Silent Witness (1996) s24e08 Episode Script

1 But thanks to you and Cara I have a life now.
You bring this in to my house? Are you mad? I can't keep covering for you Ryan.
And yet that's exactly what I did for you.
I'm laying everything we have on this one.
OK.
You win and I'll clear my debt with Miss Lloyd.
- What if it happens again? - It won't! - You don't know that.
- Ok! Just think about it.
If not she's really going to hurt me this time.
Simone? This is DI Lisa Brodie.
Do you two know each other from before? In a manner of speaking I'm sorry to tell you that your brother was Kieran's dead.
I know.
Noah was having sex with his brother's wife? It looks that way.
Someone steals a car, drives the body to an abandoned building.
Drags the body upstairs, and throws it off the roof.
Where by accident it lands on the roof of a car being nicked.
For the second time that night.
Did Ryan do this to you, Dad? Don't judge him, son.
He'll be too knackered to do two fights in an evening.
Bets are already in.
We've got a full house.
Either you get him to show up tonight.
Or we will.
You can't take any more.
You need to pull out.
Ben, get up! I didn't mean to I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Initial thoughts.
Yeah, we've tyre tracks coming in here.
Vehicle follows this line in.
Two prominent tyre marks here.
See those marks, On his jumper.
Could be from a vehicle.
Got a handprint here.
Blood smears and dragmarks.
Ben was clearly injured Maybe he couldn t walk and dragged himself over to the container.
Which is consistent with the injury to his right knee.
If he was crushed by a car then I think it was a controlled impact.
Otherwise there'd be loads Of debris everywhere and there's none.
We'll be able to tell more from his internal injuries.
After the post mortem.
Why was Ben here? And where was he coming from? The soles of his shoes are layered with different types of soil.
So it s possible that he ran through the surrounding fields.
- So, we could trace his steps? - Yeah.
I can send up a drone, map out the area and take some samples.
Analysing the soil under his shoes could give us an indication of the direction he was coming from.
Fists heavily bruised.
There s a well demarcated band of bruising and soft tissue injury across the anterior aspect of the chest.
Which together with the multiple rib fractures could be consistent with a sustained crushing injury.
Fresh bruising and lacerations on the thighs and extensive area of skin loss and abrasions over the front of the right knee.
Fractured right lateral malleolus.
So we ve got the multiple rib fractures, penetration of the pleurae Flail chest with extensive lung contusions and lacerations Large bilateral haemothoraces The internal injuries suggest that death would probably have been fairly rapid but not instantaneous.
He would have suffered.
Hi this is Ryan, leave a message.
You could have killed Dad.
Do you realise that? Did that thought ever enter your thick skull? Before you I'm gonna give you a chance to come in Ryan.
One chance.
Then I'm coming after you.
Briefing's about to start.
The soil found on Ben's trousers, under his shoes and under his fingernails is indeed loam soil, ideal for potato farming.
And only one of the nearby fields is used for growing potatoes Erm, Maris Piper, actually, really great for making crisps So it s most likely that he crossed through there.
From his trouser legs I also recovered the same diatoms found on Kieran's shoes and in his nostrils.
So it's most likely that they were on the same farm.
Now.
In the vicinity there are three farms.
Two are abandoned.
By taking samples from each of them we can locate the correct one.
Good job, Simone.
Elm Tree Farm.
Looks like someone was having a party.
Not a party.
Fighting.
A boxing match? A bare knuckle fight.
It explains the abnormally heavy bruising on Ben Coogan s knuckles.
And Kieran Johnson s as well.
Blood? Looks like it.
White towel, possibly of a cotton/synthetic mixture.
The fibres found in Kieran s lungs? Could it have been used to suffocate him? Could well be Too early to say for certain.
But we know he was in the area at some point close to his death.
Jack.
What is it? Looks like blood and a colouring of some kind.
Ink.
Could be ink.
The farm has been in disuse for five years.
Previous owner died and it was inherited by his son, who lives in New York.
