Place of Execution (2008): Season 1, Episode 1 - Episode #1.1 - full transcript
Custody desk. Yeah, about an hour
ago.
Yeah, OK.
Catherine Heathcote?
- Yes.
- Take a seat, please.
- Well, I...
Yeah, would you bring Sasha
Heathcote in, please. She's here.
You pulled some strings. Chief
Constable, no less.
Yeah. And he wanted to
know what you're doing
keeping a 15-year-old
in a cell overnight.
Maybe this'll scare some sense into
her.
Sasha.
Sasha! What possessed you?
Smashing windows?
Sorry I inconvenienced you.
I'm talking about you.
Vandalising shopping malls. Criminal
damage.
It'll be on your record.
Do you know that? I know.
Any university -
I know. I'm such a disappointment.
Look, I'm... God, I'm terribly late
for a screening now.
Um...take a cab home and get some
rest.
Here.
Which home?
Dad's or your flat?
Dad's.
Oh, God, no. He's at the airport
already, isn't he?
Well, Gran's then. Eh? Go to Gran's
and I'll see you there tonight.
Are you all right?
Sasha.
What?
Go to Gran's, won't you?
Hello, Morton police.
WOMAN: Listen, I need help.
My daughter's missing. She took the
dog out and she's not come home.
Let's keep it calm. How long's she's
been gone? More than four hours.
What's her name?
Alison Carter. She's 13.
I'm Ruth Carter. I mean, Hawkin.
We live at the manor house in
Scardale.
All right, Mrs Hawkin, we'll have
someone there right away.
What was that?
Girl from Scardale, sir.
Took her dog for a walk, hasn't come
home.
How old is she?
13, sir.
How long's she been missing?
Several hours.
I'll take that. I'll go myself.
Mm-hm.
Why would you do that, sir?
I don't like the idea of a young girl missing
out on the moors, not with night coming on.
Just a young lass having a snog with
her boyfriend.
Nonetheless, I'm going to go myself.
Aye. Just get my coat then.
No, you don't have to come,
sergeant.
Can't have you getting lost on the
moors too...not with night coming on.
CATHERINE: 'What made you decide to
go out personally
that first day to Scardale?'
'Oh, I don't really know.
Maybe it was the name of the
village. Scardale.
Like two halves that didn't quite
fit together.
Scar...dale.'
'Were you worried immediately, that
first evening, about Alison?'
'Yes, I think I was.
13-year-old child.
You feel protective. You want to
find out what's happened.
Hope that nothing bad's happened.'
(Sorry.)
'One afternoon, just before Easter,
in 1963,
13-year-old Alison Carter walked out
of her home and simply disappeared.'
It happened here in the tiny moorland
village of Scardale.
The story of Alison's disappearance
transfixed the nation
and was to become one of the most
controversial cases of the era.
Where's the manor house?
It's up there.
'Has Alison ever stayed out this
long before?' 'Never.'
When was the last time you saw her,
Mrs Hawkin?
She came in off the bus about three
o'clock.
She put her coat on, took the dog
and went.
And did she say anything?
Hi, Mum. Bye, Mum.
I do hope this isn't all a fuss
about nothing.
I hope it is, sir.
You know what I mean.
Er...Alison often takes the dog for a
walk.
Are you the father?
Yes.
Stepfather.
Did she have a usual walk?
Yes, I can take you.
Darling, you stay in case she comes
back. I'll show them.
Did you take these, Mr Hawkin?
Yes.
Is this Alison?
Would you mind if we borrowed this
photograph?
We'll need to make copies.
Would you like me to do that?
I've a darkroom.
Oh, I see.
Yes, yes, that'd be very helpful
indeed.
Swindells.
Yes, sir.
There's a photo of the missing girl.
Alison Carter.
Make sure that everybody gets a good
look at her. Yes, sir.
It's Miller, sir, and Satan. This is
Satan.
The DI could have worked that out.
He went to university.
Didn't you?
Yes. Right. Um...
I'm going to interview some
witnesses. Better get started. Right?
And what about the dog?
What?
The dog.
Yes, take the dog. It might
needs something of Alison's
if you want him to track her.
DOG BARKS
Yeah?
Right. With me.
What do you need?
Anything she's worn recently, you
know.
Aye, there you go. Hey, Satan. What's
that?
Aye, that's it. There you go.
There you go, Satan.
What's that, eh? What's that?
Sir, it's started snowing.
Right.
(TALKS SOFTLY TO DOG) Come on.
Alison!
Alison!
Alison!
Alison!
Alison!
Alison!
Alison!
Alison!
Alison!
You and Alison were on the school
bus, Charlie. Yeah.
Mum picked us up at the bottom of
the hill. Mm.
There was me, Ali and Janet
Crowther.
We came back here, we went to our
homes and I helped Ma with tea.
Not me, his grandma. Ma Lomas.
Can you think of any reason why
Alison might have run away?
No.
No?
Does Alison have a boyfriend,
Charlie? No, look...
Can I go now? Help 'em search?
Not yet, no. We want to ask a -
KNOCK AT DOOR
They found Ali's dog.
Back, back!
I want everybody back! This is a
crime scene!
Why didn't you keep them back?
I did. The dog's over there.
MILLER: It's scared stiff, sir.
Somebody's tied up its muzzle.
Right.
Where does the trail lead from here?
It doesn't. It just stops.
Ssh-ssh-ssh-ssh. Hey.
Aw. There's a good lad.
There we go. There we go.
Ssh-ssh-ssh.
There's a good lad.
Let's get this off. Ssh. It's all
right.
It's all right. There we go.
Good lad.
Right, I'll need a knife.
Here you are.
DOG WHIMPERS
All right, stand back.
Tell 'em, lad.
Where is she?
Eh?
