off the alarm
to get us out of the room
so you could steal the evidence.
It was a trap and you fell into it.
I came to your room to get help.
I saw the bags on the bed and
I was intrigued, but that's all.
You were going to destroy it.
Why would I do that?
Because you know that when we get
it back to the labs,
we'll find traces of acetonitrile.
I I don't know what that is.
It's what you used to
poison Victor Karras.
This is ridiculous.
I didn't poison anybody.
I've never heard
of this aceto stuff.
So what if I had a little
bit of vape kit?
It's just coincidence.
Who said anything about a vape kit?
How could she be the killer?
She's one of the victims.
That's what you wanted us
to believe, isn't it?
That and the fact that your
sister was the murderer.
You poisoned your own teacup.
I'm guessing with a very small
amount of the prussic acid
from the kitchen.
Do you know how absurd that sounds?
It was a risk, but you were
never in any real danger.
As you knew that your
husband had the antidote.
Unfortunately, for you,
despite your best efforts,
there still wasn't enough
to arrest Eleanor.
But then Hugo Welles started
to get close to the truth,
and he presented
a golden opportunity.
So you lured him to the dining room
where you stabbed him
and left Eleanor's charm
at the scene.
Then why aren't you
saying all this to her?
She's obviously the killer, not me.
Do you want to put
some cream on that?
It must be uncomfortable.
No, I'm fine.
It's, erm
lavender oil you use, right?
What's that got to do with anything?
It was Eleanor's charm
that was bothering me.
Why would she wear it
in the middle of the night?
If Hugo tore it off her
in the struggle,
then why wasn't there
a mark on her neck?
I began to wonder if
the charm had been planted.
So I looked a bit closer,
which was when I knew
it was you who had done it.
Really, Sherlock?
And how did you do that?
I could smell the lavender.
When we get everything back
to the labs, we'll find evidence
of acetonitrile on the vape kit
and traces of the skin cream
you make.
And that's before we examine
Hugo's body
and take your clothes to be tested.
Stabbing someone like that,
you'd be amazed at the traces
it leaves behind.
Game's over.
Alicia tell me it's not true.
You killed my Hugo?
He came to see me.
He thought Joshua was the murderer.
It's Joshua.
He'd worked out that
Victor's vape was poisoned,
which Joshua had easy access to.
He'd seen Eleanor sack Joshua,
so he knew all about him
stealing from Victor.
And he'd seen that Joshua had
the opportunity to poison me at tea.
Hugo?
I told him I had something important
I needed to tell him.
But I can't do it here.
That I'd meet him later.
Yes.
Silly man, blundering around,
getting so much wrong.
He got the vape kit right.
Quicker than I did.
Yes.
Yes, he got that right.
But what if he realised his mistake
and somehow he could put
the pieces together?
I I couldn't take that risk.
I'm sorry. I I am.
But I I had no choice.
I want to know why.
You have to ask?
I need to know.
I found out, OK?
I know what you were going to do.
What are you talking about?
I know you were going
to take my baby.
I found the estimate
for the nursery.
The new nursery that
you were going to build.
You were going to take my baby away.
That's not what we were
No, at first I couldn't believe it,
but then I heard you with Victor.
If you're happy, I'm happy.
Do it. We can't hang around.
For God's sake, don't
say anything to Alicia.
If she finds out early,
it'll ruin everything.
It's my baby.
Mine!
And I couldn't let you do that.
So you killed Victor.
Well, I couldn't harm you,
not with the baby,
but if you were found
guilty of his murder
The baby would be given to you.
We had waited so long.
And I couldn't just sit by
while you got your way again,
like you always do.
Don't you see? I did it for us.
For our family.
You got it all wrong.
I don't think so.
The estimate, what you heard
we weren't gonna build
a nursery here.
I know you're lying. I heard you.
Not all of it.
If she finds out early,
it'll ruin everything.
Well, we, don't want to spoil
the surprise, do we?
You are a good man, my love.
She's gonna be so happy.
No, that's, erm
that's not possible.
I was never going to keep the baby.
It was always going to be yours.
The child you deserved.
What have I done?
When we get back,
get onto the shipping firm
Alicia Matheson works for.
I'm guessing somewhere there's
a shipment of acetonitrile
that went missing.
She has a certain majestic quality,
don't you think?
Good murder mystery weekend?
It had its moments.
It wasn't cyanide.
I ran some tests, it was
Acetonitrile, I know.
Very good.
How did you find out?
It was handed to me on a platter.
Happy families.
Which ironically is all
Alicia Matheson wanted.
On the whole, I wish she'd
stuck to Mr Bun the Baker.
Listen, Eleanor, I'm
No.
Noah?
Are you coming, sir?
I'll catch you up.
Mrs Karras?
Inspector.
I'm very sorry about
what happened to your husband.
Thank you.
I've decided to keep the baby.
Something good to come out
of all this, you know?
I know.
It sounds strange to say thank you,
but if there's anything I can do.
Actually, erm, there is something.
The Karras family had the game.
Eleanor Karras didn't
think they'd miss it.
I'm sorry. Betty behaves
better than I did.
It was a little extreme.
And you were right.
It wasn't about the missing piece.
I've been offered a promotion.
It's more money, better hours.
I can certainly see why that
would have put you in a foul mood.
And the other night, I knew what
I should do for you, for Betty.
It's a great opportunity.
And?
And I'll be behind a desk
with a nice rubber plant
and lots of paper and
I won't solve anything again.
That's why I was
a little bit tetchy.
I'm sorry.
When do they need an answer?
Tomorrow.
What will you tell them?
I wasn't sure.
And then this last couple of days
that moment when it all
when you
Let someone else
have the rubber plant.
Are you sure?
Yeah.
Fancy a game?
It's a bit of a faff
to set up, isn't it?
Besides, it's not much
of a game for two players.
Yeah, that's
that's not what I meant.
But first I'd like you to do
something special, just for me.
Name it.
Have a bath.
Bring your wine.
No, Paddy.
Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian
Broadcasting Corporation