My Life Is Murder (2019–…): Season 2, Episode 5 - Crushed Dreams - full transcript
Alexa will need all five senses to solve the mysterious death of an ambitious young winemaker.
Did you do that when you were a kid?
No. This place didn't exist
when I was a kid.
We made do with a hose and sprinkler.
Well, I know there's something
else you didn't do.
Booked us a table.
Yes!
- Oh, breakfast wine.
- It's brunch, so it's OK.
Are you on duty?
Come on, Alexa. You know drinking
on duty's against the rules.
- Who's this?
- Samantha Turei...
assistant winemaker
at Bird of Paradise Estate.
Oh, I see what you did there.
Very clever.
She was killed when she went into
the winery grape crusher
two weeks ago.
Ooh, God. What a terrible way to go...
No one was there to pull her out?
No. She wasn't found till
the next morning by the vintner.
Joe Gorman.
What... am I supposed
to know who this is?
Bit of a rock star in the industry.
I didn't know there was such a thing.
So, why wasn't he there
when this happened?
It was late, after 11pm.
He was in a wine conference.
Is it normal for the victim
to be working that late and alone?
According to Joe, she was working on an
experimental batch of wine,
possibly impress him.
- Ah, so healthy ego, huh?
- Well, he is a rock star.
It's been ruled an accident so far.
You're not convinced?
Sam wasn't just the assistant
winemaker at Bird of Paradise.
She grew up there... family estate.
According to her mother, Martha,
she had a healthy respect for all
the dangers involved in the job...
this piece of equipment, in particular.
It's a Zambelli crusher...
Italian, cheap.
I learned to stay away
from those in my 20s.
Day before she died,
she sent a text to Joe.
'The wine is quite complex.
How did you do that?
Vineyard worker problem?'
What was the vineyard worker problem?
Well, she thought they were
being slack, apparently.
Very complex.
Today I'm here with one of New
Zealand's most celebrated wine experts.
He's gonna taste my latest vintage
and tell me what he thinks.
- You ready?
- What are you doing? I'm working.
Oh, come on.
You can take two minutes off.
- Is that Joe the Rock Star Winemaker?
- No, I don't know who that is.
Just to be clear, guys,
I'm not a wine expert, OK?
I just do the grunt workaround you.
Ooh, don't be so modest.
But what's your favourite wine?
At home with my wife, I drink red.
Here... whatever you make, obviously.
Great answer.
- So, taste this.
- Aight.
- It tastes good, yeah.
- Yes, it does.
And that's why I intend to be
the Young Winemaker of the Year.
Big dreams.
Cut short.
That's sad.
No, it's not sad. It's bloody terrible.
Wait, are you going out there,
to Waiheke Island?
- Yeah, overnight.
- It's where the winery is.
I'm coming.
No, you're staying here
and cleaning this kitchen.
No, I'll do that later.
Just gimme a minute to pack my bag.
What types of wines are we talking here?
Oh, they're famous for their Pinot.
- Noir or Grigio?
- Grigio, I think. - Excellent.
Man, is there anywhere in this
country that doesn't look amazing?
Yeah, my kitchen.
- Hello.
- Hello there. Welcome.
- Hi, I'm Alexa.
- Joe Gorman. Pleasure.
- Madison.
- Hi.
Uh, we actually do our wine tastings
in the reception area.
Oh, we're not here to taste the wines.
No, we're not only here
to taste the wine.
We're also here helping the police
with their enquiries into
the Sam Turei matter.
Oh, of course. How can I help?
Well, we just wanna get
a sense of what happened.
I believe you were
the person who found her.
Yeah, it was the worst
moment of my life. It was horrible.
I'm so sorry.
- Is this the machine that...
- Yeah.
Been meaning to have it replaced, but...
But what?
Martha didn't wanna spend the money.
Sam's mother,
she's careful with finances.
Looks like a coffin on legs.
Do you have many accidents
with this equipment?
Well, unfortunately,
they're not that uncommon.
I mean, a pulverised hand...
sure, it happens.
But death...
Was the crusher in operation
when you found her?
No.
Must've jammed when she was...
Look, Sam is really
the whole reason I'm here.
She doggedly chased me for months.
What...
to get you to relocate from Europe?
Yeah.
Gosh, she really reminded me
a lot of myself, you know...
uncompromising, determined.
When I recognised that ambition,
it was a no-brainer, really.
I mean, that's what talent actually is.
That's really true.
If it's not too much to ask,
could you show me how this works?
Yeah, sure.
Look, we harvested most
of our grapes six weeks ago,
so not much to show you, I'm afraid.
So, no safety requirements?
Uh, there are protocols,
but we all take shortcuts.
Common sense is really the genuine rule.
You know,
to be operating this thing alone
doesn't seem like common sense to me.
Well, during vintage,
we all snatch time whenever we can...
do our own thing.
Sam was...
...working on her own wine.
Thanks.
You know, using protocols
that I had shown her,
and I might've been there to too if
I hadn't have been busy elsewhere.
You were on a teleconference?
Yeah,
an international online wine conference.
Don't you hate looking
at your face in those meetings?
I believe that you called Sam that
morning after
she sent you a text message.
That's right. It was the last time
I spoke to her. She, uh...
Well, she was unhappy by the
performance of some of the workers.
Any workers in particular?
No. I mean, she didn't say,
but she seemed stressed...
like she was in a rush.
You know, you should probably
talk to Francisco, our foreman.
Francisco, got it.
I'm sorry. That's my cue.
Wine tasting booked. Excuse me.
Ooh,
reckon I could check out that tasting?
You know,
see if there's anything enlightening.
Always more than happy to enlighten.
Uh, no, I'm just gonna look
around nature.
Enjoy.
I'll make sure to buy
anything of interest.
OK, have fun.
Make sure you're checking
the nettings for birds as you go.
Hello.
Excuse me.
Hi, I'm Alexa Crowe.
I'm helping the
police look into Sam Turei's accident.
Francisco.
Oh, I believe you
already spoke to the police
about a problem she was
having with vineyard workers.
I said already I don't know
what that was about.
Right.
Uh, unhappy with their efforts,
apparently.
- How long have you been working here?
- Four months.
With your wife?
She's in Papua New Guinea, with our son.
Well, it must be hard being away,
you know. I hope it's worth it.
Yeah,
I look forward to being home again.
- Mm.
- Mm.
How many workers you got here?
The seasonal workers have gone
cos the grapes have been picked.
A few of us here are
on longer contracts.
Did you hear the crusher
operating the night that Sam died?
No.
No, I work long days. I go to bed early.
I couldn't hear it anyway. The
winery's too far away for the noise.
- Too far from what?
- My place.
Foreman's quarters.
- You live there alone?
- Yes.
Well, that's a shame.
There's no one to verify a story.
Excuse me.
Mrs Turei?
Yes.
Can I help you?
Maybe.
I'm very sorry for your loss.
Thanks. I'm glad you're here.
I understand you're doubtful
that it was an accident.
I am. I, um... You know Sam,
she was way too sensible.
Yet Joe seemed to
think it was plausible.
Well, I don't.
No, and I don't believe that she was out in
the winery crushing grapes alone at midnight.
