Alleyn Mysteries (1990–1994): Season 1, Episode 2 - The Nursing Home Murder - full transcript
Sir Derek O'Callaghan is receiving death threats because of the position he takes as member of the House of Lords. He is taken to a nursing home with pains and dies during an operation - a death that is found to be murder. Alleyn investigates. Was it the nurse O'Callaghan used and rejected (and who was also in the operating room)? The doctor who loves her (and led the surgery)? Those threatening his life?
𝒯𝓇𝒶𝓃𝓈𝓁𝒶𝓉e 𝓊𝓃𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓉 E𝒩𝒢LI𝒮H
Come on, come on, come on…
Police!
Put it away
- What if they find us?
- Burn those papers
Help him
Police. I have a warrant
to search these premises
You're making a lot of noise
I suppose you have an
explanation for this invasion?
You'll soon find out, sir.
Hold him!
Drop it!
Ask the Chief inspector
to come here
I’m here, Brer
- Anyone hurt?
- No
But look at this
Sir Derek O'Callaghan
Ah, Sir Derek
- My apologies, Prime Minister
- Nice to see you
Congratulations
- Nice to see you back
- Thank you very much
Gentlemen, we can begin
My secretary telephoned,
I believe, with the news
We've been discussing it.
Scandalous
Things can't be allowed
to go on like this
It has been suggested that
more troops be sent in
Do you agree?
Well, with respect, Prime...
Sir Derek!
- Home Secretary, some brandy
- No, please
Please, no brandy. Some... water
Some water
Thank you
Sorry about this
My dear fellow, what
on earth was it?
Keep meaning to see my
doctor, but, well...
this Palestine business
is so pressing
But you mustn't ruin
your health over it
Gentlemen, I think it best
if we adjourn for the moment
No, there really is no
need, Prime Minister.
The pain comes and
goes quite quickly
I wanted a private word with you anyway.
Gentlemen
This really is quite unnecessary,
Prime Minister. Your time is valuable
I’ve asked Chief inspector Alleyn
of Scotland Yard to arrange things
but I have to
Walther PPK 9mm
Officer issue
There's a lot that
came back as souvenirs
Yes
Well, he was carrying
it and it was loaded
Yes, I know, Brer
We didn’t set up that raid to find
one measly little gun, did we?
Well, it could tie up
Isn’t Sir Derek responsible
for Palestine?
Well, he's trying to deal with
the situation, but responsible?
I think that rather
begs the question
Get Bailey to check all
the prints from the house
against the prints of
our three prisoners
That should at least tell
us if we've missed anybody
Right
I’d better have a word with this
fellow Blautwicz, hadn’t I?
Tell you what, Brer, see if you can get
an opinion from the handwriting people
about that stuff you
saved from the fire
So this is the land of the free?
Freedom does not mean liberty
to break the law, Mr Blautwicz
You know that as well as I do
And what crime have I committed?
You invade my house. Why?
A gun was found on your premises
A gun
A little gun
The world is full of
guns, Chief inspector
The detritus of war
Was it necessary for half
the police in London
to strip my house
to find one little gun?
Where did you get it?
How did it come to be
in your possession?
That is a long story,
Chief inspector
I’m in no hurry
The gun belonged to SS
Colonel Halberschmidt,
in charge of oven BZ-79
at Auschwitz
I’m sure I don’t have to
explain to you why I was there
While we were being liberated, I managed
to get hold of it, and I shot him
Am I going to be
charged with murder?
Your actions elsewhere
do not concern me
Here they do. The gun was loaded.
Why?
I have enemies
Personal enemies?
I am a Jew, Chief inspector
Do you consider Sir Derek
O'Callaghan to be an enemy?
I am not aware of the gentleman
Come now, I find
that hard to believe
He's deeply concerned
with events in Palestine
Sir Derek O'Callaghan is
receiving threats to his life
His name was found on
paper in your house
And you were found in
possession of a loaded gun
Now, what do you say
to that, Mr Blautwicz?
I think in the land of the free,
I am entitled to see a solicitor
It’s not the end of the world
You're young and pretty,
you'll find somebody else
That's what you'll do
Find somebody else
You've no feeling
Now, come on, you're not a child
Let's be adult over this.
We've had good times together
They aren't good times
when you remember them
and know you were just
a man's good time
I loved you
Don't make a scene
How can you treat me like this?
What am I to do?
I love you, but if I
could kill you...
I’m not staying to listen
to this stupid talk
Oh, that's right, run away
I hate you
I hate you
- Nash?
- Yes, my lady?
Has Sir Derek come back?
Yes, my lady. He's in the study
Thank you, Nash
Shall I serve dinner, my lady?
How was Sir Derek?
Oh, much more his usual self,
I’m happy to say, my lady
Then we may as well
eat as usual, Nash
Very good, my lady
Derek?
I’m sorry, Cecily
That damn pain again
You can't keep putting
off seeing a doctor
Have you spoken
to John about it?
No, I haven't seen him for weeks.
Why?
He rang my office
this afternoon,
asked if he could come round
and see me here tonight
I wondered...
Oh, people talk, I suppose
It’s just as well you see him
He's a surgeon, not a doctor
You must see him. You
can't go on like this
After this Palestine business
is over tomorrow, I can...
ease up a little,
get proper advice,
and a good rest. There
And that's my speech
for the House tomorrow
Now, don’t worry
Have you had any more
of those letters?
You mustn't worry about them...
Evening, Miss Ruth. I’m
afraid Sir Derek...
Oh, my God, it's Ruth!
I don’t know why you let
her bother you so much
She's my sister. I can
hardly forbid her to visit
I’ll get rid of her
I’m sorry, they are not at home.
I assure you that they're...
Really, Cecily. Nash
said you were out!
- He meant "not at home", Ruth
- Ah, Derek, dear
- I did my best, madam
- Thank you, Nash
- Feeling better, I’m sure
- Yes. Yes, Ruth
Oh, I knew you would be
And here are new supplies
Mr Sage's remedies
really are splendid
Remarkable, and all from
natural ingredients
Nothing chemical, nothing
artificial, you know
Yes. I do know, Ruth You've
told me several times
There are some things, Cecily,
which are worth repeating
Not all natural substances
are good for one
An expert like Mr Sage knows...
Dinner
Mafeking has been relieved
There's a curious mark
on this paper, Brer
You can just see
the faint outline
Bailey says there's one set
of prints unaccounted for
So, three in the cells,
four sets of prints...
Four in the gang. We missed one
We missed more than
that, didn’t we?
Yes
Bad luck on Sir Derek
If we’d found the
weapons, it would have
given him a head start
in the House tomorrow
What's that?
Censure motion by the Opposition
on his handling of the
situation in Palestine
I’m too busy with crime
to bother with politics
Well, you'll jolly well have to
bother with them in this case
Let's see. We've got
the Stern Gang...
You've heard of them, I take it?
Supposed to have a cache of
arms at Blautwicz's house,
ready for shipment to Palestine
All we find is one little pistol and a
piece of paper with Sir Derek's name on it
So, what's going on, Brer?
Well, it looks like the
threats came from Blautwicz
The likelihood is
we've stopped those
Yes, but for how long?
Blautwicz has already
got his lawyer busy
What do you make of that?
Not a lot
Couple of snakes up a tree
That's a caduceus
Oh, yes. What's that?
A symbol of the
medical profession
- Good evening, Sir John.
- Is Sir Derek in?
I believe he's in the
library, Sir John.
Perhaps you’d care to wait in the study
whilst I inform him of your arrival
Very well
May I take your coat
and hat, Sir John?
Er, not now
John!
Cecily
Hello
I’m so glad you've come
That will be all.
Thank you, Nash
You know Derek has been unwell.
You must have heard
- Of course, yes, but...
- He refuses to see a doctor
until this wretched
Palestine debate is over
What with that and the stress
of threatening letters...
- Well, you must know about those, surely?
- Yes, but...
There you are, John.
Sorry to have kept you
Do have a word with him, John, please.
I’ll get Nash to send in some coffee
We'll share something stronger, I think.
Come inside, my dear fellow
Your coat, John
It doesn't matter. I
shall not be here long
I’ve been so busy lately and
politics are a damned curse
And as for this Palestine...
Do sit down, dear fellow
I’ve not come here to
exchange pleasantries
What?
You're an unfeeling,
insensitive blackguard
Your conduct has been
beneath contempt
I don't know what the
hell you're talking about
I’m talking about Jane Harben
What's she to you?
Her happiness is more important to me
than anything, and you have ruined it
Come on, old boy. Good Lord!
We had fun together for a
few months, that's all
She enjoyed it, I enjoyed it
Women aren't ruined nowadays for
enjoying a bit of what they fancy
It was not fancy, as
you call it, with Jane
She loved you. I cannot
fathom why but she did
And she believed that
her love was returned
It was only because
of this that she...
You have ruined her life
If she thought I
loved her, I’m sorry
But as for ruining her...
Good God! She's not
pregnant, is she?
Damn you, no!
Well, then, what the hell
does she want from me?
- Money. Is that it?
- You're a bustard, O'Callaghan
I love Jane
If you drive me too far...
Don't be so dammed melodramatic
I don’t want the woman.
If you do, take her
I warn you, I know your ways
If you make the slightest move to
hurt or take advantage of her again,
I swear I will kill you
Dammed fool!
Is that another
of those letters?
No, no, it's nothing like that
What's the matter with Nash?
Nothing. I wanted to
bring it to you myself
To wish you luck on your big day
Well, that's very sweet of you.
Thank you
Perhaps we could have a
weekend at the cottage
A change would do you...
us good
Yes, yes, why not?
I’ll give myself a
good going over
and get rid of this,
whatever the damn thing is
I’m sure two aspirins
would do you
more good than those
things of Ruth's
Pleases her to think
she's helping me and...
herbs can't harm me, can they?
I can't understand why
people won't trust nature
After all, nature made us,
so nature must know best
It is rather obvious.
Don't you agree, Mr Sage?
Alas, not everyone has your
clarity of mind, Miss O'Callaghan
Now...
remember, it's essential these are taken
regularly until the treatment is complete
Oh, yes, yes. I’ve explained to Derek very
clearly and he's promised to take them
Good
Well, into battle
I hope they're not
too hard on you
I can give them as good
as I’m likely to get
Don't worry
You will take care, won't you?
Look
Armed guard, never lets
me out of his sight
Dammed nuisance, actually
Ah, Chief inspector
Am I to be shot?
We hang people in this country,
Mr Blautwicz, but no, not today
Bail has been arranged.
You're free to go
So, British justice
works after all
With a good solicitor it does
Ah, you're a cynic,
Chief inspector
Will my gun be returned?
I advise you to keep clear of
guns in future, Mr Blautwicz
Oh, I shall, Chief
inspector, I shall
I wouldn’t want to lead
you to another mistake
One moment, sir
What? I might be arrested again?
My paper, sir
Your pardon, Officer
Slippery customer, sir
I think he plays a
fairly straight bat
Could I see your paper?
- Did you tear this out?
- No, sir
He must have
Order! Order!
I wholeheartedly support the
decision of this Government
to develop the atom bomb
Order! Order!
No, no, I will not give way
The defense of this country and the
safety of our troops in Palestine
- is my prime concern
- Hear! Hear!
We hold that country
not for any gain,
but under mandate from
the United Nations
to seek a peaceful solution
to the conflict there
Hear! Hear!
It is a burden we
reluctantly assume
Why don’t we get out, then?
It may be in the nature
of the honourable
member's party to run
away from responsibility,
but on this side of the House
we have a sense of honour
Order! Order!
Order!
Sir Derek
Sir Derek?
To yield to terrorists...
.. to succumb to force is not...
is not a characteristic
of our island race
Please let me pass. I’m
Sir Derek's sister
Oh, it's you, Cecily
Yes, darling, it's me
Try not to talk
- Please stand aside - Sir
John has given instructions
- I am well acquainted with Sir John
- But, madam...
Get out of my way,
you silly girl
I’m Sir Derek's sister. I
insist you let me see him
- Ruth, what are you doing?
- Ah, Cecily
Thank goodness. This silly girl is
trying to stop me from seeing Derek
- I’m sorry, my lady, but...
