Wolfe (2021–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Episode #1.4 - full transcript

♪ There's a world outside my door ♪

♪ I don't know it anymore ♪

♪ I'm gonna stay here now ♪

♪ I'm gonna stay here now ♪

♪ Take a breath and say a prayer ♪

♪ Find the strength in my despair ♪

♪ It's not gonna take me down ♪

♪ It's not gonna take me down ♪

♪ I can see clearly now ♪

♪ The rain has gone ♪

♪ I accept all the things
that I cannot change ♪



♪ It's gonna be a bright... ♪

♪ ...bright sunshiny day ♪

Oh God, it's grim down here.

Hm, like the stuff that lurks in cups
under Flick's bed.

She still hasn't gone home yet then?

Ah, she's claimed asylum.

Don't pretend you're not thrilled.

Hydrogen sulphide levels are rising.

High enough exposure to hydrogen sulphide

and they're looking
at cortical pseudolaminar necrosis.

Which in English means?

Brain cell death.

Not unlike the kind experienced
by loved up teenagers.

Well, actually, experiments show
that sex causes neurogenesis



which improves cognition.

That's only been proven in rats.

Christ on a bike!

I call her Sharon, after me ex-wife.

She's a stunner.

Not the kind of girl you'd take home though.

Not with these gas issues.

Where is it?

Just on the left here.

I didn't touch it.

Any chance of you actually putting
those masks on?

Hey, would you mind?

Hold this.

It's alright! It's alright! It's alright!

It's alright! You're alright, mate.

You're alright.

It's alright. Calm down, calm down.

Well that could have gone better.

Yeah.

Just leaving now.

I'd say at least an hour,
hour and a half?

- Dot?
- Yeah?

Do you need a hand?

Aha, bless.
Little bit of dad humour there.

Well done, very good.

When they say "dad joke",
they just mean bad joke.

There's only one thing worse
than finding a rat in your fatberg.

So gross.

I think we can safely say
that it didn't die of natural causes.

You'd better tell Betsy
we're dealing with a double homicide.

Apparently the body parts
were found in this section here.

Which is fed by each
of these sewer lines in turn.

So the victim could've been
dropped down a manhole

in an area spanning half of Manchester.

That's about the size of it.

Wow.

It's like Stonehenge, but made of shit.

Something for our third year students
to get their teeth into.

Cheer up, Dominique,
it might never happen.

My partner's a nut job, so it already has.

Partner?

Er, Megan?

Fox's sake, Steve.

Right, let's see what we've got
before Maxine cuts him into pieces.

Well, someone's already beaten her to it,
but minus his left hand, he's all there.

Unlike our perpetrator
who I'm guessing probably isn't.

- He makes Steve look tanned.
- Oi!

He's been saponified.

He's basically soap. What do we know?

This is 28-year-old Sol James
whose DNA is helpfully on police record

thanks to a 2014 conviction for shoplifting.

- Ligature marks.
- Oh, and um...

Oh, God.

Extensive blunt force trauma.

- I can see a rainbow.
- Ah!

A rainbow?

A bruise is caused
when capillaries are damaged and leak blood.

As the body reabsorbs
the constituent parts of that blood

the bruise changes colour.

And when we see bruising
of several different colours

we know that the bruises were caused
at different times which is a red flag for...

Domestic violence.

And signs of domestic violence
on a corpse is a red flag for...

Spousal murder.

Roses are red, violets are blue...

All these colours at once
suggest your spouse killed you.

Catchy.

- Sol James's husband is a Mr David West.
- West?

Very popular name for psychopaths.

- Name one other than Fred.
- Rose.

Mr West?

It must be a terrible shock.

Is there someone you can call?

How can you be certain it's him?

DNA analysis.
Sol's profile is on the police database.

I want to see him.

I'm not sure that's a good idea right now.

Perhaps you're right. I mean...

I'm in bits.

I just want to use your bathroom
if you don't mind.

I hope you don't mind me asking, Mr West

but why didn't you report Sol missing?

Four weeks is a long time.

Not for Sol.

He was always going AWOL.

Usually after a row.

He always came back eventually.

Did you ever hit him?

What?

There were some marks. On Sol's back.

Bollocks.

I guess grief affects everyone differently.

