Crossing Lines (2013–…): Season 2, Episode 7 - The Velvet Glove - full transcript

Andrej?

Is anybody there?

Andrej? Andrej! Andrej?

- Oh, Andrej...
- Nora?

Thank God you came.

What have those monsters done to you?

It pleased me greatly that I
would be spending my supper...

discussing something other
than the Universality...

and the Full Implementation
of the Rome Statute.

I can't imagine why. It sounds gripping.

You have that look in your eyes, Miles.



You have something more down to
earth to talk about, don't you?

Fact is, I need your help.

About three years ago, a
priest walks into Scotland Yard,

says he thinks one of his
parishioners had been murdered.

Now, this elderly gent, excellent health,

full possession of all his
faculties and so forth, meets a girl,

they get on. He breaks his leg.

She takes up residence to aid his recovery.

He sickens, and dies.

And then the girl
just... up and disappears.

- Evidence of foul play?
- No.

That's when the priest finds
out that they were married,

not even a proper wedding,

just some scribble in a
book at some registry office.



And the priest is suspicious,

especially because the deceased was
a religious man and a wealthy one.

Well, gold-digging is the
world's second-oldest profession,

and there is no law against it.

But last year the same thing happens again.

A rich old cove meets a girl, an accident,

and his maker in quick succession.

Except this time, the victim,
or rather alleged victim,

is a retired M.P.

Straight away I pop 'round
to interview the widow,

but now it's the extended family
that are blocking my progress.

But you know me, I'm not one
to shy away from a challenge.

No one ever accused you
of being shy, Miles...

But you know as well as I do that
we do not take a case unless...

Unless...

I'm sitting, having my
toast this morning and...

a human interest story comes on the telly.

A woman in the Czech Republic
has gone to the press...

saying that her beloved
landlord has been murdered,

and it's the same story, a rich
old corpse, hungry young bride.

Identical circumstances?

Pretty damning. And it's a fresh case.

The widow is still in
residence. So if we move fast...

- You mean, if my team moves fast.
- Exactly.

I can't justify ignoring the
pattern in these cases any longer.

Who knows how many men have been killed?

Or who could be next.

How much longer, my angel?

Not long now, darling.

Andrej Havran was a good man who
fell victim to a heartless fraud,

a person who led him to believe...

that she cared for him
more than his wealth.

Now Andrej is dead.

That has all the hallmarks
of these two deaths...

that Miles has been
investigating in London.

Yermak Trigorin, 92-year-old
former Russian Cossack.

Emigrated to London in 1958.
Made his fortune in manufacturing.

Regular churchgoer, no immediate family.

When he had the misfortune to
meet Josie Miller in 2011...

he was a relatively healthy man.

She moved in, nine
months later, he was dead.

Next, Jerome McEwan.

A widower and retired Member
of Parliament for Enfield North.

He met Brittany Campion, 2012.

Dead before their first anniversary.

The widow disappeared before
I was able to question her.

And now, this new case in Prague.

Same in every detail,

down to the debilitating accident...

not long after the flame of
love was kindled, as it were.

And in each instance,

the young woman...

insisted that she be the one to
nurse the invalid back to health.

They did a shite job of it.

And between injury and death
is when the marriages happened?

Could it be a coincidence?

I have two enemies,
criminals and coincidences.

- And Travellers.
- I already mentioned criminals.

So this Nora Skalova, she's
a... she's a real game changer,

publicly taking on this black widow.

Black widow?

Black widow spiders, the females
mate, and then eat their husbands.

How are they doing it?

The same as spiders do, I suspect. Poison.

If this is epidemic, how
has nobody noticed it yet?

Well, poison can be the most
difficult thing to prove...

if you're not looking for it.

The effects can mirror
natural deterioration.

Exactly, if a specific
toxicology test isn't ordered,

cause of death can be easily misdiagnosed.

Tommy, Arabela, go to Prague,

find out about this recently deceased man.

How about Eva and I go to London
and check out those cold cases?

Might not find anything.
Sometimes old men just die.

Old men always die, but sometimes
they're hastened into their grave.

I mean, come on, do you really
think they've got anything in common?

I don't know.

My grandparents had 30 years between them,

and they were together their whole lives.

Ageist.

