Midsomer Murders (1997–…): Season 16, Episode 2 - Let Us Prey - full transcript
Nancy Dewar's hooded corpse is found in a river, having left her alcoholic husband Michael to live with art historian Philip Hamilton. Her death resembles that of a woman in a fresco Hamilton is restoring at a local church. Michael names shopkeeper Ewan Evans as his alibi and whilst Ewan is perturbed that his art student son Noah has a book depicting medieval tortures, the reverend Martha Hillcott hopes to sell a cottage on church land belonging to previous vicar, the ailing Arthur Gould and his daughter Ava, to raise money to save the frescoes from rising river water. On the night she died, Nancy, as one of the church council, was about to sell her vote to Martha to support the sale of the cottage. But then two more murders occur, both styled after pictures in the frescoes. As the river bursts its banks and villagers take refuge in the church, Barnaby works out that the killings were not based in religion but perpetrated to keep hidden a shameful secret, a case less of Let Us Pray than Let Us Prey.
(GUST OF WIND)
Frank?
Oh.
Wall came away, Vicar.
Is it serious?
Hole's not the problem.
It's what's on the other side.
All right?
Careful.
Take a look at the wall.
Good Lord.
(CHURCH BELLS)
She's running at 387
and she's up five feet.
Better call the Environment Agency.
You really think she'll burst?
Well, depends how much rain
we'll get.
Er, Ava, I, um...
I was wondering if maybe, um...
Zach...
..you might like to go out some
time? Zach!
It's just, I thought with you
being a scientist,
the place would be ordered, precise,
at least vaguely clean.
Only boring people have
clean houses.
You're confusing boring with normal.
All right, as your landlady,
I give you my permission
to tidy the place up.
Do I get a rent reduction?
(LAUGHS)
Depends how good a job you do.
How many babies are we having?
This is just the essentials.
And we're planning on putting
it where?
In the back room.
You mean my study?
Ha! Well, you call it a study
but you don't really
do much studying in there, do you?
I contemplate things in there.
No, you store things in there
that I tell you to get rid of.
But that's over.
Baby's coming and we need the space.
But babies are tiny.
How much space does something
that small really need?
Oh, look at you.
You're so sweet, so naive.
You have no idea what's coming,
do you?
(MOBILE RINGS)
Don't look at me.
Barnaby?
(SIREN)
So, we have an unidentified female
found caught in the weir by our two
river officers.
Nelson, take their statements.
Sir.
Right, let's see what we have.
She's female, good physical shape.
Got abrasions on her arm and legs.
Post-mortem injuries, probably
sustained by the body bouncing off
the rocks further upriver.
She's wearing what appears
to be a cloth mask,
fastened at the back
with an unusual knot.
Can we get a picture?
Ma'am.
Pretty girl.
Foam around her mouth
is consistent with drowning.
Suggests she was alive
when she went in.
How long has she been in there?
No sign of adipocere,
the skin's in good condition.
At a guess, I'd say 24 hours.
Chances of us finding
the entry point?
You'll be lucky.
The river runs for 60 miles
through three separate counties.
Hang on. We've got blood.
Blunt force trauma
to the back of the skull.
Sustained before death.
The mask went on after she received
the blow to the head.
And you found the body
wedged under the steps?
Must have got carried
by the current.
Did you notice anything else?
It's Nancy.
It's Nancy!
Zach! It's Nancy!
Hey, hey! Take it easy! Take it easy!
How do you know her?
She's my friend.
Nancy Dewar. 28.
Lived her whole life in St Claire.
Works as a nurse
for the Midsomer Health Trust.
Family?
Uh, she's got a husband.
Michael Dewar.
He's a local builder, apparently.
Then we start with him.
Maybe not.
It seems Nancy left him three months
ago
for an art historian called
Hamilton.
They rented a house in the village.
How did the husband take that?
Not well.
Then we definitely start with him.
Michael Dewar?
Who wants to know?
How did it happen?
We don't have all the details yet.
Were it an accident...or what?
We're treating it as suspicious.
We understand you and your wife
had recently separated.
Oh, it was nothing serious. But
she'd moved in with someone else.
Hamilton turned her head,
that's all.
She's a dreamer, she was. My wife.
Easily bored.
He was something new
but she would have tired of him
sooner or later.
So who is this Mr Hamilton?
Professor Hamilton,
he likes to be called.
An art buff.
He's here for the fresco.
Do we have to talk about him?
Everything all right, Michael?
What's going on?
Nancy's dead.
You what?
Found her in the river.
Sorry, sir, you are?
Frank Dewar.
I'm Michael's dad.
I'm sorry, son.
Where were you both last night?
What kind of a question's that?
A relatively simple one.
It's just routine, Mr Dewar.
We need to be able
to count people out.
I were at home.
Michael?
I was out with some people.
Can I ask where?
Lots of different places.
Well, that wasn't weird at all.
Run a background check on Michael
Dewar. I want to know more about him.
You didn't push him on his alibi.
No point
until we get a time of death.
Meanwhile, let's go talk to Hamilton.
Well? What d'you think, son?
Er, it's beautiful, Dad.
Hey, less of the sarcasm.
This is important, this is.
It's the first thing the customer
sees. It's got to have impact.
Come on, then. You're the one with
the art degree. Give me some tips.
Yeah, unfortunately, Dad, I was off
the day they did veg displays.
Why are you being so chippy?
Cos I've got to go to work.
This is work, son.
(COUGHS)
Ewan!
(SIGHS)
Ewan! There you are.
Victor. Stella.
What can I get for you?
Here on official flood business,
Ewan.
We need to discuss your
preparations.
Any chance we could do this another
time?
I can't put it off any longer,
Ewan.
And you haven't ordered
any sandbags.
See, the thing is, if I block my
doorway up with sandbags my customers
can't get in.
And if you don't,
you may be knee-deep in river water.
Zach. How are the levels?
Up another five feet.
Listen, er, you haven't seen Michael
about, have you?
No. Why? Is there a problem?
Nancy's dead.
What?
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate her
taking me in,
but you should see the house.
It's, it's like a pig sty.
I-I tried to square the place up
but I don't know,
I didn't know where to start.
Nelson?
Sir?
You do know I don't care?
Yes, sir, yeah.
Just checking.
Being in churches gives me
the creeps.
REVEREND: It's the feeling of being
watched.
Every move catalogued,
every thought recorded.
Nothing escapes Him.
I've often thought God's
a bit like the Stasi.
Only more effective
and with nicer agents, obviously.
Reverend Hillcott. Call me Martha.
DCI Barnaby, this is DS Nelson.
We're looking for Professor Hamilton.
Oh, yes. Of course.
Poor Nancy. Terrible shock.
Sorry, how did you know about Nancy?
His first time out of the city?
Transferred from London a month ago.
Still a tourist, then.
News travels fast in a village.
Word of Nancy's death
reached us this morning.
The professor's distraught.
And where is the professor?
He's working in the crypt.
Oh, so, not that distraught, then?
We all grieve in our own way.
You want me to upload these?
What?
Oh, sorry, yes.
Upload them.
Professor.
This is DCI Barnaby and DS Nelson.
They're here about Nancy.
Why don't you take a break, Noah?
You're restoring the fresco?
Restoration is a long way away.
Right now we're just trying
to stop the rot.
We need to record every detail
before the intonaco
deteriorates further.
It's the river, you see?
The water seeps through the
foundations, speeds up the decay.
But we're all working very hard
to find a more permanent solution.
I-I'm sorry,
you wanted to talk about Nancy.
How long had you known her?
I came here around six months ago.
Nancy moved in about three months
later.
A whirlwind romance, then?
Something like that.
When did you last see her?
Yesterday morning around eight.
You weren't concerned when she
didn't come home last night?
Nancy works across the whole county.
It's not unusual for her to stay
over
at a hotel when she's working late.
Did Nancy have a car for work?
Yes.
A yellow hatchback.
A Fiat, I think.
Can you think of anyone
who might want to hurt Nancy?
No.
What about her husband?
How did he react to your
relationship with her?
Michael wasn't best pleased.
Sir... You might want to see this.
Excuse me.
Remind you of anyone?
Do you know he went for a run this
morning at six o'clock?
Six o'clock.
Is that a fact?
Guess what he has for breakfast.
I've no idea.
Green tea.
The man's a freak.
You're telling me.
OK, ballooned lungs confirm
suffocation in water.
She drowned?
That's about the size of it.
What about time of death?
Comparing her liver temperature
with the river temperature,
I'd say the night
before she was found.
The head wound?
The skull had collapsed
into the occipital lobe
in an uneven depression.
She had tissue damage and hair loss.
There were no signs of any defence
wounds and nothing to suggest a
violent struggle.
She was taken by surprise?
More than likely.
The force of the blow would've
probably rendered her unconscious.
/Giving the killer time
to fit the mask.
We found blood, hair and tissue on
the inside.
All of it belonging to Nancy.
What about prints?
Your killer was careful.
Analysis of the material
showed it to be sisal-based.
Burlap to be exact.
Sackcloth?
And it's been around a bit too.
The process used to bleach it
is over 30 years old.
The mask was cut from a larger sack.
We found a fragment
of the logo on it.
Can't see it with the naked eye,
but with the UV...
"SHC"? That's not much to go on.
Printed on the sack.
So let's start with
local agricultural organisations,
feed suppliers,
independent producers.
Pretty much half the county, then?
Pretty much, yeah.
Where are we on the car?
Looking for a yellow Fiat Punto.
Hatchback. Er, Traffic are still
looking for it.
Well, tell them to get a move on.
It can't have just disappeared.
Right, we have a 28-year-old woman
killed in a similar way
to a character in a medieval fresco.
What do we know about this?
Discovered six months ago.
Apparently it's big news
in the field of church art.
How many people have seen it?
Well, it's got its own web site.
Anything on Hamilton?
Respected academic.
Expert in the field
of medieval arts.
Spent most of his working life
in various churches around Europe.
What about the murder site?
Nancy was local, so I've gone with a
five-mile radius around the village.
These are potential entry points.
I was planning on checking them out.
Then you'd best get on to it.
(PHONE RINGS)
Causton CID?
Can I ask who's calling?
It's Reverend Gould.
Former vicar at St Claire.
Wants to talk to you.
DCI Barnaby speaking.
OK. Well, if you'd like to come down
to the station, we'd be more than...
OK, er, give me your address.
Reverend Gould?
Through the back.
Are you the detective?
DCI Barnaby.
That's quite a view you have here.
I barely noticed it until I retired.
And how long were you at St Claire's?
All in, about 25 years.
I knew Nancy when she was a girl.
She was wild even back then.
She liked to tear around the
village,
drinking with the boys
from the travellers' camp.
Some called it high spirits.