This is a video of Sol and David
doing entirely consensual...

rough stuff to each other.

His idea, not mine.

Took some convincing, I can tell you.

Each to their own.

Sorry, that's me.

It's from Sol.

You said he was dead.

What does it say?

- "Missing you. Home soon for meatloaf."
- Meatloaf?

Meat loaf! Meat loaf!

It's our safe word.

Did Sol have fingerprint lock on his phone?

Er, yes.

And he was left-handed?

How do you know?

He didn't look the type.

- What? For kinky sex or murder?
- Either!

One isn't indicative of the other, you know?

The historical bruises
were our probable cause.

That video's just torpedoed our grounds
for a search.

Well luminol didn't show any blood
in the bathroom anyway.

But if he was clued up enough
to use the right saw

he might also know to use oxygenated bleach.

You did sneaky luminol?

What do you think I've got in the bag Betsy?
My gym kit?

Plausible deniability, Wolfe.

So the last text
that definitely came from Sol

was taken at 23:46
on the night he left home.

We know it was him,
because it included a photo.

Right, that might at least explain
some of the five DNA profiles

we found on Sol's body,
mostly sweat and saliva.

Interestingly we also found
traces of sodium borate

it's a chemical that's found
in strong detergents.

Maybe an attempt by the killer
to clean away evidence.

Historically,
Sol misspells the word "you're"

as "your".

But in the texts that are sent later

both types of "your"
are always used correctly.

It seems that our killer
knows that good grammar

is the difference between knowing your shit

and everyone knowing you're shit.

Good speller, knows his way
around freezer bags and detergent.

If this guy wasn't a homicidal maniac,
he would be a keeper.

How are we coming along
on finding the crime scene?

Er, aluminium oxide.
It's a chemical that's used in sandblasting.

- So, he was in the vicinity of building work.
- Mm.

It hardly leads us to a crime scene.

Half of Manchester are getting
loft conversions.

What if we're not looking for a crime scene
but where he was first?

Maybe we should phone all the clubs
on the list of Sol's haunts

to see if any of them were having
building work when Sol disappeared.

You think like a cop.

Are you sure you're not undercover?

No.

It's just a joke.

Dad joke. Bad joke.
But it's a very good idea.

Let's divvy the list and start phoning.

I'm DCI Betsy Chambers,
and this is my colleague Wolfe Kinteh.

We'd like to have a chat with you

about the opening night
after your refurbishment.

That was weeks ago.

Can you roll it on a bit?

See if we can find out
if he left with anyone.

I can do. But he didn't.

Remember the comings and goings
of all the punters, do you?

I remember his. He's a frequent flyer.

What? As in he comes to this club a lot?

As in, he gets pissed,
and I make him fly out the door.

A lot.

Not everyone has what it takes
to be cabin crew, Dale, but uh...

you've got it in spades.

He's a first class idiot.

Is he in trouble?

The worst kind.
Thank you for your help, Dale.

As you were more
than a little hands on with him

would you mind if I took
a sample for elimination?

Fuck! Is he dead?

As dead as disco.

The deniability is not plausible
if I have to wait this long for you.

What was the make and model of Sol's car?

It's...

...a green BMW. Reg number V682 K...

It's right there.

Can I help you?

How long has this car been here?

Over a month.

You didn't think to tell anyone?

Are you the police?

I am. He's forensics.

Professor Wolfe Kinteh.

Doesn't it just boil your piss
how people call it a blood "splatter"

instead of a blood spatter?

It certainly does.

I'm afraid to tell you your colleagues
in blue have shit for brains.

This is not a newsflash.

Why d'you say that?

Four weeks ago, the car kipper parks
his beamer here to go to Affinity.

- The car kipper?
- Mm. That's what he does.

He gets pissed in the club
and sleeps it off in the car.

Only on this occasion he didn't.

He comes out the club and gets
into a different car that's waiting outside.

When he didn't come back the next day
to get his beamer, I rang the police.

D'you know what they said?

"We'll send some officers out straight away"?

That no one's been reported missing.

You can't get the staff.

Clearly not. Although they turned me down.

No crips in pips.

I'm sorry about that.

I don't suppose you got the registration

- for the car he went off in, did you?
- Mmm, no.

It was a yellow Citroen Xsara.

But I didn't realise the registration
was important until he didn't come back.