- Sir Derek is my brother
I keep telling her
It’s all right, Nurse
Banks, thank you
Sir John Phillips would like
a word, Lady O'Callaghan
I don’t think we
should disturb him
I don’t think I’m likely to
disturb my brother, Cecily
He's hardly conscious
You will be staying,
Nurse Banks?
Oh, yes, my lady. Sir John
told me not to leave him
Good
Poor Derek. Is the
pain very severe?
Oh, Ruth, it's dreadful
You must take some of
Mr Sage's fulvitavolts
If you take one now, it
will ease it immediately
I’m sorry, madam, but you
cannot give that to the patient
Nonsense, it will do
him the world of good
Nothing must be given to the patient
without the Doctor's permission
Very well
That's the trouble. The medical
profession is so prejudiced
They think the knife
cures everything
Cecily, it's
probably peritonitis
An operation is
really imperative
I think we should get
Somerset Black to do it
But, John, surely you'll do it
Somerset is very capable
An excellent surgeon
I have no doubt, but...
I have more confidence in you, John,
than anyone, as I am sure Derek has
You're sure you’d not
prefer Somerset Black?
Absolutely
I mean him no disrespect,
but I would be much happier
if you would operate
Very well
Get the theatre prepared, Mr Thoms.
And the anaesthetic, Dr Grey, I think
He's in Birmingham, Sir John.
Lister conference
Oh, well, I’ll get Roberts.
Will you take Lady O'Callaghan
back to Sir Derek?
- I’ll join you shortly.
- Thank you, John.
I know he could not
be in safer hands
Dr Roberts. Oh, Sir John, yes
I’m at St Quinten's.
Dr Grey is unavailable
Unavailable? Oh, yes, I see
It’s an emergency. Sir
Derek O'Callaghan
Sir Derek O'Callaghan?
Acute appendicitis
I must operate as
soon as possible
I shall be over at once
Thank you, Roberts
Always an honour to
work with you, Sir John
I shall bring my own
equipment as usual
Of course
- Goodbye - Goodbye
Have you heard the news?
- No, depress me further
Oh, you had to let
Blautwicz go, then?
Ex-concentration camp victim,
one very small pistol, good solicitor.
What else?
Sir Derek O'Callaghan collapsed in the
Commons. He was rushed to hospital
Good Lord! Nothing suspicious?
No, natural causes.
Appendix, they think
We can hardly accuse
Blautwicz of that
No, we can't
I really think I should
take more exercise
I’ll walk to the corner
The corner?
Yes, I have this sudden,
overwhelming desire...
.. to buy a newspaper
Sir John is going to operate immediately,
Miss O'Callaghan. You must leave now
It’s wrong. The knife is wrong
Nature's way is best
You should let nature
cure him, not the knife
I can understand
how you feel, Ruth
On your head be it
On your head
- I’m sorry, John. Ruth...
- Please, please, I understand
I’ll do what I can.
Try not to worry
No...
Not him
Don't let...
- Don't let him...
- It’s nothing
Pain sometimes makes
patients delirious
It will all be over soon
Nurse Harben, you
should know by now
that Sir John uses his
own hyoscine solution
Put that back in the store
Sorry, Sister
- Your tray is ready, Sir John
- Thank you
Dressings, Nurse
Not giving him two, are you?
One tube was empty
Oh, well. Roberts has arrived
I’ll get scrubbed up
Nurse Banks, doctors
are dressing
Politics is an
honorable profession
May be. Trouble is the
nuts who enter it
Power and the glory, that's what
they're after. Egomaniacs mostly
- Do you really think so?
- Obvious
Always handing each other titles
Knighthoods, peerages, all that stuff.
Right, nursey?
So you think Sir Derek
O'Callaghan's an egomaniac, then?
Hardly got a humble opinion
of himself, has he?
And look at the mess he's
been making in Palestine
No wonder there's Jews threatening
to take pot shots at him
Are there?
I’ve heard he gets
threatening letters
Course, could be some of
your pals, eh, nursey?
I have no pals among assassins
Though sometimes
they can be right
If they’d managed it with Hitler,
who would have complained?
Of course, he was mad
You shouldn’t be here, Jane
Do you think I want to be?
I have no choice. It’s my job
I’ll speak to Sister Graham.
I’m sure she...
No, you mustn't
- But surely you...
- You mustn't speak to anyone
I... I want to be here
I don’t understand you, Jane
I don’t understand
myself, so how can you?
All I want is to help you.
I love you
Don't say that, please
How can you have any
feelings for him?
- He threw you aside -
What feelings I have, I...
Don't ask me to talk about them
I’m afraid of them myself
No more than I am of mine
I hate him for what
he has done to you
Is everything ready, Sir John?
- I’ve given him 100th of hyoscine
- I’ll have him ready in a moment
If you please, Nurse
Forceps
Mop
The pulse is weak, Sir John
I don’t like his pulse
Camphor, three grains
Quickly, Nurse
Inject it
Serum, Nurse
Serum, Nurse Harben
Serum
Serum, Nurse Harben
Pay attention, Nurse
Sorry, Sister
How is he?
Not so good
I’ll give him oxygen
Nasty mess. Must
have neglected it
No doubt
Better take him back
Nurse Harben seemed a bit
not here today, didn’t she?
Nurse Harben,
didn’t seem with us
- I didn’t notice - Hm,
not her usual self at all
- Must be love or something
- Doctor
It’s Sir Derek
He's gone
I understand that the
letters Sir Derek received
were from political extremists
opposed to his policy on Palestine
We feel that it's
hardly likely that...
I heard all this from
the Prime Minister
There is no point in
your repeating it
He is not aware, as I am,
that a woman with whom my husband
had had an unhappy relationship
and who was embittered
by his rejection of her
works as a nurse at Sir
John's nursing home
Forgive me, but are
you sure of this?
Wives are not fools,
Chief inspector
- Was she present during the operation?
- That I do not know
It is sufficient to
know she was there
I’m afraid that hardly constitutes
grounds for a postmortem,
particularly since the death certificate
was signed by two surgeons,
Sir John Phillips and a Mr Thoms
Cecily, you can't do it.
I won't allow it
You can't. It’s wicked.
It’s wrong
The body is a sacred vessel
Ruth, I have a visitor
Chief inspector Alleyn
of Scotland Yard
My sister-in-law
Ruth O'Callaghan
But surely it's...
You're Sir George Alleyn's
brother, aren't you?
He's George Alleyn's brother.
Aren't you?
We met at Stone
Towers, the Bellamys'
That's right, we did
You're a policeman. I remember
Yes, I am
You must stop her. There
must be no postmortem
- It's ridiculous. Derek must not be cut up
- Ruth
It’s indecent. He must be
left to sleep in peace
You may tell the Prime Minister,
I appreciate his motives
in sending you here
but I require to know the real
cause of my husband's death
The Doctors may be
satisfied but I am not
Cecily, please. Think of...
My mind is made up, Ruth
The Chief inspector
is leaving, Nash
Do you by any chance know the
name of the young woman?
Jane Harben. She's the daughter
of neighbors of ours in Hampshire
Thank you
You may be sure that the Prime
Minister will be kept informed
She's a Ratisbonne
They're a frosty lot
They have a great deal of
pull with the powers that be
- Got a bit yourself, haven't you?
- I have friends, Brer
I don’t have pull
I don’t use them
Well, perhaps in the
course of justice
Well, isn't that what Lady
O'Callaghan thinks she's doing?
There's no point worrying until we
get the results of the postmortem
- If she gets one - Rather
a big if, I’m afraid
As I said, she's a Ratisbonne
Their family motto
roughly translated is,
"We don’t stop until
we get what we want"
Anyway, look, this is
much more important
This might give us a
lead on our fourth man
"Anarchism, The
Means And The End?"
Your evening's
entertainment, Brer
Yes, yes, I see your point. Unfortunately
Lady O'Callaghan is a Ratisbonne
The family is very influential.
The party needs their support
I fail to see why my
professional reputation
should be sacrificed
on the altar of
political expediency
Quite, quite
Chief inspector, perhaps you could...
Quite, quite
Lady O'Callaghan
is very determined
There's nothing we can do to stop
her arranging a private postmortem
I have signed the
death certificate
So has Mr Thoms
There is nothing
unusual in the death
Then you've nothing to fear
The whole world of politics is nothing
but the embodiment of arbitrary power
As anarchists, it is our
duty to oppose corrupt
and bureaucratised states
of any political colour
Our aim is justice
But justice is not
the work of the law
Law is only a
declaration of justice,
controlled and administered by the
arbitrary power of entrenched capitalism
and privilege
Until they are uprooted
and destroyed,
there can be no true freedom
Let us not forget that these
ends would be achieved
by each and every one of
us in our daily lives,
particularly in our workplaces
And in this way,
we will undermine the system
that enslaves us...
.. and reform the world
There weren't a lot of you but I
thought you were very attentive
I thought that festival
session was very interesting
Because I think we
can actually...
Closing up now
Ah, excuse me, miss
That's quite all right
I beg pardon for
disturbing you, my lady
Never mind, Nash. What is it?
I scarcely know how
to begin, my lady
I’ve served the
family for many years
and would not presume to
interfere in personal matters
For heaven's sake, Nash, get to the point.
What is it?
I think you should
see this, my lady
Where did you find this?
In Sir Derek's wastepaper
basket, my lady
- Morning, Perkins
- Morning, sir
What load of misery have you
brought to start the day?
Depends how you look at it, sir
Some bad news is good news
- Oh, really?
- Oh, yes, sir
Hip, hip, as the man said, when his
mother-in-law got the whoopers
Morning
Morning, Brer
Ah, you remember your two
snakes climbing up a tree?
They're on free notepads given to
doctors, hospitals and chemists
That's an awful lot of people
- Rosie Lee, sir -
Thank you, Perkins
Well, there was no luck
with the writing either
Didn’t match the hand of any
of the three that we nabbed
I suppose that
confirms something
That Blautwicz has a comrade
on the loose somewhere
- Who did you put on his tail?
- Robinson
Oh, that's really going to frighten him.
What happened at the anarchists'? Any luck?
Oh, nothing happened and no luck
There was no-one I’d
ever seen or heard of
What's Blautwicz doing with
the anarchists anyway?
Bit out of date,
I’d have thought
Still, he must have torn that piece
out of the newspaper for something
Let's have another look at it
Perhaps he was playing
us along, codding us
"Sage's herbal remedies"
I think we should try
some of those, don't you?
Out of sorts, are you?
The caduceus, Brer, the caduceus
On notepads given to doctors,
hospitals and chemists
That's the connection.
Pill pushers, not bolshies
Chief Inspector Alleyn's office
Yes?
Oh, yes, just a moment
It’s Lady O'Callaghan, she wants to see
you. Got important new evidence for you
Here is the proof
"Do not underestimate
me, O'Callaghan
If you trouble Miss Harben again, I will
surely kill you" Signed, John Phillips
My husband received that letter
on the morning of his death
and he died at the hands of
Phillips and that woman Harben
I do not wish to
be disturbed, Nash
I beg pardon, my lady. The Chief
inspector is wanted on the telephone
I took the liberty of putting
it through to here, sir
Alleyn. Yes?
I see
Thank you
That was the result of the
postmortem, Lady O'Callaghan
Well?
I'm afraid your husband
was poisoned...
.. by an overdose of hyoscine
I knew it
I knew it
He killed my husband
Blautwicz and the gun runners
will have to take a back seat
One never knows, Brer.
One never knows
Do you think it's murder?
Sir Derek O'Callaghan dies
of an overdose of hyoscine
That's the same drug administered by
Sir John Phillips during the operation
Who signs the death certificate?
Sir John Phillips
If it isn't murder, somebody’s
been awfully careless
- What the devil...?
- Just a tick, sir
Just a minute, miss
What was that all about?
She's an anarchist
She's certainly got
you stirred up
She was at that meeting
The one with the advertisement that
Blautwicz cut out of the newspaper
She could be number four, the one that
was missing from that raid on the house
I'm afraid not
According to the
handwriting experts,
the name Sir Derek O'Callaghan
was written by a man
Oh. Well, it's a link, though
I mean, he died here and that
nurse works for Sir John
Well, there you are, then
Thank you, miss. Would you like
to take a little stroll with me?