But the truth is,
the girl was shameless.
Still, no reason for her to die.
Someone obviously thinks it was.
Any idea who that someone might be?
No.
But I know what inspired them.
(SIGHS)
Ah, there it is.
That weary sigh.
(CHUCKLES)
/You think the old man's lost it.
Some fire and brimstone preacher
blabbering on about God punishing
the sinners.
What?
You think this was a coincidence?
Nancy dying like that?
Just like that fresco they're all
wetting themselves over?
(FOOTSTEPS)
Things like that are covered up
for a reason.
Dad?
What are you doing here?
I called him.
Everything all right?
Everything's fine.
The detective and I
were just chatting about Nancy.
Ava and Nancy used to be friends.
Not that she has much time
for friends.
Too busy looking
after this old wreck.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself.
Do you have children?
My wife and I are expecting
our first.
Your first?
A new dad, eh?
This must be an interesting time
for you.
It's very exciting.
Ha! You're scared stiff.
And if not,
you have no business being a father.
Oh, I say!
What, er,
what news from the river authority?
Don't worry, Victor. We'll let you
know well before it happens.
It's just I need some info for my
presentation.
What presentation?
The council meeting.
What, tonight?
The vicar's asked me
for a status report.
Sorry. Dad can be a bit intense.
He's not well.
Is it serious?
Leukaemia. Diagnosed last year.
He's had a bit of chemo
but they reckon he needs a bone
marrow transplant.
You found a donor?
You're looking at her.
That's if the tests confirm
I'm a match.
What was Nancy like, then?
Good fun.
Could be reckless.
What about her and Michael Dewar?
Well, I don't blame her
for leaving Michael.
His drinking was a problem.
Do you think he might have
harmed her?
(CAR HORN)
Martha's holding the vote tonight.
How? It wasn't supposed to be
till the end of the month.
Yeah, well, she called a special
meeting.
Because of the flood.
She'll slip it in.
Cow.
Hey. Don't worry.
Me and Frank will be there.
We'll sort her out, all right?
(MOBILE RINGS)
Everything OK?
No. Not really.
Nelson. What have you got for me?
You're not going in to work, are you?
I got to make a start
on them quotes.
I can do that. No problem.
You got to think how it looks.
How what looks?
You. Swanning into work while your
wife's body's still in the morgue.
You stay here, keep your head down.
I'll take care of the yard.
Right, we need the riverbank combed
and let's get some casts
of those tyre tracks. OK?
Thanks, everyone.
Fancied a dip, did you?
Wild swimming. It's all the rage.
Think this is where she went in? I
found her rucksack in the shallows.
OK, Nelson, in your own time.
Tyre tracks.
One set leading from the road.
They stop here and then turn back
the way they came.
So, unless the car drove off by
itself,
we can assume Nancy wasn't alone.
Or maybe she came with someone
or this was a prearranged meeting.
Either way, she knew them.
Anything in the rucksack?
Change of clothes,
toilet bag, books,
water, passport, air sickness
pills...
She was taking a flight.
Australia. One way.
Due to fly out the night she died.
And a work visa.
So, she was leaving.
Until someone stopped her.
Been trying to call you all morning.
Look, um,
I'm really sorry about Nancy.
She didn't deserve this.
Bottle of vodka.
Look, if there's anything you need,
you just ask.
I need a bottle of vodka.
You don't have to go through this
on your own. We are here for you.
There is one thing you could do
for me.
Just name it.
We must think about the future
of the church, Stella.
But should we really be discussing
the fresco so soon after Nancy...
Nancy's death was tragic.
But that doesn't mean
we neglect our duty.
But the way she died, Vicar.
It was just like the poor girl
in the painting.
The fresco wasn't to blame
for Nancy's death.
Whoever killed her was evil.
And they will face the consequences.
We've more ingress.
Then I'll order another pump.
It won't help.
The problem's structural.
You want to save the fresco, you
have to make the crypt watertight.
And that's what I plan to do.
The thing is, you keep saying that.
All will be sorted by tonight.
BARNABY: Professor Hamilton?
What do you mean Nancy was leaving?
You don't think it odd that Nancy
didn't tell you she was going?
Why would that be odd?
You were in a relationship with her.
I don't know what idea you have
of me and Nancy, but it wasn't
serious.
She left her husband for you!
I wasn't the only reason Nancy
walked out on Michael.
Care to expand on that?
Well, the man's a drunk and he has
a temper and when he gets angry...
Look, all I know is Michael wasn't
above taking his anger out on Nancy.
Did you ever see him do this?
No, but the whole village knows he
put her in hospital last Christmas.
I shall miss all this when we go.
We're not going anywhere.
Martha will have her way no matter
what. Her sort always do.
Don't worry. I can handle Martha.
You're such a fierce one.
Same as your mother.
You look so much like her.
The first time I saw her, I was
standing outside the shelter
and she was coming up the road.
The prettiest girl in Shoreditch.
And do you know what...
You knew, right then,
she was the girl for you.
So you took her for tea in a cafe
and you talked all night
till the waitress threw you out.
Have I told you that story before?
I just wish you could've known her.
Yeah. Me too.
It's not been so bad, has it?
I mean, you're happy enough,
aren't you?
I'll be happier when we get the test
results back
and we can start living again.
The question is, where?
Listen to me.
This is our home.
I won't let Martha take it.
I promise.
Hamilton's a liar.
Yes, Nancy and I had rows.
But I'm not a wife-beater.
What about Nancy's trip to casualty?
Well, that was nothing.
Concussion? Two cracked ribs?
Well, she was plastered. She was
dancing in the kitchen and she fell.
Ask Dad.
He saw the whole thing happen.
Why does the village believe you
were responsible for her injuries?
Because they like
to think the worst.
Nancy wouldn't have gone
out of her way to put them straight.
Oh, so now Nancy's a liar?
No, she's an attention seeker.
She were never happy unless everyone
were talking about her.
Where were you the night Nancy died?
I told you. I was...out.
You need to be more specific.
All right, I was at a mate's.
Does your mate have a name?
Ewan.
Ewan Evans. He runs the shop.
Why didn't you tell us this before?
Oh, I only just remembered.
Ah, there you are. Listen,
I've arranged a meeting tomorrow
with the solicitor.
I thought you might like to come
along.
Got to be at the church.
Look, this is important, Noah.
It's about the future of the shop.
Your future.
I need to be there.
Noah, you've been back for three
months.
I want to get this sorted out.
Once and for all.
And we will. I promise.
Oi, you dozy sod.
(DOOR SHUTS)
Noah...
He's hitting the bottle early.
I don't think it's early for him.
Go and speak to Ewan Evans.
See if he backs up Michael's story.
What about you?
It's time I had a word
with Frank Dewar.
Find out what he really thinks
of his son.
Mr Evans?
DS Nelson.
You, er, you busy at the moment?
No. No.
Always got time to talk.
You're a friend of Michael Dewar's?
Yeah, yeah.
We're good mates, me and Michael.
You were with him on Wednesday night?
Wednesday?
Wednesday just gone?
That's the one, yeah.
Er, yeah, yeah.
Actually, me and Michael did get
together Wednesday night, yeah.
Couple of drinks, was it?
Always is with Michael.
(LAUGHS)
And what pub did you go to?
Who said we went to the pub?
Sorry, you said a couple of drinks.
I assumed...
No, no. We were upstairs
in the flat.
All night?
Well, it was pretty late
when he left.
I'm sorry, I'm going to have to deal
with this. Sorry.
'Ere, I told you.
I didn't want any sandbags.
Mr Dewar?
Frank?
Noah, I want to know
where you got it!
It's no big deal, Dad.
No big deal? There's some nutcase
running around murdering people
and you've practically
got the handbook.
Those pictures are vile, son.
That's your expert opinion, is it?
20 years working in a poxy shop
and suddenly you're an art expert.
That ain't art.
And this poxy shop puts a roof
over your head.
Yeah, well, I hate it.
I dunno how you can stand it here.
Every day the same thing.
No, no. Not the same thing.
Because every day I build this
business up just a little bit more.
And why?
So I can hand it on to my son.
Well, your son doesn't want it.
Noah!
(CHATTER)
Hello! Hi.
We need to wait for Frank.
Oh, er, don't worry.
He'll, he'll get here.
(ENGINE CLATTERS)
(WARNING BEEPS)
(ENGINE STOPS)
(IGNITION FAILS)
As soon as we get the nod from Zach
that she's burst,
the Flood Volunteer Force
will be mobilised.
That's me, Stella and anyone
in one of these.
First priority is
to get the word out.
We go door-to-door in case we lose
mobile communications.
After that we need to evacuate
the vulnerable.
Red dots
represent households
with elderly persons or children.
Now, we'll get them to the church.
That's going to be our HQ.
"Headquarters".
Stella's on top of all that.
We'll be providing tea,
coffee and hot soup.
Tomato and Cream of Chicken.
Now, should the worst happen and the
church be flooded, then we go to...
Surely if the church floods, Victor,
then, um, the whole village is lost.
Not necessarily, Vicar.
I like to believe we've got
a pretty solid plan B.
Well, then,
we'll pray you never have to use it.
Thank you, Victor.
Oh. Thank you.
Now, shall we talk about
the cottage?
I think you mean the Goulds' home?
Well, it's not technically their
home.
The property belongs to the church.
You all know the decision we have to
make... Um, it's not an easy one.
But the sale of the cottage will
give us the funds
to start the necessary building
work.
Sorry, Vicar, but isn't there any
other way of raising the money?
I'm afraid not.
I should tell you
that Professor Hamilton believes
the fresco will perish if we don't
make the crypt watertight soon.
But evicting Reverend Gould and Ava,
well, it does seem a little bit
extreme.
Hear! Hear!
Thank you.
Of course, you're right.
It is rather cruel that the Reverend
should have to leave his home.
And for what?
To save some silly old painting.
But then I remember something
Reverend Gould said to me
when I first came to St Claire.
He said to me, "Martha, your job
is to take care of the church.
And for that you must make
sacrifices."
So while it pains me to do so,
I propose we take a vote
on the cottage.
Well, hold on, the council rules say
that you can't vote
if more than one member is absent.
So...
Well, there's only Frank missing.
You're forgetting about Nancy.
No.
Nancy gave me her vote a few days
ago and asked me to cast it for her.
Why would Nancy give you her vote?
I don't know.
But she did.
And I for one feel
that we should respect her wishes.
Oh, no!
No!
No...
(CAR HORN)
What happened?
I'm sorry.
Happy now?
Got what you wanted?
It was a council decision.
To make a sick man homeless?
Ava, we've provided alternative
accommodation for you and your dad.
Oh, yes, I've seen it.
A poxy caravan
on the other side of the village.
It won't happen.
I'll pull that place down
before I let you take it from us.