I did get something else though.

Hang on.

"No crips in pips."

Poor kid.

It's a shame there's no CCTV.

It's probably cheaper
to have him sitting out here all night

on less than minimum wage.

The driver of the car was chain smoking

flicking butts out of the window
into the gutter.

When the car kipper didn't come back,
I went over and retrieved 'em

bagged 'em up as evidence
in case anyone came asking.

There must be a dozen butts
inside that gutter.

But not three the same.

White tip, burgundy lipstick.

It's good thinking.

I've got to compensate somehow.

Did you get a look at her?

Too far away.

You know, you ought to consider
a career in forensics, my man.

You'd take me on?

In a heartbeat.

We serve Fallowfield, not downtown LA.

So when you text saying we might have
a serial killer on our hands

I can only assume
someone's been smothered in Rice Krispies.

Welcome to pet cemetery.

I say this because I love you, Steve.
You need a hobby.

Now I bet that you've assumed
that I've ordered these by size

but I haven't.

I've ordered them
by stage of decomposition.

So...

The first mice are dry remains

the second mice and the rat,
they're advanced decay.

The squirrel is in active decay

and the fox is in the bloat stage, but...

they've ended up in size order too,
which is very telling.

Of what?

That these animals were killed
in size order.

Someone has started off small
and got bigger over time.

So, assuming
that whoever killed these guys

also killed Sol...

we are dealing with someone that practised
on animals and graduated to a human

- which suggests...
- He's just getting started.

I mean, obviously I don't want
anyone else to die

but this is the sort of case
that I dream about.

I'll tell Betsy.

You get off home, Steve,
have a cold shower or something.

But very good work.

See.

Er yeah, I would describe it as a howl.

I'm not sure I would describe it
as a wolf's howl.

I think that would be more of a...

That's not... That wasn't a ow-woo.

No. No, that was more of a...

Look, I know it's
a disappointment to you, Wolfe

because I'm fairly certain
it's on your bucket list

but I do not think you are being targeted
by a serial killer.

- Can Betsy trace the phone?
- No.

She's narrowed down its location

but it's still an area
that covers half the city.

Hello.

Careful, I'm filthy.

Oh, are you now?

No, I'm actually filthy, Steve.
I've been disposing of fatberg.

- I don't care.
- You should.

Fatbergs are full of super bugs.

Well you are worth contracting
an antibiotic resistant infection for.

What the fuck are you doing?

Woah. Woah, massively miscalculating
how sexy that would be.

- Hello?
- Hi, can I speak to Liza please?

I just missed a call from her.

Oh, I'm afraid she's on the line
to someone else at the moment.

Can I get her to give you a call back?

I don't suppose you know
who she's on the other line to?

- Let me just clarify, Liza.
- Yes.

The files were supposed to be ready by five

but they're now going to be ready at three?

That's right.

And who is it on my team that you've been
speaking to about these files?

I believe that was Bibi.

Well, I'll let Bibi know that they're ready.

OK. Alright. Can I just say

- your reputation precedes you?
- Yeah, thank you.

Well, your reputation precedes you
as well, Lisa.

- Liza.
- Liza, sorry.

- OK, thanks.
- Thank you.

- Bye. Bye.
- Bye-bye.

I've just done something
really fucking clever.

Have we got a student called Bibi?

We've got one called Baby.

Did you order any files
from the archive warehouse?

No.

Should I have?

Anyway, back to my clever thing.

I took a DNA profile off the cigarette butts
that the car park attendant kept as evidence.

It's not a match for anyone
on the police system

but I was able
to use epigenetic markers in the DNA

to determine that the individual
is female and between the ages 25 and 50.

I then checked with DVLA

and got a list of all the people
who fit that profile

and are the registered owner
of a yellow Citroen Xsara.

There were a few.

but I then crosschecked that list

against addresses inside the area
covered by the cell phone mast

that the messages
from Sol's phone bounced off.

There's only one name, Wolfe.

Sarah Goodwin.

Is anyone on the team acting weird
as far as you're concerned?

Seriously?

Steve put a bit of roadkill in rot order
and you practically gave him a rosette.

Women don't tend to be serial killers.

Women can be anything
they want to be, Betsy.

Sarah Goodwin?

