The Brokenwood Mysteries (2014–…): Season 4, Episode 3 - The Scarecrow - full transcript

Unbelievable.

Fat lot of good you are, mate.

Bastards!

Come here, you bastards!

- Target locked in.
- Fire!

Reckon you got him?
Awesome.

Reload!

Surrender!

Surrender,
or you'll get another one!

Wait, is that...?

Run for it, bro!
Run!



I only shot him once.
Honest.

We didn't know
it was Mr. Henderson.

Not that that
would've killed him.

Well, we'll have to
leave that to forensics.

Hey, obviously they thought
it was an actual scarecrow.

- I'm sure.
- It's all good, boys.

Ka pai.

You're not just spooking
the birds, Philip.

Can't be comfortable, mate.

Let's hope you were already dead

before they tied you up there
like that.

I think he was dead, yes,
before he was tied to the stake.

Look, it's a very little blood
where the skin is broken.

So, what killed you, Philip?



I will answer that
in good time, Mike.

Gina, I was talking to him.

Not to mention who.

That's your job, not mine.

Just saying.

- What?
- What?

You are just saying what?

Nothing.

I thought so.

Follow me.

Have you checked him out yet?

Doug Randall?

Him and his loco missus.

Pretty porangi.
You know what I mean?

You all right there, Tamati?

Are you okay there, Doug?

You have some information
that might be relevant?

Yeah, maybe.

But not here.

Don't want to put myself
or my kids in harm's way, do I?

Yeah, you should get them home.

I'll be by later
for a witness statement.

- Thanks, guys.
- Let's go.

They'll be quad bike tracks,
I reckon.

Yeah.

Key's still in the ignition.

Make sure
the whole area remains cordoned.

Get forensics all over it.

Let's check the house.

I remember Philip
from the Dunn case.

Bit of a player,
if I recall rightly.

You might be surprised.

- You know her?
- It's Dahlia Freyberg.

She owns the Sage Locust.

The raw foods place.

Yeah.
I think she stole his heart.

She'll be devastated.

Last supper.

Or breakfast.

He made his own honey.

No signs of a struggle
or distress.

Finally, family.

Was he a twin?

So he could have been dead
before he was tied to the stake.

According to
Gina's initial thoughts, yes.

Therefore his death
could have been accidental?

Yes, but nothing about that
suggests accidental.

So until we know
exactly what killed him,

we're treating this
as a homicide?

Absolutely, because whoever
trussed him up like that

was sending a message.

The occupational risks
of being a scarecrow?

Generally a very high
mortality rate.

That much we know.
But...

For whom
was that message intended?

Other than the birds, who else
was gonna notice a scarecrow?

Nobody but a neighbor.

The father of the kids
who found Philip?

He indicated he had
some information to share

about Philip's neighbor
on the other side, Doug Randall.

Information?

He wouldn't talk to me
in front of Doug.

He was worried about Doug
and his "loco" wife.

Trudy Neilson is the publican
of the Toad & Lion.

Ray Neilson's sister?

Scariest mein host
I've ever met.

Tough nut, all right.

What does Doug see in her?

Question might be,
what does Trudy see in Doug?

Waiting for him to die,
inherit the farm?

Classic gold digger.

I'm having trouble seeing
Doug Randall as a gold mine.

Okay, tomorrow
I should get time of death,

if not cause, out of Gina.

Talk to Tamati,
see what he's on about.

Background the deceased.

Who stands to profit
from Philip's demise

might be a question
worth asking.

Who inherits his property?

Does he have any family
still alive --

ex-wife, partner, children,
twin brother, sisters?

Right.
What about this?

Fishing line, I reckon,

when it's not being used
to tie corpses to stakes.

Surf casting or fly?
Who makes it?

And ask them for any DNA on it.

All I know is there was
a major disagreement

between Doug and Philip the day
before Philip was found.

- How major?
- Major.

If it was less than major,
I probably would've said minor.

Okay.

Suppose you want to know
what it was about.

That would be helpful.

Well, I didn't hear it myself.

Who did?

He wouldn't thank me
for saying.

So not your wife, then.

No.
My wife's dead.

Okay, did your witness say
what the disagreement was about?

No.

Could've been
any number of things, though.

Was a lot of raru
going down here, just quietly.

Raru?

Yeah.
Disagreements, agro.

- What about?
- Stuff.

Can you be more specific?

Yeah.
I'm not going to, though.

Too much to lose.

Was there bad blood

between Philip Henderson
and Doug Randall?

Yeah, you could say that.

What about between you
and Philip Henderson?

No.
Philip wasn't the problem.

Who was?

Look, I've probably
said enough.

Like I said,
there's too much to lose.

Well, I really need to know.

Well, I think
you'll get a shock.

- Try me.
- No.

When I connect this here
to that fence,

that wire you're leaning on
is gonna give you a shock.

Right.

I've got to move my stock,
so...

Yeah, well, I'd like to
pick this up later.

Yeah, sure.
Knock yourself out.

I'm not going anywhere.

Is there any bad blood
between you and Doug Randall?

He was poisoned?

The indications are there.

Whether it was deliberate,
I don't know.

He might have ingested a toxin
of some kind.

- You mean something he ate?
- Maybe.

And then tied himself
to the stake,

and made out
like he was a scarecrow.

That depends how badly
and how quickly

he was incapacitated
by the toxin.

- That was a joke.
- I know.

Don't give up
your day job, Mike.

The life of a comic is hard.

In Russia, it's a fine line
between comedy and death.

Most comedians end up in jail.

What kind of toxins?

I'll send blood and tissue
samples to the lab,

and we'll wait
for the toxicology report.

- Time of death?
- Difficult to say precisely.

Yeah, but roughly.

Judging by his stomach contents,

no less than eight hours
before he was discovered.

And as much as...?

Perhaps 24 hours.

What was in his stomach?

It looked like bread.
Whole-grain.

And quite a lot.

If toxin didn't kill him,
then maybe too much fiber.

Sims.

Well, Tamati Taylor says that
Doug Randall and Trudy Neilson

are the neighbors from hell.

They should be called
the Vandals, not the Randalls.

- Why? What'd they do?
- They're selfish.

They take advantage
of whatever's around,

whatever situation.

Take advantage like...?

They stole my damn queen!

What?

I keep bees.

Look, those two
are made for each other.

Doug and Trudy.

The toxic twosome.

He said that?
Called them the toxic twosome?

Yeah. Why?

Gina's preliminary finding
was cause of death was poison.

Okay.

Well, Tamati says

that Philip had a heated
argument with Doug Randall

later that afternoon,
around 4:00ish,

the day before he died.

- What about?
- Tamati didn't see it.

But he knows someone who did.

Who was the witness, Tamati?

Look, we can do this
down at the station if you like.

My nephew heard something.

He was fixing a water pump
over by the boundary fence.

Kahu.

Kahu Taylor?
Get onto him.

Smoko.

Detective Sims.

Kahu.
We meet again.

Your uncle Tamati suggested
I talk to you.

- Did you bring baking?
- No.

Well, you should learn
the true definition of smoko.

I'll chuck the jug on.
Owner said it's cool.

I'll clean up.

That's quite a talent you have.

What?

Making instant coffee
taste like tea.

- It's coffee.
- Right.

- I used coffee, definitely.
- If you say so.

- Tastes fine to me.
- Yeah, no. All good.

Can't wait to try your baking.

I don't bake.
It's not my thing.

Me neither.

