Midsomer Murders (1997–…): Season 15, Episode 3 - Written in the Stars - full transcript
During a total eclipse of the sun, an astronomer is bludgeoned to death by a meteor, and an astrologer claims to have predicted each subsequent murder.
Park wherever you like, sir.
Star chart?
No, thank you.
Thank you.
(CHATTER)
Your lenses fit in the eye sockets.
They are a bargain - ?3.50. (SCOFFS)
And you can watch the eclipse on the
viewing card there.
It's dangerous to look directly at
the sun.
And you mustn't use binoculars or a
telescope without one of these
filters, all right?
Free, courtesy of the observatory.
Thank you!
Star chart reading, Professor?
Every life's an uncertain mystery,
just waiting to be solved.
No, thank you. Believe it or leave
it but give it a read. Right.
Peter!
Have you seen Jeremy? He's in the
astrodome, I think. Right.
..Stars oscillation is inversely
proportional to the square root of
its density.
So, when the - You've lost me,
Gagan, I'm having complete brain
failure.
It's great. When was the astrodome
built, Jeremy?
1936 by Tom Stanton, a local
landowner.
He was a keen amateur astronomer. Is
it still being used by the amateurs?
Yes, although -
Ahem!
We need to speak.
In private.
Catch me later. I've got a much
bigger story for you.
No consultation, no discussion, just
sheer damned arrogance.
You should have come to me before
firing off letters!
I will write to who the hell I like.
You've crossed a line, Jeremy. Keep
your nose out.
It's not going to happen, Lawrence.
The university has no right.
Darling?
Don't darling me.
What's going on?
Does he know?
No. He's got that to come.
Gagan.
Amazing. How weird is that?
Ominously strange.
(BIRDSONG)
(WOMAN SCREAMS)
(SCREAM)
It's over there, I think.
What is it, what's up?
There!
Here you go, sir.
His wife Katrina is up there.
The other lady is Margaret Dormer,
known as Mystic Mags,
does readings, star chart stuff.
The rock cracked his head open like
a coconut. Feel the weight.
That Mystic Mags says it's a
meteorite.
Who's going to believe that?
It's possible.
This has a magnetic end.
(CLICK CONTACT)
Huh! See? Could be a meteorite.
It will need testing. And there are
traces of red fibre.
Gloves, or maybe some sort of
material used to wrap the rock
before wielding it.
Peter Groves, a local plumber, says
Jeremy had a row with Lawrence
Janson,
director of the university
observatory.
Doesn't know what about, though.
OK, bag and tag everything and get it
over to Forensics.
Thank you, madam.
Oh, Chief Inspector Barnaby.
Have we met before? I've seen your
picture in the paper times enough.
I work for the Mercury.
I do the horoscopes, births,
marriages and...deaths.
What can you tell me about Mr
Harper's death?
(SIGHS) During a total eclipse of
the sun...chaos prevails.
For days, secrets and betrayals will
out.
And what exactly did you see?
The sun had gone and then I heard a
sort of er...a crack
then a thud and I looked down.
He was lying...dead.
Moonstone Ridge is cursed.
Really?
With all your powers of divination,
perhaps you can tell me who did this.
No.
No, I foretell the future,
Inspector.
The past, and all its mysteries, is
your department.
What are we going to do?
Will you wait! How long?
I calculate seven days, then we'll
know for sure.
Gagan!
My dad.
Run me to the university, Pete.
Like, now.
Gagan!
Have a day off, Harry, will you?
My gran used to tell us bedtime
stories about the curse of Moonstone
Ridge.
What is this curse?
Strange visitors, she said. Cars
conking out suddenly,
people moonstruck, like the walking
dead. Scared us sleepless.
I've given Jeremy's laptop and
mobile to your people.
Thank you, Mrs Harper. Are you sure
you're OK to answer a few questions
for us?
I'm fine.
So, you and your husband Jeremy ran
the tea rooms?
And the museum. We live here on a
sort of grace and favour basis.
Jeremy's...WAS chair of the parish
council.
Tom Stanton, that's him in the
photo, left the place to the parish
to house his bits and pieces.
Ah, the Stanton Bequest.
Yes.
He also gifted Moonstone Ridge, the
Stanton Astrodome and the land for
the university observatory.
I work there part time. Secretary to
the director, Lawrence Janson.
What can you tell us about him?
He's a workaholic. The observatory's
his life.
It says here these rocks are lunar
fragments.
There was a meteor shower up on the
Ridge many moons ago.
The spear heads and the moonstone
discs were also found up there.
It's a Bronze Age site.
Your husband was also an enthusiastic
astronomer. A passionate amateur.
Wedded to star watching. Chair of
the Astronomical Society
and the Heritage Society.
Jeremy always had more pies than
fingers to put in them.
He liked to run things.
Peter Groves, the plumber. He said
he witnessed a row between
your husband and Lawrence Janson at
the eclipse.
Yes.
It was...
Sorry.
Would you like to stop?
No, no! I...
This is hard.
You see, my sister Mary was found
dead up on the Ridge. Years ago.
I...
I'm sorry.
(BELL RINGS)
You question Peter again.
I'll tackle Lawrence.
And look into the death of her
sister.
If the rock that killed Jeremy was a
lunar fragment,
like those in the museum, you could
say he'd been moonstruck.
Hm? The Moonstone Curse, sir, maybe
there's something in it.
So, Delta P equals MPC cubed,
which also equals the sum of delta
by the sum of MPC equals delta by MC
squared to the power of two
over MPC cubed, where MP is mass of
the proton and D is energy.
Very interesting. Let me have a read
of your thesis and I'll get back to
you.
That's all.
Great. Yes.
Thanks, Lawrence.
You encouraging her in this?
No, it's all her own work.
The girl has a brain the size of a
planet. And an ego to match.
The arrogance of youth, perhaps.
But such an elegant critique of your
theory.
This is no time for anything that
undermines me or the prestige of the
observatory
and you know the trouble we're in
since Harper shot his mouth off.
That's an administrative problem.
Gagan's mathematics are consummate.
Pure science!
That's all that matters to me.
So, what's a plumber doing with a
dish like that? A radio telescope,
bounces deep space signals back into
the feed.
Signals from what? Stars, planets,
galaxies. Little brown dwarfs.
Any little green men been in touch?
There's a billion galaxies in the
multiverse, Sergeant.
Odds on someone's trying to reach
us.
You really believe that?
We've had UFOs on Moonstone Ridge.
And then, of course, there are the
visitors.
What sort of visitors?
Extra-terrestrials.
Moon-like faces, or so they say.
(WEARY SIGH)
You told me you'd seen Jeremy having
an argument with Lawrence Janson
before he was murdered. Yeah.
I've no idea what about.
You were friends with Jeremy,
though, in the astronomy society.
I think 'friends' is over-egging it.
Never really got close to Jeremy.
We worked on stuff together. Him,
George Dormer, Gagan and me.
Analysing data sets from space
missions. Telescope downloads.
Can you think of any reason why
someone would want to kill him?
He was a top-class pain.
But no, it's probably just some
nutter. There's plenty of them out
there.
Yeah, I meet a lot of them in my
line of work.
(CLOSE ENCOUNTERS RINGTONE)
Sorry, ET calling. Excuse me.
Aquarian Systems. Ah, yes, hello
there...
Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby.
Lawrence Janson, Director.
This is Professor Adrian Sharp.
Hello.
Ah! Are you familiar with the
uncertainty principle, Chief
Inspector?
Um...I'm not really sure!
(CHUCKLES)
Prime law of quantum physics -
how you look at things affects what
you believe you see.
That's also the first law of criminal
investigation, Professor.
Ah, yes. Just one moment.
Doctor Janson, I understand you had
an argument with Jeremy Harper
on Moonstone Ridge just before the
eclipse. Er, yes.
Handbags at ten paces stuff. Jeremy
was always picking a fight.
About what?
He was hostile to certain
developments we have in mind for the
Ridge.
Er...Chief Inspector, the rock your
forensics people sent us for
examination.
It's definitely a meteorite.
I'll leave you with Adrian, Chief
Inspector.
It has a dark crust caused by the
friction heat of atmospheric entry.
Very dense matter, probably iron and
nickel.
There's megatons of metal floating
about out there.
Carbon compressed to its deepest
density, sucked into black holes.
Which is probably where our own
planet will end its days.
A cheery thought.
Depends how you look at it.
In the final analysis, we're all
stardust.
Jones, find out some more about
Lawrence Janson.
Oh, and erm, check out Panelsun
International while you're about it.
Where's the damn story, Tanya,
where's the grabby headline?
Well, it's a murder, Mr Clough.
That's yesterday's news.
It's going to be all over the telly.
Get ahead of the curve!
You should be digging, not sat in
here bump-starting your brain.
Yes, Mr Clough. I'll find a story.
You couldn't find your backside with
the light on, Tanya.
And as for you, Mystic Mags, our
readers don't want all this guff
about 'global community of awakened
souls'.
They want to know if they're going
to cop off with a tall dark stranger
who's heaven on earth. Spice
it up, love! Right, got you, yes.
This newspaper is on the edge.
Simple as a pimple, ladies,
boost circulation or your future is
going to be in the past.
The pair of you.
Philistine!
(DOOR SLAMS)
(SCOFFS) Oh, but he's right.
We need a new angle on this murder
story.
OK.
I have got an idea which I think
will raise a few eyebrows.
Take a look at this.
Anything more on Peter the plumber?
He's on a planet with the pixies,
sir.
Spent most of the time talking about
extra-terrestrial life.
Ah, the Goldilocks zone.
Not heard of it, Jones?
Are we on the three bears now?
(CHUCKLES)
The theory that life may exist on a
habitable planet somewhere out there,
one that's not too small and not too
big and not too hot and not too cold,
but just right.
Huh.
Lawrence Janson took over the
Observatory three years ago.
And Panelsun International?
He brought them in.
Big solar energy company, very
green, environmentalist outfit.
They gifted the Observatory a three
year grant of two million quid.
So, that funding's up for renewal.
Could be, yeah.
And I ran through Jeremy's mobile.
There's a few threatening emails on
there to Lawrence. Threatening what?
Apparently, Jeremy got wind that
Lawrence planned to close down the
old Stanton Astrodome
and build a new university facility
on part of Moonstone Ridge.
Jeremy wrote to Panelsun and
threatened a mass campaign against it.
Oh, so that's what their row was
about then.
Lawrence would be furious, Jeremy was
threatening his funding.
And I read through the files on
Catrina's sister, Mary.
She was married to Harmendra Dutta,
a local chemist.
Her body was found on Moonstone
Ridge 15 years ago.
Kate's checking the pathology
reports. There were suspicions -
Have you seen the paper, Jones?
'Mercury's Mystic Mags predicted
Murder on Moonstone Ridge.'
Mystic Mags told our reporter that
Jeremy Harper's death
was written in the stars.
That's baloney.
She was standing closest to Jeremy
when he was killed.
Maybe she knows more than she's said.
Why did you do it?
I had to.
It's murder, Mags.
If the police start digging into the
past who knows where it will lead?
They won't find out.
How can they?
It's not a clever stroke to pull.
Not clever at all.
Have you put my diary somewhere?
It's in the hall by the phone.
Ah, there it is.
Thank you, darling.
Oh, sorry, sorry.
Um...
My mobile, I can't find my mobile
anywhere.
Mine's on the desk, ring yours and
you'll find it. Ah.
And you call yourself a detective!
Breathe! Stop stressing.
I'm breathing, I'm breathing.
(PHONE RINGS)
Ah!
Got it. Thanks, darling. Bye!
I've got yoga after school.
Uh, yeah. I'll cook.
Sorry to crash your karma.
Bye.
Right, Sykes.
George, the police are coming round.
That's probably them now.
I told you they'd start digging
around.
I'll be in my shed. You were in your
shed all last night.
I was on moon watch, you have to do
it in the dark.
I wouldn't mind a husband whose idea
of 'doing it in the dark' was a bit
more exciting
than staring at the bloody moon.
Hello, Inspector.
Come in.
You predicted Jeremy's murder.
Yes, that's right. Crystal ball, was
it, or did you read his tea leaves?
I'm an astrologer, Sergeant, not a
fairground fortune teller.
What exactly is the difference?
Astrology is the application
of cosmic principles
to everyday life.
We are what our stars make us.
Scorpio, right?
Was that a guess?
You're a police officer - Scorpio
forever chases Orion The Hunter,
the killer, across the night skies.
Ah.
So, you drew up Jeremy's star chart
for him before his death?
