Father Brown (2013–…): Season 10, Episode 2 - The Company of Men - full transcript

URGENT KNOCKING AT DOOR

Father Brown!

KNOCKING CONTINUES It's me!

Brenda Palmer.

SHE WHIMPERS
Brenda? What's happened?

I need your help, Father.

I didn't do it. I swear!

Didn't do what?

Let's begin at the beginning.

When did you first leave
the borstal?

A few weeks back.
They lined up a job for me.



A proper one this time.

Where was this?

The Granford Club in Burrywick.

I've heard of it.

Most prestigious.

The staff are nice too.
I've got my own room.

So what happened?

The boss said I nicked a fiver
from the till.

But I never.

I gave them the slip
out the back window and I ran.

I know I made it worse, Father,
but... I was scared...

..they'd send me down again,
to a real prison this time.

No, they won't.

I won't let that happen.



But what if they don't believe me?

They will...
when I find the real culprit.

Don't get me wrong,
it was good of you to take her in

but can you be positively sure
she's telling the truth?

Yeah! He positively can.

Cos I am.

I'm glad to hear it, young lady.

Who's this?

I'm Mrs Devine. You must be Brenda.
Father Brown told me all about you.

Ah.

Funny, he never mentioned you.

Good. Pleasantries exchanged. Now...

Yoo-hoo! Father Brown?
I thought it was high time that I...

Oh, hello.
I don't think we've met.

This is Mrs Devine,
our new parish secretary.

Oh.

And this is Miss Brenda Palmer,
a young friend in need of help.

In fact, we were just...

I'm sorry,
you're not quite what I was, er...

Where did you say that
you'd worked previously?

I didn't.

It's just that your predecessor,
Mrs McCarthy,

is a dear friend of mine.

Forgive my curiosity
in her replacement.

Lady Felicia,
you will have to excuse us.

Miss Palmer and I have
a pressing engagement in Burrywick.

Oh! Well, let my chauffeur drive
you. I was going to drive them.

In that tiny little car outside?
I think we can do better than that.

Can't I wait in the car, Father?

Have courage, Brenda.
You've done nothing wrong.

This place looks familiar.

You know, you're right.

Didn't it used to be a jazz club?

The Twister! Of course.

Great cocktails, wonderful music.

What a pity it's become
a stuffy private members' club.

Even so, I've been meaning
to have a nosy.

They won't let YOU in.

My husband Monty's a member, and
he says it's all rather splendid.

No ladies allowed? What on earth?!

Told you.

Ah. This could be awkward.

We'll wait in the car, shall we?

We shall do nothing of the sort!

Well! What a magnificent
collection of male specimens!

Excuse me, ladies...

That's Mr Granford.

..this club is for gentlemen only.

I'm afraid I must ask you to leave.

Oh, so, you're very happy to employ
women, just not to serve them.

GRANFORD SNIGGERS

Talking of employees,

we are here to vouch for
the good name of Miss Brenda Palmer.

She's anxious to clear the air
after yesterday's misunderstanding.

Well, I have no interest in clearing
the air. The girl stole from us.

I never stole that money,
Mr Granford.

I'm telling the truth.

Right, telephone the police,
Charlotte.

But... but surely,
if a priest says...

Thank you for bringing back
the thief, Father,

you're welcome to stay for a drink,
should you wish,

but your two companions
will have to go elsewhere.

Then I have no desire
to drink here either.

And we will stay here
until the police arrive.

As you wish.

I did suggest we stay in the car.

Fiddlesticks!

We shall not be moved.

That's John, the manager.

And that's Bertie, the son.

He just got kicked out of Oxford.

That's why his dad
won't give him any money.

Was he in the bar yesterday?

Yeah.

Describe his movements to me,
precisely.

OK. Erm...

He was in and out
for most of the day.

Then he went upstairs
about four o'clock.

He came back down with a face like
thunder and carried on drinking.

How long was he upstairs for?

Erm...

20 minutes. Why?

Colonel, may I borrow your newspaper
momentarily?

RASPING: My pleasure.

Are you a racing man, Mr Granford?

I notice the favourite, Durley Dean,

lost spectacularly
yesterday at 4.15.

Sorry, I don't bet on horses.

No.

But I do.

Occasionally.

Thank you.

And more to the point,
so does your son.