So your uncle Tamati
said that you were working

on the boundary water pump

when you saw Philip Henderson
and the Randalls

having some sort
of disagreement.

This has got
nothing to do with me.

What'd you see and hear, Kahu?

Okay,
I couldn't hear everything,

but it was pretty serious.

Come here, you bastards!

Philip was yelling
at Doug and Trudy --

"Bastards!
You bastards!"

What was the argument about?

I'm not totally sure.

But then Doug got out of
the passenger side of the ute,

and he's right up
in Philip's face.

Doug and Philip looked like they
were about to have a real go,

until Trudy yelled at Doug
to get in.

And then Trudy threatened
to run Philip over.

You're sure?

Yeah, that bit
I heard all right.

You back off, pencil neck,
or you'll be roadkill!

Roadkill?

Next thing he's dead, right?

Philip's only next of kin
is a brother, Thomas.

Lives in the city.

Put a call through.
He'd already been notified.

- By who?
- Don't know. Didn't say.

But he's on his way.

Okay.

So Gina is putting time of death
at between 8 and 24 hours

before he was found.

That means he died any time
between that fight with Doug

and, say, I don't know,
breakfast the next morning.

Which it looks as if
he might have eaten.

Dishes in the sink.
Toast.

So we need to find out
what Philip's movements were

over that period.

Late that night
and early next morning.

- Shouldn't be difficult.
- Meaning?

Lived alone but never lonely,
if you get my drift.

Actually, he had
a proper girlfriend.

What?

Not you?

Not me, as it happens,

but a friend
who was very close to Philip.

- Who?
- Dahlia Freyberg.

Runs the Sage Locust.

Raw foods.
Lettuce burgers and quinoa tea.

I'll follow up with her.

We also need to interview
Doug Randall, Trudy Neilson,

see if we can find out
what that argument was about.

Yeah, and whether or not
she made that threat.

- Bring them in?
- No.

Keep it casual.

Interview them separately
and compare notes.

Bags not do Trudy.

Why?
She give you the collywobbles?

Sorry? Colly what?

Doesn't matter.

Get to it.

Collywobbles.

Hey, Dahlia, it's me.
I'm outside.

Hey.

- Come in.
- Thanks.

Kombucha okay?

This one's brewed with water
from an island in Patagonia.

Thanks.

Wow.

So how are you holding up?

Yeah, I'm okay.

Well, not...

...okay.

Pretty awful, to be honest.

You know, I believe
everything happens for a reason.

I really do.
But this...

- Dahlia, I'm so sorry.
- Yeah.

Yeah, and just when Philip
was ready to settle down.

We had all these plans.

How long had you two been...

Eight months.
But it was serious.

We even had rings made
as a sign of our commitment.

That's beautiful.

His is identical.

You know, we weren't into that
whole engagement thing.

Dahlia, um, I know this is hard,

but to figure out
what happened to Philip,

we need to trace
what his movements were

the night before he was found.

He was here with me.

We closed the doors
and pulled the curtains

and had a little
celebratory dinner.

Celebrating...?

It looked like the
investment money was in place.

Investment in...?

For our online organics store

that Philip would
exclusively supply.

So we shared dinner
and a bottle of Philip's wine.

Um, this is
a little bit awkward,

but we think that Philip
might have been poisoned.

No way.

Philip treated his body
like a temple.

I know, but the dinner
that you two --

It was just a salad,

some leftovers from the café,
and still fresh.

Wait.
What are you implying?

We have to look at everything.

Well, I had
exactly the same meal.

And he didn't show any signs
of being ill during the night.

Far from it.

Philip was an incredible lover.

Right.

So Philip stayed the night
here with you?

Yes, upstairs in the apartment.

And left
just before dawn the next day

to go back to the farm.

He always started early.

Someone must have been
waiting for him there.

Philip loved me.

He really did.

If Philip ingested poison,

it was unlikely
to come from the dinner

he shared with Dahlia.

He stayed the night with her
and showed no ill effects.

Performance uninhibited?

Yeah, far from it, apparently.

If he was poisoned,

it must have been something
he had for breakfast.

We're waiting on toxicology
reports from Philip's house.

I might take another look, see
if there's anything we missed.

Okay.

Just having a snoop, are we?

Thought we could have a chat
about your neighbor.

The gentleman farmer
now deceased.

Had as little to do with him
as possible.

But you did have an argument
with him the day before he died.

- Where'd you hear that?
- Did you or didn't you?

I can see where this is going.

I have a go at Henderson,
the next thing he's found dead,

and I'm to be accused
of offing him.

- So it did happen.
- We had words.

What words?

Accused me
of damaging his crops.

How?

What the hell do you want?!

Your bloody spray drift
is ruining my crops!

Yeah?
Prove it!

You're gonna cost me
my organic certification.

How the hell am I expected
to make a bloody living?

Is that why you haven't
paid your tab at the pub?

No, that's 'cause
you're ripping me off, you --

Watch what you say
to the missus, mate!

Bloody nerve.

I've got every right
to look after my land

and try and earn
a bloody living too.

So, what did you spray?

Haven't sprayed anything yet.
Not this season.

- Intending to.
- Did you tell Philip that?

Don't owe that ponce
an explanation.

Not now he's dead, for sure.

But why let him think
it was you who did it?

I don't give a stuff
what he thought.

Right.

If there was spray drift,
it could have come from anywhere

within three or four K's
of here.

Depends on the wind.

- He was angry?
- He was frothing.

But you got out of the car
and confronted him.

Where you getting all this?

Does it matter?

No, 'cause that's all
you're getting out of me.

What's that?

That's Trudes' domain.

You want to go in there,
ask her permission.

No need to bother her.

Quick look?

- You got a warrant?
- I'll get one.

She keeps a few hives.
Bit of a hobby.

You leave the hives to her?

Well, gives her an interest,

me a chance to have a breather,
if you know what I mean.

Sorry?.

You got a good woman,
have you, son?

Yes.

Lucky men, then, aren't we?

Well...

Birds and the bees.

Some things in life
never change.

Can we just stick to the bees?

Bees. Yeah.

People think they're easy.
They're not.

Prefer animals myself.

What's special about this one?

I don't know.
Have to ask Trudes.

Maybe it's dodgy or not manuka.

She's always on at me
about manuka.

Lowers my cholesterol,
and all that nonsense.

Still, not bad in whiskey.

The real deal.

Yeah. It's actually
a great sideline for Trudes.

God knows she hasn't taken
to much else around the farm.

- No?
- No.

She's hard yakka, this land.

Got to work
for every bloody cent.

So Philip Henderson
was really up against it?

He wasn't a farmer.

What was he?

He was a bloody townie
who dabbled.

Wouldn't know a farm
from a hole in the ground.

Great healing properties.

You look as though
you could do with some.

Thanks.

What can I do you for?

Um...

- Thanks, Trudy.
- No worries, Larry.

I -- I'd just like to ask you
some questions.

- I'd like to win Lotto.

- It won't take long.
- Dunnies to clean.

Yeah?

Right.

Okay.
Thanks, sweetheart. Bye.

That was Dougie.

Those questions of yours,

he's just fielded them
from your offsider.

Well, I need
your confirmation.

Then I'll confirm
there's nothing more to say.

But...

Dougie and me
don't boil our cabbage twice.

Smile, Detective.

Only happy punters
leave the Toad & Lion.

It's an aspirational experience.

Your sister's walking
a fine line, Ray.

What's she done?

It's more about
what she hasn't done.

She just needs to help us
with our inquiries.