No, look, I mean, I get it
from a man's perspective.

He's got a hot young bird, nurse's outfit,

pushing him around in his
wheelchair. Of course he's in love.

But what about the girl?

Her friends are all at nightclubs and
she's changing her husband's nappies?

Some women are comforted
by having a father figure.

Not every woman wants an
unreliable lad your age.

Aye, and the money doesn't hurt, either.

Along with wisdom and maturity,
yes, often come wealth.

But if it helps smooth
out the wrinkles, so what?

I could fall in love with an older man.

Could fall or have fallen?

You got a secret little sugar
daddy there somewhere, Seeger,

you're not telling us about?

Says here that the men
died of natural causes.

Cardiopulmonary arrest,
acute gastroenteritis...

And no autopsy performed.

"Just what part of "Get it done"
do you not understand, Charles?"

Did you order an exhumation?

The family of the Right
Honourable M.P. McEwan forbade it.

As for the Trigorin, the Ministry
insists on more than just my hunch.

Well, if we need proof of poison,
the corpse is the best place to look.

No, no doubt, but I still
think there's still a chance...

that we could find
something at their homes.

No. The Trigorin house was sold
almost immediately after his death.

The McEwan estate is still held in probate.

The extended family tried to
challenge the will and failed.

Then, the grieving widow, Brittany,

signed over the property
to a git called Tas,

claiming to be her cousin.

Think he's the pimp?

He certainly looks like one.

Let's go visit this Tas.

I have copies of banking
and investment records.

These are from before the
victims met their new brides,

and these are after.

I've highlighted the
transactions of interest.

Note the high increase of withdrawals,

5,000 pounds here. 10,000 pounds there.

After the women enter their lives.

An identical pattern to Mr. Havran's
statements from Czech National Bank.

Unfortunately, it is not probative.

You might be able to prove fraud,
probably elder abuse, but not murder.

They were bleeding these men dry.

Any attorney worth their salt...

will be able to get them off
with the most minor of penalties.

Well, if they steal enough money
maybe they can run for public office.

We need solid evidence or this
investigation will not proceed.

Keep searching.

Detectives McConnell and Seeger.

We called ahead to see
the body of Andrej Havran.

I'm sorry, those remains are
being cremated at this very minute.

Well, call them to stop it right now.

Where's the furnace room?

I spoke with the widow myself.

She specifically
requested we rush the work.

- And you didn't find that odd?
- It's not unusual.

She wanted the remains
for a memorial service.

We made an official police request.

And there was an unfortunate mix-up.

You have just cost us
very important evidence.

Well, she certainly doesn't waste any time.

Rushed to cremation, no autopsy?

A fine way to get rid of your victims.

We need to speak to the last
person who saw him alive.

Nice car. Business must be good.

I see you upgraded your own ride.

Is that supposed to be
funny? Is he a funny guy?

You said he was stupid, not suicidal.

I'm gonna sue your
whole lot for harassment.

I noticed an outstanding warrant for
Suspicion of Handling Stolen Goods.

December 11th, last year.
We're here to search the house.

Bollocks. That's no grounds.

You're Anastas Cooper,
right? And this is your house?

Then according to this
here search warrant...

it is grounds.

Am I under arrest?

No. You're free to go.

Wanker.

Andrej Havran. Age 93. Admitted
on the 20th of last month.

Oh, renal failure, heart
arrhythmia, loss of appetite.

We kept him hydrated, made him comfortable.

He died four days later in his sleep.

Why no autopsy?

Nothing indicated a post-mortem
exam would be necessary.

Would it have been necessary
if it was your own father?

Detective, I don't care for your tone,

and I owe you no
explanation of my decisions.

We gave Mr. Havran the
best possible care here.

The symptoms...

The symptoms were those of a very
old man letting go of his life.

Quite a haul.

God, I wish people could have
more respect for the elderly.

If you want respect, you gotta die young.

You never hear about the
tragic death of an old person.

My father died young.

There were so many old
people at his funeral.

We were part of a big family.

I used to spend time when I was back home.

Believe it or not, I used to cook for them.

I remember listening to their stories.

I learned so much from them.

I'm sure they learned a lot from you, too.

Yeah... this is disgraceful.