I've seen him at the racecourse.

Bertie had his allowance taken away

because he was sent down
from Oxford, am I right?

Now, I will wager that
the £5 note taken from the till

was used to place a bet.

What utter rot!

Well, a quick check of your pockets
for a betting slip would settle it.

I'm sure you won't mind...

..if you've nothing to hide.

You can't be serious.

Right. Get up!

SHOUTS: Get up!

You are a disgrace.

To think that I was teaching you
to take over here,

well, you can forget about that.
Now get out of my sight!

Get!

John.

Call the police, tell them
there has been a false alarm.

Quickly! Yes, sir.

Right, the job is still yours
if you want it.

I do, sir. Thank you.

And ladies...

..I reserve the right to refuse
entrance to whomever I choose,

so I will ask you again,

please leave!

MURMURS OF AGREEMENT

Bravo. Bravo.

And you call yourselves gentlemen!

Quite!

Thank you, Father,
for saving me skin again.

You're very welcome, Miss Palmer.

And goodbye.

I'm sure you will do yourself proud.

Oh, dear me, this place needs
a thorough clear-up.

It's becoming something of
a mould museum.

And what, may I ask, would you know
about housekeeping, Lady Felicia?

I know how to hire wisely -

which is more than I can say
for some people.

And what kind of name is Devine?

She seems to care more
about her appearance

than she does about
looking after you.

Mrs Devine's role is
parish secretary, not housekeeper.

And besides,

I am more than capable of
looking after myself!

From now on, you can lock up

after the gents have gone
and Moira's done the cleaning.

You're giving them to me? Yeah.

But don't lose them now,
this is our only spare set.

I am so tired. See you tomorrow.

Right.

Well, I am glad you're back,
my love,

because I would have really missed
having a laugh with you.

I know. I would've missed you too.

It's OK.

Clean that up.

He's a spoilt brat.

I bet you he's never worked
a day in his life.

Hey, no.

You cheer up.

Watch this.

MOIRA GIGGLES

Look at this. OK. What?

You start with two.

How did you do that?
OK, start with two. OK.

And then you add a third. Go on.

LAUGHTER STOPS ABRUPTLY

I'm... sorry, sir.

I hope re-hiring you
wasn't a mistake, girl.

Good morning, gentlemen!

I'll have a Martini, please.

We don't serve women
at the Granford Club!

Agh. So you can end your puerile
little stunt right now, and get out.

If it's all the same to you,
I think I'll stay.

I love nothing more
than to sit at a bar

and witter on about kittens
and knitting patterns.

Feel free to ignore me, gentlemen.

I think you'll find that nobody here
is the least bit impressed

or interested in your protest.

Jasper, why don't you allow ladies
here? I've always wondered.

I will not discuss this here.

Charlotte!

Anyone fancy a game of charades? No?

SHARP SMACK, WOMAN CRIES

How dare you contradict me?
My own wife!

Get that blasted woman out of here,
I don't care how you do it!

Are you all right?

Would you please stop this? You're
never going to change his mind.

Oh, my dear, I know that.

I'm simply here to make a point,
and I haven't finished making it.

Well...

..then, I'll have to telephone
the police. I'm sorry.

You don't understand, but
I'm doing this for women everywhere.

You think it's just women who are
banned from this place? Look around.

You're quite right.
How jolly insensitive of me.

Wait a minute.

I knew I'd met you before!
The Twister club.

It was yours, wasn't it?

It was.

What on earth happened?

I better get back to work.

Chief Inspector Sullivan! You see
the lengths I go to for us to meet?!

I'm told you're making quite the
spectacle of yourself, Lady Felicia.

Not at all,
I simply popped in for a Martini -

which I'm still waiting for,
by the way. Won't you join me?

Would you please unlock those?

Gosh, I'd love to, but
I seem to have misplaced the key.

Are you going to frisk me?
I warn you, I'm ticklish.

Well, there's only one thing for it.

MEN CHEER

Party pooper.

KNOCK ON DOOR
Mr Granford! I've got your lunch.

Mr Granford?

Somebody help!

A single stab wound to the heart.

Somewhat operatic.

No sign of a struggle.

He seems to have been
taken by surprise.

Yes, thank you, Father,
I can see that for myself.

So, the safe was open
and the contents emptied.

