Inspector George Gently (2007–2017): Season 7, Episode 1 - Gently with the Women - full transcript
Gently's investigation into the rape of a prostitute leads him to unravel how rape is handled within the police force and deal with animosity from his colleague.
SHE CRIES
HE GROANS
SHE CRIES
SHE RATTLES LOCKED DOOR
Whoa.
Hey, man, he had his hands up!
All reet, George?
Can you hear us, George?
Call an ambulance.
MAN BREATHES DEEPLY
SHE SCREAMS
Hello, hello, hello...
HUA 222B.
I bet he doesn't.
Bet he does.
Look at him, man, he looks shifty.
I've taking his number down.
White Ford Zephyr.
Tasty.
"Tasty."
Since when did you become
an expert in taste?
Look at your hair.
Ey, where'd you get that done?
~ Shields Fish Market?
~ Shut up, man.
~ Ow...
~ Shh, shh, shh.
~ So sorry. Sorry. I think he's heard.
Nah, look at him, man,
he's just having a tab, isn't
he, before he goes home?
He's not a punter, he's
just a secret smoker.
Ten bob.
Aye, all right...
There you are.
He's just going home to
the wife. Lives next door.
~ SHE SIGHS
~ Ah, no. No, no, no, no.
You do know what ten bob means, don't
you, in Cockney rhyming slang?
Yes, and the women charge
ten bob for one.
Right.
Well, a bet's a bet, Rachel.
HE LAUGHS
Have you ever used a brothel?
Have I ever paid for sex?
~ You're joking? No, I haven't.
~ No?
~ No.
Hm, just cos, I don't know,
I read in Women's Own,
"One in three men has bought sex."
Right, well I'm one of the other two.
".. and one in four women
has done it for money."
Well, all married women do it for
money sooner or later, don't they?
CAR ENGINE RUMBLES
Here we go.
Right, come on then.
Excuse me!
Can I just have a quick
word there, please, sir.
Police.
There you are. Rachel.
Are you aware you're about
to enter a brothel there, sir?
Is that illegal in Durham?
No, it's not illegal,
no, but running one is,
and we're doing our
best to discourage it.
Aye, prosecuting the
girls doesn't work,
so we've decided to publish
the name of the customers.
Very commendable.
In the paper.
Name and address, please, sir.
Back off... Sergeant.
Now.
Right, come on.
Rachel.
SHE LAUGHS IN SHOCK
Oi! Where's he from?
CID, across the river. Get in.
Well, what's his name?
Doesn't matter.
Right, shall we go?
Sorry, so, what, one rule for policemen
and one for everyone else?
No, no. It's just, he wasn't
breaking the law, Rachel.
He should still go in the paper.
~ He's a serving police officer.
~ Rachel, Rachel...
~ He shouldn't be using prostitutes.
~ Will you shut your face, please?!
I'll make my own way home.
♪ I've got signs and signifiers
♪ The gossipers and liars
♪ Twist me every way they wanna go
♪ What looks like a raging fire
♪ Are your dreams and desires
♪ Endin' up like ashes on the ground
♪ If you'll consider me a chance
♪ To falter through our dance
♪ Then the other ones
May just leave us alone
♪ Ooo-oo
♪ Ooo-oo... ♪
~ John.... don't take risks, please.
~ All right, all right.
Always ring first, even
if I'm expecting you.
All right, I promise.
The kids are at me mam's.
We don't have to be quiet.
And we've got all night.
~ Gemma...
~ Mm...
Shh, let's not waste time talking.
Gemma, listen...
I just met your husband.
How?
It was just a freak thing, you know?
Paths just crossed at work.
It'll never happen again.
Make sure it doesn't.
Morning.
There was actually
a good reason, Rachel.
Which was...?
I can't tell you.
Out there, Sarge.
What's she selling? Lucky
heather? Clothes pegs?
I don't think that's
all she's selling.
She says she's been raped.
~ HE SIGHS
~ You're joking?
~ Where's Gently?
~ I haven't seen him.
Well, that's a shame.
She could have wasted his
time instead of mine.
~ Right, give me five minutes
to get a cup of tea.
~ All right.
SIREN RINGS
Excuse me? Excuse me?!
Mr Gently...
~ Where on earth do you think you're going?
~ To work.
TINA SIGHS
Right, Tina.
I'm all ears. Who's been
raping you then, pet?
There were three of them.
Where are we?
In The Dun Cow.
It's a pub in Peterlee.
Yeah, sorry. Yeah, we know.
Right, so there's four of you
sitting in The Dun Cow...
Ah, no. We weren't sitting
together, like.
I was on me own.
Drinking on your own?
Not against the law, is it?
No, no, no, it's not against the law.
So this was... yesterday, was it?
No.
Tuesday afternoon, week before last.
Week before last?!
And you've come in now, crying rape?!
Tina, I'm going to stop
you right there, pet,
cos if you are wasting my time,
I'm going to be very,
very upset with you.
Do you understand?
Aye.
So why's it taken you
over a fortnight?
Well, I wasn't going
to come in at all,
and then... I was talking
with some friends
and I just think they
shouldn't get away with it.
Who?
~ Men.
~ Right, I see, I see.
So, this is some women's lib point
about men in general, is it?
No. Just the three what's raped us.
So you want to carry on, do you?
Aye, cos I don't think they
should get away with it.
These lads were all young...
and they were drunk
and they were violent.
They're going to go and do
it to some other lass...
and they want stopping.
Right.
If that's what you
want, we'll carry on.
Descriptions?
Done?
Happy?
Your friend Tommy
who came in with you
said you seemed to
completely miss the punch,
and that's not something
that happens.
You do remember Tommy, don't you?
Yes.
And do you remember the punch?
Yes.
So why did it lay you out?
Didn't see it.
Did you lose your vision, Mr Gently?
I got some sweat in my eyes.
I was blinking it out and he hit me.
I'll be having words with
him, I can tell you.
You mustn't box again
until we get to the root
of this problem, Inspector.
There isn't a problem.
How many times has
this happened before?
It's been very nice to
meet you, Dr Benson,
and thank you for your
concern... but I'm fine.
Have you been suffering from
sudden bouts of fatigue?
I'm going to arrange for
some neurological tests.
It was definitely
the blond-haired one
~ that grabbed you in the car park, was it?
~ Yes.
Only, Tina, look, you
said ten minutes ago
that you weren't sure because
he grabbed you from behind.
Yeah, that's right.
Ah, God, I don't know. It
was one of them, wasn't it?
~ Do you want a cup of tea, Tina?
~ Aw, yes, please.
Tina, why have you not mentioned
that you're on our files?
You're a prostitute.
Have you or have you not...
literally been asking for it?
MAN SNIGGERS
Aw, here comes the waterworks.
Prostitution is not a crime.
Well, soliciting is.
Three times in five years.
Literally been asking for it.
And then charging money for it...
I didn't mention what
I do for a living
because it wasn't relevant
to what happened, was it?
I mean, these three lads,
they were not clients...
Sarge, there's too
many men in this room.
What is it you want, Rachel?
~ Shall we get Pan's People in here?
~ MEN SNIGGER
How about that cup of tea?
Go on, I think we'll all have one.
~ Where's my sergeant?
~ Number one, sir.
And you've done it before,
haven't you, Tina, pet?
Accused men of rape.
You did it two years ago.
That was a client.
How can it be rape if you're
getting paid for it?
This is, er, Mrs Tina Hall.
She's 45 years old, or so she says.
She lives in Peterlee, she's
a known prostitute, sir.
She's got convictions here
for, er, soliciting...
and disturbing the peace.
And she's here to make her second
accusation of rape in two years.
The last one... was withdrawn.
Now she's saying that this time...
there was three blokes, young
lads in a multi-storey car park,
she doesn't know any of their names.
One was blond...
and one had a pair of glasses on.
Ah, withdraw it, Tina. Come on.
Withdraw it, right,
~ and I won't charge you
with wasting police time.
~ Hang on.
Has Mrs Hall been given
an examination?
It was three weeks ago, guv.
Oh.
Any witnesses, Tina?
SHE WHISPERS: No.
What's the bloody point, eh?
Yous are all bastards.
JOHN LAUGHS Temper, temper, Tina....
Oi. That's enough.
You know, there's nowt funny
about being held down and raped.
Get a different job then, love.
Hey, what do you say to a
woman with two black eyes?
BOTH: You had your
warning! THEY LAUGH
May I?
You didn't like what you saw.
Sir, I don't know whether she
was telling the truth or not,
but they wouldn't have
believed her anyway.
It's like a club.
~ What is?
~ Men.
The way they all stick together.
Come on, Rachel, we're
all in favour of equality.
You're not though.
"All."
You're not ALL in favour.
I'm not saying that you're not, sir.
I'll have a word with John if that
will help smooth things over?
Aye, ask him about last
night while you're on.
All right, out with it.
That's not a request, by the way.
We cautioned about a dozen
men outside this brothel.
Every one had their name and
address taken, except one,
a DI from across the river.
No, Rachel.
Whatever else John
is, he's not corrupt.
In fact, he would take an
almost perverse pleasure...
~ Right...
~ .. in nicking a DI.
OK, well, my mistake, I do apologise.
I'm just saying, there
will be a reason.
Aye, there was.
I better get back, sir.
What was his name?
Well, Sergeant Bacchus
wouldn't say...
but I looked him up through
his number plate.
His name's Walter Nunn.
Inspector Walter Nunn.
Sir.
Where's my sergeant?
Have you noticed how often
I've had to say that recently?
No, sir. Do you want
us to keep count?
No, I want you to
tell me where he is.
Sorry, sir. He went home early.
Why?
~ Didn't say.
~ Didn't say. Yeah, all right.
What we going to do, Gem?
We're going to be practical... John.
The kids need a mam and a dad.
And he loves them.
He loves me, in his way.
You don't love him, though, do you?
He's an arse, Gemma.
Well, he wouldn't be callous enough
to do what I'm doing, I know that.
You sure about that?
Positive.
Can we not talk about my
husband, John, please?
SHE CLEARS HER THROAT
What are you doing here?
Somebody threw a sickie, so...
I've got the next two days off, so...
I don't mind doing a night.
Nobody waiting at home?
You do a lot of things right, Rachel.
Thank you, Mr Gently.
What are you doing here
this time of night?
Couldn't sleep.
There's something you can help
me with, as a matter of fact.
~ Er, put that down.
~ Right.
Sit down.
~ Erm...
~ Oh. SHE LAUGHS
I'd finish it off myself,
but... I'm not a hundred
at the moment, so, er...
~ What's the matter with you?
~ No, it's just a bug.
I've been looking at the way
this force investigates
rape complaints.
Sir, this force doesn't
investigate rape complaints,
it just doesn't.
I don't want your opinion.
I want you to go through
these files systematically
and bring me facts.
This many complaints,
that many prosecutions.
~ How many were withdrawn, and why.
~ Sir...
And bring me the names of
the investigating officers.
The name Walter Nunn has cropped
up half a dozen times already.
And you bring these
facts to me, right?
Nobody else, just me.
Yes, sir.
Right.
~ Now I am going home.
~ SHE LAUGHS
See you Monday.
Goodnight.
TELEPHONE RINGS
~ Or maybe I'm not going home...
~ SHE LAUGHS
Gently.
Yeah...
~ Morning, guv.
~ Morning.
That way.
Have you had a look?
Aye, a quick one.
She's young.
She's been there a while.
She's lying face down, she's
been covered with leaves.
She's got nothing on
her to identify her.
Who found her?
Mrs Relph.
What was she doing here?
Walking the dog.
Where is it?
Ran away.
Right...
Look at this.