You didn't hear
the crushing machine going?
No, I, um... I fell asleep
in front of the television,
and when I woke,
I thought she'd already come in.
She loved this place.
Always knew she'd be a winemaker.
I was gonna sell when her dad died,
but she begged me to keep it.
You make lovely wines here.
Oh, not me.
I do the marketing...
the brand stuff. Well, did.
Joe does that too now.
You know, to be honest, I don't know
what I'd do without him.
Can you shed any light
on the problems that Sam
was having with the vineyard workers?
Yeah, I assume they were slacking off.
They wanted more money about a
month ago, and that wasn't gonna happen.
Really?
Well, we pay comparable rates.
- Any regrets about the wine crusher?
- Sorry?
Well,
about not having it replaced until...
It wasn't an accident.
Hi. Your wine is fantastic. I'm Madison.
- Hi, Madison.
- Hi.
Hey, why don't you grab a case?
It's much cheaper in the long run?
You're totally right.
Oi, shout me.
I think it's weird
that no one heard that machine.
The sound would've carried in the night.
Got any particular nobody in mind?
The foreman Francisco
claims he was asleep when it happened.
Anyone verify that?
Nah.
He lives alone.
He's married, but he's been away
from home for four months.
Man does not live by bread alone,
except my sourdough.
What if the vineyard worker problem
was actually 'my married
vineyard worker boyfriend'problem?
Let's come out here tonight
and test his story.
OK, best of three?
Yeah, all right,
but I'm gonna smash you.
Madison.
- You all set?
- Yeah, go for it.
Okey-dokey.
What's going on?
Hi, it's Madison.
Please leave a message.
H... E... W.
H... E... W.
It's all about picking your moment.
And lucky for you, tonight
is that moment for this vintage.
The only thing is at this point in
the fermentation, the grape skins,
they can give off
a lot of carbon dioxide.
Oh, that doesn't sound very healthy.
No, it's not.
People have been asphyxiated.
Should I be worried?
Well, just stop breathing...
you'll be right!
- No, no, don't worry. The vents are all open.
- Oh.
Ah, how was the experiment?
Uh...
You know, I think I rumbled somebody
in the vines
attempting to steal grapes.
What?
Yeah.
I mean, they ran off without any,
cos obviously there aren't any
left again, but they left this behind.
- Is stealing grapes even a thing?!
- No, no, not usually.
Well, I didn't get a good look, but I'm
guessing male
and a bloody fast runner.
You should call the cops.
Yes, I will.
- Night.
- Night.
Uh, thank you.
That little hotel was so comfortable.
I wish we could've stayed for breakfast.
- We are early birds catching worms.
- Worms, yum!
Francisco...
Gidday. You get to work early.
Yeah, I try to.
Even though you went to bed
later than usual?
Hey, you know what I found out?
You can hear the grape crusher
from here.
In fact, you did last night.
You even came out to look at
the winery when you heard it.
Why did you lie, Francisco?
When Sam died, I thought I'd be blamed.
The workers... They workers, they
always blame when things go wrong.
Well, why did you think
they'd blame you, specifically?
How close were you and Sam?
We were friends. We were good friends.
Not like that, OK?
Not like what people say.
- What do people say?
- Were you having sex with her?
No.
No.
She was helping me.
She was helping us all
with our contracts...
better conditions, better pay.
I don't understand why you'd have
to keep a thing like that secret.
Without Sam around, we're exposed.
I can't afford to lose my job.
I still have six months left
on my contract.
Did you see the grape thief?
No. No, I just...
I saw that grapes had gone missing.
When?
Six weeks ago.
When it happened, I told Joe.
I was talking about last night.
The grape thief came back?
I think there's something
very weird going on in that place.
Yeah, it's kind of creepy,
if you ask me.
You know, that great thief
has something to do with it.
I mean, why would Joe lie about that?
Well, he didn't actually lie.
Well, he didn't exactly tell us
that it had happened before, did he?
Here's Joe alibi...
the International Wine Summit.
Thanks for joining us for
the ninth chapter of Zoom de Vin.
Miguel, shall we start with you?
Zoom de Vin. Sexy.
Yeah, gets me going!
Can you mute it? I'm only interested
in how long it lasted.
So, it started at 10pm.
Still going at 11.10... when Sam died.
Are we certain that she died at 11.10?
Well, that's the time when
her phone stopped working,
when it went through
the crusher with her.
And finished...
at 12.15am.
So Joe was at home when it happened.
Look, do you believe that Sam
and Fransisco were just friends?
I don't know.
What was their worker problem?
Was it about them being slackers
or was
she helping them with their contracts?
Both?
Sam goes into bat for her
boyfriend and then realises
that he wasn't doing the
work and feels betrayed.
And why did she send the text to Joe?
He's not in control of the workers'
contracts; Sam's mother is.
Look, I think that Sam and Francisco
were on together
and then it went south.
Oh, yeah?
You reckon she left her
heart in San Francisco?
Awful.
Like that?
Harry,
I wanna trace a number
plate that I saw last night,
so can you get me some vehicle
registration info?
Madison is very busy!
- Ah, my favourite two customers.
- Aw, really?
Oh, don't fall for that.
He says it to everyone.
Now look here.
- Brrrread. Look at that.
- Mmm.
Check out the bounce, baby.
That's not easy to do.
It's part science, part art.
- You even sound like a winemaker.
- Hm?
Well, Madison tells me you've been doing
business
with a winery on Waiheke Island.
Oh, yeah. Well, business of a sort.
Well, if you find anything good,
I'm
in the market for a new wine supplier.
Bird of Paradise.
They've got an amazing Pinot Grigio.
Macchiato, thanks.
You know 'macchiato'
means stained in Italian, right?
Well, how about you grab me an unstained
one
and I won't call the health inspector.
And a toasty
Toasty with bounce coming up.
- And the usual for you.
- Thanks.
OK. I want that bag back, all right?
OK, so what have you got?
I have a list of potential vehicles
with the rego starting 'HEW'.
Oh, that's helpful.
All registered owners on the mainland,
though.
Any way you could cross reference this
with people
who live or work on the island?
Might not need to do that.
You said it was a ute?
Yeah, white.
- Registered in 2013.
- No idea.
No, it was. That was the year
the 'HEW' sequence came out.
Harry, could you get rego information
for all plates starting with 'HFW'?
- Why?
- Well, it was dark.
I reckon she might've seen HFW, not HEW,
and one of those might be
registered on Waiheke Island?
That's good.
Ah, she's a wunderkind. Just ask her.
- Do you want a job?
- What kind of job?
- Data analyst... part time.
- Uh, hell yeah.
Done. I'll do the paperwork.
Hey, Reuben, forget the coffee!
Just bring over a bottle of bubbly!
Thank you. I am so, so, so broke...
and grateful, obviously.
You're pinching my assets.
Uh, asset? Do you mind?
I'm pinching nothing...
just adding value.
Yeah, and he's gonna pay me.
You are gonna pay me, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And what are we celebrating?
New job.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
Ooh.
Note the peaches
at the back of the palate.
Delicate, yet complex and sophisticated.
Just like me.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
- Alastair Hanley.
- What?
Alistair Hanley is your
wannabe grape thief.