Unless it can be established that Sir Derek
somehow administered the drug himself,
the situation is
serious, Sir John
You do understand?
Of course. I...
- Will you smoke?
- No, thank you
Do you always use hyoscine?
Who prepares the injections?
I always do my own
These tablets packed in tubes of 20
make only one fifth of a grain in all
This is the tube I used. I
have since used one more
That makes 18
May I?
May I hang on to these?
There might have been some mistake
in the manufacture. And the box
Was Nurse Harben present
during the operation?
I won't have her name
brought into this
Did you write this letter
to Sir Derek O'Callaghan
because of his relations
with Nurse Harben?
You threatened to kill him
Do you deny writing this letter?
We do many things in a passion,
in a temper, that we regret
I did not want to
perform the operation
I asked Lady O'Callaghan to
let me get Somerset Black
to do it but she insisted
Did she tell you that?
- Did anyone hear you ask her?
- Mr Thoms was present, I believe
Nurse Harben has not
turned up for work today
- Do you know why?
- No, I do not
- Do you know a man called Blautwicz?
- No, never heard the name
So you do know a Mr Blautwicz?
I didn’t say I did
I said I wouldn’t tell
you whether or not I did
until you told me why you wanted
to know whether or not I did
Now, a few days ago you
attended a meeting
organized by an anarchist group
Is that against the
law, Inspector?
Er, no, Nurse. No, it isn't
I've also been to Tory, Labour, communist,
fascist and social realist meetings
- Did you see me at those?
- Er... no
I've told you all
I know, Inspector
Just a minute, I
haven't finished yet
There was a dirty glass
in Sir Derek's bedroom
Not at school today?
Do you want a sweetie?
Give my love to
your mother, yes?
- Bye-bye - Bye
Now...
There were three syringes used
Hyoscine, which Sir Jo-Jo used
in there, the anaesthetic room
He thinks it's safer,
if you know what I mean
Wouldn’t the anaesthetist
normally do that?
Ah, well, Roberts isn't happy with
needles, so Sir John did it for him
Why isn't Dr Roberts
happy with needles?
He's quirky. Takes all
sorts in medicine
Like politics
Now, this is camphor
used in the op
and this large one here...
This is the anti-gas gangrene
Was anyone in here with Sir John
when he administered the hyoscine?
Oh, no, Roberts was
in the scrub...
Er... Well, actually...
To be honest with you,
I couldn’t be sure
I don’t know
We like people to be honest
Sir John filled the
syringe where?
Oh, here. I saw him do it. He...
He what, Doctor?
Well, look, it doesn't
mean anything, not really
Then you've no reason for
not telling me what it is
It's just that I thought he might
have used two tablets, not one
You see, there were two tubes
but one of them was empty
Anyway, if he had given him two tablets,
that's only two 100ths of a grain,
nowhere near the amount that's
supposed to be in Sir O'Cally, is it?
Why do you say supposed?
Well, accidents
happen, don’t they?
Even at postmortems
And during operations
Well, couldn’t be
anything else, could it?
I mean, O'Cally was a political prat.
Look at what he was up to in Palestine
Well, no-one here is going to deliberately
do him in for that, are they?
I understand Sir John has left.
Where was he going?
I do not know. It's not my place
to ask Sir John where he's going
No, no, of course not, but did he
say how long he was likely to be?
No, he did not. And
stretch and stretch
He may have been going home or
to see a patient, I don't know
Have you had any word
from Nurse Harben
explaining why she hasn't
come to work today?
No. And it's very awkward.
We're short-staffed as it is
Don't slack, Mr Curtis
Without all this bother
What about Nurse Banks?
Couldn’t she have stayed on?
Help you out?
I saw you coming from the window
Ah, good
They think Sir Derek
O'Callaghan was murdered
Oh, thanks
Bit odd, isn't it?
Sir John suddenly
going off like that
I want to know why Nurse
Harben is missing
I expect she's gone home
I've got her address there
- Broughton, Hampshire - Might
pay her a visit. Now...
.. story so far
Sir Derek O'Callaghan dies
of an overdose of hyoscine
There are only two ways it could be
administered: by syringe or by mouth
It could hardly be by mouth
as he was unconscious
Syringe?
Well, there were three syringes
used during the operation
and there were three
puncture marks
found on the body during
the postmortem. So...
The dose must have been in one of the
syringes. Where else could it have been?
And there was only one
syringe large enough
to contain enough
hyoscine to kill
How about two small doses?
No, still not large
enough, apparently
If it was administered by a
syringe, it had to be the big one -
the sort of thing you'd
use on a horse -
which, according to Thoms,
was filled with
anti-gas gangrene,
whatever that is
- I suppose it could have been hyoscine
- Who filled it?
Nurse Banks
It's empty
- Do you want another one?
- No
I was just remembering what you
said about being taken by mouth
Banks said there was a dirty
glass in Sir Derek's bedroom
Sorry to keep you waiting. Chief
Inspector Alleyn, isn't it?
And you're Dr Roberts
- Do sit down - Thank you
I see you've been
exploring my work
Theodore Roberts, yes
Bit over my head, I'm afraid
Frohlich's synergenic
parallels...
conclusively prove Napoleon's
dystrophia adiposogenitalis"
Sounds rather painful
It's a matter of power
impulse and source
I need hardly tell you of
its connection with sex
There's an acute conflict between
the survival of the fittest,
nature's law as
defined by Darwin,
and the human tendency
to preserve the weak
Genius in the arts
and an excessive power impulse
are both deviants from the norm,
the extremes of
both being madness
Is the transmission of
their genes beneficial
to the human future?
Quite
I was hoping you might help me with
a rather more mundane problem,
the death of Sir
Derek O'Callaghan
Yes
Yes, that's quite dreadful
I... cannot deny that I am
rather selfishly nervous
on my own account. But...
I suppose it's difficult for
all concerned in the operation
But you gave no injections
No, no, I'm thankful to say, no
Isn't it usual for
the anaesthetist
to give injections?
I have a personal,
rather painful reason
I never give injections
Why not?
I gave an overdose...
of morphia
A patient who died as a
result of my carelessness
For some time I was
unable to work at all
Then I had to
An urgent heart case
It was successful
Restored my confidence
But I have never been
able to use the needle
I'm sorry, this must be
very distressing for you
But you did examine Sir Derek
before Sir John gave the injection?
Yes, of course. I would have been
failing in my duty if I had not done so
- His pulse was very slow
- Really?
Mr Thoms has stated that you were
worried about that during the operation
His pulse was worsening
progressively
Naturally I had to draw Sir
John's attention to it
Could that have been consistent
with hyoscine poisoning?
With hindsight,
yes, yes, I suppose it would
And this was before the camphor and the
anti-gas gangrene injections were given?
Yes, of course
But that would mean that Sir Derek
O'Callaghan received an overdose
before he arrived at
the operating table
Well, it would seem so, yes
But you know, I... I really
don’t see how it could be done
A quarter of a grain
is a massive dose,
Chief Inspector
So I understand
The results of the postmortem
have not yet been made public
How did you know that the suspected
dose was a quarter of a grain?
Nurse Banks told me
She's here now
She came to tell you the news?
Not especially, no
We have a shared interest
in mental disorders
She's using my upstairs library
Helen?
We were about to have coffee
Perhaps you’d care to join us
You don’t seriously think
it was murder, do you?
Well, frankly, I don’t
know what to think
It could have been
an accident, but...
I suppose you’d like
it to be murder
My dear Miss Banks,
I can assure you,
I'm only interested in justice
Thank you
If a wrong has been done,
it has to be put right
Well, I can't argue against that
I'm all for justice
I just wish there were a bit
more of it, in society generally
Oh, don’t let us
get into politics
You see, I really don’t
see how it could be done
Everybody sees what everybody else does
in an operation. Isn't that true, Helen?
We do. Except...
Except what?
It must have been an accident
I filled the anti-gas and
camphor syringes myself,
so how could it have happened?
That is what the Inspector
is trying to find out
I didn’t like O'Callaghan, or his
policies, but I hate killing,
of any kind
If I could help you, I would
But I don't see how I can
Well, perhaps you could just tell
me why you told Inspector Fox
that there was a dirty
glass by Sir Derek's bed
That was just…
There was a dirty glass there
I don’t suppose it was important
but his sister wanted to give him
some patent medicine and I said...
Hyoscine...
It's a sedative and it is
often used in patent medicine
If he took that before the operation,
there would have been a build-up
and the dose Sir John gave him might
well have taken him over the limit
- I told her not to give it to him
- But you think she did?
It's possible. I did leave the
room for a minute or two,
- and the glass was empty
- I bet that's it
She’d given him something
with hyoscine in it
It wouldn’t surprise me. Ruth
O'Callaghan is an eccentric, I believe
There is a streak of
insanity in her family
Her father committed suicide and
one of her sisters is in a home
Sacrilege! Sacrilege! The family
will never forgive you for it
For goodness sake,
Ruth, shut up!
How can he rest in peace
after being mutilated?
His spirit will be in torment
You think he was a
saint, but he wasn't
He was a Casanova, always
after younger women
How dare you!
How dare you
It was only my tolerance kept our
marriage and his career intact
Derek was a gentleman
He was a womaniser
God knows why I loved him
He was half crazy, like
the rest of your family
Good afternoon, Chief Inspector
Thank you. Would you
be good enough to ask
Lady O'Callaghan if she
can spare a moment?
Yes, sir. Perhaps you’d
care to wait in the study
You tricked him into marrying you.
He never loved you
- Miss Ruth?
- Yes, sir
Thank you
- You're hysterical!
- You're so petty and cruel!
Chief Inspector
Alleyn has called
and would like a word
with you and Miss Ruth
I've shown him into the study
Get Bessie to clear up
We've had a slight accident
Very good, my lady
Lady O'Callaghan...
.. Did Sir John
Phillips suggest to you
that Somerset Black carry out
the operation on your husband?
- Yes, he did - Why
didn’t you tell me?
Is there any reason
I should have?
Forgive me, but if Sir
John had wanted to...
carry out his threat,
he’d hardly have suggested another
surgeon for the operation
It was a ploy. He
knew I would insist,
ignorant as I was of any
hatred he had toward Derek
And another thing,
before Derek was wheeled
into the operating theatre,
he revived for a
moment and cried out,
"Don't let... Don't let...
" or something like that
He was clearly warning me against
letting Phillips operate
I'm sorry, but how
can you be so sure?
Because Phillips was
standing in the doorway
and Derek was looking
straight at him
The nurse who was in attendance heard
him too but said Derek was delirious
And, um... you didn’t think
this worth mentioning before?
I had been upset and confused
It is not every day one's
husband is murdered
I appreciate that. It's just
that premature accusations...
I also remember that the night
prior to my husband’s death
Sir John visited him here
and behaved most oddly
I realise now it was
about that Harben woman
Is...
Is there anything
else you remember?
I would not wittingly hold
anything back, Chief Inspector
I wish to know the truth
about my husband’s death
Yes, of course
Oh, prior to the operation,
was Sir Derek taking
any patent medicines?
Tell the Chief Inspector, Ruth
Tell him about Mr
Sage's magical cures
That's the one
Blautwicz went in?
That's right, sir. 1:05 he
went into Sage's, 1:04...
Yes, never mind the
others, he went in there
Are you sure?
Of course I'm sure, sir.
It's in my report
Right, wait here
Good morning, Brer
I was just going in there
- How odd, I was just coming out
- So I see, sir
I've got his prints on
a box of fulvitavolts
and a receipt in his handwriting
What did you come for?
Gyppy tummy?
Fascinating
Absolutely fascinating. I
can't make top or tail of it
What about you?
Well, at least somebody’s awake.
What have you got for us, Perkins?
Could be love letters but
they look like reports
Yes, thank you, Perkins
Prints match. What
about the writing?
Dead match
That's it
Mr Harold Sage was the one we
missed at Blautwicz's house
That means we've got a herbal
chemist involved in gun running
- Wheel in some tea, Perkins
- Would that be herbal, sir?
- Perkins!