You see that?
Yeah.
Oh, yeah. Blood vessels
in her eyes have burst.
She's been strangled.
~ Yeah.
~ GEORGE SIGHS
What's your name?
WPC Turner, sir.
~ First name?
~ Constance.
Ever seen a murder victim before?
Never seen a dead body, sir.
You're doing extremely
well, Constance.
There's a road that runs
down to the river, right?
Now... the weather was dry,
so there's no tyre marks anywhere.
So I want ten doing
fingertip searches,
looking for clothing, jewellery,
that kind of thing.
Residential streets
here, here and here.
Three teams of three,
on the knockers, please.
Rigour mortis has been and gone,
so we're probably looking to ask
for... the night before last.
All right?
Now, we currently have no missing
persons that remotely fit the bill.
We have no idea who
this young woman is
and we won't know how she met her end
till they finish with her downstairs.
Assume nothing.
Right, on you go.
Why's she working in here?
She's working for me.
Working what?
Who's Walter Nunn?
He's an Inspector at Tynemouth nick.
With a free pass to visit brothels?
Well, you don't need a pass,
do you, guv? It's not illegal.
Oh, really(!)
So why are we bearing down so
hard on the customers, then?
Unless, of course, you've got
a warrant card in your pocket.
~ Maybe he was on official business, sir.
~ Well, was he or wasn't he?
I didn't ask.
They're ready for you, sir.
Thank you.
Thanks, Rachel.
~ What is this work he's getting you to do?
~ I haven't got all day, John.
You were right, strangulation.
Sometime late, the night before last,
I'd say between 10pm and 2am.
I'm pretty sure she was
strangled from behind,
from the marks on her throat,
and that fits with
the sexual activity.
You're calling it "sexual
activity" and not rape?
All depends on the
level of force used
and I haven't had time
to assess that yet.
Sometimes there's no real sign of it.
I mean, if I were being raped,
personally, I'd let
him get on with it
rather than fight back
and risk being hurt badly.
That... wouldn't be
rape then, would it?
Legally?
What?
No, I'm just...
I'm saying... What's the definition?
When a woman says no,
but it happens anyway.
Well, yeah, sometimes they change
their minds though, don't they?
Then they're not saying no, are they?
How old is she?
I know she looks young,
but I'd put her mid-20s.
Any distinguishing marks,
anything anywhere?
Oh, she had her appendix
out about ten years ago.
Ah right. Well that narrows it
down to about five million...
How long are dental records
taking these days?
Oh, needle in a haystack.
Weeks, months.
Thank you.
'I've gone back nearly five
years, looking right across'
the Constabulary. It's patchy
from division to division,
but the overall figures are...
102 complaints of rape, resulting
in 27 charges being made.
17 of those were dropped before
they even got to court,
usually cos the victim decided not
to go through with giving evidence.
So ten went to court, resulting
in eight convictions.
And two of those convictions ended
in non-custodial sentences.
Are you telling me
that in five years,
~ only six men went to prison for rape?
~ Mm-hm.
They got between nine
months and 14 years.
Out of 102 complaints?
How did I not know about this?
Do you want me to answer that, sir?
Because you never asked.
And Walter Nunn?
Erm... 21 investigations made...
.. no charge brought... ever.
Every woman that ever
talks to Walter Nunn
eventually signs a statement
withdrawing her allegation.
Do you think Tina Hall was
telling the truth, Rachel?
I do... now, yeah.
I think a lot of these women were
telling the truth, actually.
I mean, why would you bother?
It's a pretty horrible thing
to come and talk about.
What do we know about Walter Nunn?
Is he married? Is he a single man?
~ I can find out for you, sir.
~ All right.
Don't ask questions in this building
or in any other nick,
for that matter.
He'll be onto us in ten minutes.
Yes, sir.
I think my guvnor's
onto us, you know.
Not us...
me.
He doesn't know who it is,
but he knows it's someone.
He's your boss, not your dad, John.
Hey, you'd never tell him, would you?
I don't want anybody knowing.
No, of course I wouldn't.
God, I'll have to buy some
mints on the way home.
Walter'll kill me if he finds
out I started smoking again.
What would he do if he
found out about this?
Kill us both, probably.
Why do you say that?
Cos he's said so many's a time.
Me and the man first.
Then the kids, then himself.
Why did you marry this bloke?
Cos he made us laugh.
THEY LAUGH
(Do you still have sex with him?)
(Yes.)
Just not very often.
When we do, I close my
eyes and pretend it's you.
I love you, Gemma.
It's never happened to me before.
Was there a particular reason
you've invited me here, John?
Young girl, mid-twenties goes
missing, about a week ago.
Nobody reports it. What
does that tell you?
~ What's that tell me?
~ What does that tell you?
No friends, no family.
Possibly.
No job, possibly. Or...?
~ Or the dead girl wasn't from round here.
~ Right.
Is that it?
Well, if she wasn't
from round here, guv,
~ therefore, she must be...?
~ Visiting.
~ Visiting.
But nobody's reported
her not arriving either.
Passing through then?
Right, the train station is
three miles that way, right?
The coach station, on the other
hand, is just over there,
t'other side of this bridge.
~ So?
~ So why does she get off the coach?
Well, why are you assuming
coach instead of train,
just because it's closer?
Right, why did she get off either?
I don't know, John. This
is your theory, not mine.
What do trains have
that coaches don't?
This better be good.
~ Netties, guv.
~ What?
Netties, the toilets.
If you're passing through on a train,
you don't need to get
off for a wee, do you?
If you're passing through on
a coach, you've got no choice.
You have to get off in the clothes
that you're standing up in.
Right?
And if you don't make it
back for whatever reason...
then it leaves without you,
taking all of your
belongings with it.
Yeah, well...
It's worth asking a
question, isn't it?
~ Yeah.
~ Yeah.
Well done, John.
Thanks.
Are you going to tell me or not?
What?
Why you leave work early.
Or why you're so shifty.
Why you're yawning halfway
through the morning.
Why am I yawning? Why
are you always yawning?
Like a bloody zombie half the time.
Tell me you're in love, John.
Go on, tell me you're in love.
I'll be happy for you.
Tell me she's tiring you out
and that's why you're yawning.
I'll believe that.
Tell me she can only meet
you in the afternoons
and that's why you're never at work.
But please, please don't tell me
that you can only meet
her in the afternoons
because she's a married woman!
~ I knew it.
~ Guv, where is all this rubbish coming from?
How many times do you think
I've watched this happen?
Eh?
In 30 years in the force,
how many young men do you think
I've watched having affairs?
Eh? Go on, have a guess!
~ 148.
~ Scores of them, John.
Detectives, couldn't
keep their zips up.
You're completely wrong
about this, guv.
Yeah? Oh, well... that's fine then(!)
Right, Rachel, got a
nice little job for you.
~ I want you to go to the coach...
~ Rachel's working for me, John.
Taylor, I need the number for
the coach station, please.
Did you find out anything?
No, I'm not going on
me sodding holidays.
Just get me the number, will you?
Er, Walter Nunn, married,
wife's name's Gemma...
two kids.
Why are we still talking about him?
Instead of phoning the coach station,
why don't you go down there
and ask if a young girl got off
the bus last Thursday night
and didn't get back on it again?
All right.
I'll go and ask.
John and Walter Nunn...
Could they be mates?
Definitely not. He didn't
know him from Adam.
It was only when he
saw his warrant card
that his attitude to him changed.
When he saw his warrant
card or the name on it.
Sir?
HE GROANS
Married with two kids, you said?
Yeah... four and three.
Do you want us to find out
more about Walter Nunn, like,
~ who his friends are or...?
~ No, no, find Tina Hall for me.
Ask her if she'd very kindly
come back and talk to me again.
And in case she's worried, tell
her she's not in any trouble
and nobody will be
laughing this time.
Leave Walter Nunn to me.
Write down his home
address, will you?
HE SIGHS
BUS DRIVER: Durham is leaving.
Ladies and gents, it's leaving now.
Hurry along there.
Oi. Other side, please.
Sorry, I just need to have a quick...
This is my side, that's your side.
Yes, I just want to check the
timetable, pal. All right?
Use the one in the waiting
room. This one's mine.
Ah, ah, no, you don't touch.
This one's mine.
All right? Good.
Is this office manned at night?
Till 11 o'clock.
By who?
Me, usually.
~ Thursday nights?
~ Every night... except Sundays.
Why not Sundays?
~ Cos there's...
~ .. no buses on Sunday. Right, yes.
Last Thursday night, were you here?
I just told you.
Right, so there's three busses
that get in between ten
and half past two, right?
The Edinburgh-London,
the London-Edinburgh,
Edinburgh-Manchester.
Ey, good reader(!)
Is this appropriate,
this, here? Is it? Hm?
If you like pictures of nude women.
Ah, but the public, though,
coming in here, seeing them.
Hm? A young lass, maybe?
Why would she come in here
when there's a waiting room?
Who?
This "young lass".
Well, to use your toilet, maybes?
There's one out there.
Out of order.
So will your face be in
a minute, pal, so help me.
So did you see a young
lass last Thursday night
get off one of your late buses?
Curly, mousey hair?
Knocked on your door, perhaps?
Asked to use the toilet?
SEAGULLS CALL
HEARTBEAT PUMPS
I'm DCI Gently.
Does he know you're here?
No, and there's no reason
why he ever should.
Are we talking about your husband
or your boyfriend, Mrs Nunn?
There's no need to make
me feel guilty, Mr Gently.
I manage that myself.
They ever met?
John said their paths crossed
about a week ago.
Did he say how?
Hardly matters, does it?
No.
What does matter to me, at least,
Mrs Nunn, is my sergeant's career.
Now, John could go a long
way in the police service,
but every now and again,
he makes a serious error of judgment.
And you are the latest.
Look.
Officer gets caught with his
trousers down, that happens.
He can get away with that.
An officer gets caught
with his trousers down
with another officer's wife,
maybe break up a family...
Is your marriage so unhappy?
I don't think that's your business.
I wasn't looking for this.
I've never done it before.
I'll certainly never do it again.
Love is where it falls, Mr Gently.
Yeah, you can stand
there and disapprove,
but what am I supposed to do?
What on earth do I do with
this riot in my heart?
You silence it, Gem.
That's what you do.
And if you don't put
a stop to this, I will.
Understood?
Ah...
Where have you been?
Who's he?
Name is Stuart MacMillan.
He's a boring little fart.
A look-at-my-uniform
jobsworth, nobody tosspot
from the bus station.
Friend of yours, is he?
He saw her get off the bus, guv.
The Edinburgh-Manchester
at ten o'clock.
Now, she can only have got
on at Berwick or Edinburgh,
so we're checking with the local
nicks now for missing persons.
He says that he saw
her get off the bus,
he let her use the toilet
and then he never saw her again.
He's a pervert.
You can smell it on him.
What is he doing?
I don't know.
He ordered the fruit for some
rare glucose deficiency thing,
I don't know.
He looks like a clown to me.
Has he confessed?
No, not yet.
Hey.
Was I right or was I right?
Sarge.
~ Edinburgh has a Janice Ballard, aged 30.
~ Oh?
She left home to go back
to work in Manchester.
She usually gets the coach.
They're going to stick
a photo in the post.
~ We should get it tomorrow.
~ Right.
Here's your clerk, sir.
It's his first day.
Behave yourself.
Sorry, sir.
Did you see that?
No, sir.
Good lad.
Well...
she seemed like a nice lass at first.
Just comes in... you know...
and asked us if she
can use the toilet,
cos the one next the waiting
room's out of order.
Then she says, "Can
I have a cup of tea?"