Oh.
Why are we whispering?
Just being really good
at my new job, so...
Discreet. I like it.
Well, Alistair Hanley...
Who are you?
- Alistair, is it?
- We aren't open for tastings.
I'm more interested in
where you were last night.
I'm Alexa Crowe. I work with the police.
I was at home all night.
Well, no, you weren't.
You were at the
Bird of Paradise Estate stealing grapes.
Why would I do that?
I've got plenty of my own.
I was the one who caught you in the act.
I saw you run off,
jump into this ute and takeoff.
I'm not a thief.
You left one of your white tubs behind.
It's probably got your prints all
over it.
How many times have you done that?
Twice? More?
I told you I've never stolen any grapes.
- Did you know Sam Turei?
- What's she got to do with anything?
Where were you the night she died?
You think that I have something
to do with what happened to her?
It's a simple question.
I'll have to check my calendar.
- Day the week?
- Thursday.
Well, I'd have been at home.
I talk to my daughter in the UK every
Thursday night
between 11pm and midnight.
So, are you gonna arrest
me for not stealing grapes?
No.
But that's a fun idea.
Kia or a. Go on.
Oh, that's nice. You sound like a local.
If you want a book for $60
and a bag for $70,
how much more expensive is
the bag in percentage terms?
What?!
I'm doing is psychometric test
for Harry.
This is your police data analyst
speaking... approval pending.
I just had a wee chat
with a Mr Alistair Hanley.
The answer is 16.66 repeater.
Cool. Could you please
- check on the phone records...
- Oh.
...for Mr Hanley on the night
that Sam died?
Look, I've got a couple of
things Harry's fired my way first.
I'll do it after that.
No, not after that. Now.
- Why is it so urgent?
- Because he's a liar.
And if Sam caught Alistair
stealing grapes and he killed her,
then putting her in a grape crusher
would
be a great way to hide the evidence.
Hey, Kieran, we're playing phone tag.
Just hit me up when you get a moment.
All right. Give me what you got.
Alistair Hanley was on a call
to London on the night Sam died,
or at least his landline was.
It might not have been him on the line.
I called his daughter. She said it was.
Huh.
What about location data
on the mobile phone?
Also at home. But last night,
After your rumble in the vines,
Joe Gorman
gave him a call. But guess what else?
Well, aren't you a font of information.
Look, Harry can spot talent.
What can I say?
OK. You can start with the 'what else'.
Joe didn't call the police like he
said he would.
He only called Alastair.
- Well, that is very interesting.
- Mm-hm.
Four bottles of wine.
That's a lot.
Are we expecting guests or...?
You know what,
I'm just trying to figure out
why would Alistair Hanley
steal Joe Gorman's grapes.
And more than once.
So, I did some digging,
and it turns out that and Joe worked
together 11 years ago
in the Hawke's Bay.
Doing what?
Well, Joe was a winemaker for
himself and a bunch of other growers,
and Alistair was one of those growers.
He was making wine for more
than one winery. Is that normal?
Yeah, not uncommon, apparently.
- Mm.
- OK, so
all these four wines were made by Joe.
These two in 2009... ones Joe's label,
ones Alastair's...
...and these two in 2011.
OK.
Do you know the difference
between a good and a bad one?
Oh, I'm more than happy to try.
OK. And then this one...
Wait, wait, wait.
You gotta cleanse the palate.
Alastair's is better than Joe's.
All the reviews agree with you,
actually.
So, '2009 Hanley Estate
is an exciting entry
into the world of wine...
'big, gutsy full fruit flavours.
'By contrast,
the 2009 Gorman is a thin wine,
typical of excess
growth and a poor site.'
Ouch. I thought Joe was meant
to be a rock star winemaker.
Yeah, me too.
OK, try these ones from to years later.
Why is there two years in between?
Red wine takes a
year in the bottle to age.
Mm.
That one's better than this one.
Right again. These are the
wine notes from the 2011 vintage.
'2011 Gorman is a sophisticated
second foray into the industry...
'confident, well-rounded and
with noteworthy characteristics.
'The 2011 Hanley Estate Second Vintage
exposes its 2009 is a lucky fluke...
'a weedy wine suggesting
poor attention to winemaking.'
These reviews are virtually reversed.
I mean, what does that mean?
I think Joe learnt a lesson in 2009
and he switched his grapes for
Alistair at the next opportunity.
- Sneaky.
- And profitable,
because Joe's career
went through the roof,
and Alistair's went south.
And then 10 years later, they end
up working in the same community.
Awkward.
Yeah, very.
So the grape theft was
revenge for the historic switcheroo?
That's my bet.
And then Joe went and picked his grapes
to prevent Alistair from pinching them.
Wait, does that check out?
Can you just
pick grapes early whenever it suits?
I don't know.
You think Sam found
out about Joe and Alistair
and then threatened
to expose what Joe did?
Dunno. Do you think that's
a motive for killing?
I mean, it was 11 years ago in
the Hawke's Bay and no evidence.
He'd just deny it, wouldn't he?
So, what does this have to
do with what happened to Sam?
I don't know.
We're missing something.
What are you doing?
Alexa, to what do I owe the pleasure?
Look, I'm really sorry about this
intrusion. I just wanted to ask...
why did you call
Alistair the other night
after he'd just tried to
steal grapes from you?
Uh...
What?
Yeah. You know,
when you said you were
gonna call the police and you didn't.
But you called Alistair Hanley instead.
Uh, I'm sorry,
did you say that Alistair was the thief?
Yeah.
Wow. Uh...
OK.
I mean, I called Alistair because I
thought he might know who it was.
Yeah, so why didn't you call the police?
I didn't think they'd really care.
Huh.
So, you didn't suspect Alistair
because of the grapes
that you switched 11 years ago
and thought he might want revenge?
I-I don't even know what that means.
Go on.
You bloody do so.
You know, Hawke's Bay... 2009, 2011.
No, sorry.
Look, I am actually due somewhere,
so let me know if I can
be of further assistance
at a bit more of a convenient time, OK?
Ciao.
Ciao.
- He definitely sounds rattled.
- Yeah, he did.
One of the good ones.
What are you doing now?
I am bringing the mountain to Muhammad.
Hi there.
Order from Bird of Paradise Estate.
I didn't order any wine.
I did.
Well, you said you wanted some.
Seriously good Pinot Grigio.
- Mm-hm.
- Hey, that's very kind of you.
You are so welcome.
Now, Joe here actually made this.
- Joe Gorman?
- Mm. He's a rock star.
Pleasure.
Reuben.
- What can I get you?
- No, nothing for me.
And Alexa, thank you.
We always appreciate new clients.
Finder's fee.
- Oh.
- Thank you.
- Cheers.
- Your health.
Complex flavours.
What gives a wine complex flavours?
Uh, technique, skill, the fruit.
It comes down to when you pick, right?
The longer on the vine,
the more complexity and more depth.
Mm-hm, but you also don't wanna leave
the grape on the vine for too long.
It makes for a bit of a flabby wine.
What happens if you pick
the grapes too early?
Well, picking too early
makes it quite herbaceous.
Green, weedy, right?
Like yours was in 2009.
