Alleyn Mysteries (1990–1994): Season 1, Episode 4 - Death at the Bar - full transcript
After an evening of darts and vintage brandy, a distinguished, although amorous, barrister succumbs to rigor mortis in a cozy pub. Every witness swears that the freak accident was caused by a dart that punctured the victim's finger. But to Inspector Roderick Alleyn, the "accident" is really a clever case of murder and everyone in the bar has a motive!
𝒯𝓇𝒶𝓃𝓈𝓁𝒶𝓉e 𝓊𝓃𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓉 E𝒩𝒢LI𝒮H
You all right there?!
Yeah, all right!
- Constable Oates? Thank God!
- What's up, Mr Pomeroy?
There's been a bad accident, in the bar.
Someone's been killed
Look at me, please, Mr Kirby
On the night of the
15th there was...
a programme of dance
music by Mr Henry Hall
On the third programme there
was a talk on Egyptology
Do I take it, Mr Kirby,
you are an Egyptologist?
Henry Hall. Yeah, that's right
We had a bottle of stout, Beryl and
me, and some sandwiches and that
and then we listened
to Henry Hall
Mr Kirby, you amaze me
For the first time in my life, I
find myself addressing a man who,
despite all the rules of
logic and natural law,
experiences no difficulty at all
in placing himself in three different
locations at the same time
While you were at home with Miss
Hoskins listening to Mr Hall,
you were also, as Miss Hoskins
has already testified,
at the pictures with her
watching Oliver Twist,
the young man who asked for more
You were also, as the
court has already heard
from three other
independent witnesses,
deep in conversation with
Mr Slater at the Ajax Cafe
A remarkable achievement
on your part,
for which you must
take full credit
Do you want any more, Mr Kirby?
Oh, well done, you
Mr Watchman
Thank you
As I see it, you are
asking me once again
to subsidies your
inordinate vanity
Rory! I was just talking
about our victory
- Well done - Thank you
This is my cousin Sebastian Parish
whom you may have seen on the stage
- How do you do?
- Hello. Are you going to risk it?
I think I might
Thank you
Can I persuade you
to change your mind?
- No, you can't -
Oh, but, Luke...
What I suggest to you is that
you take Mr Micawber's advice
Oh. Splendid, thank you
You have to give in to the pain.
Enjoy it
- Crack of dawn we are off to Penota
- Cornwall, near Tintagel?
Yes
I can't get away till Thursday
Discovered it in our Oxford days.
We've been returning ever since
Seb here, Seb's friend Norman,
who paints pretty pictures,
and myself
Mr Cubitt is a talented
professional artist
Yes, yes, of course
I trust you'll all
have a wonderful time
What the hell do you
think you're playing at?
- It was my right of way!
- I didn’t hear you
- What?
- I didn’t hear you coming
You should have
sounded your horn
I’m sorry, but I don’t think
there's any harm done
No, I suppose not
If you wouldn’t mind backing
up, see if we can free them?
And for God’s sake,
drive properly!
You watch out for young Will there.
He's been at sea all night
See you, John. Bye
Don't take any notice of him.
You know what he's like
- Mr Watchman - Hello, Abel.
Bit late, I’m afraid
Missed dinner, have I?
No, sir. I told Mrs Ives to
keep back a lobster for you
Oh, good man
- Come on, Will - Can't. Not
with you on his mind, Decie
Take no heed, Will
There. See? Perfect
That's our game, I think.
George, your round
Best of three, Alec, remember?
Ey, after what
you've been downing,
I doubt if you'll hit the board
Well done, Will
Evening, Mr Watchman
Welcome back
What's all this, then?
Mothers' meeting?
See that?
I can see an old
boot needs mending
That's another of your
pesky rats, that is
Keep your voice down, George. Don't
need the whole world to hear
One of them as near
damn it got my ankle
What are you going
to do about it, eh?
- It’s all in hand - In hand!
In hand, I said, George
As you will find out if you will
just mind your own interference
What's he on about, George?
This was worth
motoring 200 miles for
- Good evening, Decima
- Evening, Mr Watchman
- Is that all you have to say to me?
- Yes
That's all
- Pretty, isn't she?
- Very
What, even prettier
than last summer?
I do hope you're not going
to be a bore, Sebastian
If the girl could do it, she’d
make a presentable Juliet
Oh, would she? To your Romeo?
Well, I don’t see you
playing opposite her
Mercutio, maybe
Anyway, Luke,
this summer she only has eyes for
her very handsome young fisherman,
which is all that
her father wants
So everybody’s happy, eh?
I think Decima is old enough
to decide for herself
You be careful. That's
poison you've got there
There, that should do
for the little beggars
Not before time
No, no
Some utter halfwit driving too
fast did his best to kill me
What are they doing out there?
A chap could die of thirst
Next thing I see, his confounded
car here in the garage
Strange thing is,
I’m sure I’ve seen
his face before
- Somewhere - No shortage
of lunatics in cars
Put it under lock and
key, out of harm's way
Fair enough
Sorry, Bob. Pint, is it?
When you've got a moment, Decie
Oh, my God! It’s the chap I ran into.
He must have heard every word
I think we met on the way down
Unfortunate circumstances
I’ve forgotten all about it.
Cigarette?
Thanks
Allow me to introduce myself.
Robert Legge
Luke Watchman
Luke, how are you?
- Good run down?
- Yes, interesting
You're looking well, Norman.
How's the portrait coming?
Oh, interesting
Come on, Norman. Double or quits
All right. As long as
you promise to pay
Do you play?
Once a year when we come down.
You?
- His aim's deadly - Really?
- How deadly?
- I never miss
Well, now, is everybody
having a good time?
Hello, Mr Watchman.
Gin and lime, please
- When did you get here?
- Just over two hours ago, Miss Duffy
- Ah, good - What
have you been up to?
- Well, I’ve taken up watercolors
- Really?
Yes, I’m making fair progress,
wouldn’t you say, Norman?
Yes, Miss Duffy,
very fair progress
- Two and six - Oh, thank you
Here's good health to you all and
let's pray for good painting weather
Do you mind coppers?
Let Jock have them
- He hasn't missed yet -
There's always a first time
He wouldn’t do it
There you are, you see. Told you, didn’t I?
The man's deadly
Well done, Patrick
You survived
Tickets, please
Tickets, please
I will now hear the
first witness, Dr Shaw
An autopsy on the deceased,
Mr Luke Watchman KC,
was carried out by you,
Dr Shaw, at the weekend
at the request of the
Illington Constabulary
With what result?
The main finding was a grain and
a half of cyanide in the blood
Enough to cause death?
Half a grain would
have been sufficient
The index finger of the right hand had
been penetrated to the bone by the dart,
virtually pinned
to the dartboard
But there can be no doubt
death was caused by poisoning
Visitors to St Nicholas'
church at Looe
will find in its tower
a 'scolds cage'
for the incarceration
of nagging wives
- Bet that's worth looking at
- But you're not married
Anyway, it's 30
miles from Penota
Sorry
Scheele's acid mixed
with prussic acid?
For the extermination of rats
on Mr Pomeroy's premises
Mr Bartram, did you hand over the
substance direct to the purchaser?
No, sir, a Mr Parish came into
the shop on Thursday afternoon,
acting on behalf of Mr Pomeroy
He said the rat bane I supplied
previously was ineffective
Would I please
ginger it up a bit?
From what I’m putting together,
our Mr Watchman seems to
be a bit of a handful
Bit of a reputation, I’m afraid
First at Oxford
Very young KC
Very effective in court
He was lethal in the Slater case
The only time I
saw him in action
Sounds like a gentleman who should
have gone all the way to the top
Did you um... Did you like him?
I admired him
Superintendent Harper,
would you tell the court the
results of certain forensic tests,
namely to the pieces of a broken glass
from which the deceased drank brandy
and to a bottle of iodine which was
applied to his pierced finger?
Neither the broken brandy glass
nor the bottle of iodine
contained any traces of cyanide
nor any other poisonous
substance, sir
The train on Platform 1 is
the 4.15 from Paddington
All change here, please
I believe you knew
him professionally
Yes, sir. Perhaps the best
advocate of his generation
Fat lot of good it's done him
Here we are
I suppose the coroner
brought in an open verdict?
Death by misadventure, inspector.
What else could it be?
Having to close my private
bar is bad enough
It’s the height of the season
Everything's topsy-turvy
Glasses out of the bar,
darts taken away by police
Yes, well, you'll have
to get used to it
A man has died on these
premises from rat poison,
brought into this hotel
at your instigation
Well, is this our office?
It’s my parlour
Mr Pomeroy
I’m so sorry we have
to get under your feet
I hope it won't be for too long
Thank you
Have you taken their cases up?
Two and four. Was that right?
- That's what I said - All
right, no need to snap!
Who's snapping?
- Nice motor car - Belongs
to the actor Parish
- Watchman's cousin - Bet
that cost him a bob or two
If indeed it's paid for
- Fingerprints on the jar?
- Only Pomeroy's
- How much of the poison was left?
- It was full
We've got the stuff in a bottle now, back
at the station with the other things
- You've had it analyzed?
- Not yet, no
I didn’t think it was necessary.
We know what it was
Do we?
- Well...
- With respect, sir,
I think your lab boys should
look at it right away
- Don't walk away from me!
- No, I won't!
Just sit down there, sir
Now, I want you to take
your time, Mr Pomeroy,
and tell us what happened last
Friday evening in the private bar
Well, now, let me think
There was a dickens of a storm
The lights kept on
flickering on and off
They were playing
Round The Clock
Be with you in a minute
Next thing they're all
at it, drinking brandy
If I’d had any inkling of
what was going to happen,
I’d have picked up that blessed
bottle and hurled it into the sea
But you didn’t, did
you, Mr Pomeroy?
No. I did not
That calls for a drink on the winning team.
What will it be?
Oh, well, I declare,
the drinks are on me
My bottle of Courvoisier,
Decima, my dear
Brandy all round?
Time we had a new road in
this place, if you ask me
Bloomin' government talking
about utopia for the masses,
equality and all that malarkey
You can't even get into
the village on a wet day
without driving through a flood
Come on, George,
things aren't that bad
What were you saying, lad?
Fetch some candles for the
private, Decie - sharp
Oh, that's better. Now then...
Who hasn't had any? Will.
Here you are
Thank you
- How about the other half, Dick?
- I’ll be on my way
Shan't stop out
long, not in this
Just down the bottom
and back up this way
I’ll stop in again
and have it then
- Rather him than me
- Just in case
Good idea
Now then, Luke, being
on the losing side,
are you prepared to
risk your hand tonight?