No, it was his wife Catrina who came
to me for a reading.
Is the a regular of yours?
No, but she had some...
domestic turbulence, shall we say?
I told her that her nearest and
dearest were in danger.
Is that the extent of your
prediction?
I was right, wasn't I?
May I see this star chart, please?
No, sorry, it's confidential.
Confidential? It's on the front page
of the newspaper.
You're just drumming up business for
yourself.
I have had one or two extra bookings
on the strength of it.
Is it true you were with Catrina's
sister Mary the night she died?
Well, it was 15 years ago.
There was a party here. Mary left,
when home to Harry, her husband,
and that was the last we ever saw of
her.
Hm. Well, thank you. I'm sure we'll
be seeing you again soon.
But, presumably, you already knew
that.
I'm sorry you're not a believer,
Sergeant.
You should explore your star chart
one of these days.
The unexamined life is not worth
living.
I was fuming when I read it. I
phoned Mags, told her off a strip.
So her prediction was bogus, then?
No.
She did tell me someone very close
to me was in mortal danger.
Mags mentioned some domestic
troubles.
Jeremy and I...
Our marriage was never easy.
Jeremy didn't want a partner, he
wanted a mouse-wife who'd never
challenge him.
We found some emails on Jeremy's
phone,
about the University Observatory's
plans to extend onto Moonstone Ridge.
He went into my laptop,
found several letters I'd typed for
Lawrence about the plans.
That's why they were at loggerheads.
Is that the only reason?
Yes.
Look, Chief Inspector,
this funding problem, it's not
public.
There are delicate negotiations
involved.
About your sister Mary -
(BELL RINGS)
I don't know what happened to her.
Please excuse me.
Of course, and thank you for being so
frank with us.
She's lying.
How's that, sir?
What kind of husband searches through
his wife's email?
The kind that thinks she was having
an affair?
Wouldn't be the first time a
secretary and her boss had got
together.
Maybe it's Lawrence, then. Crime of
passion.
But it's weird, sir, Mags predicting
Jeremy's death like that,
and she knew you were a Scorpio.
Maybe she does have mystic powers.
Right. Harry the chemist next, sir.
Or Mags fulfilled her own prophecy to
boost her business.
What, Mags killed Jeremy?
Well, stranger things have happened
when the moon's full and the rent's
due.
I was studying the eclipse as part
of my PhD.
I just heard a scream and Jeremy was
lying there.
Awful.
You knew him?
From the Astronomical Society, yes.
Sorry, I need to get these
prescriptions out.
Fine. Thank you.
Here, just in case.
Thanks.
She works so hard, helping me out as
well as doing her studies.
Your daughter's name is...?
Gagan, short for Gagandipika -
lamp of the heavens.
She is the light of my life.
You were also up at the eclipse?
Yes, but I saw no more than she.
And she's your daughter from your
first wife, is that right?
My only wife.
Since Mary died I've been wedded to
a single life.
I understand there was some question
around her death.
Mary was at a party at the Dormers.
Jeremy was there.
Alcohol to them is what water is to
fish.
They all lie together about what
happened to Mary
and now that same astronomical set
has pulled in my daughter, Chief
Inspector.
I just can't believe it's happened.
No.
The police were here twice, asking
about you and Jeremy.
You didn't tell them about us?
No.
I thought that'd make them suspect
you more.
Suspect me?
Jeremy was a bumptious prat but -
(BELL RINGS)
(I certainly didn't kill him.)
You don't think I did it?
No.
I'm not accusing you, no, but -
But what?
That I no more killed Jeremy,
darling, than you did.
Course not.
I'm sorry, I...
Yeah, it's OK.
Though you were right not to mention
this to the police.
What good would it do, hm?
Come here.
And from the warrior into the
triangle.
And reach for the sky.
And back into the warrior.
Yes. And hold on the outward breath.
And relax. Sit, please.
We spoke last week of the three
rhythms of life.
The drawing of breath, the beats of
the heart,
the waves of the brain.
Today we will activate the third
chakra,
the energy of will, power, and self
confidence.
Place your palms on your stomach,
like so,
and rotate them gently clockwise.
And repeat: I am powerful.
CLASS: I am powerful.
I am the will of creating whatever I
desire.
I am the will of creating whatever I
desire.
I desire my tea and biscuits.
Quiet, please.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.
How are your spirits?
Struggling.
A walk and a talk later?
Yeah, I'd like that.
I'll call you.
Where are you going?
I'll be out tonight.
When will you be back?
Is this a quiz?
Don't be facetious.
I'll be back in my own good time.
(RUMBLING)
(HUMS)
(BEEP)
(CATRINA TREMBLES)
Come, you're shaking like an onion
paper.
Let me help you.
Please...Harry, don't.
I've loved you a long time and never
reached the end of hope.
And I respect you deeply but I
don't...
I'm in a mess.
I've been having an affair.
What?
My boss at the Observatory.
Lawrence Janson. The thing is,
I haven't told the police about him
and me.
I panicked, I was afraid they'd
think I was involved.
Involved?
Jeremy was...
I can't believe it was Lawrence.
Janson is a snake.
I don't know what to do.
You mind is muddled. You must think
straight.
Tell the police your fears.
Fate is not in the stars but in the
choices we make.
And a man can kill for love.
Reading your horoscope?
Uh-huh.
It says with your moon moving into
Libra and Venus squaring Saturn,
exp- uh! - expect the unexpected in
you and your partner's lovelife.
Oh, sounds promising.
What's Scorpio?
Erm... Jupiter and Saturn promise a
change in your beliefs today,
a spark of interest in a new
philosophy or spiritual tradition.
Oh! Complete twaddle.
Yoga! I told you this morning.
That you need to de-stress, learn to
meditate and visualise.
Do you think Sykes meditates when he
stares into space like that?
What's he thinking about?
Food.
(CHUCKLES) Probably.
All right, I'll try it, I will.
Really?
OK. Well, how about now? I can show
you.
No, no, not now.
Well, why not now?
Well, I'm...expecting the unexpected.
It's an eccentric orbit, it makes
calculations double difficult.
It's only five more days, George.
Have you processed the last data
sets I downloaded to you?
No, Jeremy was going to do that.
OK, I'm on it.
It said in the Mercury your wife
predicted Jeremy's death.
You don't want to believe everything
you read in the newspaper.
Do either of you know exactly what
happened? No more than you.
Do you think one of us killed him?
Maybe it was the Moonstone Curse
that did it, eh, Peter? Baaaa!
I'm frightened, OK? This is not
funny. Sorry!
Sorry. It's tragic, yeah, but stuff
happens.
It's nothing to do with us. No time
to lose our grip now, Gagan.
Now that Jeremy's gone we've got to
be
all for one and one for all, yeah?
That's right.
(BREAKING GLASS)
(FOOTSTEPS)
Oh, shit! Dad, I'm off, I'll miss my
bus.
OK, bye!
Gagan, your bag!
Damn it!
(HORN BLAST)
Going my way?
Can we catch up the bus?
Gagan!
I heard a crash of glass about 1am,
I called the police immediately.
So, what's missing? A spear-head
and the Moonstone Disc.
It's some kind of a...sun dial.
It's Bronze Age, circa 1600BC.
They could harmonize the lunar and
solar months back then by
orientating the disc.
Why steal those, especially?
Could be metal thieves, sir.
Some idiots had all the bronze
plaques off every park bench
in Causton last week.
And nothing else is missing?
I don't think so,
but I haven't checked upstairs.
There's red fibres on this broken
glass. Get it over to Forensics,
see if it's a match with what Kate
found on the rock that killed Jeremy.
Time to visit Lawrence again, sir?
No, I'm sure that he and Catrina will
deny any affair
and he'll certainly deny murder.
No, I want more before we tackle him
again.
I've read your thesis and I'm afraid
it just doesn't meet the required
standard.
Why? Well, frankly, there's a
profound shallowness to the work.
That's ridiculous, Lawrence. It's
because I've hit a nerve, isn't it?
Your book on the uncertainty
principle is fundamentally flawed
and my thesis proves it.
OK, let's keep the temperature down.
You may have a warp-speed mind and
more ideas than Einstein
but you lack academic discipline,
my dear.
I suggest you concentrate on a
subject you more fully comprehend.
Why didn't you stand up for me?
I've... I've known Lawrence for a
long time.
There's no point in challenging him
when his blood's up,
and he's under considerable
pressure. We all have pressure.
Look, don't repeat this, but
Lawrence is in trouble.
Panelsun are threatening to pull out
over plans to expand the
Observatory.
A thesis rubbishing his published
work is not going to help right now.
I'm not someone who goes along to
get along. I know.
But hold your nose, re-read his
book, and then we'll talk.
OK?
I was pinging for space bodies when
it cut out. You've blown a fuse.
You were with my daughter this
morning. I gave her a lift, yeah.
Were you with her last night? Alone
with her?
Hold on, Harry, just hang on.
You're up the wrong tree, matey.
Stay away, or I will give you more
than a verbal battering.
You wouldn't want a ticket to his
planet! What's his problem?
He's been like that about Gagan
since his wife died.
Why's he picking on me?
Well, you're a plumber, aren't you?
Oh, behave, George! I'm hardly
working my way through the female
population, am I?
Mysteries Of The Cosmos -
An Astrological Guide!
You're not beginning to believe,
are you? Just background.
Always been interested in planets,
constellations. Heavenly bodies?
For instance, did you know Uranus is
14 times bigger than the Earth?
Must we, Jones?
(CHUCKLES)
Oh, the report came back on Jeremy's
laptop.
Techies said there's lots of
downloads on it, but it's been
encrypted.
They're from Harry's daughter,
Gagan.
Star data, mathematical formulas,
some they can't even crack.
They're working on it.
These have just come back from
Forensics.
The fibres from the rock and those
from the break-in are identical,
some sort of hide-skin material, and
the red pigment is a match.
No prints lifted from the scene?
And so the likelihood is the
perpetrator was wearing hide-skin
gloves on both occasions.
That's all you're going to get.
But it does give us a tie-in
between the robbery and the murder.
Yeah, and I looked into Mary's
death, Catrina Harper's sister.
The pathologist believed the body
was moved after her death.
Extraneous bruising on her arms.
Accident or murder?
It was never resolved.
So, that's me. You haven't forgotten
my birthday bash.
Saturday, Half Moon Hotel. No, the
beer disposal squad will be there.
Wicked. Dress to kill.
It will be a late one, I was born
under a bad sign.
Remember, in the corpse position, to
let your feet fall out to the side.
Yes, Sarah, good.
Palms upward, Catrina.
Yes.
Now move your fingers and toes.
Bring yourselves back to the
present.
Knees to the chest. Slowly.
Roll to the side and up into the
seated position,
and salutations, well done.
Good class, everyone.
(SOBS)
Harry, may I have a word?
See you next week.
Bye.
Sorry, sometimes it just...
It must be so terrible.
I only met Jeremy that one time.
Thank you.
He and I were going to be working on
a story together, about the
Observatory.
What... What story?
I shouldn't say.
Was it about Panelsun threatening to
withdraw funding? Who told you that?
Just something I heard. You
shouldn't repeat idle gossip, it can
do a lot of damage!
It's not true, then?
No, it isn't!
Excuse me.
Who did tell you that?
Oh, rumours from the observatory
canteen.
(PHONE RINGS)
Lawrence Janson. Oh, hi, this is
Tanya Walker,
deputy editor, Midsomer Mercury,
hello.
I have a few questions for you,
Doctor Janson,
perhaps we could arrange a meeting.
You were working with Jeremy Harper
before he died, weren't you?
Sending him encrypted information.
Yes.
Not observatory date, surely?
Why encrypted? Was it secret,
confidential?
The director, Lawrence, doesn't
approve of making our data available
to amateurs.
So you were trying to conceal what
you were doing? It's crazy.
The information is there, why not
use it? It's just data sharing.
Not data theft, then, because that
would be an offence.
Look, I'm sure we can sort this out
internally.
Please.
If you say so.
While we're on the subject of theft,
where were you from midnight to
1:30am yesterday morning?
Why? Because Stanton Museum was
broken into.
Are you accusing me?
Calm down.
She was here. We were on night duty,
working on observations together.
Right. Well, that's all I need to ask
you for now.
Thank you.
Thank you, Chief Inspector.
Sorry, and thanks.
I'll have to talk this over with
Lawrence. Oh, he's going to love it!
He'll kill me for this.
Can I ask who told you this?
You can ask,
but we journalists never reveal our
sources. Hm!
Tanya - may I call you Tanya?
