Midsomer Murders (1997) s12e03 Episode Script
The Black Book
Can I help you, madam? Yes.
Hello.
I'm so sorry to bother you, but I was just clearing out my loft when I found this.
I don't know how it got there, but it's rather nice.
I don't generally look at paintings found in people's lofts, madam.
There are several house clearance firms locally, if you'd like to try there.
Yes, I know.
I'm so sorry, but it is rather nice.
I've got no space on my walls, but I thought someone might like it.
Erno.
I'm sorry, this isn't something I could help you with.
Oh, dear, but it's so pretty.
The frame's rather nice, I suppose.
I could give you something for that.
Shall we say, hmm, £50? £50? How wonderful! There's a bird bath down at the garden centre that I've had my eye on.
Now I can buy it.
Excellent! A bird bath! How lovely.
I'll just get you some money.
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
I'll just pop down to the Causton Gallery and see what they think.
And if they're not interested, we've got a deal! I have to tell you that, sadly, the gallery you mention does not have an honest reputation at all, sadly.
No, I couldn't recommend the place.
Look, how about I give you £100 for the frame? Look, how about I give you £100 for the frame? Now, how would that be? One hundred pounds! Oh.
Are you sure? Oh.
Are you sure? Yes, yes, absolutely.
You could buy two bird baths! Huh? How generous.
Thank you so much.
I don't believe the Causton Gallery could better that.
The He's a shark.
He'll trick you! Surely not.
Look, erm, here's £200.
Hm? Take it.
Come on! Here's ã400.
Look! I'll give you £1,000.
Mr Prideaux, is there something about this painting you're not telling me? Yes, madam, at £600.
£700? Thank you, sir.
Do I hear £800? £725? No? All done, then, at £700.
This is a very fine example This is a very fine example of a Henry Hogson, the 18th-century landscape artist who lived and worked in Midsomer.
the 18th-century landscape artist who lived and worked in Midsomer.
The scene is of Bishop's Drift, a local stretch of river.
The scene is of Bishop's Drift, a local stretch of river.
The figure is almost certainly Bishop John Fletcher.
The figure is almost certainly Bishop John Fletcher.
As you can seehe's fly-fishing.
Look, mate, don't believe what people tell you.
I'm a nice guy.
Honest.
Ah, Tilly, come.
Tell the man I'm a reformed character.
Leave me alone, Graham.
Haven't you caused enough trouble? Just go home.
Clear off! Oh, dear.
Oh, dear.
Mr Spate.
Pleasant fellow.
Why is it called Bishop's Drift? Good question.
Sorry I'm late.
You can see where the Bishop used to drift his fly downstream, hence the name still used for the spot today.
Knows his stuff.
He certainly does.
When did you first realise that the painting WAS by Hogson, Mr Prideaux? Well, er Well, er When he first laid eyes upon it.
Yes.
Yes, it was obvious.
I bet.
I bet.
In fact Hogson developed arthritis in his early 60s and I have been able to date this painting to 1792 because of the subtle changes in his brushwork.
Yes, yes.
And that date coincides with a payment of £50 made for 'an artistical work' with a payment of £50 made for 'an artistical work' that I found in Bishop Fletcher's papers, along with a preparatory sketch of that painting.
Ladies and Gentlemen - this is Patricia Blackshaw, President of the Hogson Society, who will be bidding on behalf of the society tonight.
And let us hope she is successful.
Thank you.
Let me assure you that, if we win, Let me assure you that, if we win, Bishop's Drift will go on public display for all to enjoy.
Bishop's Drift will go on public display for all to enjoy.
Yeah, and how much have you raised so far, Patricia? Oh, I'm sure the Treasurer of the Society won't thank me for giving you that information.
But I can tell you that Joyce Barnaby and her team have worked tirelessly to fill the coffers.
Wahey! Ah! The moment has arrived.
Ah! The moment has arrived.
Let us take our seats, ladies and gentleman, in the bidding room.
Richard.
Hello, Matilda.
Hello.
Just wanted to say I'm sorry about all that unfortunate business.
My hands were tied.