Course I am. I’m game
But I insist on new darts
Abel, break out some new arrows
You take care of them
Aim straight, for God’s sake
Nobody's asking you, are they?
I feel like William Tell's
son without the apple
Oh, do be careful
Fire away
Keep still, Luke
Luke!
- I’m so sorry - You bloody f...
God, that looks nasty, Luke
Light the candles
- Decie, please - Hang on
- Just get me something!
- Here
Always the same. Lights
go out, everybody panics
Can't be that bad.
It’s only his finger
If you don't want to help...
How about some light in
here for the proletariat?
Just hang on, George, will you?
We've had an accident
Can I help? I used to do
bandaging with the St John's
Now, let's see. Is
there any iodine?
Here we are
- Is he OK?
- Give it a good cleaning
Will, brandy
Please, drink some of this,
make you feel better
Get a grip of yourself
Careful he bites his tongue.
Calm down. Calm down.
So I told Decie to
phone for a doctor
And I went out to
look for Dick Oates
Thank you, Mr Pomeroy
Sorry to have taken up
so much of your time
You're welcome
Well, if there's nothing else...
Nothing else
For the time being
So...
time to look under a few stones
See what's crawling underneath
I thought it was time for lunch
And there's a smugglers' tunnel
all the way down to the beach
I think we can safely
leave smuggling
to His Majesty's Customs
and Excise, don't you?
Yes
Sorry, sir
Our matinee idol
Mr Parish
Chief inspector
I was very shocked by the
death of your cousin
We got to know each
other, as colleagues
I find it difficult
to take it in
I keep expecting to see
him there at the bar
It’s like some nightmare
I keep expecting to
wake up, you know
I’m sorry
If only I hadn’t brought that bloody
rat poison back from Illington
You've no reason to
blame yourself for that
You asked the chemist
to ginger it up a bit
Who told you that?
Good morning
Ah, you haven't met. My
friend Norman Cubitt
Chief inspector Alleyn
Is there anything I can tell you,
inspector? I love being questioned
- The man who threw the dart...
- Legge?
Did Watchman know or
had he met him before?
I don’t think so. Seb?
No, I’m sure they hadn’t
Look, if there's nothing more,
we ought to go, get
on with my portrait
While the tide’s right
Oh, yes, of course
Well, Mr Parish seemed very
distressed at the death of his cousin
I nearly cried my eyes out
Luke Watchman seemed
affable enough at his club
but I did detect a certain
atmosphere between him and Parish
I’m not sure Mr Cubitt might not
have something to do with it
Where's Mr Legge off to?
'And there, my friend,
since unavailing woe bursts from my
heart and mingles with the strain,
had the sword laid thee
with the mighty low,
pride might forbid e'en
friendship to complain. '
- You're looking pleased with yourself, Seb
- Because I am
I mean, putting poor old Luke
to one side for the moment,
you could say things are
looking distinctly brighter
While I was fighting for
King and country...
Winning your Military Cross
Luke was absolutely coining it
So I am looking forward, Norman,
to being a man of means
Keep still
What's wrong?
Nothing, as long as
you stop fidgeting
I thought we might start
with a little holiday
I mean, a proper holiday abroad
India, maybe
Then...
well, if Luke's money
is all I take it to be,
I might go into management
I’ve always wanted
to do The Vortex
You could do the
sets and costumes
Fine
Then I bought my boat
with the gratuity
Probably paid over
the odds for it
Bit different from
flying Hurricanes, eh?
It’s a lot safer,
most of the time
What do you want to
know, inspector?
How well did you get
on with Luke Watchman?
- I didn’t - Did you quarrel?
We had a difference of opinion
He thought he was
welcome here in Penota
I didn’t, and told him so
Was...
Was that on account of
Decima Pomeroy, Mr Moore?
You seem to know all
the answers, inspector
Why ask the question?
Miss Duffy
Good afternoon
Oh, dear, I’m so sorry
I didn’t hear you
I didn’t mean to startle you
Well, nice spot you've chosen
Yes, but I can't get
my sea right today
It keeps coming out too green.
I’m sick of it
That's enough for today
Have you tried mixing cobalt with
a touch of aquamarine and white?
Oh, yes, I’ve tried that
and it still comes out
looking like spinach
and mashed potato
- Shall I?
- Thank you
Miss Duffy, were you by any
chance painting here last Friday?
Yes, indeed I was
And in view of everything
that happened that day,
every single minute is
etched in acid up here
Every minute?
I was on my way up here.
It was about half past ten
I was just passing
the old graveyard...
Will, don't be so childish
Can't you see how
stupid you're being?
Stupid? What do you think
he's come here for?
Well, I don’t know
- To be with his jolly friends?
- Decie...
Will!
Oh, don’t look at me like that
What do you expect me to do?
Push him off the cliff?
Good morning
Morning
What makes you so sure
she meant Watchman?
Well, everybody in Penota knows
she had some sort of fling
with him last year
A fling?
Oh, well, anyhow...
she seems to be spending a lot
of time with young Moore,
much to old Abel's relief
He’d rather a local man than some
sophisticated London barrister?
Lord, yes!
Luke had some sort
of power over her
Power?
Yes, he’d only got to lift
his little finger and...
It wasn't just Decima, either
Just a few things
to settle first
No-one's been in since
Fox, what are you looking for?
Anything that may
have been overlooked
Right, Mr Pomeroy, soon
as I’ve done in here,
you'll get your keys back
Good afternoon, Miss Pomeroy
You're from Scotland
Yard, aren't you?
Yes, I am
I imagine this must be
quite a change for you
after the hurly-burly of Oxford
It’s different
Inspector...
I know why you're here. Why don’t
you just ask your questions?
Very well
I’m trying to find out how Luke
Watchman spent last Friday,
the day that he died
I see
Where he went, whom he met
I know, for example, that you spent
the morning with Will Moore,
and that you quarreled
Who says so?
But you also met Luke
Watchman that morning
Was he the reason
that you quarreled?
I’d much rather you admitted
it yourself, Miss Pomeroy
Although I know it to be true
How?
A French cigarette packet,
a few Dog ends with lipstick,
and this
It’s yours, I think
How very clever of you
So?
Would you please care to tell me
what happened when you met Luke
Watchman that Friday morning?
It can't matter much now,
can it, now that he's dead?
It might
I usually take a walk along
the cliff in the morning
I’d just got to the headland
and Luke called out to me
Decima!
I want to talk to you
What about?
Sit down, have a cigarette
and I’ll tell you
This refugee outfit of yours...
Thinking of joining, are we?
Hardly
Decima, you're...
You can do anything you want.
Why waste yourself?
You're not in love with me, Luke
You just want me
I adore you, Decie,
and you know it
Come here
- Luke, it's over!
- Is it?
Leave me alone. I wish to
God you’d never come back
Will, wait for me!
I chased after Will
But of course he’d seen me and
Luke and there was a terrible row
But you've now made up?
Yes, I think so
Well, I hope so
Inspector bullying you, Decima?
Just doing my duty, Mr Moore
Come on
Luke loved this place.
He was happy here
Then it's only fitting he
should remain here, Mr Parish
- Wednesday at noon, then
- Thank you, vicar
You've been a great comfort
What exactly are you
looking for, Brer?
Well, there should be a
massive rock over there
in the shape of a
woman, more or less
- But there isn't - How
very disappointing for you
Do you think we could get
back to the private bar?
Oh, yes, of course
- The wood box -
By the fireplace?
Yes, stuffed with newspapers,
stinking of brandy
- Brandy? Interesting -
Yes, that's what I thought
Anything else?
Oh, yes
According to the legend,
that headland is where
Uther Pendragon,
the father of King
Arthur, met Igraine,
the beautiful wife of
the Duke of Cornwall
You can just imagine
it, can't you, sir?
'So flashed and fell
the brand Excalibur
But ere he dipped the
surface rose an arm,
Clothed in white samite,
mystic, wonderful,
And caught him by the hilt and
brandished him three times
And drew him under the mere'
I thought a mere was a lake, sir
Nothing gets past you, does it, Brer?
Come on
Rotten thing to live with
Seeing a man in full health suddenly
die when you've thrown the dart
Damn silly trick, I
shouldn’t have tried it
I can imagine what they've
been saying to you
I can feel their suspicion
down my neck like a draught
Whose suspicion, Mr Legge?
Abel Pomeroy, for one
You see, Chief inspector,
I’m a pacifist,
and since his daughter
Decima sympathises,
he blames me
He thinks I turned
her against him
Perhaps
But I think we should concentrate
on the death of Luke Watchman
He must have moved his
hand, he must have done
I had nothing against the man
personally, I hardly even knew him
If I were you, I would
be making enquiries
as to who stood to
gain by his death
I’ve got all the essentials
What's bothering you, Norman?
I’m fed up
You and me?
Of this place
I can finish this at home
Let's push off tomorrow, Seb
I don’t see that meeting with
the Chief inspector’s approval
Oh, him!
Don't you like him? Oh, I
think he's rather nice
Nice? Him and his
little Sir Echo
Come in, sir
Mrs Ives!
I’m sorry to disturb you, sir,
but some of our guests like a nice
hot drink last thing at night
and I was wondering
whether you’d like one...
Miss Pomeroy?
I’m sorry, I didn’t
mean to startle you
- We’d like to go over what happened
- Do we have to go over it all again?
I’m afraid we must
When the dart struck Luke
Watchman, whereabouts were you?
About here, I think
Why did you give him the brandy?
To revive him
He’d gone so pale, I just
picked up a glass and...
Where from?
The bar counter
Would you mind?
Whose glass was it?
Well, it could have
been Sebastian's
I don’t know
I didn’t stop to think
whose glass it was
Well, you don’t think of things
like that in a crisis, do you?
No, you don't. Please go on
I poured some more brandy
and I took it over to him
I said something,
like, 'Have a sip,
make you feel better'
Then I held it up
to his lips and...
Oh, it was awful.
I’m sorry, I can't
Just forget about us, miss
Try to remember what happened
I did manage to get him to
drink some of the brandy
I think he was struggling
to say something
I can't be sure
Thank you, miss. That's just
about what the others told us
Oh, my dear Mr
Pomeroy, how are you?
I was simply appalled to
hear what had happened
- Closed the private bar
- Good gracious!
But it's preposterous
Why did this happen?
- Of course I’m entitled to know
- I’m sorry, sir...