Where's Alison?
Swindells, what's going on with the
phones? Come on.
I need this one set up. It's for the
DI's use only. All right, sir.
I don't want anybody else using it.
Get it parked up.
What the bloody...
DI Bennett.
Get us a chair, sweetheart.
What the hell's going on? An incident
room for the missing Alison Carter case.
Case? You don't even know there's a
crime.
Lass has just run off with her
boyfriend.
She's vanished into thin air, sir.
We found her dog tied to a tree with
its muzzle taped.
Could be another reason.
No cause to go squandering resources.
She hasn't got a boyfriend, sir. Not
as far as we know.
I think she's in serious trouble.
I think we should do all we can,
even if we turn out to be wrong.
OK, clever clogs, it's all yours.
Thank you, sir.
Crutches.
Yes, sir.
OLDER BENNETT: 'Never been able to
get her face out of my head.
But there was something about those
eyes seemed to look right into you.
So...vulnerable.
I think I decided I wouldn't...give
up until I found her.'
'Do you still...'
Sorry, Keith, call for Catherine.
Tell them to call back.
It's George Bennett.
Tell him she'll call back. No, I've
got to talk to him. Sorry, Keith.
Line two.
Thanks.
George, hi. Did you manage to get
permission for us to film inside the manor?
Oh, God, I'm so sorry. I can't
believe it.
First of all let me thank you very,
very much
for helping to get Sasha out of the
police cells.
I'm pulling out of the film.
Catherine.
You hear me?
Well, you can't. You've signed a
release.
The film's not going ahead with me
and without me you don't have a
film.
George, what's going on?
Why are you doing this? Because
it'll do more harm than good.
What do you mean? What harm?
Mistakes were made.
What mistakes?
George, listen. I think we ought to
meet.
Yeah, yeah. OK.
Very good. All right.
Bye.
George OK? He sounded a bit upset
when I answered.
Yes, he's absolutely fine.
He's not gone wobbly, has he? Won't
screw us at the last minute? No.
'In the end, I can't help wondering
if the deepest wounds still remaining
from the Alison Carter case
lie in the heart of George Bennett.'
Yep. Good.
But?
Doesn't have your usual edge.
I'm not saying it's a bad film, it's
just not a particularly controversial one.
Well, it... It's not finished.
Is there a problem?
No, no problem.
But I still want to get inside the
manor house.
You know? We need to see where Alison
lived. Reconstruct some scenes.
The owners live in Canada. They
haven't responded to our calls.
And I want to try and interview him
one more time.
Because? Um, you know, I just think
I could push him a bit harder
on one or two things.
You do know we have to deliver this
thing by the end of next week.
Yeah, I'm only asking for...three
days.
Yep.
Keith, Sandra on the line for you.
OK, just give me a second.
You've got two. If you don't get permission
to film in the manor, do it somewhere else.
Thanks, Keith.
OK.
Catherine.
Hm?
What is going on with George?
Oh, just nerves. Then why were
you asking him about mistakes?
Nicola...your priority is to get us
into the manor house.
Mum, is Sasha with you?
Yeah? Oh, good.
No, I couldn't.
Because I'm at work.
CATHERINE: 'The Alison Carter case
launched George Bennett's career.
He was to become chief constable of
Northern Ireland,
chair of the Bradford riots enquiry
and head of the Bosnian war crimes
commission.
That rare policeman who is trusted by
every community at home and abroad.'
She's too embarrassed to come home.
She'll get the message out.
What we want is Alison back home
safe and sound.
You don't think she's been
kidnapped?
A kidnapper wouldn't hang around a
place as isolated as Scardale.
Who's running this case, Detective
Chief Inspector? George Bennett is.
And it's a search not a case.
What do you think's happened to her,
Inspector Bennett?
I don't speculate. Listen to the professor,
Don Smart. You might learn something.
Right, that's it for now. Back to
work everyone.
Tommy. They've found something, sir,
in the woods.
It's there, sir.
Now, stay back, son. Stay back.
Are those tights?
Yeah.
Look. Look.
It's hair.
What's that, sir?
Where? Over there.
We found this.
It looks like it's from Alison's
duffel coat.
And we also...found this.
I'm afraid I'm going to have to look
at Alison's clothes.
I wouldn't worry.
Thousands of girls must have tights
like these.
CATHERINE: 'Did you tell her immediately
what you found or did you hold back?'
'Well...
up to that point I still hoped.
I hoped that she'd er...you know,
just walk back in and say the whole
thing had been a mistake.'
'..walk back in and say the whole
thing had been a mistake.'
Mistakes were made.
We're all done in the woods, sir.
Did you find anything?
Yeah.
I think I've found somebody who
Alison didn't like.
Don't know who it is. We should find
that out.
I know who wears a leather jacket
like that.
Charlie Lomas.
Who?
Ginger lad.
Oh, yeah.
What about this? She's been writing
poetry.
"I'm walking in the rain. Tears
are falling and I feel the pain.
Wishing you were here by me to end
this misery."
It's interesting, psychologically.
# ..this misery
# And I wonder...
Come on, sir. Get with it.
# ..wah-wah-wah-wonder... She
didn't write it. Del Shannon did.
# Why
Oh, yeah. # Why-why-why-why-why
she ran away...
Shall we have a look in Charlie's
bedroom, sir? See if he writes poetry, too.
# ..will stay-ay
# My little runaway
# A run-run-run-run-runaway... #
Hello?
I don't think we should be doing
this.
Door was open.
Just looking for the lad.
Maybe he's hiding in here.
Bloody hell. Look at this.
I'll bet these were taken by Hawkin.
How did Charlie get hold of them?
I don't know.
And how's he got hold of that?
Hello, Charlie.
Oi, oi, oi.
Don't be a fool.