Uh... Well, I mean, I've
learnt a lot since then.
Hope so anyway.
Look, it's great to see you all,
- but I have a ferry to catch.
- Mm.
- Thanks.
- Cheers.
Good job.
Joe, Joe, please, just one more thing.
What did you talk to Sam about
the day she died?
Uh, I told you. Um,
it was about the vineyard
workers and her problem with them.
Really? Was that it? Because you
did call her
immediately after the text.
I mean, why so keen?
Not keen, just polite.
In Sam's text, she mentioned something
about
the complexities in the wine.
She seemed surprised by that.
Well, she was learning a lot.
She wasn't surprised because you'd
picked the grapes too early,
and therefore, couldn't possibly
have those kinds of flavours?
Look, I mean, traditional methods
may have had Sam thinking that the
grapes were picked early. Sure. Yes.
But I assure you, the wine tells a
different story.
I believe we have just
scratched the surface.
Sam knew that the grapes
had been picked too early,
and she knew
that the wine had no business
tasting the way it did.
That was the first line in her text.
Joe's worked in a lot of vineyards
over the years... like, a lot.
Maybe his employers figured out
that he's not as good as he says he is.
But why does the wine not reflect
the taste of the unripe grapes?
How to make wine taste more complex?
Yadda yadda. 'Time on the vine.
Pick your moments.'
Mm.
- Oh.
- What?
Look at this.
Oh.
Oh, uh, Alexa, isn't it?
- Hi, Martha. Is Joe here?
- No, he's on the mainland.
Mm.
Hey, you don't happen to still have
Sam's computer, do you?
Uh, Rupertdogdog1.
- Rupert was Sam's first dog?
- Second.
Jasmine Tinkerbelle Chevy Pavlova
seemed too long for a password.
What are you looking for?
I don't know yet,
but I'll let you know when I find it.
You right there?
Yeah, Martha just said
I could look around.
This ismyoffice address. Not hers.
Well, let's me told.
Hey, what's happening?
Can you check if there's any way
that Sam could've gone into
the crusher earlier
or later than 11.10pm?
- Uh, yeah. Why?
- Cos I don't believe Joe's alibi.
Sam's phone went through the crusher
at 11.10pm.
That's when the signal died.
Well, it might've been crushed
before she died or after.
No, it was in our pocket.
All the broken pieces of the phone
were mingled in with bits of the victim.
- OK, yeah, I got it.
- Oh, dang, cat!
He's gone; There's no cat.
Hey, can you do something for me?
Look up some records from Customs.
Find out if Joe received anything from
overseas in the last month.
Will this be new information
or is this
something you definitely already know?
Don't you work for the police now?
Just be one of those. Do the things.
Pull up the bloody records.
Oh, hello, Kieran.
Alexa.
- You are a hard woman to get hold of.
- Well, I'm very busy.
- Well, you look well.
- So do you.
- Is Madison giving you grief?
- Yeah.
Uh, Madison is awesome.
Thank you, Kieran.
- I'm just kidding.
- More importantly, how's my cat?
Oh, underfoot!
No, my other cat.
Well, the kids love him, so
he's milking that for all its worth.
Good boy.
Melbourne's was not the same
without you. What's going on there?
Um, confusing wine murder.
We've got a motive, sort of, but can't
figure out the execution,
so to speak. What's happening with you?
Are you having a stroke?
Just spit it out.
Harry's been at me about
a reference for Madison...
mentioned offering her a job.
I thought
I'd just check in with you first...
- see if you were cool with it.
- She's rubbish.
Madison is awesome, thanks, Kieran.
Yeah, you obviously
daddled too long, and Harry's
given to the bloody job anyway.
So, does this mean that she's
not coming back anytime soon?
- No.
- Afraid not.
- Where are you?
- At home in Auckland.
Oh, that tram behind you.
Just, it looks like you're just
down the road at your old place.
Oh, yeah. I wanted to make
it feel a bit more like home,
so I bought a few knick-knacks.
Uh-oh, I've seen that look before.
That either means something
very good or very bad.
Kieran, you're awesome too.
Alexa...
- Joe.
- So, what's this about this time, hm?
Some casual chit-chat
or baseless accusation?
Look, I just wanna say sorry. I
know this has been really tough on you.
Yes, thank you. It has.
And Sam was becoming
a terrific young winemaker,
thanks to everything
that you taught her.
Just...
- Excuse me. Just getting some water.
- Sure.
Look...
I know my winemaking
methods can seem eccentric,
and at times, perhaps counterintuitive,
- but that is intuition.
- Sorry.
And I mean, I, for one,
can't really fully explain that.
Sam, she had so many questions,
you know,
and I was there, usually, to teach her.
She was such a fine,
fine student and a great kid.
I mean, we are all really
gonna miss her.
It's just not going to be the same
without her.
- It's just...
- Boo.
Yeah, I know. Two places at once...
it's completely freaky.
Listen, your friend Alastair,
he never forgot about what you
did to his reputation 11 years ago.
So when he started stealing your grapes,
well, you went and picked them all.
But that gave you a problem, right?
Like,
how do you make half decent wine,
as you do,
from grapes that've been
picked too early?
Answer... add glycol solution.
Never had glycolder wine in my life.
Of course you did... and recently.
I've got the lab analysis to prove it.
And then you've got a real problem
because Sam figured it out,
and that's why you invited her
here to meet you the night she died...
...to share all your rockstar methods.
You set up this office
to look like your home
for your home for your
international wine conference.
Lugged in that big, ugly piece of
tree art and hung it on the wall.
You filmed yourself as
if you were at the wine conference.
Just like I filmed myself against a fake
bookcase in Martha's house,
just over there.
It's a neat trick.
Makes it look like I'm at home
when I was just next door.
Then you inserted that pre-recorded
video into the conference,
allowing you time to step away from the
computer
without anyone knowing... genius.
When Sam arrived,
you hit her over the head...
either killing her or knocking her out.
Then you tipped her body into the
crusher to disguise what you'd done.
And you went back to your conference
as if you'd never left.
I would say that's all speculation.
Well, Customs records show that
you received a shipment of glycol
from Italy in the days before Sam died.
And Francisco saw you leave the
winery about midnight.
So...
He was just too scared of losing
his job, so he didn't say anything.
If you want a notable wine,
I gave her that, OK?
I'm not gonna let some stupid
little girl ruin my career.
It's her fault.
She just couldn't leave it alone.
What I don't get is why she
mentioned the vineyard workers at all.
I mean, was that leverage?
It's more commonly
referred to as blackmail.
Like, 'You help convince Martha
to pay the workers more,
'and I'll forget about
your little glycol habit'?
As if she would have.
Must've been hard to get the
body up there into the machine.
No, not really.
But good luck trying to prove any of
this...
...whatever Francisco thinks he saw.
Oh, he didn't see anything. It was a lie
I was just tricking.
Harry...
Joe... Heard a lot about you.
Oh, did I forget to mention that
I was recording that online meeting?
Yeah, I'm forgetful sometimes.
Hint of citrus, perhaps.
Mm, lemon.
Tastes like wine to me.
Hey, you aced your psychometric
test, by the way.
Well, here's to us and to Harry
for choosing the right girl.