So I says, "Yeah. I'll
make you a cup of tea".
So we have a cup of tea.
Then she starts.
Starts what?
Batting her eyelids at
us and making suggestions.
She was asking for it.
Where are you at this point?
I'm still in the office.
I've locked the door, like.
Coach has already left, has it?
Nah, it stops for half an hour so's
the driver can get his dinner.
Where does that happen?
He sits on the bus.
Er, he's got a flask and some
cheese and pickle sandwiches.
~ No, it's ham and cheese and pickle...
~ Right.
~ .. sandwiches.
What happened next?
She comes over and... sits on me lap
and... starts, sort of...
squirming, you know,
like a... stripper.
Yeah, like a dirty bloody stripper.
Gyrating in me face.
Nearly lose control?
HE SOBS I lost control.
~ And then did you find...?
~ Tell us in your own words, Stuart.
What happened next exactly?
I cannot exactly remember.
I pushed her on the floor and
then I had me way with her!
And then I killed her! I killed her!
How?
How did you kill her, Stuart?
With me bare hands.
What did you do with the body?
I cannot remember.
Where did you put her, Stuart?
I put her in the river!
In the river?
No, er... beside it.
What did you do with the clothes?
HE SOBS
I set fire to them.
God forgive us!
God forgive us what I've done!
Me picture will be in the paper
and me mam'll be ashamed of us!
I don't think he's the
full shilling, John.
We'd better get him fitted
by the police surgeon.
~ Aw...
~ Yeah, to be safe.
Ah, no, no, we're going to
be here till Christmas, man.
Right, yes, he's a clown,
but he's not crackers.
~ You led him too much. ~ What?
~ Yes. ~ Me?
~ Yes.
No, no, no, no. I never
mentioned rape,
I never mentioned the river...
But you asked him what he'd
done with her clothes,
which meant she was naked...
After he said that he'd raped her.
Look, right,
if we give him to the surgeon
and he says that he's mental...
Yeah, OK.
Well, let's wait for the photo
till you charge him, all right?
~ Fine.
~ OK.
Has anybody warned you
about this, Mr Gently?
A lumbar puncture is a
very painful procedure.
So I understand.
Look, I wouldn't subject you to it
if there were any other
way to test my diagnosis.
Have you had any more loss of vision?
No.
Any clumsiness, dropping cutlery?
No.
You'll need tomorrow off work.
Nasty weather, isn't it?
TELEPHONE RINGS
Hello?
~ HE INSERTS COIN
~ Gemma, it's me. What's going on?
I can't see you any more, John.
'Don't call me again. I'm sorry.'
I'll write you.
I'm sorry.
BABY CRIES
You been messing around
with me life, Bacchus?
~ With your wife?
~ Life!
Me life.
What do you mean?
Why have you got that bint
constable sniffing round?
"Who am I married to?"
~ "How many kids have I got?"
~ I didn't, I promise.
~ I'm warning you, Bacchus.
~ Argh.
One word gets out to anybody
about where I was that night
and I'll rip your ugly head
off and shove it up your arse!
~ All right, all right.
~ Clear?
~ Yeah, clear.
You'll want to get a dead
lock put on this door.
The needle leaves a small
hole in the spine.
Until that heals, fluid
will leak internally.
This can take a week.
You'll get severe headaches.
That's normal.
The results should
be back quite quickly.
Perhaps they'll prove
me wrong. HE LAUGHS
Thank you. Good night.
Morning, John.
Not for me, it's not.
Walter Nunn paid me
a visit last night.
Oh, did he?
Why was that, you think?
I think you know why.
Do I?
He thinks it's me that's been
doing background checks on him.
Thanks.
He threatened to rip me head off.
Background checks, eh?
~ Photo from Edinburgh came.
~ Ah.
Janice Ballard.
You convinced now?
What more do you want, guv?
We don't throw murder charges
around like confetti,
not as long as I'm in charge.
I want to talk to him again.
Yeah, well, you're in charge.
Question, why are you and Rachel
investigating Walter Nunn?
And why was I kept out of it?
Because I thought you
might be compromised.
~ How?
~ You can't think of any reason?
Like what?
Well, I thought you might have let
him off the hook the other night
because you were mates,
but, ha, obviously you're
not mates, are you?
No, we're not mates.
Well, you still haven't
said why you're after him.
He was the investigating officer
in 21 complaints of rape
in the last five years
and he never brought
one charge to court.
~ Not one.
~ That bothers you, does it?
Doesn't it bother you, John?
Yeah.
I want to have a look at the way
we investigate rape
complaints in this force,
and I'll be asking permission
to question Walter Nunn,
just so you know.
I'll bring MacMillan up.
Good morning, Stuart.
I'm going to ask you
a simple question
and if you mess me about
in the slightest way,
I'm going to knock your block off.
Do you understand?
Good.
Now, we are investigating...
a second murder.
Another young woman.
No, no, no...
I know you people and your tricks.
Yous got somebody for one thing
and then yous put the blame
on them for other things.
It makes yous look good.
What...? What, you think... you
think police tell lies, Stuart?
I know yous do, but I'm
not falling for it.
And I'm going to tell the judge
about your police brutality.
Well, I can see I've met
my match in you, Stuart.
So no more funny business, I promise.
If you wouldn't mind just taking
a look at this photograph...
.. and tell me if you've
ever seen her before.
And if the answers no...
~ HE WHISTLES
~ that's the end of it.
Never seen her before in me life.
Never?
Never.
This is the young woman
that you told us yesterday
that you'd raped and murdered.
You made that up, didn't you?
Tidy this mess up, will you?
Sergeant?
You made me look like a
right monkey back there.
You make yourself look
like a right monkey.
You've compromised...
Stay out of here!
You've compromised yourself
with this woman
and you're not thinking straight!
What are you talking
about? What woman?
Oh, for God's sake, John, really...
You know?
~ Well, yes. Of course I know.
~ Of course you know.
~ How do you know?!
~ Because I make it my business to know.
You've been to see her, haven't you?
Haven't you?! You've been to see her.
Stay away from her, John.
Whichever way you look
at this, she's poison.
And you try and see her again,
I'll have you suspended.
Don't you dare! Don't you dare, sir!
Don't! Don't you dare
ruin this for me!
Guv, please.
This is my one chance of being happy.
I'm asking you as a friend, don't.
You know, I wanted
to be a policewoman
when I was a little lass.
Anything in uniform, actually.
It's bloody ironic
considering how many times
I've been asked to
dress up as a nurse.
Men. They're really weird, you know?
They're like... bairns that grow
older but they never grow up.
How often are they violent?
Not that often.
Just, you know, sometimes you've
got to let them do a bit.
You know, hold your throat,
pull your hair,
slap you a bit, call you names.
Seems to keep most
of them happy enough.
Some of them don't want
anything, you know?
They don't even want sex.
They just want to talk.
You know, be near a woman.
Like, the loneliness of men...
.. they reek of it.
Ah!
You got your killer, I hear.
Nope. Wrong man.
Not right in the head.
Apparently, he's confessed to murder
before. Four times, in fact.
Well, you asked me to be
definitive. I now can be.
It was rape, all right.
Whoever did this used a lot of force.
She's quite badly hurt inside.
I think we can assume she said no.
Right. Thank you, Mrs Dixon.
~ Ms.
~ Sorry?
Ms. M-S.
A lot of people prefer
it to Miss or Mrs now.
What people?
People like me, Sergeant.
Right.
Thank you Mizz Dixon.
Um, sorry... before we start.
I was out of order last time
and I would like to apologise.
What do yous want, anyway?
We'd like to take a further
statement from you
concerning what those three men did.
Erm, Rachel will take the statement.
No male officers will be present.
But... before that, I'd like to
ask you about the previous time
when you made a similar allegation...
but you withdrew it.
Now, why was that?
Did you feel under pressure
to drop charges?
Well, yeah, you know,
when you come in to complain
about getting raped by a client
and you find yourself... talking
to one of your regulars.
Are we talking about
Inspector Nunn, Tina?
Ah... that's a serious
allegation, that.
Huh? You said I wasn't in trouble.
~ No.
~ No, no.
No, no. I'm guaranteeing that.
So, was Inspector Nunn one
of your regular clients?
Mm-hm, still is.
What was his attitude
to your complaint?
"You were asking for it."
Because of... what
you do for a living?
No... cos I'm a woman.
This client who raped you.
Could he have been
known to Walter Nunn?
Didn't talk as if he knew him.
Didn't seem that interested
in him, actually.
Well...
As I recall from your statement,
that rape was pretty violent.
And even that didn't make Walter
Nunn take you seriously?
Well, neither did he the second time.
Nah, I didn't believe you.
I should've. I'm sorry.
And it was the same with
Walter Nunn, was it?
He just didn't believe
you about the violence?
Was Walter Nunn himself
violent, Tina?
Yeah.
Tina, did Walter Nunn ever put
his hands round your throat?
Always.
How'd you like that to
be part of your job?
Can I just ask?
Tina... when he was doing this,
putting his hands around your throat,
were you face up or face down?
Face down.
Well, look at the facts...
We saw Nunn here around the same
time as Janice Ballard was murdered.
I mean, it's no distance.
And apparently, he likes
to choke women from behind.
Rachel, do you hear
what you're saying?
We've a serving police officer
who's a rapist and a murderer?!
I'm not saying anything, actually.
I'm just following the evidence,
like we're supposed to do.
~ He did come into your home
and threaten you, John.
~ He did what?
He didn't want his name
dragged through the mud
for visiting a brothel.
Did he not know you were
trying to protect him?
~ Rachel, enough, will you?!
~ Why?!
What is the big deal
about this bloke?
Enough, both of you.
Now, I'm going to request permission
to question Walter
Nunn under caution.
And the first thing he's
going to want to ask is...
did we question everybody that
you spoke to on that night
or are we victimising him?
Now, Rachel, you've got all
the names and addresses.
Off you go.
Ask them all for alibis.
Let's go and get some fresh air.
When I ask Walter Nunn,
"Do you have an alibi for
that Thursday night?"...
.. is he going to say "Ask
my wife, cos I was with her"?
Cos if he does, John...
I'm going to have to question her,
and she's going to have to know why.
Well, if he does, guv, he's lying.
And how do you know that?
Because she was with you.
Where exactly?
Her place.
In his bed?
And where did she think he was?
~ Working.
~ Ah, she trusts him.
~ Mm-hm.
~ And he trusts her, presumably.
~ Yep.
I thought you were better
than this, John.
Well, I'm not.
So what do you want me
to do now then, guv?
Go and help Rachel.
Right.
Are you going to tell me
what's wrong with you, guv?
I'm going home. I'll
see you tomorrow.
Checked this one's alibi.
It sounds pretty solid.
All right. Well, that's all
of them. All pretty credible.
Good. I'm off.
~ Well, there is this bloke...
~ Huh?
Shall we check him out?
We know where he lives.
The secret smoker bloke,
white Ford Zephyr.
Oh, the one that nearly
cost you ten bob.
Well, we saw him go into
his house, didn't we?
Huh? So he's not a punter.
We're doing punters,
Rachel, just punters.
Or are you saying that all
men are rapists as well?
As well as who?
Do you mind if I don't waste any
more of my time today, please?
~ I don't mind what you do, Sergeant.
~ Good.
But I think I'll just stay here
and find out this bloke's name
and check his alibi, like
Mr Gently asked what to do.
Really don't have a home
to go to, do you, Rachel?
Actually, I do,
and I'm going to go there just
as soon as I've finished me work.
Very good. I'm going to mine.
Right, fine. Na-night.
Sir.
~ WOMAN ON PHONE: Hello?