Now listen, when something as...
devastating as this happens,
there must be a reason
- Yes, sir - Well, I
want to know what it is
We need another talk
with young Will
There's something not right between
him and our landlord’s daughter
What's that?
She lied to us. She
knew whose glass it was
What was she frightened of?
Perhaps she's trying to
implicate our thespian
- What's wrong?
- Nothing
What's the matter?
I’m thinking of cutting this so-called
holiday short, getting out of here
Why?
Cos I’ve been onto
Luke's solicitor
And?
And I’ve just heard how cousin Luke
liked to have his little joke,
from beyond the grave
at my expense
Listen to this, Brer
Robert Legge, agent for the Devon
and Cornwall Philatelic Society,
Secretary and Treasurer of the Refugee
Rehabilitation and Resettlement Fund,
previous history: none
But who is he? I
don’t like mysteries
Come in
Excuse me, gentlemen, Mrs Ives is
wondering if you'll be taking luncheon
- What do you say, Brer?
- Oh, definitely, yes
Drink at the bar first,
whet the appetite?
Even better
I’ve got something rather special.
I think you'll enjoy it
Not rat poison, I hope
As my next of kin...
- He's left you all his money?
- No
Well, that's what he promised
And no-one knew better than
Luke how much I need it
- He hasn't cut you out?
- No
The joke, Norman, is
that you and I inherit
Me?
Jointly
- I hope you find it amusing
- Why me?
Oh, I can think of
several reasons
You needn't look so astonished
I’m looking astonished
because I am
Really?
I know that as recently as last
Christmas, I was his sole heir
So what could possibly have
taken place, dear boy,
between then and now, eh?
Search me
There you are, sir
- That's a fine dry sherry, that is
- Indeed it is
Kind of you
- Good health to you, gentlemen
- And to you
- Nectar - Oh, very nice
- Shall I do them, or will you?
- I’ll do them if you like, it's no trouble
Decima, get a decanter for
the gentlemen's sherry
Excuse me, Bob
If Mr Legge can spare you
Thank you very much, sir.
It will be ready on Tuesday
- No - Why, what's
wrong with it?
Everything. Makes you
look like a spiv
I take it you have got a tie in
this benighted establishment
that a gentleman can wear?
I think it's rather nice
It isn't
Luke would have had a seizure
I don’t think Luke would care
tuppence whether we wear black or not
He may not, I do
And I knew him rather
better than you
Better,
fractionally
I shan't rest, dear boy,
until we get to the bottom
of this whole sordid business
Meantime we conduct
ourselves here with
as much grace and dignity
as we can muster
Black armbands as
well, I suppose
May we join you, Mr Legge?
Help yourselves
Thank you
Do you know, I’ve always
found this interesting
but I’ve somehow
never found the time
Well, you need time all right
Never interested me until...
well, I became ill
Oh, bad luck
Very ill
Found I had time on my hands
Seven years
Long time out of a man's life
So, what brings you to
this part of the world?
Well, I came here to
regain my strength
Plenty of Cornish pasties, eh?
I got hold of the
Philatelic Society
and landed a job as their
agent for Devon and Cornwall
And I do volunteer
work for the refugees
which is no-one's
business but my own
No, of course not
Luke Watchman...
What about him?
Did you know him?
Well, not socially,
not to speak to, no
But I never forget a face. I
recognized him straightaway
Oh, really?
He didn’t recognise you?
Well, why should he?
Oh, it was a long time ago,
early years of the war
He was a sharp, young
barrister on the way up
Midsummer’s party
I see
There didn’t seem to be any point
to mention it the other day
Luke Watchman KC,
Legal bigwig in his world
Me in mine
Might have taken it the
wrong way, don't you think?
Perhaps
Miss Pomeroy... good afternoon
What is it?
I was wondering if you
could help me again
May we?
Miss Pomeroy, I’ve got
a man murdered...
and I’m completely in the dark
Well, I don’t know what I can do
No?
- I was wondering if you might tell me...
- What?
Whatever it is
that's troubling you
Wouldn’t it be better
to tell me now?
It was Friday morning
After Will and I had
quarrelled about Luke
Will was in the garage yard
and... I saw him
go into the stable
I don't know what for.
There was nothing in there
Except the rat poison
Ever since then I’ve been
frantic, wondering, was it Will?
Thank you
But haven't you something
else to tell me?
The brandy you
gave Luke Watchman
You've been wanting me to think
that the glass you poured it into
might have been anybody’s
But that isn't the case, is it?
It was Will's glass, wasn't it?
- Pensive, Brer - No, sir
Angry
With myself
Trying to call something to mind
I can't get there
It’s just...
There was something that should
have been there and wasn't
I can't remember what
When you do remember,
perhaps you’d let me know
Good morning, sir
It’s a bit embarrassing,
Chief inspector
Just as well you suggested
doing an analysis
The liquid from the jar Abel
Pomeroy put in the garage?
Turned out to be surgical spirit
Well, look on the bright side, sir.
At least we've confirmed one thing
Now we know where the
poison came from
Our murderer took the
pot out of the rat hole
Emptied out the acid and put
the surgical spirit in instead
He or she was counting
on it being left,
untouched and... untested
Then if you're right,
if...
looks as if he, or she,
emptied the stuff into
another container
ready to put it on the
dart that killed Watchman
No
What do you mean, no?
Actually, sir, I’m convinced it
wasn't the dart that killed Watchman
We've got the evidence, Alleyn.
Cyanide on the damn thing
Only the slightest traces
Sir, hydrocyanic acid
is highly volatile
Expose it to the air
and it evaporates
There was no way that dart could have
been poisoned before it was thrown
Mr Pomeroy opened a new set and they were
in full sight of everybody all the time
But the blasted lights
were going on and off
Not between the time that Abel
opened the new box of darts
and the dart was thrown
that hit Watchman
And in any case, by the
time the dart was thrown,
the bulk of any cyanide would
have simply evaporated
After the candles were knocked over
and the whole place was in darkness,
- somebody...
- The murderer
picked up the dart and
smeared it with poison
Incriminating Legge after
he’d thrown the dart
Exactly, so the question remains, how
did the poison get into Watchman?
That Dog
That's what's missing,
the collection box
- She's over the worst now, inspector
- Oh, good, thank you
Mrs Freeman, I can't tell you
how sorry we are about this
It was bad luck really
No, I’m afraid not
Mrs Freeman, did
anybody else know
that you’d be picking
up the RSPCA box today?
No
As a matter of fact I
was early going for it
- Early?
- Because of the holidays
I usually collect them at
the end of the holidays
You must have been
surprised to find a bottle
No, no
People put in all sorts
of things, you know
Buttons and bottle tops and...
bus tickets
Oh, dear
So when I saw this
little bottle roll out,
like a silly Duffer, I put it up to my
nose to smell it, like you do, and...
I suddenly felt very sick and...
dizzy and... and I don't...
I don’t remember much else
I don’t know what to say, sir
A lethal bottle of iodine,
just sitting there, in the Dog,
right under our noses and we...
That poor woman
- I know - I feel
ashamed of myself
Nonsense, Brer
But you do see the implication?
Before it got into the Dog,
our killer had put it into
Pomeroy's first-aid box
Where anybody could have used it
Exactly, before Legge's
trick with the darts
They've clearly got
no conscience at all
He couldn’t have known
there’d be an accident
No, he couldn’t, but I think
he managed to engineer one
by making sure that everyone
was drinking Parish's brandy
- Whereas he...
- Or she
stayed stone-cold sober, chucking
their brandy into the wood box
There you are, ready to do what
could only be done in the dark -
switch the iodine bottles, put the
innocent one where the lethal one was
and throw that one into the Dog
Waiting for Mrs Freeman to
pick up her little Jock
Her Dog
Oh, yes
Implore you, be at
usual place tomorrow
8.30 am. Must talk
Whatever you want, just
tell me and I’ll do it
- I just can't stand much more of this
- Bob!
If you’d been through what I’ve
been through, you might understand
- Of course I understand
- Do you?
They've been asking questions,
talking to everybody
When it comes down to it...
It’s me, isn't it?
Just don’t draw any attention to
yourself and you'll be all right
The police have to do their duty.
We all have to put up with that
- It’s intolerable - Well,
self-pity won't get you anywhere
See? You, too
No!
You know I’ll do my
best for you, but I...
I can't. I...
I wouldn’t...
Wouldn’t you?
Bob, you know how
much I feel for you
Why can't people leave me alone?
Well, I suggest that you
come back to the inn,
put on a black tie...
come to the funeral and show
some respect for the dead
'Man that is born of a woman
hath but a short time to live
And is full of misery
He cometh up and is cut
down like a flower
He fleeth as it were a shadow
And never continueth in one stay
In the midst of life
we are in death
Of whom may we seek
for succour... '
Which one's the killer, Brer?
Who's the front runner?
- I know which one I’d bet on
- Yes, I know
But they all had motive and
most of them had opportunity
I wouldn't rule anybody out
- Including the ladies?
- Including the ladies
"Thou knowest, Lord, the
secrets of our hearts..."
I was wondering if our
young fighter pilot
wasn't too good to be true
Even Pomeroy?
Too true to be good
Thing is, we don't have a scrap
of incontrovertible evidence
against any of them
'O God most mighty
Thou holy and merciful saviour
Thou most worthy judge eternal
Suffer us not at our last hour
For any pains of death
to fall from thee"
I’ll go back to the car
Not quite the abbey but I think it
all went off rather well, don't you?
Dear Mr Cubitt currying
favour with the aristocracy
- I’m sorry?
- Oh, didn’t you know?
- She's poor old Dunatholl's sister
- Irish peer?
No-one had even heard of him
until he hit the headlines
He was convicted, wasn't he,
of embezzlement and fraud?
- Bit of a cause celebre
- Got cousin Luke started
What?
Why do you think yon
Violet's so chummy, eh?
Dear cousin Luke was leading
counsel for the defense
Brilliant performance
Got the old fraudster
a minimum sentence,
Duffy's undying devotion,
and set him on the
road to his silk
Dunatholl? There was another
defendant in the case, wasn't there?
His partner. Jingle? Dingle?
Something Dickensian
Can't remember much about it
I wasn't around at the time.
King and country
Pringle
Well, it's only to be expected
Villages are like that.
Close community
They're getting restless
- Trouble?
- Who knows?
What time do you get
into Paddington?
Six. Be at the Yard before
seven and back here tomorrow
The Chief Constable has
asked me to take you both
to his house for
dinner tomorrow night
That's extremely kind of him
Inspector Fox and I would
be delighted to join him
He's... keen to
know how it's going
Then I hope we won't
disappoint him, sir
Sir...
what do we have to wear?
