Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (2012–…): Season 3, Episode 2 - Murder and the Maiden - full transcript
An unidentified woman is killed outside an Air Force base captained by Phryne's old flame Lyle Compton, leading to tensions between the military and the Melbourne police - and between Phryne and Jack.
The bracing scent of aviation
fuel and grease.
What happened to that one, Miss?
Gravity I'd say, Dot.
~ Ah, Group Captain Lyle Compton!
~ Phryne!
This is my assistant,
Dorothy Williams.
~ Ah. Pleasure, Miss Williams.
~ Hello.
Are you interested in planes?
I can take you for a spin.
Oh, no, thank you. I mean,
I am interested, but...
But mainly in how they stay up.
Oh, well, perhaps a
tour of the base then.
As you can see, our
boys are hard at it,
preparing for another
air show on Saturday.
Help our battered reputation.
Yes, the newspapers certainly
made a meal of your last mishap.
Yes. Well, at least
no-one was killed.
Pity it's such a dangerous
game, flying.
Not half as dangerous as
that machine, I'll bet.
How fast?
With this tail wind, I'd hazard
a guess at 132 miles per hour.
Prove it.
What was our previous best?
117. Colchester Airfield, 1919.
Dot.
~ Miss, no.
~ Watch the planes, Dot.
~ Hold on tight.
~ If you insist.
Whoo-hoo!
On your way, then.
Full rigor mortis. Must
have happened last night.
Perhaps she was strangled, sir.
No marks on the wind pipe.
Did those boys recognise her?
No, they don't think she's a local.
No purse, not even a coat.
Nothing to identify her.
Just a scrap of paper
and a set of keys.
Sir.
That's a serious boot print.
And where around here would we
find a serious pair of boots?
Now, this plane was a favourite
with Wing Commander Harry Cobby,
lead ace with the
Australian Flying Corps.
From 29 victories in less than a
year, Distinguished Service Order,
Distinguished Flying
Cross, and Two Bars...
They're a tricky lot. Union
blokes, not military.
Wouldn't trust them to
keep a kite airborne.
Were you a pilot before
you retired, Mr Greaves?
Uh, no. No. I'm just happy
to be part of it these days.
But once flying is in your blood,
that's it. Nothing like it.
Up above the clouds, sun shining.
Like being in heaven.
I'm sure it is.
The papers practically
accuse the mechanics union
of sabotaging that plane.
Well, somebody did.
The fuel was deliberately contaminated.
Is that why you called me in?
It gets worse, I'm afraid.
One of my men failed to report
for duty this morning.
Flight Lieutenant James Manning,
the officer who walked
away from that wreck,
hell bent on finding
out who was responsible.
You think he asked
too many questions.
I hope not.
And another onslaught of bad publicity
could be the death of us.
This needs a... a delicate touch.
Squadron Leader Willis Jones
is organising our air show.
A challenging exercise in
public relations, I gather.
Yes. Apart from the technicalities.
We have other flyers but
Manning is a... one-off.
When did you notice he was gone?
After formation practice yesterday.
Anything missing from his quarters?
His uniform is gone, his wallet.
Everything else is untouched.
Is there anyone he was
particularly close to
who might know why he disappeared?
The police to see you, Sir.
Jack, what on earth
are you doing here?
Same thing as you I
imagine, Miss Fisher.
Detective Inspector Jack Robinson.
Group Captain Lyle Compton.
That'll be all, Jones.
Group Captain, a woman
has been found dead
near your perimeter fence.
~ Dead?!
~ I was aware there was an incident.
~ You didn't know?
~ No.
Um... Compton and I are old friends.
I was here on another matter.
I'll need a list of names of
any personnel who left the base
in the last 24 hours.
No-one was authorised to leave the
base, I can tell you that right now.
~ What about unauthorised?
~ Phryne.
~ Who was this woman?
~ We don't know, as yet.
This has no connection
with the Air Force.
If I find a connection?
There'll be a thorough investigation.
Keep me informed, Inspector.
You'll find me at the
morgue, Miss Fisher.
I can't promise to keep
all your secrets, Compton.
Not if it stands between Jack and
bringing a murderer to justice.
At least be discreet.
Please. Keep me posted.
Dotty.
What... what are you doing here?
I'm here on official business, Hugh.
Already?
I know Miss Fisher has
a nose for trouble,
but this is a military
base with guns and men.
It could be very dangerous.
~ The war is over, Hugh.
~ I know...
And sometimes Miss Fisher needs
me to do dangerous things,
like be a hostage or pretend
to be a racing car driver,
or even... go up in a plane.
What? You're terrified of planes.
~ Collins.
~ Sir.
Jack, wait.
You know I can't resist a
murder, if it is a murder.
I found these by the body.
The missing airman's service number.
I think I found your connection.
It's a chilly night to
be out without a coat.
Severe dehydration and asphyxia.
My bet, some kind of poison.
Found that inside her clothing.
I presume it was around her neck.
Those keys.
She had better access to
the Air Force than I do.
Perhaps Flight Lieutenant James
Manning gave her access.
Perhaps they were lovers.
Or maybe just old friends.
I met Compton back in England
at the end of the war.
I flew a couple of low-key
missions with him, that's all.
No lighter and only
one unlit cigarette.
But a serious smoker.
~ Missions, as in intelligence.
~ Not officially.
'Flight... earth...
eyes turn skyward...
.. have been and there...
will always long...'
A love letter. Sounds very literary.
And very aeronautical.
So Captain Courageous
is entrusting Mata Hari
with another secret mission.
Compton was a long time ago,
Jack, and it wasn't like that.
Well, yes, it was, but...
You know what it's like
when you think life is fleeting
and you might die at any moment.
I always feel like that
when I'm with you.
Call with any details that
might help Missing Persons.
The murderer seems to have
made off with anything
that might establish who she was.
But perhaps not where she's been.
4.5 pence fare, 9 sections.
So... one, two, three...
Where would I find the headquarters
of the Victorian Amalgamated
Mechanics Association?
European Club, that's
where you'll find them.
Hobnobbing with Bert's
red-ragger mates.
If memory serves me, that's
somewhere on Sydney Road?
Sydney Road, Brunswick.
We know James Manning
was nosing around them,
trying to find out who
sabotaged his plane.
Perhaps that's where he
met this mystery woman.
Does that match our ticket?
Yes, Miss. This ticket
will get you there.
Sounds like you ladies need an
escort to the wrong side of town.
~ Any excuse to see you-know-who.
~ Who?
Some Russian sheila he's soft
on. She works in the cloak room.
She hemmed me trousers, that's all.
Don't mention Mr Butler,
or the stock exchange.
And don't say you send
out your laundry.
I doubt your comrades will care who
washes my Herminie Cadolle lingerie.
~ And don't talk like a toff.
~ Sorry.
You can get out. You're
no use to anyone.
Let me just say that this...
this is Australia. Not Russia!
So now you've got a problem
with the revolution!
What are you - a bloody idiot?
You think a bunch of words
is going to change the world?
Why don't you hand your card in?
Go on, throw it on the table.
Mr Higgins, my boss
needs a little help.
Alright.
Miss Fisher. Rupert Higgins.
Pleased to meet you.
Albert here claims that as
far as capitalist bosses go,
you're not too bad.
Noblesse oblige. I do my best
from the high, Mr Higgins.
Like you, I'm sure.
This couple you want to know about.
Yes.
This is James Manning.
~ Military.
~ Air Force.
Though I doubt he would've
shown off his uniform in here.
And I'm not sure that
they were a couple.
He's not familiar.
What about the woman? Tall,
dark-haired, late 20s.
