Vera (2011–…): Season 4, Episode 4 - Death of a Family Man - full transcript

Haulage contractor John Shearwood's body is dragged from a river and the bruises on his knuckles suggest that his death was not suicide. Estranged wife Stella and brother Luke thought that he was in Dublin on business but customs investigator Owen Preece tells Vera that John was working on his behalf to expose a smuggling racket by John's manager Mark Donovan. Donovan however was not at the murder scene at the time of death though both Stella and Billy, John's teen-age son, a recovering drug addict were both in the vicinity. John was leading a double life with a girl-friend Gemma Makins though she turns out to be the mother of a young boy whom a drunken Billy once accidentally ran over and killed. But then Billy makes a startling confession which eventually leads Vera to solving the case.

Up there.

In the hold.
Are you sure it's him?

(GULLS CRY)

Why isn't the coastguard dealing with
this?

Harbour master wanted you down here.

Crew were out fishing.
Found the body tangled up in a
traw

So where is the harbour master?

Frank McAffee. Says he can ID the
body.

Well, that saves us a job at least.

DCI Vera Stanhope.
Now, this is your patch.

That's right. The skipper called in
the office before he came into port.



It's this way.

You told DS Healy
you know who this fella is.

Aye. Tommy Stonnall.

His family owns
one of the trawlers here.

They've got two lads - Steve and
Lee. They're out at sea now.

And was this Tommy out with them?

No.

No, he's been missing for a few
weeks.

Your lot have been looking for him.

That's why I thought you should be
here.

I'll get on to Missing Persons.

The boys have been informed.
The boat's heading back in.

Right.

OK, we'll take it from here.



The skipper isn't happy, ma'am.
He wants to unload the catch.

Tell him they'll just have to wait.

Listen, they get paid for their
share of the catch

which, at the moment, is rotting in
that hold.

Six days at sea. Tired, hungry,
stinking of fish.

All right.

Kenny.
Ma'am.

Just get statements and we'll let you
go home as soon as we can. All right?

Right.

Marcus?
Come in.

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)

Morning.
Morning.

Will you be done before this catch
turns?

They're worried they'll lose out.

I don't intend on staying down here
for long, let's put it that way.

I hate the smell of fish.
Was he found like this?

No, they cut him out from the nets
and wrapped him in this tarpaulin.

We know he's local. A fisherman.

Fell overboard?

Ah, someone would have called it in.

How long's he been dead?
The epidermis is still tight.

Got rigor mortis in the jaw, in the
neck.

I'd guess around 24 hours
before he was pulled out of the sea.

So, what? Saturday night into Sunday.

Cause of death?

Well, I'm thinking...drowning,
hypothermia.

Only the harbour master thinks
there might be something suspicious.

Maybe suicide. He isn't wearing
shoes.

They could have come off in the
current.

What's this head wound?
The sea's been pretty rough.

Torso could have been bashed on
the rocks, dragged along the seabed.

There's no broken bones from
what I can see but the PM will tell