Black tie, I suppose
Is that a problem?
No
It’s cruel, but accurate
May I congratulate you on
your inheritance, Mr Cubitt?
Oh, yes
Well, I wasn't
expecting anything
He was really Seb's friend
But I’m not
complaining, naturally
When did you hear?
Seb told me yesterday
I rather wish he hadn’t
It makes me a
suspect, doesn’t it?
Well, both of us, really
You see, we were both flat broke
Don't talk nonsense
Artistic temperament,
overactive imagination
Not something I suffer
from, Mr Parish
What have you been saying?
You may have just come
from his funeral,
but I want to know when this
inquiry is going to be finished
Don't, please
No, he's got a point there.
We're all sick of it
So why don’t our sleuths
get on with it?
Ladies and gentlemen,
I can understand your feelings
but this is a murder inquiry
These things do take time, but
I can promise you one thing
I shall find the murderer
Shove up a bit, won't you?
- Evening - Good evening, sir
Oh, Jenks
I’m sorry to bring you in but
Bailey's gone sick on us
And I need this dusted
for dabs sharpish
Photos, usual drill, OK?
No, thanks
Hello
Could you give me the number
of Moss Bros, please?
Morning
You see that?
Central pocket loop
Tinted arch there
and there, a plain whorl
This one...
left index off the bottle
Middle right, particularly
good ulnar loop there
From the tumbler,
an exact match
Yes, so who?
Old Bailey, March 1941. Does
that answer your question?
It does indeed
Miss Duffy, may I join you?
Of course
Do you know, I didn’t realize you
were the late Lord Dunatholl's sister
And I didn’t realise that you
were Sir George Alleyn's brother
You heard of my
brother's trouble?
His health suffered dreadfully
When he came out, he’d
lost the will to live
Not so the brilliant young
barrister who led for the defense
Luke kept in touch
I was always grateful
for what he did
Miss Duffy,
your brother was sentenced
to two years imprisonment
His co-defendant Alexander
Pringle got seven years
Was that fair, would you say?
Patrick was lucky
The family solicitors wanted the best
defence, Luke Watchman was the best
He acted for Pringle
as well, you know
Mr Pringle wasn't
so lucky, was he?
I wonder why
Perhaps his face didn’t fit
Or was there another reason?
You seem to know an
awful lot, inspector
It is my business, Miss Duffy
You've been spying
on me, haven't you?
Well, I’ve told you all I know
And now, if you'll excuse me,
I have other things to do
The train arriving on Platform 1 is the 12.
15 from London Paddington
You think it was me, don't you?
What?
You think I poisoned him
No!
Look, if we can't be
honest with each other...
There could have been poison
in the brandy I gave him
- It was my glass - I know
There were no traces of poison
in the pieces, none at all
Friday morning, after you
left me where did you go?
Why? Well, who's
been talking to you?
No-one
It was me, I saw you
I saw you go into the garage
yard, into the stable
And what?
Take out the rat poison?
You think I took it?
No
Will...
I don’t know
Mrs Ives
Inspector Fox and I won't
be dining in tonight
I’m sorry, we've been summoned
by the Chief Constable
Oh, Colonel Bramington
Chief inspector?
Can you spare me a few minutes?
How did you know that Bob Legge and
Alex Pringle were the same man?
It wasn't difficult, Miss Duffy
No, I suppose not
Now it's out, I really don’t know
whether I’m... glad or sorry
And you knew about
his pre-war history?
Yes
He joined the British
Union of Fascists in 1936
- He was a Nazi in all but name -
That's a long way from being a pacifist
Now perhaps you can
understand his behaviour
He felt his past
closing in on him
Forgive me for asking, but...
your feelings for Mr Legge..?
Completely unreciprocated,
inspector
Yes!
Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear
This spells disaster
- Tomorrow?
- OK
Thanks, Bob
- Hello, Miss Duffy
- Decie, two beers
Is it finished?
Oh, yes, it's finished
I think we can safely say
it's over and done with
May I see it?
I think it's wonderful
Nice of you to say so
But I’m glad it's finished
I’ve had enough of it
Decie, what happened
to that sherry?
Ah, hello
- Your sherry, Mr Fox
- Oh, thank you
Here you are, missy
All right
All right, Brer
All right
Come on
Up you get. Ready?
That's it...
That's it
All of it
Money isn't everything, Norman. It
won't make you a better painter
- Pomeroy?
- Sir?
Lock this away, please
Constable Oates?
No-one is to leave the premises
- Is that clearly understood?
- Sir?
Close all the doors. Somebody
has tried to kill inspector Fox
Oh! I can't believe it
There's a distinct smell of
treachery about the place
- Oh! No...
- No, no
No arguments, Brer
Just till the doctor gets here
I don’t want to see the doctor
- I should have taken your advice
- Oh, what?
Gone home a couple of days ago
Chief inspector or
no Chief inspector
Where is inspector Fox?
He's upstairs, the room
at the end of the landing
Thank you
Could be here all night long
We might as well make
ourselves comfortable
Decima, my dear,
does your father have anything worthy of
the occasion tucked away behind the bar?
Hardly a time to start making
fools of ourselves, Sebastian
I should keep off the
sherry in future
Just a little sodium
nitrate, inspector
It’s beef tea. Is
that all right, sir?
Yes, if he'll take it.
There's nothing better
Come in
Sorry to disturb
you, Mr Fox, sir,
but I thought a little beef tea might
be in order in the circumstances
Now then...
Here we go
Ooh, Mr Fox
You didn’t get that lying in bed
No, I think I got
it falling over
Oh, well, I think we’d better
have something to clean that up
Now you just hang on a minute
Mr Parish...
I mean, this is
utterly ridiculous
It was you
What?
Why couldn’t you trust me?
I got to thinking that iodine
would probably be the best but...
then I find that the
blessed iodine bottle is
missing from the first-aid
box in the bathroom
Brer Fox, I can't leave
you for a minute
That's just what I
said, Mr Alleyn
- Are you all right?
- Oh, yes, yes
Mind you, it would be a lot
simpler with just one box
There’d be a sight
less confusion
Take last Friday morning when
Mr Legge cut himself shaving...
There was blood streaming down his
chin, he was in a fair pickle
I had to open up the
cupboard in the private bar
- Mr Ives...
- And fetch on out the other first-aid box
I thought Mr Pomeroy
had the only key
No, I have a key to every
lock in the place,
except Mr Pomeroy's
safe, of course
Did anybody see Mr
Legge with the box?
Not as far as I know, no
Thank you, Mrs Ives
You've been a great help
- I have?
- You have
Give her some air
She's all right
- Is the doctor still here?
- Miss Duffy, are you all right?
Yes. Just gently. Come on
All right? I’m going
to get some water
Are you all right, ma'am?
Thank you, fine
- What is it, Oates?
- It’s Legge, sir
- What about him?
- Mr Legge, he's gone and run for it
Has he?
Take him into the parlour
- Sit him down and this time keep him there
- Yes, sir
Well, that's it, then
We still have to prove it, sir
Anything you’d like me to do?
You could search his
room, top to bottom
What are we looking for?
I don’t know but he's
managed to poison
a sherry decanter without
anybody noticing
This is an outrage
You do know that, don’t you?
Oh, yes, sir, a terrible outrage
Mr Pomeroy...
Do you think you could clean
this gentleman's jacket?
Reckon so
Perhaps you’d better empty
the pockets, Mr Legge
You can't keep me here
Is that all?
Thank you, Mr Pomeroy.
Now, Mr Legge...
I need a doctor
I gave express instructions
that no-one was to leave
Why did you choose to run off?
- I had to - Had to?
Yes, had to
I couldn’t spend another
minute in that room
Everyone looking at
me, as if I did it
I have bad nerves,
I’m highly strung
Ah, yes, of course, your...
your illness
Seven years, I think you said
Pentonville Prison, wasn't it?
I don't deny my
prison sentence...
grotesquely unjust,
though it was
It was 100 times worse
than any illness
Dunatholl should have rotted
in prison until he died
- You murdered
Luke Watchman - No
You believe he got Dunatholl
off with a light sentence...
by shifting the blame onto you
He did
And all the time with that
damn smile on his face
Or perhaps you murdered him
because you feared he would expose
your past as a Nazi sympathiser
You're improvising
You haven't got a case
Oh, but I have, Mr Legge
It’s the oldest
cheat in the book
If you can't find
the guilty one,
you pin it on the man
with a criminal record
How dare you?
Convince me
I not only know that you did it,
I know how you did it
You took the iodine bottle
from the upstairs bathroom
You laced it with cyanide
from the rat hole
and then using the pretext
of a shaving cut,
you gained access to the first-aid
box in the cupboard in the bar
Luke Watchman died the
way you planned it
Not from a poisoned dart,
but from poisoned iodine
And this evening you got
scared and attempted
to poison inspector
Fox and myself
Now what do you say to that,
Mr Alexander Pringle?
What an intriguing maze
a policeman's mind is
I would like to see that
doctor now, please, if I may
- Any luck, Superintendent?
- Nothing
I’m afraid he's got
the better of us
- Best I could do, Mr Alleyn
- Thank you, Mr Pomeroy
There must be some
way we can hold him
give us more time
I don’t see how, sir
He's guilty of murder
and attempted murder,
and I’m going to have to
let him walk out of there
I will be bringing an official complaint
against you personally, Chief inspector
And now I am sick and
tired of this farce
I’d like my things, please
That's my pen
I’m sure it is
I think you'll find,
Superintendent, that this...
is hydrocyanic acid
and it was dropped into
a very fine sherry
Goodbye
- Well, that's it, then
- Oh, you're welcome
Thank you very much
Tickets, thank you
Here, a guide book for you
It’s a present
Will?
Can you ever forgive me
for not trusting you?
I love you
It’s not a bad life
here, you know
And there are worse
ways of making a living
It was Luke who said that
I was wasting my life,
that I should better myself
You know...
it's an awful thing to say,
but now he's dead,
I feel quite free
He’d never have
married you anyway
You would never have
been good enough for him
Pig!
- Are you sure you're good enough for me?
- Yes
Lobster catcher
Bet you can't catch me
So what's in store
for Mr Parish now?
Resting?