There was a young woman
that started coming to our
meetings a few weeks ago.
Do you remember her name?
That's another thing people
don't show off in here.
We've been raided too many times.
Seditious publications.
I remember she did pick a
few pamphlets up afterwards.
If it's the woman you're after,
she seemed smart, educated.
~ So she was alone.
~ That's why I noticed her.
This isn't the kind of place
frequented by single women.
Apart from a few
remarkable exceptions.
Why are you trying to track her down?
That's the problem, we're not.
She was found in bushland early
this morning. Suspected murder.
No, she never say her name.
I can't believe she's killed.
Tatiana, meet Miss Fisher.
Hello. Tatiana Fyodorov.
I know this woman, but she's not
my friend. She's my customer.
And she was here last night.
Yes, I see her, but...
I know she looks fancy,
but you can trust her.
I see her with a man from
here. Higgins. You know him?
Go on, love.
Uh, on the stairs.
He did not see me, but he... he
have her arm like this. Strong.
Was he friendly or angry?
They were whispering.
I could not hear.
But from their faces,
it was important.
Thank you, Miss Fyodorov.
You've been most helpful.
Please, don't say I tell you.
Don't worry, we'll keep
it under our hats.
What's that?
May I have that coat,
the dusty rose one?
~ It's her missing coat.
~ Yes. Yes, she left it here.
This is to fix the insides, here.
Thank you. We may need
an expert opinion.
The fabric is excellent quality,
a silk wool jersey.
So the whole ensemble would've
been very expensive.
If I could examine it more closely,
I might find a dressmaker's mark.
Of course. Collins.
I also found something
in the coat pocket,
but you're going to
have to play nicely.
Why aren't you at the RAAF,
wing walking or something?
Now, that won't score you any points.
I've managed to score
a few without you.
European Club - haunt
of militant unionists,
including the Amalgamated Mechanics
and committed red-ragger
Rupert Higgins.
The logical deduction with
the union trouble at the RAAF,
Higgins' file, belonging to an
unlawful association charge,
dismissed ten years ago.
Sedition charge still pending.
Do you think our victim was passing
James Manning information?
It could explain what she was doing
near the base with his keys.
What about next of kin on
Manning's military file?
You should be impressed I managed
to get his service number
before Compton whisked it away.
You know, you and Compton
are very similar, Jack.
I think you'd like him.
I don't think one necessarily
follows the other.
Alright, full points for that.
A match for the love letter.
I was hoping we might try
that new pie cart for lunch.
Were you?
I know we've got a few things
to settle before our big day.
~ Like my job.
~ Like your job.
But I thought we could also talk
about... settling on a date.
So... maybe you could
worry about that
and leave the investigating
to Miss Fisher.
And maybe you can try that
pie cart on your own.
I've suddenly lost my appetite.
Dot...
Here's the cast of that boot
print, Sir. It's a big one.
At least size 12. Possible
match for a flying boot.
In need of repair.
If that's the print near the body,
I doubt it belongs to James Manning.
How do you know?
The only other thing I gleaned from
his file was his height - 5'6".
Hardly a giant.
No. A men's shoe size
8, 9. 10 at the most.
So we're looking for
a tall airman, Sir.
Well, that whittles it down
to about 85% of the Air Force.
Bring the car round, Collins.
We're here to see Captain Compton.
I have my orders, sir.
Miss Fisher only.
Surely the Group Captain didn't say
I couldn't be escorted by my fiance.
Such a... masculine environment is
overwhelming for a single woman.
Let me check for you.
Oh, there's no need to
escort us. I know the way.
Admit it, Jack, being a woman
definitely has its assets.
Well, I... appreciate your assets.
Now, if we could hurry
up this break-in.
I'm not breaking anything. I'm
merely taking a circuitous route.
Keys.
Numbers would have made
this a lot easier.
Suggest that to your captain friend.
Eureka.
~ Third time lucky.
~ Fourth.
Must you be so contrary?
James Manning's locker.
James Manning and Willis Jones.
Can I help you?
Miss Fisher.
Detective Inspector Jack Robinson,
meet Squadron Leader Willis Jones.
I've told Miss Fisher everything
I know about James Manning.
I'm also interested
in another matter -
the woman found dead this
morning outside the base.
I saw the police car.
We have reason to believe that
Flight Lieutenant James Manning
knew the dead woman.
What's this got to do with me?
Your boots are a match
for a very particular footprint
we found beside the body.
~ You need your right heel repaired.
~ What?
You also need to tell us more about
your relationship with James Manning.
Where did you get that?
Yes, Miss Fisher, where did you
get that? As you were, Jones.
You two, with me.
We have good reason to believe
both men were at the crime scene.
~ I'm not interested in speculation.
~ I am.
~ What about a love triangle?
~ I can't imagine that.
Well, it's not that difficult
- one woman, two men.
It has been known
to lead to conflict.
We need to conduct a
more extensive search...
I'm sorry but I can't allow a civilian
search on military grounds.
How do you expect me to
conduct my investigation?
Inspector, I appreciate you have a
job to do and a public to answer to,
but so do I, and at
this point in history,
I believe my position to
be the more precarious.
I do hope you understand.
On another matter, Phryne.
A personal one.
There could never be a love triangle.
Willis and James would never
fight over any woman.
~ Lovers!
~ I have no proof, of course, but...
If it were to get out,
it would be the last straw
for the RAAF and for me.
Even so, both of them had something
to do with that woman,
and if you genuinely want me to
find out what happened to James,
then you have to give me
free access to this place.
Greaves... please escort Miss Fisher
on a full tour of the base.
Wherever she wants to go,
whatever she needs to know.
Hello, Hugh. I've come
to return your evidence.
How are you going with that postmark?
Uh, good. I'm nearly there.
That town definitely starts with
a 'C' and it's nine letters long.
Might help to narrow it down
to the suburbs of Perth.
And why would I do that?
Bon Marche. Perth, Western Australia.
Yes, that... that might help but...
still not the answer, is it?
Stick to the whole of
Australia, then, Hugh.
Can't be easy - military man in
charge of a unionised workforce.
Oh, they all towed
the line well enough.
~ Till the rumours started.
~ About Willis and James?
I wasn't the only one who saw him
sneak out of Willis's
quarters at all hours.
The moment he arrived he started
work on Willis, preyed on him.
~ So Willis lost respect.
~ Hmm.
Then that plane came down and James
pointed the finger at the union.
What did he accuse them of -
shoddy work or party politics?
Both, and it didn't make
Willis's life any easier.
Do you think Willis will be able
to pull off this air show?
Without a doubt. He's a better
flyer than James ever was.
He can loop the loop and
barrel roll like a bird.
Does Willis smoke?
No, never.
Mac was right, Jack.
She was poisoned.
By her own cigarettes.
I found that at the back
of Willis Jones' desk.
The packet's a match
for the cigarette
you found near the victim's body.
Except that cigarette was harmless.
The cigarette found in the
packet contained ricin.
Blood samples have confirmed
it - Ricinus communis.
From castor oil?
From the beans of the castor
seed plant, to be exact.
The oil itself isn't poisonous.
I'm impressed you're even close.
The Americans and British were
experimenting with chemical weapons
towards the end of the war, until
the Hague Convention banned them.
~ Ricin's deadly.
~ Hmm, just a few grains.
Particularly if inhaled.
But this hasn't been touched.
The killer must have laced other
cigarettes in the packet.
Doesn't work fast. It can take days.
Perfect way to be absent
at the time of death.
It's for you, Inspector.
Your constable seems to have
a lead on our mystery woman.
Virginia Forbes went missing
from Claremont six years ago.
Six years?
Worked as a nurse at
the military hospital.