I thought we should celebrate.
You mean you got the votes?
I must admit I was surprised
but, er, Frank did us a favour
by not showing up.
So, looks like we both get
what we want.
Isn't it beautiful?
All that misery and suffering.
Almost makes me tingle.
People are going to flock
to see this
and they'll pay
for the privilege too.
This is about preservation, Martha.
Absolutely.
Preservation's paramount.
But once that happens,
we have a duty to share its beauty
with the world.
You know what I like about you,
Martha?
You know exactly what you want.
To the fresco.
(CLATTER)
Hello?
Hey!
Who's that?
Get out of it! Get out of it!
What, what are you doing?
Get out of there!
Get out of there!
No!
No!
Uh-huh.
Yeah. Quite comfortable, are we?
(GROWLS AND BARKS)
Basket.
It's in the kitchen.
(BARKS)
We may have to sit Sykes down
and talk to him about the changes
that are coming.
What if it doesn't like me?
What?
The baby.
What if we just don't get on?
There's not much to get on with.
They're practically blobs for the
first year.
No, well, I mean after that.
What if it grows up
and our relationship breaks down?
You hear about it all the time.
Parents not talking to their kids.
Vice versa.
That's other people.
Is it?
I'm sure they didn't set out to have
bad relationships with their kids.
Something must have happened.
Where is all this coming from?
I don't know. I just...
(DOORBELL)
Nancy's car turned up.
We find anything in it?
Let's go and speak to Frank Dewar.
That's going to be difficult.
You know him?
Name's Frank Dewar.
Any relation to our river girl?
Father-in-law.
Well, two ton of rubble fell
on top of him,
so we have multiple injuries
to head and upper body.
None of these injuries were enough
to kill him outright, though.
In the end he bled out, slowly.
First drowning, now stoning.
Stoning on an industrial scale.
Yeah, it's quite a murder weapon.
The forensics get anything off this?
Not yet.
Let us know if they do.
Huh! Talk about a relic.
VHS.
Is there a tape still in there?
No such luck.
Let's take them back to the station.
Andy, do you mind?
ANDY: Sarge.
Looks like Frank Dewar was
struggling.
He's borrowed a lot of money too.
Frank tries to get rid
of Nancy's car.
And then someone got rid of him.
So why was our second victim trying
to hide evidence relating
to our first?
Because he was protecting someone?
Michael Dewar.
Find him. Bring him to the station.
You don't want to come with me?
According to this,
the last call Frank made was to the
Goulds' cottage.
You have to admit, it's frightening.
I'll admit it's disconcerting.
But the drowning and the stoning...
Reverend...
I prefer to think of the friends
we've lost rather than how they died.
But it's just like the fresco.
You're not suggesting the fresco
killed them, are you, Stella?
No.
But, but, it might be best if we...
If what?
Cover it up again.
You know, the thing about fear is,
it's actually a choice.
We can choose to be afraid
or we can choose to be strong.
Now, choosing to be afraid is easy.
We just surrender and let the fear
overwhelm us.
Choosing to be strong is more
difficult.
Unless we have support.
And I know we can face these terrible
times if we just stand together.
Frank Dewar was stoned to death.
What?
That lot are blaming the fresco.
Mind you, a bit of notoriety
wouldn't do our profile any harm.
Excuse me.
Poor Frank.
He was a weak man
and he had his troubles.
You mean like his debt troubles?
That and then there was Michael.
The bad seed.
Frank did what he could.
You see, that's the problem
with having children.
Who knows what you'll get?
I was lucky with Ava.
And I pray you will be too
when yours comes along.
You never told me how he died.
Unusually.
Unusually, eh?
Well, I did warn you.
Tell me, if this fresco is inspiring
someone to commit these murders,
what do you suppose their motive is?
Do you know what the fresco's about?
It's a purge.
A reckoning.
They're rounding up the sinners
and making them pay.
So Nancy and Frank Dewar
were sinners?
Somebody obviously thinks so.
Did Frank call you last night?
About eight o'clock.
What did he want?
He wanted to apologise.
The council met last night
and decided to sell the cottage.
Frank was meant to vote for us.
But he didn't show up.
(ENGINE STARTS)
OK, see you.
Bye.
Your dad says you're being evicted.
Not if I have anything
to do with it.
Dad brought me here
when I was six months old.
My mum died just after I was born.
Dad was devastated.
So, we left London
and we started afresh.
Sounds like a happy home.
Dad made it a happy home.
Gave me everything I needed.
It was perfect...
That's why I'm going to fight this.
When did you last see your dad?
Yesterday afternoon before he left.
And where was he going?
Work, I suppose.
Nancy's car,
found two miles outside the village.
Your dad dumped it there.
What? Why would Dad do that?
He needed to get it out of the yard.
Our forensics team matched oil found
in your garage to a leak in Nancy's
car.
Hang on.
How can that be?
You tell us, Michael.
I don't bloody know, do I?
Where were you on the night that
Nancy was killed?
And don't say with Ewan Evans.
He backed up your story once
but if we get him in under caution...
It don't matter where I was.
I wasn't anywhere near Nancy.
Then why not tell us where you were?
If you don't, we're going to have
to charge you with Nancy's murder.
What? You think I killed my wife and
my dad in the space of two days?
Unless you can give us an alibi.
All right.
I was at Carrington Hall.
The rehab clinic?
I went there to dry out.
And it only took a day, did it?
Of course not. Don't be so stupid.
I wanted to get myself together,
get my life back.
Maybe even get Nancy back.
So, I booked myself in.
Had a nice chat with the therapist.
Signed all the papers.
They went off to look for a room
and I walked straight out of there.
Lasted all of two hours.
Where did you go?
Nearest pub.
What was it called?
The Bull.
They'll remember me.
They had to carry me out.
Why didn't you tell us this before?
You think I want to admit I can't
go half a day without a drink?
That I'm a failure?
Everyone thinks I'm a loser - my dad
did, my wife did, all my mates.
I didn't say where I was
cos I didn't want to give them
another chance to write me off.
Do the initials SHC mean anything
to you?
I just don't know what to think.
Well, maybe it is a bit extreme,
but...
Yeah, but what the hell's Noah doing
with it? That's what I want to know.
Well, he's the arty type. They're
supposed to be into weird stuff.
There's weird and there's weird.
What'd the police say if they knew
he had a book like that?
It's just a book. Yeah, a book full
of torture and death.
With everything
that's been going on around here...
I better get going.
Something I can get you, Professor?
Actually, I was looking for Noah.
Noah's gone out.
Something I can get you?
No.
Nothing important.
Hang on a minute!
Eh! Professor!
Hold on a minute...
I said, wait.
This is yours, isn't it? What do you
think you're playing at,
giving Noah something like this, eh?
My son doesn't need this filth.
And what would you know
about what your son needs, Mr Evans?
He's my boy.
Give me that.
Just you stay away from Noah,
you hear me?
Carrington Hall confirmed that a
Michael Dewar booked in but left.
And The Bull?
The barman remembers him.
Took three of them
to kick him out at closing.
OK, so where are we
on the Dewar CCTV?
Can't find a VCR.
You are kidding me?
It's the 21st Century, sir.
Get a car round to my house. They'll
find an old VCR player in my study.
You've got a study? Nice.
(WHISPERING VOICES)
(VOICES INTENSIFY)
OK, so no tape from the Dewars' yard
for the night Frank was killed.
The killer probably took it.
Yeah, fair bet.
But we did find the tape
for the night Nancy was killed.
OK, so it's all quiet until 21:37,
when this happens.
That's Nancy's car.
And that's Nancy Dewar.
What's she doing?
There.
She's getting picked up.
By Zach Lime.
(THUNDER)
Zach Lime. 32 years old.
He moved to the area from Leeds
four years ago.
Criminal record?
There's nothing on him.
But he's got a brother
who was charged with identity fraud.
Hold on a minute.
Before coming to the area,
Lime spent a year training
to be a priest.
OK, thanks. Thank you.
That was the Carford Station.
They say she's burst her bank
three miles upriver.
It might still hold here.
We'll be lucky.
We need to speak to you, Mr Lime.
Nelson!
We really do need to speak to you.
(DOORBELL RINGS REPEATEDLY)
What do you want, Martha?
You're not working on the fresco.
I'm taking the afternoon off.
Why? Are you ill?
I have some things to take care of.
Well, do you think you could attend
to them quickly? We've got plans to
discuss.
I'll see what I can do.
Anything from Lime's house? Nothing
to link him directly to the murders
but we managed to retrieve some
erased files from a memory stick
that we found discarded in his bin.
Hospital records?
Patient details. Confidential stuff.
Someone with the right contacts
could make money out of this
information.
Someone like Zach Lime's brother.
OK, wait. I had nothing to do
with Nancy's death.
Look, Nancy came to me, OK? She said
she was leaving, she needed money.
Told me she could get her hands
on patients' information,
asked if I could find anyone
who'd buy them.
Why did she come to you?
I don't know.
Why do you lot pull me over
once a month for no reason?
I may have told her
about my brother.
Why didn't you sell it on?
I don't know.
It just didn't feel right.
And plus, I haven't seen my brother
in ages. So...
..in the end,
I just paid Nancy from some savings.
Hold on a minute.
You gave her your own money?
Why not just tell her you couldn't
find a buyer?
Nancy said if I helped her, she'd
put in a good word for me with Ava.
Look, I know it's pathetic.
Right, I know.
But I work with Ava every day and I
still...never seem able to tell her.
Tell her what?
That I love her.
OK.
So why did Nancy leave her car
at the Dewars' building yard?
Well, she wanted Michael to sell it.
And I was supposed to tell him
to send the money on.
So why did she leave in your van?
She wanted a lift.
Back to Hamilton's house.
(DOORBELL RINGS REPEATEDLY)
Mind if we come in?
What the hell's going on?
That's exactly what we were
going to ask you.
Why didn't you tell us that you saw
Nancy Dewar
on the night she was killed?
Because I didn't see her.
We have a witness who said he dropped
Nancy back here around 10 o'clock.
Look, I don't know what your
witness has told you
but I didn't see Nancy that night.
And that's the truth.
And why should we believe you?
Because I was with him.
Noah, put some clothes on.
Why should I?
Philip and I were here all night.
Nancy never came home.
Is this true?
We were discussing the fresco.
In bed.
All right, Noah. That's enough.
We've got nothing to be ashamed of.
I said, that's enough.
Noah.
Noah...
Please, don't overreact.
Noah!
Noah! Noah!
Noah, I didn't mean it!
I'm afraid that Noah,
this revelation, came rather late
in life for me.
I'm still struggling to come
to terms with it.
Did Nancy know?
Poor Nancy.
I think she thought we'd fall
in love and run away together.