I haven't the faintest
You could say Legge did
Sebastian a bit of good,
indirectly
And me
Do you know, Legge must have had Watchman
in his sights for a very long time
Poor old Luke
Legge was an opportunist,
an improviser
Just talking about Legge
Do you know, he must have waited
and waited until he saw his chance
Doesn't bear thinking about
Now, I must get back
to my own compartment
Give my regards to Miss Troy
Small world
Well, there's our man
He was a man who created
his own darkness
You all right there?!
Yeah, all right!
- Constable Oates? Thank God!
- What's up, Mr Pomeroy?
There's been a bad accident, in the bar.
Someone's been killed
Look at me, please, Mr Kirby
On the night of the
15th there was...
a programme of dance
music by Mr Henry Hall
On the third programme there
was a talk on Egyptology
Do I take it, Mr Kirby,
you are an Egyptologist?
Henry Hall. Yeah, that's right
We had a bottle of stout, Beryl and
me, and some sandwiches and that
and then we listened
to Henry Hall
Mr Kirby, you amaze me
For the first time in my life, I
find myself addressing a man who,
despite all the rules of
logic and natural law,
experiences no difficulty at all
in placing himself in three different
locations at the same time
While you were at home with Miss
Hoskins listening to Mr Hall,
you were also, as Miss Hoskins
has already testified,
at the pictures with her
watching Oliver Twist,
the young man who asked for more
You were also, as the
court has already heard
from three other
independent witnesses,
deep in conversation with
Mr Slater at the Ajax Cafe
A remarkable achievement
on your part,
for which you must
take full credit
Do you want any more, Mr Kirby?
Oh, well done, you
Mr Watchman
Thank you
As I see it, you are
asking me once again
to subsidies your
inordinate vanity
Rory! I was just talking
about our victory
- Well done - Thank you
This is my cousin Sebastian Parish
whom you may have seen on the stage
- How do you do?
- Hello. Are you going to risk it?
I think I might
Thank you
Can I persuade you
to change your mind?
- No, you can't -
Oh, but, Luke...
What I suggest to you is that
you take Mr Micawber's advice
Oh. Splendid, thank you
You have to give in to the pain.
Enjoy it
- Crack of dawn we are off to Penota
- Cornwall, near Tintagel?
Yes
I can't get away till Thursday
Discovered it in our Oxford days.
We've been returning ever since
Seb here, Seb's friend Norman,
who paints pretty pictures,
and myself
Mr Cubitt is a talented
professional artist
Yes, yes, of course
I trust you'll all
have a wonderful time
What the hell do you
think you're playing at?
- It was my right of way!
- I didn’t hear you
- What?
- I didn’t hear you coming
You should have
sounded your horn
I’m sorry, but I don’t think
there's any harm done
No, I suppose not
If you wouldn’t mind backing
up, see if we can free them?
And for God’s sake,
drive properly!
You watch out for young Will there.
He's been at sea all night
See you, John. Bye
Don't take any notice of him.
You know what he's like
- Mr Watchman - Hello, Abel.
Bit late, I’m afraid
Missed dinner, have I?
No, sir. I told Mrs Ives to
keep back a lobster for you
Oh, good man
- Come on, Will - Can't. Not
with you on his mind, Decie
Take no heed, Will
There. See? Perfect
That's our game, I think.
George, your round
Best of three, Alec, remember?
Ey, after what
you've been downing,
I doubt if you'll hit the board
Well done, Will
Evening, Mr Watchman
Welcome back
What's all this, then?
Mothers' meeting?
See that?
I can see an old
boot needs mending
That's another of your
pesky rats, that is
Keep your voice down, George. Don't
need the whole world to hear
One of them as near
damn it got my ankle
What are you going
to do about it, eh?
- It’s all in hand - In hand!
In hand, I said, George
As you will find out if you will
just mind your own interference
What's he on about, George?
This was worth
motoring 200 miles for
- Good evening, Decima
- Evening, Mr Watchman
- Is that all you have to say to me?
- Yes
That's all
- Pretty, isn't she?
- Very
What, even prettier
than last summer?
I do hope you're not going
to be a bore, Sebastian
If the girl could do it, she’d
make a presentable Juliet
Oh, would she? To your Romeo?
Well, I don’t see you
playing opposite her
Mercutio, maybe
Anyway, Luke,
this summer she only has eyes for
her very handsome young fisherman,
which is all that
her father wants
So everybody’s happy, eh?
I think Decima is old enough
to decide for herself
You be careful. That's
poison you've got there
There, that should do
for the little beggars
Not before time
No, no
Some utter halfwit driving too
fast did his best to kill me
What are they doing out there?
A chap could die of thirst
Next thing I see, his confounded
car here in the garage
Strange thing is,
I’m sure I’ve seen
his face before
- Somewhere - No shortage
of lunatics in cars
Put it under lock and
key, out of harm's way
Fair enough
Sorry, Bob. Pint, is it?
When you've got a moment, Decie
Oh, my God! It’s the chap I ran into.
He must have heard every word
I think we met on the way down
Unfortunate circumstances
I’ve forgotten all about it.
Cigarette?
Thanks
Allow me to introduce myself.
Robert Legge
Luke Watchman
Luke, how are you?
- Good run down?
- Yes, interesting
You're looking well, Norman.
How's the portrait coming?
Oh, interesting
Come on, Norman. Double or quits
All right. As long as
you promise to pay
Do you play?
Once a year when we come down.
You?
- His aim's deadly - Really?
- How deadly?
- I never miss
Well, now, is everybody
having a good time?
Hello, Mr Watchman.
Gin and lime, please
- When did you get here?
- Just over two hours ago, Miss Duffy
- Ah, good - What
have you been up to?
- Well, I’ve taken up watercolors
- Really?
Yes, I’m making fair progress,
wouldn’t you say, Norman?
Yes, Miss Duffy,
very fair progress
- Two and six - Oh, thank you
Here's good health to you all and
let's pray for good painting weather
Do you mind coppers?
Let Jock have them
- He hasn't missed yet -
There's always a first time
He wouldn’t do it
There you are, you see. Told you, didn’t I?
The man's deadly
Well done, Patrick
You survived
Tickets, please
Tickets, please
I will now hear the
first witness, Dr Shaw
An autopsy on the deceased,
Mr Luke Watchman KC,
was carried out by you,
Dr Shaw, at the weekend
at the request of the
Illington Constabulary
With what result?
The main finding was a grain and
a half of cyanide in the blood
Enough to cause death?
Half a grain would
have been sufficient
The index finger of the right hand had
been penetrated to the bone by the dart,
virtually pinned
to the dartboard
But there can be no doubt
death was caused by poisoning
Visitors to St Nicholas'
church at Looe
will find in its tower
a 'scolds cage'
for the incarceration
of nagging wives
- Bet that's worth looking at
- But you're not married
Anyway, it's 30
miles from Penota
Sorry
Scheele's acid mixed
with prussic acid?
For the extermination of rats
on Mr Pomeroy's premises
Mr Bartram, did you hand over the
substance direct to the purchaser?
No, sir, a Mr Parish came into
the shop on Thursday afternoon,
acting on behalf of Mr Pomeroy
He said the rat bane I supplied
previously was ineffective
Would I please
ginger it up a bit?
From what I’m putting together,
our Mr Watchman seems to
be a bit of a handful
Bit of a reputation, I’m afraid
First at Oxford
Very young KC
Very effective in court
He was lethal in the Slater case
The only time I
saw him in action
Sounds like a gentleman who should
have gone all the way to the top
Did you um... Did you like him?
I admired him
Superintendent Harper,
would you tell the court the
results of certain forensic tests,
namely to the pieces of a broken glass
from which the deceased drank brandy
and to a bottle of iodine which was
applied to his pierced finger?
Neither the broken brandy glass
nor the bottle of iodine
contained any traces of cyanide
nor any other poisonous
substance, sir
The train on Platform 1 is
the 4.15 from Paddington
All change here, please
I believe you knew
him professionally
Yes, sir. Perhaps the best
advocate of his generation
Fat lot of good it's done him
Here we are
I suppose the coroner
brought in an open verdict?
Death by misadventure, inspector.
What else could it be?
Having to close my private
bar is bad enough
It’s the height of the season
Everything's topsy-turvy
Glasses out of the bar,
darts taken away by police
Yes, well, you'll have
to get used to it
A man has died on these
premises from rat poison,
brought into this hotel
at your instigation
Well, is this our office?
It’s my parlour
Mr Pomeroy
I’m so sorry we have
to get under your feet
I hope it won't be for too long
Thank you
Have you taken their cases up?
Two and four. Was that right?
- That's what I said - All
right, no need to snap!
Who's snapping?
- Nice motor car - Belongs
to the actor Parish
- Watchman's cousin - Bet
that cost him a bob or two
If indeed it's paid for
- Fingerprints on the jar?
- Only Pomeroy's
- How much of the poison was left?
- It was full
We've got the stuff in a bottle now, back
at the station with the other things
- You've had it analyzed?
- Not yet, no
I didn’t think it was necessary.
We know what it was
Do we?
- Well...
- With respect, sir,
I think your lab boys should
look at it right away
- Don't walk away from me!
- No, I won't!
Just sit down there, sir
Now, I want you to take
your time, Mr Pomeroy,
and tell us what happened last
Friday evening in the private bar
Well, now, let me think
There was a dickens of a storm
The lights kept on
flickering on and off
They were playing
Round The Clock
Be with you in a minute
Next thing they're all
at it, drinking brandy
If I’d had any inkling of
what was going to happen,
I’d have picked up that blessed
bottle and hurled it into the sea
But you didn’t, did
you, Mr Pomeroy?
No. I did not
That calls for a drink on the winning team.
What will it be?
Oh, well, I declare,
the drinks are on me
My bottle of Courvoisier,
Decima, my dear
Brandy all round?
Time we had a new road in
this place, if you ask me
Bloomin' government talking
about utopia for the masses,
equality and all that malarkey
You can't even get into
the village on a wet day
without driving through a flood
Come on, George,
things aren't that bad
What were you saying, lad?
Fetch some candles for the
private, Decie - sharp
Oh, that's better. Now then...
Who hasn't had any? Will.
Here you are
Thank you
- How about the other half, Dick?
- I’ll be on my way
Shan't stop out
long, not in this
Just down the bottom
and back up this way
I’ll stop in again
and have it then
- Rather him than me
- Just in case
Good idea
Now then, Luke, being
on the losing side,
are you prepared to
risk your hand tonight?
Course I am. I’m game
But I insist on new darts
Abel, break out some new arrows
You take care of them
Aim straight, for God’s sake
Nobody's asking you, are they?