He claims to be unaware of the premises being used as a boxing venue.
Excuse me for a minute.
Cause of death was multiple compressive chest injuries.
Find anything else? There was ointment on Ben's skin and THG in his urine, known as the Cream and the Clear in boxing parlance.
Steroids.
Performance enhancers.
Yeah, that's right.
So given the rib fractures of various ages and the old hand fractures.
Sorry.
My guess is that he'd been in bare knuckle fighting for quite some time.
Underground bare knuckle fighting, yeah often involves betting large sums of money.
Interestingly, thirty years ago, an up and coming boxer was arrested in a police raid on a bare knuckle fight.
The boxer s name: Michelle Lafferty.
We're sorry for your loss, Ms Lafferty.
Lee Coogan isn't answering his phone.
Have you seen him? Were you aware Ben Coogan was involved in illegal bare knuckle fighting? Who organised the fights? I have no idea what Ben was up to outside the walls of this gym.
Hello? Is Dad OK? I didn t mean to hit him Just tell me where you are and I'll come get you.
Why were there paternity tests in the drawer? Because a while ago you asked me to find out if you were Cara s father.
That's why.
I told you not to run that test! Why was your swab in there too? Just come home and we ll talk about it.
See, that s the problem, right there.
Never a straight answer.
Ryan? 30 years ago, you were arrested because of your participation in an illegal bare knuckle fight.
Oh, God.
You re dredging up that garbage now? You weren't charged, but word got out that you had been using performance enhancing steroids.
When I started boxing it was illegal in the UK for women.
Right? When I trained, I was spat at and called a lesbian.
No gym would have me.
So the only fights I could get were bare knuckle against bastards twice my size.
So, forgive me if I used any means possible to gain an advantage.
Did you introduce Ben to steroids and illegal bare knuckle fighting? I did everything I could to not let him make the same mistakes! Now get out, the pair of you, and let me finish this in peace.
They ve gone.
We're going to find Vanessa Lloyd.
You don t know if she killed Ben.
Who else could it have been? You don t even know how to get to her.
You are going to help me It s the least you can do for your brother.
Now go and clean yourself up.
Go on.
Police! Anybody here? Lee Coogan? Painkillers.
Strong ones.
Not paying their bills.
Final notice on rent Threats to cut off gas, electricity Jack.
Yeah.
I'll suit up.
The victim was strapped to the chair.
Then he was tortured At some point he freed himself .
.
or he was let go.
Hand.
He made makeshift bandages.
I think we know where Lee Coogan lost his digits.
But where is he now? Car park security reported the car to police.
Registered to Lee Coogan.
Car was hotwired.
Fibres.
Could this be the car that crushed Ben? Very likely.
Maybe Ben Coogan pressed his hands against the bonnet as he was crushed.
Simone? Anything? Some of the mud here, at first sight, seems to correspond with the farm.
But there's definitely something else here.
Look, smell that.
Yeah, soiled nappy.
It s something with high organic content.
Could be clay from a lake.
But then there's also some salt encrustations here, meaning it could be marine related.
So we're looking at a mix.
OK.
Lis? Gran wants to know if you're still up for dinner tomorrow night? Can we just focus on the work? Aye-aye, Captain.
Have you ever been in a relationship with someone that you know isn't working .
.
but you still love the person and you don t want to throw everything away.
Mm maybe.
Lisa got a posting in Australia.
We re moving But you re not sure about it? Well, I really feel like I should go with her, but I'm in a long distance relationship.
Matt's an amazing guy.
But he lives in Washington, and my life and work is here.
So it can be hard.
Do you still love him? That s the thing - love and loyalty are two different things, aren't they? Never gets any easier.
Dad, I'm home.
Dad? What is it? I went to visit Cara She s gone.
Are we going to sit and wait for Vanessa all night? That'll get infected.
I just wanted a better life for Ben and me .
.
to make some money.
Yeah.
That s all you cared about - money.
