Silent Witness (1996) s27e04 Episode Script

1
He fell, hit his head
on the way down and drowned.
Tell me who killed my husband.
GABRIEL: I want to fight just once.
I want to know what it feels like.
VANESSA: I like older guys.
They've got
..more depth.
We need to reschedule,
when Cara can make it.
This doesn't feel right.
You'll make a fantastic dean.
Good luck, Professor.
CHERRY: Justice and fairness
are our responsibility, not grievance.
I've been appointed Dean
of the School of Criminology.
- I know him.
- He was on the interview panel.
What makes you think
you're fit to judge anyone?
SCREAMING
SLOW BREATHING
Testator silens
Costestes e spiritu
Silencium
Testator silens. ♪
STEADY HEARTBEAT THUMPS
CHERRY: Who is it?
Who are these others
who send you fleeing
for the comfort of people
who look like you do,
speak like you do, think like you do
for fear of being threatened by opinions,
wounded by words,
offended by attitudes,
damaged by differences?
We wouldn't want you
to be triggered, would we?
What is this word, "triggered"?
I want to trigger you!
I want to challenge you.
I want you to think!
Haidar, what is groupthink?
When a group of people
make irrational or substandard decisions
motivated by the desire to conform,
or the belief that dissent
isn't an option.
And how can you be an investigator
if you're a victim of groupthink?
You can't.
You can't!
But I see groupthink everywhere
in your generation.
Social media has made you a herd
and reduced your individuality
to a data point.
You are the progressive census
who have traded freedom of thought
for a reassuring echo chamber.
Are those who enable this behaviour,
who institutionalise it, the enemy?
They preside over the death of empathy.
I cannot understand you unless I am you.
You have allowed yourselves to be siloed
into affinity groups,
demographic categories
where an algorithm can mine your data
and produce content
which fills you with hate or fear.
Or both.
And you are content to live that way,
believing that you're in charge
of your lives
when, in fact,
you have handed them over
to a closed-minded insularity.
SHE MURMURS: What a load of crap.
QUIET LAUGHTER
POLICE RADIO CHATTER
RATTLING
Nikki?
Jesus.
Yeah, I saw it.
- You've taken a video.
- Yeah.
- Can you help me?
- Mm-hm.
NIKKI: The body was found
in the procubitus position
on the kitchen floor,
suggesting that the victim
could have been trying to escape
from the fire by crawling.
There were severe skin burn injuries.
The body is extensively charred,
so conventional visual
identification is not possible.
Skin and soft tissues
have been burnt off,
resulting in skeletal muscle exposure.
Heat-related lesions
have exposed the skull,
where bone lesions are visible.
BULL: The fire investigator says
the fire originated in the kitchen,
on the gas hob.
We think it was a pan of cooking oil.
Accident?
The response time
of the fire brigade was good.
There's no evidence
of third-party involvement,
no other detectable injuries on the body
that the fire may have been
trying to disguise.
The fire inspector says
it was a kitchen fire
that burned out of control.
The heat was intense.
From what's left of the lungs,
it seems smoke inhalation,
carbon monoxide poisoning
is likely cause of death.
Why couldn't they escape?
Disorientation? We don't know.
Was that a metal belt buckle
burnt into the thigh?
Looks like it's from an overcoat
or a raincoat caught underneath
when they were trying
to crawl out of the room.
The fabric's burned away. What we're
left with is the buckle.
Do we know whether
it was a man or a woman?
The uterus is intact.
The house was owned by a woman.
Yeah. Her name is Valerie Fullerton.
It's likely to be her.
What?
Valerie Fullerton?
Yeah.
Gabriel?
Valerie Fullerton was also
on the interview panel
..with Harrison Cairney.
And both are dead.
What are the odds of that?
THUD
You dropped this.
Oh, thank you!
Harrison Cairney
No external injuries,
no initial indication
of alcohol or illegal drug use.
He tested positive for codeine,
but not in an amount
that would suggest abuse or addiction.
Full toxicology report is being prepared.
Did the scan reveal anything?
No visible signs of stroke
or myocardial infarction on the scan.
No marks on the body.
There's no physical evidence that places
anyone else at the scene.
He just died?
Sometimes people just die
without an obvious cause.
Sometimes fires just happen.