- That's right.
- DCI Betsy Chambers.

We need to ask you some questions.

- About what?
- May we come in?

- Is there a problem?
- It shouldn't take long.

Yeah, um, I'm just on the phone upstairs,
I won't be a minute.

Looks the part.

This case is revealing
a very judgmental side to you.

Sweet Jesus!

Um, something's come up.

What the hell is that?

Literally, lipstick on a pig.

I think it's fair to say that she's got
something of an interest in death.

And questionable taste in decor.

Can they still get fleas?

You're looking at my creations?

- You made these yourself?
- Mm-hm.

They're quite something.

It helps me to unwind after work.

And what is it that you do?

I'm a makeup artist. For the dead.

Unusual line of work.

I had a calling to it.

A few years ago when my mum died,
I went to the undertakers to see her

and I found they'd made her out
to look like someone else.

Honestly, it was like losing her twice.

I'm sorry.

So I redid her makeup and as I was putting
the colour on her cheeks

well, for a second it felt
like I was putting the life back into her.

It's the same with the creatures.

I mean, people think that it's about death,
but actually it's about life.

It's about preserving it eternally.

Have you ever met a man called Sol James?

Mm. He's an old school friend.
Why do you ask?

When was the last time you saw him?

Um, three or four weeks ago.

Is he OK?

- You picked him up from Affinity nightclub.
- That's right.

Yeah, we came back here
and had a pot of tea.

Maybe young men
have changed a bit since my day

but back then when you left the club
in the early hours you wanted a kebab and a...

Were you sleeping with him, Sarah?

Sol's gay.

And I'm asexual actually, so no.
We had a pot of tea.

Can I use your bathroom?

Yeah, it's just through there.

Thank you.

What the hell are you doing in here?

Where do you get the animals, Sarah?

They can't all be roadkill.

Different sources.

Well the mice are reptile food.

They're alive when you buy them.

You kill them
so you can return them to life?

Bloody hell.

Missing left hand.

- No, no, no. Don't go near that, please.
- No.

You have got no right!

Is this me?

What?

Is this a proxy for me?

I don't know what you're talking about.

What do you use this for?

It's a desiccant.

It just... It draws out moisture

from animal's skin.

It... It stops them from rotting.

Did it stop Sol from rotting?

What?

- Wolfe?
- We found traces of this chemical.

On Sol's body.

Sol's dead?

Probable cause.

What happened to him?

Sarah Goodwin I'm arresting you
on suspicion of the murder of Sol James.

You do not have to say anything

- but it may harm your defence...
- You think that I killed him?

...if you do not mention when questioned,
something which you later rely on in court.

- Anything...
- He was in here.

Maybe... Maybe he touched the powder.

It was in his hair. On his torso.

OK, we did sleep together.

And I was using it earlier that evening.

- Maybe that's what...
- So why did you lie?

Because I was embarrassed.

Anything you do say
may be given in evidence.

Hey.

- I got us some stuff.
- Oh, I'm going out.

- Where?
- I can't tell you that.

- Well do tell, otherwise you're not going.
- I'm going out with Mum.

- Where?
- Like I said...

I thought you two weren't even speaking.

We weren't, but something's come up.
It's important.

I really wish there was just one area
in my life that wasn't shrouded in mystery.

Maybe the real issue is your unhealthy need
to solve all mysteries.

Right, see ya later.

How's it stalking if it's family?

Hmph.

I can't believe we're having to do this.

- Of all the stupid things.
- You know being judgmental doesn't help.

I know, I know, I just...

I'm so angry.

- You better not tell your dad.
- Yeah, no shit.

- Valerie Burgess?
- Ah!

That's her.

You wouldn't catch me doing it unprotected.

I don't think Bibi's gonna show.

What's with the archive files?

You tell me.

You seemed to be eyeballing them
pretty closely as I walked in.

Right, I have no idea
what you're talking about, Wolfe.

Something is going on
in this department, Dot

and if polygraph testing were reliable,
I'd have all of you hooked up one by one.

Flick and Val have been lying to me too.

- Are you sleeping OK?
- Don't you dare!

No, only cos yesterday
you thought the killer was trying

- to communicate with you...
- She was. The howling, the wolf's head.

She couldn't have been clearer.

The precipitin testing has revealed
that at least some of the blood is human.