When you have nothing else no family, yeah, it does matter a hell of a lot! What are you talking about? You had a family.
You had the boxing club, me.
Bullshit! You gave Ben and Kieran all the attention cause they had talent.
Are you jealous? Lee.
I m a trainer.
Obviously I'm gonna focus on them that show most promise.
You know All the stuff a parent is supposed to teach a kid I taught Ben .
.
tying his shoelace, riding a bike .
.
shoplifting I tried to teach him responsibility but .
.
problem was, nobody taught me.
I can't bring him back but I will end this.
I promise.
Pizza delivery.
- Better times ahead, right? - I ll drink to that.
You holding up OK? Ah, yeah, fine.
There s a chance that I could be Cara s father What? I'm dead serious.
Wow.
Well, anyway .
.
she s gone off with Ryan, to Ireland, according to her flatmate.
And she's not answering my texts, so Great.
And you've told Ryan's probation officer? No, no, no.
No? Why? Why? I think Ryan has to deliver this gun to Ireland.
And if the police close in on him he'll feel trapped.
I mean, God knows what he'll do.
Why? Is that what s really going on? What do you mean? Well, the fact that you want to personally track them down, has that something more to do with the fact that Ryan is with Cara and not you? You're saying I'm jealous of Ryan, for taking Cara away from me? I'm just saying that perhaps strong feelings are clouding your judgment.
Damn right strong feelings are clouding my judgement.
This is my family! Sorry.
I'm sorry Don't give up.
Keep texting her.
Morning.
Good morning.
Dr Alexander Yeah, call me Nikki.
You know the ink-stained blood found in the barn.
Mm hmm.
Well, I thought of an angle.
Should I just run it by Jack? Sure.
Yeah.
I'm sure it s OK.
The towel from the barn contained numerous samples of blood and saliva.
All match Kieran Johnson.
In addition, the fibres from the towel match those that Simone found in Kieran's lungs.
It was used to suffocate him? It's highly likely.
Simone, how are you coming along on the soil foundin Lee Coogan's car? Yeah.
It's in progress.
But, I, uh, I had a look at the ink traces on the dressing.
What am I looking at? The components of tattoo ink are split into the carrier and the pigment.
Some artists make their own personal pigment blends.
The composition of this blend can tell us a few things about our ink.
Firstly, it's mineral based.
Only 20% of tattoo inks is still mineral based, most are organic.
Secondly, it contains Cadmium and Mercury Sulphide which are potentially carcinogenic.
Cinnabar? Most artists have phased that out.
Did you run that by a Chemist? I, uh, have a Masters in Chemistry This particular ink did not even contain enough preservatives to stop microorganisms from growing.
Sloppy workmanship.
And even worse.
I found out the carrier of this ink was alcoholic mouthwash.
Normally you'd use something like ethanol.
All of this narrows the blend down to a handful of London underground based artists.
I've got a few names and addresses for you.
OK, great, email them to me and check them out.
Er, I should probably go back to analysing the soil from Lee Coogan's car, if that's OK? Yeah, yeah.
Course.
Jack, you mind coming along? You in a relationship? No.
Lucky duck.
How's it going with you and Simone? Pretty obvious, you're a couple.
Going on two years now and I still don't know how serious she is about it.
She's going with you to Oz? Yes but to be honest, I'm not sure that will change anything.
All right? Yeah.
OK.
So the only person to get a recent Tattoo with that ink composition is one Samuel Kovic.
Works down the road.
Then what are we waiting for? She's here! Get ready! This car wash is registered to Vanessa Lloyd.
This way.
Just give me two seconds here.
Mm-hmm.
Hello? Samuel Kovic? Nasty business, infected tattoos.
Who are you? I'm DI Brodie, Greater London Police.
I'd like to ask you a few questions, Mr Kovic.
About what? I'm investigating the murders of Ben Coogan and Kieran Johnson.
Could we speak inside? I have nothing to say.
Mr Kovic, DNA evidence places you near the site of Ben Coogan's murder.