I meant me...
for choosing me for the job.
Not anything else.
What? Yup, cheers, yup.
No. This place didn't exist
when I was a kid.
We made do with a hose and sprinkler.
Well, I know there's something
else you didn't do.
Booked us a table.
Yes!
- Oh, breakfast wine.
- It's brunch, so it's OK.
Are you on duty?
Come on, Alexa. You know drinking
on duty's against the rules.
- Who's this?
- Samantha Turei...
assistant winemaker
at Bird of Paradise Estate.
Oh, I see what you did there.
Very clever.
She was killed when she went into
the winery grape crusher
two weeks ago.
Ooh, God. What a terrible way to go...
No one was there to pull her out?
No. She wasn't found till
the next morning by the vintner.
Joe Gorman.
What... am I supposed
to know who this is?
Bit of a rock star in the industry.
I didn't know there was such a thing.
So, why wasn't he there
when this happened?
It was late, after 11pm.
He was in a wine conference.
Is it normal for the victim
to be working that late and alone?
According to Joe, she was working on an
experimental batch of wine,
possibly impress him.
- Ah, so healthy ego, huh?
- Well, he is a rock star.
It's been ruled an accident so far.
You're not convinced?
Sam wasn't just the assistant
winemaker at Bird of Paradise.
She grew up there... family estate.
According to her mother, Martha,
she had a healthy respect for all
the dangers involved in the job...
this piece of equipment, in particular.
It's a Zambelli crusher...
Italian, cheap.
I learned to stay away
from those in my 20s.
Day before she died,
she sent a text to Joe.
'The wine is quite complex.
How did you do that?
Vineyard worker problem?'
What was the vineyard worker problem?
Well, she thought they were
being slack, apparently.
Very complex.
Today I'm here with one of New
Zealand's most celebrated wine experts.
He's gonna taste my latest vintage
and tell me what he thinks.
- You ready?
- What are you doing? I'm working.
Oh, come on.
You can take two minutes off.
- Is that Joe the Rock Star Winemaker?
- No, I don't know who that is.
Just to be clear, guys,
I'm not a wine expert, OK?
I just do the grunt workaround you.
Ooh, don't be so modest.
But what's your favourite wine?
At home with my wife, I drink red.
Here... whatever you make, obviously.
Great answer.
- So, taste this.
- Aight.
- It tastes good, yeah.
- Yes, it does.
And that's why I intend to be
the Young Winemaker of the Year.
Big dreams.
Cut short.
That's sad.
No, it's not sad. It's bloody terrible.
Wait, are you going out there,
to Waiheke Island?
- Yeah, overnight.
- It's where the winery is.
I'm coming.
No, you're staying here
and cleaning this kitchen.
No, I'll do that later.
Just gimme a minute to pack my bag.
What types of wines are we talking here?
Oh, they're famous for their Pinot.
- Noir or Grigio?
- Grigio, I think. - Excellent.
Man, is there anywhere in this
country that doesn't look amazing?
Yeah, my kitchen.
- Hello.
- Hello there. Welcome.
- Hi, I'm Alexa.
- Joe Gorman. Pleasure.
- Madison.
- Hi.
Uh, we actually do our wine tastings
in the reception area.
Oh, we're not here to taste the wines.
No, we're not only here
to taste the wine.
We're also here helping the police
with their enquiries into
the Sam Turei matter.
Oh, of course. How can I help?
Well, we just wanna get
a sense of what happened.
I believe you were
the person who found her.
Yeah, it was the worst
moment of my life. It was horrible.
I'm so sorry.
- Is this the machine that...
- Yeah.
Been meaning to have it replaced, but...
But what?
Martha didn't wanna spend the money.
Sam's mother,
she's careful with finances.
Looks like a coffin on legs.
Do you have many accidents
with this equipment?
Well, unfortunately,
they're not that uncommon.
I mean, a pulverised hand...
sure, it happens.
But death...
Was the crusher in operation
when you found her?
No.
Must've jammed when she was...
Look, Sam is really
the whole reason I'm here.
She doggedly chased me for months.
What...
to get you to relocate from Europe?
Yeah.
Gosh, she really reminded me
a lot of myself, you know...
uncompromising, determined.
When I recognised that ambition,
it was a no-brainer, really.
I mean, that's what talent actually is.
That's really true.
If it's not too much to ask,
could you show me how this works?
Yeah, sure.
Look, we harvested most
of our grapes six weeks ago,
so not much to show you, I'm afraid.
So, no safety requirements?
Uh, there are protocols,
but we all take shortcuts.
Common sense is really the genuine rule.
You know,
to be operating this thing alone
doesn't seem like common sense to me.
Well, during vintage,
we all snatch time whenever we can...
do our own thing.
Sam was...
...working on her own wine.
Thanks.
You know, using protocols
that I had shown her,
and I might've been there to too if
I hadn't have been busy elsewhere.
You were on a teleconference?
Yeah,
an international online wine conference.
Don't you hate looking
at your face in those meetings?
I believe that you called Sam that
morning after
she sent you a text message.
That's right. It was the last time
I spoke to her. She, uh...
Well, she was unhappy by the
performance of some of the workers.
Any workers in particular?
No. I mean, she didn't say,
but she seemed stressed...
like she was in a rush.
You know, you should probably
talk to Francisco, our foreman.
Francisco, got it.
I'm sorry. That's my cue.
Wine tasting booked. Excuse me.
Ooh,
reckon I could check out that tasting?
You know,
see if there's anything enlightening.
Always more than happy to enlighten.
Uh, no, I'm just gonna look
around nature.
Enjoy.
I'll make sure to buy
anything of interest.
OK, have fun.
Make sure you're checking
the nettings for birds as you go.
Hello.
Excuse me.
Hi, I'm Alexa Crowe.
I'm helping the
police look into Sam Turei's accident.
Francisco.
Oh, I believe you
already spoke to the police
about a problem she was
having with vineyard workers.
I said already I don't know
what that was about.
Right.
Uh, unhappy with their efforts,
apparently.
- How long have you been working here?
- Four months.
With your wife?
She's in Papua New Guinea, with our son.
Well, it must be hard being away,
you know. I hope it's worth it.
Yeah,
I look forward to being home again.
- Mm.
- Mm.
How many workers you got here?
The seasonal workers have gone
cos the grapes have been picked.
A few of us here are
on longer contracts.
Did you hear the crusher
operating the night that Sam died?
No.
No, I work long days. I go to bed early.
I couldn't hear it anyway. The
winery's too far away for the noise.
- Too far from what?
- My place.
Foreman's quarters.
- You live there alone?
- Yes.
Well, that's a shame.
There's no one to verify a story.
Excuse me.
Mrs Turei?
Yes.
Can I help you?
Maybe.
I'm very sorry for your loss.
Thanks. I'm glad you're here.
I understand you're doubtful
that it was an accident.
I am. I, um... You know Sam,
she was way too sensible.
Yet Joe seemed to
think it was plausible.
Well, I don't.
No, and I don't believe that she was out in
the winery crushing grapes alone at midnight.
You didn't hear
the crushing machine going?
No, I, um... I fell asleep
in front of the television,
and when I woke,
I thought she'd already come in.