Great.

- There are also traces of Sol's DNA.
- Let's have it written up for the CPS.

I would've liked to see more.

It was a pretty low grade sample
given we think he was butchered there.

There is also a chance
that the human blood could be Sarah's.

You don't use knives like that
without getting the odd nick or two.

I also found something interesting
when I analysed the blood sample

after Sarah was arrested.

Her HCG levels indicate
that she's about four weeks pregnant.

Well?

Sarah says she wanted a baby
to fill the void left by her mother's death.

- Sol was the sperm donor.
- So why didn't she just tell us that?

Sol only agreed to do it on the condition
that no one would ever find out.

David, in particular.

Looks like she wasn't lying
when she said it's life rather than death

- that interests her.
- None of this means she didn't kill him.

I mean, widow spiders kill their mate
after sex.

Val probably wishes she'd devoured me
once she got what she needed.

Maggy doesn't reckon Sol died on that table.

Well maybe Sarah killed him somewhere else.

Problem?

Listen, you've got two choices.

You go of your accord,
or I'll take you over there meself

and the chair'll stay here.

- Go on then!
- What's going on?

This idiot won't leave.

Not until you come and clean
the cars you pissed on.

I warned ya.

Every time I look over there,
he's staring me out.

You're paranoid, mate.

A guilty conscience'll do that.

What guilty conscience?

Know you had beef with the lad who died.

I didn't have beef with him.

- He was an idiot.
- Whatever.

- Oi!
- I will fuck you up.

- Doesn't bother me you're on wheels.
- Oi! Calm yourself!

You know, it would be easy to assume
that it's some feeling of superiority

that causes you to act the way that you do.

But I wonder if it's the opposite.

I can see how anabolic steroids
would initially have been appealing.

All that muscle mass, seemingly for free.

But then the bill arrives

the 'roid rage,
and the uncontrollable tears.

Not to mention the shrivelled balls
and dysfunctional penis

You gotta wonder mate

was it really worth it?

You're a clever guy, aren't ya?

- Maybe too clever.
- Step away now Dale, if I was you.

I'm telling you, he's a wrong'un.
You ought to look into him.

Maybe we should.

If only you'd taken a swab.

Both of them.

You know you can tell me anything, right?

Of all the rubbish parents come out with,
that has gotta be the biggest one.

No Dad, there's a vast myriad
of things I can't tell you

cos you'd either get too mad or too sad,
or it'll somehow blow your tiny mind.

Well I know you went
to the sexual health clinic

and that hasn't blown my tiny mind.

No?

I find the idea
that you've either had sex

or thinking of having sex
completely unacceptable

but if it has to happen,
then I want you to be safe.

So you'd be OK with it?

OK is a stretch,
but I'm not losing my shit, am I?

Well, that's very good to know.

Thanks, Dad.

Oh, my God! You're having sex.

- No!
- You're planning on having sex?

Also no.

Well what were you doing
at a sexual health clinic?

Mum was getting tested.

Tested for what?

Well not pregnancy, Dad.

STIs?

Apparently Jeff prefers things natural.

- That's way too much information.
- How do you think I felt?

Look, the tests will
probably come back clear

just don't mention to Mum
that you know anything.

She seemed pretty low.

What makes you say that?

Mmm, when she dropped me off,
she gave me a hug

and she sort of...

like... wouldn't let go.

Ah, don't go soft.
She brought it on herself, remember?

Your destination is on your left.

What the hell were you thinking?

Well, the killer told me to come alone.

If they'd seen a police car rolling up,
they might not have left the hand.

You're assuming that they knew it would
be you on the receiving end of that text.

Well, it would explain the woolly jumper.

What?

A wolf in sheep's clothing.

That is tenuous.

I'm not being funny Wolfe,
but this case has a victim, and it isn't you.

I managed to extract a DNA sample
from the jumper.

It's Dale Waite.

- The bouncer.
- Let's go.

I'll get a unit to his house
and one to the club.

Yeah, me and
the team will head to the house.

Er, Wolfe. I need you to see this.

Right, so once it became clear
that Sol left Sarah's house alive

I did another sweep of the car. See that?

- It could be innocent of course.
- Yeah, let's find out.

Woah.

Well that's an arterial spray
if ever I've seen one.