- Right away, sir
You shall have it,
good and strong
Without water
Gets worse
Brer, is it possible that
this man Harold Sage,
acting on Blautwicz's
instigations,
supplies Ruth O'Callaghan,
Derek O'Callaghan's sister,
with this fulvitavolt stuff
laced with hyoscine?
But they couldn’t have known
about his operation, could they?
You can stand your
spoon up in that
Thank you, Perkins. Ask
Robinson to come in, would you?
And go out without making a joke
Now that would be one, sir
Yes, I'd like you to get
me a number, please
I want to speak to Sir John Phillips
at St Quinten's Nursing Home
- The number is Hampstead 3903
- You wanted me, sir
Yes, first thing
tomorrow morning
get round to the General
Medical Council
and find out all you
can about this man
Dr Theodore Roberts
He had an accident a couple of years ago
with a patient of his. Find out all you can
- Yes, sir - Hang on
a minute, Robinson
Yes, I'd like to speak to
Sir John Phillips, please
Oh, I see. Um...
Well, could I speak to
Sister Graham, then?
Thank you
Also, a man called
Thoms, T-H-O-M-S,
surgeon, also works
at St Quinten's
That's all
Right, sir
Sister Graham, it's
about Sir John
Sir John left after
your visit, sir
- I see - We haven't
heard from him since
- No word at all?
- No
What about Nurse Harben?
It was an accident. It
must have been an accident
You don’t think I killed him?
I'm not sure I'd
blame you if you had
I loved him, but I
could have killed him
Love is like that, isn't it?
Close to hate
But all I know is, his going
has left a hole in my life
One has to be careful of holes
You can fall in them
You mustn't start thinking like that.
He isn't worth it
If only you’d let
me take care of you
I'd do anything for you,
anything to make you happy
I love you. Can't you
understand that?
How do you know you aren't
just infatuated with me?
It can work both ways, you know
What's all this?
Deep in thought or a touch
of the old catatonics?
Is Dr Roberts coming?
Well, he's here already
Don't tell me you're
pining for him when
there are handsome young
surgeons available?
Oh, dear
Right, then, what's
on the menu today?
Not an appendectomy, I hope
I don’t think Sir Derek O'Callaghan's
death is anything to joke about
Maybe not, but there's no point
being hypocritical, is there?
Wouldn’t you agree, old boy?
I mean, Sir Derek O'Callaghan was not
exactly loved throughout the land
I'd go further. He
won't be sorely missed
She goes on about
warmongering politicians
but when the worst one in
the land gets knocked off,
she goes all conscience-stricken
Knocked off means
murdered, doesn’t it?
Don't you try and be
clever with me, young lady
If he was knocked off...
we all know no-one had more
motive for doing it than you
That's not fair
You yourself have
said, in my presence,
that a lot of people
would be better off
if Sir Derek was dead
Well, yes!
I was just thinking about those poor
Jews he kept stuck in a boat...
.. unable to land
Exactly
Nurse Banks was merely thinking
of the other unfortunates
I know you both mean well but
really you're arguing over nothing
Nobody here would
murder a patient
Well, how could they,
with everyone watching
what everyone else is doing?
It's impossible
Nothing's impossible
It could be done
How?
Come on, then, smarty-pants
If you know how it
could be done, tell us
Come on
Don't be silly
I wouldn’t tell you,
I'd tell the police
I understand what you're saying,
Chief Inspector, but...
How can I...?
I knew what kind of
a man Derek was...
.. but I loved him. There it is
And Sir John?
He couldn’t kill
anybody if he tried
He's too soft. You've
got to believe that
Do you happen to know where
Sir John Phillips is?
He went back to London. He
left just before you arrived
Are you sure he's
going to London?
He's not the sort
of man to run away
Can I answer that?
Or are you afraid I'll run away?
Don't be too harsh on us, Miss Harben.
We're only doing our duty
I'm sorry. It's all so upsetting
41226. Hello?
Hello?
She loved him!
I sometimes wonder
what women are made of
They often wonder
that themselves
So I'm told
Still, in love with Sir Derek?
Oh, well
Mind, she doesn’t exactly
seem averse to Sir John
Well, defending him like that
It's Scotland Yard. They want to
speak to you, Chief Inspector
Thank you
Chief Inspector Alleyn
- Would you like one?
- No, thank you, miss
The syringe that was used for the
pre-operation injection of hyoscine,
Did you see Sir John fill it?
No, I did not
Did you handle the two that
were filled by Nurse Banks?
Yes, of course I did
It's part of my job to han...
Do you think I emptied them and refilled
them with hyoscine? Is that it?
It's absolutely
impossible for anyone
to do anything they
shouldn’t during an op
We've got to get back to the Yard.
Things are hotting up
Do you really think
you need that?
Well, I hope I don't but we don't
know what we're up against
Well, put it away somewhere
Good luck, sir
Thank you
No Parthian shot?
Silence is golden, Perkins
- Helen, I was just coming up -
Oh, that's all right, Mrs Oliver
- I've run out of sugar again
- Yes. I'll, um...
Oh, it's all right, dear.
I'll come back later
Yes
Could I speak to Chief
Inspector Alleyn, please?
Chief Inspector Alleyn's office
Could I speak to the
Chief Inspector, please?
- Who's speaking?
- My name is Banks
I'm a nurse at St
Quinten's Nursing Home
Well, he's not here, Nurse.
He's just gone out
Please ask him to ring me
I know... how something...
could be done
Tell him that
"Know how something
could be done"
- Right, Nurse - Thank you
Oh, Mrs Oliver...
Mrs Oliver?
- Sage!
- All right
It's done... Here
Should have left ten minutes ago
The ship won't leave on time.
It never does
Remember, number three shed. Say
"Happy days" and you'll be cleared
Right, let him go
Chief inspector
Really
This is getting beyond a joke
Then we shall see who
has the last laugh
Open it up, Brer
Correct me if I'm wrong, Chief
Inspector, but wasn't Brer a rabbit?
Not this one. Have you
never heard of Brer Fox?
Guns may be embargoed
Medical supplies are not
Cotton wool
That's all
Harmless. You're delaying
a mission of mercy
This way, come on! We've
got him, we've got him!
Mr Blautwicz
Chief Inspector
Seen you before, haven't I?
Those powders of
yours, just the ticket
We're still none the wiser as to
who killed Sir Derek O'Callaghan
All in good time, Brer.
All in good time
"Nurse Banks...
knows how..."
Helen?
Helen?
Helen!
Oh, I didn’t know you were asleep.
I won't disturb you
I'll just turn the light out
Yes, poisoned
Overdose of something.
I can't say what
I'll need a postmortem but
it looks like suicide
Nothing's been touched,
has it, Merritt?
Oh, no, sir. I've seen
to that, like you said
I've let no-one touch anything
Could be hyoscine
Blood?
Probably scratched a pimple
Perhaps
That's it. The patient
can be removed now
He's not his usual
self today, is he?
I don’t wish to speak out of turn, Sir
John, but Mr Thoms seems to think...
That's another lucky fellow tucked away.
Well done, Sir John
You’d be well advised to take
it more seriously, Mr Thoms
Surgery is not a
matter for humour
I wasn't being funny. I meant it
it was a difficult op and he
was lucky to have you do it
- Sister!
- What?
- I think you’d better come
- Oh, my God, what is it now?
What the...? What's all this?
Jane!
What's happened?
I don’t know. I was told to come
in here with him and stay with you
Stay?
No-one is to leave without the
Chief Inspector's permission, sir
- This is ridiculous!
- Sir!
Oh, God!
What the hell is this?
Oh, for God’s sake
You can't come barging in here
just when you feel like it
- We have important operations to get done
- All right, Thoms. All right
This is very irregular,
Chief Inspector
So is murder, Sir John
Sister Graham, please
The syringes were on this table?
I've already been through that with you.
What's the point...?
Quiet, doctor, please
Is that correct?
Yes
Sir John, you took a syringe,
you filled it with hyoscine,
took it through to the anaesthetic room and
injected it into Sir Derek O'Callaghan
That is correct.
100th of a grain
Would you show me, please?
I picked up the syringe and...
- Do you want me to go in?
- If you would, please
Where was Nurse Harben?
There, by the operating
table, I think
Would you mind, Nurse?
- She was there?
- As far as I remember
And what about you, Sister?
Me?
Oh, I really don’t know. I...
You were there at the table,
looking at the syringes
No, no, no, she wasn't.
She was by the store
You weren't in here at that time
Yes, I was. I asked you if you’d
given O'Callaghan a double dose,
and you said one tube was empty
As I told you, Chief Inspector
Then I went off to the scrub room,
you went to the anaesthetic room,
and Sister was by the store
I really don’t think
I was in here at all
I was in the scrub room with Dr Roberts.
You were there, doctor
Well, I was certainly
there when Thoms came in
Yes, and I was helping you
dress when he came in
No, no, no, you
couldn’t have been
When I went in, Roberts
was scrubbing up
You were there where
you are now, Sister
Nurse Banks came from the anaesthetic
room and you told her to help dressing
Ah, yes. Yes, um...
I think Nurse Harben's right.
I did speak to Nurse Banks
You were there, by
the syringe table
Yes, very well, Nurse!
I was by the table
All right?
Thank you
Dr Roberts...
Mr Thoms, you were
both in the scrub room
Come on. He counts to ten,
then comes to find us
Sir John...
So Sir Derek would have
been where exactly?
Thank you
And you gave the injection...
Left arm, in the artery
- And this is the anaesthetic equipment?
- Yes
You give the injection
before this is used?
Yes
So this is wheeled in
next to the trolley?
- I would not be here, of course
- No, no, I understand
Good, thank you
Inspector, please
Would you come in here, please?
Ladies and gentlemen, I would
like the patient to be wheeled in
and you all to be in the
positions you were at the time
It'll be charades next
Inskip, you’d better play Banks
Just a moment. Shouldn’t you have
the anaesthetic equipment with you?
It's already here
The equipment in there is ours.
Dr Roberts uses his own
So you bring this with you?
We all of us feel more comfortable
with our own equipment
Good. Carry on
So you were all in these positions when
the operation on Sir Derek commenced?
Yes
Nurse Inskip would
be Nurse Banks
- What about the lights?
- I did them
Thank you, Sister
- You went straight back to the table?
- Yes
- You didn't do anything else?
- I adjusted the screen
- What's that?
- Well, that's it
It's to conceal the patient's
head while the surgeon works
In case the patient comes to
consciousness for some reason
Well, we’d better have
it, then, hadn’t we?
You all stayed in these positions
throughout the operation?
Except for when
syringes were needed
Nurse Harben, you collected one?
Yes
You gave it to Sir John?
No, Sister took it from me
She wasn't paying attention.
I gave it to Sir...
No, I gave it to Mr
Thoms, who injected it
No, no, that was the second
one, serum for the dressing
Banks gave the first one,
the one you asked for
Thank you. I'd like you all to
go to the scrub room, please
- Look, what the hell is this?
- Mr Thoms
Well, I'd like to know
what the hell's going on,
ordering us about like
kids in a kindergarten
Sister
Thank you
Blake, cover the door
Brer, it's got to
be here somewhere
- Brer, you're a genius
- Oh, I wouldn’t say that
Grab him, Ginger
Nurse Banks guessed, didn’t she?
She realized that you
were the only one...
.. who couldn’t be seen
Is he...?
Did he kill O'Callaghan?
And Nurse Banks
She was full of all sorts of burning
causes, as you were so keen to tell me
One of them was justice
Why? What had Sir
Derek done to you?
I did it...
for the good of mankind
There were only three
injection marks on the body
If Roberts had used the syringe,
there would have been a fourth
There is, in the head,
under the hairline
You see, I'd spotted a speck of
blood on Nurse Banks' pillow
and so I had her head shaved
The same with Sir Derek
There they were, tiny marks
So simple, should
have been obvious
But his not wanting
to do injections?
Oh, a perfect alibi.
Well, nearly perfect
Excuse me
I shouldn’t have
tried to run away
I'm not ashamed of what I did
O'Callaghan was mad,
like all his family
But then, so are all
politicians and scientists
Mad with conceptions and power
You see,
one murder... makes a villain
and he is hanged,
but connive at the making of an
atomic bomb to kill millions,
allow as many again to suffer
torture and starvation
for political ends,
and then what do you get?