Can anyone say when they
last saw Mr Granford alive?

I'd say about two hours ago.

Right, sir,
everyone's been detained downstairs,

I've taken all their names.
Thank you.

Well, anyone could have
slipped upstairs and done this.

You can count me out, I was
handcuffed to the bar at the time.

The Chief Inspector
had to cut me loose.

Did he?

Chief Inspector,

I know you would have noticed this,
but look.

Looks as if it's been
discarded in haste.

There's blood on the sleeve.

And a faint odour of,
what is it, candle wax?

That's the colonel's!

Colonel's? Partridge, sir.

He always wears it.

He was in the bar earlier.

Sergeant, is the colonel
on that list?

No, sir.
He's clearly left the building.

Sergeant, get the men
and search the area. Righty-oh, sir.

He can't have done anything
to Mr Granford.

He can't even get out of his chair
without help.

In which case, someone
must have seen him leave the bar.

Unless all eyes were
on Lady Felicia's stunt.

Sorry.

So, an ancient colonel comes up
the stairs, kills Mr Granford,

robs him and then dumps the jacket
because there's blood on it.

Or did he merely discover the body?

He gets blood on him, panics he'll
be blamed, so sheds it and flees?

Yes, possibly, quite possibly.

Either way, he couldn't have
fled through the bar unnoticed.

Is there another exit?

How did he manage all these steps?
It couldn't have been the colonel.

Well, we found the keys
to the office

and the combination to the safe
in his jacket pocket.

Whilst I appreciate this
must be very difficult for you,

someone must have given it
to the colonel.

Well, Jasper would never divulge
the combination to me.

I was barely allowed to
set foot in his office.

And you? You're the manager here.

He wouldn't risk me knowing it.

I had to hand him
the takings at the door.

You, Master Granford?

Me?

He never trusted me either.
Can't think why.

But I overheard your father saying
he was priming you

to run the business.

Surely he would have entrusted
the safe combination to you

for practical purposes.

Look, I said he didn't, all right?

Forgive me.

I know this has been a shock.

But the combination to the safe
was hand-written, you see.

So a simple writing specimen
would settle it.

It was all the colonel's idea.

He was going to empty
the safe tonight

after my father had retired to bed.

He was always asleep by about ten.

I'd be seen propping up
the bar all evening...

..and no-one would suspect
the colonel of such a thing.

The plan was to split the takings.

You just admitted to a difficult
relationship with your father.

Only yesterday, the two of you had
a confrontation, rather publicly.

With him dead, you're in line
to inherit a fortune.

I wouldn't have him killed!

I hated him sometimes, but I swear
on my life, I didn't want this.

I just wanted the money in the safe.

I could've just been yards
from the killer.

I still don't think
it was the colonel, though.

So, I'm afraid the club is going to
have to close until further notice.

Close? Why?

I just assumed you'd need
a bit of time, Mrs Granford.

Oh.

It's Charlotte.

And I've wasted enough time.

Tomorrow, the doors will open
as usual.

I don't want anyone
losing their jobs over this.

Actually, a couple of the waitresses
have already quit.

It's going to take a little time
to train new staff.

I could step in until
you find someone more permanent.

And... I could do with the extra pay.

Yesterday, you worked out I was
the thief in a matter of minutes.

You seem to see things
that others don't.

So, I'm asking you to help me,
Father.

If you are innocent of this crime,
I will do all I can.

But first, you have to answer
everything I ask.

Why are you so in need of money?

You stole to gamble.

There was a girl in Oxford.

She worked in a pub.

I got her into trouble.

Behaved despicably.

And her father saw to it
that I got sent down.

The money was for the baby, you see?

Least I could do.

I'm not proud of who I am.

But someone killed my father
and wants me to take the blame.

I don't deserve that...

..do I?

You're not going to handcuff
yourself to the bar again,

are you, Lady Felicia?
I never repeat a party trick.

Father.

Mrs Devine.

Any news on the colonel,
Chief Inspector?

He seems to have vanished
into thin air, Father.

But we'll find him.

In the meantime,
we have his accomplice.

I'm sorry, Mrs Granford,
I've had to charge him.

While I'm here, Father,
can I get you a drink?

No, thank you.

You seem pleased
that Bertie's been arrested.

May I ask why?

I just don't like him, that's all.

Do you think he's guilty?