Yes, but by whom, Neville? Doesn't she run the Simms' Art School where they do the the art therapy? Doesn't she run the Simms' Art School where they do the the art therapy? Yes.
Matilda Simms.
One of her ex-students tried to muscle his way in here just now.
Graham Spate.
One man crime wave.
He was up six- Shush! Now, ladies and gentlemen, shall we settle down? Excuse me.
My name's Alan Best.
So who's going to get the painting, then, eh? Our frozen food man, he seems very interested? Alan Best.
He's got money to burn.
How much have you got? (AUCTIONEER BANGS GAVEL) Ladies and gentlemen, we now come to the main lot, the oil on canvas, Bishop's Drift, by Henry Hogson.
It goes without saying, this is a very rare opportunity to acquire a work by a master landscape artist.
Well, let's get going.
Who will start the bidding at £70,000? Thank you, sir.
I have £70,000.
Do I have 80? 80.
Ninety.
One hundred.
£100,000 I'm bid.
Thank you, madam.
Do I have 110? Thank you, madam.
Do I have 110? One hundred and ten.
Thank you.
He's got it.
We haven't got that kind of money.
One hundred and fifty.
Patricia, we haven't got £160,000.
That's £160,000 to the Hogson Society.
Sshh.
Quiet.
Sir? Hm? I am the treasurer of the Hogson Society and erI am obliged to say that the Society hasn't the funds to cover those last two bids.
that the Society hasn't the funds to cover those last two bids.
I shall continue the bidding in a private capacity.
What on earth are you talking about? I have to have it! Very well.
I have £160,000 to Mrs Patricia Blackshaw.
Sir? No.
No.
At £160,000 .
.
going once .
.
going once going twice.
One hundred and seventy.
(GASPS) Who's that? It's George Arlington.
He owns half the Hogsons in the world.
Stop this.
We'll end up living in a barn! You can live in a pigsty.
I don't care! 300,000.
At the back? Sir? Are we all done? £400,000.
(GASPS) That's enough! Selling at £400,000 Any more? Just give him the painting! At £400,000 for the last time .
.
sold! I don't believe it.
That smashes the record.
Felicity! Congratulations.
I simply can't believe it! Felicity, what are you going to do with the money? Felicity, what are you going to do with the money? Youmoney grubbing degenerate.
Damn you! Patricia, please! The gentleman asked what I plan to do with my windfall, and I will tell you.
I will take £2,000 for a short holiday.
The balance I will donate to the Arnold Simms School of Art, which is run by my dear friend Matilda Simms.
As many of you know, the Simms school does vital work with delinquents and mentally ill, but has recently lost its funding from the Midsomer Council.
I have had a good life.
And my gift will allow Matilda to continue with her important work, And my gift will allow Matilda to continue with her important work, and I ask you all, please, to support her.
Mr Arlington! May I take this opportunity to congratulate you? My name is - I know who you are.
Oh.
Oh.
Come to my hotel tomorrow.
Ten.
We have some business to discuss.
Yes, of course, Mr Arlington.
I'll be there, not a minute late.
Well, better luck next time.
There won't be a next time.
George Arlington has pushed the price of Hogson's work through the roof.
At least Matilda will put the money to good use.
Does she need it, love? I mean, I thought her daddy left her a fortune? Oh, that's all gone.
The last few years she's been reliant on a grant from the council.
And with that gone, she was in trouble.
Would I be right in thinking it was Patricia Blackshaw's husband, as chairman of the Arts Committee, who removed her grant? Yes.
But it's just so lovely that it's finally worked out for Matilda.
Dear old Felicity, what a wonderful present.
Nice work.
Daddy would be proud of you.
I think so.
Sleep tight.
Oh, I will.
(PHONE RINGS) Genius.
Hello? Hello? Hello? (PHONE RINGS) Hello? Felicity Law.
'Felicity, The Black Book.
' It's missing.
Someone's got into the safe.
No! 'Shall we call the police?' We can't.
You're in terrible danger.
'You must be very careful.
' I understand.
Don't worry.
'I'll be fine.
' She died about eight hours ago.
And, Tom, signs of torture.