She just found me at the wrong time.
So, Zach swears Nancy went home
and Hamilton and Noah
swear she didn't.
Somebody's lying.
Not necessarily.
If Zach Lime took Nancy home,
he'd have dropped her here, right?
More than likely.
So when he drove away,
he would naturally have assumed that
Nancy was going back to Hamilton's.
But what if he was wrong?
What if she was actually going...
somewhere else?
Yes... Now you come to mention it,
Nancy did pay me a visit that night.
You didn't think to mention it?
Well, I get a lot of visitors.
Why did she come to see you?
She was leaving the village. I think
she dropped in to say goodbye.
That's it? Nothing else?
There was a bit of business with the
Parish Council we had to tie up.
What sort of business?
Minor issues. I barely remember.
Why don't you try to remember?
Nancy and I had a private
arrangement.
Go on.
Well, I'd like to of course
but Nancy was keen to
keep it between ourselves
and I feel I should respect that.
OK. Nelson, arrest her.
What? OK, fine, right.
You've made your point.
The council was in deadlock.
I needed a majority
to sell the cottage.
Nancy needed money, so I saw an
opportunity to help my cause.
You bought her vote?
To speed up the process.
I know I would have convinced her
to see it my way in the end.
So, she came here for money,
then what?
Then she left.
Where did she go?
I assumed to the airport.
I don't trust that woman.
Unfortunately, we can't prove
anything other than she met with
Nancy.
On the night she was killed,
Nancy was going round the village
collecting money she was owed.
Calling in the debts
before she left.
Which means we need to find out
whether she was due to collect from
anyone else.
Wow.
That is beautiful.
Beautiful?
Well, not the subject matter,
obviously,
but the quality of the work's
exquisite.
What's this?
Your mum sent it to me.
Wow.
I'd forgotten about this.
This is Cup Final day.
Dad got us tickets.
You both look very happy.
We weren't so happy
when we got beaten.
But, yeah, it was still a great day.
What d'you remember about it?
Not much.
Just a...happy memory.
Sunny.
Dad was off work.
Just me and him.
You know, you're right, of course.
Sometimes relationships aren't
perfect.
They can be awkward and a little
distant.
It's never the whole story, though,
is it?
No. Not the whole story.
(GROANS)
(GROANS)
Uh!
Uh!
Uh!
Agh!
No!
(CREAKING)
No!
(THUNDER)
Who found the body?
Let's take a look.
Puts me in mind of Mousetrap.
All we need is a little man
diving into a plastic tub.
Looking at an acute penetrating
trauma, obviously.
The shaft punched a hole in his
lower abdomen,
came out the other side.
No doubt taking a few
of his major organs as it went.
If it's any consolation, this one
would have died relatively quickly.
Where did the chains come from?
Take a look around.
Place is full of medieval replicas.
It's like a theme park.
Impalement. At least it's different.
Thing is, sir, there
is no impalement on the fresco.
In fact, it's one of the few gory
deaths that are missing.
I think it's the, um,
breaking on the wheel.
Right.
I see what you mean.
Got all that. Fine.
Thank you.
I understand you found the body.
A rather gruesome discovery.
He didn't show up at the crypt, so
I called round to see if he was OK.
Did you notice anything?
I'm afraid, I was a bit too
distracted
by the dead body to play detective.
A nuisance him dying now.
A nuisance?
Medieval art experts
are hard to find.
(THUNDER)
Doesn't look like it's going
to stop.
(THUNDER)
(CLAMOUR)
Thank you very much for your
patience, ladies and gentlemen.
I will get you all in due course.
Now make sure you're stocked up
on canned goods.
We have plenty of stock at the
moment. Ewan! Ewan!
Take your time, ladies and gentlemen.
We'll get you all!
DCI Barnaby looking for your son.
Noah!
He's through there. OK?
Now, where were we?
Excuse me.
I remember the first time I saw him.
He came in the shop.
Bread, milk, blue cheese,
two bottles of red.
Right then and there, I knew...
I mean, it wasn't, it wasn't obvious
because he was always around
the women, flirting.
But when they weren't there,
he was around me.
Did you see the professor
last night?
Last time I saw him, he was with you.
You didn't go back to his house?
Hold on. You think I killed him?
You were very angry with him.
Yeah, and no wonder.
I was trying to help him
and he treated me like that.
I loved him.
Even if he was old and boring and
couldn't admit who he really was.
I still loved him.
Did he die like the fresco?
I'm afraid he did.
You know, whoever's doing this,
they know their audience.
What makes you say that?
They're a superstitious lot round
here.
They'll lap this stuff up.
He was buying a place for us,
you know?
We were all set to
move into the Goulds' cottage.
The Goulds' place?
He and Martha had agreed
a quick sale.
Cheap as chips, the professor said.
Catch any of that, did you?
I caught the important bits.
I don't want the shop, Dad.
But I would like to stay
for a while.
On one condition.
Right, everyone else might
be running for the hills.
But we are made of sterner stuff.
So, come flood, fire,
famine or the Devil himself...
Evans & Son are open for business!
(CLAMOUR)
I'm not leaving over a drop of rain.
It's the river I'm worried about.
I doubt it'll wash the house away.
Better to be safe than sorry.
I'm not going to that place.
Dad, it's your church.
Not any more.
Belongs to her now.
The congregation doesn't.
They're still your people.
Still your flock.
Some have stayed loyal, I suppose.
Exactly. And right now they're in
crisis
and in need of some
spiritual comfort.
I know what you're doing.
Good for you.
Now let's go.
(THUNDER)
This way.
In you go.
Come along now.
He was buying the Goulds' place!
Sir?
Hamilton was all set to move in.
This has got nothing to do
with God or sinners or religion.
This is all about something
far more mundane. Property.
All our victims were involved in
the deal surrounding the cottage.
Ava?
Get over there now.
(CHATTER)
Place hasn't changed at all.
I'll get us a tea.
Ah, Reverend Gould.
Nice to see you again.
Victor.
How goes the crisis?
Oh, all under control.
How are you?
This lot could do with some music.
♪ Abide with me
♪ Fast falls the even tide
♪ The darkness deepens
♪ Lord with me abide
♪ When other helpers fail
♪ And comforts flee
♪ Help of the helpless
♪ O abide with me
What the hell are you doing?
(THUNDER)
♪ Help of the helpless
♪ O abide with me ♪
Been a long time
since I heard singing like that.
'And I've missed it.'
And though this is a dark time
for our village,
there is light in here.
The light of our people.
Crumpet?
No, thanks.
You think you can come
into my church
and destroy something
I've worked for?
Not your church.
God's church.
He brought me here.
God put me here to protect
His gift to us.
Just graffiti, Martha.
Granted, it's 800 years old.
But still...
People will come for miles
to see this.
So, that's it?
The reason that you threw my dad out
of his home?
So you could build
a tourist attraction.
A place of pilgrimage.
Exit through the gift shop?
There's no talking to you, is there?
You can't see that I'm trying to do
something to help this village.
(WOMEN GRUNT AND GROAN)
You want to do something
to help this village, Martha?
Stop trying to turn it into Lourdes
and be a proper vicar.
What? Like your dad?
Thumping Bibles
in the pulpit every Sunday?
My father is loved in this village.
They couldn't wait to see him go.
(CRIES OUT)
Just stay right there.
You need to arrest her. Right now.
She tried to destroy this church.
Don't be hysterical.
And she tried to kill me.
You saw her.
Right. You need to come with me, now.
Kate! I need you over here.
I need the internet on this.
Do I look like IT?
Please. Just do it.
And then search for SHC,
with this postcode.
Ta-dah!
Oh.
Look at this.
Is there a phone number?
There.
Hello. Detective Chief Inspector
Barnaby, Midsomer Constabulary.
Who am I speaking to?
And why have these tragedies
come to our village?
Who's to blame?
Is it God?
No.
We're to blame.
We're guilty.
I didn't try to kill anyone.
We can talk about this
at the station.
I just wanted to wreck the fresco.
Oh, so you admit it, then.
Guilty of forgetting Him.
And we're in this mess
because of people like her.
A woman with no humility,
a woman who lacks compassion.
A woman who values profit
above God Himself.
Rather than follow her,
we should condemn her.
Let he who hath not sinned,
Reverend!
I don't like heckling, Mr Barnaby.
And I don't like murder, Reverend.
Shall we do this in private?
I have nothing to fear
in God's house.
And what about
Shoreditch Homeless Centre?
Have you anything to fear there?
Or from a young woman
by the name of Tina Bell?
It was all such a long time ago,
you might be forgiven for thinking
that your secret was safe.
But then along came Nancy Dewar.
You see, whatever else you thought
about Nancy, she was a nurse.
And a good one.
So when you became ill
and you needed your tests,
Nancy went out of her way to get your
results as quickly as possible.
She was surprised by what she found.
When she left on the night she died,
she had one last thing to do...
To tell her friend Ava the truth.
What truth?
Ava. Go home.
Right now.
What's he talking about, Dad?
But Nancy found you instead.
You couldn't have her exposing you,
so you killed her.
You dressed it up
to look like the fresco.
Same with Frank. He found your test
results in Nancy's car.
So he had to go too.
And then you were safe,
until Nancy came back
from the dead to spoil your party.
A reply came to a letter
that Nancy had sent
to the homeless centre
asking about you.
Professor Hamilton
received it yesterday.
I imagine he contacted you about it.
What letter?
Nothing important, my love.
It explains what Nancy had discovered
from your test results,
which the Health Trust
have very kindly emailed to me.
Don't read them, Ava.
I don't understand.
It says we're not related.
Of course we are.
I'm your father.
Who was my mother?
You know who she was.
Marjory Gould.
She walked into the centre,
we went for tea.
There was a waitress...
You are the daughter of Tina Bell,
a troubled young woman
who walked into the homeless centre.
You were taken from her
and never seen again.
Tina was an easy target.
A young girl, drug user,
mental health issues.
So, when she claimed that
her newborn baby had been stolen,
nobody believed her.
What happened to her?
She died five years ago.
But she never gave up looking
for you.
You took me from my mum?
She wasn't a mum.
So full of drugs
she never even woke up.
She couldn't take care of you.
I took care of you, Ava.
You were so small.
Wrapped in a dirty towel.
She birthed you in a car park.
A car park, Ava!
She wasn't capable of looking
after a child.
You have to understand.
I spent six years trying
to help those people.
I couldn't save them.
Not all of them.
So, I decided to save one.
You.
You changed everything.
You gave me a purpose again.
A reason to believe.
But you lied to me.
Only because I loved you.
No...
Ava?
Ava!
That's as far as you go, Reverend.
NELSON: Three people dead
just so he could keep on pretending
to be Ava's dad.
BARNABY: Well, it wasn't
pretending to him.