Might explain the bandage
in her handbag.
Might explain more than that.
James was transferred to Melbourne
from the Claremont Airbase in 1923.
That must've been where
James and Virginia met.
But if what you're telling
me about James is true,
whatever happened between
them wasn't romantic.
You can see now why Compton
needs to be discreet.
No, I don't see.
A woman is dead and he's asking you
to withhold information from me.
If he won't cooperate with the
police, I'll go over his head.
You seem determined to make
this a personal matter.
And you seem determined
to make it a military one.
I don't understand why you
have to dance to his tune.
Ahem. Excuse me, Miss Fisher.
Mr Butler just called to let you know
that Group Captain Compton would
like to see you, urgently.
Thank you, Hugh.
I dance to no-one's tune, Jack.
Shandy for the lady.
Bert, I can't speak
with you. Go, please.
Why not?
That lady, your boss - Comrade Higgins
says she's with the police.
He thinks I say bad things about him.
What? You only told the truth.
I'll set him straight.
No, Bert, please. There are
things you do not know.
That bastard Higgins! You'll be next!
Some papers went missing
three nights ago from here,
from the Party.
Nobody knows who to trust.
Well, Higgins can trust
you. I'll tell him that.
Does it matter? This woman,
if she is dead, she is dead.
~ I don't want trouble.
~ No trouble. Just a word. Or two.
Listen to me, Higgins.
It's one thing sorting out some
pansy right-winger's politics,
but there's no need to touch a lady.
~ No, please!
~ Oi, Bert!
~ Miss Fyodorov needs to appreciate...
~ She needs you to leave her alone.
~ Calm down, Bert.
~ Please.
You could lose your Party
membership for this, Johnson.
You could lose an entire set of
choppers if you go near her again!
Stop! Or I tell everyone what you do.
~ Come on, love.
~ You just quit.
Krest'yanin.
~ What did she just say?
~ It's Russian for 'bastard'.
No, it's Russian for 'peasant'.
Don't worry, we'll
find you another job.
Plenty of places will be lucky
to have someone like you.
Thank you, Bert, but... I have some
things at the Club I must get.
~ First thing tomorrow.
~ Then I must go far away from here.
I am illegal. I have no passport.
Miss Fisher will sort that.
She's got friends
in the police force.
~ You can trust her.
~ I trust no-one.
Except you.
Greaves tells me you found
evidence in Willis's desk.
~ A packet of cigarettes.
~ Willis doesn't smoke.
Well, that's what made me curious.
They match the cigarette found
beside Virginia Forbes' body.
Our victim has a name now.
Well, your inspector
will be happy with that.
Don't you start, Compton.
You two can squabble
over demarcation.
I'm interested in the big picture.
Hmm, and how does Jack
fit into your picture?
He's not your usual... style.
I don't have a usual style. I
think I'm admirably versatile.
Ah, so I am right about Jack.
Too much ballast for lift-off.
~ Yours or his?
~ Probably both.
Tempt you with a drink?
Nothing like a drop of brandy at
10,000 feet to warm the heart.
Is that what you're up to?
Remember Madagascar?
God, yes. How could I forget?
It's a miracle we survived
that landing.
And then the cyclone raged for days.
Nothing to do but... sit it out.
Though we did manage to think
of a few other things.
Ah, the good old days.
How I've missed the thrill of them.
There must be a connection
between the three of them.
If it wasn't romantic, what was it?
Not sure what a red-ragger
would have in common
with a couple of RAAF pilots, Sir.
Which suggests their
rendezvous were clandestine,
but it wasn't a very
private place to meet.
There was an old sentry
box just inside the base.
~ Bring the car round, Collins.
~ Sir.
Flight lieutenant. These
have to be James Manning's.
Condy's crystals. Antiseptic?
Why would he take his
clothes off out here?
Oh.
Get to the car.
Go, go! Take those!
Go that way. Go, go!
Hey, you!
These sentries will fire, Constable
Put your hands above your head.
~ Now.
~ Get in the car, Hugh.
~ Drop your weapon.
~ Don't shoot! Don't shoot.
Don't shoot!
Hold your positions, men!
Inspector Robinson, this is trespass!
We were just leaving.
Not with military
property you're not.
Take it up with the
Chief Commissioner.
Get to the car, Collins!
Stand down, men.
Jack, wait!
We were just reminiscing!
Where did you find those?
And what on earth...?
It's a police matter, Miss Fisher.
It's none of your concern.
You keep those eyes turned skyward.
Eyes turned skyward?
That's it, the note by
Virginia Forbes' body.
The love letter is a quote
from Leonardo da Vinci.
I think I might have
found it. Is this it?
'Once you've tasted
flight you will...'
Yes!
'Once you have tasted flight,
you will forever walk the earth
with your eyes turned skyward,
for there you have been and there
you will always long to return.'
How lovely.
~ A snifter, Miss.
~ Desperately.
Like Mr Greaves said,
like being in heaven.
Except poor Leonardo
never got to fly.
Do you think Virginia Forbes
could have been an aviatrix?
That, my dear Dot, is
a very good question.
Mr Butler, get me a couple
of small flat cushions
and, Dot, a long bandage
from the medicine cabinet.
I'll meet you upstairs in my smalls.
Straight as a celery stick, Miss.
Well, e-except for your... Oh.
Nothing a De Beauvoir's
bandeau wouldn't fix.
I should have picked up on her
face being so heavily powdered.
And this will explain the
Condy's crystals, Inspector.
A strong solution will both
darken and roughen the skin.
Meet Flight Lieutenant James Manning,
also known as Virginia Forbes.
She swore she'd find a way to
join the Air Force and she did.
By assuming the identity of Flight
Lieutenant James Manning,
who was admitted to the Perth hospital
where Virginia was nursing.
The real James Manning was
committed to a sanatorium,
but Ginny knew he'd been about to
be taking up a posting in Melbourne.
So she stole his identity papers
and doctored the medical report
to say he was fit for duty.
You got to admire her ingenuity.
And an exceptional aviatrix
by all accounts.
Goggles and God help you.
That was Ginny.
Did you know about her... forays
into the Communist Party?
I knew she was fired up and that
she suspected someone in the unions.
She said she had found out
who was behind the sabotage.
~ Any names?
~ No.
But she said she befriended
someone at the Club
and was paying them
to find her proof.
A Russian girl.
She promised me she would stop
as soon as she'd found it.
We know you were with
her when she died.
She came back frantic... that night.
She... was beside herself.
She was sweating. She...
She couldn't breathe. T-there
was no time to go for any help.
She died in my arms.
So you removed anything that might
identify her and left her there.
What were you doing with
the cigarette packet?
I found it in your office.
I don't know... I...
I didn't know what to
make of how she'd died.
Did you know they were poisoned?
No, I had no idea.
Thank you. That will be all. We
may need to speak with you again.
We need to hold on to that.
He may be lying.
Rupert Higgins could have
doctored the cigarette.
Whether Willis murdered
Ginny with these or not,
why would he hold on to this?
And why is he still
so interested in it?
We may need a Russian
to help us find out.
Don't reckon they'll be happy
to see any of us back in there.
How important is this bag anyway?
I must have it! It is sentimental.
Behind the counter there is a
loose floorboard. You just...
He knows, love. You heard her.
You can't just leave after
this. Let me help you.
~ There is one way.
~ Well, name it. Anything.
I become a new person, a
new name. With you, Bert.
Tatiana Fyodorov,
will you be my wife?
~ No!
~ Come back with the bag.
My bag!
What's in that bloody bag?
Now, perhaps you'd like to
tell us who you really are.
This passport's a fake. It's
a good one, but a fake.