She loved this place.
Always knew she'd be a winemaker.
I was gonna sell when her dad died,
but she begged me to keep it.
You make lovely wines here.
Oh, not me.
I do the marketing...
the brand stuff. Well, did.
Joe does that too now.
You know, to be honest, I don't know
what I'd do without him.
Can you shed any light
on the problems that Sam
was having with the vineyard workers?
Yeah, I assume they were slacking off.
They wanted more money about a
month ago, and that wasn't gonna happen.
Really?
Well, we pay comparable rates.
- Any regrets about the wine crusher?
- Sorry?
Well,
about not having it replaced until...
It wasn't an accident.
Hi. Your wine is fantastic. I'm Madison.
- Hi, Madison.
- Hi.
Hey, why don't you grab a case?
It's much cheaper in the long run?
You're totally right.
Oi, shout me.
I think it's weird
that no one heard that machine.
The sound would've carried in the night.
Got any particular nobody in mind?
The foreman Francisco
claims he was asleep when it happened.
Anyone verify that?
Nah.
He lives alone.
He's married, but he's been away
from home for four months.
Man does not live by bread alone,
except my sourdough.
What if the vineyard worker problem
was actually 'my married
vineyard worker boyfriend'problem?
Let's come out here tonight
and test his story.
OK, best of three?
Yeah, all right,
but I'm gonna smash you.
Madison.
- You all set?
- Yeah, go for it.
Okey-dokey.
What's going on?
Hi, it's Madison.
Please leave a message.
H... E... W.
H... E... W.
It's all about picking your moment.
And lucky for you, tonight
is that moment for this vintage.
The only thing is at this point in
the fermentation, the grape skins,
they can give off
a lot of carbon dioxide.
Oh, that doesn't sound very healthy.
No, it's not.
People have been asphyxiated.
Should I be worried?
Well, just stop breathing...
you'll be right!
- No, no, don't worry. The vents are all open.
- Oh.
Ah, how was the experiment?
Uh...
You know, I think I rumbled somebody
in the vines
attempting to steal grapes.
What?
Yeah.
I mean, they ran off without any,
cos obviously there aren't any
left again, but they left this behind.
- Is stealing grapes even a thing?!
- No, no, not usually.
Well, I didn't get a good look, but I'm
guessing male
and a bloody fast runner.
You should call the cops.
Yes, I will.
- Night.
- Night.
Uh, thank you.
That little hotel was so comfortable.
I wish we could've stayed for breakfast.
- We are early birds catching worms.
- Worms, yum!
Francisco...
Gidday. You get to work early.
Yeah, I try to.
Even though you went to bed
later than usual?
Hey, you know what I found out?
You can hear the grape crusher
from here.
In fact, you did last night.
You even came out to look at
the winery when you heard it.
Why did you lie, Francisco?
When Sam died, I thought I'd be blamed.
The workers... They workers, they
always blame when things go wrong.
Well, why did you think
they'd blame you, specifically?
How close were you and Sam?
We were friends. We were good friends.
Not like that, OK?
Not like what people say.
- What do people say?
- Were you having sex with her?
No.
No.
She was helping me.
She was helping us all
with our contracts...
better conditions, better pay.
I don't understand why you'd have
to keep a thing like that secret.
Without Sam around, we're exposed.
I can't afford to lose my job.
I still have six months left
on my contract.
Did you see the grape thief?
No. No, I just...
I saw that grapes had gone missing.
When?
Six weeks ago.
When it happened, I told Joe.
I was talking about last night.
The grape thief came back?
I think there's something
very weird going on in that place.
Yeah, it's kind of creepy,
if you ask me.
You know, that great thief
has something to do with it.
I mean, why would Joe lie about that?
Well, he didn't actually lie.
Well, he didn't exactly tell us
that it had happened before, did he?
Here's Joe alibi...
the International Wine Summit.
Thanks for joining us for
the ninth chapter of Zoom de Vin.
Miguel, shall we start with you?
Zoom de Vin. Sexy.
Yeah, gets me going!
Can you mute it? I'm only interested
in how long it lasted.
So, it started at 10pm.
Still going at 11.10... when Sam died.
Are we certain that she died at 11.10?
Well, that's the time when
her phone stopped working,
when it went through
the crusher with her.
And finished...
at 12.15am.
So Joe was at home when it happened.
Look, do you believe that Sam
and Fransisco were just friends?
I don't know.
What was their worker problem?
Was it about them being slackers
or was
she helping them with their contracts?
Both?
Sam goes into bat for her
boyfriend and then realises
that he wasn't doing the
work and feels betrayed.
And why did she send the text to Joe?
He's not in control of the workers'
contracts; Sam's mother is.
Look, I think that Sam and Francisco
were on together
and then it went south.
Oh, yeah?
You reckon she left her
heart in San Francisco?
Awful.
Like that?
Harry,
I wanna trace a number
plate that I saw last night,
so can you get me some vehicle
registration info?
Madison is very busy!
- Ah, my favourite two customers.
- Aw, really?
Oh, don't fall for that.
He says it to everyone.
Now look here.
- Brrrread. Look at that.
- Mmm.
Check out the bounce, baby.
That's not easy to do.
It's part science, part art.
- You even sound like a winemaker.
- Hm?
Well, Madison tells me you've been doing
business
with a winery on Waiheke Island.
Oh, yeah. Well, business of a sort.
Well, if you find anything good,
I'm
in the market for a new wine supplier.
Bird of Paradise.
They've got an amazing Pinot Grigio.
Macchiato, thanks.
You know 'macchiato'
means stained in Italian, right?
Well, how about you grab me an unstained
one
and I won't call the health inspector.
And a toasty
Toasty with bounce coming up.
- And the usual for you.
- Thanks.
OK. I want that bag back, all right?
OK, so what have you got?
I have a list of potential vehicles
with the rego starting 'HEW'.
Oh, that's helpful.
All registered owners on the mainland,
though.
Any way you could cross reference this
with people
who live or work on the island?
Might not need to do that.
You said it was a ute?
Yeah, white.
- Registered in 2013.
- No idea.
No, it was. That was the year
the 'HEW' sequence came out.
Harry, could you get rego information
for all plates starting with 'HFW'?
- Why?
- Well, it was dark.
I reckon she might've seen HFW, not HEW,
and one of those might be
registered on Waiheke Island?
That's good.
Ah, she's a wunderkind. Just ask her.
- Do you want a job?
- What kind of job?
- Data analyst... part time.
- Uh, hell yeah.
Done. I'll do the paperwork.
Hey, Reuben, forget the coffee!
Just bring over a bottle of bubbly!
Thank you. I am so, so, so broke...
and grateful, obviously.
You're pinching my assets.
Uh, asset? Do you mind?
I'm pinching nothing...
just adding value.
Yeah, and he's gonna pay me.
You are gonna pay me, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And what are we celebrating?
New job.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
Ooh.
Note the peaches
at the back of the palate.
Delicate, yet complex and sophisticated.
Just like me.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
- Alastair Hanley.
- What?
Alistair Hanley is your
wannabe grape thief.
Oh.
Why are we whispering?
Just being really good
at my new job, so...