What's going on here? You are? The owner of the property on which you are currently trespassing.
Well, in that case, Mr Kovic will have to come down to the station.
Do you have a warrant? Are you cautioning him? Arresting him? Then shove off.
Mr Kovic.
Can I see your right hand, please? Hello again.
You like to leave a mark, don't you? In more ways than one.
Jack, would you mind examining Mr Kovic shoes? Love to.
Vanessa Lloyd, owner of seven car washes in the Metropolitan area.
She has long been rumoured to be the head of a fight club known as Steel Knuckle.
A fighter like Ben Coogan must have been a valuable asset to Steel Knuckle.
I got the impression that Ben's ambitions lay in the world of legitimate boxing.
That's where we saw him.
Yeah.
Getting out of the bare knuckle World though is not so easy.
It's likely Ms Lloyd arranged the fight between Kieran and Ben four nights ago.
During or after that fight, Kieran dies, most likely suffocated, using the towel recovered from the barn.
I found lichen in the cleats of Kovic's shoes it matches the balcony where Kieran's body fell.
Great find.
Footprint impressions from the balcony also match Kovic's shoes.
So Kovic carries the body to the top of the building and drops it, presumably under orders from Lloyd.
Did she have Kieran and Ben killed? Vanessa Lloyd is stonewalling us, and Kovic will only admit to an altercation with Kieran.
CPS have said to charge Kovic with perverting the course of justice.
He'll be remanded in custody while we look for more evidence to charge him with murder.
All right.
Thank you, everyone.
Oh, and Jack, I'm going to need you to examine Kovic's flat.
Cheers! So you're working on a murder case now? I want all the gory details! Yeah, it's OK.
Not really my thing.
Could've fooled me.
She always was a little bit over-eager.
Tell me about it - ask her to pick up a tin of tomatoes and she'll bring back a week's shopping.
Handy for you.
Very funny.
Maybe you can apply for a similar job on permanent basis.
She'd need a work visa for that.
Work visa? Well, yes, she can't apply for a job in Australia unless she has one.
A job? I thought you were going to Australia on holiday? It won't be a holiday for me.
I got on the New South Wales Homicide Squad.
I think I'd better check on the tiramisu.
Now it makes sense, you dragging your feet applying for a work visa.
Babe, you know how close we are.
I didn't want to just spring it on her that I was permanently moving.
Nah.
All you want is a bit of surf and Shiraz.
Then, when your holiday visa is up, you go back to London, and I go back to work in Sydney.
That's nonsense! Then why don't you bloody apply?! Jack? I found a phone in a safe inside Kovic's house.
And? It's better if you come down here.
I think You'll have to excuse me for doing a runner, Gloria.
Duty calls.
OK.
- Thanks for dinner.
- You're welcome.
We need another bottle here, Gran.
The footage had been deleted, but I was able to retrieve it.
It's Ben Coogan and Kieran Johnson in a bare knuckle fight.
Date and time match the time Kieran died.
Kieran looks drowsy.
The sleeping pills.
That towel looks like the one used to asphyxiate Kieran Johnson.
Is that Michelle Lafferty? Know what she was called in her boxing days? The Manchester Maniac.
My boys would still be alive if it wasn't for you! That's so sweet.
All you do is use people then spit them out.
Like you did me.
Like you did Ben and Kieran.
Do something, stop her.
Michelle, Michelle, come down.
This isn't going to solve anything.
OK, OK.
Please stop.
Stop her.
That's close enough.
OK.
Did Kieran want to prove to you he was better than Ben? Ben was fast but Kieran was stronger, bigger.
He'd have killed him.
I told Kieran to throw the fight.
But he wouldn't.
Come down, Michelle.
We can talk about it.
OK, don't.
Don't, no.
No.
No! OK, OK.
When Kieran came round he knew I'd drugged him, said he saw Ben putting on loaded wraps, and he was going to post it all online that night.
Maybe it was all lies.