I appreciate it's your job to sell
papers.
It's my job to keep the observatory
on track. Yes, of course.
You see, if our main funder pulls
out,
other funders could follow suit and
there'd be no observatory.
It'll close down?
Look, I'm begging you, Tanya,
just put this on hold and in a few
days
I'll give you the whole story and
more. There's more?
Listen, you stupid woman, this is
business-sensitive information.
I've invested my whole career in
this place and won't see you and
your grubby rag bring it down.
I'll just say that you deny the
story, then, is that right?
No. No. A denial in the press is the
kiss of death.
(DOOR OPENS)
What's he doing here?
Fixing the boiler.
I asked Peter here so that you and I
wouldn't be alone.
He was listening in.
I couldn't help overhearing, now.
Ooh, I'll have to print the story
now!
There wouldn't be a story if Jeremy
and the rest had kept out of it.
This is our village.
Who do you think you are, coming out
of nowhere and lording it?
You've got a surprise coming, a big
surprise.
Astronomical science begins where
your amateur stargazing ends.
The future of my observatory will be
threatened over my dead body.
Can I quote you on that?
Print one word of this
and you'll live to regret it!
(Thanks.)
How did you get the lowdown on
Lawrence? Oh, a-ha!
He's ruthless. You tread carefully
now we've crossed him.
I'm not wearing a leotard.
Harry says that the breath is what
it's all about.
So, put your right leg in a bit and
your left leg out.
No, no, no, this in and left out.
In-out, in-out, shake it all about?
Be serious. OK, now lie down.
(WHIMPERS)
Palms up.
OK, now breathe in.
And breathe out.
(AUDIBLE BREATH)
Just give way.
Give way.
Aw...
What are you thinking about?
My driving instructor,
she had exactly that tone of voice.
(Stop it!)
OK, breathe, and feel the weight of
your body.
And breathe.
(SYKES WHIMPERS)
(SNORES)
(CLANG AND RUMBLE)
The police have just called me. Were
you aware Gagan has been downloading
data to the amateurs?
Not till today.
You're running a leaky ship, Adrian.
Someone's also leaked to the press
about the Moonstone Ridge extension.
Have you told anyone? Well,
I did mention it to Gagan,
after your disgraceful display in
response to her thesis.
Then why the hell - I felt she
deserved some explanation.
I informed her of the pressure
you're under.
So she's taken revenge because I
dissed her lousy thesis.
She's upset, she's not vindictive.
Rejection's hard to take sometimes,
Lawrence. She's a thief.
Tell her I want to see her my office
tomorrow morning. I'm her tutor.
I'll talk to her.
All right. But we need damage
limitation.
I'm meeting Panelsun next week.
Calm down. I'm sure all this is just
temporary blip.
Nothing endures like the temporary.
We need to keep a lid on this.
We need to ensure Gagan is silenced.
(LAWRENCE'S FOOTSTEPS TAP ON THE
METAL STAIRWELL)
(TWIGS SNAP, THE BUSHES RUSTLE)
Who's there?
That's the spearhead that was stolen
from the museum tearooms.
The entry wound angle suggests that
the spear struck him
while he was standing and he then
collapsed.
Could he have pulled the spear out
himself?
That's possible. It'd be an
instinctive reaction.
But I suspect that it had pierced
the left ventricle.
He wouldn't survive that.
There's red fibres on the spearhead.
So Jeremy's murder wasn't just a
one-off, then.
(SIGHS) The body's been moved.
Positioned carefully. Look at the
legs. The arm.
The spear lying above his head like
that.
Something to do with the killer's
MO? Usually it's a challenge.
'Catch me if you can'. Can I have
your clipboard? Of course, sir.
Thank you.
I've found Peter's work diary, sir.
His last call was at Tanya Walker's
who I think works at the Mercury.
Well done. You pay a visit to Tanya
at the Mercury.
Hold everything, Tanya. Peter Groves
has been killed. What? When?
Last night. The milkman found him
this morning and he rang George.
The police are up at Peter's place
now. That's terrible. I know.
But pull yourself together, Tanya.
He was killed with a spear.
Which is amazing, because according
to his chart,
Mars is in the ascendant.
Mars. The God of War. Whose symbol
is what?
A spear!
That's weird. You might almost say
it's predictable.
You might even say that I foretold
his death.
(SNORTS)
Make a cracking headline.
All right. All right.
We'll go with it.
And then I want you to predict dark
times ahead for Stanton.
I've found out that the observatory
might lose its funding.
There's 20-odd villagers who work up
there who will lose their jobs.
I'll say the observatory is on the
skids and your predictions
were spot on.
Oh, that's perfect. Poor Peter.
Yeah, but this is career gold,
Tanya. Cheer up.
Before you know it, we'll be on the
national news.
The Sun, The Star. The sky's the
limit!
Tanya Walker? Yes.
I'm Detective Sergeant Jones.
Causton CID.
Sorry, I'm in a tearing hurry. Lunch
in town with my editor.
I understand Peter Groves was at
your house last night. Yes.
He fixed my boiler.
What time did he leave?
About half seven.
I appreciate you're investigating
his murder.
Who told you he was murdered?
Mags. Mystic Mags.
In fact, she predicted it.
Extraordinary.
You can read about it in tomorrow's
Mercury.
(RADIO IN BACKGROUND)
RADIO: Local plumber Peter Grove was
found early this morning.
Foul play is suspected.
Police haven't issued a statement
yet.
Gentlemen, come inside.
Inspector!
I'll join you in a moment.
Any idea who killed Peter?
You suspect someone? Yes.
Harry.
The chemist. He had a set-to with
Peter yesterday.
He thought he was banging his
daughter, Gagan.
And I saw Harry a few nights back up
on Moonstone Ridge
with Jeremy's wife Catrina.
Is this to do with the death of Mary
Dutta, Harry's wife?
You and Jeremy were there at the
party on the night she died,
weren't you?
Her body was moved, I understand.
Apparently. Nothing happened at the
party, I swear.
But Harry's always blaming us.
Now he thinks that something like
that is gonna happen to Gagan. Mad.
Hm. Almost as mad as Mags claiming to
have predicted
both Jeremy and Peter's murders.
She's an astrologist. She despises
us as amateur star watchers.
Mags is a charlatan but it pays the
rent.
Where were you last night, George?
There was a transit of Venus.
I was here. All night. It keeps me
out of the house.
Have a good look at Harry,
Chief Inspector.
Something's snapped. I'm telling
you.
He's lost it.
There you are. Mars is in the
ascendant in the Eighth House
of Peter's zodiac.
That's it? You're calling that
a prediction in tomorrow's paper?
And I warned Peter about it.
He would tell you. If he wasn't
dead.
Yes.
Did you know that I know your gran?
What? Your gran.
She came to see me last week
for a reading.
She told me your birth date and that
you were born...
Hang on. I don't need my stars read.
Ooh, yes you do. I can tell. You're
curious. We all are.
No. No. I'm not.
Your birth date, anybody's birth
date, is like the vintages of wine.
Some are priceless. Some are plonk.
So what's mine come out as, then?
Oh. Oh, I see. You are curious.
Well, astrology is like soul gazing.
I mean, is there nothing that you
would really, really like to know?
Yeah. Who's gonna win the 3:30 at
Ascot?
I could tell you something more
important that that.
I could tell you your fate.
(GATE CREAKS)
(BELL TOLLS)
Police. Quick! Please!
Stay away, I've called the police.
Police? I wasn't following you.
OPERATOR: Are you there?
I was out for a run. Stay back.
You're getting paranoid. You're out
of your depth.
Can you hear me, madam?
And soon you'll be out of a job...
Tanya.
Are you all right, madam?
No. Sorry. I'm fine. It's a false
alarm.
So, Sarah tells me you've been
meditating, Inspector.
Yes. Loving it.
Excellent.
I understand you had an altercation
with Peter Groves yesterday.
Yes. Hot words were exchanged.
Do you have daughters, gentlemen?
No.
Then you will not know.
You try and keep your eyes on them
but you cannot cover every corner of
the universe. Gagan is 21.
A dangerous age for a woman.
Men have come little further since
we lived up trees.
They are all stones made from the
same mountain.
So, you accused Peter of consorting
with her?
Yes. I had to intervene.
No use letting your house get on
fire then digging away.
No. I suppose not.
Did Peter tell you of this argument
or was it George?
Yes.
George was there.
And where were you after 7:30 last
night, Harry?
I was alone. Contemplating.
These are dark times, Inspector. The
Kali Yoga Cycle.
But it will be followed by the Cycle
of Light.
The Age of Aquarius. Jeremy and
Peter won't be here to enjoy it.
Oh yes, they will. We are all born
again.
To die is nothing. Just a step
towards rebirth.
Do you think he seriously believes
in rebirth and all that?
Oh, Harry's deadly serious. It's
basic to his faith.
I didn't know you'd gone all yogic,
sir.
Meditating? It was Sarah's idea.
Blue sky thinking. You should try
it, Jones.
(BUSHES RUSTLE)
Hello?
Is somebody there?
That's the Moonstone Disc stolen from
the museum with the spearhead.
He's honed the edges. Razor sharp.
Lethal weapon.
Sliced open his carotid artery.
Cause of death? Well, there wasn't a
great deal of blood
so it's possible he had a cardiac
arrest triggered by the attack.
He's obese. Time of death?
Between 10 and midnight.
I won't know exactly till I get him
back on the slab.
Looks like the same red fibres on
the murder weapon.
It's the same hand did this.
I don't doubt it.
The body's not been positioned like
the previous victim.
The rock, the spearhead and now this
disc.
All from Moonstone Ridge. Maybe
that's the signature.
The neighbours are pretty spooked,
sir.
Think these murders are to do with
the Moonstone Curse.
They were all in bed behind locked
doors. Saw nothing. Heard nothing.
Mags found the body this morning.
Pop in and ask her where she was
between 10 and midnight.
Think she's a possible, sir?
Well, she claims to have predicted
two murders.
And now her husband's turned up
dead.
So you were in here between 10 and
midnight?
Er...I...I...
I'm sorry.
Take your time.
Er...well, I was working.
I didn't hear a thing.
And George was alone in the shed?
Alone with a bottle of whisky. Yes.
George has been back on the drink
ever since Jeremy died.
He used to be a big boozer.
George was the reason that pubs
invented closing time.
Yup. There. See?
I logged off at 3:22am.
Actually, I was casting your star
chart.
Would you like to see it? No, thank
you.
You should. It's very interesting.
You have a lot to look forward to.
See.
Venus is passing through your 11th
House just now
turning on your love light.
You need to get your affairs in
order.
I'm not having an affairs. Well, you
will soon.
You'll have a close encounter with
one you have been fantasizing about.
Er...a female colleague at work?
Possibly.
Oh? And the 11. The number 11 is
significant.
Is it a house number? Or the
alphabet?
A,B,C,D,E,F... Does the letter K
mean anything?
Does it describe her?
Sadly, the elements don't often
reveal the physical but...
..you should take extra care this
weekend with your appearance.
Let your passion shine through.
(MOBILE RINGS)
Excuse me.
Yes, sir.
Yeah, I'll be with you in a tick.
Erm...I have to go.
Why don't you take this with you?
Thanks. Be immortal for as long as
you live, Sergeant.
Because nothing is more certain in
life than that it will end in death.
See you at the weekend, Kate.
I hope so.
Oh, there's something... I just
can't...
Let it go, John. There's something
I'm missing about the killer's
signature.
I just can't... I can't see it.
My head's spinning. So you need to
calm down.
Be still and clear your mind.
Yeah. Yeah. Just try and visualize,
OK?
So the Earth is rotating at 1,000
miles per hour.
Which spinning at 60,000 miles an
hour around the sun.
Which is travelling at 500,000 miles
an hour through the universe.
How does that make you feel?
Even dizzier.
Darling, this is useless unless you
go with it.
Open your mind to it. Give me your
hands.
Right. Take a deep breath with me.
(BOTH INHALE AND EXHALE)
Now close your eyes and visualize.
Can you feel the energy flowing?
Yes, a definite rush of blood.
(SYKES BARKS)
Quiet, Sykes.
Close your eyes. I don't think we
need an audience for this,
do we, darling?
No, we don't.
(MOBILE TRILLS)
Yes, Jones.
No. I'll handle it.
Sorry.
Sorry.
Well, Sykesy, it's you and me
again.
What are we doing up here?
I always come up to the Ridge to do
my thinking.
Talk to my mum.
This is where they found her.
What's this about?