I've only been working here
for a few weeks,

so I... I couldn't possibly say.

But I know a nasty piece of work
when I see one.

I know she's your friend,

but could the timing of
Moira's employment be significant?

You what?

You mean, did she kill Mr Granford?

Well, no. She can't have done.

She was a cleaner.
She was only in at nights.

That is a fair point.

But I'm still not convinced

that Bertie is responsible for
the murder.

And the incriminating
note left at the crime scene

smacks of someone
trying to implicate him.

Perhaps it's a case of
Occam's razor.

There's hard evidence
placing the colonel at the scene,

and he's gone on the run.

I did see him staring daggers
at him... more than once.

The colonel was certainly
embroiled in events.

But a bloody jacket is
not significant evidence.

Let us consider the murder itself.

Whoever drove the knife in
did it face to face.

That suggests it is personal.

There's John.

He ran the Twister jazz club.

And when I asked him what happened,
he was rather coy about it.

What about Mrs Granford?

I notice she's had quite
the fashion transformation.

She stood up to him publicly
about the man-only policy,

and I suspect he struck her for it.

So, perhaps
the pertinent question is,

who was Jasper Granford?

You saw my husband's contempt
for women, Father.

Does it surprise you
he extended it to me?

Sadly, no.

Which is why I need to ask you -
did you have a hand in his death?

Do you really think that
I would allow my own son

to take the blame if I had?

Bertie...

Bertie grew up with
Jasper's example,

but he is not bad to the core.
Please believe that.

I do already.

And I will prove his innocence.

And, to that end, I need to know
more about your husband.

He was a wealthy man.

How did he come by his fortune?

It wasn't inherited,
that I'm certain of.

I never met his family.

He was very secretive about them.

He was very secretive
about everything.

And his business dealings?

He never discussed them with me.

I know he had several places,
apart from this club,

all in entertainment
and hospitality.

This building was previously
a jazz club...

..belonging to your manager, John.

Yes. Poor John, he... erm,
he got into debt.

That is how Jasper
came to own the club.

He did one good thing at least,
he kept on all the staff and I...

..I don't know how I would
have managed without them.

Especially John.

What was it like in borstal?

Hard.

But...

..I made some good friends.

It's not that different from
growing up in care, really.

Come here.

Come on!

You are a very, very special girl.

And don't let anyone
tell you otherwise.

Are you all right?

Mm-hm. I have a son. Max. He's ten.

And he's in a care home too.

Why did they take him off you?

My husband, he was
a really good man, but he drank.

So... so I had to support all of us.

I was...

..out nights sometimes.

A neighbour reported me
as being unfit and...

Well, you know how it is.

Women don't get a second chance.

I'm sorry.

They... wouldn't even tell me
where he was

until somebody took pity on me.

But now I get to visit him
at least,

just down the road, in Glendale.

And that is why I took this job.

Hey.

Watch this.

Bravo, Miss Palmer!

Moira taught me.

All I'm saying is,
Mrs McCarthy used to see to it

that he was eating properly, etc.

I already had a husband I had to
care for, but he was an invalid.

It is not my job to be
Father Brown's housekeeper.

Well, what is your job, pray tell?

It certainly isn't book-keeping.

I saw a pile of unopened post
that could cause an avalanche.

It seems that Mr Granford
kept much from his wife,

but she was able to give me
a list of his other businesses.

Now, if the murderer is
someone that he wronged,

the answer may be contained in this.

Gosh, he owned a restaurant,
a nightclub, a theatre...

Oh! The Purple Cravat.

That's a cabaret club in Soho.

A friend was in the chorus there.

I'll give her a call.

In fact, let me do
a bit of sleuthing.

That would be most helpful,
Mrs Devine.

Well, at least she's helping
with something.

You did a good job today, Moira.

If you'd like to stay on
as a permanent waitress,

we'd be glad to have you.

Please say yeah.

Erm... I, I... I would
really like that, thank you.

MOIRA LAUGHS

Those flowers need throwing out.

The florist is going to bring
some more in the morning.

Can I take them? Feel free.

Max will love these.

You're giving flowers to a boy?

When he was little,
he would ask me to name

all of the different flowers
in the garden.

To brighten up your room.