You told me you didn't have one.
I am Tatiana Krasnaya.
~ When did you come to Australia?
~ After the Revolution.
How well did you know Ginny?
She saw me at the Club, tearing
one of Higgins' pamphlets.
So she tells me she knows
they are lies too.
And I tell her everything.
About Russia.
About my brothers and sisters,
all killed in the Revolution.
Higgins says they are criminals,
but they are only children.
Virginia asked you to do a lot more
than just her sewing,
didn't she, Tatiana?
You made a deal.
She said she would save me if I
steal from Higgins what she wants.
~ Report to the Comintern.
~ Yes.
She will tell me the day
to fly me to somewhere safe,
to a new life, she promised me.
This outlines plans
for further sabotage
at the RAAF air show this Saturday.
This is definitely the safest place
for you right now, Miss Krasnaya,
but I need your help.
I speak a lot more Russian
than I can read.
Our meeting place.
.. is 'Tuesday, four o'clock'.
That's today.
And 'zhar-ptitsa' is 'firebird'.
The Russian equivalent
of the phoenix.
I need to make an urgent phone
call to stop an act of treason.
Krasnaya. What kind of name is that?
My father was General Anton Krasny.
He was an advisor to the White
Army against the Bolsheviks.
So that cock-and-bull story
about you being illegal
and having to get married
was just a con job.
You're a bloody White Russian.
Bert, I was a child, I knew nothing.
I thought I would be safe with you.
You are a good man, Bert.
You are the kind of man any
woman would come to love.
Willis must have known, that's
why he kept the cigarette packet.
Those map coordinates, 14-G-3. Here.
The Gallery Park airfield.
Flying off into the wild blue
yonder seems more appealing
than facing a court martial
for accessory to fraud.
Or perhaps honouring his
dying lover's last wish.
This report isn't signed.
There's no proof Higgins
was behind the sabotage.
Which is why Tatiana needs
to keep that rendezvous
with Willis this afternoon,
and why Rupert Higgins needs
to find out about it.
A stakeout?
Preferably with full cooperation
from the Air Force.
I'll leave that part to you.
~ We better move fast.
~ As always.
I'll put out word at
the European Club.
G'day, gents. Got a special
tip for Rupert Higgins.
~ Can you pass it on for me?
~ Will do.
I think that's everything, Miss.
Your pistol's been repaired
and there's a supply of ammunition,
should you require it.
Thank you, Mr B.
Are you sure I can't
do anything else, Miss?
No, thank you, Dot.
I know how terrified you
are of leaving the ground.
And I would never forgive myself
if anything happened to you.
I wish I felt the same way about
flying as Mr Greaves does.
He thinks flying's
like being in heaven.
He was stuck in a factory in
Avonmouth for the whole war.
Avonmouth, where they made
mustard gas during the war.
The CWS?
Chemical Weapons Services,
that's right.
This is highly
unorthodox, Inspector -
police and Air Force
joint manoeuvres.
We know who's manoeuvred
us, don't we, Captain?
Yes. Well, she always
was a wild child.
I can see the taxi cab, Sir.
How you doin' there, Miss Krasnaya?
Could not pick the difference.
Unless someone asked me
to hem their trousers.
~ Dot, you're in charge.
~ Yes, Miss.
Here comes Willis now, right on time.
I told the Air Vice-Marshal we were
doing extraordinary manoeuvres.
With Miss Fisher involved, I'm
sure we can be guaranteed of that.
You think Higgins got
the message, Sir?
We'll soon find out.
~ Wish me luck.
~ Udachi.
Is this plan gonna work?
We have to wait for them
to make the first move.
There's a black motor car
approaching. Get ready.
They're right behind you.
Get down!
There's another gunman. Let's go.
Go!
Is Miss Fisher alright?
Yeah, yeah, they missed her.
Take cover, Collins.
Got him, Miss.
Cec, give us a hand!
Easy, mate.
~ Bert!
~ Yeah.
Drop it! Get on the
ground! On the ground!
Get on the ground!
I'll catch him, Miss Fisher!
Get away!
Happy now you've caught another
red for the government?
You won't be locked up for
your politics, Higgins.
You'll be locked up because
you're a murderous thug.
How's Squadron Leader Jones doing?
Have you finished with him?
Not yet, Captain.
We just need a statement
about Rupert Higgins
and the relationship he was having
with a woman who was
posing as James Manning.
I assume you'll charge
Higgins with murder.
The Air Force will most certainly
be pressing charges of sabotage.
A woman? James was a woman?
Virginia Forbes. And Rupert Higgins
was guilty on many fronts.
But he didn't murder
her. Did he, Mr Greaves?
Ricin-coated bullets,
produced experimentally
at Avonmouth factory
where you worked during the war.
Later banned and yet there they
were, sitting in your locker.
I... I didn't know he was a woman.
And yet you laced his cigarettes
knowing he would take days to die,
and there are enough enemies
at play for you to hide behind.
Well, I thought he was after
Willis. Everybody thought that.
Even you.
But you turned a blind eye, even
let him be the air show ace,
someone like that, someone
so... depraved.
Forget the union.
Manning was going to bring
down the RAAF all on his own.
Somebody had to do something.
Ginny knew it was dangerous...
.. impersonating an officer.
But it was the only
way she could see.
When I tried to warn her off the
unions, she said she had no choice.
She would do anything
for the Air Force.
Group Captain Compton ordered
her to find out the truth
and she said she was
going to see it through.
And she did.
I think she loved me.
But she loved flying more.
I thought you said pursuing the
union was James Manning's idea.
It was originally.
Then I ordered him to
follow through with it.
Why did you not tell me?
I couldn't be seen to condone
what James was doing.
He was spying.
And you were keeping up
appearances... with me.
Well, I'm not in Madagascar anymore.
I have... responsibilities.
What a shame.
~ Dotty.
~ Hugh.
~ I, um...
~ Um, I...
I want you to know that I only
said I was going up in a plane
because you didn't think I could.
Well, I'm still glad you didn't.
But if Miss Fisher wanted
me to, I would have.
Even if I screamed the
whole way or shut my eyes
or fainted before we
even left the ground...
I know... I... I know.
Because you're brave.
And you're smart. I never would've
found Claremont without your help.
Y-you're smart and you're beautiful
and you're brave and...
.. sometimes it scares me to death.
I just want to be the
one to choose what I do.
It's my job.
Well, I guess I'm going
to have to find a way
of being brave about that too.
So..... what about...
.. Saturday, 14th September 1929?
It sounds perfect.
Two arrests in one day
- murder and treason.
This calls for a celebration.
Well, I still have a report to
write for the Chief Commissioner
about a missing Russian emigre
due to give evidence at
Rupert Higgins' trial.
Excuse me, Miss Fisher.
Albert has telephoned. He said that...
that the caviar has arrived.
Thank you, Mr B.
So if the 'caviar'
is who I think it is,
where is it being sent to?
Tasmania?
So what do I tell my chief?
You can tell him that the Air
Force doesn't know either.
That's some consolation.
Even though Compton saved my life.
~ Literally?
~ Ten years ago.
He had a chute and
he could have bailed,
but... he chose to
crash-land the plane
between two mountains and a ravine.
And we both survived.
Well, no doubt you have more
dashing heroes in your past.
If there weren't I wouldn't be here.
To heroes, then.
And to the one as yet unsung hero
who has saved me over and over again.
It's Nonna Louisa. I
think somebody kill her!
I can't help feeling I'm missing
half of this conversation.
And I'm happy to keep it
that way, Miss Fisher.
~ Did you just say Camorra?
~ It's an old Italian secret society.