I feel like William Tell's
son without the apple
Oh, do be careful
Fire away
Keep still, Luke
Luke!
- I’m so sorry - You bloody f...
God, that looks nasty, Luke
Light the candles
- Decie, please - Hang on
- Just get me something!
- Here
Always the same. Lights
go out, everybody panics
Can't be that bad.
It’s only his finger
If you don't want to help...
How about some light in
here for the proletariat?
Just hang on, George, will you?
We've had an accident
Can I help? I used to do
bandaging with the St John's
Now, let's see. Is
there any iodine?
Here we are
- Is he OK?
- Give it a good cleaning
Will, brandy
Please, drink some of this,
make you feel better
Get a grip of yourself
Careful he bites his tongue.
Calm down. Calm down.
So I told Decie to
phone for a doctor
And I went out to
look for Dick Oates
Thank you, Mr Pomeroy
Sorry to have taken up
so much of your time
You're welcome
Well, if there's nothing else...
Nothing else
For the time being
So...
time to look under a few stones
See what's crawling underneath
I thought it was time for lunch
And there's a smugglers' tunnel
all the way down to the beach
I think we can safely
leave smuggling
to His Majesty's Customs
and Excise, don't you?
Yes
Sorry, sir
Our matinee idol
Mr Parish
Chief inspector
I was very shocked by the
death of your cousin
We got to know each
other, as colleagues
I find it difficult
to take it in
I keep expecting to see
him there at the bar
It’s like some nightmare
I keep expecting to
wake up, you know
I’m sorry
If only I hadn’t brought that bloody
rat poison back from Illington
You've no reason to
blame yourself for that
You asked the chemist
to ginger it up a bit
Who told you that?
Good morning
Ah, you haven't met. My
friend Norman Cubitt
Chief inspector Alleyn
Is there anything I can tell you,
inspector? I love being questioned
- The man who threw the dart...
- Legge?
Did Watchman know or
had he met him before?
I don’t think so. Seb?
No, I’m sure they hadn’t
Look, if there's nothing more,
we ought to go, get
on with my portrait
While the tide’s right
Oh, yes, of course
Well, Mr Parish seemed very
distressed at the death of his cousin
I nearly cried my eyes out
Luke Watchman seemed
affable enough at his club
but I did detect a certain
atmosphere between him and Parish
I’m not sure Mr Cubitt might not
have something to do with it
Where's Mr Legge off to?
'And there, my friend,
since unavailing woe bursts from my
heart and mingles with the strain,
had the sword laid thee
with the mighty low,
pride might forbid e'en
friendship to complain. '
- You're looking pleased with yourself, Seb
- Because I am
I mean, putting poor old Luke
to one side for the moment,
you could say things are
looking distinctly brighter
While I was fighting for
King and country...
Winning your Military Cross
Luke was absolutely coining it
So I am looking forward, Norman,
to being a man of means
Keep still
What's wrong?
Nothing, as long as
you stop fidgeting
I thought we might start
with a little holiday
I mean, a proper holiday abroad
India, maybe
Then...
well, if Luke's money
is all I take it to be,
I might go into management
I’ve always wanted
to do The Vortex
You could do the
sets and costumes
Fine
Then I bought my boat
with the gratuity
Probably paid over
the odds for it
Bit different from
flying Hurricanes, eh?
It’s a lot safer,
most of the time
What do you want to
know, inspector?
How well did you get
on with Luke Watchman?
- I didn’t - Did you quarrel?
We had a difference of opinion
He thought he was
welcome here in Penota
I didn’t, and told him so
Was...
Was that on account of
Decima Pomeroy, Mr Moore?
You seem to know all
the answers, inspector
Why ask the question?
Miss Duffy
Good afternoon
Oh, dear, I’m so sorry
I didn’t hear you
I didn’t mean to startle you
Well, nice spot you've chosen
Yes, but I can't get
my sea right today
It keeps coming out too green.
I’m sick of it
That's enough for today
Have you tried mixing cobalt with
a touch of aquamarine and white?
Oh, yes, I’ve tried that
and it still comes out
looking like spinach
and mashed potato
- Shall I?
- Thank you
Miss Duffy, were you by any
chance painting here last Friday?
Yes, indeed I was
And in view of everything
that happened that day,
every single minute is
etched in acid up here
Every minute?
I was on my way up here.
It was about half past ten
I was just passing
the old graveyard...
Will, don't be so childish
Can't you see how
stupid you're being?
Stupid? What do you think
he's come here for?
Well, I don’t know
- To be with his jolly friends?
- Decie...
Will!
Oh, don’t look at me like that
What do you expect me to do?
Push him off the cliff?
Good morning
Morning
What makes you so sure
she meant Watchman?
Well, everybody in Penota knows
she had some sort of fling
with him last year
A fling?
Oh, well, anyhow...
she seems to be spending a lot
of time with young Moore,
much to old Abel's relief
He’d rather a local man than some
sophisticated London barrister?
Lord, yes!
Luke had some sort
of power over her
Power?
Yes, he’d only got to lift
his little finger and...
It wasn't just Decima, either
Just a few things
to settle first
No-one's been in since
Fox, what are you looking for?
Anything that may
have been overlooked
Right, Mr Pomeroy, soon
as I’ve done in here,
you'll get your keys back
Good afternoon, Miss Pomeroy
You're from Scotland
Yard, aren't you?
Yes, I am
I imagine this must be
quite a change for you
after the hurly-burly of Oxford
It’s different
Inspector...
I know why you're here. Why don’t
you just ask your questions?
Very well
I’m trying to find out how Luke
Watchman spent last Friday,
the day that he died
I see
Where he went, whom he met
I know, for example, that you spent
the morning with Will Moore,
and that you quarreled
Who says so?
But you also met Luke
Watchman that morning
Was he the reason
that you quarreled?
I’d much rather you admitted
it yourself, Miss Pomeroy
Although I know it to be true
How?
A French cigarette packet,
a few Dog ends with lipstick,
and this
It’s yours, I think
How very clever of you
So?
Would you please care to tell me
what happened when you met Luke
Watchman that Friday morning?
It can't matter much now,
can it, now that he's dead?
It might
I usually take a walk along
the cliff in the morning
I’d just got to the headland
and Luke called out to me
Decima!
I want to talk to you
What about?
Sit down, have a cigarette
and I’ll tell you
This refugee outfit of yours...
Thinking of joining, are we?
Hardly
Decima, you're...
You can do anything you want.
Why waste yourself?
You're not in love with me, Luke
You just want me
I adore you, Decie,
and you know it
Come here
- Luke, it's over!
- Is it?
Leave me alone. I wish to
God you’d never come back
Will, wait for me!
I chased after Will
But of course he’d seen me and
Luke and there was a terrible row
But you've now made up?
Yes, I think so
Well, I hope so
Inspector bullying you, Decima?
Just doing my duty, Mr Moore
Come on
Luke loved this place.
He was happy here
Then it's only fitting he
should remain here, Mr Parish
- Wednesday at noon, then
- Thank you, vicar
You've been a great comfort
What exactly are you
looking for, Brer?
Well, there should be a
massive rock over there
in the shape of a
woman, more or less
- But there isn't - How
very disappointing for you
Do you think we could get
back to the private bar?
Oh, yes, of course
- The wood box -
By the fireplace?
Yes, stuffed with newspapers,
stinking of brandy
- Brandy? Interesting -
Yes, that's what I thought
Anything else?
Oh, yes
According to the legend,
that headland is where
Uther Pendragon,
the father of King
Arthur, met Igraine,
the beautiful wife of
the Duke of Cornwall
You can just imagine
it, can't you, sir?
'So flashed and fell
the brand Excalibur
But ere he dipped the
surface rose an arm,
Clothed in white samite,
mystic, wonderful,
And caught him by the hilt and
brandished him three times
And drew him under the mere'
I thought a mere was a lake, sir
Nothing gets past you, does it, Brer?
Come on
Rotten thing to live with
Seeing a man in full health suddenly
die when you've thrown the dart
Damn silly trick, I
shouldn’t have tried it
I can imagine what they've
been saying to you
I can feel their suspicion
down my neck like a draught
Whose suspicion, Mr Legge?
Abel Pomeroy, for one
You see, Chief inspector,
I’m a pacifist,
and since his daughter
Decima sympathises,
he blames me
He thinks I turned
her against him
Perhaps
But I think we should concentrate
on the death of Luke Watchman
He must have moved his
hand, he must have done
I had nothing against the man
personally, I hardly even knew him
If I were you, I would
be making enquiries
as to who stood to
gain by his death
I’ve got all the essentials
What's bothering you, Norman?
I’m fed up
You and me?
Of this place
I can finish this at home
Let's push off tomorrow, Seb
I don’t see that meeting with
the Chief inspector’s approval
Oh, him!
Don't you like him? Oh, I
think he's rather nice
Nice? Him and his
little Sir Echo
Come in, sir
Mrs Ives!
I’m sorry to disturb you, sir,
but some of our guests like a nice
hot drink last thing at night
and I was wondering
whether you’d like one...
Miss Pomeroy?
I’m sorry, I didn’t
mean to startle you
- We’d like to go over what happened
- Do we have to go over it all again?
I’m afraid we must
When the dart struck Luke
Watchman, whereabouts were you?
About here, I think
Why did you give him the brandy?
To revive him
He’d gone so pale, I just
picked up a glass and...
Where from?
The bar counter
Would you mind?
Whose glass was it?
Well, it could have
been Sebastian's
I don’t know
I didn’t stop to think
whose glass it was
Well, you don’t think of things
like that in a crisis, do you?
No, you don't. Please go on
I poured some more brandy
and I took it over to him
I said something,
like, 'Have a sip,
make you feel better'
Then I held it up
to his lips and...
Oh, it was awful.
I’m sorry, I can't
Just forget about us, miss
Try to remember what happened
I did manage to get him to
drink some of the brandy
I think he was struggling
to say something
I can't be sure
Thank you, miss. That's just
about what the others told us
Oh, my dear Mr
Pomeroy, how are you?
I was simply appalled to
hear what had happened
- Closed the private bar
- Good gracious!
But it's preposterous
Why did this happen?
- Of course I’m entitled to know
- I’m sorry, sir...
Now listen, when something as...
devastating as this happens,
there must be a reason
- Yes, sir - Well, I
want to know what it is
We need another talk
with young Will
There's something not right between
him and our landlord’s daughter
What's that?
She lied to us. She
knew whose glass it was
What was she frightened of?
Perhaps she's trying to
implicate our thespian
- What's wrong?