A knighthood
Society rewards its
potential destroyers
I killed them to try and save it
Was Nurse Banks a destroyer?
You know, sir,
I'd say he's gone
in the head himself
I daresay that'll be a
matter for expert opinion
Do you know, Brer,
I sometimes think madness is
an extreme kind of sanity
Come on, come on, come on…
Police!
Put it away
- What if they find us?
- Burn those papers
Help him
Police. I have a warrant
to search these premises
You're making a lot of noise
I suppose you have an
explanation for this invasion?
You'll soon find out, sir.
Hold him!
Drop it!
Ask the Chief inspector
to come here
I’m here, Brer
- Anyone hurt?
- No
But look at this
Sir Derek O'Callaghan
Ah, Sir Derek
- My apologies, Prime Minister
- Nice to see you
Congratulations
- Nice to see you back
- Thank you very much
Gentlemen, we can begin
My secretary telephoned,
I believe, with the news
We've been discussing it.
Scandalous
Things can't be allowed
to go on like this
It has been suggested that
more troops be sent in
Do you agree?
Well, with respect, Prime...
Sir Derek!
- Home Secretary, some brandy
- No, please
Please, no brandy. Some... water
Some water
Thank you
Sorry about this
My dear fellow, what
on earth was it?
Keep meaning to see my
doctor, but, well...
this Palestine business
is so pressing
But you mustn't ruin
your health over it
Gentlemen, I think it best
if we adjourn for the moment
No, there really is no
need, Prime Minister.
The pain comes and
goes quite quickly
I wanted a private word with you anyway.
Gentlemen
This really is quite unnecessary,
Prime Minister. Your time is valuable
I’ve asked Chief inspector Alleyn
of Scotland Yard to arrange things
but I have to
Walther PPK 9mm
Officer issue
There's a lot that
came back as souvenirs
Yes
Well, he was carrying
it and it was loaded
Yes, I know, Brer
We didn’t set up that raid to find
one measly little gun, did we?
Well, it could tie up
Isn’t Sir Derek responsible
for Palestine?
Well, he's trying to deal with
the situation, but responsible?
I think that rather
begs the question
Get Bailey to check all
the prints from the house
against the prints of
our three prisoners
That should at least tell
us if we've missed anybody
Right
I’d better have a word with this
fellow Blautwicz, hadn’t I?
Tell you what, Brer, see if you can get
an opinion from the handwriting people
about that stuff you
saved from the fire
So this is the land of the free?
Freedom does not mean liberty
to break the law, Mr Blautwicz
You know that as well as I do
And what crime have I committed?
You invade my house. Why?
A gun was found on your premises
A gun
A little gun
The world is full of
guns, Chief inspector
The detritus of war
Was it necessary for half
the police in London
to strip my house
to find one little gun?
Where did you get it?
How did it come to be
in your possession?
That is a long story,
Chief inspector
I’m in no hurry
The gun belonged to SS
Colonel Halberschmidt,
in charge of oven BZ-79
at Auschwitz
I’m sure I don’t have to
explain to you why I was there
While we were being liberated, I managed
to get hold of it, and I shot him
Am I going to be
charged with murder?
Your actions elsewhere
do not concern me
Here they do. The gun was loaded.
Why?
I have enemies
Personal enemies?
I am a Jew, Chief inspector
Do you consider Sir Derek
O'Callaghan to be an enemy?
I am not aware of the gentleman
Come now, I find
that hard to believe
He's deeply concerned
with events in Palestine
Sir Derek O'Callaghan is
receiving threats to his life
His name was found on
paper in your house
And you were found in
possession of a loaded gun
Now, what do you say
to that, Mr Blautwicz?
I think in the land of the free,
I am entitled to see a solicitor
It’s not the end of the world
You're young and pretty,
you'll find somebody else
That's what you'll do
Find somebody else
You've no feeling
Now, come on, you're not a child
Let's be adult over this.
We've had good times together
They aren't good times
when you remember them
and know you were just
a man's good time
I loved you
Don't make a scene
How can you treat me like this?
What am I to do?
I love you, but if I
could kill you...
I’m not staying to listen
to this stupid talk
Oh, that's right, run away
I hate you
I hate you
- Nash?
- Yes, my lady?
Has Sir Derek come back?
Yes, my lady. He's in the study
Thank you, Nash
Shall I serve dinner, my lady?
How was Sir Derek?
Oh, much more his usual self,
I’m happy to say, my lady
Then we may as well
eat as usual, Nash
Very good, my lady
Derek?
I’m sorry, Cecily
That damn pain again
You can't keep putting
off seeing a doctor
Have you spoken
to John about it?
No, I haven't seen him for weeks.
Why?
He rang my office
this afternoon,
asked if he could come round
and see me here tonight
I wondered...
Oh, people talk, I suppose
It’s just as well you see him
He's a surgeon, not a doctor
You must see him. You
can't go on like this
After this Palestine business
is over tomorrow, I can...
ease up a little,
get proper advice,
and a good rest. There
And that's my speech
for the House tomorrow
Now, don’t worry
Have you had any more
of those letters?
You mustn't worry about them...
Evening, Miss Ruth. I’m
afraid Sir Derek...
Oh, my God, it's Ruth!
I don’t know why you let
her bother you so much
She's my sister. I can
hardly forbid her to visit
I’ll get rid of her
I’m sorry, they are not at home.
I assure you that they're...
Really, Cecily. Nash
said you were out!
- He meant "not at home", Ruth
- Ah, Derek, dear
- I did my best, madam
- Thank you, Nash
- Feeling better, I’m sure
- Yes. Yes, Ruth
Oh, I knew you would be
And here are new supplies
Mr Sage's remedies
really are splendid
Remarkable, and all from
natural ingredients
Nothing chemical, nothing
artificial, you know
Yes. I do know, Ruth You've
told me several times
There are some things, Cecily,
which are worth repeating
Not all natural substances
are good for one
An expert like Mr Sage knows...
Dinner
Mafeking has been relieved
There's a curious mark
on this paper, Brer
You can just see
the faint outline
Bailey says there's one set
of prints unaccounted for
So, three in the cells,
four sets of prints...
Four in the gang. We missed one
We missed more than
that, didn’t we?
Yes
Bad luck on Sir Derek
If we’d found the
weapons, it would have
given him a head start
in the House tomorrow
What's that?
Censure motion by the Opposition
on his handling of the
situation in Palestine
I’m too busy with crime
to bother with politics
Well, you'll jolly well have to
bother with them in this case
Let's see. We've got
the Stern Gang...
You've heard of them, I take it?
Supposed to have a cache of
arms at Blautwicz's house,
ready for shipment to Palestine
All we find is one little pistol and a
piece of paper with Sir Derek's name on it
So, what's going on, Brer?
Well, it looks like the
threats came from Blautwicz
The likelihood is
we've stopped those
Yes, but for how long?
Blautwicz has already
got his lawyer busy
What do you make of that?
Not a lot
Couple of snakes up a tree
That's a caduceus
Oh, yes. What's that?
A symbol of the
medical profession
- Good evening, Sir John.
- Is Sir Derek in?
I believe he's in the
library, Sir John.
Perhaps you’d care to wait in the study
whilst I inform him of your arrival
Very well
May I take your coat
and hat, Sir John?
Er, not now
John!
Cecily
Hello
I’m so glad you've come
That will be all.
Thank you, Nash
You know Derek has been unwell.
You must have heard
- Of course, yes, but...
- He refuses to see a doctor
until this wretched
Palestine debate is over
What with that and the stress
of threatening letters...
- Well, you must know about those, surely?
- Yes, but...
There you are, John.
Sorry to have kept you
Do have a word with him, John, please.
I’ll get Nash to send in some coffee
We'll share something stronger, I think.
Come inside, my dear fellow
Your coat, John
It doesn't matter. I
shall not be here long
I’ve been so busy lately and
politics are a damned curse
And as for this Palestine...
Do sit down, dear fellow
I’ve not come here to
exchange pleasantries
What?
You're an unfeeling,
insensitive blackguard
Your conduct has been
beneath contempt
I don't know what the
hell you're talking about
I’m talking about Jane Harben
What's she to you?
Her happiness is more important to me
than anything, and you have ruined it
Come on, old boy. Good Lord!
We had fun together for a
few months, that's all
She enjoyed it, I enjoyed it
Women aren't ruined nowadays for
enjoying a bit of what they fancy
It was not fancy, as
you call it, with Jane
She loved you. I cannot
fathom why but she did
And she believed that
her love was returned
It was only because
of this that she...
You have ruined her life
If she thought I
loved her, I’m sorry
But as for ruining her...
Good God! She's not
pregnant, is she?
Damn you, no!
Well, then, what the hell
does she want from me?
- Money. Is that it?
- You're a bustard, O'Callaghan
I love Jane
If you drive me too far...
Don't be so dammed melodramatic
I don’t want the woman.
If you do, take her
I warn you, I know your ways
If you make the slightest move to
hurt or take advantage of her again,
I swear I will kill you
Dammed fool!
Is that another
of those letters?
No, no, it's nothing like that
What's the matter with Nash?
Nothing. I wanted to
bring it to you myself
To wish you luck on your big day
Well, that's very sweet of you.
Thank you
Perhaps we could have a
weekend at the cottage
A change would do you...
us good
Yes, yes, why not?
I’ll give myself a
good going over
and get rid of this,
whatever the damn thing is
I’m sure two aspirins
would do you
more good than those
things of Ruth's
Pleases her to think
she's helping me and...
herbs can't harm me, can they?
I can't understand why
people won't trust nature
After all, nature made us,
so nature must know best
It is rather obvious.
Don't you agree, Mr Sage?
Alas, not everyone has your
clarity of mind, Miss O'Callaghan
Now...
remember, it's essential these are taken
regularly until the treatment is complete
Oh, yes, yes. I’ve explained to Derek very
clearly and he's promised to take them
Good
Well, into battle
I hope they're not
too hard on you
I can give them as good
as I’m likely to get
Don't worry
You will take care, won't you?
Look
Armed guard, never lets
me out of his sight
Dammed nuisance, actually
Ah, Chief inspector
Am I to be shot?
We hang people in this country,
Mr Blautwicz, but no, not today
Bail has been arranged.
You're free to go
So, British justice
works after all
With a good solicitor it does
Ah, you're a cynic,
Chief inspector
Will my gun be returned?
I advise you to keep clear of
guns in future, Mr Blautwicz
Oh, I shall, Chief
inspector, I shall
I wouldn’t want to lead
you to another mistake
One moment, sir
What? I might be arrested again?
My paper, sir
Your pardon, Officer
Slippery customer, sir
I think he plays a
fairly straight bat
Could I see your paper?
- Did you tear this out?
- No, sir
He must have
Order! Order!
I wholeheartedly support the
decision of this Government
to develop the atom bomb
Order! Order!
No, no, I will not give way
The defense of this country and the
safety of our troops in Palestine
- is my prime concern
- Hear! Hear!
We hold that country
not for any gain,
but under mandate from
the United Nations
to seek a peaceful solution
to the conflict there
Hear! Hear!
It is a burden we
reluctantly assume
Why don’t we get out, then?
It may be in the nature
of the honourable
member's party to run
away from responsibility,
but on this side of the House
we have a sense of honour
Order! Order!
Order!
Sir Derek
Sir Derek?
To yield to terrorists...
.. to succumb to force is not...
is not a characteristic
of our island race
Please let me pass. I’m
Sir Derek's sister
Oh, it's you, Cecily
Yes, darling, it's me
Try not to talk
- Please stand aside - Sir
John has given instructions
- I am well acquainted with Sir John
- But, madam...
Get out of my way,
you silly girl
I’m Sir Derek's sister. I
insist you let me see him
- Ruth, what are you doing?
- Ah, Cecily
Thank goodness. This silly girl is
trying to stop me from seeing Derek
- I’m sorry, my lady, but...
- Sir Derek is my brother
I keep telling her
It’s all right, Nurse
Banks, thank you
Sir John Phillips would like
a word, Lady O'Callaghan
I don’t think we
should disturb him
I don’t think I’m likely to
disturb my brother, Cecily
He's hardly conscious
You will be staying,
Nurse Banks?