I'm frightened. He's killed Jeremy,
Peter and George.
He'll come after me. Who'll come
after you?
Lawrence. I'm sure it's him.
Why would he do that?
The four of us had been working
together for nearly a year.
Using the data I downloaded.
Jeremy had spotted light variations
on a distant star some time ago.
You've lost me. What does that mean?
It suggests something is orbiting.
Coming between the star and us.
Momentarily. As it passes.
Something like what? A planet.
We believed we'd discovered a new
planet orbiting a distant star.
And you kept that a secret? Why?
We were waiting for confirmation.
For its transit to come back round.
It's due to pass again some time
tomorrow.
Who else knew about this?
No-one. Just us four.
But maybe Lawrence found out what we
had discovered.
The last thing he'd want is me and a
bunch of amateurs finding a new
planet.
He despises me!
I'm terrified.
Morning, Sir. How did it go with
Gagan?
She's convinced this is Lawrence.
Leave that and go and find him,
Jones.
Get him in for questioning.
Yes, sir.
He's in Birmingham at a conference.
He'll be back later this afternoon.
Ask him to give me a call, will you?
Certainly. Thanks.
(TAPS IN NUMBERS ON PHONE)
Lawrence, the police were here to
speak to you.
No, I told them nothing about it.
You disappoint me. What are you
talking about?
I found these prophylactics in your
bag the other day.
You searched my bag? They fell out
before me.
As if by fate. Warning me.
It's none of your business.
I know a young woman feels the urge
to merge...
I don't want to discuss it!
Was it Peter?
Was it him? I saw you going with
him.
Peter was gay and very happy about
it.
I can't be doing with this, Dad.
Peter is dead and I'm freaked, OK?
I stole stuff from the observatory.
Stole? It was data. Knowledge.
You said knowledge should be shared
by all. You should have told me.
It was a secret. But nothing else
was going on there between us, Dad.
I promise you.
Gagan, don't get upset.
It's just that I have to care for
you. It's my duty to your mother.
I promised to her spirit.
Look, I've got a tutorial
with Adrian. Can I borrow the car?
Yes. Yes, of course.
Thanks, Dad.
Love you.
Lawrence was furious. He's convinced
you leaked to the press
and you and the village amateurs are
hell-bent
on bringing him and the observatory
down.
There's hardly any members of the
Astronomical Society left.
They've all been murdered.
I think I know who by.
Who?
I can't tell you.
I'm frightened. Of course you are.
We all are.
These deaths are a terrifying
tragedy.
They're nothing to do with you.
I'm certain.
I'm sorry to lay this on you.
I'm glad you have.
I'd better go. Why? Where are you
going?
I need a thinking walk on the Ridge.
Talk to Mum.
Well, be careful. Thanks.
These murder weapons - the rock,
spear and the disc...
Hush, Jones. I'm trying to
visualize.
Sorry, sir.
I wonder.
The Moonstone disc and the picture
in the museum catalogue are
different.
Can you see? No.
On the disc, the murder weapon,
there's an arrangement of gold dots.
Which is barely visible in
the photograph in the catalogue.
Yeah. You're right.
So the dots on the disc must have
been polished up
after the disc was stolen.
This is the outline of Peter's body
as it was found.
This is the pattern of the dots that
now appear on the disc.
That's the same pattern.
These aren't just dots, Jones.
These are stars.
This is a constellation.
The constellation of Scorpio.
My sign.
This is classical serial killer
behaviour.
The killer didn't start with the
signature game
until after the first murder.
'Catch me if you can'.
Bring up the suspect profiles.
See if there's a Scorpio birthday
amongst them.
October 24th to November 21st.
Harry, no. Adrian, no. Trina, no.
Yes. Lawrence. His is a Scorpio
birth date.
Hang on, sir. Mags is a Scorpio too.
Ah. Right.
Lawrence will have to keep till he
comes back from his conference.
Mags we can tackle now.
I told you. I didn't see what
happened to Jeremy.
And you've no alibi for the time of
Peter's death
or your husband George's.
I was here. I got the impression
you and George weren't exactly
a marriage made in heaven. No.
As the old joke goes,
'I can remember our wedding as if it
were yesterday
if it were tomorrow, I wouldn't turn
up'.
Were you aware that George, Jeremy
and Peter believed
they'd discovered a new planet with
Gagan? No.
He never said anything like that.
Of course, George had been in a
black hole lately.
He was drinking like in the old
days.
You are a Scorpio.
Oh, yes.
Secretive, passionate...
..dangerous.
We are both all of those things,
Inspector.
You told me that in the days after
the eclipse, chaos prevails.
And look what happened. I mean, the
Zodiac doesn't lie.
Three murders. Mary's death 15
years.
If you know any secret, any
betrayal,
that must out, now is the time to be
true to your stars.
I did some more digging on Lawrence,
sir.
Checked the local who's who on the
Mercury website.
He's more than just a jogger.
He won last year's Midsomer
athletics decathlon.
So? Well, there are 10 events in the
decathlon, right? Yeah.
Most are running events
but three are the shot put, the
javelin and the discus.
OK.
Our three murder weapons are a rock
as heavy as a shot put,
a spear and the moonstone disc.
And he's a Scorpio.
Gagan was convinced he'd found out
about their discovery of a new
planet.
Maybe he's trying to get the kudos
anyway he can.
It's possible.
And if Lawrence is back from his
conference, let's put it to him.
Right.
According to the Mercury, you won
last year's decathlon
at the Midsomer Games.
Yes, that's right.
And you were at the eclipse on
Moonstone Ridge
when Jeremy Harper was killed.
Along with everyone else.
I've already told you this, haven't
I, Chief Inspector? Yes, sir.
You were having an affair with
Jeremy's wife, weren't you? Was I?
Jeremy found out, didn't he? That's
why he threatened your funding.
I don't think so, Sergeant.
Well, let's talk about Peter Groves,
then.
Tanya Walker says you had an
altercation with him at her house
the night he died.
A robust discussion.
I was actually quite fond of Peter.
He had an interest in the extra
terrestrial.
Did you know that Jeremy, Peter,
George and Gagan
believed they'd discovered a new
planet.
No.
No. It's news to me. I had no idea.
Oh, you knew. You were openly
hostile to the local amateurs.
Three of whom are now dead.
Is that an accusation?
It's an observation. George Dormer
was killed two days ago between the
hours of 10 and midnight.
Where were you, Doctor? Emergency
meeting with the executors
from Panelsun International and the
University Board discussing funding.
The meeting was due to finish at
11pm but went on till 1pm
before we reached agreement.
I'm sure they'll vouch for me.
I did not kill Jeremy or Peter or
George.
This conversation, I think, is
over.
She phoned me yesterday and said she
was going to go up north
to see her uncle but she...er...
made a no-show there.
I called all night. No answer.
And you found the car here this
morning?
I was frantic. I drove around
everywhere.
When exactly did you last see her?
Yesterday afternoon, she went to see
her tutor Adrian.
You should...er... You should
question him. Why is that?
He and Gagan...
..I saw them together at his
cottage.
Sir!
Excuse me.
It's a scorpion, sir.
Found it in the car. They think it's
harmless.
It's been left here as a signature,
then.
Not an attempt to kill Gagan.
Anything else?
All the electrics in the car have
failed.
The battery's drained. It's like one
of my gran's tales. Spooky, eh?
Just been moonstruck, Jones?
Something out there?
No, the lights were left on.
It could be that, couldn't it?
Gagan is missing, Professor. Her car
was found abandoned.
Missing? Her father says that she
visited you here yesterday.
She...er... She did, yes.
She was very upset.
Do you usually hold tutorials at
your cottage?
Work so intimately with your
students?
Closely. Yes.
Mathematics requires intense focus.
But you are particularly close to
Gagan.
I admire her.
Her father says it's more than that.
He saw you here with her yesterday.
What? How?
Is it true?
She... She did have something of a
crush on me. Yes.
It happens with students.
It's no more than that.
She kissed me goodbye and left.
Did she say where she was going?
On to the Ridge for a walk.
(MOBILE RINGS)
Sorry. I need to take this.
Hi. Just hang on a sec.
For the record, what time did she
leave you here yesterday?
Er...about four o'clock. You haven't
seen or heard from her since? No.
Gagan is very special.
She's my star pupil, Inspector.
I do hope you can find her unharmed.
(KETTLE WHISTLES)
Is she with you now?
OK. We'll be 10 minutes.
Mystic Mags just walked into the
station. Says she wants to confess.
Officers present - DCI Barnaby and
DS Jones.
Suspect present - Margaret Dormer.
Ah, well, it all started at a party
at our house. All those years ago.
What happened? Erm...
We drank enough between us to fill a
bath.
George, Jeremy and Mary and me.
And she and I got into a stupid row.
About what? Oh.
She was a keen astronomer. She said
that what I did was hogwash.
I shouted. She pushed me and I
grabbed her.
She tripped and fell down the
stairs.
She was dead.
I didn't mean to.
It was a complete accident.
We all agreed to say that Mary had
been fine when she left the party.
And then George took the body on to
the Ridge.
And you all stuck to that story?
When you start something like that,
there's no stop button, is there?
You were right, Inspector. I read my
chart.
It was written in the stars.
I know you think I'm batty. Living
on a different planet.
But, I mean, is the world you live
in really any saner?
I doubt whether the CPS will
prosecute Mags.
Both key witnesses are dead.
Whoever killed them and Peter has
been muddying the waters
and playing games with us.
The weapons. The Scorpio signatures.
Sir. What? Gagan's mobile provider
sent through a list of her calls.
Her last call was yesterday. 4:45 to
Adrian.
He told me his last contact with her
was at four o'clock.
Well, that's a lie.
So she called Harry to tell him she
was heading up north
then she called Adrian to tell him
she was leaving.
Yes. Yes!
The first time I met Adrian, he
talked about the Uncertainty
Principle.
He said how we look at things
affects what we believe we see.
We have been steered to look at this
so that we would believe
that Lawrence is our man.
Adrian's boss.
But Adrian has an alibi for the
night the Moonstone Disc was stolen.
He gave Gagan that alibi when I was
quizzing her about stealing data.
They were lovers. She thought he was
covering for her.
Actually, he was creating an alibi
for himself.
We need to find Gagan now.
And pray that she's still alive.
I'm sorry it had to be like this.
I'd hoped we might collaborate.
You knew about the new planet all
along?
I hacked your computer but
I couldn't locate the exact star
you'd been monitoring.
You killed people, Adrian.
Just to get the glory of claiming a
new discovery.
What about me? I needed you alive,
Gagan.
I've been chasing shadows.
Show me the star.
(DOOR HATCH OPENS)
No sign of him.
Come and look at this.
In one of the sheds.
There. There.
The light's dipped.
Definite transit.
Congratulations.
Her coat. You were right, sir.
As soon as Adrian knew she was
headed up north, he grabbed her.
Well, where are they?
The planet. The new planet.
Gagan said its orbit would be
confirmed tonight.
The observatory. No. No. Too public.
The Astrodome. Moonstone Ridge.
You can claim the planet. I don't
care.
I'll say nothing. I swear.
I could trust you.
This could be our planet.
But I trusted Lawrence once. He was
my student. My star pupil.
Just like you.
And he cheated me of the
directorship. Please, Adrian!
That's Adrian's car.
Check in the Astrodome.
I'll call my new planet Gagandipika
in memory of you.
This is madness. No.
No. Adrian!
Open up! Open up! Police!
Police! Open up!
Adrian, open the door now!
Open up! Police!
Open up! Open the door!
Open up!
Open the door!
That's him. Go get him. Please!
Gagan! Gagan!
Gagan, can you hear me?!
(ENGINE TURNS OVER BUT DOESN'T SPARK
INTO LIFE)
Start, damn you! Start!
It's not going anywhere, Adrian.
And neither are you.
I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry.
It's OK. You're safe now.
Weird how Adrian's car wouldn't
start.
The Moonstone Curse, sir. Could be.
Or it could be that I nicked
the rotor arm out of his engine.
Home.
Are you going out on an undercover
job?
No, it's Kate's birthday, sir.
Ah. She said come dressed to kill.
What do you think? I'm sure you'll
knock 'em dead.
You left this in the car. So, you
had Mags do your chart?
No. No. It's a wind-up. It's
rubbish. Got my details off my gran.
Oh, I thought it was interesting.
She predicts a close encounter for
you this weekend.
Yeah. I'll probably crash the car.
(CHUCKLES)
So you're not up for this, then?
Erm...no. Sarah and I thought we'd
have a quiet night in.