These are men who fought wars,
who served their countries.

They're just used up and
thrown away like nothing.

Reduced to a few possessions.

You know, I've got to tell you, Tas
hasn't left much for us to work with.

Well, if we are going to find anything,

it's going to be wherever he sleeps.

Yeah.

I'd hate to see what the
ScanGen could pick up in here.

Jesus Christ.

Look at that.

They look like more than just cousins.

That might be helpful,
Brittney's long blonde hair.

Until we can get her in person,
her hair will have to do.

Yeah.

Let's look for tickets, receipts,
anything that can get us to...

Where do you think you're going?

This yours?

What were you doing in there?

Look, my great uncle is in trouble.

- He married his bitch of a nurse...
- Stop, whoa, whoa. Who's your uncle?

Herbert Baxendale.

Do we have a live one?

Of course I disapproved.

This little tart, Sabina,
gets a ring on his finger,

changes his will, starts
emptying out his bank accounts...

Lawrence!

I followed Sabina to
that house more than once.

She's shagging that yellow-haired
Neanderthal, I'm sure of it.

Are you sure you follow her
around just for your uncle's sake?

Or do you just like
to... follow her around.

What are you implying?

We're cops, we don't imply.

- Did you catch them?
- Catch them what?

In flagrante.

No. Well, not exactly. But
that's why I was there today.

- So you could watch them have sex.
- Look, I...

I just need something...

to prove to Uncle Edward that
she's not who she says she is.

I think he's going senile.

He already has advanced
renal failure, and...

- Are you a doctor?
- No, I'm a financial analyst.

But I know he needs dialysis twice weekly.

I know these drugs she's giving him are...

putting his only kidney under extra strain.

I... I'm worried for him.

Lawrence...

are you aware of what happened
to the previous owner...

of the house you broke into?

Okay, bye for now, mate.

That was Hickman. Their cold
case in London just got hot.

- Another victim?
- Victim in progress. And a suspect.

The plot thickens.

So this is the building Mr. Havran owned?

Neo-Renaissance. Very
nice. Shame for the view.

I can see why he made a good mark.

Right, his flat was on the top floor,

and the neighbour, Nora
Skalova, was on the second.

Shall we?

I am sorry about the temperature.

My new landlady has shut
off my heat. Her latest ploy.

To get you out of the building?

Payback for my press conference.

And that boyfriend of hers!

Jude he calls himself.

Dumps rubbish in front of my door
and harasses me in the hallways.

- Has he gotten physical with you?
- Worse. Legal.

She claims I tried to attack her.

Yes, we're very aware of that.

Emily Havran has filed a
restraining order against you.

Sounds like they're looking
for grounds for eviction.

I've lived here for 18 years,

and since she moved in,

they have scared most the
tenants and doubled the rents.

When did you first notice a
change in Mr. Havran's health?

Almost immediately.

He was in magnificent
condition for a man his age.

We used to ice-skate
together. Can you imagine?

A 90-year-old man on ice skates?

But then he deteriorated, rapidly.

The other day, I could
see all his windows open,

and it was bitter cold. So
I let myself into his flat.

Now that could be interpreted
as breaking and entering.

It was unlocked.

And anyway, he gave me a key years ago.

The state of the place was...

It was a mess. It stank of vomit.

Emily was rarely there.

She was probably living the
high life at some ritzy hotel...

while poor Andrej wasted away up there,

lying in his own filth.

And that's when you called the authorities?

Yes, but she was now his wife.

I had no right to interfere.

You know, she wouldn't even let me
visit when he went into the hospital?

Have you left all this
rubbish in the hallway again?

I'm sick and tired of
your disgusting habits.

his is a respectable residence.

- Calm down, ma'am.
- Don't come near me.

I have a good mind to call the police.

We are the police.

I want you gone by tomorrow.

I'd call this a fire hazard.

501. There.

Police. We know you're home.

You.

May we come in?

No. You may not.

Whatever you're selling, we don't want.

Just want to talk to the missus, mate.

- About what?
- Littering.

Either arrest her or go away.

Actually, I think we have
everything we need. Detective.

See you later, ma'am.

Did you get a whiff of that place?

Lemon oil and fresh air.

Nora told us it was a complete mess.