Concetta. She's an old friend.
Something will be done.
You have no idea how ruthless
these people can be!
You tell everybody
here what you done!
You killed Nonna Luisa!
fuel and grease.
What happened to that one, Miss?
Gravity I'd say, Dot.
~ Ah, Group Captain Lyle Compton!
~ Phryne!
This is my assistant,
Dorothy Williams.
~ Ah. Pleasure, Miss Williams.
~ Hello.
Are you interested in planes?
I can take you for a spin.
Oh, no, thank you. I mean,
I am interested, but...
But mainly in how they stay up.
Oh, well, perhaps a
tour of the base then.
As you can see, our
boys are hard at it,
preparing for another
air show on Saturday.
Help our battered reputation.
Yes, the newspapers certainly
made a meal of your last mishap.
Yes. Well, at least
no-one was killed.
Pity it's such a dangerous
game, flying.
Not half as dangerous as
that machine, I'll bet.
How fast?
With this tail wind, I'd hazard
a guess at 132 miles per hour.
Prove it.
What was our previous best?
117. Colchester Airfield, 1919.
Dot.
~ Miss, no.
~ Watch the planes, Dot.
~ Hold on tight.
~ If you insist.
Whoo-hoo!
On your way, then.
Full rigor mortis. Must
have happened last night.
Perhaps she was strangled, sir.
No marks on the wind pipe.
Did those boys recognise her?
No, they don't think she's a local.
No purse, not even a coat.
Nothing to identify her.
Just a scrap of paper
and a set of keys.
Sir.
That's a serious boot print.
And where around here would we
find a serious pair of boots?
Now, this plane was a favourite
with Wing Commander Harry Cobby,
lead ace with the
Australian Flying Corps.
From 29 victories in less than a
year, Distinguished Service Order,
Distinguished Flying
Cross, and Two Bars...
They're a tricky lot. Union
blokes, not military.
Wouldn't trust them to
keep a kite airborne.
Were you a pilot before
you retired, Mr Greaves?
Uh, no. No. I'm just happy
to be part of it these days.
But once flying is in your blood,
that's it. Nothing like it.
Up above the clouds, sun shining.
Like being in heaven.
I'm sure it is.
The papers practically
accuse the mechanics union
of sabotaging that plane.
Well, somebody did.
The fuel was deliberately contaminated.
Is that why you called me in?
It gets worse, I'm afraid.
One of my men failed to report
for duty this morning.
Flight Lieutenant James Manning,
the officer who walked
away from that wreck,
hell bent on finding
out who was responsible.
You think he asked
too many questions.
I hope not.
And another onslaught of bad publicity
could be the death of us.
This needs a... a delicate touch.
Squadron Leader Willis Jones
is organising our air show.
A challenging exercise in
public relations, I gather.
Yes. Apart from the technicalities.
We have other flyers but
Manning is a... one-off.
When did you notice he was gone?
After formation practice yesterday.
Anything missing from his quarters?
His uniform is gone, his wallet.
Everything else is untouched.
Is there anyone he was
particularly close to
who might know why he disappeared?
The police to see you, Sir.
Jack, what on earth
are you doing here?
Same thing as you I
imagine, Miss Fisher.
Detective Inspector Jack Robinson.
Group Captain Lyle Compton.
That'll be all, Jones.
Group Captain, a woman
has been found dead
near your perimeter fence.
~ Dead?!
~ I was aware there was an incident.
~ You didn't know?
~ No.
Um... Compton and I are old friends.
I was here on another matter.
I'll need a list of names of
any personnel who left the base
in the last 24 hours.
No-one was authorised to leave the
base, I can tell you that right now.
~ What about unauthorised?
~ Phryne.
~ Who was this woman?
~ We don't know, as yet.
This has no connection
with the Air Force.
If I find a connection?
There'll be a thorough investigation.
Keep me informed, Inspector.
You'll find me at the
morgue, Miss Fisher.
I can't promise to keep
all your secrets, Compton.
Not if it stands between Jack and
bringing a murderer to justice.
At least be discreet.
Please. Keep me posted.
Dotty.
What... what are you doing here?
I'm here on official business, Hugh.
Already?
I know Miss Fisher has
a nose for trouble,
but this is a military
base with guns and men.
It could be very dangerous.
~ The war is over, Hugh.
~ I know...
And sometimes Miss Fisher needs
me to do dangerous things,
like be a hostage or pretend
to be a racing car driver,
or even... go up in a plane.
What? You're terrified of planes.
~ Collins.
~ Sir.
Jack, wait.
You know I can't resist a
murder, if it is a murder.
I found these by the body.
The missing airman's service number.
I think I found your connection.
It's a chilly night to
be out without a coat.
Severe dehydration and asphyxia.
My bet, some kind of poison.
Found that inside her clothing.
I presume it was around her neck.
Those keys.
She had better access to
the Air Force than I do.
Perhaps Flight Lieutenant James
Manning gave her access.
Perhaps they were lovers.
Or maybe just old friends.
I met Compton back in England
at the end of the war.
I flew a couple of low-key
missions with him, that's all.
No lighter and only
one unlit cigarette.
But a serious smoker.
~ Missions, as in intelligence.
~ Not officially.
'Flight... earth...
eyes turn skyward...
.. have been and there...
will always long...'
A love letter. Sounds very literary.
And very aeronautical.
So Captain Courageous
is entrusting Mata Hari
with another secret mission.
Compton was a long time ago,
Jack, and it wasn't like that.
Well, yes, it was, but...
You know what it's like
when you think life is fleeting
and you might die at any moment.
I always feel like that
when I'm with you.
Call with any details that
might help Missing Persons.
The murderer seems to have
made off with anything
that might establish who she was.
But perhaps not where she's been.
4.5 pence fare, 9 sections.
So... one, two, three...
Where would I find the headquarters
of the Victorian Amalgamated
Mechanics Association?
European Club, that's
where you'll find them.
Hobnobbing with Bert's
red-ragger mates.
If memory serves me, that's
somewhere on Sydney Road?
Sydney Road, Brunswick.
We know James Manning
was nosing around them,
trying to find out who
sabotaged his plane.
Perhaps that's where he
met this mystery woman.
Does that match our ticket?
Yes, Miss. This ticket
will get you there.
Sounds like you ladies need an
escort to the wrong side of town.
~ Any excuse to see you-know-who.
~ Who?
Some Russian sheila he's soft
on. She works in the cloak room.
She hemmed me trousers, that's all.
Don't mention Mr Butler,
or the stock exchange.
And don't say you send
out your laundry.
I doubt your comrades will care who
washes my Herminie Cadolle lingerie.
~ And don't talk like a toff.
~ Sorry.
You can get out. You're
no use to anyone.
Let me just say that this...
this is Australia. Not Russia!
So now you've got a problem
with the revolution!
What are you - a bloody idiot?
You think a bunch of words
is going to change the world?
Why don't you hand your card in?
Go on, throw it on the table.
Mr Higgins, my boss
needs a little help.
Alright.
Miss Fisher. Rupert Higgins.
Pleased to meet you.
Albert here claims that as
far as capitalist bosses go,
you're not too bad.
Noblesse oblige. I do my best
from the high, Mr Higgins.
Like you, I'm sure.
This couple you want to know about.
Yes.
This is James Manning.
~ Military.
~ Air Force.
Though I doubt he would've
shown off his uniform in here.
And I'm not sure that
they were a couple.
He's not familiar.
What about the woman? Tall,
dark-haired, late 20s.
There was a young woman
that started coming to our
meetings a few weeks ago.
Do you remember her name?
That's another thing people
don't show off in here.
We've been raided too many times.
Seditious publications.