Did you take these photographs, Mr
Hawkin? Yes.
And did you give them to Charlie?
He'd shown an interest in
photography. Not an interest in Alison?
You shouldn't have given them to
him.
Nonetheless, photographs are very
useful. Do you have many others?
Hundreds.
Why?
Well, whoever took Alison may have
watched her for days, even weeks.
And one of your photographs might
have caught someone or something.
Very accomplished.
Thank you.
I'm proud of my work.
You make films too?
It's a new purchase. Only one so far.
Of what?
'She looked beautiful.
She looked old. Older than her
years.'
'Where is that cine film now?'
'Destroyed, I think.
There was a warehouse fire a few
months back.
Along with a lot of stuff from the
Alison Carter case.
It's a shame.'
What's going on?
God.
God. Didn't know you were there?
(CLEARS THROAT) So? What are you
after?
I have got a contact number for the
owners of the manor house.
We already have a contact number. Yes,
but this one's in the UK in Morton.
Want to know how I got it? I called
the Mounties.
The Royal Canadian Mount-
Did you try the number?
I left a message. It's an answer
machine.
I'll keep trying.
Good. Well done. Thanks.
So, are you going to tell me what
you're looking for?
Um...you know that warehouse fire
that destroyed the evidence.
Did we check it out, see if there was
any suspicion?
Why, do you think there's something... Oh,
you know, just... so that we're covered.
OK. Well, I'll have a look.
Thanks.
'Fortunately, some of the film did
survive the fire.
Just a few seconds of Alison walking.
Only a few seconds but enough to
understand why, for George Bennett,
finding Alison became more than a
duty but an obsession.'
TOMMY: Why is Ali scared of you,
Charlie?
She's not. We're best friends.
Look what she did.
That's not very friendly, is it?
Ali didn't do that. Why would she?
Maybe she heard about that little
shrine in your wardrobe.
Did you invite the lads round for a
good perv? No. I love Ali.
Funny thing, isn't it, Charlie, you
know, when love goes bad?
When you love her but you can't have
her.
So you do the next best thing - make
sure nobody else can have her.
I told you. I'd never hurt her.
Bennett, Clough - over here.
Has that lad got a criminal record?
No, sir.
Anyone else in Scardale?
Er, I don't know, sir. If you'd checked
you'd have found that one of the Scardale mob
has a record for exposing himself to
little girls and worse.
Who's this?
Simon Crowther.
The brother of Ruth and Dan
Crowther. Alison's uncle.
Lives in a hostel in Morton.
Stop bullying schoolboys and pull in
the knicker-sniffer.
SWINDELLS: There he is.
HORN BEEPS
Shit.
Simon Crowther?
Simon didn't. Simon didn't.
Simon bloody did. Ohh! The only
thing Simon didn't was wash.
Hello, Simon.
We'd like to talk to you about what you
did on Wednesday afternoon in Scardale.
Simon lives in Morton.
Waterswallow lodgings. Number 17.
Not in Scardale. Aye, but
we know you went there Wednesday.
Simon never. Simon's not allowed.
Who says you're not allowed?
Who said, Simon?
Dan.
He says I go back there he'll cut my
hands off.
Can I have a fag, please?
When did you last see Alison?
Don't know Alison.
I know Angela. She makes fringes for
the lampshades.
Alison Carter, Simon.
Ruth's daughter.
Simon never... Don't know Alison.
But she goes to school in Morton.
The school bus stops right outside
where you work.
Ruth's your sister. You must know
she's got a daughter.
Simon never.
Simon never.
Simon never.
Simon never.
Let's find out why his family kicked
him out of Scardale.
Bennett.
Sir.
Did you get a confession?
No, sir.
Then where are you going?
To check out his story, sir.
Where, the bloody library?
He's upstairs. Check it with him.
Actually, I don't believe he did
this.
Actually, I believe you're wrong.
The man who took Alison is upstairs
and you can't get it out of him
because you don't know how.
Keep Crowther in the cells
overnight.
Come the morning, I'll work on him.
He'll tell me where that little girl
is.
You're not coming in. Not after what
you did to poor Charlie.
We want to talk to Ma Lomas. Last I
saw she was out for a walk.
Where?
Over there.
The same way the squire went on
Wednesday.
Wednesday? Are you sure?
Why shouldn't I be?
Write this down.
Right, you two, out the way.
I want to talk to you.
I don't want to talk to you. Just...
Help! Rape!
You get her statement.
I want to know why Scardale doesn't
care about finding Alison.
Course we care.
Then why didn't Kathy tell me about
seeing Hawkin
in the field on Wednesday afternoon?
I would have told you if you'd asked
me.
Why didn't you tell us about Simon?
Well, he didn't do it. Simon
wouldn't dare come to Scardale.
Why not?
In a missing child case...
the first 48 hours...
..they're the most important.
After that the trail goes cold and
evidence gets lost and...
Whatever urge drove the kidnapper to
snatch that child, that urge is...
satisfied -
usually on the poor child's body.
After that, well, the child's just a
nuisance and a liability.
And they're usually killed.
Now, it's been...
46 hours since Alison went missing.
And you are still treating me like
the village idiot.
Statement's done, sir.
So are we.
Simon was mixed up from the start.
He'd watched the animals at it.
Lovers in the fields.
Folks in their bedrooms.
And he'd play with himself.
What did he do to Ruth?
At first she was just his little
sister.
And then she grew up.
And Simon was obsessed.
Made her life a misery.
What happened, Ma?
Dan Crowther caught him in Ruth's
bedroom one night, standing over her,
cock like a broomstick.
We had to drag Dan off him or he
would have killed him.
He'd never come back.
Never.
What about Simon Crowther?
Do we release him?
No, the police station is the best place
for him. Even with Culver on the rampage?