He appears to have had
a sexual encounter in the sauna.
How do you know? Did you find love notes?
Ejaculate on his thigh
and around his penis.
I'm glad I asked. Do you think the
scene may have been tampered with?
The absence of evidence is the evidence.
So what killed him, Doctor?
An earth-shattering orgasm?
Possibly.
Would that we could all go that way, eh?
HE CHUCKLES
Mmm.
Will you be doing a full post-mortem?
- If you ask me to.
- Yes, please.
PHONE VIBRATES
Jack.
We got a lead on the Robinson case.
So this is our swimmer's van.
- Lads.
- Sir.
We're looking for, I don't know,
suicide note, receipts,
invoices, quotes
Something that suggests
whether he was looking forward or back.
Spare set of keys from Mrs Robinson.
Coo, coo, ca-choo.
LOCK CLICKS
BULL: Nice family.
Signs of moderate coronary heart disease,
but it's consistent with his age.
Lung for histology.
Bull.
Could you take a sample
of the stomach content,
then close him up for me?
Well, he had plenty of work coming in.
Mm.
Appointments for estimates
well into next month.
Is there an address in there
for a job nearby?
No, not that I can see. Just initials.
- I'll tell you what
- Hmm?
You can't find an electrician
these days for love nor money.
Gets paid nearly four grand
the day he goes missing.
Doesn't say who it's from. Cash, maybe?
Oh, builders love cash.
Checked his account?
Yeah. No recent deposits.
Cash makes him a target.
I knew a local chap
who had ten grand taken off him
by Albanian labourers
on a site he was working on.
They followed him home, jumped him,
took his money
and pissed off back to Albania.
Not that you've got anything
against Albanians.
I don't, but I imagine he does.
I was having to do all the work for her.
And I don't mind, really.
It's kind of like, you know,
being a good person to help her.
But it's not really fair, is it?
Hi.
Do you want to sit with us?
Don't worry. She didn't hear me, did she?
Sit?
Why?
OK.
Read my lips.
Because he's a wanker.
Because he's a seedy, gross old guy
who sends me a text
and tries to get me alone and drunk
so he can grope me.
Did you understand that?
Shall I write it down?
What's up, champ?
Jack.
I've just been copied into an email.
Were you advising a student
at the university?
They've made a complaint against you.
Hmm.
That's a lot of crap, is what that is.
Um
How well do you know Vanessa Miller?
- Were you alone with her?
- Are you serious?
I have to be.
People that make false accusations
are dangerous.
What should I do?
Fundamentals make the fighter.
Stick to the basics.
On your toes, chin in.
Protect your head. Hands up.
Gotta be faster than that.
Speed and strength equals power.
Nice. That was good. Good.
Good, Prof.
Oh, sugar.
I'm sorry.
Are you OK?
Right. I'm calling this. That's it. Done.
- I'm good.
- Sure?
Come on. Come on.
Protect your head.
There is nothing conclusive.
The cause of Cairney's death
remains unascertained.
Nothing in the contents of his stomach?
Did he eat anything dodgy?
Oats. Nothing of note.
Well, at least he got his oats.
- Toxicology.
- Nothing unusual.
Except he's dead!
Is that how good we are?
Someone's unexplainably dead,
and there's nothing unusual?
HE SIGHS
I love this view. It's a wonderful view.
You know what the view from my office is?
An exhaust vent.
I think we'd have better police
officers if we had better views.
Mind you,
there's some great views
from the top floors
of the old Brompton building.
31 floors,
117 metres high.
Great views.
The old counter-terror boys
have got those.
See, counter-terror -
oh, that's where it's at.
Clear-cut good and evil.
Don't have to watch what you say.
None of this "Oh, you've offended
me" nonsense.
That ship sailed without me on it.
BULL SIGHS
Nothing unusual.
Surely there's something - anything -
that I'd find unusual.
Who else was on that panel?
Morning.
BULL: I need you to arrange
a uniform drive-by
for an Elizabeth Newport
to start right away.
Yeah, I'll send you the address.
- Mrs Newport?
- Miss.
OK.
Hello, Gabriel.
- Could we have a word, please?
- Yes, of course.
What is it?
And Valerie?
Both of them?
Could be a coincidence.
Gabriel?
Do you believe in coincidence?