- Nothing
What's the matter?
I’m thinking of cutting this so-called
holiday short, getting out of here
Why?
Cos I’ve been onto
Luke's solicitor
And?
And I’ve just heard how cousin Luke
liked to have his little joke,
from beyond the grave
at my expense
Listen to this, Brer
Robert Legge, agent for the Devon
and Cornwall Philatelic Society,
Secretary and Treasurer of the Refugee
Rehabilitation and Resettlement Fund,
previous history: none
But who is he? I
don’t like mysteries
Come in
Excuse me, gentlemen, Mrs Ives is
wondering if you'll be taking luncheon
- What do you say, Brer?
- Oh, definitely, yes
Drink at the bar first,
whet the appetite?
Even better
I’ve got something rather special.
I think you'll enjoy it
Not rat poison, I hope
As my next of kin...
- He's left you all his money?
- No
Well, that's what he promised
And no-one knew better than
Luke how much I need it
- He hasn't cut you out?
- No
The joke, Norman, is
that you and I inherit
Me?
Jointly
- I hope you find it amusing
- Why me?
Oh, I can think of
several reasons
You needn't look so astonished
I’m looking astonished
because I am
Really?
I know that as recently as last
Christmas, I was his sole heir
So what could possibly have
taken place, dear boy,
between then and now, eh?
Search me
There you are, sir
- That's a fine dry sherry, that is
- Indeed it is
Kind of you
- Good health to you, gentlemen
- And to you
- Nectar - Oh, very nice
- Shall I do them, or will you?
- I’ll do them if you like, it's no trouble
Decima, get a decanter for
the gentlemen's sherry
Excuse me, Bob
If Mr Legge can spare you
Thank you very much, sir.
It will be ready on Tuesday
- No - Why, what's
wrong with it?
Everything. Makes you
look like a spiv
I take it you have got a tie in
this benighted establishment
that a gentleman can wear?
I think it's rather nice
It isn't
Luke would have had a seizure
I don’t think Luke would care
tuppence whether we wear black or not
He may not, I do
And I knew him rather
better than you
Better,
fractionally
I shan't rest, dear boy,
until we get to the bottom
of this whole sordid business
Meantime we conduct
ourselves here with
as much grace and dignity
as we can muster
Black armbands as
well, I suppose
May we join you, Mr Legge?
Help yourselves
Thank you
Do you know, I’ve always
found this interesting
but I’ve somehow
never found the time
Well, you need time all right
Never interested me until...
well, I became ill
Oh, bad luck
Very ill
Found I had time on my hands
Seven years
Long time out of a man's life
So, what brings you to
this part of the world?
Well, I came here to
regain my strength
Plenty of Cornish pasties, eh?
I got hold of the
Philatelic Society
and landed a job as their
agent for Devon and Cornwall
And I do volunteer
work for the refugees
which is no-one's
business but my own
No, of course not
Luke Watchman...
What about him?
Did you know him?
Well, not socially,
not to speak to, no
But I never forget a face. I
recognized him straightaway
Oh, really?
He didn’t recognise you?
Well, why should he?
Oh, it was a long time ago,
early years of the war
He was a sharp, young
barrister on the way up
Midsummer’s party
I see
There didn’t seem to be any point
to mention it the other day
Luke Watchman KC,
Legal bigwig in his world
Me in mine
Might have taken it the
wrong way, don't you think?
Perhaps
Miss Pomeroy... good afternoon
What is it?
I was wondering if you
could help me again
May we?
Miss Pomeroy, I’ve got
a man murdered...
and I’m completely in the dark
Well, I don’t know what I can do
No?
- I was wondering if you might tell me...
- What?
Whatever it is
that's troubling you
Wouldn’t it be better
to tell me now?
It was Friday morning
After Will and I had
quarrelled about Luke
Will was in the garage yard
and... I saw him
go into the stable
I don't know what for.
There was nothing in there
Except the rat poison
Ever since then I’ve been
frantic, wondering, was it Will?
Thank you
But haven't you something
else to tell me?
The brandy you
gave Luke Watchman
You've been wanting me to think
that the glass you poured it into
might have been anybody’s
But that isn't the case, is it?
It was Will's glass, wasn't it?
- Pensive, Brer - No, sir
Angry
With myself
Trying to call something to mind
I can't get there
It’s just...
There was something that should
have been there and wasn't
I can't remember what
When you do remember,
perhaps you’d let me know
Good morning, sir
It’s a bit embarrassing,
Chief inspector
Just as well you suggested
doing an analysis
The liquid from the jar Abel
Pomeroy put in the garage?
Turned out to be surgical spirit
Well, look on the bright side, sir.
At least we've confirmed one thing
Now we know where the
poison came from
Our murderer took the
pot out of the rat hole
Emptied out the acid and put
the surgical spirit in instead
He or she was counting
on it being left,
untouched and... untested
Then if you're right,
if...
looks as if he, or she,
emptied the stuff into
another container
ready to put it on the
dart that killed Watchman
No
What do you mean, no?
Actually, sir, I’m convinced it
wasn't the dart that killed Watchman
We've got the evidence, Alleyn.
Cyanide on the damn thing
Only the slightest traces
Sir, hydrocyanic acid
is highly volatile
Expose it to the air
and it evaporates
There was no way that dart could have
been poisoned before it was thrown
Mr Pomeroy opened a new set and they were
in full sight of everybody all the time
But the blasted lights
were going on and off
Not between the time that Abel
opened the new box of darts
and the dart was thrown
that hit Watchman
And in any case, by the
time the dart was thrown,
the bulk of any cyanide would
have simply evaporated
After the candles were knocked over
and the whole place was in darkness,
- somebody...
- The murderer
picked up the dart and
smeared it with poison
Incriminating Legge after
he’d thrown the dart
Exactly, so the question remains, how
did the poison get into Watchman?
That Dog
That's what's missing,
the collection box
- She's over the worst now, inspector
- Oh, good, thank you
Mrs Freeman, I can't tell you
how sorry we are about this
It was bad luck really
No, I’m afraid not
Mrs Freeman, did
anybody else know
that you’d be picking
up the RSPCA box today?
No
As a matter of fact I
was early going for it
- Early?
- Because of the holidays
I usually collect them at
the end of the holidays
You must have been
surprised to find a bottle
No, no
People put in all sorts
of things, you know
Buttons and bottle tops and...
bus tickets
Oh, dear
So when I saw this
little bottle roll out,
like a silly Duffer, I put it up to my
nose to smell it, like you do, and...
I suddenly felt very sick and...
dizzy and... and I don't...
I don’t remember much else
I don’t know what to say, sir
A lethal bottle of iodine,
just sitting there, in the Dog,
right under our noses and we...
That poor woman
- I know - I feel
ashamed of myself
Nonsense, Brer
But you do see the implication?
Before it got into the Dog,
our killer had put it into
Pomeroy's first-aid box
Where anybody could have used it
Exactly, before Legge's
trick with the darts
They've clearly got
no conscience at all
He couldn’t have known
there’d be an accident
No, he couldn’t, but I think
he managed to engineer one
by making sure that everyone
was drinking Parish's brandy
- Whereas he...
- Or she
stayed stone-cold sober, chucking
their brandy into the wood box
There you are, ready to do what
could only be done in the dark -
switch the iodine bottles, put the
innocent one where the lethal one was
and throw that one into the Dog
Waiting for Mrs Freeman to
pick up her little Jock
Her Dog
Oh, yes
Implore you, be at
usual place tomorrow
8.30 am. Must talk
Whatever you want, just
tell me and I’ll do it
- I just can't stand much more of this
- Bob!
If you’d been through what I’ve
been through, you might understand
- Of course I understand
- Do you?
They've been asking questions,
talking to everybody
When it comes down to it...
It’s me, isn't it?
Just don’t draw any attention to
yourself and you'll be all right
The police have to do their duty.
We all have to put up with that
- It’s intolerable - Well,
self-pity won't get you anywhere
See? You, too
No!
You know I’ll do my
best for you, but I...
I can't. I...
I wouldn’t...
Wouldn’t you?
Bob, you know how
much I feel for you
Why can't people leave me alone?
Well, I suggest that you
come back to the inn,
put on a black tie...
come to the funeral and show
some respect for the dead
'Man that is born of a woman
hath but a short time to live
And is full of misery
He cometh up and is cut
down like a flower
He fleeth as it were a shadow
And never continueth in one stay
In the midst of life
we are in death
Of whom may we seek
for succour... '
Which one's the killer, Brer?
Who's the front runner?
- I know which one I’d bet on
- Yes, I know
But they all had motive and
most of them had opportunity
I wouldn't rule anybody out
- Including the ladies?
- Including the ladies
"Thou knowest, Lord, the
secrets of our hearts..."
I was wondering if our
young fighter pilot
wasn't too good to be true
Even Pomeroy?
Too true to be good
Thing is, we don't have a scrap
of incontrovertible evidence
against any of them
'O God most mighty
Thou holy and merciful saviour
Thou most worthy judge eternal
Suffer us not at our last hour
For any pains of death
to fall from thee"
I’ll go back to the car
Not quite the abbey but I think it
all went off rather well, don't you?
Dear Mr Cubitt currying
favour with the aristocracy
- I’m sorry?
- Oh, didn’t you know?
- She's poor old Dunatholl's sister
- Irish peer?
No-one had even heard of him
until he hit the headlines
He was convicted, wasn't he,
of embezzlement and fraud?
- Bit of a cause celebre
- Got cousin Luke started
What?
Why do you think yon
Violet's so chummy, eh?
Dear cousin Luke was leading
counsel for the defense
Brilliant performance
Got the old fraudster
a minimum sentence,
Duffy's undying devotion,
and set him on the
road to his silk
Dunatholl? There was another
defendant in the case, wasn't there?
His partner. Jingle? Dingle?
Something Dickensian
Can't remember much about it
I wasn't around at the time.
King and country
Pringle
Well, it's only to be expected
Villages are like that.
Close community
They're getting restless
- Trouble?
- Who knows?
What time do you get
into Paddington?
Six. Be at the Yard before
seven and back here tomorrow
The Chief Constable has
asked me to take you both
to his house for
dinner tomorrow night
That's extremely kind of him
Inspector Fox and I would
be delighted to join him
He's... keen to
know how it's going
Then I hope we won't
disappoint him, sir
Sir...
what do we have to wear?
Black tie, I suppose
Is that a problem?
No
It’s cruel, but accurate
May I congratulate you on
your inheritance, Mr Cubitt?