I say we should release him or we'll
end up with a false confession.
Look, let me talk to the desk
sergeant.
He's a pal of mine. Make it known that
Simon's not a suspect and he never has been.
Yeah.
All right? Yeah.
Inspector? Were you in the field
on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Hawkin?
No. No, I was in my darkroom.
Two witnesses say otherwise.
Two of the yokels, you mean?
Come on. They hardly know one day of
the week from another.
I don't think a jury would find that
answer very convincing, Mr Hawkin.
Is that a threat? I just
want you to answer my question.
All right.
They're lying
because I took their most beautiful
possession from them
and because...
despite the money I pour into their
land, their houses,
they remain a narrow, mean-minded,
avaricious bunch of peasants.
Were you walking in the field on
Wednesday afternoon? No.
Anyway, who do you think a jury will
find more convincing -
me or a load of farm workers?
Well, round here most juries are
made up of farm workers.
Really?
I was working in my darkroom on
Wednesday afternoon
as my wife will attest.
Come on, darling. Let's eat.
You can see yourself out, Inspector.
Hi, I've found out about the
warehouse fire.
Yeah. It happened in November of
last year.
Police suspect arson but no-one was
charged.
CATHERINE: Was all photographic evidence
burned including negatives? Apparently.
You don't think George Bennett had a
hand in this? Of course not.
You have doubts about the evidence?
You sound like an X Files nut.
What are you going to do next?
Er...go north. Talk to George.
About what specifically?
About filming in the manor house, of
course. What do I tell Keith?
What I just told you.
Bye, Nicola.
ENDS CALL
Doubts about the evidence?
So what do you tell Keith?
CLATTER OF KEYBOARD
Hello, Mum.
So, you're planning to stay the
night too.
Yeah. Is that OK?
Mm. I...thought it might be easier.
Mm.
Where's Sasha?
Gone out.
Gone out?
Only to the shops.
I hear she's been suspended for a
week.
Yep. Wouldn't have happened if her
father hadn't gone away but...
He's the one that's usually there
for her, isn't he?
Yep, right. Thanks.
Thing is I've got to go north
tomorrow.
I've got to talk to George Bennett.
I still don't know why you're doing
it. Doing what?
This sordid little murder story.
Mum, it's not a little murder story.
It's a highly significant case.
It's sordid and ghoulish.
And you've always done such good
work.
The Middle East, Africa. Important
places.
Hello, darling.
Thing is, um, as you know, Sasha's
dad has gone to Germany for a week.
So what I'm asking is could you possibly
look after her for a couple of days?
Just a couple, honestly.
I'd love to, you know I would.
I have my own work. I've got a
deadline.
And Sasha needs to be with one of
her parents.
Don't worry, I'm not thrilled about
it either. (SIGHS)
Mum...the thing is...
I've got a problem with this film.
Yeah? Dad says you're losing your
edge.
Does he? Well, when your father finds
his edge, let me know.
PHONE RINGS
Hello, Morton police.
Sir. Sorry, sir, but you need to see
this.
That Don Smart causing bother again.
(READS) "Police have arrested a man in
connection to missing girl Alison Carter.
Sexual offences. Waterswallow
Lodgings. Simon Crowther." Shit.
Police! Get back! Back!
Move! Police!
Shit.
You said you'd sort this.
I tried!
Well, you bloody failed, didn't you?
Is he in there?
Bloody hell!
They said he didn't come home!
Well, where the bloody hell is he?
I don't know. Nobody knows.
Shit. Shit, shit.
Right. Come on, Sash. Time for bed.
Got to make an early start.
I'm just reading George Bennett's
file. He's boring.
You don't know anything about him.
(CHUCKLES) This is cool though.
Let's see.
It's just something he did. A photo.
Oh, I see. He swapped Churchill's
head for Stalin's.
Off to bed. Go on.
Night, Mum.
You've found something you don't
like, haven't you?
What do you mean?
Maybe you shouldn't go digging.
But I will dig.
It's what I do.
(MUFFLED) Sir.
Sir! A body's been found on the
moors.
Looks like exposure, sir. Simon
Crowther.
He must have just...
lay down and died.
Let's get back. Come on.
This is all my fault, sir.
If you want me off the case I'll
understand.
I don't want you off the case,
Tommy.
Here you are.
Go on.
Not going to give up.
Are you?
Good.
Simon...
died a miserable and a lonely death
and I'm sorry for that
and I'm sorry for him.
But if you'd told us about him when
Alison first went missing,
a lot of time and effort would have
been spared and he'd still be alive.
Now, we wasted 24 hours.
Which makes it all the more likely
we're not going to find Alison
until some hiker stumbles on her
body months from now.
I'm calling off the search.
WOMAN: What? You can't.
No point keeping on. We've searched
that dale from top to bottom.
Not right to the bottom, you
haven't.
Is this it?
Alison!
How far are we from Scardale?
About two mile as the crow flies.
Hold on, sir. Sir!
We need cavers and potholers and
other like-minded lunatics.
Dan, take that to the village hall.
Give it to PC Swindells. Right.
Makes me angry. Makes me want to
shout.
Simon Crowther. Hawkin's walk on
Wednesday. This.
Why didn't they mention this first?
What if Alison has gone in there,
taken a fall and...?
God forbid.
Do they even care?
The mother does.
Wait, sir.
SHOUTING
Sir!
Bloody hell.
George?
George!
Are you all right, sir?
I'm all right. I'm all right.
Argh. (GASPS)
Time to tell Mum her baby's not
coming home.
Sasha? Sash!
Do you want to know why I never
married, never had kids?
The other story, the one you don't
want to tell. Am I right?
I can't protect you, Catherine.
HAWKIN: Does she keep you awake at
night, little Alison?
You've got to tell me what happened!