I don't know.
You killed Kieran .
.
and you let Ben die, thinking he did it?! I couldn't lose Ben.
I'm sorry.
Get out! Son.
It's the bank.
Fraud alert.
Tree Bark Cafe.
Good to see you, Cara.
Can I talk to you for a second? By the looks of you, talking is the last thing you want to do to me.
Give us one minute.
Go on.
Do your worst.
Are you going to tell me about the paternity tests? 18 years ago, while you and Aoife were going out .
.
she and I we It only happened one time.
And you let me go to prison for you, knowing that you'd And Cara? Are you telling me that she's? I don't know yet.
I'll explain everything on the bus.
Let's go, Cara.
Cara! Cara, don't believe him.
Jack and I just had an argument.
It happens.
No big deal.
No, no, no, no, no.
More than an argument.
It involves you.
Check the bag.
Check inside the bag.
We don't have time for this! Come on! He's using you.
He is using you to transport a gun to Ireland.
Look Cara, I'm sorry I was I'm sorry.
They'll catch you at the ferry.
I'm not covering for you.
You owe me! Now more than ever.
I'll never stop owing you.
But I'm not doing this anymore.
We are done.
I'm sorry.
I trusted you, brother.
Always.
That summer, 18 years ago, Ryan was away working on a construction job, construction job in Birmingham, I think Birmingham, I think.
Doesn't matter.
Aoife and I spent a lot of time together.
I used to drive her to and from work work and sometimes we would get a drink together.
I found her easy to talk to.
Talk to.
Easy.
To open up? Open up.
Then one night We We It shouldn't have happened - but it did.
Are you my dad? I don't know.
I could be.
As soon as I find out.
Find out.
I will tell you.
I'm so sorry.
So sorry that this has all been so difficult for you.
I feel like I've failed you, and Ryan too.
No.
You and me .
.
we're connected.
You and me.
We're connected.
Have you finished analysing the soil from the footwell of Lee Coogan's car? Aah yeah, I found a mix of riverine and marine diatoms indicating an estuary environment.
In addition, there was a mix of tile and brick fragments, suggesting an urban construction site.
Meaning Lee or whoever drove the car was recently on a construction site near a river? I found a site located over a Thames tributary, where the waterway is being re-routed.
Could fit the bill.
Well done.
Shall I tell DI Brodie or will you? I already have Let's go! Go? We'll need a sample from the site, see if it matches this one.
That's not really within my remit.
Ah, come on, Dr Alexander.
It's a chance to get the smell of formalin out of your nose! All right, but can you please stop calling me Dr Alexander? Deal.
Michelle Lafferty mentioned that Kieran claimed to have footage incriminating Ben.
Maybe he's got more footage hidden in his daughter's toys.
Yeah.
Great, thanks, Jack.
We need 8-10 samples that show the spread of building materials.
You're the boss.
Here you go.
Uuh! You make an excellent assistant.
I'll bare that in mind in case I need a reference.
Bob, crane two is down again.
There's a delay of about Stop, police! Thanks.
That's OK.
Take a step back there, Emily.
That's it.
What does that do? It tells me if any of your teddies have anything inside them, anything that might make them sick.
Like Mr Maddington? That's right.
DI Brodie? Yes.
Right.
OK.
I'd get here quick if I were you.
OK.
Bye.
Emily.
I need you to stay in this room for me.
If you hear loud noises, don't come out, OK? Look after these teddies for me, OK? Good girl.
But we can't just Get yours and Emily's passports - now.
Right now.
Noah, that's crazy! I said I'd give you and Emily a new life.
We're doing it now, OK? - Noah, I can't just drag Emily off - Just get the passports! What's he doing here?! There's nowhere to run, Noah.
Get out.
Move.
I don't want to hurt anyone! But I'm not going back inside.
I get it.
Kieran got you on your feet after prison, didn't he? Never stopped believing in you.
And how do you repay him? Sleep with his wife, plot to take his money.