I remember she did pick a
few pamphlets up afterwards.
If it's the woman you're after,
she seemed smart, educated.
~ So she was alone.
~ That's why I noticed her.
This isn't the kind of place
frequented by single women.
Apart from a few
remarkable exceptions.
Why are you trying to track her down?
That's the problem, we're not.
She was found in bushland early
this morning. Suspected murder.
No, she never say her name.
I can't believe she's killed.
Tatiana, meet Miss Fisher.
Hello. Tatiana Fyodorov.
I know this woman, but she's not
my friend. She's my customer.
And she was here last night.
Yes, I see her, but...
I know she looks fancy,
but you can trust her.
I see her with a man from
here. Higgins. You know him?
Go on, love.
Uh, on the stairs.
He did not see me, but he... he
have her arm like this. Strong.
Was he friendly or angry?
They were whispering.
I could not hear.
But from their faces,
it was important.
Thank you, Miss Fyodorov.
You've been most helpful.
Please, don't say I tell you.
Don't worry, we'll keep
it under our hats.
What's that?
May I have that coat,
the dusty rose one?
~ It's her missing coat.
~ Yes. Yes, she left it here.
This is to fix the insides, here.
Thank you. We may need
an expert opinion.
The fabric is excellent quality,
a silk wool jersey.
So the whole ensemble would've
been very expensive.
If I could examine it more closely,
I might find a dressmaker's mark.
Of course. Collins.
I also found something
in the coat pocket,
but you're going to
have to play nicely.
Why aren't you at the RAAF,
wing walking or something?
Now, that won't score you any points.
I've managed to score
a few without you.
European Club - haunt
of militant unionists,
including the Amalgamated Mechanics
and committed red-ragger
Rupert Higgins.
The logical deduction with
the union trouble at the RAAF,
Higgins' file, belonging to an
unlawful association charge,
dismissed ten years ago.
Sedition charge still pending.
Do you think our victim was passing
James Manning information?
It could explain what she was doing
near the base with his keys.
What about next of kin on
Manning's military file?
You should be impressed I managed
to get his service number
before Compton whisked it away.
You know, you and Compton
are very similar, Jack.
I think you'd like him.
I don't think one necessarily
follows the other.
Alright, full points for that.
A match for the love letter.
I was hoping we might try
that new pie cart for lunch.
Were you?
I know we've got a few things
to settle before our big day.
~ Like my job.
~ Like your job.
But I thought we could also talk
about... settling on a date.
So... maybe you could
worry about that
and leave the investigating
to Miss Fisher.
And maybe you can try that
pie cart on your own.
I've suddenly lost my appetite.
Dot...
Here's the cast of that boot
print, Sir. It's a big one.
At least size 12. Possible
match for a flying boot.
In need of repair.
If that's the print near the body,
I doubt it belongs to James Manning.
How do you know?
The only other thing I gleaned from
his file was his height - 5'6".
Hardly a giant.
No. A men's shoe size
8, 9. 10 at the most.
So we're looking for
a tall airman, Sir.
Well, that whittles it down
to about 85% of the Air Force.
Bring the car round, Collins.
We're here to see Captain Compton.
I have my orders, sir.
Miss Fisher only.
Surely the Group Captain didn't say
I couldn't be escorted by my fiance.
Such a... masculine environment is
overwhelming for a single woman.
Let me check for you.
Oh, there's no need to
escort us. I know the way.
Admit it, Jack, being a woman
definitely has its assets.
Well, I... appreciate your assets.
Now, if we could hurry
up this break-in.
I'm not breaking anything. I'm
merely taking a circuitous route.
Keys.
Numbers would have made
this a lot easier.
Suggest that to your captain friend.
Eureka.
~ Third time lucky.
~ Fourth.
Must you be so contrary?
James Manning's locker.
James Manning and Willis Jones.
Can I help you?
Miss Fisher.
Detective Inspector Jack Robinson,
meet Squadron Leader Willis Jones.
I've told Miss Fisher everything
I know about James Manning.
I'm also interested
in another matter -
the woman found dead this
morning outside the base.
I saw the police car.
We have reason to believe that
Flight Lieutenant James Manning
knew the dead woman.
What's this got to do with me?
Your boots are a match
for a very particular footprint
we found beside the body.
~ You need your right heel repaired.
~ What?
You also need to tell us more about
your relationship with James Manning.
Where did you get that?
Yes, Miss Fisher, where did you
get that? As you were, Jones.
You two, with me.
We have good reason to believe
both men were at the crime scene.
~ I'm not interested in speculation.
~ I am.
~ What about a love triangle?
~ I can't imagine that.
Well, it's not that difficult
- one woman, two men.
It has been known
to lead to conflict.
We need to conduct a
more extensive search...
I'm sorry but I can't allow a civilian
search on military grounds.
How do you expect me to
conduct my investigation?
Inspector, I appreciate you have a
job to do and a public to answer to,
but so do I, and at
this point in history,
I believe my position to
be the more precarious.
I do hope you understand.
On another matter, Phryne.
A personal one.
There could never be a love triangle.
Willis and James would never
fight over any woman.
~ Lovers!
~ I have no proof, of course, but...
If it were to get out,
it would be the last straw
for the RAAF and for me.
Even so, both of them had something
to do with that woman,
and if you genuinely want me to
find out what happened to James,
then you have to give me
free access to this place.
Greaves... please escort Miss Fisher
on a full tour of the base.
Wherever she wants to go,
whatever she needs to know.
Hello, Hugh. I've come
to return your evidence.
How are you going with that postmark?
Uh, good. I'm nearly there.
That town definitely starts with
a 'C' and it's nine letters long.
Might help to narrow it down
to the suburbs of Perth.
And why would I do that?
Bon Marche. Perth, Western Australia.
Yes, that... that might help but...
still not the answer, is it?
Stick to the whole of
Australia, then, Hugh.
Can't be easy - military man in
charge of a unionised workforce.
Oh, they all towed
the line well enough.
~ Till the rumours started.
~ About Willis and James?
I wasn't the only one who saw him
sneak out of Willis's
quarters at all hours.
The moment he arrived he started
work on Willis, preyed on him.
~ So Willis lost respect.
~ Hmm.
Then that plane came down and James
pointed the finger at the union.
What did he accuse them of -
shoddy work or party politics?
Both, and it didn't make
Willis's life any easier.
Do you think Willis will be able
to pull off this air show?
Without a doubt. He's a better
flyer than James ever was.
He can loop the loop and
barrel roll like a bird.
Does Willis smoke?
No, never.
Mac was right, Jack.
She was poisoned.
By her own cigarettes.
I found that at the back
of Willis Jones' desk.
The packet's a match
for the cigarette
you found near the victim's body.
Except that cigarette was harmless.
The cigarette found in the
packet contained ricin.
Blood samples have confirmed
it - Ricinus communis.
From castor oil?
From the beans of the castor
seed plant, to be exact.
The oil itself isn't poisonous.
I'm impressed you're even close.
The Americans and British were
experimenting with chemical weapons
towards the end of the war, until
the Hague Convention banned them.
~ Ricin's deadly.
~ Hmm, just a few grains.
Particularly if inhaled.
But this hasn't been touched.
The killer must have laced other
cigarettes in the packet.
Doesn't work fast. It can take days.
Perfect way to be absent
at the time of death.
It's for you, Inspector.
Your constable seems to have
a lead on our mystery woman.
Virginia Forbes went missing
from Claremont six years ago.
Six years?
Worked as a nurse at
the military hospital.
Might explain the bandage
in her handbag.
Might explain more than that.
James was transferred to Melbourne
from the Claremont Airbase in 1923.