Just the two of us and a scented
candle.
Well, have a good one.
You too, Jones.
Whatever fate awaits you.
itfc subtitles
Star chart?
No, thank you.
Thank you.
(CHATTER)
Your lenses fit in the eye sockets.
They are a bargain - ?3.50. (SCOFFS)
And you can watch the eclipse on the
viewing card there.
It's dangerous to look directly at
the sun.
And you mustn't use binoculars or a
telescope without one of these
filters, all right?
Free, courtesy of the observatory.
Thank you!
Star chart reading, Professor?
Every life's an uncertain mystery,
just waiting to be solved.
No, thank you. Believe it or leave
it but give it a read. Right.
Peter!
Have you seen Jeremy? He's in the
astrodome, I think. Right.
..Stars oscillation is inversely
proportional to the square root of
its density.
So, when the - You've lost me,
Gagan, I'm having complete brain
failure.
It's great. When was the astrodome
built, Jeremy?
1936 by Tom Stanton, a local
landowner.
He was a keen amateur astronomer. Is
it still being used by the amateurs?
Yes, although -
Ahem!
We need to speak.
In private.
Catch me later. I've got a much
bigger story for you.
No consultation, no discussion, just
sheer damned arrogance.
You should have come to me before
firing off letters!
I will write to who the hell I like.
You've crossed a line, Jeremy. Keep
your nose out.
It's not going to happen, Lawrence.
The university has no right.
Darling?
Don't darling me.
What's going on?
Does he know?
No. He's got that to come.
Gagan.
Amazing. How weird is that?
Ominously strange.
(BIRDSONG)
(WOMAN SCREAMS)
(SCREAM)
It's over there, I think.
What is it, what's up?
There!
Here you go, sir.
His wife Katrina is up there.
The other lady is Margaret Dormer,
known as Mystic Mags,
does readings, star chart stuff.
The rock cracked his head open like
a coconut. Feel the weight.
That Mystic Mags says it's a
meteorite.
Who's going to believe that?
It's possible.
This has a magnetic end.
(CLICK CONTACT)
Huh! See? Could be a meteorite.
It will need testing. And there are
traces of red fibre.
Gloves, or maybe some sort of
material used to wrap the rock
before wielding it.
Peter Groves, a local plumber, says
Jeremy had a row with Lawrence
Janson,
director of the university
observatory.
Doesn't know what about, though.
OK, bag and tag everything and get it
over to Forensics.
Thank you, madam.
Oh, Chief Inspector Barnaby.
Have we met before? I've seen your
picture in the paper times enough.
I work for the Mercury.
I do the horoscopes, births,
marriages and...deaths.
What can you tell me about Mr
Harper's death?
(SIGHS) During a total eclipse of
the sun...chaos prevails.
For days, secrets and betrayals will
out.
And what exactly did you see?
The sun had gone and then I heard a
sort of er...a crack
then a thud and I looked down.
He was lying...dead.
Moonstone Ridge is cursed.
Really?
With all your powers of divination,
perhaps you can tell me who did this.
No.
No, I foretell the future,
Inspector.
The past, and all its mysteries, is
your department.
What are we going to do?
Will you wait! How long?
I calculate seven days, then we'll
know for sure.
Gagan!
My dad.
Run me to the university, Pete.
Like, now.
Gagan!
Have a day off, Harry, will you?
My gran used to tell us bedtime
stories about the curse of Moonstone
Ridge.
What is this curse?
Strange visitors, she said. Cars
conking out suddenly,
people moonstruck, like the walking
dead. Scared us sleepless.
I've given Jeremy's laptop and
mobile to your people.
Thank you, Mrs Harper. Are you sure
you're OK to answer a few questions
for us?
I'm fine.
So, you and your husband Jeremy ran
the tea rooms?
And the museum. We live here on a
sort of grace and favour basis.
Jeremy's...WAS chair of the parish
council.
Tom Stanton, that's him in the
photo, left the place to the parish
to house his bits and pieces.
Ah, the Stanton Bequest.
Yes.
He also gifted Moonstone Ridge, the
Stanton Astrodome and the land for
the university observatory.
I work there part time. Secretary to
the director, Lawrence Janson.
What can you tell us about him?
He's a workaholic. The observatory's
his life.
It says here these rocks are lunar
fragments.
There was a meteor shower up on the
Ridge many moons ago.
The spear heads and the moonstone
discs were also found up there.
It's a Bronze Age site.
Your husband was also an enthusiastic
astronomer. A passionate amateur.
Wedded to star watching. Chair of
the Astronomical Society
and the Heritage Society.
Jeremy always had more pies than
fingers to put in them.
He liked to run things.
Peter Groves, the plumber. He said
he witnessed a row between
your husband and Lawrence Janson at
the eclipse.
Yes.
It was...
Sorry.
Would you like to stop?
No, no! I...
This is hard.
You see, my sister Mary was found
dead up on the Ridge. Years ago.
I...
I'm sorry.
(BELL RINGS)
You question Peter again.
I'll tackle Lawrence.
And look into the death of her
sister.
If the rock that killed Jeremy was a
lunar fragment,
like those in the museum, you could
say he'd been moonstruck.
Hm? The Moonstone Curse, sir, maybe
there's something in it.
So, Delta P equals MPC cubed,
which also equals the sum of delta
by the sum of MPC equals delta by MC
squared to the power of two
over MPC cubed, where MP is mass of
the proton and D is energy.
Very interesting. Let me have a read
of your thesis and I'll get back to
you.
That's all.
Great. Yes.
Thanks, Lawrence.
You encouraging her in this?
No, it's all her own work.
The girl has a brain the size of a
planet. And an ego to match.
The arrogance of youth, perhaps.
But such an elegant critique of your
theory.
This is no time for anything that
undermines me or the prestige of the
observatory
and you know the trouble we're in
since Harper shot his mouth off.
That's an administrative problem.
Gagan's mathematics are consummate.
Pure science!
That's all that matters to me.
So, what's a plumber doing with a
dish like that? A radio telescope,
bounces deep space signals back into
the feed.
Signals from what? Stars, planets,
galaxies. Little brown dwarfs.
Any little green men been in touch?
There's a billion galaxies in the
multiverse, Sergeant.
Odds on someone's trying to reach
us.
You really believe that?
We've had UFOs on Moonstone Ridge.
And then, of course, there are the
visitors.
What sort of visitors?
Extra-terrestrials.
Moon-like faces, or so they say.
(WEARY SIGH)
You told me you'd seen Jeremy having
an argument with Lawrence Janson
before he was murdered. Yeah.
I've no idea what about.
You were friends with Jeremy,
though, in the astronomy society.
I think 'friends' is over-egging it.
Never really got close to Jeremy.
We worked on stuff together. Him,
George Dormer, Gagan and me.
Analysing data sets from space
missions. Telescope downloads.
Can you think of any reason why
someone would want to kill him?
He was a top-class pain.
But no, it's probably just some
nutter. There's plenty of them out
there.
Yeah, I meet a lot of them in my
line of work.
(CLOSE ENCOUNTERS RINGTONE)
Sorry, ET calling. Excuse me.
Aquarian Systems. Ah, yes, hello
there...
Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby.
Lawrence Janson, Director.
This is Professor Adrian Sharp.
Hello.
Ah! Are you familiar with the
uncertainty principle, Chief
Inspector?
Um...I'm not really sure!
(CHUCKLES)
Prime law of quantum physics -
how you look at things affects what
you believe you see.
That's also the first law of criminal
investigation, Professor.
Ah, yes. Just one moment.
Doctor Janson, I understand you had
an argument with Jeremy Harper
on Moonstone Ridge just before the
eclipse. Er, yes.
Handbags at ten paces stuff. Jeremy
was always picking a fight.
About what?
He was hostile to certain
developments we have in mind for the
Ridge.
Er...Chief Inspector, the rock your
forensics people sent us for
examination.
It's definitely a meteorite.
I'll leave you with Adrian, Chief
Inspector.
It has a dark crust caused by the
friction heat of atmospheric entry.
Very dense matter, probably iron and
nickel.
There's megatons of metal floating
about out there.
Carbon compressed to its deepest
density, sucked into black holes.
Which is probably where our own
planet will end its days.
A cheery thought.
Depends how you look at it.
In the final analysis, we're all
stardust.
Jones, find out some more about
Lawrence Janson.
Oh, and erm, check out Panelsun
International while you're about it.
Where's the damn story, Tanya,
where's the grabby headline?
Well, it's a murder, Mr Clough.
That's yesterday's news.
It's going to be all over the telly.
Get ahead of the curve!
You should be digging, not sat in
here bump-starting your brain.
Yes, Mr Clough. I'll find a story.
You couldn't find your backside with
the light on, Tanya.
And as for you, Mystic Mags, our
readers don't want all this guff
about 'global community of awakened
souls'.
They want to know if they're going
to cop off with a tall dark stranger
who's heaven on earth. Spice
it up, love! Right, got you, yes.
This newspaper is on the edge.
Simple as a pimple, ladies,
boost circulation or your future is
going to be in the past.
The pair of you.
Philistine!
(DOOR SLAMS)
(SCOFFS) Oh, but he's right.
We need a new angle on this murder
story.
OK.
I have got an idea which I think
will raise a few eyebrows.
Take a look at this.
Anything more on Peter the plumber?
He's on a planet with the pixies,
sir.
Spent most of the time talking about
extra-terrestrial life.
Ah, the Goldilocks zone.
Not heard of it, Jones?
Are we on the three bears now?
(CHUCKLES)
The theory that life may exist on a
habitable planet somewhere out there,
one that's not too small and not too
big and not too hot and not too cold,
but just right.
Huh.
Lawrence Janson took over the
Observatory three years ago.
And Panelsun International?
He brought them in.
Big solar energy company, very
green, environmentalist outfit.
They gifted the Observatory a three
year grant of two million quid.
So, that funding's up for renewal.
Could be, yeah.
And I ran through Jeremy's mobile.
There's a few threatening emails on
there to Lawrence. Threatening what?
Apparently, Jeremy got wind that
Lawrence planned to close down the
old Stanton Astrodome
and build a new university facility
on part of Moonstone Ridge.
Jeremy wrote to Panelsun and
threatened a mass campaign against it.
Oh, so that's what their row was
about then.
Lawrence would be furious, Jeremy was
threatening his funding.
And I read through the files on
Catrina's sister, Mary.
She was married to Harmendra Dutta,
a local chemist.
Her body was found on Moonstone
Ridge 15 years ago.
Kate's checking the pathology
reports. There were suspicions -
Have you seen the paper, Jones?
'Mercury's Mystic Mags predicted
Murder on Moonstone Ridge.'
Mystic Mags told our reporter that
Jeremy Harper's death
was written in the stars.
That's baloney.
She was standing closest to Jeremy
when he was killed.
Maybe she knows more than she's said.
Why did you do it?
I had to.
It's murder, Mags.
If the police start digging into the
past who knows where it will lead?
They won't find out.
How can they?
It's not a clever stroke to pull.
Not clever at all.
Have you put my diary somewhere?
It's in the hall by the phone.
Ah, there it is.
Thank you, darling.
Oh, sorry, sorry.
Um...
My mobile, I can't find my mobile
anywhere.
Mine's on the desk, ring yours and
you'll find it. Ah.
And you call yourself a detective!
Breathe! Stop stressing.
I'm breathing, I'm breathing.
(PHONE RINGS)
Ah!
Got it. Thanks, darling. Bye!
I've got yoga after school.
Uh, yeah. I'll cook.
Sorry to crash your karma.
Bye.
Right, Sykes.
George, the police are coming round.
That's probably them now.
I told you they'd start digging
around.
I'll be in my shed. You were in your
shed all last night.
I was on moon watch, you have to do
it in the dark.
I wouldn't mind a husband whose idea
of 'doing it in the dark' was a bit
more exciting
than staring at the bloody moon.
Hello, Inspector.
Come in.
You predicted Jeremy's murder.
Yes, that's right. Crystal ball, was
it, or did you read his tea leaves?
I'm an astrologer, Sergeant, not a
fairground fortune teller.
What exactly is the difference?
Astrology is the application
of cosmic principles
to everyday life.
We are what our stars make us.
Scorpio, right?
Was that a guess?
You're a police officer - Scorpio
forever chases Orion The Hunter,
the killer, across the night skies.
Ah.
So, you drew up Jeremy's star chart
for him before his death?
No, it was his wife Catrina who came
to me for a reading.
Is the a regular of yours?
No, but she had some...
domestic turbulence, shall we say?