Hm? I think someone held her hand on the hotplate? (DOOR OPENS) No sign of a forced entry, sir.
I wouldn't be surprised if she was the type that left the back door open.
Or else she knew her killer.
(CAR TYRES SCREECH OUTSIDE) Please let me through.
Let me through.
What's happened? I'm sorry.
You can't come in.
This is a crime scene.
Miss Simms, I'm sorry to have to tell you that Felicity Law is dead.
Miss Simms, I'm sorry to have to tell you that Felicity Law is dead.
Oh, no! How? We're looking at a murder investigation here.
Miss Simms, I'm Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby.
I'm in charge of this investigation.
Now, listen, could you tell me, please, when did you last speak to Felicity Law? Last night.
I called her.
What time was that? About 11:30.
W-Why did you call? To thank her.
She sold a painting and she gave the money to the school.
Oh, God! Oh, God! Who'd have done such a thing? (SHOP DOORBELL RINGS) Three, four, five Mr Barnaby! Mrs Blackshaw.
I'm here in my official capacity, I'm afraid.
I have to tell you that erm Felicity Law is dead.
She's been murdered.
Murdered? I was at the auction yesterday and you were very upset, weren't you? You were very angry.
Yes, well, of course I was.
We'd all worked very hard to raise that money.
Where did you go after the auction? Home.
I may not have liked Felicity and her degenerate friends, but I would never wish - I'm sorry, what do you mean by degenerate? You must be aware of the rumours? No, I'm not aware of the rumours.
Ah.
Back in the '70s, there was a great deal of er liberty up at the art school.
Arnold Simms, Matilda Simms's father, was known to work on several canvasses simultaneously.
Felicity Law was one of them.
And your point is what? Merely that beneath that sweet little old lady demeanour, Felicity Law was erm Clearly she thought nothing of carrying on with a married man.
That was 40 years ago.
I'm sure Matilda Simms remembers it like yesterday.
Believe me, this is not what it seems.
All that show about giving the money to Matilda's school? Do people really do things like that out of the kindness of their heart? Hm? Miss Simms! Ermthis is Detective Sergeant Jones.
Thank you for seeing us.
Not at all.
Come in.
Thank you.
Oh, this is very splendid.
When did your father purchase this place? '63.
It was virtually abandoned.
This is my father's work.
It'sit'sit's er very beautiful.
Who's the model? One of my father's pupils.
It's veryintimate.
She was his lover at the time.
Oh, right Nice rods.
Split cane.
They belonged to my father.
I'll show you round.
Excuse me! Thank you.
This is our workshop.
Come to the office later on.
Ha! So, what inspired your father to set up this therapeutic school? Ha! So, what inspired your father to set up this therapeutic school? Arnold thought that life was cruel, short and painful.
Criminal behaviour is often a manifestation of mental illness, a fear of life, a withdrawal from pain.
My father's message was simple.
Make pain your teacher, not your master, and then you can become yourself.
The school has a very high success rate.
Was erGraham Spate a success? Graham was one of only a small number of students who got nothing from their time here.
How many students have you got here? It varies.
Around thirty, usually.
They live here? Some of them.
A few come straight from the streets.
A few come straight from the streets.
The work they do helps them sort out their problems.
Yeah.
Can I help you with anything else, Mr Barnaby? Ermyes.
Could you tell me about Felicity Law? She knew your father, didn't she? Yes.
How well did she know your father? Very well.
She was his lover.
She was in a menage with my father and my mother.
How did your mother feel about that? It's hard to explain.
It's hard to explain.
My father was such a generous character.
The normal rules didn't seem to apply.
He had so much love in him, there was plenty to go around.
Yes, I can imagine that.
Yes, I can imagine that.
She does have the most wonderful body doesn't she, Mr Jones? What do you think, Mr Barnaby? I think she's lovely, Miss Simms.
Isn't she? I understand there's been a lot of local opposition to the work you do here .
Is that right? Yes.
It all came to a head over the Graham Spate episode Oh, Graham Spate.
Caused a lot of trouble, that boy.
Graham came to the school after being released from prison.
He showed great promise as a painter, but it was all too much for him.