That must've been where
James and Virginia met.
But if what you're telling
me about James is true,
whatever happened between
them wasn't romantic.
You can see now why Compton
needs to be discreet.
No, I don't see.
A woman is dead and he's asking you
to withhold information from me.
If he won't cooperate with the
police, I'll go over his head.
You seem determined to make
this a personal matter.
And you seem determined
to make it a military one.
I don't understand why you
have to dance to his tune.
Ahem. Excuse me, Miss Fisher.
Mr Butler just called to let you know
that Group Captain Compton would
like to see you, urgently.
Thank you, Hugh.
I dance to no-one's tune, Jack.
Shandy for the lady.
Bert, I can't speak
with you. Go, please.
Why not?
That lady, your boss - Comrade Higgins
says she's with the police.
He thinks I say bad things about him.
What? You only told the truth.
I'll set him straight.
No, Bert, please. There are
things you do not know.
That bastard Higgins! You'll be next!
Some papers went missing
three nights ago from here,
from the Party.
Nobody knows who to trust.
Well, Higgins can trust
you. I'll tell him that.
Does it matter? This woman,
if she is dead, she is dead.
~ I don't want trouble.
~ No trouble. Just a word. Or two.
Listen to me, Higgins.
It's one thing sorting out some
pansy right-winger's politics,
but there's no need to touch a lady.
~ No, please!
~ Oi, Bert!
~ Miss Fyodorov needs to appreciate...
~ She needs you to leave her alone.
~ Calm down, Bert.
~ Please.
You could lose your Party
membership for this, Johnson.
You could lose an entire set of
choppers if you go near her again!
Stop! Or I tell everyone what you do.
~ Come on, love.
~ You just quit.
Krest'yanin.
~ What did she just say?
~ It's Russian for 'bastard'.
No, it's Russian for 'peasant'.
Don't worry, we'll
find you another job.
Plenty of places will be lucky
to have someone like you.
Thank you, Bert, but... I have some
things at the Club I must get.
~ First thing tomorrow.
~ Then I must go far away from here.
I am illegal. I have no passport.
Miss Fisher will sort that.
She's got friends
in the police force.
~ You can trust her.
~ I trust no-one.
Except you.
Greaves tells me you found
evidence in Willis's desk.
~ A packet of cigarettes.
~ Willis doesn't smoke.
Well, that's what made me curious.
They match the cigarette found
beside Virginia Forbes' body.
Our victim has a name now.
Well, your inspector
will be happy with that.
Don't you start, Compton.
You two can squabble
over demarcation.
I'm interested in the big picture.
Hmm, and how does Jack
fit into your picture?
He's not your usual... style.
I don't have a usual style. I
think I'm admirably versatile.
Ah, so I am right about Jack.
Too much ballast for lift-off.
~ Yours or his?
~ Probably both.
Tempt you with a drink?
Nothing like a drop of brandy at
10,000 feet to warm the heart.
Is that what you're up to?
Remember Madagascar?
God, yes. How could I forget?
It's a miracle we survived
that landing.
And then the cyclone raged for days.
Nothing to do but... sit it out.
Though we did manage to think
of a few other things.
Ah, the good old days.
How I've missed the thrill of them.
There must be a connection
between the three of them.
If it wasn't romantic, what was it?
Not sure what a red-ragger
would have in common
with a couple of RAAF pilots, Sir.
Which suggests their
rendezvous were clandestine,
but it wasn't a very
private place to meet.
There was an old sentry
box just inside the base.
~ Bring the car round, Collins.
~ Sir.
Flight lieutenant. These
have to be James Manning's.
Condy's crystals. Antiseptic?
Why would he take his
clothes off out here?
Oh.
Get to the car.
Go, go! Take those!
Go that way. Go, go!
Hey, you!
These sentries will fire, Constable
Put your hands above your head.
~ Now.
~ Get in the car, Hugh.
~ Drop your weapon.
~ Don't shoot! Don't shoot.
Don't shoot!
Hold your positions, men!
Inspector Robinson, this is trespass!
We were just leaving.
Not with military
property you're not.
Take it up with the
Chief Commissioner.
Get to the car, Collins!
Stand down, men.
Jack, wait!
We were just reminiscing!
Where did you find those?
And what on earth...?
It's a police matter, Miss Fisher.
It's none of your concern.
You keep those eyes turned skyward.
Eyes turned skyward?
That's it, the note by
Virginia Forbes' body.
The love letter is a quote
from Leonardo da Vinci.
I think I might have
found it. Is this it?
'Once you've tasted
flight you will...'
Yes!
'Once you have tasted flight,
you will forever walk the earth
with your eyes turned skyward,
for there you have been and there
you will always long to return.'
How lovely.
~ A snifter, Miss.
~ Desperately.
Like Mr Greaves said,
like being in heaven.
Except poor Leonardo
never got to fly.
Do you think Virginia Forbes
could have been an aviatrix?
That, my dear Dot, is
a very good question.
Mr Butler, get me a couple
of small flat cushions
and, Dot, a long bandage
from the medicine cabinet.
I'll meet you upstairs in my smalls.
Straight as a celery stick, Miss.
Well, e-except for your... Oh.
Nothing a De Beauvoir's
bandeau wouldn't fix.
I should have picked up on her
face being so heavily powdered.
And this will explain the
Condy's crystals, Inspector.
A strong solution will both
darken and roughen the skin.
Meet Flight Lieutenant James Manning,
also known as Virginia Forbes.
She swore she'd find a way to
join the Air Force and she did.
By assuming the identity of Flight
Lieutenant James Manning,
who was admitted to the Perth hospital
where Virginia was nursing.
The real James Manning was
committed to a sanatorium,
but Ginny knew he'd been about to
be taking up a posting in Melbourne.
So she stole his identity papers
and doctored the medical report
to say he was fit for duty.
You got to admire her ingenuity.
And an exceptional aviatrix
by all accounts.
Goggles and God help you.
That was Ginny.
Did you know about her... forays
into the Communist Party?
I knew she was fired up and that
she suspected someone in the unions.
She said she had found out
who was behind the sabotage.
~ Any names?
~ No.
But she said she befriended
someone at the Club
and was paying them
to find her proof.
A Russian girl.
She promised me she would stop
as soon as she'd found it.
We know you were with
her when she died.
She came back frantic... that night.
She... was beside herself.
She was sweating. She...
She couldn't breathe. T-there
was no time to go for any help.
She died in my arms.
So you removed anything that might
identify her and left her there.
What were you doing with
the cigarette packet?
I found it in your office.
I don't know... I...
I didn't know what to
make of how she'd died.
Did you know they were poisoned?
No, I had no idea.
Thank you. That will be all. We
may need to speak with you again.
We need to hold on to that.
He may be lying.
Rupert Higgins could have
doctored the cigarette.
Whether Willis murdered
Ginny with these or not,
why would he hold on to this?
And why is he still
so interested in it?
We may need a Russian
to help us find out.
Don't reckon they'll be happy
to see any of us back in there.
How important is this bag anyway?
I must have it! It is sentimental.
Behind the counter there is a
loose floorboard. You just...
He knows, love. You heard her.
You can't just leave after
this. Let me help you.
~ There is one way.
~ Well, name it. Anything.
I become a new person, a
new name. With you, Bert.
Tatiana Fyodorov,
will you be my wife?
~ No!
~ Come back with the bag.
My bag!
What's in that bloody bag?
Now, perhaps you'd like to
tell us who you really are.
This passport's a fake. It's
a good one, but a fake.
You told me you didn't have one.
I am Tatiana Krasnaya.
~ When did you come to Australia?
~ After the Revolution.