We're not the bad guys here.

Look, all that macabre stuff
happening to her neighbor --

helluva stressful.

It's enough to put even
a tough nut like Trudy on edge.

Let me talk to her.

Her bark's worse than her bite.
Honest.

Most of the time.

What I meant to say

was that Dougie's
a real straight shooter,

and I endorse
everything he told you.

I understand that you made
threats against Philip Henderson

that day on your driveway.

"Back off, pencil neck,
or you'll be roadkill."

You didn't get that
from Dougie.

Is it true?

I just wanted him
out of our face.

He was never in any danger.

He was on our land,
blocking our driveway,

making false accusations.

About what?

I'm confirming everything
Dougie told you, okay?

Now, that's it.
I've got work to do.

That's fair enough, isn't it?

You must be Philip's brother.

Easy deduction to make,
even for a detective.

I assume that's what
your business is here.

D.S.S. Mike Shepherd.

Thomas Henderson.

Unfortunately, Thomas,

forensics haven't finished
with the house yet.

Okay.

- I'll get a room in Riverstone.
- Brokenwood's closer.

They have hotels
in Brokenwood?

And electricity, television.
Running water, even.

I take it you didn't spend much
time visiting your brother here.

No.
Well, I never got it.

Got what?

Philip shucking the city, moving
here, this whole farming thing.

- Same genetics, me and him.
- Obviously.

Same nurture, same school,
identical degrees in commerce.

Here he was, moldering away
in the wops.

Going organic.

While you...?

- Me?
- What do you do?

Tom, is it?

No, never Tom.
Always Thomas.

So, Thomas, what do you do?

I am a matchmaker.

I work in finance.

I bring parties to tables,
put deals together.

Make people happy.

- Sounds rewarding.
- Very.

How did you find out
about Philip's demise?

His girlfriend
at the organic café. Delia.

Dahlia.

- She rang me.
- Yesterday?

Yeah, well, I had some
loose ends to take care of,

but I came as soon as I could.

So I'm here
to take care of affairs.

Apparently there's
some kind of memorial, and...

And?

I'll do what I have to do.

I understand
you're his only next of kin.

We didn't have much time
for each other,

but there was no one else.

Do you want to see him?

Philip?

His body's at the morgue.

Do I have to?

No, we have adequate I.D.

Well, then, I think I will pass.

Be like looking at myself, dead.

Thank you all so much for coming
to remember Philip.

Unfortunately
he can't be here in body

because the pathologist is still
determining cause of death,

but I'm sure
he's here in spirit.

My God.

It's like his ghost.

Shh. Respect, boys.

Sorry.
I'm Philip's brother.

- Hi, I'm Thomas.
- My God.

I mean,
Philip never said that...

I -- He said
that you were twins,

but on the phone
you sounded so different,

and I-I didn't realize...

We're identical, yeah.

I'm sorry.
I know it can be confronting.

No, I'm sorry.
You should...

No, no, no. Please.
Please, you continue.

Philip was
considerate and -- and kind.

Look,
now's probably a good time

if anyone else has got
anything to say.

Feel free.

Philip and I didn't exactly
see eye to eye,

but he was a neighbor.

And if neighbors don't
look out for each other,

what have we got?

Anyway, on that note,
I'd just like to say that

Trudes has invited everyone
down to the Toad & Lion

for a bit of a wake,

and Mrs. Marlowe over here

has whipped up
some cheese rolls.

So if, um,
anyone feels like a beer.

Come on down.
Everyone's welcome.

Beats lentils
down at the Sage Locust.

They're just trying to
get Philip's tab paid off

by his flash brother.

Have a heart, Taylor.
The man's bloody dead.

Dahlia, I'm sure
it wouldn't be a problem

if I retrieved Philip's ring
from the mortuary.

I could check it out
with Thomas.

No!

Okay, it's no problem.

Sorry, it's just I...

Well, I think it would be wrong
to take it from him,

even in death.

Can I grab a lift with you
to the wake?

- Yeah, sure.
- Thanks.

I must say I'm very surprised
to see that man here.

I mean, would you attend
the funeral

of someone
you'd so publicly attacked?

Really?

At the Riverstone farmers market
this last weekend.

You're doing a roaring trade.

Can't complain.

You're saying all this honey

is organically grown, are you?

Yes, sir.

Does that mean that every flower
the bees alight on is organic?

- Is that how it works?
- Yes, sir, it is.

How do the bees know which
manuka flowers are organic?

Sir, my farm
is organically certified,

as you well know.

So these bees, they know which
trees are on your land, do they?

What exactly
are you trying to say?

Bees can forage
for up to three kilometers.

I mean, can you guarantee that
they're not going off your land

onto, say,
a neighbor's nonorganic manuka?

Philip said "as you well know,"
so he knew him?

Yes.

I'm certain they'd
come across each other before.

It's, um, true, though?

What?

That Philip Henderson
was hung, drawn, and quartered.

Not exactly.

Well,
that's a relief, really.

Would be a bit messy.

Polyethylene, Dacron,
and Dyneema.

Also known as UHMWPE.

It's a monofilament
made for fly-fishing.

Any DNA material?

Too early yet, but blood
and scales were evident.

From brown trout, probably.

- Did Philip fish?
- Don't know.

But I know who does.

The line I saw
looked just like that one.

Bring him in.

Doug needs to explain
his movements in detail.

He's at Henderson's wake.

You're not heading down?

Sims is on it.

You lost something?

Yeah, just looking for a message
from a dead man's finger.

You might want to
slow down a bit.

Why?

I hate this place.

You know, she never made us
feel welcome here.

She always spoke to us as if she
had a mouth full of barbed wire.

I don't think
you're alone in that.

She seemed to have
something against Philip.

I heard mention
of an unpaid bar tab.

Disputed, not unpaid.

Over...?

Doug's spray drift
wreaked havoc.

The unpaid tab
was a point of principle.

It was small change
compared to the cost to Philip.

Now look at her.

Playing Miss Generous
and sucking up to Thomas

and that shark Sinclair.

Dahlia.

You know, I was trying
not to talk business

out of respect for Philip,

but if you're talking to him
and -- and our competition,

then I won't be left out.

Please. I'm sorry.
I thought it was crystal clear.

What?

Philip is dead.

There is no "our."

Yes, but you own the farm.

I can help you manage it,

and we can still do
the online organics store.

Dahlia, I work in finance.

I have absolutely no interest
in farming.

- Hey.
- Hey.

- Another beer, gents?
- Thank you.

Here's trouble.

- Doug about?
- Was. Gone.

Back to the farm?

Maybe.

Bastards!

Okay, why don't
I make you a coffee?

Kristin, you're a good friend,
but you make terrible coffee.

I made the mistake
of thinking that

because Thomas
looks like Philip,

he was a nice guy.

But instead he's double-crossing
me with corporate honey.

Larry Sinclair?

How can two men who look
the same be so different?

Here.

I want to know
what happened to Philip.

Who killed him?
What killed him?

Why?

I'd like to give that a try
one day.

It's great for the soul.

Well, it was
until you turned up.

Guess you didn't realize it was
the first day off in six months.

Apologies.

What kind of line do you use?

Leader or trace?

The main one, I guess.

Why would you want to know that?

Say I wanted to try.

Well, you'd go for monofilament,
not fluorocarbon.

Mono's easier to cast.

Handy to know.

I didn't come down
in the last shower, son.

You're into fishing all right.

Not for the fish.

A monofilament line was used
to tie Philip to the stake.