~ Hello.
Oh, thank God you're a woman,
pet! INDISTINGUISABLE REPLY
Oh, don't get us started.
~ Can you just check a vehicle for us, please?
~ Certainly.
~ Yeah, just the owner's name.
~ Right.
White Ford Zephyr, Bravo
222 Hotel Uniform Alpha.
INDISTINGUISABLE REPLY
Yeah, can you give us
the address as well?
I know the street, I just don't
know what number it is.
Right...
Can you give us that again?
~ Oh, hello, there.
~ Oh, lovely...
Now the street will think
I'm running a knocking shop.
No, I'll be quick.
Do you have a Mr Alan Salt
living here or staying here?
He owns a white Ford Zephyr?
Try next door, love.
Place is full of men,
and whores and all.
Not one pair of knickers
between them.
His car's actually
registered in Leeds,
~ but I saw it pulling up here...
~ This isn't Leeds, though, is it?
If you could just bear with us,
cos this is quite important.
~ Not to me, pet.
~ Excuse me!
Do you mind answering my question,
or do you want us to take you in?
What was the question?
I'm trying to find a Mr Alan Salt
who I saw walking down this
path two Thursday nights ago.
I live alone with my invalid mother
who I've left in the bath.
There's no man called Salt or
anything else in this house.
Maybe somebody's leading you
up the garden path, dear.
KNOCK AT DOOR
~ Who is it?
~ GEMMA: It's me, let me in.
Are you all right?
Walter's says he's going to
be questioned about a murder.
~ He says it's trumped up against him.
~ Er...
Why, John?
Gem...
~ I...
~ What? I dump you so you frame Walter?
No. No, no, no. No.
I thought you were better than that.
Hey, listen, it wasn't
me, Gem. It wasn't.
Oh, God, will you stop
hiding behind your boss?!
You're just a snivelling
little coward!
~ You're not half the man Walter is!
~ Gemma, please.
Never come anywhere
near me ever again...
~ Gem, please. No, no, no...
~ .. in your pathetic little life!
CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS
HE PUTS DOWN CUTLERY
So this bloke you think
is called Alan Salt
saw you, you think...
Stopped walking towards the
brothel, smoked a cigarette,
and then pretended
to walk into the house
next to the knocking shop...
You think?
How come he saw you?
Well, that was my fault, sir.
I made a... sudden movement.
What sort of sudden movement?
Well, I...
I punched Sergeant Bacchus.
Playfully.
Brilliant work there, Rachel.
So you haven't tracked down a bloke
who didn't visit a brothel.
CID could use men like you.
I have an Alan Salt already on file.
Six years ago, we did him
for assaulting a policeman.
He lived in Gateshead in those days.
So you're saying that there's
two blokes called...?
Will you listen to us?
The policeman had stopped him
to ask about a serious
assault on a prostitute
that night in Durham.
Ah!
Right. Time to pay a visit
to the ladies of the night.
~ Well done again, Rachel.
~ Thank you.
So what are you going to do
after you've nicked me
job then, Rachel, hm?
Are you going to surgically
remove me balls, are you?
Er, no, you can keep those
for decorative purposes.
You might run out of fluffy
dice for your car window.
Well, I don't have
any fluffy dice, so...
And you don't have any balls either.
Am I doing this on my own?
No, sir.
No, no. Not you, love.
You've got Tina Hall
coming in, remember?
And don't let her
go till I come back.
Never mind.
Perhaps you can get together
and talk about men, eh?
"Oh, bloody men!"
Ah, cuppa tea, get your
knitting patterns out...
~ Oh, men...!
~ John!
Behave yourself with these women.
Oh, I will, I will.
No, I feel quite sorry
for them, actually.
I mean, they don't do it
cos they want to, do they?
Sad cases, really.
HE RINGS DOORBELL
Alan Salt?
We know him as Mr Smith.
Comes here every other Thursday.
Travels up from Yorkshire to visit
his mother in an old people's home.
Usually rings ahead and
books. Not always, mind.
Always asks for the same
companion, Monica.
Is Monica here now?
She's not in any trouble.
I just want to talk
to her about this man.
Is this something to do with
the girl that was found?
Because your officers have
already knocked on my door.
Well, they knocked
on every door, Susan.
Well, Mr Smith's not your man.
~ Why not?
~ Because he's a sweetheart.
He loves his mam!
So did Hitler.
Oi.
Do all your customers wear
johnnies, by the way?
Yes. Of course they do.
Why do you ask?
Just wondering...
So... can we assume that Mr
Smith is booked here tonight?
Erm...
Not with me.
But he sometimes makes the
arrangement, you know...
direct with Monica.
~ Where can we find Monica?
~ She'll still be at work.
Doing what?
She's a primary school teacher.
~ You what?
~ So best visit her at home, then?
No.
No. Her... husband's always
there, he's unemployed,
so... best he never knows.
Is that why she has to do it?
"Gets her out the house."
That's what Monica says.
Right.
What kind of sex does Monica
offer a man like Mr Smith?
Kinky.
~ Violent?
~ More... playful, I would say.
Ah, you've got a dungeon here?
In the basement.
Would you like to inspect
it, Inspector?
I'd be more than happy
to show YOU the ropes.
~ Not today, thanks.
~ JOHN LAUGHS
Thank you.
Yeah, well, do come again, Sergeant.
Next time you're off duty.
Needn't cost you a penny.
No, thanks. I don't pay for sex.
Well, you wouldn't be,
that's what I'm saying.
Well, that's certainly... a very
kind offer, but no, thank you.
Oh, Susan. Does Walter
use your dungeon?
~ Walter...?
~ Walter Nunn.
I don't get to meet many
Nunns in my line, Inspector.
GEORGE LAUGHS
I'll get somebody on
the street tonight, guv.
If Mr Smith turns up, we'll grab him.
~ She knew we were coming,
you know that, don't you?
~ Oh, yeah.
Walter Nunn warned her.
Told her to deny any knowledge
that he's a customer.
~ You do know that, don't you?
~ OK, go on.
Well, to hide the filthy sex
that he's been having in there.
Well, unless there's more
to it and he's our murderer.
~ Guv...
~ Yes, I know.
You don't want to believe
that the woman you love
could've married a rapist murderer.
Well, Susan's going to be on
the phone to him right now.
And we've given him a perfect cover
story for visiting a brothel.
I visited the brothel as
part of my enquiries...
into a man called Alan Salt.
~ GEORGE LAUGHS
~ Well, snap. Great minds...
What's your interest in this man?
What's yours, sir?
He's a name... in the investigation
of the rape and murder
of a young woman called
Janice Ballard.
But that murder wasn't known about
when you went at the brothel.
So?
Fact is there have
been slipshod errors
in the investigation
of rapes in this force.
Right?
I blame meself... in part.
So I decided to do
something about it.
I trawled through the files,
threw up Alan Salt...
a man regularly visiting the area,
known to frequent prostitutes.
A man with cautions for kerb crawling
and a conviction for assault.
Now, that's a pack
of lies, Inspector.
Your investigation wasn't slipshod.
You've turned a blind eye
to 21 potential rape cases,
because, deep down, you think all
women are asking for it, don't you?
And I'm going to bring
forward evidence of that
and have you charged.
Ah... good luck, sir.
Can I go now?
No.
Janice Ballard's murder took place
less than a mile from the
brothel where you were.
So... how long did your...
.. enquiries at the brothel
take, Inspector?
Half an hour?
Yeah, I left at about 11.30.
To go...?
Home.
And before you visited the
brothel, where were you then?
Putting the kids to bed.
~ Was your wife there?
~ Yes. Of course.
Before and after.
And she will corroborate this?
Yes.
You know...
I don't think I'd believe her.
Are you saying me wife
would tell lies?
You don't know me wife, Inspector.
Bring her in, would you?
What?
Now, before she comes in,
why don't we just clear this up...
and you admit that, for years,
you've used prostitutes
to satisfy your violent sexual needs
and that that is where you were
between the hours of 10pm and 2am
on the night that
Janice was murdered?
Gently, Gently...
Why are you doing this?
That's me career... Me marriage...
If you don't provide me
with a convincing alibi
for those hours,
I will arrest you on suspicion
of the murder of Janice Ballard.
Me wife is my alibi. Bring
her in. She'll tell you.
I was with Gemma all night.
You seem very confident of her.
We love one another...
and neither of us tells lies.
Tina.
Did Inspector Nunn persuade
you to drop a rape complaint
that you made two years ago?
Aye, he didn't give us much choice.
Rubbish. There was no evidence
against the man.
But...
.. this wasn't the first time that
you've met Inspector Nunn, is it?
Lies...
No. He was a regular
customer of mine.
In fact, he had been since
he was a single man.
Thank you, Tina.
You going to take the
word of a poxy tart?
Guv, guv! Hey, hey, hey, hey!
Stop it, guv.
~ Stop it.
~ WALTER STRUGGLES TO BREATHE
Did you see that, Constable?
No, sir.
Well, am I going to bring
your wife in or what?
I spent all night at the brothel.
Any witnesses?
Three of them.
Busy boy.
Names?
~ They're made up.
~ Well, what did you call them?
I called one Iris...
.. one Colleen...
And there's one...
.. she calls herself Monica.
Go home, Inspector.
You will be hearing from me again.
So... wasn't him that's done
in that little Scots lass, then?
He's a toerag, but
he's not a murderer.
I just needed to be sure of that
before I do what I do next.
Sit down.
Tina...
When you were raped two years ago...
it was a Thursday night, wasn't it?
(Aye.)
Was this the man who
raped you that night?
"Call me Mr Smith," he said.
Yeah.
We've let you down. I'm sorry.
And a few other women
too, I'm afraid.
I have reason to believe that he
raped and murdered a young woman
two weeks ago.
And on top of that...
I believe that he's going
back again tonight.
Now, I know that you have absolutely
no reason to help the police...
.. but we really need
to catch this man.
You OK, Tina?
Normal night for me,
except for yous lot
scaring off the trade.
Thank you.
Always happy to help a policeman.
Right... back to work, Tina.
JOHN SIGHS Eerie.
Deja vu.
What's the French for "a complete
waste of bloody time"?
He's not going to do
the same again, is he?
No.
If Tina's right, he's already
done the same again.
Nah, the bloke's not the killer.
She'd be dead, wouldn't she?
Loads of blokes call
themselves Mr Smith.
TENSE MUSIC PLAYS
POLICEMAN URINATES
Where's Tina?
This is Gently. We've lost Tina.
Look out for a white Zephyr.
'We'll do that, sir.'
Oh, God, what have I done?
You know, there was no
need to hit us, man.
I was only making
conversation with you.
You were wasting my time.
Think I'm interested in what
comes out of your mouth?
~ Where we going?
~ Somewhere quiet.
Have I had you before?
No.
What, what's your name?
You can call me Mr Smith.
Rachel Coles, go ahead.
~ 'Suspect seen...'
~ Roger that.
Wasn't your fault, guv.
He's been seen heading
towards the riverside.
Right, Rachel, you go with him.
TENSE MUSIC PLAYS
All units hold back.
Sir?
We've found the car. It's empty.
TINA SCREAMS
Police!
Put the knife down, Alan.
Alan, put the knife down!
Tina. Tina, you stay still.
Alan... listen to me.
You, put the knife down.
That's it... just give me the knife.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
JOHN GROANS
Tina, are you all right?
Just don't leave us here in the dark.
No, I won't. I won't. It's all right.
SHE SCREAMS
Oi.
'Sir, are you there? I've got Tina.
'Sir, are you there?'
Yes, John. I can hear you.
We've got him.
How's Tina?
'Hello, Mr Gently. I'm fine.