Oh, sweet Jesus.
Synch: Supermauri
ago.
Yeah, OK.
Catherine Heathcote?
- Yes.
- Take a seat, please.
- Well, I...
Yeah, would you bring Sasha
Heathcote in, please. She's here.
You pulled some strings. Chief
Constable, no less.
Yeah. And he wanted to
know what you're doing
keeping a 15-year-old
in a cell overnight.
Maybe this'll scare some sense into
her.
Sasha.
Sasha! What possessed you?
Smashing windows?
Sorry I inconvenienced you.
I'm talking about you.
Vandalising shopping malls. Criminal
damage.
It'll be on your record.
Do you know that? I know.
Any university -
I know. I'm such a disappointment.
Look, I'm... God, I'm terribly late
for a screening now.
Um...take a cab home and get some
rest.
Here.
Which home?
Dad's or your flat?
Dad's.
Oh, God, no. He's at the airport
already, isn't he?
Well, Gran's then. Eh? Go to Gran's
and I'll see you there tonight.
Are you all right?
Sasha.
What?
Go to Gran's, won't you?
Hello, Morton police.
WOMAN: Listen, I need help.
My daughter's missing. She took the
dog out and she's not come home.
Let's keep it calm. How long's she's
been gone? More than four hours.
What's her name?
Alison Carter. She's 13.
I'm Ruth Carter. I mean, Hawkin.
We live at the manor house in
Scardale.
All right, Mrs Hawkin, we'll have
someone there right away.
What was that?
Girl from Scardale, sir.
Took her dog for a walk, hasn't come
home.
How old is she?
13, sir.
How long's she been missing?
Several hours.
I'll take that. I'll go myself.
Mm-hm.
Why would you do that, sir?
I don't like the idea of a young girl missing
out on the moors, not with night coming on.
Just a young lass having a snog with
her boyfriend.
Nonetheless, I'm going to go myself.
Aye. Just get my coat then.
No, you don't have to come,
sergeant.
Can't have you getting lost on the
moors too...not with night coming on.
CATHERINE: 'What made you decide to
go out personally
that first day to Scardale?'
'Oh, I don't really know.
Maybe it was the name of the
village. Scardale.
Like two halves that didn't quite
fit together.
Scar...dale.'
'Were you worried immediately, that
first evening, about Alison?'
'Yes, I think I was.
13-year-old child.
You feel protective. You want to
find out what's happened.
Hope that nothing bad's happened.'
(Sorry.)
'One afternoon, just before Easter,
in 1963,
13-year-old Alison Carter walked out
of her home and simply disappeared.'
It happened here in the tiny moorland
village of Scardale.
The story of Alison's disappearance
transfixed the nation
and was to become one of the most
controversial cases of the era.
Where's the manor house?
It's up there.
'Has Alison ever stayed out this
long before?' 'Never.'
When was the last time you saw her,
Mrs Hawkin?
She came in off the bus about three
o'clock.
She put her coat on, took the dog
and went.
And did she say anything?
Hi, Mum. Bye, Mum.
I do hope this isn't all a fuss
about nothing.
I hope it is, sir.
You know what I mean.
Er...Alison often takes the dog for a
walk.
Are you the father?
Yes.
Stepfather.
Did she have a usual walk?
Yes, I can take you.
Darling, you stay in case she comes
back. I'll show them.
Did you take these, Mr Hawkin?
Yes.
Is this Alison?
Would you mind if we borrowed this
photograph?
We'll need to make copies.
Would you like me to do that?
I've a darkroom.
Oh, I see.
Yes, yes, that'd be very helpful
indeed.
Swindells.
Yes, sir.
There's a photo of the missing girl.
Alison Carter.
Make sure that everybody gets a good
look at her. Yes, sir.
It's Miller, sir, and Satan. This is
Satan.
The DI could have worked that out.
He went to university.
Didn't you?
Yes. Right. Um...
I'm going to interview some
witnesses. Better get started. Right?
And what about the dog?
What?
The dog.
Yes, take the dog. It might
needs something of Alison's
if you want him to track her.
DOG BARKS
Yeah?
Right. With me.
What do you need?
Anything she's worn recently, you
know.
Aye, there you go. Hey, Satan. What's
that?
Aye, that's it. There you go.
There you go, Satan.
What's that, eh? What's that?
Sir, it's started snowing.
Right.
(TALKS SOFTLY TO DOG) Come on.
Alison!
Alison!
Alison!
Alison!
Alison!
Alison!
Alison!
Alison!
Alison!
You and Alison were on the school
bus, Charlie. Yeah.
Mum picked us up at the bottom of
the hill. Mm.
There was me, Ali and Janet
Crowther.
We came back here, we went to our
homes and I helped Ma with tea.
Not me, his grandma. Ma Lomas.
Can you think of any reason why
Alison might have run away?
No.
No?
Does Alison have a boyfriend,
Charlie? No, look...
Can I go now? Help 'em search?
Not yet, no. We want to ask a -
KNOCK AT DOOR
They found Ali's dog.
Back, back!
I want everybody back! This is a
crime scene!
Why didn't you keep them back?
I did. The dog's over there.
MILLER: It's scared stiff, sir.
Somebody's tied up its muzzle.
Right.
Where does the trail lead from here?
It doesn't. It just stops.
Ssh-ssh-ssh-ssh. Hey.
Aw. There's a good lad.
There we go. There we go.
Ssh-ssh-ssh.
There's a good lad.
Let's get this off. Ssh. It's all
right.
It's all right. There we go.
Good lad.
Right, I'll need a knife.
Here you are.
DOG WHIMPERS
All right, stand back.
Tell 'em, lad.
Where is she?
Eh?
Where's Alison?
Swindells, what's going on with the
phones? Come on.