As far as Gould's concerned,
Ava is his daughter.
Except she's not.
Well, he brought her up,
watched her grow.
Stole her from her mum's arms?
My point is: he killed three people
to protect Ava from the truth.
Sounds like you feel sorry for him.
No, I feel sorry for Tina Bell.
Imagine what she must have felt
when she found her baby gone.
So, the flood didn't come, then.
I had noticed that.
By the way, guess what I found
under Kate's sofa yesterday.
Nelson?
Sir?
I still don't care.
Frank?
Oh.
Wall came away, Vicar.
Is it serious?
Hole's not the problem.
It's what's on the other side.
All right?
Careful.
Take a look at the wall.
Good Lord.
(CHURCH BELLS)
She's running at 387
and she's up five feet.
Better call the Environment Agency.
You really think she'll burst?
Well, depends how much rain
we'll get.
Er, Ava, I, um...
I was wondering if maybe, um...
Zach...
..you might like to go out some
time? Zach!
It's just, I thought with you
being a scientist,
the place would be ordered, precise,
at least vaguely clean.
Only boring people have
clean houses.
You're confusing boring with normal.
All right, as your landlady,
I give you my permission
to tidy the place up.
Do I get a rent reduction?
(LAUGHS)
Depends how good a job you do.
How many babies are we having?
This is just the essentials.
And we're planning on putting
it where?
In the back room.
You mean my study?
Ha! Well, you call it a study
but you don't really
do much studying in there, do you?
I contemplate things in there.
No, you store things in there
that I tell you to get rid of.
But that's over.
Baby's coming and we need the space.
But babies are tiny.
How much space does something
that small really need?
Oh, look at you.
You're so sweet, so naive.
You have no idea what's coming,
do you?
(MOBILE RINGS)
Don't look at me.
Barnaby?
(SIREN)
So, we have an unidentified female
found caught in the weir by our two
river officers.
Nelson, take their statements.
Sir.
Right, let's see what we have.
She's female, good physical shape.
Got abrasions on her arm and legs.
Post-mortem injuries, probably
sustained by the body bouncing off
the rocks further upriver.
She's wearing what appears
to be a cloth mask,
fastened at the back
with an unusual knot.
Can we get a picture?
Ma'am.
Pretty girl.
Foam around her mouth
is consistent with drowning.
Suggests she was alive
when she went in.
How long has she been in there?
No sign of adipocere,
the skin's in good condition.
At a guess, I'd say 24 hours.
Chances of us finding
the entry point?
You'll be lucky.
The river runs for 60 miles
through three separate counties.
Hang on. We've got blood.
Blunt force trauma
to the back of the skull.
Sustained before death.
The mask went on after she received
the blow to the head.
And you found the body
wedged under the steps?
Must have got carried
by the current.
Did you notice anything else?
It's Nancy.
It's Nancy!
Zach! It's Nancy!
Hey, hey! Take it easy! Take it easy!
How do you know her?
She's my friend.
Nancy Dewar. 28.
Lived her whole life in St Claire.
Works as a nurse
for the Midsomer Health Trust.
Family?
Uh, she's got a husband.
Michael Dewar.
He's a local builder, apparently.
Then we start with him.
Maybe not.
It seems Nancy left him three months
ago
for an art historian called
Hamilton.
They rented a house in the village.
How did the husband take that?
Not well.
Then we definitely start with him.
Michael Dewar?
Who wants to know?
How did it happen?
We don't have all the details yet.
Were it an accident...or what?
We're treating it as suspicious.
We understand you and your wife
had recently separated.
Oh, it was nothing serious. But
she'd moved in with someone else.
Hamilton turned her head,
that's all.
She's a dreamer, she was. My wife.
Easily bored.
He was something new
but she would have tired of him
sooner or later.
So who is this Mr Hamilton?
Professor Hamilton,
he likes to be called.
An art buff.
He's here for the fresco.
Do we have to talk about him?
Everything all right, Michael?
What's going on?
Nancy's dead.
You what?
Found her in the river.
Sorry, sir, you are?
Frank Dewar.
I'm Michael's dad.
I'm sorry, son.
Where were you both last night?
What kind of a question's that?
A relatively simple one.
It's just routine, Mr Dewar.
We need to be able
to count people out.
I were at home.
Michael?
I was out with some people.
Can I ask where?
Lots of different places.
Well, that wasn't weird at all.
Run a background check on Michael
Dewar. I want to know more about him.
You didn't push him on his alibi.
No point
until we get a time of death.
Meanwhile, let's go talk to Hamilton.
Well? What d'you think, son?
Er, it's beautiful, Dad.
Hey, less of the sarcasm.
This is important, this is.
It's the first thing the customer
sees. It's got to have impact.
Come on, then. You're the one with
the art degree. Give me some tips.
Yeah, unfortunately, Dad, I was off
the day they did veg displays.
Why are you being so chippy?
Cos I've got to go to work.
This is work, son.
(COUGHS)
Ewan!
(SIGHS)
Ewan! There you are.
Victor. Stella.
What can I get for you?
Here on official flood business,
Ewan.
We need to discuss your
preparations.
Any chance we could do this another
time?
I can't put it off any longer,
Ewan.
And you haven't ordered
any sandbags.
See, the thing is, if I block my
doorway up with sandbags my customers
can't get in.
And if you don't,
you may be knee-deep in river water.
Zach. How are the levels?
Up another five feet.
Listen, er, you haven't seen Michael
about, have you?
No. Why? Is there a problem?
Nancy's dead.
What?
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate her
taking me in,
but you should see the house.
It's, it's like a pig sty.
I-I tried to square the place up
but I don't know,
I didn't know where to start.
Nelson?
Sir?
You do know I don't care?
Yes, sir, yeah.
Just checking.
Being in churches gives me
the creeps.
REVEREND: It's the feeling of being
watched.
Every move catalogued,
every thought recorded.
Nothing escapes Him.
I've often thought God's
a bit like the Stasi.
Only more effective
and with nicer agents, obviously.
Reverend Hillcott. Call me Martha.
DCI Barnaby, this is DS Nelson.
We're looking for Professor Hamilton.
Oh, yes. Of course.
Poor Nancy. Terrible shock.
Sorry, how did you know about Nancy?
His first time out of the city?
Transferred from London a month ago.
Still a tourist, then.
News travels fast in a village.
Word of Nancy's death
reached us this morning.
The professor's distraught.
And where is the professor?
He's working in the crypt.
Oh, so, not that distraught, then?
We all grieve in our own way.
You want me to upload these?
What?
Oh, sorry, yes.
Upload them.
Professor.
This is DCI Barnaby and DS Nelson.
They're here about Nancy.
Why don't you take a break, Noah?
You're restoring the fresco?
Restoration is a long way away.
Right now we're just trying
to stop the rot.
We need to record every detail
before the intonaco
deteriorates further.
It's the river, you see?
The water seeps through the
foundations, speeds up the decay.
But we're all working very hard
to find a more permanent solution.
I-I'm sorry,
you wanted to talk about Nancy.
How long had you known her?
I came here around six months ago.
Nancy moved in about three months
later.
A whirlwind romance, then?
Something like that.
When did you last see her?
Yesterday morning around eight.
You weren't concerned when she
didn't come home last night?
Nancy works across the whole county.
It's not unusual for her to stay
over
at a hotel when she's working late.
Did Nancy have a car for work?
Yes.
A yellow hatchback.
A Fiat, I think.
Can you think of anyone
who might want to hurt Nancy?
No.
What about her husband?
How did he react to your
relationship with her?
Michael wasn't best pleased.
Sir... You might want to see this.
Excuse me.
Remind you of anyone?
Do you know he went for a run this
morning at six o'clock?
Six o'clock.
Is that a fact?
Guess what he has for breakfast.
I've no idea.
Green tea.
The man's a freak.
You're telling me.
OK, ballooned lungs confirm
suffocation in water.
She drowned?
That's about the size of it.
What about time of death?
Comparing her liver temperature
with the river temperature,
I'd say the night
before she was found.
The head wound?
The skull had collapsed
into the occipital lobe
in an uneven depression.
She had tissue damage and hair loss.
There were no signs of any defence
wounds and nothing to suggest a
violent struggle.
She was taken by surprise?
More than likely.
The force of the blow would've
probably rendered her unconscious.
/Giving the killer time
to fit the mask.
We found blood, hair and tissue on
the inside.
All of it belonging to Nancy.
What about prints?
Your killer was careful.
Analysis of the material
showed it to be sisal-based.
Burlap to be exact.
Sackcloth?
And it's been around a bit too.
The process used to bleach it
is over 30 years old.
The mask was cut from a larger sack.
We found a fragment
of the logo on it.
Can't see it with the naked eye,
but with the UV...
"SHC"? That's not much to go on.
Printed on the sack.
So let's start with
local agricultural organisations,
feed suppliers,
independent producers.
Pretty much half the county, then?
Pretty much, yeah.
Where are we on the car?
Looking for a yellow Fiat Punto.
Hatchback. Er, Traffic are still
looking for it.
Well, tell them to get a move on.
It can't have just disappeared.
Right, we have a 28-year-old woman
killed in a similar way
to a character in a medieval fresco.
What do we know about this?
Discovered six months ago.
Apparently it's big news
in the field of church art.
How many people have seen it?
Well, it's got its own web site.
Anything on Hamilton?
Respected academic.
Expert in the field
of medieval arts.
Spent most of his working life
in various churches around Europe.
What about the murder site?
Nancy was local, so I've gone with a
five-mile radius around the village.
These are potential entry points.
I was planning on checking them out.
Then you'd best get on to it.
(PHONE RINGS)
Causton CID?
Can I ask who's calling?
It's Reverend Gould.
Former vicar at St Claire.
Wants to talk to you.
DCI Barnaby speaking.
OK. Well, if you'd like to come down
to the station, we'd be more than...
OK, er, give me your address.
Reverend Gould?
Through the back.
Are you the detective?
DCI Barnaby.
That's quite a view you have here.
I barely noticed it until I retired.
And how long were you at St Claire's?
All in, about 25 years.
I knew Nancy when she was a girl.
She was wild even back then.
She liked to tear around the
village,
drinking with the boys
from the travellers' camp.
Some called it high spirits.
But the truth is,
the girl was shameless.
Still, no reason for her to die.
Someone obviously thinks it was.
Any idea who that someone might be?
No.
But I know what inspired them.
(SIGHS)
Ah, there it is.
That weary sigh.
(CHUCKLES)
/You think the old man's lost it.
Some fire and brimstone preacher
blabbering on about God punishing
the sinners.
What?
You think this was a coincidence?
Nancy dying like that?
Just like that fresco they're all
wetting themselves over?
(FOOTSTEPS)
Things like that are covered up
for a reason.