Oh, yes, my lady. Sir John
told me not to leave him
Good
Poor Derek. Is the
pain very severe?
Oh, Ruth, it's dreadful
You must take some of
Mr Sage's fulvitavolts
If you take one now, it
will ease it immediately
I’m sorry, madam, but you
cannot give that to the patient
Nonsense, it will do
him the world of good
Nothing must be given to the patient
without the Doctor's permission
Very well
That's the trouble. The medical
profession is so prejudiced
They think the knife
cures everything
Cecily, it's
probably peritonitis
An operation is
really imperative
I think we should get
Somerset Black to do it
But, John, surely you'll do it
Somerset is very capable
An excellent surgeon
I have no doubt, but...
I have more confidence in you, John,
than anyone, as I am sure Derek has
You're sure you’d not
prefer Somerset Black?
Absolutely
I mean him no disrespect,
but I would be much happier
if you would operate
Very well
Get the theatre prepared, Mr Thoms.
And the anaesthetic, Dr Grey, I think
He's in Birmingham, Sir John.
Lister conference
Oh, well, I’ll get Roberts.
Will you take Lady O'Callaghan
back to Sir Derek?
- I’ll join you shortly.
- Thank you, John.
I know he could not
be in safer hands
Dr Roberts. Oh, Sir John, yes
I’m at St Quinten's.
Dr Grey is unavailable
Unavailable? Oh, yes, I see
It’s an emergency. Sir
Derek O'Callaghan
Sir Derek O'Callaghan?
Acute appendicitis
I must operate as
soon as possible
I shall be over at once
Thank you, Roberts
Always an honour to
work with you, Sir John
I shall bring my own
equipment as usual
Of course
- Goodbye - Goodbye
Have you heard the news?
- No, depress me further
Oh, you had to let
Blautwicz go, then?
Ex-concentration camp victim,
one very small pistol, good solicitor.
What else?
Sir Derek O'Callaghan collapsed in the
Commons. He was rushed to hospital
Good Lord! Nothing suspicious?
No, natural causes.
Appendix, they think
We can hardly accuse
Blautwicz of that
No, we can't
I really think I should
take more exercise
I’ll walk to the corner
The corner?
Yes, I have this sudden,
overwhelming desire...
.. to buy a newspaper
Sir John is going to operate immediately,
Miss O'Callaghan. You must leave now
It’s wrong. The knife is wrong
Nature's way is best
You should let nature
cure him, not the knife
I can understand
how you feel, Ruth
On your head be it
On your head
- I’m sorry, John. Ruth...
- Please, please, I understand
I’ll do what I can.
Try not to worry
No...
Not him
Don't let...
- Don't let him...
- It’s nothing
Pain sometimes makes
patients delirious
It will all be over soon
Nurse Harben, you
should know by now
that Sir John uses his
own hyoscine solution
Put that back in the store
Sorry, Sister
- Your tray is ready, Sir John
- Thank you
Dressings, Nurse
Not giving him two, are you?
One tube was empty
Oh, well. Roberts has arrived
I’ll get scrubbed up
Nurse Banks, doctors
are dressing
Politics is an
honorable profession
May be. Trouble is the
nuts who enter it
Power and the glory, that's what
they're after. Egomaniacs mostly
- Do you really think so?
- Obvious
Always handing each other titles
Knighthoods, peerages, all that stuff.
Right, nursey?
So you think Sir Derek
O'Callaghan's an egomaniac, then?
Hardly got a humble opinion
of himself, has he?
And look at the mess he's
been making in Palestine
No wonder there's Jews threatening
to take pot shots at him
Are there?
I’ve heard he gets
threatening letters
Course, could be some of
your pals, eh, nursey?
I have no pals among assassins
Though sometimes
they can be right
If they’d managed it with Hitler,
who would have complained?
Of course, he was mad
You shouldn’t be here, Jane
Do you think I want to be?
I have no choice. It’s my job
I’ll speak to Sister Graham.
I’m sure she...
No, you mustn't
- But surely you...
- You mustn't speak to anyone
I... I want to be here
I don’t understand you, Jane
I don’t understand
myself, so how can you?
All I want is to help you.
I love you
Don't say that, please
How can you have any
feelings for him?
- He threw you aside -
What feelings I have, I...
Don't ask me to talk about them
I’m afraid of them myself
No more than I am of mine
I hate him for what
he has done to you
Is everything ready, Sir John?
- I’ve given him 100th of hyoscine
- I’ll have him ready in a moment
If you please, Nurse
Forceps
Mop
The pulse is weak, Sir John
I don’t like his pulse
Camphor, three grains
Quickly, Nurse
Inject it
Serum, Nurse
Serum, Nurse Harben
Serum
Serum, Nurse Harben
Pay attention, Nurse
Sorry, Sister
How is he?
Not so good
I’ll give him oxygen
Nasty mess. Must
have neglected it
No doubt
Better take him back
Nurse Harben seemed a bit
not here today, didn’t she?
Nurse Harben,
didn’t seem with us
- I didn’t notice - Hm,
not her usual self at all
- Must be love or something
- Doctor
It’s Sir Derek
He's gone
I understand that the
letters Sir Derek received
were from political extremists
opposed to his policy on Palestine
We feel that it's
hardly likely that...
I heard all this from
the Prime Minister
There is no point in
your repeating it
He is not aware, as I am,
that a woman with whom my husband
had had an unhappy relationship
and who was embittered
by his rejection of her
works as a nurse at Sir
John's nursing home
Forgive me, but are
you sure of this?
Wives are not fools,
Chief inspector
- Was she present during the operation?
- That I do not know
It is sufficient to
know she was there
I’m afraid that hardly constitutes
grounds for a postmortem,
particularly since the death certificate
was signed by two surgeons,
Sir John Phillips and a Mr Thoms
Cecily, you can't do it.
I won't allow it
You can't. It’s wicked.
It’s wrong
The body is a sacred vessel
Ruth, I have a visitor
Chief inspector Alleyn
of Scotland Yard
My sister-in-law
Ruth O'Callaghan
But surely it's...
You're Sir George Alleyn's
brother, aren't you?
He's George Alleyn's brother.
Aren't you?
We met at Stone
Towers, the Bellamys'
That's right, we did
You're a policeman. I remember
Yes, I am
You must stop her. There
must be no postmortem
- It's ridiculous. Derek must not be cut up
- Ruth
It’s indecent. He must be
left to sleep in peace
You may tell the Prime Minister,
I appreciate his motives
in sending you here
but I require to know the real
cause of my husband's death
The Doctors may be
satisfied but I am not
Cecily, please. Think of...
My mind is made up, Ruth
The Chief inspector
is leaving, Nash
Do you by any chance know the
name of the young woman?
Jane Harben. She's the daughter
of neighbors of ours in Hampshire
Thank you
You may be sure that the Prime
Minister will be kept informed
She's a Ratisbonne
They're a frosty lot
They have a great deal of
pull with the powers that be
- Got a bit yourself, haven't you?
- I have friends, Brer
I don’t have pull
I don’t use them
Well, perhaps in the
course of justice
Well, isn't that what Lady
O'Callaghan thinks she's doing?
There's no point worrying until we
get the results of the postmortem
- If she gets one - Rather
a big if, I’m afraid
As I said, she's a Ratisbonne
Their family motto
roughly translated is,
"We don’t stop until
we get what we want"
Anyway, look, this is
much more important
This might give us a
lead on our fourth man
"Anarchism, The
Means And The End?"
Your evening's
entertainment, Brer
Yes, yes, I see your point. Unfortunately
Lady O'Callaghan is a Ratisbonne
The family is very influential.
The party needs their support
I fail to see why my
professional reputation
should be sacrificed
on the altar of
political expediency
Quite, quite
Chief inspector, perhaps you could...
Quite, quite
Lady O'Callaghan
is very determined
There's nothing we can do to stop
her arranging a private postmortem
I have signed the
death certificate
So has Mr Thoms
There is nothing
unusual in the death
Then you've nothing to fear
The whole world of politics is nothing
but the embodiment of arbitrary power
As anarchists, it is our
duty to oppose corrupt
and bureaucratised states
of any political colour
Our aim is justice
But justice is not
the work of the law
Law is only a
declaration of justice,
controlled and administered by the
arbitrary power of entrenched capitalism
and privilege
Until they are uprooted
and destroyed,
there can be no true freedom
Let us not forget that these
ends would be achieved
by each and every one of
us in our daily lives,
particularly in our workplaces
And in this way,
we will undermine the system
that enslaves us...
.. and reform the world
There weren't a lot of you but I
thought you were very attentive
I thought that festival
session was very interesting
Because I think we
can actually...
Closing up now
Ah, excuse me, miss
That's quite all right
I beg pardon for
disturbing you, my lady
Never mind, Nash. What is it?
I scarcely know how
to begin, my lady
I’ve served the
family for many years
and would not presume to
interfere in personal matters
For heaven's sake, Nash, get to the point.
What is it?
I think you should
see this, my lady
Where did you find this?
In Sir Derek's wastepaper
basket, my lady
- Morning, Perkins
- Morning, sir
What load of misery have you
brought to start the day?
Depends how you look at it, sir
Some bad news is good news
- Oh, really?
- Oh, yes, sir
Hip, hip, as the man said, when his
mother-in-law got the whoopers
Morning
Morning, Brer
Ah, you remember your two
snakes climbing up a tree?
They're on free notepads given to
doctors, hospitals and chemists
That's an awful lot of people
- Rosie Lee, sir -
Thank you, Perkins
Well, there was no luck
with the writing either
Didn’t match the hand of any
of the three that we nabbed
I suppose that
confirms something
That Blautwicz has a comrade
on the loose somewhere
- Who did you put on his tail?
- Robinson
Oh, that's really going to frighten him.
What happened at the anarchists'? Any luck?
Oh, nothing happened and no luck
There was no-one I’d
ever seen or heard of
What's Blautwicz doing with
the anarchists anyway?
Bit out of date,
I’d have thought
Still, he must have torn that piece
out of the newspaper for something
Let's have another look at it
Perhaps he was playing
us along, codding us
"Sage's herbal remedies"
I think we should try
some of those, don't you?
Out of sorts, are you?
The caduceus, Brer, the caduceus
On notepads given to doctors,
hospitals and chemists
That's the connection.
Pill pushers, not bolshies
Chief Inspector Alleyn's office
Yes?
Oh, yes, just a moment
It’s Lady O'Callaghan, she wants to see
you. Got important new evidence for you
Here is the proof
"Do not underestimate
me, O'Callaghan
If you trouble Miss Harben again, I will
surely kill you" Signed, John Phillips
My husband received that letter
on the morning of his death
and he died at the hands of
Phillips and that woman Harben
I do not wish to
be disturbed, Nash
I beg pardon, my lady. The Chief
inspector is wanted on the telephone
I took the liberty of putting
it through to here, sir
Alleyn. Yes?
I see
Thank you
That was the result of the
postmortem, Lady O'Callaghan
Well?
I'm afraid your husband
was poisoned...
.. by an overdose of hyoscine
I knew it
I knew it
He killed my husband
Blautwicz and the gun runners
will have to take a back seat
One never knows, Brer.
One never knows
Do you think it's murder?
Sir Derek O'Callaghan dies
of an overdose of hyoscine
That's the same drug administered by
Sir John Phillips during the operation
Who signs the death certificate?
Sir John Phillips
If it isn't murder, somebody’s
been awfully careless
- What the devil...?
- Just a tick, sir
Just a minute, miss
What was that all about?
She's an anarchist
She's certainly got
you stirred up
She was at that meeting
The one with the advertisement that
Blautwicz cut out of the newspaper
She could be number four, the one that
was missing from that raid on the house
I'm afraid not
According to the
handwriting experts,
the name Sir Derek O'Callaghan
was written by a man
Oh. Well, it's a link, though
I mean, he died here and that
nurse works for Sir John
Well, there you are, then
Thank you, miss. Would you like
to take a little stroll with me?
Unless it can be established that Sir Derek
somehow administered the drug himself,
the situation is
serious, Sir John
You do understand?
Of course. I...
- Will you smoke?
- No, thank you
Do you always use hyoscine?
Who prepares the injections?