How well did you know Ginny?
She saw me at the Club, tearing
one of Higgins' pamphlets.
So she tells me she knows
they are lies too.
And I tell her everything.
About Russia.
About my brothers and sisters,
all killed in the Revolution.
Higgins says they are criminals,
but they are only children.
Virginia asked you to do a lot more
than just her sewing,
didn't she, Tatiana?
You made a deal.
She said she would save me if I
steal from Higgins what she wants.
~ Report to the Comintern.
~ Yes.
She will tell me the day
to fly me to somewhere safe,
to a new life, she promised me.
This outlines plans
for further sabotage
at the RAAF air show this Saturday.
This is definitely the safest place
for you right now, Miss Krasnaya,
but I need your help.
I speak a lot more Russian
than I can read.
Our meeting place.
.. is 'Tuesday, four o'clock'.
That's today.
And 'zhar-ptitsa' is 'firebird'.
The Russian equivalent
of the phoenix.
I need to make an urgent phone
call to stop an act of treason.
Krasnaya. What kind of name is that?
My father was General Anton Krasny.
He was an advisor to the White
Army against the Bolsheviks.
So that cock-and-bull story
about you being illegal
and having to get married
was just a con job.
You're a bloody White Russian.
Bert, I was a child, I knew nothing.
I thought I would be safe with you.
You are a good man, Bert.
You are the kind of man any
woman would come to love.
Willis must have known, that's
why he kept the cigarette packet.
Those map coordinates, 14-G-3. Here.
The Gallery Park airfield.
Flying off into the wild blue
yonder seems more appealing
than facing a court martial
for accessory to fraud.
Or perhaps honouring his
dying lover's last wish.
This report isn't signed.
There's no proof Higgins
was behind the sabotage.
Which is why Tatiana needs
to keep that rendezvous
with Willis this afternoon,
and why Rupert Higgins needs
to find out about it.
A stakeout?
Preferably with full cooperation
from the Air Force.
I'll leave that part to you.
~ We better move fast.
~ As always.
I'll put out word at
the European Club.
G'day, gents. Got a special
tip for Rupert Higgins.
~ Can you pass it on for me?
~ Will do.
I think that's everything, Miss.
Your pistol's been repaired
and there's a supply of ammunition,
should you require it.
Thank you, Mr B.
Are you sure I can't
do anything else, Miss?
No, thank you, Dot.
I know how terrified you
are of leaving the ground.
And I would never forgive myself
if anything happened to you.
I wish I felt the same way about
flying as Mr Greaves does.
He thinks flying's
like being in heaven.
He was stuck in a factory in
Avonmouth for the whole war.
Avonmouth, where they made
mustard gas during the war.
The CWS?
Chemical Weapons Services,
that's right.
This is highly
unorthodox, Inspector -
police and Air Force
joint manoeuvres.
We know who's manoeuvred
us, don't we, Captain?
Yes. Well, she always
was a wild child.
I can see the taxi cab, Sir.
How you doin' there, Miss Krasnaya?
Could not pick the difference.
Unless someone asked me
to hem their trousers.
~ Dot, you're in charge.
~ Yes, Miss.
Here comes Willis now, right on time.
I told the Air Vice-Marshal we were
doing extraordinary manoeuvres.
With Miss Fisher involved, I'm
sure we can be guaranteed of that.
You think Higgins got
the message, Sir?
We'll soon find out.
~ Wish me luck.
~ Udachi.
Is this plan gonna work?
We have to wait for them
to make the first move.
There's a black motor car
approaching. Get ready.
They're right behind you.
Get down!
There's another gunman. Let's go.
Go!
Is Miss Fisher alright?
Yeah, yeah, they missed her.
Take cover, Collins.
Got him, Miss.
Cec, give us a hand!
Easy, mate.
~ Bert!
~ Yeah.
Drop it! Get on the
ground! On the ground!
Get on the ground!
I'll catch him, Miss Fisher!
Get away!
Happy now you've caught another
red for the government?
You won't be locked up for
your politics, Higgins.
You'll be locked up because
you're a murderous thug.
How's Squadron Leader Jones doing?
Have you finished with him?
Not yet, Captain.
We just need a statement
about Rupert Higgins
and the relationship he was having
with a woman who was
posing as James Manning.
I assume you'll charge
Higgins with murder.
The Air Force will most certainly
be pressing charges of sabotage.
A woman? James was a woman?
Virginia Forbes. And Rupert Higgins
was guilty on many fronts.
But he didn't murder
her. Did he, Mr Greaves?
Ricin-coated bullets,
produced experimentally
at Avonmouth factory
where you worked during the war.
Later banned and yet there they
were, sitting in your locker.
I... I didn't know he was a woman.
And yet you laced his cigarettes
knowing he would take days to die,
and there are enough enemies
at play for you to hide behind.
Well, I thought he was after
Willis. Everybody thought that.
Even you.
But you turned a blind eye, even
let him be the air show ace,
someone like that, someone
so... depraved.
Forget the union.
Manning was going to bring
down the RAAF all on his own.
Somebody had to do something.
Ginny knew it was dangerous...
.. impersonating an officer.
But it was the only
way she could see.
When I tried to warn her off the
unions, she said she had no choice.
She would do anything
for the Air Force.
Group Captain Compton ordered
her to find out the truth
and she said she was
going to see it through.
And she did.
I think she loved me.
But she loved flying more.
I thought you said pursuing the
union was James Manning's idea.
It was originally.
Then I ordered him to
follow through with it.
Why did you not tell me?
I couldn't be seen to condone
what James was doing.
He was spying.
And you were keeping up
appearances... with me.
Well, I'm not in Madagascar anymore.
I have... responsibilities.
What a shame.
~ Dotty.
~ Hugh.
~ I, um...
~ Um, I...
I want you to know that I only
said I was going up in a plane
because you didn't think I could.
Well, I'm still glad you didn't.
But if Miss Fisher wanted
me to, I would have.
Even if I screamed the
whole way or shut my eyes
or fainted before we
even left the ground...
I know... I... I know.
Because you're brave.
And you're smart. I never would've
found Claremont without your help.
Y-you're smart and you're beautiful
and you're brave and...
.. sometimes it scares me to death.
I just want to be the
one to choose what I do.
It's my job.
Well, I guess I'm going
to have to find a way
of being brave about that too.
So..... what about...
.. Saturday, 14th September 1929?
It sounds perfect.
Two arrests in one day
- murder and treason.
This calls for a celebration.
Well, I still have a report to
write for the Chief Commissioner
about a missing Russian emigre
due to give evidence at
Rupert Higgins' trial.
Excuse me, Miss Fisher.
Albert has telephoned. He said that...
that the caviar has arrived.
Thank you, Mr B.
So if the 'caviar'
is who I think it is,
where is it being sent to?
Tasmania?
So what do I tell my chief?
You can tell him that the Air
Force doesn't know either.
That's some consolation.
Even though Compton saved my life.
~ Literally?
~ Ten years ago.
He had a chute and
he could have bailed,
but... he chose to
crash-land the plane
between two mountains and a ravine.
And we both survived.
Well, no doubt you have more
dashing heroes in your past.
If there weren't I wouldn't be here.
To heroes, then.
And to the one as yet unsung hero
who has saved me over and over again.
It's Nonna Louisa. I
think somebody kill her!
I can't help feeling I'm missing
half of this conversation.
And I'm happy to keep it
that way, Miss Fisher.
~ Did you just say Camorra?
~ It's an old Italian secret society.
Concetta. She's an old friend.
Something will be done.
You have no idea how ruthless
these people can be!
You tell everybody
here what you done!
You killed Nonna Luisa!