There's been a proper cleaning.
Wonder when bin day is.

You can learn a lot about
people by what's in their trash.

Ugh... including some
things you'd rather not know.

Here we go. Andrej Havran.

Eastern Orthodox prayer beads.

I guess they didn't think
they were worth anything.

Human remains?

If these teeth could talk...

Maybe they can.

Sabina, I've brought some people
to speak with Uncle Edward.

So, Lawrence, you've
contacted the police, have you?

Actually, we contacted him.

We're sorry to intrude.

We'd like to know if we could...

speak to you for a moment, sir.

- I was just about to prepare tea.
- May I join you?

Of course.

- Mr. Baxendale...
- Edward, please.

Edward. I'm Detective
Carl Hickman from the ICC,

the International Criminal Court.

We have reason to believe
that your wife may be...

I know! I know. I am sick of
all you Calvinists telling me...

I can't buy a young woman's love. Hmm?

Why can't I?

Lawrence put you up to this, didn't he?

He's afflicted with envy and greed.

I don't have to listen to this.

He's always been a petulant boy!

Now, are you going to lecture me?

Because if you are,
you can get out as well.

I don't... I don't care if you
marry the Archbishop of Canterbury.

To each his own.

But if somebody is trying
to kill you, I care a lot.

Kill me?

You see...

That's the Taverner Problem?

Black's got, what, 19 possible moves,
but all of them result in checkmate.

White to move, mate in two.

Now, tell me,

what is this about me getting killed?

He's quite a spirited man, your husband.

He reminds me a little bit of my father.

Your father must be a lovely man.

He was.

I'm sorry to hear that.

I'm doing my best to keep Teddy
with me as long as possible.

It must be really hard for you
to look after him all by yourself.

Do you keep track of all
this medicine on your own?

I do.

Do you go out much? I mean,
do you have time for yourself?

Not much, but I don't mind. I'm a homebody.

Are you happy?

Poisoning me?

It's a possibility we are
currently looking into.

Edward, your welfare is our direct concern.

You know, Detective, I don't
mind if she does poison me.

Come again?

You see that picture on
the mantle over there?

That's me and my dear
departed Jane at our cottage.

She treated me like a king. It was bliss.

I tell you, I never thought
I'd meet anyone so lovely again.

Until I met Sabina, that is.

When you're married to an angel,

you're always ready for heaven.

Was your angel with you
when you broke your hip?

It wasn't her, if that's what
you're saying. She was miles away.

It was some bloke on a motorbike
who ran me down in front of...

a tobacconist's. Hair like a girl's.

We have reason to believe that
there are male accomplices...

involved as well. Look,

I really don't care what you do
with your money or your love life.

If you want to, and we would like you to,

clear away any doubt about Sabina,

come down to Scotland Yard,
give us a blood sample.

If it's clean, she's clear.

Absolutely not.

Several men in your exact
situation have already died.

If Sabina does want to do away
with me, at least I'll die smiling.

What was that big exit all about?

If there's one thing our family
excels at, it's guilt trips.

In 2008, I finally convinced Edward
to let me invest some of the money...

he was stuffing the mattress with.

Six weeks later, the market crashed.

How much did you lose?

Oh, plenty.

Not as much as he's lost on
that slag, mind you, but...

but he'll never let me forget it.

- Any news on our widows?
- Yeah.

This just came in from the lab, sir.

DNA on Brittany McEwan's
hairbrush in London...

is a match to the saliva on Emily
Havran's cigarette in Prague.

The same DNA?

And that got me thinking...

Have a look.

This is Brittany McEwan.
Blonde hair, brown eyes,

tan, slim build.

This is Emily, red hair, blue eyes,

fair skinned, smaller nose,
much larger... blouse size.

They are the same person. Or twins.

Well, if I were a betting man...

which of course I'm not...

I'd say same person.
Plastic surgery, dye job.

Tanning bed. Colored contact lenses.

We just got off the phone with the lab.

The dental bridge found
in Emily Havran's trash...

is confirmed to be that of Andrej Havran.

And the toxicology screening?

A piece of food in the teeth
came back positive for Digitalis.

Yes, it's derived from the leaves
and seeds of the foxglove plant.

It's a cardiac stimulant,

used in the treatment of
congestive heart disease.