I always do my own
These tablets packed in tubes of 20
make only one fifth of a grain in all
This is the tube I used. I
have since used one more
That makes 18
May I?
May I hang on to these?
There might have been some mistake
in the manufacture. And the box
Was Nurse Harben present
during the operation?
I won't have her name
brought into this
Did you write this letter
to Sir Derek O'Callaghan
because of his relations
with Nurse Harben?
You threatened to kill him
Do you deny writing this letter?
We do many things in a passion,
in a temper, that we regret
I did not want to
perform the operation
I asked Lady O'Callaghan to
let me get Somerset Black
to do it but she insisted
Did she tell you that?
- Did anyone hear you ask her?
- Mr Thoms was present, I believe
Nurse Harben has not
turned up for work today
- Do you know why?
- No, I do not
- Do you know a man called Blautwicz?
- No, never heard the name
So you do know a Mr Blautwicz?
I didn’t say I did
I said I wouldn’t tell
you whether or not I did
until you told me why you wanted
to know whether or not I did
Now, a few days ago you
attended a meeting
organized by an anarchist group
Is that against the
law, Inspector?
Er, no, Nurse. No, it isn't
I've also been to Tory, Labour, communist,
fascist and social realist meetings
- Did you see me at those?
- Er... no
I've told you all
I know, Inspector
Just a minute, I
haven't finished yet
There was a dirty glass
in Sir Derek's bedroom
Not at school today?
Do you want a sweetie?
Give my love to
your mother, yes?
- Bye-bye - Bye
Now...
There were three syringes used
Hyoscine, which Sir Jo-Jo used
in there, the anaesthetic room
He thinks it's safer,
if you know what I mean
Wouldn’t the anaesthetist
normally do that?
Ah, well, Roberts isn't happy with
needles, so Sir John did it for him
Why isn't Dr Roberts
happy with needles?
He's quirky. Takes all
sorts in medicine
Like politics
Now, this is camphor
used in the op
and this large one here...
This is the anti-gas gangrene
Was anyone in here with Sir John
when he administered the hyoscine?
Oh, no, Roberts was
in the scrub...
Er... Well, actually...
To be honest with you,
I couldn’t be sure
I don’t know
We like people to be honest
Sir John filled the
syringe where?
Oh, here. I saw him do it. He...
He what, Doctor?
Well, look, it doesn't
mean anything, not really
Then you've no reason for
not telling me what it is
It's just that I thought he might
have used two tablets, not one
You see, there were two tubes
but one of them was empty
Anyway, if he had given him two tablets,
that's only two 100ths of a grain,
nowhere near the amount that's
supposed to be in Sir O'Cally, is it?
Why do you say supposed?
Well, accidents
happen, don’t they?
Even at postmortems
And during operations
Well, couldn’t be
anything else, could it?
I mean, O'Cally was a political prat.
Look at what he was up to in Palestine
Well, no-one here is going to deliberately
do him in for that, are they?
I understand Sir John has left.
Where was he going?
I do not know. It's not my place
to ask Sir John where he's going
No, no, of course not, but did he
say how long he was likely to be?
No, he did not. And
stretch and stretch
He may have been going home or
to see a patient, I don't know
Have you had any word
from Nurse Harben
explaining why she hasn't
come to work today?
No. And it's very awkward.
We're short-staffed as it is
Don't slack, Mr Curtis
Without all this bother
What about Nurse Banks?
Couldn’t she have stayed on?
Help you out?
I saw you coming from the window
Ah, good
They think Sir Derek
O'Callaghan was murdered
Oh, thanks
Bit odd, isn't it?
Sir John suddenly
going off like that
I want to know why Nurse
Harben is missing
I expect she's gone home
I've got her address there
- Broughton, Hampshire - Might
pay her a visit. Now...
.. story so far
Sir Derek O'Callaghan dies
of an overdose of hyoscine
There are only two ways it could be
administered: by syringe or by mouth
It could hardly be by mouth
as he was unconscious
Syringe?
Well, there were three syringes
used during the operation
and there were three
puncture marks
found on the body during
the postmortem. So...
The dose must have been in one of the
syringes. Where else could it have been?
And there was only one
syringe large enough
to contain enough
hyoscine to kill
How about two small doses?
No, still not large
enough, apparently
If it was administered by a
syringe, it had to be the big one -
the sort of thing you'd
use on a horse -
which, according to Thoms,
was filled with
anti-gas gangrene,
whatever that is
- I suppose it could have been hyoscine
- Who filled it?
Nurse Banks
It's empty
- Do you want another one?
- No
I was just remembering what you
said about being taken by mouth
Banks said there was a dirty
glass in Sir Derek's bedroom
Sorry to keep you waiting. Chief
Inspector Alleyn, isn't it?
And you're Dr Roberts
- Do sit down - Thank you
I see you've been
exploring my work
Theodore Roberts, yes
Bit over my head, I'm afraid
Frohlich's synergenic
parallels...
conclusively prove Napoleon's
dystrophia adiposogenitalis"
Sounds rather painful
It's a matter of power
impulse and source
I need hardly tell you of
its connection with sex
There's an acute conflict between
the survival of the fittest,
nature's law as
defined by Darwin,
and the human tendency
to preserve the weak
Genius in the arts
and an excessive power impulse
are both deviants from the norm,
the extremes of
both being madness
Is the transmission of
their genes beneficial
to the human future?
Quite
I was hoping you might help me with
a rather more mundane problem,
the death of Sir
Derek O'Callaghan
Yes
Yes, that's quite dreadful
I... cannot deny that I am
rather selfishly nervous
on my own account. But...
I suppose it's difficult for
all concerned in the operation
But you gave no injections
No, no, I'm thankful to say, no
Isn't it usual for
the anaesthetist
to give injections?
I have a personal,
rather painful reason
I never give injections
Why not?
I gave an overdose...
of morphia
A patient who died as a
result of my carelessness
For some time I was
unable to work at all
Then I had to
An urgent heart case
It was successful
Restored my confidence
But I have never been
able to use the needle
I'm sorry, this must be
very distressing for you
But you did examine Sir Derek
before Sir John gave the injection?
Yes, of course. I would have been
failing in my duty if I had not done so
- His pulse was very slow
- Really?
Mr Thoms has stated that you were
worried about that during the operation
His pulse was worsening
progressively
Naturally I had to draw Sir
John's attention to it
Could that have been consistent
with hyoscine poisoning?
With hindsight,
yes, yes, I suppose it would
And this was before the camphor and the
anti-gas gangrene injections were given?
Yes, of course
But that would mean that Sir Derek
O'Callaghan received an overdose
before he arrived at
the operating table
Well, it would seem so, yes
But you know, I... I really
don’t see how it could be done
A quarter of a grain
is a massive dose,
Chief Inspector
So I understand
The results of the postmortem
have not yet been made public
How did you know that the suspected
dose was a quarter of a grain?
Nurse Banks told me
She's here now
She came to tell you the news?
Not especially, no
We have a shared interest
in mental disorders
She's using my upstairs library
Helen?
We were about to have coffee
Perhaps you’d care to join us
You don’t seriously think
it was murder, do you?
Well, frankly, I don’t
know what to think
It could have been
an accident, but...
I suppose you’d like
it to be murder
My dear Miss Banks,
I can assure you,
I'm only interested in justice
Thank you
If a wrong has been done,
it has to be put right
Well, I can't argue against that
I'm all for justice
I just wish there were a bit
more of it, in society generally
Oh, don’t let us
get into politics
You see, I really don’t
see how it could be done
Everybody sees what everybody else does
in an operation. Isn't that true, Helen?
We do. Except...
Except what?
It must have been an accident
I filled the anti-gas and
camphor syringes myself,
so how could it have happened?
That is what the Inspector
is trying to find out
I didn’t like O'Callaghan, or his
policies, but I hate killing,
of any kind
If I could help you, I would
But I don't see how I can
Well, perhaps you could just tell
me why you told Inspector Fox
that there was a dirty
glass by Sir Derek's bed
That was just…
There was a dirty glass there
I don’t suppose it was important
but his sister wanted to give him
some patent medicine and I said...
Hyoscine...
It's a sedative and it is
often used in patent medicine
If he took that before the operation,
there would have been a build-up
and the dose Sir John gave him might
well have taken him over the limit
- I told her not to give it to him
- But you think she did?
It's possible. I did leave the
room for a minute or two,
- and the glass was empty
- I bet that's it
She’d given him something
with hyoscine in it
It wouldn’t surprise me. Ruth
O'Callaghan is an eccentric, I believe
There is a streak of
insanity in her family
Her father committed suicide and
one of her sisters is in a home
Sacrilege! Sacrilege! The family
will never forgive you for it
For goodness sake,
Ruth, shut up!
How can he rest in peace
after being mutilated?
His spirit will be in torment
You think he was a
saint, but he wasn't
He was a Casanova, always
after younger women
How dare you!
How dare you
It was only my tolerance kept our
marriage and his career intact
Derek was a gentleman
He was a womaniser
God knows why I loved him
He was half crazy, like
the rest of your family
Good afternoon, Chief Inspector
Thank you. Would you
be good enough to ask
Lady O'Callaghan if she
can spare a moment?
Yes, sir. Perhaps you’d
care to wait in the study
You tricked him into marrying you.
He never loved you
- Miss Ruth?
- Yes, sir
Thank you
- You're hysterical!
- You're so petty and cruel!
Chief Inspector
Alleyn has called
and would like a word
with you and Miss Ruth
I've shown him into the study
Get Bessie to clear up
We've had a slight accident
Very good, my lady
Lady O'Callaghan...
.. Did Sir John
Phillips suggest to you
that Somerset Black carry out
the operation on your husband?
- Yes, he did - Why
didn’t you tell me?
Is there any reason
I should have?
Forgive me, but if Sir
John had wanted to...
carry out his threat,
he’d hardly have suggested another
surgeon for the operation
It was a ploy. He
knew I would insist,
ignorant as I was of any
hatred he had toward Derek
And another thing,
before Derek was wheeled
into the operating theatre,
he revived for a
moment and cried out,
"Don't let... Don't let...
" or something like that
He was clearly warning me against
letting Phillips operate
I'm sorry, but how
can you be so sure?
Because Phillips was
standing in the doorway
and Derek was looking
straight at him
The nurse who was in attendance heard
him too but said Derek was delirious
And, um... you didn’t think
this worth mentioning before?
I had been upset and confused
It is not every day one's
husband is murdered
I appreciate that. It's just
that premature accusations...
I also remember that the night
prior to my husband’s death
Sir John visited him here
and behaved most oddly
I realise now it was
about that Harben woman
Is...
Is there anything
else you remember?
I would not wittingly hold
anything back, Chief Inspector
I wish to know the truth
about my husband’s death
Yes, of course
Oh, prior to the operation,
was Sir Derek taking
any patent medicines?
Tell the Chief Inspector, Ruth
Tell him about Mr
Sage's magical cures
That's the one
Blautwicz went in?
That's right, sir. 1:05 he
went into Sage's, 1:04...
Yes, never mind the
others, he went in there
Are you sure?
Of course I'm sure, sir.
It's in my report
Right, wait here
Good morning, Brer
I was just going in there
- How odd, I was just coming out
- So I see, sir
I've got his prints on
a box of fulvitavolts
and a receipt in his handwriting
What did you come for?
Gyppy tummy?
Fascinating
Absolutely fascinating. I
can't make top or tail of it
What about you?
Well, at least somebody’s awake.
What have you got for us, Perkins?
Could be love letters but
they look like reports
Yes, thank you, Perkins
Prints match. What
about the writing?
Dead match
That's it
Mr Harold Sage was the one we
missed at Blautwicz's house
That means we've got a herbal
chemist involved in gun running
- Wheel in some tea, Perkins
- Would that be herbal, sir?
- Perkins!
- Right away, sir
You shall have it,
good and strong
Without water
Gets worse
Brer, is it possible that
this man Harold Sage,
acting on Blautwicz's
instigations,
supplies Ruth O'Callaghan,
Derek O'Callaghan's sister,
with this fulvitavolt stuff
laced with hyoscine?
But they couldn’t have known
about his operation, could they?
You can stand your
spoon up in that
Thank you, Perkins. Ask
Robinson to come in, would you?