Do you mind coming down
to the station?

Wouldn't matter if I did mind...

...would it, son?

- No ring?
- No ring.

If Philip left Dahlia's
that morning with the ring,

then when his body was found
there was no ring,

then whoever has that ring now
is either the killer

or the last person
to see Philip alive.

Unless it's opportunistic.

Someone comes across Philip's
body and lifted the ring.

But who would do that?

More to the point,
who might have an excuse

to be on Philip's property
that time of morning?

I'll alert the pawnshop.

Yeah, and Riverstone.
And Tahuna Point.

Whoever's got it
may have more clues

than to try and offload it
in Brokenwood.

Do you have a picture
of Dahlia's ring?

I'll get one.

Actually, can we not tell Dahlia

that Philip's ring's
gone missing?

Just in the meantime?

She's feeling a little fragile,

in grief over
Philip's death, obviously.

But she's also feeling
really frozen out by Thomas.

Thomas?

She had hopes that he might
pick up the reins

on the business partnership that
she was setting up with Philip.

And Thomas refused to play ball?

Well, apparently he's already
onsold Philip's farm

to Larry Sinclair.

Interesting.

Mrs. Marlowe saw Sinclair
disrupt Philip's stall

at the Riverstone
farmers market last weekend.

How?

He publicly questioned
Philip's organic status.

Therefore she was a bit shocked

when he showed up to the
memorial with Philip's brother.

Yeah, they were as thick
as thieves at the wake too.

I might have a word
with Larry Sinclair

before he leaves town.

Well, he's staying
at the Toad & Lion.

- So good luck with that.

Mike Shepherd.

Thomas.

On my way.

Larry. Mike Shepherd.

The new owner of the farm.

Gee, word travels fast.

Not actually me, though.
My company.

We don't own it yet.
There's probate.

Few i's to dot
and t's to cross.

But if we did own it,
I'd be concerned.

All these hives and a couple of
dozen others on Philip's land

have been stripped.

Stripped?

Cleaned out.
All the honeycomb stolen.

It's akin
to stealing liquid gold.

The honey from these hives
is UMF 15 plus.

In layman's terms?

It's a combined rating
of key markers

like leptosperin,
DHA, and methylglyoxal.

Clears that up.

The unique properties
of manuka honey.

Virtually the highest-rating
manuka honey you can get.

This manuka stand
just happens to produce

the most active honey
in the world.

If it's the real deal,

someone's gotten away
with thousands of dollars.

And yet you didn't seem
that impressed with it

when Philip was trying
to sell it last weekend

at the farmers market.

My, aren't we well informed?

Small-town gossip.

But nevertheless true.

It's a question of labeling,
Detective.

Organic is irrelevant
when it comes to manuka honey.

The important thing
is its UMF rating,

not whether it's organic.

Philip never got that.

But this is
an organically certified farm.

Why shouldn't he sell
his honey as organic?

Because there's also
the question of accuracy.

This huge stand of manuka

actually extends across
the top end of three farms,

and since bees can travel
up to three kilometers

in search of nectar,

how could Philip be sure
that his bees were making honey

only from the manuka
on his farm?

He couldn't.

It's not just a question
of labeling,

it's a question of ownership.

So Philip's honey...

Was Doug Randall's honey.

And equally...

Tamati Taylor's.

Sort of looks like this,
and it's in gold.

- Hand-tooled?
- I believe so.

It's bespoke.
Slightly hippie, New Age.

Well, we don't deal
with that sort of thing.

Well, if it's come through,
it's in a man's size.

- Yeah, that's unlikely.
- Why?

Well, rings aren't really
gender specific.

Girth's more a question
of flesh on the bone.

You're not keen
on another ferret, are you?

I got a new shipment in.
Not too manky.

That was a one-off.

Warrior Princess" costume?

I'm okay.
Thanks, Syd.

So, early to bed.

9:30's hardly early
for a farmer.

After a whiskey-and-honey
nightcap.

Yeah.
And out like a light.

Hey, can you just make a note
that I brushed my teeth first?

And you were out to the world
until 5:30 in the morning?

May have had a pee.

You didn't see
your wife come home?

Trudes is careful.

She knows
I have to get up early.

Saw her for breakfast, though.

- And what time was that?
-9:00ish.

Like to let her sleep in.
She finishes late at the pub.

What time were you
up and about?

About 6:00.

So between 6:00 and 9:00,
did you leave the farm?

- No.
- Who can vouch for you?

No one.

Not unless
your name's Doctor Dolittle.

- Doctor who?
- Not him.

You know, the other one.
The one who talks to animals.

Would have been
a few polled Angus.

Quite a few Romney
would've seen me.

No human contact.

I can't afford that.
On my own out there.

So, we done?

Look, some bastard's
obviously got it in for me.

Some bastard had it in
for Philip Henderson.

If they think they can
intimidate me off my farm,

well, they've got
another think coming.

- Who's "they"?
- I've said more than enough.

Come on, Doug.
What the hell's going on here?

None of your beeswax, son.

Look, I'm not the only
fly-fisherman around Brokenwood

who uses mono.

Any idea were we might find
some more of the stuff?

Old Tamati Taylor.

He's a bloody master at nabbing
all the best spots on the river.

Never caught
as many as me, though.

Didn't bother
to tie his own flies.

We'll need corroboration
from Trudy, I guess.

I guess.

I think she'd rather
talk to a woman.

I think you'd rather
she didn't talk to you.

True.
She gives me the collywobbles.

- Collywobbles?
- Yeah, it's something Mike said.

Right. When you and he were
hanging out in the 1940s?

Collywobbles.

That mask has been
switched around.

So whoever stole the honey

did so using Philip's gear.

His hives were stripped
by someone

who was very familiar
with the farm,

who knew that no one
would be there

and that they wouldn't
be disturbed.

A neighbor?

The same person
who used the quad bike

to shift Philip's body
to the stake?

Doug.

But why would Doug kill Philip

and then string him up
using his own fishing line?

So he can steal his honey?

I'm not feeling it.

Doug was adamant
someone's setting him up.

Who?

The person who made sure
we knew about the altercation

between Doug and Philip.

The person who,
according to Doug,

also fishes
using monofilament line.

Tamati knew from Kahu

that Trudy had made threats
against Philip,

an opportunity
he took advantage of.

Same question -- Why?

Tamati said something peculiar.

They should be called
the Vandals, not the Randalls.

They stole my damn queen!

If you've got the queen,
you've got the whole hive.

So Tamati was basically accusing
Doug of stealing his bees.

An unholy trinity of apiarists.

And neighbors.

Honey wars?

So if we find the stolen honey,
do we find the killer?

Tomorrow, Tamati deserves
another visit.

- Gina.

It really is
a nice place you have here.

Thanks.

Very like Yasnaya Polyana.

In Russia?

Where Tolstoy wrote
"War and Peace."

I imagine you sit on your
veranda and write too, yes?

- No. I don't.
- Maybe you should try it.

Poetry, Mike.

I think you have
the heart of a poet.

- Poetry?
- Toxicology.

Tutin?
What exactly is tutin?

A toxin that comes
from the tutu bush.

We don't have this plant
in Russia.

Coriaria genus
is a powerful antagonist

of the glycine receptor.

- Please, Gina.
- It causes convulsions.

And sometimes, as in
Philip Henderson's case, death.

The tutu bush?

Found in the New Zealand bush

and historically
has caused the odd death.

The last was in 1908.

But plenty of hospitalization
and incapacitation.