I need this one set up. It's for the
DI's use only. All right, sir.
I don't want anybody else using it.
Get it parked up.
What the bloody...
DI Bennett.
Get us a chair, sweetheart.
What the hell's going on? An incident
room for the missing Alison Carter case.
Case? You don't even know there's a
crime.
Lass has just run off with her
boyfriend.
She's vanished into thin air, sir.
We found her dog tied to a tree with
its muzzle taped.
Could be another reason.
No cause to go squandering resources.
She hasn't got a boyfriend, sir. Not
as far as we know.
I think she's in serious trouble.
I think we should do all we can,
even if we turn out to be wrong.
OK, clever clogs, it's all yours.
Thank you, sir.
Crutches.
Yes, sir.
OLDER BENNETT: 'Never been able to
get her face out of my head.
But there was something about those
eyes seemed to look right into you.
So...vulnerable.
I think I decided I wouldn't...give
up until I found her.'
'Do you still...'
Sorry, Keith, call for Catherine.
Tell them to call back.
It's George Bennett.
Tell him she'll call back. No, I've
got to talk to him. Sorry, Keith.
Line two.
Thanks.
George, hi. Did you manage to get
permission for us to film inside the manor?
Oh, God, I'm so sorry. I can't
believe it.
First of all let me thank you very,
very much
for helping to get Sasha out of the
police cells.
I'm pulling out of the film.
Catherine.
You hear me?
Well, you can't. You've signed a
release.
The film's not going ahead with me
and without me you don't have a
film.
George, what's going on?
Why are you doing this? Because
it'll do more harm than good.
What do you mean? What harm?
Mistakes were made.
What mistakes?
George, listen. I think we ought to
meet.
Yeah, yeah. OK.
Very good. All right.
Bye.
George OK? He sounded a bit upset
when I answered.
Yes, he's absolutely fine.
He's not gone wobbly, has he? Won't
screw us at the last minute? No.
'In the end, I can't help wondering
if the deepest wounds still remaining
from the Alison Carter case
lie in the heart of George Bennett.'
Yep. Good.
But?
Doesn't have your usual edge.
I'm not saying it's a bad film, it's
just not a particularly controversial one.
Well, it... It's not finished.
Is there a problem?
No, no problem.
But I still want to get inside the
manor house.
You know? We need to see where Alison
lived. Reconstruct some scenes.
The owners live in Canada. They
haven't responded to our calls.
And I want to try and interview him
one more time.
Because? Um, you know, I just think
I could push him a bit harder
on one or two things.
You do know we have to deliver this
thing by the end of next week.
Yeah, I'm only asking for...three
days.
Yep.
Keith, Sandra on the line for you.
OK, just give me a second.
You've got two. If you don't get permission
to film in the manor, do it somewhere else.
Thanks, Keith.
OK.
Catherine.
Hm?
What is going on with George?
Oh, just nerves. Then why were
you asking him about mistakes?
Nicola...your priority is to get us
into the manor house.
Mum, is Sasha with you?
Yeah? Oh, good.
No, I couldn't.
Because I'm at work.
CATHERINE: 'The Alison Carter case
launched George Bennett's career.
He was to become chief constable of
Northern Ireland,
chair of the Bradford riots enquiry
and head of the Bosnian war crimes
commission.
That rare policeman who is trusted by
every community at home and abroad.'
She's too embarrassed to come home.
She'll get the message out.
What we want is Alison back home
safe and sound.
You don't think she's been
kidnapped?
A kidnapper wouldn't hang around a
place as isolated as Scardale.
Who's running this case, Detective
Chief Inspector? George Bennett is.
And it's a search not a case.
What do you think's happened to her,
Inspector Bennett?
I don't speculate. Listen to the professor,
Don Smart. You might learn something.
Right, that's it for now. Back to
work everyone.
Tommy. They've found something, sir,
in the woods.
It's there, sir.
Now, stay back, son. Stay back.
Are those tights?
Yeah.
Look. Look.
It's hair.
What's that, sir?
Where? Over there.
We found this.
It looks like it's from Alison's
duffel coat.
And we also...found this.
I'm afraid I'm going to have to look
at Alison's clothes.
I wouldn't worry.
Thousands of girls must have tights
like these.
CATHERINE: 'Did you tell her immediately
what you found or did you hold back?'
'Well...
up to that point I still hoped.
I hoped that she'd er...you know,
just walk back in and say the whole
thing had been a mistake.'
'..walk back in and say the whole
thing had been a mistake.'
Mistakes were made.
We're all done in the woods, sir.
Did you find anything?
Yeah.
I think I've found somebody who
Alison didn't like.
Don't know who it is. We should find
that out.
I know who wears a leather jacket
like that.
Charlie Lomas.
Who?
Ginger lad.
Oh, yeah.
What about this? She's been writing
poetry.
"I'm walking in the rain. Tears
are falling and I feel the pain.
Wishing you were here by me to end
this misery."
It's interesting, psychologically.
# ..this misery
# And I wonder...
Come on, sir. Get with it.
# ..wah-wah-wah-wonder... She
didn't write it. Del Shannon did.
# Why
Oh, yeah. # Why-why-why-why-why
she ran away...
Shall we have a look in Charlie's
bedroom, sir? See if he writes poetry, too.
# ..will stay-ay
# My little runaway
# A run-run-run-run-runaway... #
Hello?
I don't think we should be doing
this.
Door was open.
Just looking for the lad.
Maybe he's hiding in here.
Bloody hell. Look at this.
I'll bet these were taken by Hawkin.
How did Charlie get hold of them?
I don't know.
And how's he got hold of that?
Hello, Charlie.
Oi, oi, oi.
Don't be a fool.
Did you take these photographs, Mr
Hawkin? Yes.
And did you give them to Charlie?