Dale must've murdered him
as he approached the car.

It's an upward angle
from a very low impact point.

What if Sol was on his knees,
Dale came up, hit him from behind

he fell down and then Dale followed up
with a knife in the neck.

There was no injury on the back of Sol's head
or between his shoulder blades.

Yeah, and if you're Dale,
why go to the trouble?

He had the knife, he was taller than Sol

why not just, y'know,
plunge it in and be done with it?

Because he was compensating.

Tyler?

You cut Sol's femoral artery.

I couldn't have reached his carotid.

- But you've put yours on a plate.
- Don't do something you'll regret.

Why would I regret it?

Everyone's going to know my name.

I think they'll know it now anyway.

No one cares about Sol James.

But Professor Wolfe,
the forensics expert who got murdered

- by the guy he never suspected.
- Yep.

That's a story.

Look, I'm sorry I underestimated you.

I've been underestimated my whole life.

I struggle to hold a pen

and some days my piss,
so you can't blame people really.

But if you gotta be invisible,
you might as well have some fun with it.

I don't think this is about disability.

I think it's about psychopathy,
pure and simple.

Please, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, please.

- Please.
- Tyler, put the knife down.

I'm not gonna kill ya.

I'm gonna haunt ya.

You're gonna spend the rest of your life

wondering if I killed again
in the time it took you to find me.

I'm the guy you didn't spot, Wolfe.

I'm the guy who won.

Come in.

You wanted me?

Sit down, Dominique.

Would you mind telling me why you ordered
these files from the evidence archive?

You can learn a lot by studying old cases.

I agree.

So tell me why you felt the need
to use a fake name to get them

and tell me also why you chose
these files in particular.

No reason.

Seems you had a good look through
while I was out yesterday.

All cases that involved
the death of an infant.

Why?

You flicked through all of them.

But you were really interested in this one.

Regina versus Barnette.

I'm assuming it's no coincidence
that you share a surname

with the defendant in this case.

Fay Barnette is my mum.

The baby who died was my brother.

And your evidence is the reason she's been
banged up for the best part of my life.

So that's why you're here?

To access this case file. To undermine me.

It's one of the reasons I'm here.

Of all the calculating, underhand things

- I've ever heard...
- If you're gonna sack me, just sack me.

You don't get it, do you?

Your position on this team
is bigger than you.

When you screw up,
you do it on behalf of a whole community.

What? Because I'm black?

When is a white person ever asked
to represent their race?

Life's unfair.

You know what, Wolfe?

You're a hypocrite.

You weren't worried
about discrediting black people

- when you were making biological weapons.
- Those were extreme circumstances.

Yeah, well that's the thing about laws

you don't get to decide
when you can break them.

Clear your desk, Dominique. We're done.

No, Professor Kinteh.

We're far from done.

If there's one thing you've taught me,
it's that evidence wins.

I'm used to prisons.

Maybe I'll come and visit you.

I can't believe I'm doing this.

She spent an hour in the STI clinic,
not a month in the Priory.

It's not about the STI clinic.

It's about trauma and loss
and how we support each other through it.

You and I both are fully aware
that Jeff was...

A cheating ball sack.

A cheating ball sack.

But your mother saw something in him
that she connected with

and that connection has been ruptured.

So you're chucking me out
cos you feel sorry for her

but we can't tell her that.

It's not just that she needs you, Flick.
She needs you to need her

which is why you're gonna tell her

that living at Dad's is exactly
the domestic void she might have imagined.

But more than that...

- I missed my mum.
- Exactly.

You are topping up my phone credit
for the next six months.

We said three.

You're gonna be OK?

Of course, why wouldn't I be?

♪ People say I'm the life of the party ♪

♪ Cos I tell a joke or two ♪

♪ Although I might be laughing
loud and hearty ♪

♪ Deep inside I'm blue ♪

♪ So take a good look at my face ♪

♪ You'll see my smile looks out of place ♪

♪ If you look closer it's easy to trace ♪

♪ The tracks of my tears ♪

♪ I need you ♪

♪ Need you ♪

♪ Need you ♪

♪ Need you ♪

♪ Since you left me
if you see me with another girl ♪

♪ Seeming like I'm having fun ♪

♪ Although she may be cute ♪

♪ She's just a substitute ♪