Do you know somebody who could
have a grievance against them?
A grievance against you
or the professor here?
Who?
It's impossible.
You need to tell me.
Peter Cherry was very upset
he wasn't selected.
Peter Cherry? Give me a break.
He made a number of accusations.
Does that make him a killer?
No, it gives him a grievance.
He was clearly the most experienced,
in and out of the lecture hall.
- No offence, Gabriel.
- None taken.
But we didn't feel
he was the most suitable.
Why wasn't he suitable?
He had views that were controversial.
On a postmortem table,
you are either a man or a woman
or a biological anomaly.
There was a complaint by a student.
Everything else is human construct.
It was conforming to a repressive
binary view of gender.
What?
People should be able to live
as they want, love who they want.
We're not talking about living or loving.
He's not talking about gender.
He's talking about a dead body.
It's biological sex -
it's scientific fact.
Has a student ever done a postmortem?
It set off a chain of events -
social media, protests.
Do you think he said something wrong?
No
But you didn't defend
his right to say it.
HE CLICKS HIS TONGUE
The panel didn't feel
comfortable appointing him
and believed Professor Folukoya
to be the better candidate.
He was more thoughtful, more likely
to bring colleagues with him
Thanks, but two of our colleagues
are dead.
Do any of us think
it's simply a coincidence?
Hold off on making any announcements
about Professor Folukoya,
just in case it paints
a target on his back.
It's already on Twitter.
This Cherry Did he threaten you?
No.
Do you think he could be dangerous?
Yes.
Right.
We either eliminate him
or find a connection.
If you'll forgive me,
I have got class.
CHERRY: There were 677 homicides
in the UK last year.
That's the highest number since 2008.
What percentage of those homicides
will have no suspect charged
after three years?
Anyone?
- Celeste?
- 20%.
20%.
So if there's not enough
evidence to charge,
is that the fault of the police?
Is it our fault as investigators,
our inadequacy in supporting
the investigation?
The truth is -
and don't share this around -
all of you in this room
will have the skills,
when you have finished this course,
to commit a homicide
and get away with it.
- What are we looking for?
- I'm not sure.
We need something that tells us
about something that we
don't know we're looking for.
HE LAUGHS SOFTLY
I'd like to prove
this wasn't an accident.
So she comes home
..starts cooking her tea,
sets herself on fire
SHE SCREAMS
..dies.
What was she cooking?
Was there anything left of the pan?
Was there any residue
in the pan that resembled food?
There was oil in the pan.
PAN SIZZLES
She wasn't sauteing onions,
frying chicken?
There was no extant residue in the pan.
Just the oil.
Still had her coat on when she died.
You come home,
fill a pan with oil,
heat it until it boils,
and never take your overcoat off?
Mm-hm.
Have you looked in the fridge?
Mushrooms.
Call the council?
Yeah.
JACK: Health spa.
Harrison Cairney enters.
37 minutes later
Peter Cherry enters.
- You can place him in the building?
- At the same time.
But not in the sauna.
University students and staff
both use the health spa and gym.
Yes.
So do we make everyone at the gym
a person of interest?
Well, wait. Jack, go ahead. Look at this.
Valerie Fullerton picking up vegetables.
JACK: Look who she's talking to.
Peter Cherry.
He went to find them both.
Then they died.
Unusual.
LINE RINGS
Nikki, can I see the tox report
on Cairney?
It's positive. It's GHB.
It was in his water.
The killer's let us know
there's foul play,
but has made sure
we can't prove who's responsible.
Did he do it himself, or was he spiked?
- How can we tell you that?
- You can't.
PROTESTORS MURMUR
- Peter Cherry, nice to meet you.
- Dr Alexander.
Women always go to their title,
don't they?
In case men don't think they have one.
HE LAUGHS
I like you. You remind me of someone.
And you're Gabriel Folukoya.
- Hello. Nice to meet you.
- Hi.
I believe you pipped me
to the post at the Dean's job,
or so Twitter tells me.
Apparently. Nice to meet you.
- Mm.
- Jack Hodgson.
- Oh, you were in one of my classes!
- Yes, I was. I loved it.
Yeah, that's
a few years ago now, isn't it?
- Just a few, yeah.
- Very earnest, as I recall.