'Er, I'll live. How about you?'
It's good to hear your voice, Tina.
Yeah, I'll live.
HE GROANS
SHE CRIES
SHE RATTLES LOCKED DOOR
Whoa.
Hey, man, he had his hands up!
All reet, George?
Can you hear us, George?
Call an ambulance.
MAN BREATHES DEEPLY
SHE SCREAMS
Hello, hello, hello...
HUA 222B.
I bet he doesn't.
Bet he does.
Look at him, man, he looks shifty.
I've taking his number down.
White Ford Zephyr.
Tasty.
"Tasty."
Since when did you become
an expert in taste?
Look at your hair.
Ey, where'd you get that done?
~ Shields Fish Market?
~ Shut up, man.
~ Ow...
~ Shh, shh, shh.
~ So sorry. Sorry. I think he's heard.
Nah, look at him, man,
he's just having a tab, isn't
he, before he goes home?
He's not a punter, he's
just a secret smoker.
Ten bob.
Aye, all right...
There you are.
He's just going home to
the wife. Lives next door.
~ SHE SIGHS
~ Ah, no. No, no, no, no.
You do know what ten bob means, don't
you, in Cockney rhyming slang?
Yes, and the women charge
ten bob for one.
Right.
Well, a bet's a bet, Rachel.
HE LAUGHS
Have you ever used a brothel?
Have I ever paid for sex?
~ You're joking? No, I haven't.
~ No?
~ No.
Hm, just cos, I don't know,
I read in Women's Own,
"One in three men has bought sex."
Right, well I'm one of the other two.
".. and one in four women
has done it for money."
Well, all married women do it for
money sooner or later, don't they?
CAR ENGINE RUMBLES
Here we go.
Right, come on then.
Excuse me!
Can I just have a quick
word there, please, sir.
Police.
There you are. Rachel.
Are you aware you're about
to enter a brothel there, sir?
Is that illegal in Durham?
No, it's not illegal,
no, but running one is,
and we're doing our
best to discourage it.
Aye, prosecuting the
girls doesn't work,
so we've decided to publish
the name of the customers.
Very commendable.
In the paper.
Name and address, please, sir.
Back off... Sergeant.
Now.
Right, come on.
Rachel.
SHE LAUGHS IN SHOCK
Oi! Where's he from?
CID, across the river. Get in.
Well, what's his name?
Doesn't matter.
Right, shall we go?
Sorry, so, what, one rule for policemen
and one for everyone else?
No, no. It's just, he wasn't
breaking the law, Rachel.
He should still go in the paper.
~ He's a serving police officer.
~ Rachel, Rachel...
~ He shouldn't be using prostitutes.
~ Will you shut your face, please?!
I'll make my own way home.
♪ I've got signs and signifiers
♪ The gossipers and liars
♪ Twist me every way they wanna go
♪ What looks like a raging fire
♪ Are your dreams and desires
♪ Endin' up like ashes on the ground
♪ If you'll consider me a chance
♪ To falter through our dance
♪ Then the other ones
May just leave us alone
♪ Ooo-oo
♪ Ooo-oo... ♪
~ John.... don't take risks, please.
~ All right, all right.
Always ring first, even
if I'm expecting you.
All right, I promise.
The kids are at me mam's.
We don't have to be quiet.
And we've got all night.
~ Gemma...
~ Mm...
Shh, let's not waste time talking.
Gemma, listen...
I just met your husband.
How?
It was just a freak thing, you know?
Paths just crossed at work.
It'll never happen again.
Make sure it doesn't.
Morning.
There was actually
a good reason, Rachel.
Which was...?
I can't tell you.
Out there, Sarge.
What's she selling? Lucky
heather? Clothes pegs?
I don't think that's
all she's selling.
She says she's been raped.
~ HE SIGHS
~ You're joking?
~ Where's Gently?
~ I haven't seen him.
Well, that's a shame.
She could have wasted his
time instead of mine.
~ Right, give me five minutes
to get a cup of tea.
~ All right.
SIREN RINGS
Excuse me? Excuse me?!
Mr Gently...
~ Where on earth do you think you're going?
~ To work.
TINA SIGHS
Right, Tina.
I'm all ears. Who's been
raping you then, pet?
There were three of them.
Where are we?
In The Dun Cow.
It's a pub in Peterlee.
Yeah, sorry. Yeah, we know.
Right, so there's four of you
sitting in The Dun Cow...
Ah, no. We weren't sitting
together, like.
I was on me own.
Drinking on your own?
Not against the law, is it?
No, no, no, it's not against the law.
So this was... yesterday, was it?
No.
Tuesday afternoon, week before last.
Week before last?!
And you've come in now, crying rape?!
Tina, I'm going to stop
you right there, pet,
cos if you are wasting my time,
I'm going to be very,
very upset with you.
Do you understand?
Aye.
So why's it taken you
over a fortnight?
Well, I wasn't going
to come in at all,
and then... I was talking
with some friends
and I just think they
shouldn't get away with it.
Who?
~ Men.
~ Right, I see, I see.
So, this is some women's lib point
about men in general, is it?
No. Just the three what's raped us.
So you want to carry on, do you?
Aye, cos I don't think they
should get away with it.
These lads were all young...
and they were drunk
and they were violent.
They're going to go and do
it to some other lass...
and they want stopping.
Right.
If that's what you
want, we'll carry on.
Descriptions?
Done?
Happy?
Your friend Tommy
who came in with you
said you seemed to
completely miss the punch,
and that's not something
that happens.
You do remember Tommy, don't you?
Yes.
And do you remember the punch?
Yes.
So why did it lay you out?
Didn't see it.
Did you lose your vision, Mr Gently?
I got some sweat in my eyes.
I was blinking it out and he hit me.
I'll be having words with
him, I can tell you.
You mustn't box again
until we get to the root
of this problem, Inspector.
There isn't a problem.
How many times has
this happened before?
It's been very nice to
meet you, Dr Benson,
and thank you for your
concern... but I'm fine.
Have you been suffering from
sudden bouts of fatigue?
I'm going to arrange for
some neurological tests.
It was definitely
the blond-haired one
~ that grabbed you in the car park, was it?
~ Yes.
Only, Tina, look, you
said ten minutes ago
that you weren't sure because
he grabbed you from behind.
Yeah, that's right.
Ah, God, I don't know. It
was one of them, wasn't it?
~ Do you want a cup of tea, Tina?
~ Aw, yes, please.
Tina, why have you not mentioned
that you're on our files?
You're a prostitute.
Have you or have you not...
literally been asking for it?
MAN SNIGGERS
Aw, here comes the waterworks.
Prostitution is not a crime.
Well, soliciting is.
Three times in five years.
Literally been asking for it.
And then charging money for it...
I didn't mention what
I do for a living
because it wasn't relevant
to what happened, was it?
I mean, these three lads,
they were not clients...
Sarge, there's too
many men in this room.
What is it you want, Rachel?
~ Shall we get Pan's People in here?
~ MEN SNIGGER
How about that cup of tea?
Go on, I think we'll all have one.
~ Where's my sergeant?
~ Number one, sir.
And you've done it before,
haven't you, Tina, pet?
Accused men of rape.
You did it two years ago.
That was a client.
How can it be rape if you're
getting paid for it?
This is, er, Mrs Tina Hall.
She's 45 years old, or so she says.
She lives in Peterlee, she's
a known prostitute, sir.
She's got convictions here
for, er, soliciting...
and disturbing the peace.
And she's here to make her second
accusation of rape in two years.
The last one... was withdrawn.
Now she's saying that this time...
there was three blokes, young
lads in a multi-storey car park,
she doesn't know any of their names.
One was blond...
and one had a pair of glasses on.
Ah, withdraw it, Tina. Come on.
Withdraw it, right,
~ and I won't charge you
with wasting police time.
~ Hang on.
Has Mrs Hall been given
an examination?
It was three weeks ago, guv.
Oh.
Any witnesses, Tina?
SHE WHISPERS: No.
What's the bloody point, eh?
Yous are all bastards.
JOHN LAUGHS Temper, temper, Tina....
Oi. That's enough.
You know, there's nowt funny
about being held down and raped.
Get a different job then, love.
Hey, what do you say to a
woman with two black eyes?
BOTH: You had your
warning! THEY LAUGH
May I?
You didn't like what you saw.
Sir, I don't know whether she
was telling the truth or not,
but they wouldn't have
believed her anyway.
It's like a club.
~ What is?
~ Men.
The way they all stick together.
Come on, Rachel, we're
all in favour of equality.
You're not though.
"All."
You're not ALL in favour.
I'm not saying that you're not, sir.
I'll have a word with John if that
will help smooth things over?
Aye, ask him about last
night while you're on.
All right, out with it.
That's not a request, by the way.
We cautioned about a dozen
men outside this brothel.
Every one had their name and
address taken, except one,
a DI from across the river.
No, Rachel.
Whatever else John
is, he's not corrupt.
In fact, he would take an
almost perverse pleasure...
~ Right...
~ .. in nicking a DI.
OK, well, my mistake, I do apologise.
I'm just saying, there
will be a reason.
Aye, there was.
I better get back, sir.
What was his name?
Well, Sergeant Bacchus
wouldn't say...
but I looked him up through
his number plate.
His name's Walter Nunn.
Inspector Walter Nunn.
Sir.
Where's my sergeant?
Have you noticed how often
I've had to say that recently?
No, sir. Do you want
us to keep count?
No, I want you to
tell me where he is.
Sorry, sir. He went home early.
Why?
~ Didn't say.
~ Didn't say. Yeah, all right.
What we going to do, Gem?
We're going to be practical... John.
The kids need a mam and a dad.
And he loves them.
He loves me, in his way.
You don't love him, though, do you?
He's an arse, Gemma.
Well, he wouldn't be callous enough
to do what I'm doing, I know that.
You sure about that?
Positive.
Can we not talk about my
husband, John, please?
SHE CLEARS HER THROAT
What are you doing here?
Somebody threw a sickie, so...
I've got the next two days off, so...
I don't mind doing a night.
Nobody waiting at home?
You do a lot of things right, Rachel.
Thank you, Mr Gently.
What are you doing here
this time of night?
Couldn't sleep.
There's something you can help
me with, as a matter of fact.
~ Er, put that down.
~ Right.
Sit down.
~ Erm...
~ Oh. SHE LAUGHS
I'd finish it off myself,
but... I'm not a hundred
at the moment, so, er...
~ What's the matter with you?
~ No, it's just a bug.
I've been looking at the way
this force investigates
rape complaints.
Sir, this force doesn't
investigate rape complaints,
it just doesn't.
I don't want your opinion.
I want you to go through
these files systematically
and bring me facts.
This many complaints,
that many prosecutions.
~ How many were withdrawn, and why.
~ Sir...
And bring me the names of
the investigating officers.
The name Walter Nunn has cropped
up half a dozen times already.
And you bring these
facts to me, right?
Nobody else, just me.
Yes, sir.
Right.
~ Now I am going home.
~ SHE LAUGHS
See you Monday.
Goodnight.
TELEPHONE RINGS
~ Or maybe I'm not going home...
~ SHE LAUGHS
Gently.
Yeah...
~ Morning, guv.
~ Morning.
That way.
Have you had a look?
Aye, a quick one.
She's young.
She's been there a while.
She's lying face down, she's
been covered with leaves.
She's got nothing on
her to identify her.
Who found her?
Mrs Relph.
What was she doing here?
Walking the dog.
Where is it?
Ran away.
Right...
Look at this.
You see that?
Yeah.
Oh, yeah. Blood vessels
in her eyes have burst.
She's been strangled.