Oh, yes
Well, I wasn't
expecting anything
He was really Seb's friend
But I’m not
complaining, naturally
When did you hear?
Seb told me yesterday
I rather wish he hadn’t
It makes me a
suspect, doesn’t it?
Well, both of us, really
You see, we were both flat broke
Don't talk nonsense
Artistic temperament,
overactive imagination
Not something I suffer
from, Mr Parish
What have you been saying?
You may have just come
from his funeral,
but I want to know when this
inquiry is going to be finished
Don't, please
No, he's got a point there.
We're all sick of it
So why don’t our sleuths
get on with it?
Ladies and gentlemen,
I can understand your feelings
but this is a murder inquiry
These things do take time, but
I can promise you one thing
I shall find the murderer
Shove up a bit, won't you?
- Evening - Good evening, sir
Oh, Jenks
I’m sorry to bring you in but
Bailey's gone sick on us
And I need this dusted
for dabs sharpish
Photos, usual drill, OK?
No, thanks
Hello
Could you give me the number
of Moss Bros, please?
Morning
You see that?
Central pocket loop
Tinted arch there
and there, a plain whorl
This one...
left index off the bottle
Middle right, particularly
good ulnar loop there
From the tumbler,
an exact match
Yes, so who?
Old Bailey, March 1941. Does
that answer your question?
It does indeed
Miss Duffy, may I join you?
Of course
Do you know, I didn’t realize you
were the late Lord Dunatholl's sister
And I didn’t realise that you
were Sir George Alleyn's brother
You heard of my
brother's trouble?
His health suffered dreadfully
When he came out, he’d
lost the will to live
Not so the brilliant young
barrister who led for the defense
Luke kept in touch
I was always grateful
for what he did
Miss Duffy,
your brother was sentenced
to two years imprisonment
His co-defendant Alexander
Pringle got seven years
Was that fair, would you say?
Patrick was lucky
The family solicitors wanted the best
defence, Luke Watchman was the best
He acted for Pringle
as well, you know
Mr Pringle wasn't
so lucky, was he?
I wonder why
Perhaps his face didn’t fit
Or was there another reason?
You seem to know an
awful lot, inspector
It is my business, Miss Duffy
You've been spying
on me, haven't you?
Well, I’ve told you all I know
And now, if you'll excuse me,
I have other things to do
The train arriving on Platform 1 is the 12.
15 from London Paddington
You think it was me, don't you?
What?
You think I poisoned him
No!
Look, if we can't be
honest with each other...
There could have been poison
in the brandy I gave him
- It was my glass - I know
There were no traces of poison
in the pieces, none at all
Friday morning, after you
left me where did you go?
Why? Well, who's
been talking to you?
No-one
It was me, I saw you
I saw you go into the garage
yard, into the stable
And what?
Take out the rat poison?
You think I took it?
No
Will...
I don’t know
Mrs Ives
Inspector Fox and I won't
be dining in tonight
I’m sorry, we've been summoned
by the Chief Constable
Oh, Colonel Bramington
Chief inspector?
Can you spare me a few minutes?
How did you know that Bob Legge and
Alex Pringle were the same man?
It wasn't difficult, Miss Duffy
No, I suppose not
Now it's out, I really don’t know
whether I’m... glad or sorry
And you knew about
his pre-war history?
Yes
He joined the British
Union of Fascists in 1936
- He was a Nazi in all but name -
That's a long way from being a pacifist
Now perhaps you can
understand his behaviour
He felt his past
closing in on him
Forgive me for asking, but...
your feelings for Mr Legge..?
Completely unreciprocated,
inspector
Yes!
Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear
This spells disaster
- Tomorrow?
- OK
Thanks, Bob
- Hello, Miss Duffy
- Decie, two beers
Is it finished?
Oh, yes, it's finished
I think we can safely say
it's over and done with
May I see it?
I think it's wonderful
Nice of you to say so
But I’m glad it's finished
I’ve had enough of it
Decie, what happened
to that sherry?
Ah, hello
- Your sherry, Mr Fox
- Oh, thank you
Here you are, missy
All right
All right, Brer
All right
Come on
Up you get. Ready?
That's it...
That's it
All of it
Money isn't everything, Norman. It
won't make you a better painter
- Pomeroy?
- Sir?
Lock this away, please
Constable Oates?
No-one is to leave the premises
- Is that clearly understood?
- Sir?
Close all the doors. Somebody
has tried to kill inspector Fox
Oh! I can't believe it
There's a distinct smell of
treachery about the place
- Oh! No...
- No, no
No arguments, Brer
Just till the doctor gets here
I don’t want to see the doctor
- I should have taken your advice
- Oh, what?
Gone home a couple of days ago
Chief inspector or
no Chief inspector
Where is inspector Fox?
He's upstairs, the room
at the end of the landing
Thank you
Could be here all night long
We might as well make
ourselves comfortable
Decima, my dear,
does your father have anything worthy of
the occasion tucked away behind the bar?
Hardly a time to start making
fools of ourselves, Sebastian
I should keep off the
sherry in future
Just a little sodium
nitrate, inspector
It’s beef tea. Is
that all right, sir?
Yes, if he'll take it.
There's nothing better
Come in
Sorry to disturb
you, Mr Fox, sir,
but I thought a little beef tea might
be in order in the circumstances
Now then...
Here we go
Ooh, Mr Fox
You didn’t get that lying in bed
No, I think I got
it falling over
Oh, well, I think we’d better
have something to clean that up
Now you just hang on a minute
Mr Parish...
I mean, this is
utterly ridiculous
It was you
What?
Why couldn’t you trust me?
I got to thinking that iodine
would probably be the best but...
then I find that the
blessed iodine bottle is
missing from the first-aid
box in the bathroom
Brer Fox, I can't leave
you for a minute
That's just what I
said, Mr Alleyn
- Are you all right?
- Oh, yes, yes
Mind you, it would be a lot
simpler with just one box
There’d be a sight
less confusion
Take last Friday morning when
Mr Legge cut himself shaving...
There was blood streaming down his
chin, he was in a fair pickle
I had to open up the
cupboard in the private bar
- Mr Ives...
- And fetch on out the other first-aid box
I thought Mr Pomeroy
had the only key
No, I have a key to every
lock in the place,
except Mr Pomeroy's
safe, of course
Did anybody see Mr
Legge with the box?
Not as far as I know, no
Thank you, Mrs Ives
You've been a great help
- I have?
- You have
Give her some air
She's all right
- Is the doctor still here?
- Miss Duffy, are you all right?
Yes. Just gently. Come on
All right? I’m going
to get some water
Are you all right, ma'am?
Thank you, fine
- What is it, Oates?
- It’s Legge, sir
- What about him?
- Mr Legge, he's gone and run for it
Has he?
Take him into the parlour
- Sit him down and this time keep him there
- Yes, sir
Well, that's it, then
We still have to prove it, sir
Anything you’d like me to do?
You could search his
room, top to bottom
What are we looking for?
I don’t know but he's
managed to poison
a sherry decanter without
anybody noticing
This is an outrage
You do know that, don’t you?
Oh, yes, sir, a terrible outrage
Mr Pomeroy...
Do you think you could clean
this gentleman's jacket?
Reckon so
Perhaps you’d better empty
the pockets, Mr Legge
You can't keep me here
Is that all?
Thank you, Mr Pomeroy.
Now, Mr Legge...
I need a doctor
I gave express instructions
that no-one was to leave
Why did you choose to run off?
- I had to - Had to?
Yes, had to
I couldn’t spend another
minute in that room
Everyone looking at
me, as if I did it
I have bad nerves,
I’m highly strung
Ah, yes, of course, your...
your illness
Seven years, I think you said
Pentonville Prison, wasn't it?
I don't deny my
prison sentence...
grotesquely unjust,
though it was
It was 100 times worse
than any illness
Dunatholl should have rotted
in prison until he died
- You murdered
Luke Watchman - No
You believe he got Dunatholl
off with a light sentence...
by shifting the blame onto you
He did
And all the time with that
damn smile on his face
Or perhaps you murdered him
because you feared he would expose
your past as a Nazi sympathiser
You're improvising
You haven't got a case
Oh, but I have, Mr Legge
It’s the oldest
cheat in the book
If you can't find
the guilty one,
you pin it on the man
with a criminal record
How dare you?
Convince me
I not only know that you did it,
I know how you did it
You took the iodine bottle
from the upstairs bathroom
You laced it with cyanide
from the rat hole
and then using the pretext
of a shaving cut,
you gained access to the first-aid
box in the cupboard in the bar
Luke Watchman died the
way you planned it
Not from a poisoned dart,
but from poisoned iodine
And this evening you got
scared and attempted
to poison inspector
Fox and myself
Now what do you say to that,
Mr Alexander Pringle?
What an intriguing maze
a policeman's mind is
I would like to see that
doctor now, please, if I may
- Any luck, Superintendent?
- Nothing
I’m afraid he's got
the better of us
- Best I could do, Mr Alleyn
- Thank you, Mr Pomeroy
There must be some
way we can hold him
give us more time
I don’t see how, sir
He's guilty of murder
and attempted murder,
and I’m going to have to
let him walk out of there
I will be bringing an official complaint
against you personally, Chief inspector
And now I am sick and
tired of this farce
I’d like my things, please
That's my pen
I’m sure it is
I think you'll find,
Superintendent, that this...
is hydrocyanic acid
and it was dropped into
a very fine sherry
Goodbye
- Well, that's it, then
- Oh, you're welcome
Thank you very much
Tickets, thank you
Here, a guide book for you
It’s a present
Will?
Can you ever forgive me
for not trusting you?
I love you
It’s not a bad life
here, you know
And there are worse
ways of making a living
It was Luke who said that
I was wasting my life,
that I should better myself
You know...
it's an awful thing to say,
but now he's dead,
I feel quite free
He’d never have
married you anyway
You would never have
been good enough for him
Pig!
- Are you sure you're good enough for me?
- Yes
Lobster catcher
Bet you can't catch me
So what's in store
for Mr Parish now?
Resting?
I haven't the faintest
You could say Legge did
Sebastian a bit of good,
indirectly
And me
Do you know, Legge must have had Watchman
in his sights for a very long time
Poor old Luke
Legge was an opportunist,
an improviser
Just talking about Legge
Do you know, he must have waited
and waited until he saw his chance
Doesn't bear thinking about
Now, I must get back
to my own compartment
Give my regards to Miss Troy
Small world
Well, there's our man
He was a man who created
his own darkness