And go out without making a joke
Now that would be one, sir
Yes, I'd like you to get
me a number, please
I want to speak to Sir John Phillips
at St Quinten's Nursing Home
- The number is Hampstead 3903
- You wanted me, sir
Yes, first thing
tomorrow morning
get round to the General
Medical Council
and find out all you
can about this man
Dr Theodore Roberts
He had an accident a couple of years ago
with a patient of his. Find out all you can
- Yes, sir - Hang on
a minute, Robinson
Yes, I'd like to speak to
Sir John Phillips, please
Oh, I see. Um...
Well, could I speak to
Sister Graham, then?
Thank you
Also, a man called
Thoms, T-H-O-M-S,
surgeon, also works
at St Quinten's
That's all
Right, sir
Sister Graham, it's
about Sir John
Sir John left after
your visit, sir
- I see - We haven't
heard from him since
- No word at all?
- No
What about Nurse Harben?
It was an accident. It
must have been an accident
You don’t think I killed him?
I'm not sure I'd
blame you if you had
I loved him, but I
could have killed him
Love is like that, isn't it?
Close to hate
But all I know is, his going
has left a hole in my life
One has to be careful of holes
You can fall in them
You mustn't start thinking like that.
He isn't worth it
If only you’d let
me take care of you
I'd do anything for you,
anything to make you happy
I love you. Can't you
understand that?
How do you know you aren't
just infatuated with me?
It can work both ways, you know
What's all this?
Deep in thought or a touch
of the old catatonics?
Is Dr Roberts coming?
Well, he's here already
Don't tell me you're
pining for him when
there are handsome young
surgeons available?
Oh, dear
Right, then, what's
on the menu today?
Not an appendectomy, I hope
I don’t think Sir Derek O'Callaghan's
death is anything to joke about
Maybe not, but there's no point
being hypocritical, is there?
Wouldn’t you agree, old boy?
I mean, Sir Derek O'Callaghan was not
exactly loved throughout the land
I'd go further. He
won't be sorely missed
She goes on about
warmongering politicians
but when the worst one in
the land gets knocked off,
she goes all conscience-stricken
Knocked off means
murdered, doesn’t it?
Don't you try and be
clever with me, young lady
If he was knocked off...
we all know no-one had more
motive for doing it than you
That's not fair
You yourself have
said, in my presence,
that a lot of people
would be better off
if Sir Derek was dead
Well, yes!
I was just thinking about those poor
Jews he kept stuck in a boat...
.. unable to land
Exactly
Nurse Banks was merely thinking
of the other unfortunates
I know you both mean well but
really you're arguing over nothing
Nobody here would
murder a patient
Well, how could they,
with everyone watching
what everyone else is doing?
It's impossible
Nothing's impossible
It could be done
How?
Come on, then, smarty-pants
If you know how it
could be done, tell us
Come on
Don't be silly
I wouldn’t tell you,
I'd tell the police
I understand what you're saying,
Chief Inspector, but...
How can I...?
I knew what kind of
a man Derek was...
.. but I loved him. There it is
And Sir John?
He couldn’t kill
anybody if he tried
He's too soft. You've
got to believe that
Do you happen to know where
Sir John Phillips is?
He went back to London. He
left just before you arrived
Are you sure he's
going to London?
He's not the sort
of man to run away
Can I answer that?
Or are you afraid I'll run away?
Don't be too harsh on us, Miss Harben.
We're only doing our duty
I'm sorry. It's all so upsetting
41226. Hello?
Hello?
She loved him!
I sometimes wonder
what women are made of
They often wonder
that themselves
So I'm told
Still, in love with Sir Derek?
Oh, well
Mind, she doesn’t exactly
seem averse to Sir John
Well, defending him like that
It's Scotland Yard. They want to
speak to you, Chief Inspector
Thank you
Chief Inspector Alleyn
- Would you like one?
- No, thank you, miss
The syringe that was used for the
pre-operation injection of hyoscine,
Did you see Sir John fill it?
No, I did not
Did you handle the two that
were filled by Nurse Banks?
Yes, of course I did
It's part of my job to han...
Do you think I emptied them and refilled
them with hyoscine? Is that it?
It's absolutely
impossible for anyone
to do anything they
shouldn’t during an op
We've got to get back to the Yard.
Things are hotting up
Do you really think
you need that?
Well, I hope I don't but we don't
know what we're up against
Well, put it away somewhere
Good luck, sir
Thank you
No Parthian shot?
Silence is golden, Perkins
- Helen, I was just coming up -
Oh, that's all right, Mrs Oliver
- I've run out of sugar again
- Yes. I'll, um...
Oh, it's all right, dear.
I'll come back later
Yes
Could I speak to Chief
Inspector Alleyn, please?
Chief Inspector Alleyn's office
Could I speak to the
Chief Inspector, please?
- Who's speaking?
- My name is Banks
I'm a nurse at St
Quinten's Nursing Home
Well, he's not here, Nurse.
He's just gone out
Please ask him to ring me
I know... how something...
could be done
Tell him that
"Know how something
could be done"
- Right, Nurse - Thank you
Oh, Mrs Oliver...
Mrs Oliver?
- Sage!
- All right
It's done... Here
Should have left ten minutes ago
The ship won't leave on time.
It never does
Remember, number three shed. Say
"Happy days" and you'll be cleared
Right, let him go
Chief inspector
Really
This is getting beyond a joke
Then we shall see who
has the last laugh
Open it up, Brer
Correct me if I'm wrong, Chief
Inspector, but wasn't Brer a rabbit?
Not this one. Have you
never heard of Brer Fox?
Guns may be embargoed
Medical supplies are not
Cotton wool
That's all
Harmless. You're delaying
a mission of mercy
This way, come on! We've
got him, we've got him!
Mr Blautwicz
Chief Inspector
Seen you before, haven't I?
Those powders of
yours, just the ticket
We're still none the wiser as to
who killed Sir Derek O'Callaghan
All in good time, Brer.
All in good time
"Nurse Banks...
knows how..."
Helen?
Helen?
Helen!
Oh, I didn’t know you were asleep.
I won't disturb you
I'll just turn the light out
Yes, poisoned
Overdose of something.
I can't say what
I'll need a postmortem but
it looks like suicide
Nothing's been touched,
has it, Merritt?
Oh, no, sir. I've seen
to that, like you said
I've let no-one touch anything
Could be hyoscine
Blood?
Probably scratched a pimple
Perhaps
That's it. The patient
can be removed now
He's not his usual
self today, is he?
I don’t wish to speak out of turn, Sir
John, but Mr Thoms seems to think...
That's another lucky fellow tucked away.
Well done, Sir John
You’d be well advised to take
it more seriously, Mr Thoms
Surgery is not a
matter for humour
I wasn't being funny. I meant it
it was a difficult op and he
was lucky to have you do it
- Sister!
- What?
- I think you’d better come
- Oh, my God, what is it now?
What the...? What's all this?
Jane!
What's happened?
I don’t know. I was told to come
in here with him and stay with you
Stay?
No-one is to leave without the
Chief Inspector's permission, sir
- This is ridiculous!
- Sir!
Oh, God!
What the hell is this?
Oh, for God’s sake
You can't come barging in here
just when you feel like it
- We have important operations to get done
- All right, Thoms. All right
This is very irregular,
Chief Inspector
So is murder, Sir John
Sister Graham, please
The syringes were on this table?
I've already been through that with you.
What's the point...?
Quiet, doctor, please
Is that correct?
Yes
Sir John, you took a syringe,
you filled it with hyoscine,
took it through to the anaesthetic room and
injected it into Sir Derek O'Callaghan
That is correct.
100th of a grain
Would you show me, please?
I picked up the syringe and...
- Do you want me to go in?
- If you would, please
Where was Nurse Harben?
There, by the operating
table, I think
Would you mind, Nurse?
- She was there?
- As far as I remember
And what about you, Sister?
Me?
Oh, I really don’t know. I...
You were there at the table,
looking at the syringes
No, no, no, she wasn't.
She was by the store
You weren't in here at that time
Yes, I was. I asked you if you’d
given O'Callaghan a double dose,
and you said one tube was empty
As I told you, Chief Inspector
Then I went off to the scrub room,
you went to the anaesthetic room,
and Sister was by the store
I really don’t think
I was in here at all
I was in the scrub room with Dr Roberts.
You were there, doctor
Well, I was certainly
there when Thoms came in
Yes, and I was helping you
dress when he came in
No, no, no, you
couldn’t have been
When I went in, Roberts
was scrubbing up
You were there where
you are now, Sister
Nurse Banks came from the anaesthetic
room and you told her to help dressing
Ah, yes. Yes, um...
I think Nurse Harben's right.
I did speak to Nurse Banks
You were there, by
the syringe table
Yes, very well, Nurse!
I was by the table
All right?
Thank you
Dr Roberts...
Mr Thoms, you were
both in the scrub room
Come on. He counts to ten,
then comes to find us
Sir John...
So Sir Derek would have
been where exactly?
Thank you
And you gave the injection...
Left arm, in the artery
- And this is the anaesthetic equipment?
- Yes
You give the injection
before this is used?
Yes
So this is wheeled in
next to the trolley?
- I would not be here, of course
- No, no, I understand
Good, thank you
Inspector, please
Would you come in here, please?
Ladies and gentlemen, I would
like the patient to be wheeled in
and you all to be in the
positions you were at the time
It'll be charades next
Inskip, you’d better play Banks
Just a moment. Shouldn’t you have
the anaesthetic equipment with you?
It's already here
The equipment in there is ours.
Dr Roberts uses his own
So you bring this with you?
We all of us feel more comfortable
with our own equipment
Good. Carry on
So you were all in these positions when
the operation on Sir Derek commenced?
Yes
Nurse Inskip would
be Nurse Banks
- What about the lights?
- I did them
Thank you, Sister
- You went straight back to the table?
- Yes
- You didn't do anything else?
- I adjusted the screen
- What's that?
- Well, that's it
It's to conceal the patient's
head while the surgeon works
In case the patient comes to
consciousness for some reason
Well, we’d better have
it, then, hadn’t we?
You all stayed in these positions
throughout the operation?
Except for when
syringes were needed
Nurse Harben, you collected one?
Yes
You gave it to Sir John?
No, Sister took it from me
She wasn't paying attention.
I gave it to Sir...
No, I gave it to Mr
Thoms, who injected it
No, no, that was the second
one, serum for the dressing
Banks gave the first one,
the one you asked for
Thank you. I'd like you all to
go to the scrub room, please
- Look, what the hell is this?
- Mr Thoms
Well, I'd like to know
what the hell's going on,
ordering us about like
kids in a kindergarten
Sister
Thank you
Blake, cover the door
Brer, it's got to
be here somewhere
- Brer, you're a genius
- Oh, I wouldn’t say that
Grab him, Ginger
Nurse Banks guessed, didn’t she?
She realized that you
were the only one...
.. who couldn’t be seen
Is he...?
Did he kill O'Callaghan?
And Nurse Banks
She was full of all sorts of burning
causes, as you were so keen to tell me
One of them was justice
Why? What had Sir
Derek done to you?
I did it...
for the good of mankind
There were only three
injection marks on the body
If Roberts had used the syringe,
there would have been a fourth
There is, in the head,
under the hairline
You see, I'd spotted a speck of
blood on Nurse Banks' pillow
and so I had her head shaved
The same with Sir Derek
There they were, tiny marks
So simple, should
have been obvious
But his not wanting
to do injections?
Oh, a perfect alibi.
Well, nearly perfect
Excuse me
I shouldn’t have
tried to run away
I'm not ashamed of what I did
O'Callaghan was mad,
like all his family
But then, so are all
politicians and scientists
Mad with conceptions and power
You see,
one murder... makes a villain
and he is hanged,
but connive at the making of an
atomic bomb to kill millions,
allow as many again to suffer
torture and starvation
for political ends,
and then what do you get?
A knighthood
Society rewards its
potential destroyers
I killed them to try and save it
Was Nurse Banks a destroyer?
You know, sir,
I'd say he's gone
in the head himself
I daresay that'll be a
matter for expert opinion
Do you know, Brer,
I sometimes think madness is
an extreme kind of sanity