What, so all these people
just wandering through the bush

who decide to eat...

All through eating toxic honey.

The tutu bush
isn't toxic to bees.

So the bees take the nectar
from the tutu flower

They can't tell the difference
between manuka and tutu,

and it all gets mixed in
with the honey.

Gina reckons the comb honey
is the real danger.

Once it's processed,
it might still be there,

but it's so diffuse,
it's usually harmless.

So Philip's death
could still be accidental?

Could be.

But at least we know where to
look now and what to look for.

Breen, have we got the analysis

of Philip's jar of honey
back yet?

I'll give ESR the hurry-up.

Well, I'm at Tamati's now.

Should I hold off?

No. Squeeze him.

Hello?

What now?

We're told
you're a fly-fisherman.

Well, who'd have told you that?

Does it matter?

Well, I haven't been fishing
since Viv died.

Probably take it up again

when the kids are old enough
to enjoy it, but...

So have you still got your gear?

Yeah.

Yeah, just...

...over here.

Here.
Knock yourself out.

Why the sudden interest?

Philip was tied to the stake
with fishing line.

And someone, guess who, told you
that I do a bit of fishing?

Is this all of it?

Yeah. So what?

Is this both
the same type of line?

I only use mono.

And how long's it been
since you've checked these?

I don't know.
Years.

This rod has a fly on it
and the other doesn't.

Should it?

Well, like I said,
it's been years.

And this one's missing
a decent amount of line.

You mind if I take these?

Do I have a choice?

Not really.

Someone's trying to
set me up here.

Doug Randall, he put you
onto this, didn't he?

You mentioned
Doug stole your queen.

How do you know it was him?

One day he's got no honey,
right?

And then next thing,
he's got plenty.

Just after my bees disappeared.

Yeah, but how do you know
one bee from the other?

Well, he said they'd swarmed,

you know,
just turned up out of nowhere.

We need to know
your exact movements

the night before Philip
was found and on that day.

That's easy.
I was here.

And we need to know
whether or not

you've been back
to Philip's farm

since the day
his body was found.

Why? What happened?

All of the honeycomb from
Philip's hives has been stolen.

Hey!

If they've done over Philip,

then they've probably
done me too.

- Who?
- You want to talk? Get on.

What the...?

They're all dead.

Some bastard's gone
and poisoned them!

All of them?

Yeah, it's me.

Yeah, my hives are all dead.

Is that a deal breaker?

Yeah. Okay.

Gods aren't smiling
on us today.

- Who were you just talking to?
- Larry.

Larry Sinclair.
He's on his way up.

Now, there's many
reasons why hives die.

So it might not be
deliberate poisoning?

Looks as if it was.
Petrol.

You see how there are no dead
bees on the entrance ledge?

- Meaning?
- They're all stacked up inside.

They couldn't get out.

Somebody's blocked off the exit,
lifted off the lid,

thrown in a cup or so of petrol,

and then jammed the lid
back down quick smart.

The fumes kill the bees
in about five minutes.

- Poor bees.
- It's awful, actually.

The noise that the bees make
within the hive

is almost like a jet engine.

Then they suddenly stop.

You have some experience?

Some hives infected
with the varroa mite.

Once they were dead,

whoever it was
removed the bung from the exit,

moved on to the next hive.

How long have they been dead?

Has to be done in the dark.

You have to make sure all
the bees are back in the hive.

So...?

Well, had to have happened
last night.

Any longer, and the smell
of petrol would be gone,

overcome by the smell
of rotting bees.

Randall the vandal.

Why?

Well, he must have
figured out that,

you know,
that I told you guys

about that argument he had
with Philip.

Yeah, Doug and Trudy,
they're vindictive people.

As Philip found out.

Well, how would Doug have
gotten in here, even at night,

without you seeing him
go past your house?

No, you don't need to go
past my place to get in here.

There's lots of ways
into this bush.

We'll need a statement from you.

Come on!
I wouldn't kill my own bees!

As tragic as this
situation is, Tamati,

it's not just about the bees.

When you're ready.

I'll just arrange
for Kahu to be here

when the kids
get back from school.

Reckons he hasn't
fished for years

but confirms that when he did,

he used monofilament.

Interesting.

This one has a decent amount
of line missing.

Okay.
Even more interesting.

Looks the same.

We'd need ESR
to make sure it's a match.

I'd put money on it.

I had an interesting
conversation with Larry Sinclair

on the way up to the hives.

You said
that Tamati called Sinclair

when he discovered
the dead hives.

Yeah, my hives are all dead.
Is that a deal breaker?

I asked Larry what sort of deal
he had with Tamati.

Sure,
we have a deal with Tamati.

We've bought his farm --
this farm -- conditionally.

Conditional on what?

Well, conditional on our company
completing the purchase

of Philip Henderson's place.

At the time we entered into
the arrangement with Tamati,

Philip was adamant
he wouldn't sell to us.

Why was one sale
dependent on the other?

Tamati's farm by itself
is no good to us.

This is how it works.

This is
Philip Henderson's property,

bounded on one side
by Tamati Taylor...

...and Doug Randall
and Trudy Neilson on the other.

And this...

...is that big manuka stand
that extends across

and within
all three properties.

The bees' only concern
is the nectar,

and they don't care who owns it.

So from Larry's point of view,
he needed all three farms,

or at least two of the three.

And with Philip's
here in the middle,

it had to be one of the two.

Problem was, Tamati was keen
to sell, but Philip refused.

As long as Philip refused
to sell, Tamati had no sale.

So Philip's death cleared the
way for Tamati to sell his farm.

We were looking for motive.

Who profits from Philip's death?

It's hard not to feel sorry
for the guy.

Dead wife, dead bees.

Waiting for the gods to smile.

I'll do it.

You had a deal to sell your farm
to Sinclair Wholesome Limited,

but only if Philip Henderson
sold his farm to that company.

Yes.

Was Sinclair offering
a good price?

Yeah, really good,

considering my farm isn't really
an economically viable unit.

It was okay when
there was two of us,

but since Viv died,

it's been a bit of a struggle,
you know?

So you were keen for the sale
to go through?

- No.
- No?

No, I want to keep my land
for my whanau, my boys.

Then why offer to sell?

Sometimes you got to do things
you don't want to do.

Like what, exactly?

The problem was

Philip Henderson was standing
in your way, wasn't he?

And you knew that
once he was dead,

the sale of his farm
would go through.

I didn't know that.

And then you're sweet, right?

Because then your sale
goes through too.

Well, I can see
how this might look --

Then you'll understand
why we need to know

exactly where you were
the day that Philip was found

and the night before that.

Well, I generally go to bed
pretty early,

not long after the kids,
'cause I'm up at dawn.

Did you leave the farm
that night?

Leave the kids
asleep in their beds?

I couldn't do that.

You said you were up at dawn.

Yeah, but the kids
are still asleep,

so I never stray
too far from the house.

So no one can vouch
for your movements?

Guess not.

I don't see too many people
on a regular basis,

you know, day to day.

Generally get the kids up
about 7:00,

make breakfast, lunches,
get them ready for school.

When do they leave?

They've got to be at the gate
for the school bus by 8:00.

After which point
you're on your own again.

Yeah.

With no one to account
for your movements

until the kids
got home from school.

Yes.

Is there anything
you want to tell us?

Yeah, there is.

Go on.

I might not be
the perfect father,

but I would never

just bugger off
out of sight of that house

and leave my kids asleep
in that tinder box.

I just wouldn't.

That's it?