Dad?
What are you doing here?
I called him.
Everything all right?
Everything's fine.
The detective and I
were just chatting about Nancy.
Ava and Nancy used to be friends.
Not that she has much time
for friends.
Too busy looking
after this old wreck.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself.
Do you have children?
My wife and I are expecting
our first.
Your first?
A new dad, eh?
This must be an interesting time
for you.
It's very exciting.
Ha! You're scared stiff.
And if not,
you have no business being a father.
Oh, I say!
What, er,
what news from the river authority?
Don't worry, Victor. We'll let you
know well before it happens.
It's just I need some info for my
presentation.
What presentation?
The council meeting.
What, tonight?
The vicar's asked me
for a status report.
Sorry. Dad can be a bit intense.
He's not well.
Is it serious?
Leukaemia. Diagnosed last year.
He's had a bit of chemo
but they reckon he needs a bone
marrow transplant.
You found a donor?
You're looking at her.
That's if the tests confirm
I'm a match.
What was Nancy like, then?
Good fun.
Could be reckless.
What about her and Michael Dewar?
Well, I don't blame her
for leaving Michael.
His drinking was a problem.
Do you think he might have
harmed her?
(CAR HORN)
Martha's holding the vote tonight.
How? It wasn't supposed to be
till the end of the month.
Yeah, well, she called a special
meeting.
Because of the flood.
She'll slip it in.
Cow.
Hey. Don't worry.
Me and Frank will be there.
We'll sort her out, all right?
(MOBILE RINGS)
Everything OK?
No. Not really.
Nelson. What have you got for me?
You're not going in to work, are you?
I got to make a start
on them quotes.
I can do that. No problem.
You got to think how it looks.
How what looks?
You. Swanning into work while your
wife's body's still in the morgue.
You stay here, keep your head down.
I'll take care of the yard.
Right, we need the riverbank combed
and let's get some casts
of those tyre tracks. OK?
Thanks, everyone.
Fancied a dip, did you?
Wild swimming. It's all the rage.
Think this is where she went in? I
found her rucksack in the shallows.
OK, Nelson, in your own time.
Tyre tracks.
One set leading from the road.
They stop here and then turn back
the way they came.
So, unless the car drove off by
itself,
we can assume Nancy wasn't alone.
Or maybe she came with someone
or this was a prearranged meeting.
Either way, she knew them.
Anything in the rucksack?
Change of clothes,
toilet bag, books,
water, passport, air sickness
pills...
She was taking a flight.
Australia. One way.
Due to fly out the night she died.
And a work visa.
So, she was leaving.
Until someone stopped her.
Been trying to call you all morning.
Look, um,
I'm really sorry about Nancy.
She didn't deserve this.
Bottle of vodka.
Look, if there's anything you need,
you just ask.
I need a bottle of vodka.
You don't have to go through this
on your own. We are here for you.
There is one thing you could do
for me.
Just name it.
We must think about the future
of the church, Stella.
But should we really be discussing
the fresco so soon after Nancy...
Nancy's death was tragic.
But that doesn't mean
we neglect our duty.
But the way she died, Vicar.
It was just like the poor girl
in the painting.
The fresco wasn't to blame
for Nancy's death.
Whoever killed her was evil.
And they will face the consequences.
We've more ingress.
Then I'll order another pump.
It won't help.
The problem's structural.
You want to save the fresco, you
have to make the crypt watertight.
And that's what I plan to do.
The thing is, you keep saying that.
All will be sorted by tonight.
BARNABY: Professor Hamilton?
What do you mean Nancy was leaving?
You don't think it odd that Nancy
didn't tell you she was going?
Why would that be odd?
You were in a relationship with her.
I don't know what idea you have
of me and Nancy, but it wasn't
serious.
She left her husband for you!
I wasn't the only reason Nancy
walked out on Michael.
Care to expand on that?
Well, the man's a drunk and he has
a temper and when he gets angry...
Look, all I know is Michael wasn't
above taking his anger out on Nancy.
Did you ever see him do this?
No, but the whole village knows he
put her in hospital last Christmas.
I shall miss all this when we go.
We're not going anywhere.
Martha will have her way no matter
what. Her sort always do.
Don't worry. I can handle Martha.
You're such a fierce one.
Same as your mother.
You look so much like her.
The first time I saw her, I was
standing outside the shelter
and she was coming up the road.
The prettiest girl in Shoreditch.
And do you know what...
You knew, right then,
she was the girl for you.
So you took her for tea in a cafe
and you talked all night
till the waitress threw you out.
Have I told you that story before?
I just wish you could've known her.
Yeah. Me too.
It's not been so bad, has it?
I mean, you're happy enough,
aren't you?
I'll be happier when we get the test
results back
and we can start living again.
The question is, where?
Listen to me.
This is our home.
I won't let Martha take it.
I promise.
Hamilton's a liar.
Yes, Nancy and I had rows.
But I'm not a wife-beater.
What about Nancy's trip to casualty?
Well, that was nothing.
Concussion? Two cracked ribs?
Well, she was plastered. She was
dancing in the kitchen and she fell.
Ask Dad.
He saw the whole thing happen.
Why does the village believe you
were responsible for her injuries?
Because they like
to think the worst.
Nancy wouldn't have gone
out of her way to put them straight.
Oh, so now Nancy's a liar?
No, she's an attention seeker.
She were never happy unless everyone
were talking about her.
Where were you the night Nancy died?
I told you. I was...out.
You need to be more specific.
All right, I was at a mate's.
Does your mate have a name?
Ewan.
Ewan Evans. He runs the shop.
Why didn't you tell us this before?
Oh, I only just remembered.
Ah, there you are. Listen,
I've arranged a meeting tomorrow
with the solicitor.
I thought you might like to come
along.
Got to be at the church.
Look, this is important, Noah.
It's about the future of the shop.
Your future.
I need to be there.
Noah, you've been back for three
months.
I want to get this sorted out.
Once and for all.
And we will. I promise.
Oi, you dozy sod.
(DOOR SHUTS)
Noah...
He's hitting the bottle early.
I don't think it's early for him.
Go and speak to Ewan Evans.
See if he backs up Michael's story.
What about you?
It's time I had a word
with Frank Dewar.
Find out what he really thinks
of his son.
Mr Evans?
DS Nelson.
You, er, you busy at the moment?
No. No.
Always got time to talk.
You're a friend of Michael Dewar's?
Yeah, yeah.
We're good mates, me and Michael.
You were with him on Wednesday night?
Wednesday?
Wednesday just gone?
That's the one, yeah.
Er, yeah, yeah.
Actually, me and Michael did get
together Wednesday night, yeah.
Couple of drinks, was it?
Always is with Michael.
(LAUGHS)
And what pub did you go to?
Who said we went to the pub?
Sorry, you said a couple of drinks.
I assumed...
No, no. We were upstairs
in the flat.
All night?
Well, it was pretty late
when he left.
I'm sorry, I'm going to have to deal
with this. Sorry.
'Ere, I told you.
I didn't want any sandbags.
Mr Dewar?
Frank?
Noah, I want to know
where you got it!
It's no big deal, Dad.
No big deal? There's some nutcase
running around murdering people
and you've practically
got the handbook.
Those pictures are vile, son.
That's your expert opinion, is it?
20 years working in a poxy shop
and suddenly you're an art expert.
That ain't art.
And this poxy shop puts a roof
over your head.
Yeah, well, I hate it.
I dunno how you can stand it here.
Every day the same thing.
No, no. Not the same thing.
Because every day I build this
business up just a little bit more.
And why?
So I can hand it on to my son.
Well, your son doesn't want it.
Noah!
(CHATTER)
Hello! Hi.
We need to wait for Frank.
Oh, er, don't worry.
He'll, he'll get here.
(ENGINE CLATTERS)
(WARNING BEEPS)
(ENGINE STOPS)
(IGNITION FAILS)
As soon as we get the nod from Zach
that she's burst,
the Flood Volunteer Force
will be mobilised.
That's me, Stella and anyone
in one of these.
First priority is
to get the word out.
We go door-to-door in case we lose
mobile communications.
After that we need to evacuate
the vulnerable.
Red dots
represent households
with elderly persons or children.
Now, we'll get them to the church.
That's going to be our HQ.
"Headquarters".
Stella's on top of all that.
We'll be providing tea,
coffee and hot soup.
Tomato and Cream of Chicken.
Now, should the worst happen and the
church be flooded, then we go to...
Surely if the church floods, Victor,
then, um, the whole village is lost.
Not necessarily, Vicar.
I like to believe we've got
a pretty solid plan B.
Well, then,
we'll pray you never have to use it.
Thank you, Victor.
Oh. Thank you.
Now, shall we talk about
the cottage?
I think you mean the Goulds' home?
Well, it's not technically their
home.
The property belongs to the church.
You all know the decision we have to
make... Um, it's not an easy one.
But the sale of the cottage will
give us the funds
to start the necessary building
work.
Sorry, Vicar, but isn't there any
other way of raising the money?
I'm afraid not.
I should tell you
that Professor Hamilton believes
the fresco will perish if we don't
make the crypt watertight soon.
But evicting Reverend Gould and Ava,
well, it does seem a little bit
extreme.
Hear! Hear!
Thank you.
Of course, you're right.
It is rather cruel that the Reverend
should have to leave his home.
And for what?
To save some silly old painting.
But then I remember something
Reverend Gould said to me
when I first came to St Claire.
He said to me, "Martha, your job
is to take care of the church.
And for that you must make
sacrifices."
So while it pains me to do so,
I propose we take a vote
on the cottage.
Well, hold on, the council rules say
that you can't vote
if more than one member is absent.
So...
Well, there's only Frank missing.
You're forgetting about Nancy.
No.
Nancy gave me her vote a few days
ago and asked me to cast it for her.
Why would Nancy give you her vote?
I don't know.
But she did.
And I for one feel
that we should respect her wishes.
Oh, no!
No!
No...
(CAR HORN)
What happened?
I'm sorry.
Happy now?
Got what you wanted?
It was a council decision.
To make a sick man homeless?
Ava, we've provided alternative
accommodation for you and your dad.
Oh, yes, I've seen it.
A poxy caravan
on the other side of the village.
It won't happen.
I'll pull that place down
before I let you take it from us.
I thought we should celebrate.
You mean you got the votes?
I must admit I was surprised
but, er, Frank did us a favour
by not showing up.
So, looks like we both get
what we want.
Isn't it beautiful?
All that misery and suffering.
Almost makes me tingle.
People are going to flock
to see this
and they'll pay
for the privilege too.
This is about preservation, Martha.
Absolutely.
Preservation's paramount.
But once that happens,
we have a duty to share its beauty
with the world.
You know what I like about you,
Martha?