- Still is.
- Hmm.
- And very talented.
- Let's not overdo it.
All right!
The Detective Inspector
has suggested that
that you might need my help
with a case review.
Is it a cold case?
No, it's still an active investigation.
Oh, really?
Have you heard that Harrison Cairney
and Valerie Fullerton have both died
in the last 72 hours?
Both of them?
We've reached an impasse
and we wanted to make sure
we've considered all our options.
Your options?
Did you know either of them?
Yes, I did, which you know,
which is why you're here.
I went to visit both of them
in the last 72 hours
to let them know that I thought
their decision to appoint
Professor Folukoya was wrong-headed.
- No offence, Professor.
- No.
I think you intended to offend.
Perhaps I did.
I guarantee you -
everything I am, I've earned.
I expect you have.
So I'm part of the case review.
Am I your only suspect?
All right.
I'll give you
a quick case review for free.
The reason why you haven't got
enough to charge me
is not because you are inadequate,
it's because I didn't do it!
I think we're done.
GABRIEL: We should never have gone.
We alerted him to our suspicion.
I just wanted to see how he'd react.
Did it tell you anything?
Look, I know you're worried, Professor,
and I don't blame you.
But I'll make sure we have eyes on you.
PHONE VIBRATES
Sorry.
Hello?
Don't worry,
I'll go back and talk to him,
get his prints, swab them for DNA.
I'll go.
Huh?
Why do you think he'll talk to you?
He said he likes me.
PROTESTORS DISCUSS AMONG THEMSELVES
Thanks for allowing me
to come back and see you.
You knew I would -
I have nothing to fear.
Prints first or swab?
Not bothered.
We're all so good at swabs now
since Covid, aren't we?
Tell me, in your experience,
which I expect is estimable,
have you ever come across individuals
who you find utterly loathsome,
representing everything wrong
with the human experience?
Maybe one or two.
Maybe more. I've been at this a while.
Cairney was one of those -
horrible man with a zipper problem
and a penchant for undergraduates.
He had this strange,
inflated view of himself -
a handsome caped crusader
who the girls couldn't resist.
I bet you could have resisted him.
Who knows? Left hand, please.
Superman is just a tuppenny rehashing
of Judeo-Christian messiah mythology.
Man comes down to Earth to save mankind.
Satan becomes Kryptonite.
Black and white, good and evil.
Not much nuance to it.
But then we live in an age
of little nuance, don't we?
DOOR BANGS OPEN
PROTESTORS: Cherry, out!
Cherry, out! Cherry, out!
Cherry, out! Cherry, out!
Cherry, out! Cherry, out!
I didn't murder him, you know.
Although I would have liked to.
Do you think maybe he took his own life?
- Why would you ask that?
- Well, they trip on their vanity
and fall on their arrogance, don't they?
Marriage not good.
Shagging around. He's got the crosshairs
of Me Too tattooed on his forehead.
Yes, you could make a good argument
for self-inflicted harm.
White man in his fifties,
highest increase in incidence -
nearly 15% now.
Men taking their own lives
in that age demographic is common,
even if there's no prior signs.
Sad, but true.
See, they see the world
closing in on them,
just like Cairney did.
I don't take a view on that.
Do you take a view on anything?
Yeah, I'm taking one right now.
CHERRY LAUGHS
You remind me of my wife.
My late wife.
Not the way you look,
the way you reduce things,
the way you poke.
I admired her for that.
She was quick. She was a woman
of enormous talent.
Not recognised enough for her work.
A woman of the mind.
Glioblastoma.
A perverse disease designed to torment
a thoughtful and talented woman like her
and inflict the maximum pain
and heartache.
She never complained.
Didn't blame the doctors
or government or me or
..God.
She didn't seek refuge from offence
or to keep from being triggered
or needing a safe space.
People who endure hardship
know that no such place exists.
They know that the world
is mean and cruel.
Joy, in all its infinite space,
is to be celebrated.
And death is endless.
I'm sorry. That was
rather indulgent.
So you've no idea how he died?
- No.
- Did you find anything unusual?
There was GHB in his water.
You don't believe I killed him, do you?
Not for me to decide.
Or you wouldn't have told me that.
You need to leave now.
LEADER: Cherry!
PROTESTORS: Out!