So, I spoke to
my chorus line friend

and, apparently, Jasper Granford
bought the Purple Cravat

from the previous owners
who'd suddenly gone bankrupt

after a lavish renovation
they couldn't afford.

How fortuitous.

Of course, that got me wondering -
was there a pattern to this?

So, I called all the other
businesses on the list.

It turns out there were
sudden bankruptcies

before all of Jasper Granford's
business acquisitions.

That must have been what happened
to the Twister jazz club.

Indeed.

Did Jasper Granford deliberately
force those businesses to fail

so that he could
buy them up cheaply?

And there's only one way
to find out.

The Twister was special.

We had world-class musicians.

World-class service.

But it needed renovation.

So I applied for a bank loan.

Several, in fact.

But they turned me down.

When you're black in this country,
Father, people do make assumptions.

Mr Granford offered to pay
for the renovations

in exchange for a small stake
in the club.

I agreed.

But when the work was done,
he denied ever promising the money.

When I couldn't pay...

..I had to declare bankruptcy.

And guess who snapped up
the club cheap? Huh.

That must have been
very, very hard to bear.

I think he enjoyed watching us
serve those rich white men

who see us as nothing,

including the bank managers
I went to for help.

That amount of resentment
can boil over, Mr Harrow.

I didn't kill him.

But I'm not sorry he's dead.

He was a parasite,
and it was only a matter of time

before someone made him pay.

So, to sum up,

Mr Granford was loathed by
almost everyone he was close to.

So was it, A, his long-suffering
wife

who he'd struck for speaking out
against him?

B, his spoiled son who he bullied
and controlled with money?

C, his club manager who he
swindled and forced into servitude?

That's very thorough, Mrs Devine.

Well, not really,
you missed out the colonel.

No, I didn't. I was getting to him.

Hm. Very illuminating.

The question being,

how does a man vanish without trace

with half of the police force
looking for him?

Father, remember you detected a
faint odour on the colonel's jacket?

Mm! Candle wax.

He said it smelt like candle wax.

Did it also happen to have
a hint of turpentine about it?

Yes! Yes, it did, faintly.

Then it might be grease paint,
used for stage make-up.

Could the colonel in fact be a
younger man dressed up to look old?

Do you know, that's
actually rather good.

So, someone who was clearly
not present the day of the murder.

And it's not as far fetched as
you'd think.

I played Bob Cratchit
in the Christmas panto one year.

DEEP VOICE: "Gawd bless you,
Mr Scrooge!"

RASPING: My pleasure.

Seriously, though, let's think,
who could the younger man be?

Bertie? No, can't be.

Him and the colonel
were in the same room together.

Right, good point.

Moira and the colonel.

What about them?

They're the same person.

It's the perfect disguise.

An old man who is practically
invisible to everyone around him.

A false tracheostomy hiding
the female voice.

She conjured a phantom to take
the blame for the murder,

and hid in plain sight.

No, I'm going to the bog.

Well, the colonel only recently
made an appearance at the club,

and Moira just started working
there as a cleaner.

So he'd be in the bar at opening
hours, and she at closing time!

Of course, she'd have to be
immensely skilled

in hair and make-up.

A background in entertainment?

She taught Miss Palmer to juggle!

Aha! It all fits, Father.

I think that it's time
I had a word with Moira.

And perhaps you two would stay here
with...

Where did she go?

She went to "the bog", apparently.

Brenda, what are you doing?
I wanted to ask you myself...

OK.

Did you kill Mr Granford?

Of course I didn't.

What is this?

I've had a lot of people lie to me.

And I know it when I see it.

How could you? I found the body.
I was scared to death.

I didn't know it would be you.

But why'd you do it?

Because he deserved it.

Because he took everything from me.

I don't understand.

POLICE BELL RINGS

Don't run. Not from this.

I will give myself up,
I promise, but please,

you have to let me
say goodbye to Max.

Please, please, Brenda.

Otherwise he's going to think
I've abandoned him again.

Brenda!

Open this door!
What is going on?

Now, Brenda.

I'll check the club, sir.

Where is she? Tell us!

Who is it you're looking for?

Moira Barns, on suspicion
of murdering your husband.

Moira?

Why are you protecting her?

Where has she gone?

You'd better start talking.

Chief Inspector, please.

I know you helped her for a reason.

But you need to tell us
what you know.

She needed to say goodbye.

Goodbye to who?