~ Yeah.
~ GEORGE SIGHS
What's your name?
WPC Turner, sir.
~ First name?
~ Constance.
Ever seen a murder victim before?
Never seen a dead body, sir.
You're doing extremely
well, Constance.
There's a road that runs
down to the river, right?
Now... the weather was dry,
so there's no tyre marks anywhere.
So I want ten doing
fingertip searches,
looking for clothing, jewellery,
that kind of thing.
Residential streets
here, here and here.
Three teams of three,
on the knockers, please.
Rigour mortis has been and gone,
so we're probably looking to ask
for... the night before last.
All right?
Now, we currently have no missing
persons that remotely fit the bill.
We have no idea who
this young woman is
and we won't know how she met her end
till they finish with her downstairs.
Assume nothing.
Right, on you go.
Why's she working in here?
She's working for me.
Working what?
Who's Walter Nunn?
He's an Inspector at Tynemouth nick.
With a free pass to visit brothels?
Well, you don't need a pass,
do you, guv? It's not illegal.
Oh, really(!)
So why are we bearing down so
hard on the customers, then?
Unless, of course, you've got
a warrant card in your pocket.
~ Maybe he was on official business, sir.
~ Well, was he or wasn't he?
I didn't ask.
They're ready for you, sir.
Thank you.
Thanks, Rachel.
~ What is this work he's getting you to do?
~ I haven't got all day, John.
You were right, strangulation.
Sometime late, the night before last,
I'd say between 10pm and 2am.
I'm pretty sure she was
strangled from behind,
from the marks on her throat,
and that fits with
the sexual activity.
You're calling it "sexual
activity" and not rape?
All depends on the
level of force used
and I haven't had time
to assess that yet.
Sometimes there's no real sign of it.
I mean, if I were being raped,
personally, I'd let
him get on with it
rather than fight back
and risk being hurt badly.
That... wouldn't be
rape then, would it?
Legally?
What?
No, I'm just...
I'm saying... What's the definition?
When a woman says no,
but it happens anyway.
Well, yeah, sometimes they change
their minds though, don't they?
Then they're not saying no, are they?
How old is she?
I know she looks young,
but I'd put her mid-20s.
Any distinguishing marks,
anything anywhere?
Oh, she had her appendix
out about ten years ago.
Ah right. Well that narrows it
down to about five million...
How long are dental records
taking these days?
Oh, needle in a haystack.
Weeks, months.
Thank you.
'I've gone back nearly five
years, looking right across'
the Constabulary. It's patchy
from division to division,
but the overall figures are...
102 complaints of rape, resulting
in 27 charges being made.
17 of those were dropped before
they even got to court,
usually cos the victim decided not
to go through with giving evidence.
So ten went to court, resulting
in eight convictions.
And two of those convictions ended
in non-custodial sentences.
Are you telling me
that in five years,
~ only six men went to prison for rape?
~ Mm-hm.
They got between nine
months and 14 years.
Out of 102 complaints?
How did I not know about this?
Do you want me to answer that, sir?
Because you never asked.
And Walter Nunn?
Erm... 21 investigations made...
.. no charge brought... ever.
Every woman that ever
talks to Walter Nunn
eventually signs a statement
withdrawing her allegation.
Do you think Tina Hall was
telling the truth, Rachel?
I do... now, yeah.
I think a lot of these women were
telling the truth, actually.
I mean, why would you bother?
It's a pretty horrible thing
to come and talk about.
What do we know about Walter Nunn?
Is he married? Is he a single man?
~ I can find out for you, sir.
~ All right.
Don't ask questions in this building
or in any other nick,
for that matter.
He'll be onto us in ten minutes.
Yes, sir.
I think my guvnor's
onto us, you know.
Not us...
me.
He doesn't know who it is,
but he knows it's someone.
He's your boss, not your dad, John.
Hey, you'd never tell him, would you?
I don't want anybody knowing.
No, of course I wouldn't.
God, I'll have to buy some
mints on the way home.
Walter'll kill me if he finds
out I started smoking again.
What would he do if he
found out about this?
Kill us both, probably.
Why do you say that?
Cos he's said so many's a time.
Me and the man first.
Then the kids, then himself.
Why did you marry this bloke?
Cos he made us laugh.
THEY LAUGH
(Do you still have sex with him?)
(Yes.)
Just not very often.
When we do, I close my
eyes and pretend it's you.
I love you, Gemma.
It's never happened to me before.
Was there a particular reason
you've invited me here, John?
Young girl, mid-twenties goes
missing, about a week ago.
Nobody reports it. What
does that tell you?
~ What's that tell me?
~ What does that tell you?
No friends, no family.
Possibly.
No job, possibly. Or...?
~ Or the dead girl wasn't from round here.
~ Right.
Is that it?
Well, if she wasn't
from round here, guv,
~ therefore, she must be...?
~ Visiting.
~ Visiting.
But nobody's reported
her not arriving either.
Passing through then?
Right, the train station is
three miles that way, right?
The coach station, on the other
hand, is just over there,
t'other side of this bridge.
~ So?
~ So why does she get off the coach?
Well, why are you assuming
coach instead of train,
just because it's closer?
Right, why did she get off either?
I don't know, John. This
is your theory, not mine.
What do trains have
that coaches don't?
This better be good.
~ Netties, guv.
~ What?
Netties, the toilets.
If you're passing through on a train,
you don't need to get
off for a wee, do you?
If you're passing through on
a coach, you've got no choice.
You have to get off in the clothes
that you're standing up in.
Right?
And if you don't make it
back for whatever reason...
then it leaves without you,
taking all of your
belongings with it.
Yeah, well...
It's worth asking a
question, isn't it?
~ Yeah.
~ Yeah.
Well done, John.
Thanks.
Are you going to tell me or not?
What?
Why you leave work early.
Or why you're so shifty.
Why you're yawning halfway
through the morning.
Why am I yawning? Why
are you always yawning?
Like a bloody zombie half the time.
Tell me you're in love, John.
Go on, tell me you're in love.
I'll be happy for you.
Tell me she's tiring you out
and that's why you're yawning.
I'll believe that.
Tell me she can only meet
you in the afternoons
and that's why you're never at work.
But please, please don't tell me
that you can only meet
her in the afternoons
because she's a married woman!
~ I knew it.
~ Guv, where is all this rubbish coming from?
How many times do you think
I've watched this happen?
Eh?
In 30 years in the force,
how many young men do you think
I've watched having affairs?
Eh? Go on, have a guess!
~ 148.
~ Scores of them, John.
Detectives, couldn't
keep their zips up.
You're completely wrong
about this, guv.
Yeah? Oh, well... that's fine then(!)
Right, Rachel, got a
nice little job for you.
~ I want you to go to the coach...
~ Rachel's working for me, John.
Taylor, I need the number for
the coach station, please.
Did you find out anything?
No, I'm not going on
me sodding holidays.
Just get me the number, will you?
Er, Walter Nunn, married,
wife's name's Gemma...
two kids.
Why are we still talking about him?
Instead of phoning the coach station,
why don't you go down there
and ask if a young girl got off
the bus last Thursday night
and didn't get back on it again?
All right.
I'll go and ask.
John and Walter Nunn...
Could they be mates?
Definitely not. He didn't
know him from Adam.
It was only when he
saw his warrant card
that his attitude to him changed.
When he saw his warrant
card or the name on it.
Sir?
HE GROANS
Married with two kids, you said?
Yeah... four and three.
Do you want us to find out
more about Walter Nunn, like,
~ who his friends are or...?
~ No, no, find Tina Hall for me.
Ask her if she'd very kindly
come back and talk to me again.
And in case she's worried, tell
her she's not in any trouble
and nobody will be
laughing this time.
Leave Walter Nunn to me.
Write down his home
address, will you?
HE SIGHS
BUS DRIVER: Durham is leaving.
Ladies and gents, it's leaving now.
Hurry along there.
Oi. Other side, please.
Sorry, I just need to have a quick...
This is my side, that's your side.
Yes, I just want to check the
timetable, pal. All right?
Use the one in the waiting
room. This one's mine.
Ah, ah, no, you don't touch.
This one's mine.
All right? Good.
Is this office manned at night?
Till 11 o'clock.
By who?
Me, usually.
~ Thursday nights?
~ Every night... except Sundays.
Why not Sundays?
~ Cos there's...
~ .. no buses on Sunday. Right, yes.
Last Thursday night, were you here?
I just told you.
Right, so there's three busses
that get in between ten
and half past two, right?
The Edinburgh-London,
the London-Edinburgh,
Edinburgh-Manchester.
Ey, good reader(!)
Is this appropriate,
this, here? Is it? Hm?
If you like pictures of nude women.
Ah, but the public, though,
coming in here, seeing them.
Hm? A young lass, maybe?
Why would she come in here
when there's a waiting room?
Who?
This "young lass".
Well, to use your toilet, maybes?
There's one out there.
Out of order.
So will your face be in
a minute, pal, so help me.
So did you see a young
lass last Thursday night
get off one of your late buses?
Curly, mousey hair?
Knocked on your door, perhaps?
Asked to use the toilet?
SEAGULLS CALL
HEARTBEAT PUMPS
I'm DCI Gently.
Does he know you're here?
No, and there's no reason
why he ever should.
Are we talking about your husband
or your boyfriend, Mrs Nunn?
There's no need to make
me feel guilty, Mr Gently.
I manage that myself.
They ever met?
John said their paths crossed
about a week ago.
Did he say how?
Hardly matters, does it?
No.
What does matter to me, at least,
Mrs Nunn, is my sergeant's career.
Now, John could go a long
way in the police service,
but every now and again,
he makes a serious error of judgment.
And you are the latest.
Look.
Officer gets caught with his
trousers down, that happens.
He can get away with that.
An officer gets caught
with his trousers down
with another officer's wife,
maybe break up a family...
Is your marriage so unhappy?
I don't think that's your business.
I wasn't looking for this.
I've never done it before.
I'll certainly never do it again.
Love is where it falls, Mr Gently.
Yeah, you can stand
there and disapprove,
but what am I supposed to do?
What on earth do I do with
this riot in my heart?
You silence it, Gem.
That's what you do.
And if you don't put
a stop to this, I will.
Understood?
Ah...
Where have you been?
Who's he?
Name is Stuart MacMillan.
He's a boring little fart.
A look-at-my-uniform
jobsworth, nobody tosspot
from the bus station.
Friend of yours, is he?
He saw her get off the bus, guv.
The Edinburgh-Manchester
at ten o'clock.
Now, she can only have got
on at Berwick or Edinburgh,
so we're checking with the local
nicks now for missing persons.
He says that he saw
her get off the bus,
he let her use the toilet
and then he never saw her again.
He's a pervert.
You can smell it on him.
What is he doing?
I don't know.
He ordered the fruit for some
rare glucose deficiency thing,
I don't know.
He looks like a clown to me.
Has he confessed?
No, not yet.
Hey.
Was I right or was I right?
Sarge.
~ Edinburgh has a Janice Ballard, aged 30.
~ Oh?
She left home to go back
to work in Manchester.
She usually gets the coach.
They're going to stick
a photo in the post.
~ We should get it tomorrow.
~ Right.
Here's your clerk, sir.
It's his first day.
Behave yourself.
Sorry, sir.
Did you see that?
No, sir.
Good lad.
Well...
she seemed like a nice lass at first.
Just comes in... you know...
and asked us if she
can use the toilet,
cos the one next the waiting
room's out of order.
Then she says, "Can
I have a cup of tea?"
So I says, "Yeah. I'll
make you a cup of tea".
So we have a cup of tea.
Then she starts.
Starts what?