He reverted to criminality.
He was the excuse the Arts Committee were looking for to cut off funding.
So the sale of Bishop's Drift comes at a very opportune moment, then? You could say that.
We were scraping along before, but Felicity's gift pulled us out of trouble.
Her death came as a terrible blow.
(FOOTSTEPS) (DOOR SLAMS) What's wrong? Alan, don't do anything stupid.
Sshh.
Be quiet.
(CAR DRIVES AWAY) I want them caught.
Why, yes, we'll, er we'll do our best, sir.
You do that.
You got an alarm system? Well, of course.
I've got sensors on the windows and on the doors.
They must've found some way of bypassing it.
How did they manage to do that? I don't know.
You're the detective, you tell me! Oh, sir.
Sorry.
It's just all been a bit of a terrible shock, actually.
The painting was here.
The painting was here.
Hm.
I was at the auction the other day.
Well, so were you.
So you'll know that another Hogson went for £400,000.
How much do you think your painting would fetch? I think in today's market it must have been worth £500,000.
Maybe more.
Five hun -? Ooph.
What was it insured for? Ooph! I was going to speak to my insurers this week about upping the premium.
Mr Best? Yep? Your neighbours report hearing gun shots last night.
Was it the thieves who fired those shots? No.
Who fired the shots? Things are bad enough as they are.
Look, you have to understand about Hogson.
When you get into him, he changes your life.
I loved that painting.
So, the price of Hogson's work goes through the roof, and Alan Best has his painting stolen.
Coincidence? Coincidence? Hm Here's something for you.
I saw Graham Spate being thrown out of the auction rooms the day of the sale.
Now you're talking.
Yeah.
I'd like you to pay him a visit.
Yes, sir.
And Iam going to do some research.
If we're going to get anywhere with this case, I have to know my Hogson.
Yeah.
Bit of research.
Huh.
Two centuries have passed, and, look, it's pretty much the same, isn't it? This is where he placed his easel.
And this field here is still used to raise pigs.
Different kind of pigs, but otherwise it's just the same.
It's remarkable.
That's why local people love Hogson so much.
He ties the past to the present.
Well, it's a chocolate box.
Ah, now, that's where you're wrong.
Lush it may be.
Fecund.
But there's a social realism there, too.
Take another look.
The man on the horse is the land owner surveying his magnificent estate.
He commissioned Hogson to paint Midsomer Meadow as a wedding gift for his wife.
But look here.
as a wedding gift for his wife.
But look here.
Children playing? Sweet.
Take another look.
They're not playing.
They're digging up roots to eat, because they're starving.
You see? They collected them in a basket.
They collected them in a basket.
Well, I have to say, I wouldn't have seen that, not at first glance.
Never underestimate Hogson.
His work's full of it.
Look.
Look.
This picture's called The Parson Preaching.
It hangs in the National Collection.
But notice where his gaze is falling? On the old woman's purse.
Exactly.
Silver tongued Parson James retired in some style after being left a fortune by his parishioners.
It's nice work, if you can get it.
There's a lot to his stuff, isn't there? His oeuvre, Mr Barnaby, his oeuvre.
His oeuvre, Miss Simms.
Mr Arlington, isn't it? George Arlington.
How do you do, sir? I'm Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby from Causton CID.
Now, don't you worry, sir.
I'm just here for a little art appreciation.
Congratulations on your purchase, Mr Arlington.
Thank you, ma'am.
This is Matilda Simms.
She runs the local art school.
Yes, I know about your work.
So this is Bishop's Drift? This is the spot where he set up his easel.
River's changed course a little, but otherwise that's about it.
Your father was a keen fisherman, wasn't he? He was, yes.
I heard what happened to Felicity Law.
Is there any news in the investigation? Well, it's early days yet, sir, but, as they say, we're working on it.
Hello, Graham.
Can I come in? So you've been behaving yourself, then, have you? Absolutely.
I'm a reformed character.
And you don't know anything about the theft of Alan Best's Hogson? Alan who? Did you do all these? Yeah.
I don't know much about art, but I reckon you've got talent.
You're right you don't know much about art.