- Cherry!
- Out!
- Cherry! Cherry! Cherry!
- Out! Out! Out!
Thanks.
SHOUTING OUTSIDE CONTINUES
Cherry, Cherry, Cherry!
Out, out, out!
Cherry, Cherry, Cherry!
Out, out, out!
Cherry! Out!
- Cherry!
- Out!
- Cherry!
- Out!
- Cherry!
- Out!
SHOUTING ECHOES
SHE SCREAMS
Help!
SHE SCREAMS
MUFFLED CRIES
MUFFLED SCREAMS
PHONE BUZZES
PHONE PINGS
Just got a pin from Cara.
- So did I.
- That's not good.
- Nothing.
- Message failed.
BOOING
How brave of you to show your faces,
to believe in something so passionately
that you remain anonymous.
Social norms may change.
Government may change.
Legislation changes.
Fairness does not change.
But your fast fashion,
virtual disposable society
has abandoned fairness.
You think you're protecting it?
You're not.
You are the repressive people
we were warned about
PROTESTORS CHANT: Out! Out! Out!
..the ones who despise
freedom of expression
and have condemned yourself
to be slaves to ideology.
Out! Out! Out!
The devil comes in the disguise
of everything you've ever wished for.
Get back inside, old man!
CROWD JEER
VANESSA PANTS
SHE SCREAMS AND SOBS
No, no!
ZIP TIES TIGHTEN
PANICKED BREATHING
We know it was you.
We know you made the complaint
about Professor Cherry.
Please. Please. Don't hurt me, please.
You don't have a positive belief
about anything, do you?
Nothing that you want to build,
only things that you want
to complain about, tear down.
You destroyed him.
He's a great man.
You are nothing.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please.
Let me go, please.
This won't hurt.
When someone is wronged,
justice should be done.
And fairness, not mercy,
should be the measure.
What punishment do you deserve for
destroying someone's reputation?
For destroying someone's life?
What punishment would be fair?
Laughing gas.
We thought that would be fair.
No!
DOOR OPENS
Help!
She didn't do anything!
- She's a witness!
- Help!
SHE CRIES OU
PROTESTORS: Cherry, out! Cherry, out!
Cherry, out! Cherry, out! Cherry, out!
Cherry, out!
This way.
PANICKED CRIES
I can't do this. Not both of them.
No, please. Stop, please.
No! No!
No-o-o!
No! No
No!
No! No!
GAS HISSES
MUFFLED SOBS
CARA SCREAMS
DOOR OPENS
What the hell is going on?
Cara?
What the hell have you given them?
SHE GASPS
OK. OK, OK.
It's OK. It's OK.
I'm here. I'm here.
No!
This is over. Swear to God if you move
NIKKI: Are you all right?
ZIP TIES SNAP
SOBBING
It's OK.
Come on. Come on.
It's OK. It's OK.
Come here. Come here. It's OK.
It's all right.
SHE SOBS
VOICEMAIL: Hi, this is Dr Nikki
Alexander. Please leave a message.
I know who murdered Harrison Cairney
and Valerie Fullerton.
And I know that I'm responsible.
Can you get in the car, please?
Thank you. I just need you
to make a statement.
OK.
Sorry.
DOOR LOCK BEEPS
No!
She explains in the paper
how GHB, nitrous oxide and other drugs
can be used to cause death
without detection.
She wrote a paper about a crime
she was going to commit?
And Cherry realised that.
KNOCK AT DOOR
- Are you decent?
- Come in.
Oh. You about to cut him up?
- Postmortem.
- Yeah, that's what I meant.
Never as dark as people think, yeah?
Darkness comes before the dawn.
Sometimes you wish
you could just be there,
grab 'em, say there is support.
There is someone to talk to.
Cherry.
That electrician bloke. Robinson.
Robinson?
I have a moral problem.
I imagine more than one.
Mrs Elaine Robinson
is the beneficiary
of nearly 2 million quid
in life insurance policies
taken out by her late husband.
He was worth a lot more dead
than he was alive.
Are you thinking she killed him?
- No.
- Good.
Because I sat with her
as she sobbed over her loss,
and I didn't think it was a show.
Maybe she's a good actress.
Maybe she's profoundly sad.
Well, I'm thinking it's fraud.