No-one's heard
of a children's home in Glendale.

You'd better not be lying.
I'm not!

Right, Sergeant, take the next
road. Keep asking.

Go door to door, if you have to.
Righty-oh, sir.

I'll continue down here.

Did Moira tell you anything else
about the boy?

Anything at all?

Erm, she said he liked flowers.

She used to give him some sometimes.

I thought it was a bit weird,
with him being a boy...

I think I know where to look.

They didn't even tell me
that he was dead.

Can you imagine that?

I hear he didn't suffer, at least.

A sudden illness and then
he was gone.

But I should've been there.

What did Mr Granford do to you?

He took our theatre.

Our beautiful theatre.

Drove us all into penury.

And then, bit by bit,
I lost the rest.

My husband, my home and my boy...

So you see, I had...
I had to put it right.

A crime of passion
can be understood

if not easily forgiven.

But this was calculated.

Cold.

Don't you think I've been
punished enough, Father?

Perhaps you have.

But I don't think avoiding
punishment matters to you.

Or why not flee?

Or did you want that time
to enjoy your handiwork?

It was revenge,

evil,

in the name of love.

Ah, Colonel Partridge,
this is a private... Agh!

Do you remember all of those
lives that you ruined?

Mine?

My husband's?

My son's?

Moira?

Oh, you do remember me. Good.

Because my face is going to be
the last thing you see

as I send you to hell.

HE GROANS

Can either of you tell me that he
didn't deserve it?

And what about Bertie?

You set a trap for him
to take the blame,

and yet he's entirely innocent
of his father's crime.

If Max had lived, he would be
everything that Bertie isn't.

And that's a reason to ruin a life?

He would've ruined Brenda's.

He would have sent her to jail
without a thought.

People like us...

..we mean nothing to him.

And yet the money he tried to steal
from his father,

he wanted to use for a child that he
wished to take responsibility for.

The police are nearby, Moira,

and this is over now.

You need to do the right thing.

When I found out where Max
was buried,

I realised that it was

near to the town where
Jasper Granford had moved to.

And that's when I knew.

I knew...
I knew that God wanted me to do it.

An eye for an eye. No.

Vengeance is the Lord's alone.

But then wasn't...

..wasn't I the tool
of his vengeance?

You acted of your own free will,

which is his gift to all of us.

You've suffered, and losing
your liberty will test you again.

But repentance and penance
are the way to peace.

And I hope you find it.

Thank you.

It's a gift. From Brenda.

Ah.

You must let me know
next time you are in a show.

Monty and I will come
and we'll make a night of it.

I look forward to that.

Miss Palmer.

They fired me
for the stunt with the keys.

Oh, dear. You poor thing.

I didn't know where else to go.

Oh, Inspector Sullivan.

Mrs Devine.

Apologies, I'm here on official
business.

Brenda Palmer, I'm arresting you for
being an accessory after the fact

by assisting Moira Barns to escape.

What?! You can't be serious.

That is not necessary,
Chief Inspector.

She has a history of criminality
and, as of today, no fixed abode.

Oh, so you're persecuting a girl
for being homeless?

Shame on you! Quite.

And you'll have to get past us
first! Excuse me, I'm sorry.

I think the ladies have spoken,
Chief Inspector.

Yes, I rather think they have.

And I have a suggestion.

Miss Palmer is looking for a place
to stay

and I clearly need a housekeeper.

Would you consider working for me?

Do you really mean it?

Good, that's settled, then.

And I give you my word that
I will keep her out of trouble.

Fine. I don't know why you trust
her, but on your head be it.

Good day.

I won't let you down, Father.

I promise.

There's no need to start tidying
straight away.

Actually, there is.

And I've processed your post,
Father. Bills have been paid,

and your correspondence
is in the study.

Oh, and, Lady Felicia,
this came for you.

Oh!

The Twister jazz club is reopening!

"And Charlotte and John cordially
invite you and your friends

"to have a Martini on the house".

What a splendid idea! What say you?

Well, I'm game if you are, Father?

I wouldn't mind a bit of jazz.

I wouldn't say no to a Martini!

Just the one. Oh, hurrah!

And we'll get our glad rags on,
Mrs D,

and we'll find something divine
for Brenda to wear.

Oh! Devine!

Oh, that was good.

You'd better unpack.