Well, Matilda Simms thinks you could have gone a long way if you'd carried on.
What does she know? She's just a spoilt little daddy's girl.
Oh, I think she's quite interesting.
Got her hooks into you as well, has she? Ahh.
Is that why you stopped painting? No.
So why did you stop? Crime's more creative.
Well, I'm sorry you think that, Graham.
I thought you'd turned a bit of a corner with art.
It sort of shines a light into the dark areas, doesn't it? You never know what you're going to find, do you? I suggest you stick to plodding, mate.
Because you'd make a useless shrink.
Mm.
It is a nice picture.
I like it.
You can imagine erWordsworth or Houseman coming over the brow of that hill, can't you? Hm? Yeah.
You see, that's the secret to understanding Hogson.
He was an early Romantic.
He was a contemporary He was a contemporary of George Crabbe, you know.
And very lush, he may be, very fecund, but with just a touch of social realism.
Yeah, yeah, very fecund.
It's amazing what you pick up in an afternoon with Matilda Simms.
You met up with her? Yeah, I told you.
Research.
I spoke to Graham Spate about Matilda Simms.
He got very defensive.
I got the impression they'd been close.
That's interesting.
Isn't it? He's done the pigs really well.
My uncle had pigs.
Did he? Yeah.
They're Tamworths, I think.
Yeah.
Good pig, the Tamworth.
Easy to rear and a nice eater.
Yeah.
Good pig, the Tamworth.
Easy to rear and a nice eater.
Mmm! Quite the porcine expert, aren't we, Jones, eh? Do you know anything about Anthony Prideaux? He's got a gallery in the high street.
Stephens, you check up to see if he's got form? Yes, sir.
One, two, three, four, five, six.
Hello, again! Good morning.
Good morning, to you.
How's business? Brisk.
How's business? Brisk.
The auction has stirred the waters.
Yes.
We've sold several prints of Bishop's Drift already.
Have you? Oh! When I think of the pleasure the local people would have got out of seeing Bishop's Drift on public display here, it breaks my heart.
Still, life's full of tragedy.
Yes, indeed like the death of Felicity Law.
Though I shared little with her in this life, I abhor the manner of her passing.
If I remember rightly, at the auction you mentioned a um a preparatory sketch that Hogson made for Bishop's Drift? Do you still have that? Of course.
Come with me.
How did you come by this sketch? Ah-ha! I had a tip-off that Bishop Fletcher's descendents had dumped his papers into a skip outside their house.
I took the whole lot home and I spent a summer going through them and I found this among them.
The thought that out there there might be an undiscovered Hogson? I couldn't sleep a wink for a week! Now, that was in 1979, Now, that was in 1979, and I've been searching for Bishop's Drift ever since.
And there it was, all the time, in Felicity Law's attic? If only she'd have come to me first, instead of that snake, Anthony Prideaux.
(SHOP DOORBELL RINGS) Excuse me.
Yes.
Can I help you? WOMAN: (AMERICAN ACCENT) Hi.
Thank you.
Yes.
Oh, dear.
Well, I think I'm too late.
I was on my way over for the auction when all hell broke loose.
And I got held up in New York and missed the sale of Bishop's Drift.
I was hoping to acquire a Hogson locally.
I thought this might be the place to find out if other works were coming to market? Ideally, something, you know, big.
I wouldn't know, I'm afraid.
Oh.
Sure.
Tell me, is it true Bishop's Drift went for a song? If you consider £400,000 a song, then, yes, it did.
If you consider £400,000 a song, then, yes, it did.
Perhaps you'd like to go and see the exhibition in the gallery? Oh, great! Thanks! Hello! Hi.
I'm sorry I couldn't help but overhear.
You're looking for a Hogson, are you? Yes.
I was on my way over for the auction, when all hell broke loose on the markets.
But I'm here now.
I just had to see Hogson country.
Well, erwelcome.
Thank you.
Are you a Hogson buff? Oh, I eryou know, I dabble.
Well, if you know of anyone that wants to sell, my name's Christine Miller and I'm staying at the Golden Hind Hotel.
Well, I will certainly keep my ear to the ground for you.