I told her that her nearest and
dearest were in danger.
Is that the extent of your
prediction?
I was right, wasn't I?
May I see this star chart, please?
No, sorry, it's confidential.
Confidential? It's on the front page
of the newspaper.
You're just drumming up business for
yourself.
I have had one or two extra bookings
on the strength of it.
Is it true you were with Catrina's
sister Mary the night she died?
Well, it was 15 years ago.
There was a party here. Mary left,
when home to Harry, her husband,
and that was the last we ever saw of
her.
Hm. Well, thank you. I'm sure we'll
be seeing you again soon.
But, presumably, you already knew
that.
I'm sorry you're not a believer,
Sergeant.
You should explore your star chart
one of these days.
The unexamined life is not worth
living.
I was fuming when I read it. I
phoned Mags, told her off a strip.
So her prediction was bogus, then?
No.
She did tell me someone very close
to me was in mortal danger.
Mags mentioned some domestic
troubles.
Jeremy and I...
Our marriage was never easy.
Jeremy didn't want a partner, he
wanted a mouse-wife who'd never
challenge him.
We found some emails on Jeremy's
phone,
about the University Observatory's
plans to extend onto Moonstone Ridge.
He went into my laptop,
found several letters I'd typed for
Lawrence about the plans.
That's why they were at loggerheads.
Is that the only reason?
Yes.
Look, Chief Inspector,
this funding problem, it's not
public.
There are delicate negotiations
involved.
About your sister Mary -
(BELL RINGS)
I don't know what happened to her.
Please excuse me.
Of course, and thank you for being so
frank with us.
She's lying.
How's that, sir?
What kind of husband searches through
his wife's email?
The kind that thinks she was having
an affair?
Wouldn't be the first time a
secretary and her boss had got
together.
Maybe it's Lawrence, then. Crime of
passion.
But it's weird, sir, Mags predicting
Jeremy's death like that,
and she knew you were a Scorpio.
Maybe she does have mystic powers.
Right. Harry the chemist next, sir.
Or Mags fulfilled her own prophecy to
boost her business.
What, Mags killed Jeremy?
Well, stranger things have happened
when the moon's full and the rent's
due.
I was studying the eclipse as part
of my PhD.
I just heard a scream and Jeremy was
lying there.
Awful.
You knew him?
From the Astronomical Society, yes.
Sorry, I need to get these
prescriptions out.
Fine. Thank you.
Here, just in case.
Thanks.
She works so hard, helping me out as
well as doing her studies.
Your daughter's name is...?
Gagan, short for Gagandipika -
lamp of the heavens.
She is the light of my life.
You were also up at the eclipse?
Yes, but I saw no more than she.
And she's your daughter from your
first wife, is that right?
My only wife.
Since Mary died I've been wedded to
a single life.
I understand there was some question
around her death.
Mary was at a party at the Dormers.
Jeremy was there.
Alcohol to them is what water is to
fish.
They all lie together about what
happened to Mary
and now that same astronomical set
has pulled in my daughter, Chief
Inspector.
I just can't believe it's happened.
No.
The police were here twice, asking
about you and Jeremy.
You didn't tell them about us?
No.
I thought that'd make them suspect
you more.
Suspect me?
Jeremy was a bumptious prat but -
(BELL RINGS)
(I certainly didn't kill him.)
You don't think I did it?
No.
I'm not accusing you, no, but -
But what?
That I no more killed Jeremy,
darling, than you did.
Course not.
I'm sorry, I...
Yeah, it's OK.
Though you were right not to mention
this to the police.
What good would it do, hm?
Come here.
And from the warrior into the
triangle.
And reach for the sky.
And back into the warrior.
Yes. And hold on the outward breath.
And relax. Sit, please.
We spoke last week of the three
rhythms of life.
The drawing of breath, the beats of
the heart,
the waves of the brain.
Today we will activate the third
chakra,
the energy of will, power, and self
confidence.
Place your palms on your stomach,
like so,
and rotate them gently clockwise.
And repeat: I am powerful.
CLASS: I am powerful.
I am the will of creating whatever I
desire.
I am the will of creating whatever I
desire.
I desire my tea and biscuits.
Quiet, please.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.
How are your spirits?
Struggling.
A walk and a talk later?
Yeah, I'd like that.
I'll call you.
Where are you going?
I'll be out tonight.
When will you be back?
Is this a quiz?
Don't be facetious.
I'll be back in my own good time.
(RUMBLING)
(HUMS)
(BEEP)
(CATRINA TREMBLES)
Come, you're shaking like an onion
paper.
Let me help you.
Please...Harry, don't.
I've loved you a long time and never
reached the end of hope.
And I respect you deeply but I
don't...
I'm in a mess.
I've been having an affair.
What?
My boss at the Observatory.
Lawrence Janson. The thing is,
I haven't told the police about him
and me.
I panicked, I was afraid they'd
think I was involved.
Involved?
Jeremy was...
I can't believe it was Lawrence.
Janson is a snake.
I don't know what to do.
You mind is muddled. You must think
straight.
Tell the police your fears.
Fate is not in the stars but in the
choices we make.
And a man can kill for love.
Reading your horoscope?
Uh-huh.
It says with your moon moving into
Libra and Venus squaring Saturn,
exp- uh! - expect the unexpected in
you and your partner's lovelife.
Oh, sounds promising.
What's Scorpio?
Erm... Jupiter and Saturn promise a
change in your beliefs today,
a spark of interest in a new
philosophy or spiritual tradition.
Oh! Complete twaddle.
Yoga! I told you this morning.
That you need to de-stress, learn to
meditate and visualise.
Do you think Sykes meditates when he
stares into space like that?
What's he thinking about?
Food.
(CHUCKLES) Probably.
All right, I'll try it, I will.
Really?
OK. Well, how about now? I can show
you.
No, no, not now.
Well, why not now?
Well, I'm...expecting the unexpected.
It's an eccentric orbit, it makes
calculations double difficult.
It's only five more days, George.
Have you processed the last data
sets I downloaded to you?
No, Jeremy was going to do that.
OK, I'm on it.
It said in the Mercury your wife
predicted Jeremy's death.
You don't want to believe everything
you read in the newspaper.
Do either of you know exactly what
happened? No more than you.
Do you think one of us killed him?
Maybe it was the Moonstone Curse
that did it, eh, Peter? Baaaa!
I'm frightened, OK? This is not
funny. Sorry!
Sorry. It's tragic, yeah, but stuff
happens.
It's nothing to do with us. No time
to lose our grip now, Gagan.
Now that Jeremy's gone we've got to
be
all for one and one for all, yeah?
That's right.
(BREAKING GLASS)
(FOOTSTEPS)
Oh, shit! Dad, I'm off, I'll miss my
bus.
OK, bye!
Gagan, your bag!
Damn it!
(HORN BLAST)
Going my way?
Can we catch up the bus?
Gagan!
I heard a crash of glass about 1am,
I called the police immediately.
So, what's missing? A spear-head
and the Moonstone Disc.
It's some kind of a...sun dial.
It's Bronze Age, circa 1600BC.
They could harmonize the lunar and
solar months back then by
orientating the disc.
Why steal those, especially?
Could be metal thieves, sir.
Some idiots had all the bronze
plaques off every park bench
in Causton last week.
And nothing else is missing?
I don't think so,
but I haven't checked upstairs.
There's red fibres on this broken
glass. Get it over to Forensics,
see if it's a match with what Kate
found on the rock that killed Jeremy.
Time to visit Lawrence again, sir?
No, I'm sure that he and Catrina will
deny any affair
and he'll certainly deny murder.
No, I want more before we tackle him
again.
I've read your thesis and I'm afraid
it just doesn't meet the required
standard.
Why? Well, frankly, there's a
profound shallowness to the work.
That's ridiculous, Lawrence. It's
because I've hit a nerve, isn't it?
Your book on the uncertainty
principle is fundamentally flawed
and my thesis proves it.
OK, let's keep the temperature down.
You may have a warp-speed mind and
more ideas than Einstein
but you lack academic discipline,
my dear.
I suggest you concentrate on a
subject you more fully comprehend.
Why didn't you stand up for me?
I've... I've known Lawrence for a
long time.
There's no point in challenging him
when his blood's up,
and he's under considerable
pressure. We all have pressure.
Look, don't repeat this, but
Lawrence is in trouble.
Panelsun are threatening to pull out
over plans to expand the
Observatory.
A thesis rubbishing his published
work is not going to help right now.
I'm not someone who goes along to
get along. I know.
But hold your nose, re-read his
book, and then we'll talk.
OK?
I was pinging for space bodies when
it cut out. You've blown a fuse.
You were with my daughter this
morning. I gave her a lift, yeah.
Were you with her last night? Alone
with her?
Hold on, Harry, just hang on.
You're up the wrong tree, matey.
Stay away, or I will give you more
than a verbal battering.
You wouldn't want a ticket to his
planet! What's his problem?
He's been like that about Gagan
since his wife died.
Why's he picking on me?
Well, you're a plumber, aren't you?
Oh, behave, George! I'm hardly
working my way through the female
population, am I?
Mysteries Of The Cosmos -
An Astrological Guide!
You're not beginning to believe,
are you? Just background.
Always been interested in planets,
constellations. Heavenly bodies?
For instance, did you know Uranus is
14 times bigger than the Earth?
Must we, Jones?
(CHUCKLES)
Oh, the report came back on Jeremy's
laptop.
Techies said there's lots of
downloads on it, but it's been
encrypted.
They're from Harry's daughter,
Gagan.
Star data, mathematical formulas,
some they can't even crack.
They're working on it.
These have just come back from
Forensics.
The fibres from the rock and those
from the break-in are identical,
some sort of hide-skin material, and
the red pigment is a match.
No prints lifted from the scene?
And so the likelihood is the
perpetrator was wearing hide-skin
gloves on both occasions.
That's all you're going to get.
But it does give us a tie-in
between the robbery and the murder.
Yeah, and I looked into Mary's
death, Catrina Harper's sister.
The pathologist believed the body
was moved after her death.
Extraneous bruising on her arms.
Accident or murder?
It was never resolved.
So, that's me. You haven't forgotten
my birthday bash.
Saturday, Half Moon Hotel. No, the
beer disposal squad will be there.
Wicked. Dress to kill.
It will be a late one, I was born
under a bad sign.
Remember, in the corpse position, to
let your feet fall out to the side.
Yes, Sarah, good.
Palms upward, Catrina.
Yes.
Now move your fingers and toes.
Bring yourselves back to the
present.
Knees to the chest. Slowly.
Roll to the side and up into the
seated position,
and salutations, well done.
Good class, everyone.
(SOBS)
Harry, may I have a word?
See you next week.
Bye.
Sorry, sometimes it just...
It must be so terrible.
I only met Jeremy that one time.
Thank you.
He and I were going to be working on
a story together, about the
Observatory.
What... What story?
I shouldn't say.
Was it about Panelsun threatening to
withdraw funding? Who told you that?
Just something I heard. You
shouldn't repeat idle gossip, it can
do a lot of damage!
It's not true, then?
No, it isn't!
Excuse me.
Who did tell you that?
Oh, rumours from the observatory
canteen.
(PHONE RINGS)
Lawrence Janson. Oh, hi, this is
Tanya Walker,
deputy editor, Midsomer Mercury,
hello.
I have a few questions for you,
Doctor Janson,
perhaps we could arrange a meeting.
You were working with Jeremy Harper
before he died, weren't you?
Sending him encrypted information.
Yes.
Not observatory date, surely?
Why encrypted? Was it secret,
confidential?
The director, Lawrence, doesn't
approve of making our data available
to amateurs.
So you were trying to conceal what
you were doing? It's crazy.
The information is there, why not
use it? It's just data sharing.
Not data theft, then, because that
would be an offence.
Look, I'm sure we can sort this out
internally.
Please.
If you say so.
While we're on the subject of theft,
where were you from midnight to
1:30am yesterday morning?
Why? Because Stanton Museum was
broken into.
Are you accusing me?
Calm down.
She was here. We were on night duty,
working on observations together.
Right. Well, that's all I need to ask
you for now.
Thank you.
Thank you, Chief Inspector.
Sorry, and thanks.
I'll have to talk this over with
Lawrence. Oh, he's going to love it!
He'll kill me for this.
Can I ask who told you this?
You can ask,
but we journalists never reveal our
sources. Hm!
Tanya - may I call you Tanya?
I appreciate it's your job to sell
papers.
It's my job to keep the observatory
on track. Yes, of course.