You know exactly what you want.
To the fresco.
(CLATTER)
Hello?
Hey!
Who's that?
Get out of it! Get out of it!
What, what are you doing?
Get out of there!
Get out of there!
No!
No!
Uh-huh.
Yeah. Quite comfortable, are we?
(GROWLS AND BARKS)
Basket.
It's in the kitchen.
(BARKS)
We may have to sit Sykes down
and talk to him about the changes
that are coming.
What if it doesn't like me?
What?
The baby.
What if we just don't get on?
There's not much to get on with.
They're practically blobs for the
first year.
No, well, I mean after that.
What if it grows up
and our relationship breaks down?
You hear about it all the time.
Parents not talking to their kids.
Vice versa.
That's other people.
Is it?
I'm sure they didn't set out to have
bad relationships with their kids.
Something must have happened.
Where is all this coming from?
I don't know. I just...
(DOORBELL)
Nancy's car turned up.
We find anything in it?
Let's go and speak to Frank Dewar.
That's going to be difficult.
You know him?
Name's Frank Dewar.
Any relation to our river girl?
Father-in-law.
Well, two ton of rubble fell
on top of him,
so we have multiple injuries
to head and upper body.
None of these injuries were enough
to kill him outright, though.
In the end he bled out, slowly.
First drowning, now stoning.
Stoning on an industrial scale.
Yeah, it's quite a murder weapon.
The forensics get anything off this?
Not yet.
Let us know if they do.
Huh! Talk about a relic.
VHS.
Is there a tape still in there?
No such luck.
Let's take them back to the station.
Andy, do you mind?
ANDY: Sarge.
Looks like Frank Dewar was
struggling.
He's borrowed a lot of money too.
Frank tries to get rid
of Nancy's car.
And then someone got rid of him.
So why was our second victim trying
to hide evidence relating
to our first?
Because he was protecting someone?
Michael Dewar.
Find him. Bring him to the station.
You don't want to come with me?
According to this,
the last call Frank made was to the
Goulds' cottage.
You have to admit, it's frightening.
I'll admit it's disconcerting.
But the drowning and the stoning...
Reverend...
I prefer to think of the friends
we've lost rather than how they died.
But it's just like the fresco.
You're not suggesting the fresco
killed them, are you, Stella?
No.
But, but, it might be best if we...
If what?
Cover it up again.
You know, the thing about fear is,
it's actually a choice.
We can choose to be afraid
or we can choose to be strong.
Now, choosing to be afraid is easy.
We just surrender and let the fear
overwhelm us.
Choosing to be strong is more
difficult.
Unless we have support.
And I know we can face these terrible
times if we just stand together.
Frank Dewar was stoned to death.
What?
That lot are blaming the fresco.
Mind you, a bit of notoriety
wouldn't do our profile any harm.
Excuse me.
Poor Frank.
He was a weak man
and he had his troubles.
You mean like his debt troubles?
That and then there was Michael.
The bad seed.
Frank did what he could.
You see, that's the problem
with having children.
Who knows what you'll get?
I was lucky with Ava.
And I pray you will be too
when yours comes along.
You never told me how he died.
Unusually.
Unusually, eh?
Well, I did warn you.
Tell me, if this fresco is inspiring
someone to commit these murders,
what do you suppose their motive is?
Do you know what the fresco's about?
It's a purge.
A reckoning.
They're rounding up the sinners
and making them pay.
So Nancy and Frank Dewar
were sinners?
Somebody obviously thinks so.
Did Frank call you last night?
About eight o'clock.
What did he want?
He wanted to apologise.
The council met last night
and decided to sell the cottage.
Frank was meant to vote for us.
But he didn't show up.
(ENGINE STARTS)
OK, see you.
Bye.
Your dad says you're being evicted.
Not if I have anything
to do with it.
Dad brought me here
when I was six months old.
My mum died just after I was born.
Dad was devastated.
So, we left London
and we started afresh.
Sounds like a happy home.
Dad made it a happy home.
Gave me everything I needed.
It was perfect...
That's why I'm going to fight this.
When did you last see your dad?
Yesterday afternoon before he left.
And where was he going?
Work, I suppose.
Nancy's car,
found two miles outside the village.
Your dad dumped it there.
What? Why would Dad do that?
He needed to get it out of the yard.
Our forensics team matched oil found
in your garage to a leak in Nancy's
car.
Hang on.
How can that be?
You tell us, Michael.
I don't bloody know, do I?
Where were you on the night that
Nancy was killed?
And don't say with Ewan Evans.
He backed up your story once
but if we get him in under caution...
It don't matter where I was.
I wasn't anywhere near Nancy.
Then why not tell us where you were?
If you don't, we're going to have
to charge you with Nancy's murder.
What? You think I killed my wife and
my dad in the space of two days?
Unless you can give us an alibi.
All right.
I was at Carrington Hall.
The rehab clinic?
I went there to dry out.
And it only took a day, did it?
Of course not. Don't be so stupid.
I wanted to get myself together,
get my life back.
Maybe even get Nancy back.
So, I booked myself in.
Had a nice chat with the therapist.
Signed all the papers.
They went off to look for a room
and I walked straight out of there.
Lasted all of two hours.
Where did you go?
Nearest pub.
What was it called?
The Bull.
They'll remember me.
They had to carry me out.
Why didn't you tell us this before?
You think I want to admit I can't
go half a day without a drink?
That I'm a failure?
Everyone thinks I'm a loser - my dad
did, my wife did, all my mates.
I didn't say where I was
cos I didn't want to give them
another chance to write me off.
Do the initials SHC mean anything
to you?
I just don't know what to think.
Well, maybe it is a bit extreme,
but...
Yeah, but what the hell's Noah doing
with it? That's what I want to know.
Well, he's the arty type. They're
supposed to be into weird stuff.
There's weird and there's weird.
What'd the police say if they knew
he had a book like that?
It's just a book. Yeah, a book full
of torture and death.
With everything
that's been going on around here...
I better get going.
Something I can get you, Professor?
Actually, I was looking for Noah.
Noah's gone out.
Something I can get you?
No.
Nothing important.
Hang on a minute!
Eh! Professor!
Hold on a minute...
I said, wait.
This is yours, isn't it? What do you
think you're playing at,
giving Noah something like this, eh?
My son doesn't need this filth.
And what would you know
about what your son needs, Mr Evans?
He's my boy.
Give me that.
Just you stay away from Noah,
you hear me?
Carrington Hall confirmed that a
Michael Dewar booked in but left.
And The Bull?
The barman remembers him.
Took three of them
to kick him out at closing.
OK, so where are we
on the Dewar CCTV?
Can't find a VCR.
You are kidding me?
It's the 21st Century, sir.
Get a car round to my house. They'll
find an old VCR player in my study.
You've got a study? Nice.
(WHISPERING VOICES)
(VOICES INTENSIFY)
OK, so no tape from the Dewars' yard
for the night Frank was killed.
The killer probably took it.
Yeah, fair bet.
But we did find the tape
for the night Nancy was killed.
OK, so it's all quiet until 21:37,
when this happens.
That's Nancy's car.
And that's Nancy Dewar.
What's she doing?
There.
She's getting picked up.
By Zach Lime.
(THUNDER)
Zach Lime. 32 years old.
He moved to the area from Leeds
four years ago.
Criminal record?
There's nothing on him.
But he's got a brother
who was charged with identity fraud.
Hold on a minute.
Before coming to the area,
Lime spent a year training
to be a priest.
OK, thanks. Thank you.
That was the Carford Station.
They say she's burst her bank
three miles upriver.
It might still hold here.
We'll be lucky.
We need to speak to you, Mr Lime.
Nelson!
We really do need to speak to you.
(DOORBELL RINGS REPEATEDLY)
What do you want, Martha?
You're not working on the fresco.
I'm taking the afternoon off.
Why? Are you ill?
I have some things to take care of.
Well, do you think you could attend
to them quickly? We've got plans to
discuss.
I'll see what I can do.
Anything from Lime's house? Nothing
to link him directly to the murders
but we managed to retrieve some
erased files from a memory stick
that we found discarded in his bin.
Hospital records?
Patient details. Confidential stuff.
Someone with the right contacts
could make money out of this
information.
Someone like Zach Lime's brother.
OK, wait. I had nothing to do
with Nancy's death.
Look, Nancy came to me, OK? She said
she was leaving, she needed money.
Told me she could get her hands
on patients' information,
asked if I could find anyone
who'd buy them.
Why did she come to you?
I don't know.
Why do you lot pull me over
once a month for no reason?
I may have told her
about my brother.
Why didn't you sell it on?
I don't know.
It just didn't feel right.
And plus, I haven't seen my brother
in ages. So...
..in the end,
I just paid Nancy from some savings.
Hold on a minute.
You gave her your own money?
Why not just tell her you couldn't
find a buyer?
Nancy said if I helped her, she'd
put in a good word for me with Ava.
Look, I know it's pathetic.
Right, I know.
But I work with Ava every day and I
still...never seem able to tell her.
Tell her what?
That I love her.
OK.
So why did Nancy leave her car
at the Dewars' building yard?
Well, she wanted Michael to sell it.
And I was supposed to tell him
to send the money on.
So why did she leave in your van?
She wanted a lift.
Back to Hamilton's house.
(DOORBELL RINGS REPEATEDLY)
Mind if we come in?
What the hell's going on?
That's exactly what we were
going to ask you.
Why didn't you tell us that you saw
Nancy Dewar
on the night she was killed?
Because I didn't see her.
We have a witness who said he dropped
Nancy back here around 10 o'clock.
Look, I don't know what your
witness has told you
but I didn't see Nancy that night.
And that's the truth.
And why should we believe you?
Because I was with him.
Noah, put some clothes on.
Why should I?
Philip and I were here all night.
Nancy never came home.
Is this true?
We were discussing the fresco.
In bed.
All right, Noah. That's enough.
We've got nothing to be ashamed of.
I said, that's enough.
Noah.
Noah...
Please, don't overreact.
Noah!
Noah! Noah!
Noah, I didn't mean it!
I'm afraid that Noah,
this revelation, came rather late
in life for me.
I'm still struggling to come
to terms with it.
Did Nancy know?
Poor Nancy.
I think she thought we'd fall
in love and run away together.
She just found me at the wrong time.
So, Zach swears Nancy went home
and Hamilton and Noah
swear she didn't.
Somebody's lying.
Not necessarily.
If Zach Lime took Nancy home,
he'd have dropped her here, right?
More than likely.
So when he drove away,
he would naturally have assumed that
Nancy was going back to Hamilton's.
But what if he was wrong?
What if she was actually going...
somewhere else?
Yes... Now you come to mention it,
Nancy did pay me a visit that night.
You didn't think to mention it?