It was a pleasure to meet you Mr? I'm Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby from Causton CID.
Well, like I said, it was a pleasure to meet you.
Likewise.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.
And erhave a nice day.
Who's that? That, Jones is Christine Miller, newly arrived from New York.
Or so she says.
The car's owned by an insurance company based in London .
.
which specialises in fine art.
So she's not a fund manager from New York; she's an art insurer from Fulham.
And what is she up to? So.
Sowhat? You were snooping around Alan Best's house taking photographs.
Why? My company insured Alan Best's painting, Midsomer Meadow.
Obviously we're not keen to pay out the 200,000.
If you're trying to get the painting back by offering thieves money, may I point out to you that paying for stolen property is a criminal offence? We call it a finders fee.
Do you, really? It's no defence if you're holed up in court.
We're exploring all options.
It's possible that Best is in financial difficulties and he arranged for the painting to be stolen for the insurance.
Hm.
Now, looka Hogson was recently sold for a record fee - £400,000.
Now, looka Hogson was recently sold for a record fee - £400,000.
Why wouldn't he just put his painting up for sale? A gallery or auction house could ask up to 40%.
Selling is risky.
What if nobody wanted the painting? Miss Miller, you do know, don't you, that the owner of a Hogson has recently been murdered? that the owner of a Hogson has recently been murdered? And we think whoever stole Midsomer Meadow was involved.
You're dealing with killers here.
I know all about that, but I have a job to do.
Miss Miller, I'm prepared to offer you a deal.
Excuse me.
Ah, Mr Barnaby.
How can I help? How can I help? Could you let me have everything you've got on fly-fishing and pigs, please? Fly-fishing and pigs.
Fly-fishing and pigs.
You can't take those.
They're reference books.
I'll bring them back! Jones.
I have a result.
This, Jones this is a painting of Midsomer Meadow.
Now, you correctly identified the breed of pig in the painting Now, you correctly identified the breed of pig in the painting as being Tamworths.
Now, these got their name from the founding father of the British police force, Sir Robert Peel of Tamworth, who brought some pigs over from Ireland in 1809.
But the breed didn't fully establish itself in England until 1865.
But the breed didn't fully establish itself in England until 1865.
Hogson died in 1810, Hogson died in 1810, which means, does it not, that the painting predates the pigs? which means, does it not, that the painting predates the pigs? Which means BOTH: It's a forgery.
Exactly.
And if Alan Best did arrange to have his Hogson stolen, we now know the reason why.
He knew the thing was worthless.
(PHONE RINGS) Morning, Stephens.
Oh, morning, Sir.
Susan.
Thanks for calling.
Christine Miller's just had a phone call from a man with a Hogson for sale.
She's meeting him in half an hour.
Did he say who he was? Said his name's Toby Smith and that he had got a Hogson for sale at, quote 'a reduced rate'.
(KNOCK ON DOOR) Keep him talking.
Jones, come on.
(KNOCK ON DOOR) (KNOCK ON DOOR) Come in, Mr Smith.
As you know, I'm in the market for a Hogson.
You say you have one for sale? First perhaps, we might establish your credentials as a buyer.
(MOBILE PHONE RINGS) (TURNS OFF PHONE) Sorry.
The Keystone Cops, I presume.
Mr Prideaux.
Right, Jones, take a look around.
See if you can find any more iffy Hogsons.
You'll need a search warrant.
Show me your warrant.
If you're going to carry on like that, sir, I'll take you down to the station right now and charge you with receiving stolen goods.
Thank you.
Carry on, Jones.
Sir.
So which Hogson were you planning to sell Christine Miller, then, Mr Prideaux? I think there's been a misunderstanding here.
It was merely erm an exploratory meeting.
I was merely suggesting that if she was in the market for a Hogson, I could introduce her to someone, who might, perhaps, have a Hogson for sale.
It would help you and it would certainly help me, if you were to answer my questions truthfully.
I am answering your questions truthfully.
Because, as you know, Felicity Law was murdered.
And this is a very serious matter.
So, own up or we have ways and meansetcetera, etcetera.