Discreet. I like it.
Well, Alistair Hanley...
Who are you?
- Alistair, is it?
- We aren't open for tastings.
I'm more interested in
where you were last night.
I'm Alexa Crowe. I work with the police.
I was at home all night.
Well, no, you weren't.
You were at the
Bird of Paradise Estate stealing grapes.
Why would I do that?
I've got plenty of my own.
I was the one who caught you in the act.
I saw you run off,
jump into this ute and takeoff.
I'm not a thief.
You left one of your white tubs behind.
It's probably got your prints all
over it.
How many times have you done that?
Twice? More?
I told you I've never stolen any grapes.
- Did you know Sam Turei?
- What's she got to do with anything?
Where were you the night she died?
You think that I have something
to do with what happened to her?
It's a simple question.
I'll have to check my calendar.
- Day the week?
- Thursday.
Well, I'd have been at home.
I talk to my daughter in the UK every
Thursday night
between 11pm and midnight.
So, are you gonna arrest
me for not stealing grapes?
No.
But that's a fun idea.
Kia or a. Go on.
Oh, that's nice. You sound like a local.
If you want a book for $60
and a bag for $70,
how much more expensive is
the bag in percentage terms?
What?!
I'm doing is psychometric test
for Harry.
This is your police data analyst
speaking... approval pending.
I just had a wee chat
with a Mr Alistair Hanley.
The answer is 16.66 repeater.
Cool. Could you please
- check on the phone records...
- Oh.
...for Mr Hanley on the night
that Sam died?
Look, I've got a couple of
things Harry's fired my way first.
I'll do it after that.
No, not after that. Now.
- Why is it so urgent?
- Because he's a liar.
And if Sam caught Alistair
stealing grapes and he killed her,
then putting her in a grape crusher
would
be a great way to hide the evidence.
Hey, Kieran, we're playing phone tag.
Just hit me up when you get a moment.
All right. Give me what you got.
Alistair Hanley was on a call
to London on the night Sam died,
or at least his landline was.
It might not have been him on the line.
I called his daughter. She said it was.
Huh.
What about location data
on the mobile phone?
Also at home. But last night,
After your rumble in the vines,
Joe Gorman
gave him a call. But guess what else?
Well, aren't you a font of information.
Look, Harry can spot talent.
What can I say?
OK. You can start with the 'what else'.
Joe didn't call the police like he
said he would.
He only called Alastair.
- Well, that is very interesting.
- Mm-hm.
Four bottles of wine.
That's a lot.
Are we expecting guests or...?
You know what,
I'm just trying to figure out
why would Alistair Hanley
steal Joe Gorman's grapes.
And more than once.
So, I did some digging,
and it turns out that and Joe worked
together 11 years ago
in the Hawke's Bay.
Doing what?
Well, Joe was a winemaker for
himself and a bunch of other growers,
and Alistair was one of those growers.
He was making wine for more
than one winery. Is that normal?
Yeah, not uncommon, apparently.
- Mm.
- OK, so
all these four wines were made by Joe.
These two in 2009... ones Joe's label,
ones Alastair's...
...and these two in 2011.
OK.
Do you know the difference
between a good and a bad one?
Oh, I'm more than happy to try.
OK. And then this one...
Wait, wait, wait.
You gotta cleanse the palate.
Alastair's is better than Joe's.
All the reviews agree with you,
actually.
So, '2009 Hanley Estate
is an exciting entry
into the world of wine...
'big, gutsy full fruit flavours.
'By contrast,
the 2009 Gorman is a thin wine,
typical of excess
growth and a poor site.'
Ouch. I thought Joe was meant
to be a rock star winemaker.
Yeah, me too.
OK, try these ones from to years later.
Why is there two years in between?
Red wine takes a
year in the bottle to age.
Mm.
That one's better than this one.
Right again. These are the
wine notes from the 2011 vintage.
'2011 Gorman is a sophisticated
second foray into the industry...
'confident, well-rounded and
with noteworthy characteristics.
'The 2011 Hanley Estate Second Vintage
exposes its 2009 is a lucky fluke...
'a weedy wine suggesting
poor attention to winemaking.'
These reviews are virtually reversed.
I mean, what does that mean?
I think Joe learnt a lesson in 2009
and he switched his grapes for
Alistair at the next opportunity.
- Sneaky.
- And profitable,
because Joe's career
went through the roof,
and Alistair's went south.
And then 10 years later, they end
up working in the same community.
Awkward.
Yeah, very.
So the grape theft was
revenge for the historic switcheroo?
That's my bet.
And then Joe went and picked his grapes
to prevent Alistair from pinching them.
Wait, does that check out?
Can you just
pick grapes early whenever it suits?
I don't know.
You think Sam found
out about Joe and Alistair
and then threatened
to expose what Joe did?
Dunno. Do you think that's
a motive for killing?
I mean, it was 11 years ago in
the Hawke's Bay and no evidence.
He'd just deny it, wouldn't he?
So, what does this have to
do with what happened to Sam?
I don't know.
We're missing something.
What are you doing?
Alexa, to what do I owe the pleasure?
Look, I'm really sorry about this
intrusion. I just wanted to ask...
why did you call
Alistair the other night
after he'd just tried to
steal grapes from you?
Uh...
What?
Yeah. You know,
when you said you were
gonna call the police and you didn't.
But you called Alistair Hanley instead.
Uh, I'm sorry,
did you say that Alistair was the thief?
Yeah.
Wow. Uh...
OK.
I mean, I called Alistair because I
thought he might know who it was.
Yeah, so why didn't you call the police?
I didn't think they'd really care.
Huh.
So, you didn't suspect Alistair
because of the grapes
that you switched 11 years ago
and thought he might want revenge?
I-I don't even know what that means.
Go on.
You bloody do so.
You know, Hawke's Bay... 2009, 2011.
No, sorry.
Look, I am actually due somewhere,
so let me know if I can
be of further assistance
at a bit more of a convenient time, OK?
Ciao.
Ciao.
- He definitely sounds rattled.
- Yeah, he did.
One of the good ones.
What are you doing now?
I am bringing the mountain to Muhammad.
Hi there.
Order from Bird of Paradise Estate.
I didn't order any wine.
I did.
Well, you said you wanted some.
Seriously good Pinot Grigio.
- Mm-hm.
- Hey, that's very kind of you.
You are so welcome.
Now, Joe here actually made this.
- Joe Gorman?
- Mm. He's a rock star.
Pleasure.
Reuben.
- What can I get you?
- No, nothing for me.
And Alexa, thank you.
We always appreciate new clients.
Finder's fee.
- Oh.
- Thank you.
- Cheers.
- Your health.
Complex flavours.
What gives a wine complex flavours?
Uh, technique, skill, the fruit.
It comes down to when you pick, right?
The longer on the vine,
the more complexity and more depth.
Mm-hm, but you also don't wanna leave
the grape on the vine for too long.
It makes for a bit of a flabby wine.
What happens if you pick
the grapes too early?
Well, picking too early
makes it quite herbaceous.
Green, weedy, right?
Like yours was in 2009.
Uh... Well, I mean, I've
learnt a lot since then.
Hope so anyway.
Look, it's great to see you all,
- but I have a ferry to catch.