You see, if our main funder pulls
out,
other funders could follow suit and
there'd be no observatory.
It'll close down?
Look, I'm begging you, Tanya,
just put this on hold and in a few
days
I'll give you the whole story and
more. There's more?
Listen, you stupid woman, this is
business-sensitive information.
I've invested my whole career in
this place and won't see you and
your grubby rag bring it down.
I'll just say that you deny the
story, then, is that right?
No. No. A denial in the press is the
kiss of death.
(DOOR OPENS)
What's he doing here?
Fixing the boiler.
I asked Peter here so that you and I
wouldn't be alone.
He was listening in.
I couldn't help overhearing, now.
Ooh, I'll have to print the story
now!
There wouldn't be a story if Jeremy
and the rest had kept out of it.
This is our village.
Who do you think you are, coming out
of nowhere and lording it?
You've got a surprise coming, a big
surprise.
Astronomical science begins where
your amateur stargazing ends.
The future of my observatory will be
threatened over my dead body.
Can I quote you on that?
Print one word of this
and you'll live to regret it!
(Thanks.)
How did you get the lowdown on
Lawrence? Oh, a-ha!
He's ruthless. You tread carefully
now we've crossed him.
I'm not wearing a leotard.
Harry says that the breath is what
it's all about.
So, put your right leg in a bit and
your left leg out.
No, no, no, this in and left out.
In-out, in-out, shake it all about?
Be serious. OK, now lie down.
(WHIMPERS)
Palms up.
OK, now breathe in.
And breathe out.
(AUDIBLE BREATH)
Just give way.
Give way.
Aw...
What are you thinking about?
My driving instructor,
she had exactly that tone of voice.
(Stop it!)
OK, breathe, and feel the weight of
your body.
And breathe.
(SYKES WHIMPERS)
(SNORES)
(CLANG AND RUMBLE)
The police have just called me. Were
you aware Gagan has been downloading
data to the amateurs?
Not till today.
You're running a leaky ship, Adrian.
Someone's also leaked to the press
about the Moonstone Ridge extension.
Have you told anyone? Well,
I did mention it to Gagan,
after your disgraceful display in
response to her thesis.
Then why the hell - I felt she
deserved some explanation.
I informed her of the pressure
you're under.
So she's taken revenge because I
dissed her lousy thesis.
She's upset, she's not vindictive.
Rejection's hard to take sometimes,
Lawrence. She's a thief.
Tell her I want to see her my office
tomorrow morning. I'm her tutor.
I'll talk to her.
All right. But we need damage
limitation.
I'm meeting Panelsun next week.
Calm down. I'm sure all this is just
temporary blip.
Nothing endures like the temporary.
We need to keep a lid on this.
We need to ensure Gagan is silenced.
(LAWRENCE'S FOOTSTEPS TAP ON THE
METAL STAIRWELL)
(TWIGS SNAP, THE BUSHES RUSTLE)
Who's there?
That's the spearhead that was stolen
from the museum tearooms.
The entry wound angle suggests that
the spear struck him
while he was standing and he then
collapsed.
Could he have pulled the spear out
himself?
That's possible. It'd be an
instinctive reaction.
But I suspect that it had pierced
the left ventricle.
He wouldn't survive that.
There's red fibres on the spearhead.
So Jeremy's murder wasn't just a
one-off, then.
(SIGHS) The body's been moved.
Positioned carefully. Look at the
legs. The arm.
The spear lying above his head like
that.
Something to do with the killer's
MO? Usually it's a challenge.
'Catch me if you can'. Can I have
your clipboard? Of course, sir.
Thank you.
I've found Peter's work diary, sir.
His last call was at Tanya Walker's
who I think works at the Mercury.
Well done. You pay a visit to Tanya
at the Mercury.
Hold everything, Tanya. Peter Groves
has been killed. What? When?
Last night. The milkman found him
this morning and he rang George.
The police are up at Peter's place
now. That's terrible. I know.
But pull yourself together, Tanya.
He was killed with a spear.
Which is amazing, because according
to his chart,
Mars is in the ascendant.
Mars. The God of War. Whose symbol
is what?
A spear!
That's weird. You might almost say
it's predictable.
You might even say that I foretold
his death.
(SNORTS)
Make a cracking headline.
All right. All right.
We'll go with it.
And then I want you to predict dark
times ahead for Stanton.
I've found out that the observatory
might lose its funding.
There's 20-odd villagers who work up
there who will lose their jobs.
I'll say the observatory is on the
skids and your predictions
were spot on.
Oh, that's perfect. Poor Peter.
Yeah, but this is career gold,
Tanya. Cheer up.
Before you know it, we'll be on the
national news.
The Sun, The Star. The sky's the
limit!
Tanya Walker? Yes.
I'm Detective Sergeant Jones.
Causton CID.
Sorry, I'm in a tearing hurry. Lunch
in town with my editor.
I understand Peter Groves was at
your house last night. Yes.
He fixed my boiler.
What time did he leave?
About half seven.
I appreciate you're investigating
his murder.
Who told you he was murdered?
Mags. Mystic Mags.
In fact, she predicted it.
Extraordinary.
You can read about it in tomorrow's
Mercury.
(RADIO IN BACKGROUND)
RADIO: Local plumber Peter Grove was
found early this morning.
Foul play is suspected.
Police haven't issued a statement
yet.
Gentlemen, come inside.
Inspector!
I'll join you in a moment.
Any idea who killed Peter?
You suspect someone? Yes.
Harry.
The chemist. He had a set-to with
Peter yesterday.
He thought he was banging his
daughter, Gagan.
And I saw Harry a few nights back up
on Moonstone Ridge
with Jeremy's wife Catrina.
Is this to do with the death of Mary
Dutta, Harry's wife?
You and Jeremy were there at the
party on the night she died,
weren't you?
Her body was moved, I understand.
Apparently. Nothing happened at the
party, I swear.
But Harry's always blaming us.
Now he thinks that something like
that is gonna happen to Gagan. Mad.
Hm. Almost as mad as Mags claiming to
have predicted
both Jeremy and Peter's murders.
She's an astrologist. She despises
us as amateur star watchers.
Mags is a charlatan but it pays the
rent.
Where were you last night, George?
There was a transit of Venus.
I was here. All night. It keeps me
out of the house.
Have a good look at Harry,
Chief Inspector.
Something's snapped. I'm telling
you.
He's lost it.
There you are. Mars is in the
ascendant in the Eighth House
of Peter's zodiac.
That's it? You're calling that
a prediction in tomorrow's paper?
And I warned Peter about it.
He would tell you. If he wasn't
dead.
Yes.
Did you know that I know your gran?
What? Your gran.
She came to see me last week
for a reading.
She told me your birth date and that
you were born...
Hang on. I don't need my stars read.
Ooh, yes you do. I can tell. You're
curious. We all are.
No. No. I'm not.
Your birth date, anybody's birth
date, is like the vintages of wine.
Some are priceless. Some are plonk.
So what's mine come out as, then?
Oh. Oh, I see. You are curious.
Well, astrology is like soul gazing.
I mean, is there nothing that you
would really, really like to know?
Yeah. Who's gonna win the 3:30 at
Ascot?
I could tell you something more
important that that.
I could tell you your fate.
(GATE CREAKS)
(BELL TOLLS)
Police. Quick! Please!
Stay away, I've called the police.
Police? I wasn't following you.
OPERATOR: Are you there?
I was out for a run. Stay back.
You're getting paranoid. You're out
of your depth.
Can you hear me, madam?
And soon you'll be out of a job...
Tanya.
Are you all right, madam?
No. Sorry. I'm fine. It's a false
alarm.
So, Sarah tells me you've been
meditating, Inspector.
Yes. Loving it.
Excellent.
I understand you had an altercation
with Peter Groves yesterday.
Yes. Hot words were exchanged.
Do you have daughters, gentlemen?
No.
Then you will not know.
You try and keep your eyes on them
but you cannot cover every corner of
the universe. Gagan is 21.
A dangerous age for a woman.
Men have come little further since
we lived up trees.
They are all stones made from the
same mountain.
So, you accused Peter of consorting
with her?
Yes. I had to intervene.
No use letting your house get on
fire then digging away.
No. I suppose not.
Did Peter tell you of this argument
or was it George?
Yes.
George was there.
And where were you after 7:30 last
night, Harry?
I was alone. Contemplating.
These are dark times, Inspector. The
Kali Yoga Cycle.
But it will be followed by the Cycle
of Light.
The Age of Aquarius. Jeremy and
Peter won't be here to enjoy it.
Oh yes, they will. We are all born
again.
To die is nothing. Just a step
towards rebirth.
Do you think he seriously believes
in rebirth and all that?
Oh, Harry's deadly serious. It's
basic to his faith.
I didn't know you'd gone all yogic,
sir.
Meditating? It was Sarah's idea.
Blue sky thinking. You should try
it, Jones.
(BUSHES RUSTLE)
Hello?
Is somebody there?
That's the Moonstone Disc stolen from
the museum with the spearhead.
He's honed the edges. Razor sharp.
Lethal weapon.
Sliced open his carotid artery.
Cause of death? Well, there wasn't a
great deal of blood
so it's possible he had a cardiac
arrest triggered by the attack.
He's obese. Time of death?
Between 10 and midnight.
I won't know exactly till I get him
back on the slab.
Looks like the same red fibres on
the murder weapon.
It's the same hand did this.
I don't doubt it.
The body's not been positioned like
the previous victim.
The rock, the spearhead and now this
disc.
All from Moonstone Ridge. Maybe
that's the signature.
The neighbours are pretty spooked,
sir.
Think these murders are to do with
the Moonstone Curse.
They were all in bed behind locked
doors. Saw nothing. Heard nothing.
Mags found the body this morning.
Pop in and ask her where she was
between 10 and midnight.
Think she's a possible, sir?
Well, she claims to have predicted
two murders.
And now her husband's turned up
dead.
So you were in here between 10 and
midnight?
Er...I...I...
I'm sorry.
Take your time.
Er...well, I was working.
I didn't hear a thing.
And George was alone in the shed?
Alone with a bottle of whisky. Yes.
George has been back on the drink
ever since Jeremy died.
He used to be a big boozer.
George was the reason that pubs
invented closing time.
Yup. There. See?
I logged off at 3:22am.
Actually, I was casting your star
chart.
Would you like to see it? No, thank
you.
You should. It's very interesting.
You have a lot to look forward to.
See.
Venus is passing through your 11th
House just now
turning on your love light.
You need to get your affairs in
order.
I'm not having an affairs. Well, you
will soon.
You'll have a close encounter with
one you have been fantasizing about.
Er...a female colleague at work?
Possibly.
Oh? And the 11. The number 11 is
significant.
Is it a house number? Or the
alphabet?
A,B,C,D,E,F... Does the letter K
mean anything?
Does it describe her?
Sadly, the elements don't often
reveal the physical but...
..you should take extra care this
weekend with your appearance.
Let your passion shine through.
(MOBILE RINGS)
Excuse me.
Yes, sir.
Yeah, I'll be with you in a tick.
Erm...I have to go.
Why don't you take this with you?
Thanks. Be immortal for as long as
you live, Sergeant.
Because nothing is more certain in
life than that it will end in death.
See you at the weekend, Kate.
I hope so.
Oh, there's something... I just
can't...
Let it go, John. There's something
I'm missing about the killer's
signature.
I just can't... I can't see it.
My head's spinning. So you need to
calm down.
Be still and clear your mind.
Yeah. Yeah. Just try and visualize,
OK?
So the Earth is rotating at 1,000
miles per hour.
Which spinning at 60,000 miles an
hour around the sun.
Which is travelling at 500,000 miles
an hour through the universe.
How does that make you feel?
Even dizzier.
Darling, this is useless unless you
go with it.
Open your mind to it. Give me your
hands.
Right. Take a deep breath with me.
(BOTH INHALE AND EXHALE)
Now close your eyes and visualize.
Can you feel the energy flowing?
Yes, a definite rush of blood.
(SYKES BARKS)
Quiet, Sykes.
Close your eyes. I don't think we
need an audience for this,
do we, darling?
No, we don't.
(MOBILE TRILLS)
Yes, Jones.
No. I'll handle it.
Sorry.
Sorry.
Well, Sykesy, it's you and me
again.
What are we doing up here?
I always come up to the Ridge to do
my thinking.
Talk to my mum.
This is where they found her.
What's this about?
I'm frightened. He's killed Jeremy,
Peter and George.
He'll come after me. Who'll come
after you?
Lawrence. I'm sure it's him.