Fatal in quantity.

But Havran was not taking that drug.

Neither were the other victims.

All right, let me get this straight,

Emily and Brittany are the same person.

Emily was poisoning Mr. Havran,
and Sabina was visiting Brittany.

Which is why Lawrence thought
she was having an affair.

They are all connected.

Yes! Right, let's go
order those exhumations.

And let's bring in our suspects.

They bugged out.

- You guys, upstairs.
- Yes, sir.

Oh, my god...

There's nobody here, sir!

- They got him.
- You see this?

- What?
- Foxglove.

Poison in plain sight.

Thank you for coming, Louis.

We need all the help we can get.

I put out an All-Ports
Warning for Edward Baxendale...

and the four suspects.

These women could have new aliases by now.

Stolen identities. False passports.

Well, if they're all so suspicious,
why not just kill Edward now?

I mean, he can only slow them
down. I don't really get it.

Unless they plan to hold him for ransom.

Hey!

I thought you were some sort
of elite crime fighting force.

And you lose a stupid girl
and a diabetic old man?

If he doesn't get his dialysis soon,
he'll die, and it will be your fault.

Are you happy with that?

- What's this?
- Oh, I think you know, Larry.

Detective Berger here can find
anything if there's a record of it.

Yet he can't seem to find where
you invested 200,000 pounds...

of your uncle's savings? Huh? Ring a bell?

- That doesn't mean that I...
- Bullshit.

You'd been shorting your own stocks
for months before the market tanked.

- Guess you saw it coming, huh?
- You're a pusillanimous prig.

Stealing from your own family?

You're nothing more than
a petty scam merchant.

You'll be hearing from my solicitors.

Do people really say that?

Assholes do.

I've got something.

Pusillanimous?

I've been tracking the
Baxendale's bank and credit cards.

There was a cash machine
withdrawal at a bank near Bristol.

This was recorded a few hours ago.

Just Sabina? None of her co-conspirators?

No.

No sign of Edward Baxendale, either.

But why take him to Bristol?

Wait a minute.

Edward said he had a vacation house.

Was there any mention of this in
his records, tax returns, anything?

I haven't seen anything
about a second home.

Well, maybe it belonged
to his late wife's family?

- Devon.
- Miles, what do you think?

Judging by their clothes,
they're off hunting.

Well, there's loads of
shooting estates down there.

Not the best quality image,

but by extrapolating the natural contours,

and comparing to a topographical
map of shooting estates in that area,

I might be able to pinpoint the location.

- How far by helicopter?
- About an hour.

Carl.

Look at that artifact in
the corner. Must be a glitch.

It's in the original photo, too, you see?

Wait a minute.

Hound Tor is an ancient granite
outcrop. 414 metres tall.

Well, that's why it's
visible from the cottage.

And a known quantity.

So if we use that as scale
for distance from the house...

the cottage is four degrees
north and five kilometers...

distant from the Hound Tor landmark.

Moretonhampstead, Devon.

Coordinates 50.39.37 north,

03.46.02 west.

Roger that.

What a happy couple. No kids?

Nope.

The world could definitely use
more good people raising children.

I know we never talked about this...

But I really think you're gonna
be an amazing father, Sebastien.

I can't help but worry I'm
going to screw him up somehow.

Well, I guess that's normal,
but you are a good man,

yes, with a big heart, and
you're honest... yes, you are.

You're going to do fine.

My father was a...

a crook, and a liar, and I
turned out quite well anyway.

I think I did.

Well...

There!

Go down, now.

Checkmate.

All clear.

So what is this, Sabina?

Is this some kind of Sisterhood
of the Black Widows? What?

Your wife is part of a
murder-for-profit gang...

that's poisoned three men.

- God knows how many more.
- That makes them serial killers.

Yes, I know.

I'm sorry?

She was just telling
me now about her cousin.

What a terrible woman.
Not a patch on my Sabina.

I can't lie for Josie anymore.

Josie? As in Josie Trigorin?

Yeah, and Brittany
McEwan, and Emily Havran,

and any other aliases
you'd like to share with us?

And I'm guessing that
you're aware that your cousin

and her two boyfriends are on the run.

I don't know where they are.

You expect us to believe that?