- Mm.
- Thanks.
- Cheers.
Good job.
Joe, Joe, please, just one more thing.
What did you talk to Sam about
the day she died?
Uh, I told you. Um,
it was about the vineyard
workers and her problem with them.
Really? Was that it? Because you
did call her
immediately after the text.
I mean, why so keen?
Not keen, just polite.
In Sam's text, she mentioned something
about
the complexities in the wine.
She seemed surprised by that.
Well, she was learning a lot.
She wasn't surprised because you'd
picked the grapes too early,
and therefore, couldn't possibly
have those kinds of flavours?
Look, I mean, traditional methods
may have had Sam thinking that the
grapes were picked early. Sure. Yes.
But I assure you, the wine tells a
different story.
I believe we have just
scratched the surface.
Sam knew that the grapes
had been picked too early,
and she knew
that the wine had no business
tasting the way it did.
That was the first line in her text.
Joe's worked in a lot of vineyards
over the years... like, a lot.
Maybe his employers figured out
that he's not as good as he says he is.
But why does the wine not reflect
the taste of the unripe grapes?
How to make wine taste more complex?
Yadda yadda. 'Time on the vine.
Pick your moments.'
Mm.
- Oh.
- What?
Look at this.
Oh.
Oh, uh, Alexa, isn't it?
- Hi, Martha. Is Joe here?
- No, he's on the mainland.
Mm.
Hey, you don't happen to still have
Sam's computer, do you?
Uh, Rupertdogdog1.
- Rupert was Sam's first dog?
- Second.
Jasmine Tinkerbelle Chevy Pavlova
seemed too long for a password.
What are you looking for?
I don't know yet,
but I'll let you know when I find it.
You right there?
Yeah, Martha just said
I could look around.
This ismyoffice address. Not hers.
Well, let's me told.
Hey, what's happening?
Can you check if there's any way
that Sam could've gone into
the crusher earlier
or later than 11.10pm?
- Uh, yeah. Why?
- Cos I don't believe Joe's alibi.
Sam's phone went through the crusher
at 11.10pm.
That's when the signal died.
Well, it might've been crushed
before she died or after.
No, it was in our pocket.
All the broken pieces of the phone
were mingled in with bits of the victim.
- OK, yeah, I got it.
- Oh, dang, cat!
He's gone; There's no cat.
Hey, can you do something for me?
Look up some records from Customs.
Find out if Joe received anything from
overseas in the last month.
Will this be new information
or is this
something you definitely already know?
Don't you work for the police now?
Just be one of those. Do the things.
Pull up the bloody records.
Oh, hello, Kieran.
Alexa.
- You are a hard woman to get hold of.
- Well, I'm very busy.
- Well, you look well.
- So do you.
- Is Madison giving you grief?
- Yeah.
Uh, Madison is awesome.
Thank you, Kieran.
- I'm just kidding.
- More importantly, how's my cat?
Oh, underfoot!
No, my other cat.
Well, the kids love him, so
he's milking that for all its worth.
Good boy.
Melbourne's was not the same
without you. What's going on there?
Um, confusing wine murder.
We've got a motive, sort of, but can't
figure out the execution,
so to speak. What's happening with you?
Are you having a stroke?
Just spit it out.
Harry's been at me about
a reference for Madison...
mentioned offering her a job.
I thought
I'd just check in with you first...
- see if you were cool with it.
- She's rubbish.
Madison is awesome, thanks, Kieran.
Yeah, you obviously
daddled too long, and Harry's
given to the bloody job anyway.
So, does this mean that she's
not coming back anytime soon?
- No.
- Afraid not.
- Where are you?
- At home in Auckland.
Oh, that tram behind you.
Just, it looks like you're just
down the road at your old place.
Oh, yeah. I wanted to make
it feel a bit more like home,
so I bought a few knick-knacks.
Uh-oh, I've seen that look before.
That either means something
very good or very bad.
Kieran, you're awesome too.
Alexa...
- Joe.
- So, what's this about this time, hm?
Some casual chit-chat
or baseless accusation?
Look, I just wanna say sorry. I
know this has been really tough on you.
Yes, thank you. It has.
And Sam was becoming
a terrific young winemaker,
thanks to everything
that you taught her.
Just...
- Excuse me. Just getting some water.
- Sure.
Look...
I know my winemaking
methods can seem eccentric,
and at times, perhaps counterintuitive,
- but that is intuition.
- Sorry.
And I mean, I, for one,
can't really fully explain that.
Sam, she had so many questions,
you know,
and I was there, usually, to teach her.
She was such a fine,
fine student and a great kid.
I mean, we are all really
gonna miss her.
It's just not going to be the same
without her.
- It's just...
- Boo.
Yeah, I know. Two places at once...
it's completely freaky.
Listen, your friend Alastair,
he never forgot about what you
did to his reputation 11 years ago.
So when he started stealing your grapes,
well, you went and picked them all.
But that gave you a problem, right?
Like,
how do you make half decent wine,
as you do,
from grapes that've been
picked too early?
Answer... add glycol solution.
Never had glycolder wine in my life.
Of course you did... and recently.
I've got the lab analysis to prove it.
And then you've got a real problem
because Sam figured it out,
and that's why you invited her
here to meet you the night she died...
...to share all your rockstar methods.
You set up this office
to look like your home
for your home for your
international wine conference.
Lugged in that big, ugly piece of
tree art and hung it on the wall.
You filmed yourself as
if you were at the wine conference.
Just like I filmed myself against a fake
bookcase in Martha's house,
just over there.
It's a neat trick.
Makes it look like I'm at home
when I was just next door.
Then you inserted that pre-recorded
video into the conference,
allowing you time to step away from the
computer
without anyone knowing... genius.
When Sam arrived,
you hit her over the head...
either killing her or knocking her out.
Then you tipped her body into the
crusher to disguise what you'd done.
And you went back to your conference
as if you'd never left.
I would say that's all speculation.
Well, Customs records show that
you received a shipment of glycol
from Italy in the days before Sam died.
And Francisco saw you leave the
winery about midnight.
So...
He was just too scared of losing
his job, so he didn't say anything.
If you want a notable wine,
I gave her that, OK?
I'm not gonna let some stupid
little girl ruin my career.
It's her fault.
She just couldn't leave it alone.
What I don't get is why she
mentioned the vineyard workers at all.
I mean, was that leverage?
It's more commonly
referred to as blackmail.
Like, 'You help convince Martha
to pay the workers more,
'and I'll forget about
your little glycol habit'?
As if she would have.
Must've been hard to get the
body up there into the machine.
No, not really.
But good luck trying to prove any of
this...
...whatever Francisco thinks he saw.
Oh, he didn't see anything. It was a lie
I was just tricking.
Harry...
Joe... Heard a lot about you.
Oh, did I forget to mention that
I was recording that online meeting?
Yeah, I'm forgetful sometimes.
Hint of citrus, perhaps.
Mm, lemon.
Tastes like wine to me.
Hey, you aced your psychometric
test, by the way.
Well, here's to us and to Harry
for choosing the right girl.
I meant me...
for choosing me for the job.
Not anything else.
What? Yup, cheers, yup.