Why would he do that?
The four of us had been working
together for nearly a year.
Using the data I downloaded.
Jeremy had spotted light variations
on a distant star some time ago.
You've lost me. What does that mean?
It suggests something is orbiting.
Coming between the star and us.
Momentarily. As it passes.
Something like what? A planet.
We believed we'd discovered a new
planet orbiting a distant star.
And you kept that a secret? Why?
We were waiting for confirmation.
For its transit to come back round.
It's due to pass again some time
tomorrow.
Who else knew about this?
No-one. Just us four.
But maybe Lawrence found out what we
had discovered.
The last thing he'd want is me and a
bunch of amateurs finding a new
planet.
He despises me!
I'm terrified.
Morning, Sir. How did it go with
Gagan?
She's convinced this is Lawrence.
Leave that and go and find him,
Jones.
Get him in for questioning.
Yes, sir.
He's in Birmingham at a conference.
He'll be back later this afternoon.
Ask him to give me a call, will you?
Certainly. Thanks.
(TAPS IN NUMBERS ON PHONE)
Lawrence, the police were here to
speak to you.
No, I told them nothing about it.
You disappoint me. What are you
talking about?
I found these prophylactics in your
bag the other day.
You searched my bag? They fell out
before me.
As if by fate. Warning me.
It's none of your business.
I know a young woman feels the urge
to merge...
I don't want to discuss it!
Was it Peter?
Was it him? I saw you going with
him.
Peter was gay and very happy about
it.
I can't be doing with this, Dad.
Peter is dead and I'm freaked, OK?
I stole stuff from the observatory.
Stole? It was data. Knowledge.
You said knowledge should be shared
by all. You should have told me.
It was a secret. But nothing else
was going on there between us, Dad.
I promise you.
Gagan, don't get upset.
It's just that I have to care for
you. It's my duty to your mother.
I promised to her spirit.
Look, I've got a tutorial
with Adrian. Can I borrow the car?
Yes. Yes, of course.
Thanks, Dad.
Love you.
Lawrence was furious. He's convinced
you leaked to the press
and you and the village amateurs are
hell-bent
on bringing him and the observatory
down.
There's hardly any members of the
Astronomical Society left.
They've all been murdered.
I think I know who by.
Who?
I can't tell you.
I'm frightened. Of course you are.
We all are.
These deaths are a terrifying
tragedy.
They're nothing to do with you.
I'm certain.
I'm sorry to lay this on you.
I'm glad you have.
I'd better go. Why? Where are you
going?
I need a thinking walk on the Ridge.
Talk to Mum.
Well, be careful. Thanks.
These murder weapons - the rock,
spear and the disc...
Hush, Jones. I'm trying to
visualize.
Sorry, sir.
I wonder.
The Moonstone disc and the picture
in the museum catalogue are
different.
Can you see? No.
On the disc, the murder weapon,
there's an arrangement of gold dots.
Which is barely visible in
the photograph in the catalogue.
Yeah. You're right.
So the dots on the disc must have
been polished up
after the disc was stolen.
This is the outline of Peter's body
as it was found.
This is the pattern of the dots that
now appear on the disc.
That's the same pattern.
These aren't just dots, Jones.
These are stars.
This is a constellation.
The constellation of Scorpio.
My sign.
This is classical serial killer
behaviour.
The killer didn't start with the
signature game
until after the first murder.
'Catch me if you can'.
Bring up the suspect profiles.
See if there's a Scorpio birthday
amongst them.
October 24th to November 21st.
Harry, no. Adrian, no. Trina, no.
Yes. Lawrence. His is a Scorpio
birth date.
Hang on, sir. Mags is a Scorpio too.
Ah. Right.
Lawrence will have to keep till he
comes back from his conference.
Mags we can tackle now.
I told you. I didn't see what
happened to Jeremy.
And you've no alibi for the time of
Peter's death
or your husband George's.
I was here. I got the impression
you and George weren't exactly
a marriage made in heaven. No.
As the old joke goes,
'I can remember our wedding as if it
were yesterday
if it were tomorrow, I wouldn't turn
up'.
Were you aware that George, Jeremy
and Peter believed
they'd discovered a new planet with
Gagan? No.
He never said anything like that.
Of course, George had been in a
black hole lately.
He was drinking like in the old
days.
You are a Scorpio.
Oh, yes.
Secretive, passionate...
..dangerous.
We are both all of those things,
Inspector.
You told me that in the days after
the eclipse, chaos prevails.
And look what happened. I mean, the
Zodiac doesn't lie.
Three murders. Mary's death 15
years.
If you know any secret, any
betrayal,
that must out, now is the time to be
true to your stars.
I did some more digging on Lawrence,
sir.
Checked the local who's who on the
Mercury website.
He's more than just a jogger.
He won last year's Midsomer
athletics decathlon.
So? Well, there are 10 events in the
decathlon, right? Yeah.
Most are running events
but three are the shot put, the
javelin and the discus.
OK.
Our three murder weapons are a rock
as heavy as a shot put,
a spear and the moonstone disc.
And he's a Scorpio.
Gagan was convinced he'd found out
about their discovery of a new
planet.
Maybe he's trying to get the kudos
anyway he can.
It's possible.
And if Lawrence is back from his
conference, let's put it to him.
Right.
According to the Mercury, you won
last year's decathlon
at the Midsomer Games.
Yes, that's right.
And you were at the eclipse on
Moonstone Ridge
when Jeremy Harper was killed.
Along with everyone else.
I've already told you this, haven't
I, Chief Inspector? Yes, sir.
You were having an affair with
Jeremy's wife, weren't you? Was I?
Jeremy found out, didn't he? That's
why he threatened your funding.
I don't think so, Sergeant.
Well, let's talk about Peter Groves,
then.
Tanya Walker says you had an
altercation with him at her house
the night he died.
A robust discussion.
I was actually quite fond of Peter.
He had an interest in the extra
terrestrial.
Did you know that Jeremy, Peter,
George and Gagan
believed they'd discovered a new
planet.
No.
No. It's news to me. I had no idea.
Oh, you knew. You were openly
hostile to the local amateurs.
Three of whom are now dead.
Is that an accusation?
It's an observation. George Dormer
was killed two days ago between the
hours of 10 and midnight.
Where were you, Doctor? Emergency
meeting with the executors
from Panelsun International and the
University Board discussing funding.
The meeting was due to finish at
11pm but went on till 1pm
before we reached agreement.
I'm sure they'll vouch for me.
I did not kill Jeremy or Peter or
George.
This conversation, I think, is
over.
She phoned me yesterday and said she
was going to go up north
to see her uncle but she...er...
made a no-show there.
I called all night. No answer.
And you found the car here this
morning?
I was frantic. I drove around
everywhere.
When exactly did you last see her?
Yesterday afternoon, she went to see
her tutor Adrian.
You should...er... You should
question him. Why is that?
He and Gagan...
..I saw them together at his
cottage.
Sir!
Excuse me.
It's a scorpion, sir.
Found it in the car. They think it's
harmless.
It's been left here as a signature,
then.
Not an attempt to kill Gagan.
Anything else?
All the electrics in the car have
failed.
The battery's drained. It's like one
of my gran's tales. Spooky, eh?
Just been moonstruck, Jones?
Something out there?
No, the lights were left on.
It could be that, couldn't it?
Gagan is missing, Professor. Her car
was found abandoned.
Missing? Her father says that she
visited you here yesterday.
She...er... She did, yes.
She was very upset.
Do you usually hold tutorials at
your cottage?
Work so intimately with your
students?
Closely. Yes.
Mathematics requires intense focus.
But you are particularly close to
Gagan.
I admire her.
Her father says it's more than that.
He saw you here with her yesterday.
What? How?
Is it true?
She... She did have something of a
crush on me. Yes.
It happens with students.
It's no more than that.
She kissed me goodbye and left.
Did she say where she was going?
On to the Ridge for a walk.
(MOBILE RINGS)
Sorry. I need to take this.
Hi. Just hang on a sec.
For the record, what time did she
leave you here yesterday?
Er...about four o'clock. You haven't
seen or heard from her since? No.
Gagan is very special.
She's my star pupil, Inspector.
I do hope you can find her unharmed.
(KETTLE WHISTLES)
Is she with you now?
OK. We'll be 10 minutes.
Mystic Mags just walked into the
station. Says she wants to confess.
Officers present - DCI Barnaby and
DS Jones.
Suspect present - Margaret Dormer.
Ah, well, it all started at a party
at our house. All those years ago.
What happened? Erm...
We drank enough between us to fill a
bath.
George, Jeremy and Mary and me.
And she and I got into a stupid row.
About what? Oh.
She was a keen astronomer. She said
that what I did was hogwash.
I shouted. She pushed me and I
grabbed her.
She tripped and fell down the
stairs.
She was dead.
I didn't mean to.
It was a complete accident.
We all agreed to say that Mary had
been fine when she left the party.
And then George took the body on to
the Ridge.
And you all stuck to that story?
When you start something like that,
there's no stop button, is there?
You were right, Inspector. I read my
chart.
It was written in the stars.
I know you think I'm batty. Living
on a different planet.
But, I mean, is the world you live
in really any saner?
I doubt whether the CPS will
prosecute Mags.
Both key witnesses are dead.
Whoever killed them and Peter has
been muddying the waters
and playing games with us.
The weapons. The Scorpio signatures.
Sir. What? Gagan's mobile provider
sent through a list of her calls.
Her last call was yesterday. 4:45 to
Adrian.
He told me his last contact with her
was at four o'clock.
Well, that's a lie.
So she called Harry to tell him she
was heading up north
then she called Adrian to tell him
she was leaving.
Yes. Yes!
The first time I met Adrian, he
talked about the Uncertainty
Principle.
He said how we look at things
affects what we believe we see.
We have been steered to look at this
so that we would believe
that Lawrence is our man.
Adrian's boss.
But Adrian has an alibi for the
night the Moonstone Disc was stolen.
He gave Gagan that alibi when I was
quizzing her about stealing data.
They were lovers. She thought he was
covering for her.
Actually, he was creating an alibi
for himself.
We need to find Gagan now.
And pray that she's still alive.
I'm sorry it had to be like this.
I'd hoped we might collaborate.
You knew about the new planet all
along?
I hacked your computer but
I couldn't locate the exact star
you'd been monitoring.
You killed people, Adrian.
Just to get the glory of claiming a
new discovery.
What about me? I needed you alive,
Gagan.
I've been chasing shadows.
Show me the star.
(DOOR HATCH OPENS)
No sign of him.
Come and look at this.
In one of the sheds.
There. There.
The light's dipped.
Definite transit.
Congratulations.
Her coat. You were right, sir.
As soon as Adrian knew she was
headed up north, he grabbed her.
Well, where are they?
The planet. The new planet.
Gagan said its orbit would be
confirmed tonight.
The observatory. No. No. Too public.
The Astrodome. Moonstone Ridge.
You can claim the planet. I don't
care.
I'll say nothing. I swear.
I could trust you.
This could be our planet.
But I trusted Lawrence once. He was
my student. My star pupil.
Just like you.
And he cheated me of the
directorship. Please, Adrian!
That's Adrian's car.
Check in the Astrodome.
I'll call my new planet Gagandipika
in memory of you.
This is madness. No.
No. Adrian!
Open up! Open up! Police!
Police! Open up!
Adrian, open the door now!
Open up! Police!
Open up! Open the door!
Open up!
Open the door!
That's him. Go get him. Please!
Gagan! Gagan!
Gagan, can you hear me?!
(ENGINE TURNS OVER BUT DOESN'T SPARK
INTO LIFE)
Start, damn you! Start!
It's not going anywhere, Adrian.
And neither are you.
I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry.
It's OK. You're safe now.
Weird how Adrian's car wouldn't
start.
The Moonstone Curse, sir. Could be.
Or it could be that I nicked
the rotor arm out of his engine.
Home.
Are you going out on an undercover
job?
No, it's Kate's birthday, sir.
Ah. She said come dressed to kill.
What do you think? I'm sure you'll
knock 'em dead.
You left this in the car. So, you
had Mags do your chart?
No. No. It's a wind-up. It's
rubbish. Got my details off my gran.
Oh, I thought it was interesting.
She predicts a close encounter for
you this weekend.
Yeah. I'll probably crash the car.
(CHUCKLES)
So you're not up for this, then?
Erm...no. Sarah and I thought we'd
have a quiet night in.
Just the two of us and a scented
candle.
Well, have a good one.
You too, Jones.
Whatever fate awaits you.
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