He'd shown an interest in
photography. Not an interest in Alison?
You shouldn't have given them to
him.
Nonetheless, photographs are very
useful. Do you have many others?
Hundreds.
Why?
Well, whoever took Alison may have
watched her for days, even weeks.
And one of your photographs might
have caught someone or something.
Very accomplished.
Thank you.
I'm proud of my work.
You make films too?
It's a new purchase. Only one so far.
Of what?
'She looked beautiful.
She looked old. Older than her
years.'
'Where is that cine film now?'
'Destroyed, I think.
There was a warehouse fire a few
months back.
Along with a lot of stuff from the
Alison Carter case.
It's a shame.'
What's going on?
God.
God. Didn't know you were there?
(CLEARS THROAT) So? What are you
after?
I have got a contact number for the
owners of the manor house.
We already have a contact number. Yes,
but this one's in the UK in Morton.
Want to know how I got it? I called
the Mounties.
The Royal Canadian Mount-
Did you try the number?
I left a message. It's an answer
machine.
I'll keep trying.
Good. Well done. Thanks.
So, are you going to tell me what
you're looking for?
Um...you know that warehouse fire
that destroyed the evidence.
Did we check it out, see if there was
any suspicion?
Why, do you think there's something... Oh,
you know, just... so that we're covered.
OK. Well, I'll have a look.
Thanks.
'Fortunately, some of the film did
survive the fire.
Just a few seconds of Alison walking.
Only a few seconds but enough to
understand why, for George Bennett,
finding Alison became more than a
duty but an obsession.'
TOMMY: Why is Ali scared of you,
Charlie?
She's not. We're best friends.
Look what she did.
That's not very friendly, is it?
Ali didn't do that. Why would she?
Maybe she heard about that little
shrine in your wardrobe.
Did you invite the lads round for a
good perv? No. I love Ali.
Funny thing, isn't it, Charlie, you
know, when love goes bad?
When you love her but you can't have
her.
So you do the next best thing - make
sure nobody else can have her.
I told you. I'd never hurt her.
Bennett, Clough - over here.
Has that lad got a criminal record?
No, sir.
Anyone else in Scardale?
Er, I don't know, sir. If you'd checked
you'd have found that one of the Scardale mob
has a record for exposing himself to
little girls and worse.
Who's this?
Simon Crowther.
The brother of Ruth and Dan
Crowther. Alison's uncle.
Lives in a hostel in Morton.
Stop bullying schoolboys and pull in
the knicker-sniffer.
SWINDELLS: There he is.
HORN BEEPS
Shit.
Simon Crowther?
Simon didn't. Simon didn't.
Simon bloody did. Ohh! The only
thing Simon didn't was wash.
Hello, Simon.
We'd like to talk to you about what you
did on Wednesday afternoon in Scardale.
Simon lives in Morton.
Waterswallow lodgings. Number 17.
Not in Scardale. Aye, but
we know you went there Wednesday.
Simon never. Simon's not allowed.
Who says you're not allowed?
Who said, Simon?
Dan.
He says I go back there he'll cut my
hands off.
Can I have a fag, please?
When did you last see Alison?
Don't know Alison.
I know Angela. She makes fringes for
the lampshades.
Alison Carter, Simon.
Ruth's daughter.
Simon never... Don't know Alison.
But she goes to school in Morton.
The school bus stops right outside
where you work.
Ruth's your sister. You must know
she's got a daughter.
Simon never.
Simon never.
Simon never.
Simon never.
Let's find out why his family kicked
him out of Scardale.
Bennett.
Sir.
Did you get a confession?
No, sir.
Then where are you going?
To check out his story, sir.
Where, the bloody library?
He's upstairs. Check it with him.
Actually, I don't believe he did
this.
Actually, I believe you're wrong.
The man who took Alison is upstairs
and you can't get it out of him
because you don't know how.
Keep Crowther in the cells
overnight.
Come the morning, I'll work on him.
He'll tell me where that little girl
is.
You're not coming in. Not after what
you did to poor Charlie.
We want to talk to Ma Lomas. Last I
saw she was out for a walk.
Where?
Over there.
The same way the squire went on
Wednesday.
Wednesday? Are you sure?
Why shouldn't I be?
Write this down.
Right, you two, out the way.
I want to talk to you.
I don't want to talk to you. Just...
Help! Rape!
You get her statement.
I want to know why Scardale doesn't
care about finding Alison.
Course we care.
Then why didn't Kathy tell me about
seeing Hawkin
in the field on Wednesday afternoon?
I would have told you if you'd asked
me.
Why didn't you tell us about Simon?
Well, he didn't do it. Simon
wouldn't dare come to Scardale.
Why not?
In a missing child case...
the first 48 hours...
..they're the most important.
After that the trail goes cold and
evidence gets lost and...
Whatever urge drove the kidnapper to
snatch that child, that urge is...
satisfied -
usually on the poor child's body.
After that, well, the child's just a
nuisance and a liability.
And they're usually killed.
Now, it's been...
46 hours since Alison went missing.
And you are still treating me like
the village idiot.
Statement's done, sir.
So are we.
Simon was mixed up from the start.
He'd watched the animals at it.
Lovers in the fields.
Folks in their bedrooms.
And he'd play with himself.
What did he do to Ruth?
At first she was just his little
sister.
And then she grew up.
And Simon was obsessed.
Made her life a misery.
What happened, Ma?
Dan Crowther caught him in Ruth's
bedroom one night, standing over her,
cock like a broomstick.
We had to drag Dan off him or he
would have killed him.
He'd never come back.
Never.
What about Simon Crowther?
Do we release him?
No, the police station is the best place
for him. Even with Culver on the rampage?
I say we should release him or we'll
end up with a false confession.