Batting her eyelids at
us and making suggestions.
She was asking for it.
Where are you at this point?
I'm still in the office.
I've locked the door, like.
Coach has already left, has it?
Nah, it stops for half an hour so's
the driver can get his dinner.
Where does that happen?
He sits on the bus.
Er, he's got a flask and some
cheese and pickle sandwiches.
~ No, it's ham and cheese and pickle...
~ Right.
~ .. sandwiches.
What happened next?
She comes over and... sits on me lap
and... starts, sort of...
squirming, you know,
like a... stripper.
Yeah, like a dirty bloody stripper.
Gyrating in me face.
Nearly lose control?
HE SOBS I lost control.
~ And then did you find...?
~ Tell us in your own words, Stuart.
What happened next exactly?
I cannot exactly remember.
I pushed her on the floor and
then I had me way with her!
And then I killed her! I killed her!
How?
How did you kill her, Stuart?
With me bare hands.
What did you do with the body?
I cannot remember.
Where did you put her, Stuart?
I put her in the river!
In the river?
No, er... beside it.
What did you do with the clothes?
HE SOBS
I set fire to them.
God forgive us!
God forgive us what I've done!
Me picture will be in the paper
and me mam'll be ashamed of us!
I don't think he's the
full shilling, John.
We'd better get him fitted
by the police surgeon.
~ Aw...
~ Yeah, to be safe.
Ah, no, no, we're going to
be here till Christmas, man.
Right, yes, he's a clown,
but he's not crackers.
~ You led him too much. ~ What?
~ Yes. ~ Me?
~ Yes.
No, no, no, no. I never
mentioned rape,
I never mentioned the river...
But you asked him what he'd
done with her clothes,
which meant she was naked...
After he said that he'd raped her.
Look, right,
if we give him to the surgeon
and he says that he's mental...
Yeah, OK.
Well, let's wait for the photo
till you charge him, all right?
~ Fine.
~ OK.
Has anybody warned you
about this, Mr Gently?
A lumbar puncture is a
very painful procedure.
So I understand.
Look, I wouldn't subject you to it
if there were any other
way to test my diagnosis.
Have you had any more loss of vision?
No.
Any clumsiness, dropping cutlery?
No.
You'll need tomorrow off work.
Nasty weather, isn't it?
TELEPHONE RINGS
Hello?
~ HE INSERTS COIN
~ Gemma, it's me. What's going on?
I can't see you any more, John.
'Don't call me again. I'm sorry.'
I'll write you.
I'm sorry.
BABY CRIES
You been messing around
with me life, Bacchus?
~ With your wife?
~ Life!
Me life.
What do you mean?
Why have you got that bint
constable sniffing round?
"Who am I married to?"
~ "How many kids have I got?"
~ I didn't, I promise.
~ I'm warning you, Bacchus.
~ Argh.
One word gets out to anybody
about where I was that night
and I'll rip your ugly head
off and shove it up your arse!
~ All right, all right.
~ Clear?
~ Yeah, clear.
You'll want to get a dead
lock put on this door.
The needle leaves a small
hole in the spine.
Until that heals, fluid
will leak internally.
This can take a week.
You'll get severe headaches.
That's normal.
The results should
be back quite quickly.
Perhaps they'll prove
me wrong. HE LAUGHS
Thank you. Good night.
Morning, John.
Not for me, it's not.
Walter Nunn paid me
a visit last night.
Oh, did he?
Why was that, you think?
I think you know why.
Do I?
He thinks it's me that's been
doing background checks on him.
Thanks.
He threatened to rip me head off.
Background checks, eh?
~ Photo from Edinburgh came.
~ Ah.
Janice Ballard.
You convinced now?
What more do you want, guv?
We don't throw murder charges
around like confetti,
not as long as I'm in charge.
I want to talk to him again.
Yeah, well, you're in charge.
Question, why are you and Rachel
investigating Walter Nunn?
And why was I kept out of it?
Because I thought you
might be compromised.
~ How?
~ You can't think of any reason?
Like what?
Well, I thought you might have let
him off the hook the other night
because you were mates,
but, ha, obviously you're
not mates, are you?
No, we're not mates.
Well, you still haven't
said why you're after him.
He was the investigating officer
in 21 complaints of rape
in the last five years
and he never brought
one charge to court.
~ Not one.
~ That bothers you, does it?
Doesn't it bother you, John?
Yeah.
I want to have a look at the way
we investigate rape
complaints in this force,
and I'll be asking permission
to question Walter Nunn,
just so you know.
I'll bring MacMillan up.
Good morning, Stuart.
I'm going to ask you
a simple question
and if you mess me about
in the slightest way,
I'm going to knock your block off.
Do you understand?
Good.
Now, we are investigating...
a second murder.
Another young woman.
No, no, no...
I know you people and your tricks.
Yous got somebody for one thing
and then yous put the blame
on them for other things.
It makes yous look good.
What...? What, you think... you
think police tell lies, Stuart?
I know yous do, but I'm
not falling for it.
And I'm going to tell the judge
about your police brutality.
Well, I can see I've met
my match in you, Stuart.
So no more funny business, I promise.
If you wouldn't mind just taking
a look at this photograph...
.. and tell me if you've
ever seen her before.
And if the answers no...
~ HE WHISTLES
~ that's the end of it.
Never seen her before in me life.
Never?
Never.
This is the young woman
that you told us yesterday
that you'd raped and murdered.
You made that up, didn't you?
Tidy this mess up, will you?
Sergeant?
You made me look like a
right monkey back there.
You make yourself look
like a right monkey.
You've compromised...
Stay out of here!
You've compromised yourself
with this woman
and you're not thinking straight!
What are you talking
about? What woman?
Oh, for God's sake, John, really...
You know?
~ Well, yes. Of course I know.
~ Of course you know.
~ How do you know?!
~ Because I make it my business to know.
You've been to see her, haven't you?
Haven't you?! You've been to see her.
Stay away from her, John.
Whichever way you look
at this, she's poison.
And you try and see her again,
I'll have you suspended.
Don't you dare! Don't you dare, sir!
Don't! Don't you dare
ruin this for me!
Guv, please.
This is my one chance of being happy.
I'm asking you as a friend, don't.
You know, I wanted
to be a policewoman
when I was a little lass.
Anything in uniform, actually.
It's bloody ironic
considering how many times
I've been asked to
dress up as a nurse.
Men. They're really weird, you know?
They're like... bairns that grow
older but they never grow up.
How often are they violent?
Not that often.
Just, you know, sometimes you've
got to let them do a bit.
You know, hold your throat,
pull your hair,
slap you a bit, call you names.
Seems to keep most
of them happy enough.
Some of them don't want
anything, you know?
They don't even want sex.
They just want to talk.
You know, be near a woman.
Like, the loneliness of men...
.. they reek of it.
Ah!
You got your killer, I hear.
Nope. Wrong man.
Not right in the head.
Apparently, he's confessed to murder
before. Four times, in fact.
Well, you asked me to be
definitive. I now can be.
It was rape, all right.
Whoever did this used a lot of force.
She's quite badly hurt inside.
I think we can assume she said no.
Right. Thank you, Mrs Dixon.
~ Ms.
~ Sorry?
Ms. M-S.
A lot of people prefer
it to Miss or Mrs now.
What people?
People like me, Sergeant.
Right.
Thank you Mizz Dixon.
Um, sorry... before we start.
I was out of order last time
and I would like to apologise.
What do yous want, anyway?
We'd like to take a further
statement from you
concerning what those three men did.
Erm, Rachel will take the statement.
No male officers will be present.
But... before that, I'd like to
ask you about the previous time
when you made a similar allegation...
but you withdrew it.
Now, why was that?
Did you feel under pressure
to drop charges?
Well, yeah, you know,
when you come in to complain
about getting raped by a client
and you find yourself... talking
to one of your regulars.
Are we talking about
Inspector Nunn, Tina?
Ah... that's a serious
allegation, that.
Huh? You said I wasn't in trouble.
~ No.
~ No, no.
No, no. I'm guaranteeing that.
So, was Inspector Nunn one
of your regular clients?
Mm-hm, still is.
What was his attitude
to your complaint?
"You were asking for it."
Because of... what
you do for a living?
No... cos I'm a woman.
This client who raped you.
Could he have been
known to Walter Nunn?
Didn't talk as if he knew him.
Didn't seem that interested
in him, actually.
Well...
As I recall from your statement,
that rape was pretty violent.
And even that didn't make Walter
Nunn take you seriously?
Well, neither did he the second time.
Nah, I didn't believe you.
I should've. I'm sorry.
And it was the same with
Walter Nunn, was it?
He just didn't believe
you about the violence?
Was Walter Nunn himself
violent, Tina?
Yeah.
Tina, did Walter Nunn ever put
his hands round your throat?
Always.
How'd you like that to
be part of your job?
Can I just ask?
Tina... when he was doing this,
putting his hands around your throat,
were you face up or face down?
Face down.
Well, look at the facts...
We saw Nunn here around the same
time as Janice Ballard was murdered.
I mean, it's no distance.
And apparently, he likes
to choke women from behind.
Rachel, do you hear
what you're saying?
We've a serving police officer
who's a rapist and a murderer?!
I'm not saying anything, actually.
I'm just following the evidence,
like we're supposed to do.
~ He did come into your home
and threaten you, John.
~ He did what?
He didn't want his name
dragged through the mud
for visiting a brothel.
Did he not know you were
trying to protect him?
~ Rachel, enough, will you?!
~ Why?!
What is the big deal
about this bloke?
Enough, both of you.
Now, I'm going to request permission
to question Walter
Nunn under caution.
And the first thing he's
going to want to ask is...
did we question everybody that
you spoke to on that night
or are we victimising him?
Now, Rachel, you've got all
the names and addresses.
Off you go.
Ask them all for alibis.
Let's go and get some fresh air.
When I ask Walter Nunn,
"Do you have an alibi for
that Thursday night?"...
.. is he going to say "Ask
my wife, cos I was with her"?
Cos if he does, John...
I'm going to have to question her,
and she's going to have to know why.
Well, if he does, guv, he's lying.
And how do you know that?
Because she was with you.
Where exactly?
Her place.
In his bed?
And where did she think he was?
~ Working.
~ Ah, she trusts him.
~ Mm-hm.
~ And he trusts her, presumably.
~ Yep.
I thought you were better
than this, John.
Well, I'm not.
So what do you want me
to do now then, guv?
Go and help Rachel.
Right.
Are you going to tell me
what's wrong with you, guv?
I'm going home. I'll
see you tomorrow.
Checked this one's alibi.
It sounds pretty solid.
All right. Well, that's all
of them. All pretty credible.
Good. I'm off.
~ Well, there is this bloke...
~ Huh?
Shall we check him out?
We know where he lives.
The secret smoker bloke,
white Ford Zephyr.
Oh, the one that nearly
cost you ten bob.
Well, we saw him go into
his house, didn't we?
Huh? So he's not a punter.
We're doing punters,
Rachel, just punters.
Or are you saying that all
men are rapists as well?
As well as who?
Do you mind if I don't waste any
more of my time today, please?
~ I don't mind what you do, Sergeant.
~ Good.
But I think I'll just stay here
and find out this bloke's name
and check his alibi, like
Mr Gently asked what to do.
Really don't have a home
to go to, do you, Rachel?
Actually, I do,
and I'm going to go there just
as soon as I've finished me work.
Very good. I'm going to mine.
Right, fine. Na-night.
Sir.
~ WOMAN ON PHONE: Hello?
~ Hello.
Oh, thank God you're a woman,
pet! INDISTINGUISABLE REPLY
Oh, don't get us started.