Yeah.

Can I go now?

I've got Kahu waiting outside
with the kids.

He's got to get to another job.

- Kids are in my van, Uncle.
- Ka pai.

Catch you later?

Detective Sims.
This is for you.

For your smoko.

I thought you said
you didn't bake.

Hidden talents.

It was a good thing to do
with the nephews.

Actually, believe it or not,
I can't accept this.

- It could be seen as bribery.

You should try it first.

Might not be so much a bribe
as a form of culinary torture.

The nephews were a bit random
with the measurements.

Well, I'll see
if an exception can be made.

You find out who poisoned
my uncle's bees?

- We're working on it.
- Busy as a bee.

Something like that.

You know, my uncle Walter
had bees too.

He told me this cool thing.

The average worker bee,
the little lady buzzing around,

hopping on all those flowers,

she only makes a twelfth
of a teaspoon of honey

in her whole lifetime.

Wow.

Makes you think about quality
over quantity, right? And...

And?

Just how you have to work hard
in life to get the sweet stuff.

Another thing about bees --
You know how they communicate?

No, actually I don't.

By dancing.
Cool?

Do you like dancing?

Y- Yeah.

Good to know.

- Well?

What?

Tamati Taylor.

Yes. Um...

Well, we have him
completely over a barrel.

Absolutely no corroboration
about where he was

or what he was doing.

Not a shred of help from anyone.

There's just one problem.

He didn't do it?

He didn't do it.

Gut feel over logic?

Sometimes that's all we've got.

We asked the right question --
Who profits from Philip's death?

And we overlooked
a couple of names.

Why pay someone market rates
for something

when you can just
knock them off?

My gut feel is that
Larry Sinclair's offer

to buy those three farms

somehow sparked
Philip Henderson's death.

But just because
he provided the pot of gold

doesn't mean he's responsible
for the actions of those

trying to get their hands on it.

You're letting him
off the hook.

Well, not yet.

Although he's been
pretty transparent with us.

Larry told me that if his
company completes the purchases,

then all that land will be
planted out in manuka.

Source of liquid gold.

Which means a lot more money
in the future.

You again?

We're looking for
one of your guests.

Thomas Henderson.

Was here.

Gone.

To...?

Yoga.

You ever try it?

Yep.
Do wonders for you.

And Roxy.

Really?

Hey, what's happened?

Actually we're just here
to talk to Thomas.

Well, can't say I'm surprised.

I'll drop by later
for a kombucha.

Great.

Kombucha.

- Seriously?
- Shut up.

No way.

How can I help?

Dahlia's still upset with you.

I can't help that.

I did everything I could
to help Philip and her

get the money they needed.

One way of acquiring knowledge
of an opponent's business

is to offer to invest.

Is that what you were doing?

He was my brother,
not my opponent.

But you admitted
to D.S.S. Shepherd

that you weren't close,
that you were quite adversarial.

Is that his interpretation
of what I said?

Why didn't you go ahead
with the online organics?

Like, did you have
the better plan?

Like what?

Sorry, do you have to do that?

Can't rush it.
I'm cooling down.

Fine.

When did you find out
about Larry Sinclair's offer

to buy Philip's farm?

Okay, what exactly
are you guys getting at?

Philip's death
dumped his farm in your lap,

so you could sell to Sinclair.

Do I need a lawyer?

Maybe.

Or a chiropractor.

I've got nothing else
I can tell you.

I'm here to talk to you.

Well.
I'll go put the jug on, then.

We're good.

Right.

Okay.

Sounds serious.

We might be talking
motive for murder.

That serious?

Well, you knew Philip
refused to sell

and that his brother, Thomas,

his only heir
and successor, would.

You had the figures
for Philip's farm.

You knew the manuka honey
was a gold mine.

No, I knew that Philip's organic
farm was a perennial loser,

and what saved him
was manuka honey.

So what?

So you knew through your
relationship with Larry Sinclair

that he was interested in
buying your brother's farm.

But that your brother
wouldn't sell.

Okay, look.

What happened when
the Randalls and Tamati Taylor

got into the honey business,

it made for decreasing returns
for all of them,

particularly Philip.

There are only so many flowers.

Exactly.

So you've got three
greedy, small-time operators

all trying to cash in
to the max.

Therefore a sustainable
and lucrative operation

for one supplier
was being ruined by the three.

Larry Sinclair saw that.

Who told him?

What?

Who drew Larry Sinclair's
attention to the situation?

I told him.

I'd had dealings with him
in the past.

So while you were supposedly
acting for Philip and Dahlia,

behind their backs...

I kept Philip informed
throughout.

But not Dahlia.

Well, I had no obligation
to Dahlia.

When did Sinclair
make those offers?

Some weeks ago.
Maybe three.

Philip said no?

Yeah, initially.

He couldn't get past
his organic dream.

Some crazy scheme
he had concocted with Dahlia.

Crazy?

Yeah, it would have
solved nothing.

Did you tell him
and Dahlia that?

I told my brother.
I had to be honest.

Did you speak to Dahlia?

I spoke to her once or twice

when she answered
Philip's phone.

To be honest, she's a flake.

No wonder she ended up
with Philip.

Anyway, he got there in the end.

Got where in the end?

You're saying I arranged
Philip's death

so I could do a deal
with Thomas?

Yeah?

There's only one problem
with that theory.

Philip agreed to sell.

When?

Just before he died.

Philip accepted that the online
organics store wasn't a goer,

neither was the farm,
and that he'd sell to Larry.

You're sure?

It took him a long time to
accept that his dream was dead.

When, precisely,
did that happen?

The night before he died.

Did he tell Dahlia?

He said he was going to,
but I don't know if he did.

Detective Sims.

Right. Thank you.
I'll be right over.

I have to head over
to Curios & Collectables.

Sounds like Philip's ring's
turned up.

The night before
Philip's body was found,

I was close to giving up
on any sort of deal.

Even though Doug Randall
had agreed to a royalty.

A royalty?

Yeah, in exchange
for not having hives.

But it was no good
without the Henderson patch.

Then the call came through
from Philip --

He'd changed his mind.
He wanted to sell.

Where were you
when the call came through?

The Toad & Lion.

Trudy Neilson can verify it

because I was so chuffed
I ordered a bottle of champagne.

She asked me what I was
celebrating, so I told her.

Trudy actually broke
all her own rules

and shared the bottle with me.

What's the occasion?

Philip Henderson
has agreed to sell.

Really?

Cheers.

Okay.

I'll confirm with her
and come back to you.

I'll tell you something
for nothing.

You said Philip died
from toxic honey -- tutin.

I did.

Yeah, people have got it wrong.

See, the bees don't eat
the nectar from the tutu flower.

The passion vine hopper
eat the tutu sap, not the bees.

The bees eat the honeydew sap

secreted by
the passion vine hopper.

And this is important why?

Passion vine hoppers are
only found on tutu bushes

at certain times of year.

They haven't been around
for months.

Meaning?

Well, the toxic honey can't have
come from fresh honeycomb.

It has to have been
stored toxic honey.

Which means it was more likely

that the poisoning
was deliberate.

You're the detective.

Lab tests confirm that the honey
from Philip's kitchen

contains very high
concentrations of tutin.

So we know what killed him.

You drew a blank with Thomas?

He said that Philip
changed his mind

the night before he was found.

He'd agreed to sell.

Confirmed by Larry.

I can't see motive for him.

Does that
eliminate Thomas as well?

He was simply carrying out
his brother's wishes

in going through
with the sale.