I'm not judging you, I'm not.
I'm no better.
In fact, I might be worse.
I slept with my brother's girlfriend.
Maybe even had a child with her.
And I never told him.
It's the guilt, isn't it? It eats you up.
You'd do anything to make it go away.
Me, I went further and further till I realised, nothing would ever be enough.
How did you find out about Steel Knuckle? Had Kieran told you? Yeah.
I went to see a few fights.
And you thought his death might have something to do with the bare knuckle fights? So you went to Ben Coogan's last match.
Did he recognise you in the crowd? Yeah.
He ran out.
I found him standing there, weeping.
Said he hadn't meant to hit my brother so hard, said Lee loaded the wraps.
I don't know what he wanted from me forgiveness, absolution That's sure as hell weren't what he was getting from my eyes.
He ran off across a field I hot wired an old banger I never thougt I'd find him in the dark and then I saw him Outside that warehouse I don't regret it.
I got justice for Kieran.
I'm glad Ben's dead.
You didn't get justice for Kieran.
Ben didn't kill him.
That's bollocks! Michelle Lafferty confessed to having suffocated him, then Kovic disposed of his body.
She did it to protect Ben.
You're lying.
You're lying.
I'm not lying.
Ben thought he'd killed him, but he hadn't.
You murdered an innocent man.
No No, it can't be Sorry, mate.
Forensics proof Kieran died from suffocation, not from the blows given by Ben.
Hi.
Hi.
Any news from Cara? Cara Cara's off to Ireland, on her own.
Ryan is I don't know where Ryan is.
You were right.
About what? I was jealous of Ryan.
I didn't want him to be Cara's father.
I wanted it to be me.
But? I sent off the paternity test.
Just got the results.
When the possibility first came up, that I might be Cara's father .
.
I was shaking in my boots! Then I got to know her, realised how much we had in common.
And now I guess it feels like a door was opened, then abruptly shut forever, you know? I think that door stays open as long as you want it to.
I need to make some serious changes to my life.
Maybe it's time.
For both of us.
Hey.
Well, guess it's goodbye then.
Thank you again for all your work and for your quick thinking at the building site.
I owe you.
Nah, you don't.
Fancy joining us for a drink tonight? Lisa's making sushi tonight.
She'll kill me if I'm late.
Simone, you played such an important role in helping us to solve this case.
Any forensic ecologist would have arrived at the same conclusions.
Nah, don't believe that.
In fact, we were thinking you should probably stick around, you know, permanently.
I belong in the safety of the lab reconstructing bronze-age habitats.
I don't know.
I think you're like us.
You want to make a difference.
I'm flattered but .
.
I can't.
Well, if you change your mind about that drink, then I'll text you the name of the place we're going to.
Cool.
You almost got killed! Hardly.
Chocolate? We solved the case today.
So why don't you look happier? I don't know I guess I didn't want it to end.
Simi, I've spent so many years watching you go from one thing to another, never really pushing for promotion, not really knowing what you're looking for.
Sounds like you've found the right one.
I'm moving to Sydney.
When you were small, you'd sometimes come to me with your problems.
"Gran, should I go for the milkshake or the chocolate cone?" "Shall I go for the blue shoes or the brown ones?" And you always helped me make the right choice.
No.
In every case, you had already made up your mind.
You just needed me to tell you which one was the right one.
Simi, I'm here to tell you - it is the right one.
Aah, you're not serious Please give it up for Nikki.
I sit and wait.
Does an angel, Contemplate my fate? And do they know.
The places where we go When we're grey and old.
Cos I've been told.
That salvation.
Let's their wings unfold.
So when I'm lying in my bed.
Thoughts running through my head.
And I feel that love is dead.
I'm loving angels instead.
And through it all.
He offers me protection.
A lot of love and affection.
Whether I'm right or wrong.
And down the water fall.
Wherever it may take me.
I know that life won't break me.
When I come to call.
He won't forsake me I'm loving angels instead.
♪