For all we know, you're the ringleader.

Or is it this Tas or
the other guy in Prague?

They're just dumb muscle.
Josie is the one in charge.

How did you get involved?

My father left us when I was 10.

Josie supported me and my mum.

She paid for my education.

So you feel you were in her debt?

At first, she told me...

all I had to do was charm an old man
and make him fall in love with me.

The old man was me, of course.

At least we've got that to thank her for.

The angel of death plays matchmaker.

She threatened my mum.

I told her I would do it,

and that's when I found
out she was killing them.

I even made the poison once, but I...

couldn't go through with it.

Nobody's ever been so good to me as Teddy.

And Josie got suspicious?

That's when she started sending
Tas round to threaten me.

Then Lawrence showed up, and now you guys.

I think I've heard just about enough.

Let's wrap this up and take
these two down to the nick.

Let's just... hold on a second.

Josie's been doing this
for three years, at least,

and she probably could have gotten
away with it for another decade,

but she got greedy and she
tried to franchise the operation.

But I'm... I'm thinking.

I thinking that she's not willing
to let this big fish off the hook.

No offense.

Sabina,

you must have some way worked out
where you contact each other, right?

Disposable phones.

I text the number, and she calls back.

I'm so sorry, Josie. I was getting paranoid

with the police hanging
around all the time.

And then his wretched nephew Lawrence.

This is no time for a mini-break, Sabina.

If you can't control an old man who
can hardly walk, what good are you?

I'll do better.

Well, this is why you need
me, Sabina, not your daddy.

I take care of you, I offer
you this amazing opportunity,

and you run off when I need you most?

But I have a lead.

Lawrence has been siphoning
money off of Edward for years now.

I think I can get to it,
but I'll need your help.

How much?

Half a million or more.

All right.

- Shall I come to the flat in Prague?
- No, not there.

Let's meet someplace public.

Someplace busy. I'll let
you know where and when.

Everybody in position?

Standing by.

Line of sight.

There.

Emily Havran is approaching the
main entrance of the Wilsonova.

Anybody make the accomplices?

If they're here, they're
staying out of sight.

Oh, they're here.

I can feel it.

Watch everybody.

Attention, please.

The 236 express service will
depart from platform 14 at 15:15.

Cousin.

Thank god you came.

When have I ever let you down? Never.

So, who did you bring?

The police? The nephew?

You said to come alone.

Sabina, you never listen. Why start now?

Are you ready to go on a trip?

You didn't say anything about...

A trip where?

The end of the line.

What was that?

An attack.

It looks like steam, not
smoke. May be a dry ice bomb.

It's a diversion. Keep your eyes open.

Son of a bitch! Find
Sabina! She can't be far.

Louis, Emily Havran is on her
way. She's coming toward you.

We can't lose them!

They cannot get out this
way. Watch the trains!

Guard the exits.

I've got eyes of Tas, midway
down track one with Sabina in tow.

I got her, I got her, I got her.

Stop! Police

Hickman!

Hickman!

Carl! Eva! Do you copy?

They're fine.

The local cops have
the suspects in custody.

I just reviewed Josie Miller's deposition.

She says her mother started this
whole killing business years ago.

We have decades of victims.

So this crime ring was more of
a family affair than we thought.

"Was" being the operative word.

Miles Lennon sends his gratitudes.

Josie Miller is a bona fide psychopath.

I asked her if she had any regrets,

and she said that they
took up so much of her time

she regretted "not having
been able to kill them faster."

I suppose we all live with regrets.

Sir, Dorn.

Toxicology report just came in.

So, uh, that cheap pine box Josie
used to bury Mr. Trigorin in...

didn't do us any favors.

Unfortunately the body was too
badly decomposed for analysis.

And Mr. McEwan?

Mr. McEwan was, as we
know, a high-profile man,

so he pre-paid all his
funeral arrangements,

so the body was pretty well preserved.

Tissue from his liver was
positive for digitalis.

Well, that puts paid to Ms. Miller.

We have everything we need
to send her to prison till...

she's as old as her victims were.

What about Sabina Baxendale?

Miles struck a deal with her.

For full cooperation,
she'll be released tomorrow.

Did anyone talk to Carl?

He's taking the weekend off.