Must be so weird for Dahlia.

Being let down by two separate
men who look exactly the same.

I think the worst thing is that

Philip didn't even have
the guts to tell her.

That's it.

Same design.

It's here somewhere.

You haven't changed your mind
about that second ferret?

I've got some other people
seriously interested.

Well.
It's your loss.

Yeah, here we are.
Let's see.

That's the name
and the signature of the person

who brought it in yesterday.

Dahlia.

But does it really mean
that much?

She lied about the ring.

What else is she hiding?

If it was opportunistic,
as you said...

Then she took the ring
off her dead boyfriend's finger.

I don't see her doing that.

People do strange things
under duress.

Let me talk to her.

Please.

Okay.

But record it.

Is something wrong?

I think...

...you better tell me
what really happened that night.

I'll transcribe this later.

The romantic dinner
never happened.

Philip did tell Dahlia

that the plan for their online
organics store wasn't a goer

and that he'd reached
the end of his tether.

This afternoon
with the Randalls,

the spray drift...

Dahlia, I...

I've had enough.

He told her that he couldn't
fight them anymore

and that he'd decided
to sell to Sinclair.

Dahlia was upset.

- You lied to me!
- I didn't lie to you!

- How could you do that?!
- I told you as soon as I knew.

You didn't even tell me
you were considering it!

So he didn't eat?

Not according to Dahlia.

And he certainly didn't
stay the night, either.

So the timeline in which

Philip could have been poisoned
shrinks back to...

When he left Dahlia's
that night, around 8:00.

Or before, if she's lying
about him not eating.

Why would she try and poison him

before he told her
about selling the farm?

Fair point.

And then after he told her,
there was no question of them

sitting down together to eat.

If it means the end of us,
then...

I'm sorry.

Can she account
for her movements

the rest of that night?

Not really.

Spent the night alone, upset.

Understandable, though.

Does she have a key
to Philip's house?

Yeah, but she said that he
doesn't lock his house anyway.

So she could have put
the tutin in Philip's honey.

But what was her motive?

Revenge?

Get a search warrant
for Dahlia's café and apartment.

We'll get forensics to check
the café for traces of tutin.

Meet me at Philip's farm.

I'll be there in a mo.

You know her?

I want to see
if it's physically possible.

What?

Hop on.

You're about the same weight
as Philip.

Comfy?

See if you can push him up
into position.

Heh!

Use your legs, not your back.

Says the guy
who recently broke his leg.

Is that why I'm doing this?

Time is a great healer.
And no.

Yeah, that would certainly
scare the birds.

The point is
she could have done it.

Yeah, and she's been
back to the house.

I can prove it.

Shepherd.

Okay. Thanks.

Developments at the Sage Locust.

Let's talk on the run.

Contemplating a new career?

Nah, too many
health and safety issues.

Philip Henderson's honeycombs.

Come on.

Looks the same.

I mean,
it could be monofilament.

Should we have it tested?

Let's see how
the interview goes.

Our scene guard was stood down
two nights ago.

When they left,
the shed looked like this.

Then sometime the following
evening, things changed.

Can you spot the difference?

No.

The bee helmet's
been hung upside down.

You drove up to the hives,
which you knew would be full,

but you needed apiarist gear
to pull off the heist.

We know you were there.
You left a trail.

What?

You took the photo of yourself
and Philip from his kitchen,

and you pinned it up
in your café.

How do you know that?

You're not gonna deny that
you stole the honey, surely?

He damn well owed me.

All the time and effort
I've put into our partnership,

for him to just pull the plug...

- You resented him for it.
- Yes!

- Enough to poison him?
- No!

You were familiar
with his habits.

You obviously felt comfortable
going into his house.

You snuck in and replaced
his honey with toxic honey.

What? T-Toxic honey?

He spread it on his toast,
as you knew he would. He ate it.

I would never do that!

I still don't believe that
she would have poisoned him.

You're hardly objective.

What I can't figure out

is why you poisoned
Tamati Taylor's hives.

Tamati?

- The farm next door.
- The Randalls?

The other side.

Poisoned?
How do you poison beehives?

Can you excuse me for a moment?

Something's not right.

She's got motive
for stealing Philip's honey,

but poisoning him?

And if she did poison him, why
string him up as a scarecrow?

Why advertise the fact?

Thomas did call her a flake.

Well, he called his brother that
as well.

Theft is a different ball game
from poisoning,

bees or people.

Dahlia's such a greenie
that she thinks twice

about using fly spray.

But to poison the man
that she loves,

then string him up
with fishing line

all to make it look like
Doug Randall did it?

I just don't buy it.

Charge her
with the theft of the honey.

Give her police bail,
but ask for her passport.

I was so in denial
since Philip died.

I couldn't accept
it was the end of everything.

I know you were just
doing your job.

Trying to be a good friend,
actually.

Okay, back to the honey wars.

Who wasn't getting
what they wanted?

Philip changed his mind,
got a deal.

Which suited Thomas.

Which meant Tamati
got a deal too.

Doug didn't want a deal,
so everyone's happy.

Larry Sinclair walks away
with two out of the three.

Three out of three.

Larry confirmed
that Doug Randall

didn't sell his land,

but that he did agree to take
a royalty from Sinclair

for not having hives
on his land.

So everyone gets what they want.

Are we back to square one?

No.

Larry said that the tutin
couldn't have come

from current honeycomb.

It had to have been stored.

In the jar of his own honey
that Philip spread on his toast?

That jar...

...was half full.

If he'd already used it,

why hadn't he already
poisoned himself?

We've got to come back
to the honey makers.

Doug didn't make his own honey.

If you look at it this way,

there was someone who wasn't
getting what she wanted.

Trudy wanted the farm sold

but instead was forced
to close down her hives.

How did Trudy handle that news?

She seemed pretty dark on it.

Just as well the champagne
was on the house,

because she sculled
most of it herself.

Larry said that as part
of their due diligence,

his company surveyed
the whole stand of manuka.

Sure, we found a couple
of tutu bushes.

I mean, nothing
to get alarmed about.

We'll get rid of them.

Did he say where they were?

On the Randalls' property.

The tutin poison.

What about it?

I know where it is.
What's the time?

9:15.

9:30 he has his
whiskey-and-honey nightcap.

He's out like a light.

So if Philip was
a warning to Doug,

you think Doug is next in line.

What the hell do you roosters
want this time of night?

I was about to hit
the bloody scratcher.

Good evening to you too.

Is that your usual?

Whiskey and honey.
Nightcap. Yeah.

If you're that desperate,
I'll pour you one,

have another myself.

What's your problem?
Cat got your tongue?

Well, I guess we can park
that theory.

- Follow me.
- Who the hell's in there?

Jeez.

Trudes'll scream blue murder.

That's the last of her honey
in here, you know?

Because you gave away
her hives to Sinclair.

Yeah, we get royalties.
For not having our own bees.

Trudes would have been thrilled
about that.

How've marital relations been
since the royalty deal?

I guess I didn't realize
how much they meant to her.

You told me she didn't really

take to anything else
about the farm.

Yeah, but in 45 years
of farming,

that's the first time
someone's come to me

and offered to pay me
for doing nothing.

It's hard to say no to that.

You said this one
might be dodgy.

- Yeah.
- You know what's in it?

Trudes said something
about tutu bushes,

but I wasn't really listening.

- You'll have to ask her.
- We plan to.

What the hell
is this all about?

You said last time you were
here that jar was full.

Yeah. Yeah, I think
that might be right.