~ Can you just check a vehicle for us, please?
~ Certainly.
~ Yeah, just the owner's name.
~ Right.
White Ford Zephyr, Bravo
222 Hotel Uniform Alpha.
INDISTINGUISABLE REPLY
Yeah, can you give us
the address as well?
I know the street, I just don't
know what number it is.
Right...
Can you give us that again?
~ Oh, hello, there.
~ Oh, lovely...
Now the street will think
I'm running a knocking shop.
No, I'll be quick.
Do you have a Mr Alan Salt
living here or staying here?
He owns a white Ford Zephyr?
Try next door, love.
Place is full of men,
and whores and all.
Not one pair of knickers
between them.
His car's actually
registered in Leeds,
~ but I saw it pulling up here...
~ This isn't Leeds, though, is it?
If you could just bear with us,
cos this is quite important.
~ Not to me, pet.
~ Excuse me!
Do you mind answering my question,
or do you want us to take you in?
What was the question?
I'm trying to find a Mr Alan Salt
who I saw walking down this
path two Thursday nights ago.
I live alone with my invalid mother
who I've left in the bath.
There's no man called Salt or
anything else in this house.
Maybe somebody's leading you
up the garden path, dear.
KNOCK AT DOOR
~ Who is it?
~ GEMMA: It's me, let me in.
Are you all right?
Walter's says he's going to
be questioned about a murder.
~ He says it's trumped up against him.
~ Er...
Why, John?
Gem...
~ I...
~ What? I dump you so you frame Walter?
No. No, no, no. No.
I thought you were better than that.
Hey, listen, it wasn't
me, Gem. It wasn't.
Oh, God, will you stop
hiding behind your boss?!
You're just a snivelling
little coward!
~ You're not half the man Walter is!
~ Gemma, please.
Never come anywhere
near me ever again...
~ Gem, please. No, no, no...
~ .. in your pathetic little life!
CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS
HE PUTS DOWN CUTLERY
So this bloke you think
is called Alan Salt
saw you, you think...
Stopped walking towards the
brothel, smoked a cigarette,
and then pretended
to walk into the house
next to the knocking shop...
You think?
How come he saw you?
Well, that was my fault, sir.
I made a... sudden movement.
What sort of sudden movement?
Well, I...
I punched Sergeant Bacchus.
Playfully.
Brilliant work there, Rachel.
So you haven't tracked down a bloke
who didn't visit a brothel.
CID could use men like you.
I have an Alan Salt already on file.
Six years ago, we did him
for assaulting a policeman.
He lived in Gateshead in those days.
So you're saying that there's
two blokes called...?
Will you listen to us?
The policeman had stopped him
to ask about a serious
assault on a prostitute
that night in Durham.
Ah!
Right. Time to pay a visit
to the ladies of the night.
~ Well done again, Rachel.
~ Thank you.
So what are you going to do
after you've nicked me
job then, Rachel, hm?
Are you going to surgically
remove me balls, are you?
Er, no, you can keep those
for decorative purposes.
You might run out of fluffy
dice for your car window.
Well, I don't have
any fluffy dice, so...
And you don't have any balls either.
Am I doing this on my own?
No, sir.
No, no. Not you, love.
You've got Tina Hall
coming in, remember?
And don't let her
go till I come back.
Never mind.
Perhaps you can get together
and talk about men, eh?
"Oh, bloody men!"
Ah, cuppa tea, get your
knitting patterns out...
~ Oh, men...!
~ John!
Behave yourself with these women.
Oh, I will, I will.
No, I feel quite sorry
for them, actually.
I mean, they don't do it
cos they want to, do they?
Sad cases, really.
HE RINGS DOORBELL
Alan Salt?
We know him as Mr Smith.
Comes here every other Thursday.
Travels up from Yorkshire to visit
his mother in an old people's home.
Usually rings ahead and
books. Not always, mind.
Always asks for the same
companion, Monica.
Is Monica here now?
She's not in any trouble.
I just want to talk
to her about this man.
Is this something to do with
the girl that was found?
Because your officers have
already knocked on my door.
Well, they knocked
on every door, Susan.
Well, Mr Smith's not your man.
~ Why not?
~ Because he's a sweetheart.
He loves his mam!
So did Hitler.
Oi.
Do all your customers wear
johnnies, by the way?
Yes. Of course they do.
Why do you ask?
Just wondering...
So... can we assume that Mr
Smith is booked here tonight?
Erm...
Not with me.
But he sometimes makes the
arrangement, you know...
direct with Monica.
~ Where can we find Monica?
~ She'll still be at work.
Doing what?
She's a primary school teacher.
~ You what?
~ So best visit her at home, then?
No.
No. Her... husband's always
there, he's unemployed,
so... best he never knows.
Is that why she has to do it?
"Gets her out the house."
That's what Monica says.
Right.
What kind of sex does Monica
offer a man like Mr Smith?
Kinky.
~ Violent?
~ More... playful, I would say.
Ah, you've got a dungeon here?
In the basement.
Would you like to inspect
it, Inspector?
I'd be more than happy
to show YOU the ropes.
~ Not today, thanks.
~ JOHN LAUGHS
Thank you.
Yeah, well, do come again, Sergeant.
Next time you're off duty.
Needn't cost you a penny.
No, thanks. I don't pay for sex.
Well, you wouldn't be,
that's what I'm saying.
Well, that's certainly... a very
kind offer, but no, thank you.
Oh, Susan. Does Walter
use your dungeon?
~ Walter...?
~ Walter Nunn.
I don't get to meet many
Nunns in my line, Inspector.
GEORGE LAUGHS
I'll get somebody on
the street tonight, guv.
If Mr Smith turns up, we'll grab him.
~ She knew we were coming,
you know that, don't you?
~ Oh, yeah.
Walter Nunn warned her.
Told her to deny any knowledge
that he's a customer.
~ You do know that, don't you?
~ OK, go on.
Well, to hide the filthy sex
that he's been having in there.
Well, unless there's more
to it and he's our murderer.
~ Guv...
~ Yes, I know.
You don't want to believe
that the woman you love
could've married a rapist murderer.
Well, Susan's going to be on
the phone to him right now.
And we've given him a perfect cover
story for visiting a brothel.
I visited the brothel as
part of my enquiries...
into a man called Alan Salt.
~ GEORGE LAUGHS
~ Well, snap. Great minds...
What's your interest in this man?
What's yours, sir?
He's a name... in the investigation
of the rape and murder
of a young woman called
Janice Ballard.
But that murder wasn't known about
when you went at the brothel.
So?
Fact is there have
been slipshod errors
in the investigation
of rapes in this force.
Right?
I blame meself... in part.
So I decided to do
something about it.
I trawled through the files,
threw up Alan Salt...
a man regularly visiting the area,
known to frequent prostitutes.
A man with cautions for kerb crawling
and a conviction for assault.
Now, that's a pack
of lies, Inspector.
Your investigation wasn't slipshod.
You've turned a blind eye
to 21 potential rape cases,
because, deep down, you think all
women are asking for it, don't you?
And I'm going to bring
forward evidence of that
and have you charged.
Ah... good luck, sir.
Can I go now?
No.
Janice Ballard's murder took place
less than a mile from the
brothel where you were.
So... how long did your...
.. enquiries at the brothel
take, Inspector?
Half an hour?
Yeah, I left at about 11.30.
To go...?
Home.
And before you visited the
brothel, where were you then?
Putting the kids to bed.
~ Was your wife there?
~ Yes. Of course.
Before and after.
And she will corroborate this?
Yes.
You know...
I don't think I'd believe her.
Are you saying me wife
would tell lies?
You don't know me wife, Inspector.
Bring her in, would you?
What?
Now, before she comes in,
why don't we just clear this up...
and you admit that, for years,
you've used prostitutes
to satisfy your violent sexual needs
and that that is where you were
between the hours of 10pm and 2am
on the night that
Janice was murdered?
Gently, Gently...
Why are you doing this?
That's me career... Me marriage...
If you don't provide me
with a convincing alibi
for those hours,
I will arrest you on suspicion
of the murder of Janice Ballard.
Me wife is my alibi. Bring
her in. She'll tell you.
I was with Gemma all night.
You seem very confident of her.
We love one another...
and neither of us tells lies.
Tina.
Did Inspector Nunn persuade
you to drop a rape complaint
that you made two years ago?
Aye, he didn't give us much choice.
Rubbish. There was no evidence
against the man.
But...
.. this wasn't the first time that
you've met Inspector Nunn, is it?
Lies...
No. He was a regular
customer of mine.
In fact, he had been since
he was a single man.
Thank you, Tina.
You going to take the
word of a poxy tart?
Guv, guv! Hey, hey, hey, hey!
Stop it, guv.
~ Stop it.
~ WALTER STRUGGLES TO BREATHE
Did you see that, Constable?
No, sir.
Well, am I going to bring
your wife in or what?
I spent all night at the brothel.
Any witnesses?
Three of them.
Busy boy.
Names?
~ They're made up.
~ Well, what did you call them?
I called one Iris...
.. one Colleen...
And there's one...
.. she calls herself Monica.
Go home, Inspector.
You will be hearing from me again.
So... wasn't him that's done
in that little Scots lass, then?
He's a toerag, but
he's not a murderer.
I just needed to be sure of that
before I do what I do next.
Sit down.
Tina...
When you were raped two years ago...
it was a Thursday night, wasn't it?
(Aye.)
Was this the man who
raped you that night?
"Call me Mr Smith," he said.
Yeah.
We've let you down. I'm sorry.
And a few other women
too, I'm afraid.
I have reason to believe that he
raped and murdered a young woman
two weeks ago.
And on top of that...
I believe that he's going
back again tonight.
Now, I know that you have absolutely
no reason to help the police...
.. but we really need
to catch this man.
You OK, Tina?
Normal night for me,
except for yous lot
scaring off the trade.
Thank you.
Always happy to help a policeman.
Right... back to work, Tina.
JOHN SIGHS Eerie.
Deja vu.
What's the French for "a complete
waste of bloody time"?
He's not going to do
the same again, is he?
No.
If Tina's right, he's already
done the same again.
Nah, the bloke's not the killer.
She'd be dead, wouldn't she?
Loads of blokes call
themselves Mr Smith.
TENSE MUSIC PLAYS
POLICEMAN URINATES
Where's Tina?
This is Gently. We've lost Tina.
Look out for a white Zephyr.
'We'll do that, sir.'
Oh, God, what have I done?
You know, there was no
need to hit us, man.
I was only making
conversation with you.
You were wasting my time.
Think I'm interested in what
comes out of your mouth?
~ Where we going?
~ Somewhere quiet.
Have I had you before?
No.
What, what's your name?
You can call me Mr Smith.
Rachel Coles, go ahead.
~ 'Suspect seen...'
~ Roger that.
Wasn't your fault, guv.
He's been seen heading
towards the riverside.
Right, Rachel, you go with him.
TENSE MUSIC PLAYS
All units hold back.
Sir?
We've found the car. It's empty.
TINA SCREAMS
Police!
Put the knife down, Alan.
Alan, put the knife down!
Tina. Tina, you stay still.
Alan... listen to me.
You, put the knife down.
That's it... just give me the knife.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
JOHN GROANS
Tina, are you all right?
Just don't leave us here in the dark.
No, I won't. I won't. It's all right.
SHE SCREAMS
Oi.
'Sir, are you there? I've got Tina.
'Sir, are you there?'
Yes, John. I can hear you.
We've got him.
How's Tina?
'Hello, Mr Gently. I'm fine.
'Er, I'll live. How about you?'
It's good to hear your voice, Tina.
Yeah, I'll live.