Of course you are. You're a cop.
Well, he bought the policy during Covid.
His business was hanging by a thread.
He's still in massive debt.
Dying was quite useful for him.
Except that he's dead,
which, generally speaking,
isn't all that useful.
Well, there is that, yeah.
Jack said he thought he was assaulted
for the cash he was carrying.
I could go either way with this.
It depends on how you look at it.
I know the insurance company
will be quite keen
to hear he'd taken his own life.
Really? What's their interest?
The coroner will decide.
Yeah, on our recommendation.
What is our recommendation?
CHERRY: Dear Professor Folukoya,
I am writing to highly recommend
Cara Connelly, a student of mine,
for a work placement.
Cara is an outstanding student.
I have no doubt she will make
a substantial contribution
to the work of your team
and to the life of the Lyell Centre.
Postmortem of Peter Cherry,
a 65-year-old white male.
DOOR LOCK BUZZES
Elaine!
Sorry to bother you.
It's just
Well
I needed to know whether you know
how my husband died.
The insurance companies won't pay.
They say he may have taken his own life,
and, er
..we're going to lose the house.
We lost nearly everything
in Covid and all.
My husband, he borrowed
against the house.
Victims of long Covid.
My husband,
he took the policies out
to protect his family,
to protect us.
That's what men do.
A decision is made based on the evidence.
There'll be a decision soon.
ELAINE WHIMPERS SOFTLY
DOOR LOCK BUZZES
That was a bit cold, wasn't it?
I know how the decision is made,
and I know what the evidence is.
And I know that
there's no definitive evidence
of self-harm.
That OK with you?
Can we talk about sport?
Three rounds. Nine minutes.
That's your goal, all right?
That's your only goal.
All right, I want you to stay on
your toes and dance.
Nine minutes of dancing.
If you can get him an early punch,
you'll make him think twice
about coming forward.
All right?
CROWD SHOUT OUTSIDE
It's all right to be nervous.
Healthy respect for your opponent.
You've got to make the nerves
work for you, though. Yeah?
Keep you sharp.
God knows why I'm doing this.
Then stop.
Don't do it. No-one's making you.
You're right. I can stop.
I don't need to be doing this.
Want me to go tell 'em it's off?
I'll tell them.
DOOR OPENS
No.
No, don't.
It's just sport.
A chance to test yourself,
that's all it is.
This is more than a sport to me.
I live here.
For nine minutes,
I want to live here.
MAN: Time to go, boys. You're on.
BELL RINGS
You're about to.
Good.
Prof, here we go.
- Ready?
- Mm-hm.
All right, you got this. Go on.
REFEREE: Boxers
- Oh, Jesus, here we go.
- Right, lads.
I want a nice clean fight.
Listen to my instructions
and protect yourselves at all times.
Now, touch gloves.
BELL RINGS
Come on now, Prof.
That's it. That's it, move.
Hands up. Hands up.
Protect yourself.
That's it. That's it.
That's it. That's it.
BELL RINGS
Right.
All right. You did it
right there. Take some water.
Hey?
There you go. Remember to breathe. OK?
Glad you did this? Fight now, boy.
Keep those hands up.
Keep moving. Keep dancing. Breathe.
You got this, OK? Let's go. Round two.
BELL RINGS
Box!
Jab. Jab. You're out of it.
Protect your head!
Hands up. Come on.
Defend yourself. Defend yourself.
Get your hands up. Defend that head.
Now, break. Break!
BELL RINGS
Three minutes. All right? Hands up.
Hands up. OK? Mm-hm.
BELL RINGS
Let's go.
You can do it.
REFEREE: ..two, three
Come on.
- five
- Come on. Yes!
- six
- Come on.
Yes! Come on.
Get him in the corner. That's it.
BELL RINGS
And your winner
CROWD ROAR
- You did it. You did it!
- OK.
You made it!
How do you feel?
- Alive? Do you feel alive now?
- Yeah.
You had enough?
- I see it. You see it?
- Yeah, I see it.
- You want me to do it?
- No, I got it.
- Are you sure?
- Yes.
Oh!
HIS FEET THUMP
You got it.
- Bollocks!
- Yeah, I got it.
Sub extracted & improved by
Testator silens
Costetes e spiritu
Silencium. ♪