Look, let me talk to the desk
sergeant.
He's a pal of mine. Make it known that
Simon's not a suspect and he never has been.
Yeah.
All right? Yeah.
Inspector? Were you in the field
on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Hawkin?
No. No, I was in my darkroom.
Two witnesses say otherwise.
Two of the yokels, you mean?
Come on. They hardly know one day of
the week from another.
I don't think a jury would find that
answer very convincing, Mr Hawkin.
Is that a threat? I just
want you to answer my question.
All right.
They're lying
because I took their most beautiful
possession from them
and because...
despite the money I pour into their
land, their houses,
they remain a narrow, mean-minded,
avaricious bunch of peasants.
Were you walking in the field on
Wednesday afternoon? No.
Anyway, who do you think a jury will
find more convincing -
me or a load of farm workers?
Well, round here most juries are
made up of farm workers.
Really?
I was working in my darkroom on
Wednesday afternoon
as my wife will attest.
Come on, darling. Let's eat.
You can see yourself out, Inspector.
Hi, I've found out about the
warehouse fire.
Yeah. It happened in November of
last year.
Police suspect arson but no-one was
charged.
CATHERINE: Was all photographic evidence
burned including negatives? Apparently.
You don't think George Bennett had a
hand in this? Of course not.
You have doubts about the evidence?
You sound like an X Files nut.
What are you going to do next?
Er...go north. Talk to George.
About what specifically?
About filming in the manor house, of
course. What do I tell Keith?
What I just told you.
Bye, Nicola.
ENDS CALL
Doubts about the evidence?
So what do you tell Keith?
CLATTER OF KEYBOARD
Hello, Mum.
So, you're planning to stay the
night too.
Yeah. Is that OK?
Mm. I...thought it might be easier.
Mm.
Where's Sasha?
Gone out.
Gone out?
Only to the shops.
I hear she's been suspended for a
week.
Yep. Wouldn't have happened if her
father hadn't gone away but...
He's the one that's usually there
for her, isn't he?
Yep, right. Thanks.
Thing is I've got to go north
tomorrow.
I've got to talk to George Bennett.
I still don't know why you're doing
it. Doing what?
This sordid little murder story.
Mum, it's not a little murder story.
It's a highly significant case.
It's sordid and ghoulish.
And you've always done such good
work.
The Middle East, Africa. Important
places.
Hello, darling.
Thing is, um, as you know, Sasha's
dad has gone to Germany for a week.
So what I'm asking is could you possibly
look after her for a couple of days?
Just a couple, honestly.
I'd love to, you know I would.
I have my own work. I've got a
deadline.
And Sasha needs to be with one of
her parents.
Don't worry, I'm not thrilled about
it either. (SIGHS)
Mum...the thing is...
I've got a problem with this film.
Yeah? Dad says you're losing your
edge.
Does he? Well, when your father finds
his edge, let me know.
PHONE RINGS
Hello, Morton police.
Sir. Sorry, sir, but you need to see
this.
That Don Smart causing bother again.
(READS) "Police have arrested a man in
connection to missing girl Alison Carter.
Sexual offences. Waterswallow
Lodgings. Simon Crowther." Shit.
Police! Get back! Back!
Move! Police!
Shit.
You said you'd sort this.
I tried!
Well, you bloody failed, didn't you?
Is he in there?
Bloody hell!
They said he didn't come home!
Well, where the bloody hell is he?
I don't know. Nobody knows.
Shit. Shit, shit.
Right. Come on, Sash. Time for bed.
Got to make an early start.
I'm just reading George Bennett's
file. He's boring.
You don't know anything about him.
(CHUCKLES) This is cool though.
Let's see.
It's just something he did. A photo.
Oh, I see. He swapped Churchill's
head for Stalin's.
Off to bed. Go on.
Night, Mum.
You've found something you don't
like, haven't you?
What do you mean?
Maybe you shouldn't go digging.
But I will dig.
It's what I do.
(MUFFLED) Sir.
Sir! A body's been found on the
moors.
Looks like exposure, sir. Simon
Crowther.
He must have just...
lay down and died.
Let's get back. Come on.
This is all my fault, sir.
If you want me off the case I'll
understand.
I don't want you off the case,
Tommy.
Here you are.
Go on.
Not going to give up.
Are you?
Good.
Simon...
died a miserable and a lonely death
and I'm sorry for that
and I'm sorry for him.
But if you'd told us about him when
Alison first went missing,
a lot of time and effort would have
been spared and he'd still be alive.
Now, we wasted 24 hours.
Which makes it all the more likely
we're not going to find Alison
until some hiker stumbles on her
body months from now.
I'm calling off the search.
WOMAN: What? You can't.
No point keeping on. We've searched
that dale from top to bottom.
Not right to the bottom, you
haven't.
Is this it?
Alison!
How far are we from Scardale?
About two mile as the crow flies.
Hold on, sir. Sir!
We need cavers and potholers and
other like-minded lunatics.
Dan, take that to the village hall.
Give it to PC Swindells. Right.
Makes me angry. Makes me want to
shout.
Simon Crowther. Hawkin's walk on
Wednesday. This.
Why didn't they mention this first?
What if Alison has gone in there,
taken a fall and...?
God forbid.
Do they even care?
The mother does.
Wait, sir.
SHOUTING
Sir!
Bloody hell.
George?
George!
Are you all right, sir?
I'm all right. I'm all right.
Argh. (GASPS)
Time to tell Mum her baby's not
coming home.
Sasha? Sash!
Do you want to know why I never
married, never had kids?
The other story, the one you don't
want to tell. Am I right?
I can't protect you, Catherine.
HAWKIN: Does she keep you awake at
night, little Alison?
You've got to tell me what happened!
Oh, sweet Jesus.
Synch: Supermauri