You're talking crap.
Same amount as it was before.

She got rid of some of it.

I don't know why she didn't
get rid of the lot.

So it had been full?

Yeah, late summer.
That batch all got tested.

Why?

Bag it.

Hang on.

- These are Trudy's?
- Yeah. Too small for me.

What is that?

That's a factory job.
It's not mine.

What the hell's going on here?

What can I get you?

We need to talk.

So, talk.

I can do it here,
bring in the detective,

caution you, cuff you,
make a spectacle out of it.

It's up to you.

I'll be over here
pondering my next move.

You have a minute to decide
what that'll be.

Were you in on Doug's plan
to poison Tamati Taylor's hives?

Is that what this is about?
Dead bees?

Worth a lot of money.

Silly old fool.

Look, I told him
not to do it.

We can make restitution,
surely.

It's always weird watching
but not being able to hear.

But after a while
you get good at lipreading.

Why'd he do it?

Doug was upset, understandably,

about Tamati's attempt
to frame him.

- For what?
- The scarecrow business.

- Philip Henderson's murder?
- Was it?

Doug thought Tamati
was setting him up.

Well, it was Tamati
who told you jokers

about Dougie's argument
with Philip, wasn't it?

We're asking
the questions, Trudy.

We know what we know.

And it was Tamati that tied
Philip up using fishing line,

make it look like
Doug had done it.

Well, it's obvious, isn't it?

Why aren't you putting
the pressure on Tamati?

We've spoken to Tamati.

Look, if poisoned bees
are such an issue,

then he can have our bees.

We won't need them anymore.

Because Doug gave
your hives away, didn't he?

To Larry Sinclair.

Is that it?
Are we done?

Who's out here?

Walk away, Trudes.
Walk away.

Let's talk about
Philip's murder.

That wasn't a case
of Tamati framing Doug, was it?

- Wasn't it?
- No.

It was a case of you
framing Tamati.

Whose reel is that?
What's that mean?

- I want a lawyer.
- Sure.

But let me run
something past you

so you're fully informed when
you do talk to your lawyer.

You hated life on the farm.

It's actually
a great sideline for Trudes.

God knows she hasn't taken to
much else around the farm.

I don't hate the farm.

I hate what the farm's doing
to Dougie.

He's getting on.
It's grinding him down.

It's gonna put him
in an early grave.

Looks like she's under
a bit of pressure there, Doug.

She'll -- She'll tough it out.

So that when Larry Sinclair
came along with his offer

to buy the farm,
you were in favor of selling?

You townies wouldn't understand.

- Try us.
- The farm's marginal.

Even though it's been in
Doug's family for generations.

He can't afford
to hire someone to help him

I make damn near as much
from my hives as a hobby

as Doug makes
from running sheep and cattle.

But Larry's offer
to buy your farm --

Doug's farm.

...was conditional, wasn't it,
on Philip selling?

Because Philip's farm
was central.

That's no secret.

Larry was staying at your
pub, so you saw a lot of him,

and you understood from Larry

that Philip
was refusing to sell.

But you also found out
that Larry

was a business acquaintance
of Thomas,

Philip's brother and only
next of kin, who would sell.

So you decided to remove
the problem, didn't you?

You're telling the story.

On the night that Philip died

you were on your way
into work

when you saw Philip
leaving his house

and heading into town.

So you went to your shed,

where you had some honey
that'd been rejected

for excessive levels of tutin.

You took that jar
of toxic honey.

This jar.

Which your husband confirmed
had been full.

Dougie?

Trudes,
what're they saying to you?!

She can't hear you, Doug.

And on your way in to the pub,

you took a detour with your jar
of honey to Philip's house.

You walked in
through the back door,

which you knew would be open,

and you replaced Philip's honey
with the toxic honey.

It was almost the perfect crime.

Accidental poisoning
by tutu contamination.

Happened so many times before.
It's an occupational hazard.

But what you
couldn't have foreseen

is that Philip would
change his mind about selling.

Did he?

That night, when he got back
from telling Dahlia

that their organic dream
was over,

Philip rang Larry Sinclair and
told him the news, didn't he?

How would I know?

Because he was at the pub

when he took the call
from Philip.

He was so delighted
that he ordered champagne,

which he shared with you.

I don't drink at the pub.

But you broke that rule
because you thought you had

something to celebrate too,

that the sale of your farm...

Doug's farm.

...would go through too because
Philip had agreed to sell his.

In fact, you shouted Larry
the champagne.

Larry had some more news,
didn't he?

Some bad news.

Larry told you that your husband
had changed his mind too,

that he now refused to sell.

Instead he offered
to give away your hives

in return for a royalty
from Sinclair.

That was the real bombshell.

It was the worst of both
worlds, wasn't it, Trudy?

I was prepared to lose my bees
to help sell the farm.

I was prepared
to do that for Dougie.

But he just couldn't let it go.

He can't let it go
even though it's killing him.

So Doug gets to keep his farm
but gives away your bees.

So now you're angry
and confused.

Not to mention drunk.

Larry said that you drank
most of the champagne.

I shouldn't drink.

You needed to recalibrate,
and quickly.

Philip no longer needed to die.

In fact, now that
he'd agreed to sell,

it was probably better
that he didn't.

Doug was now the problem,
not Philip.

So you left the pub early
and drove to Philip's farm,

hoping you were in time.

There's a light on
but no action.

You park by the gate
and creep towards the house,

where you discover
that you're too late.

Philip was already dead.

And in that moment
of drunken anger and frustration

at Doug's decision,

you turned what might have been
considered an accidental death

into a murder investigation.

You decided to kill two birds
with one scarecrow.

By framing Tamati

and, hopefully,
sending Doug a message.

An almost mafioso-style message.

That doing deals
with Larry Sinclair

could end badly for him too.

Hell of a way to scare him
off his farm.

You took Tamati's reel.

You put Philip's body
on the quad bike,

drove down to the scarecrow,

tore that down,
and put Philip up instead.

You can't prove any of this.

This was found attached
to the bottom of your boot.

- Must be one of Dougie's.
- The fly is machine-wound.

Doug only uses hand-tied.

The trace matches Tamati's.

Well, there you go.

So how did it get to be stuck
to the bottom of your boot...

...unless...

...you were on his property?

Things might go easier
for you in court

if you admit to going back
and trying to stop the process

you'd already set in place.

I didn't want him to die.

- But...
- But you were too late.

Philip hadn't eaten with Dahlia
that evening,

so he came home,

made himself
some toast and honey.

Big boy.

Unfortunately
he had an appetite.

Maybe four pieces.

Delirium.

Convulsions.

Coma.
Eventual death.

It's not a nice way to die.

But it worked, didn't it?

I didn't want it to work.

I was hoping I'd make him sick,

that it'd be
the last straw for him.

Instead of
the last breath he drew.

Mike's formally charging her.

With what?

Philip Henderson's murder.

Come on, mate.
Your turn.

My turn?

Poisoned hives.

I need to talk to you
about that.

Something snapped.

God, I was so furious with Doug
for refusing to sell.

Farm's gonna be
the death of him.

I just wanted to do something
to help him

make the right decision
for himself.

For both of us.

Trudes.

I'm sorry, Doug.

Trudes.

Come on, Doug.

A classic case of the wrong
thing for the right reason.

Seems so.

Doug's got himself
all choked up.

He needs a minute.

True love
seldom did run smooth.

Tried to tell you.

Tell me what?

She's always freaked me out.

The collywobbles.