Well, I get a lot of visitors.
Why did she come to see you?
She was leaving the village. I think
she dropped in to say goodbye.
That's it? Nothing else?
There was a bit of business with the
Parish Council we had to tie up.
What sort of business?
Minor issues. I barely remember.
Why don't you try to remember?
Nancy and I had a private
arrangement.
Go on.
Well, I'd like to of course
but Nancy was keen to
keep it between ourselves
and I feel I should respect that.
OK. Nelson, arrest her.
What? OK, fine, right.
You've made your point.
The council was in deadlock.
I needed a majority
to sell the cottage.
Nancy needed money, so I saw an
opportunity to help my cause.
You bought her vote?
To speed up the process.
I know I would have convinced her
to see it my way in the end.
So, she came here for money,
then what?
Then she left.
Where did she go?
I assumed to the airport.
I don't trust that woman.
Unfortunately, we can't prove
anything other than she met with
Nancy.
On the night she was killed,
Nancy was going round the village
collecting money she was owed.
Calling in the debts
before she left.
Which means we need to find out
whether she was due to collect from
anyone else.
Wow.
That is beautiful.
Beautiful?
Well, not the subject matter,
obviously,
but the quality of the work's
exquisite.
What's this?
Your mum sent it to me.
Wow.
I'd forgotten about this.
This is Cup Final day.
Dad got us tickets.
You both look very happy.
We weren't so happy
when we got beaten.
But, yeah, it was still a great day.
What d'you remember about it?
Not much.
Just a...happy memory.
Sunny.
Dad was off work.
Just me and him.
You know, you're right, of course.
Sometimes relationships aren't
perfect.
They can be awkward and a little
distant.
It's never the whole story, though,
is it?
No. Not the whole story.
(GROANS)
(GROANS)
Uh!
Uh!
Uh!
Agh!
No!
(CREAKING)
No!
(THUNDER)
Who found the body?
Let's take a look.
Puts me in mind of Mousetrap.
All we need is a little man
diving into a plastic tub.
Looking at an acute penetrating
trauma, obviously.
The shaft punched a hole in his
lower abdomen,
came out the other side.
No doubt taking a few
of his major organs as it went.
If it's any consolation, this one
would have died relatively quickly.
Where did the chains come from?
Take a look around.
Place is full of medieval replicas.
It's like a theme park.
Impalement. At least it's different.
Thing is, sir, there
is no impalement on the fresco.
In fact, it's one of the few gory
deaths that are missing.
I think it's the, um,
breaking on the wheel.
Right.
I see what you mean.
Got all that. Fine.
Thank you.
I understand you found the body.
A rather gruesome discovery.
He didn't show up at the crypt, so
I called round to see if he was OK.
Did you notice anything?
I'm afraid, I was a bit too
distracted
by the dead body to play detective.
A nuisance him dying now.
A nuisance?
Medieval art experts
are hard to find.
(THUNDER)
Doesn't look like it's going
to stop.
(THUNDER)
(CLAMOUR)
Thank you very much for your
patience, ladies and gentlemen.
I will get you all in due course.
Now make sure you're stocked up
on canned goods.
We have plenty of stock at the
moment. Ewan! Ewan!
Take your time, ladies and gentlemen.
We'll get you all!
DCI Barnaby looking for your son.
Noah!
He's through there. OK?
Now, where were we?
Excuse me.
I remember the first time I saw him.
He came in the shop.
Bread, milk, blue cheese,
two bottles of red.
Right then and there, I knew...
I mean, it wasn't, it wasn't obvious
because he was always around
the women, flirting.
But when they weren't there,
he was around me.
Did you see the professor
last night?
Last time I saw him, he was with you.
You didn't go back to his house?
Hold on. You think I killed him?
You were very angry with him.
Yeah, and no wonder.
I was trying to help him
and he treated me like that.
I loved him.
Even if he was old and boring and
couldn't admit who he really was.
I still loved him.
Did he die like the fresco?
I'm afraid he did.
You know, whoever's doing this,
they know their audience.
What makes you say that?
They're a superstitious lot round
here.
They'll lap this stuff up.
He was buying a place for us,
you know?
We were all set to
move into the Goulds' cottage.
The Goulds' place?
He and Martha had agreed
a quick sale.
Cheap as chips, the professor said.
Catch any of that, did you?
I caught the important bits.
I don't want the shop, Dad.
But I would like to stay
for a while.
On one condition.
Right, everyone else might
be running for the hills.
But we are made of sterner stuff.
So, come flood, fire,
famine or the Devil himself...
Evans & Son are open for business!
(CLAMOUR)
I'm not leaving over a drop of rain.
It's the river I'm worried about.
I doubt it'll wash the house away.
Better to be safe than sorry.
I'm not going to that place.
Dad, it's your church.
Not any more.
Belongs to her now.
The congregation doesn't.
They're still your people.
Still your flock.
Some have stayed loyal, I suppose.
Exactly. And right now they're in
crisis
and in need of some
spiritual comfort.
I know what you're doing.
Good for you.
Now let's go.
(THUNDER)
This way.
In you go.
Come along now.
He was buying the Goulds' place!
Sir?
Hamilton was all set to move in.
This has got nothing to do
with God or sinners or religion.
This is all about something
far more mundane. Property.
All our victims were involved in
the deal surrounding the cottage.
Ava?
Get over there now.
(CHATTER)
Place hasn't changed at all.
I'll get us a tea.
Ah, Reverend Gould.
Nice to see you again.
Victor.
How goes the crisis?
Oh, all under control.
How are you?
This lot could do with some music.
♪ Abide with me
♪ Fast falls the even tide
♪ The darkness deepens
♪ Lord with me abide
♪ When other helpers fail
♪ And comforts flee
♪ Help of the helpless
♪ O abide with me
What the hell are you doing?
(THUNDER)
♪ Help of the helpless
♪ O abide with me ♪
Been a long time
since I heard singing like that.
'And I've missed it.'
And though this is a dark time
for our village,
there is light in here.
The light of our people.
Crumpet?
No, thanks.
You think you can come
into my church
and destroy something
I've worked for?
Not your church.
God's church.
He brought me here.
God put me here to protect
His gift to us.
Just graffiti, Martha.
Granted, it's 800 years old.
But still...
People will come for miles
to see this.
So, that's it?
The reason that you threw my dad out
of his home?
So you could build
a tourist attraction.
A place of pilgrimage.
Exit through the gift shop?
There's no talking to you, is there?
You can't see that I'm trying to do
something to help this village.
(WOMEN GRUNT AND GROAN)
You want to do something
to help this village, Martha?
Stop trying to turn it into Lourdes
and be a proper vicar.
What? Like your dad?
Thumping Bibles
in the pulpit every Sunday?
My father is loved in this village.
They couldn't wait to see him go.
(CRIES OUT)
Just stay right there.
You need to arrest her. Right now.
She tried to destroy this church.
Don't be hysterical.
And she tried to kill me.
You saw her.
Right. You need to come with me, now.
Kate! I need you over here.
I need the internet on this.
Do I look like IT?
Please. Just do it.
And then search for SHC,
with this postcode.
Ta-dah!
Oh.
Look at this.
Is there a phone number?
There.
Hello. Detective Chief Inspector
Barnaby, Midsomer Constabulary.
Who am I speaking to?
And why have these tragedies
come to our village?
Who's to blame?
Is it God?
No.
We're to blame.
We're guilty.
I didn't try to kill anyone.
We can talk about this
at the station.
I just wanted to wreck the fresco.
Oh, so you admit it, then.
Guilty of forgetting Him.
And we're in this mess
because of people like her.
A woman with no humility,
a woman who lacks compassion.
A woman who values profit
above God Himself.
Rather than follow her,
we should condemn her.
Let he who hath not sinned,
Reverend!
I don't like heckling, Mr Barnaby.
And I don't like murder, Reverend.
Shall we do this in private?
I have nothing to fear
in God's house.
And what about
Shoreditch Homeless Centre?
Have you anything to fear there?
Or from a young woman
by the name of Tina Bell?
It was all such a long time ago,
you might be forgiven for thinking
that your secret was safe.
But then along came Nancy Dewar.
You see, whatever else you thought
about Nancy, she was a nurse.
And a good one.
So when you became ill
and you needed your tests,
Nancy went out of her way to get your
results as quickly as possible.
She was surprised by what she found.
When she left on the night she died,
she had one last thing to do...
To tell her friend Ava the truth.
What truth?
Ava. Go home.
Right now.
What's he talking about, Dad?
But Nancy found you instead.
You couldn't have her exposing you,
so you killed her.
You dressed it up
to look like the fresco.
Same with Frank. He found your test
results in Nancy's car.
So he had to go too.
And then you were safe,
until Nancy came back
from the dead to spoil your party.
A reply came to a letter
that Nancy had sent
to the homeless centre
asking about you.
Professor Hamilton
received it yesterday.
I imagine he contacted you about it.
What letter?
Nothing important, my love.
It explains what Nancy had discovered
from your test results,
which the Health Trust
have very kindly emailed to me.
Don't read them, Ava.
I don't understand.
It says we're not related.
Of course we are.
I'm your father.
Who was my mother?
You know who she was.
Marjory Gould.
She walked into the centre,
we went for tea.
There was a waitress...
You are the daughter of Tina Bell,
a troubled young woman
who walked into the homeless centre.
You were taken from her
and never seen again.
Tina was an easy target.
A young girl, drug user,
mental health issues.
So, when she claimed that
her newborn baby had been stolen,
nobody believed her.
What happened to her?
She died five years ago.
But she never gave up looking
for you.
You took me from my mum?
She wasn't a mum.
So full of drugs
she never even woke up.
She couldn't take care of you.
I took care of you, Ava.
You were so small.
Wrapped in a dirty towel.
She birthed you in a car park.
A car park, Ava!
She wasn't capable of looking
after a child.
You have to understand.
I spent six years trying
to help those people.
I couldn't save them.
Not all of them.
So, I decided to save one.
You.
You changed everything.
You gave me a purpose again.
A reason to believe.
But you lied to me.
Only because I loved you.
No...
Ava?
Ava!
That's as far as you go, Reverend.
NELSON: Three people dead
just so he could keep on pretending
to be Ava's dad.
BARNABY: Well, it wasn't
pretending to him.
As far as Gould's concerned,
Ava is his daughter.
Except she's not.
Well, he brought her up,
watched her grow.
Stole her from her mum's arms?
My point is: he killed three people
to protect Ava from the truth.
Sounds like you feel sorry for him.
No, I feel sorry for Tina Bell.
Imagine what she must have felt
when she found her baby gone.
So, the flood didn't come, then.
I had noticed that.
By the way, guess what I found
under Kate's sofa yesterday.
Nelson?
Sir?
I still don't care.