Well, you've chosen the wrong man this time, Barnaby, because I am made of sterner stuff.
I know, Mr Prideaux.
What do you know? I know that Midsomer Meadow is a forgery.
I know that Midsomer Meadow is a forgery.
No.
Now, that is where you're wrong.
Completely wrong.
Might I suggest you leave art to the experts and concentrate instead on matters within your intellectual grasp? Hm? What makes you think Midsomer Meadow is a forgery? Graham Spate told us.
That name is unfamiliar to me.
He says it was your idea to steal Midsomer Meadow from Alan Best.
I never knew it was stolen.
I know nothing about this Spate or his crimes.
I'm a professional, with an impeccable reputation.
And two previous convictions for receiving stolen goods.
Where's the painting now? Under his bed! Graham?! Graham Spate?! He's in here! Yep.
I'll organise a full search of the house, sir.
OK.
Repeated blows to the skull with a blunt instrument and not so long ago.
The body's still warm to the touch.
And more signs of torture again? Very nasty.
Any ideas? No.
Except whoever did it must have known that painting was a forgery otherwise they would have taken it with them, wouldn't they? Mm.
Good news, Mr Best.
Good news, Mr Best.
Yeah? Yes.
We've got it back! I don't believe it! Excellent.
Aren't you pleased? I'm thrilled.
You don't look it.
What is that on it? That's blood.
Blood?! There's been an incident.
I'll get a Jay cloth.
Now, Mr Best, you must upgrade your Now, Mr Best, you must upgrade your alarm system.
I will.
I'll talk to the insurers about it next week.
Thank you so much.
Er, Mr Best, do you know a Graham Spate at all? The name's familiar.
He's a local tea leaf, isn't he? That's the man.
You ever spoken to him? No.
Cos Graham Spate has just been found murdered, Mr Best.
And according to his phone records, he spoke to you several times on the night Midsomer Meadow was stolen.
Well, I get a lot of crank calls.
Yeah, I'm sure you do.
Curious thing, isn't it, about the Tamworth pigs in your painting there? They weren't introduced into this country until years after old man Hogson had died.
until years after old man Hogson had died.
But I think you know that, don't you? But I think you know that, don't you? I bought this painting in good faith.
Look, Mr Best, I think you should tell me everything that happened.
Somehow, Spate discovered that Midsomer Meadow was a fake.
And he was going to reveal it to the world unless I paid him 50,000 quid.
He knew about the pigs and some of the other errors the forger had made.
Other errors? Other errors? Yeah.
Can you point them out to me? The four swineherd.
Look closely.
Yes? They're The Beatles! Oh, yes! George, Paul, John and Ringo! I knew he wasn't going to be happy with 50,000 quid, so I offered him a better deal.
If he stole the painting and destroyed it, he could have £100,000 of the insurance money.
So what did he do - get greedy, try to sell the painting on instead of destroying it? Yeah.
You do understand, Mr Best, that you are now a suspect in this case? When was he killed? He was killed sometime this morning.
When was he killed? He was killed sometime this morning.
Well, that's me in the clear, then, because I've been in church all morning with Yvonne.
We've been rehearsing our wedding.
Mr Best? I heard the news.
I'm really pleased for you.
Where did you find it? Oh that's a long story.
But there it is.
Mr Best, don't you think we should up your premiums? No, I don't think so.
Oh.
Why not? Cos this is junk! Cos this is junk! I found these.
What do you make of that? What do you make of that? Aww.
Wish she was my art teacher! Forensics have found prints all over the shop.
Have they? He was murdered? Oh, God.
Matilda, er, Miss Simms, if I were to take your fingerprints, would they match those we found all over Graham Spate's cottage? Yes.
Yes.
What were you doing there? I still have a key.
I went there last night.
It was awful.
Why didn't you call us, Miss Simms? I was looking for these pictures.
Well, by the look of it, you were very keen on Mr Spate.
I was in love with him.
Beneath all the anger and violence, there was something very tender.
Would it be fair to say that, er, he hurt you and he damaged the reputation of your school? Do you see where I'm going with this? Are you suggesting that I No! I didn't kill Graham.
I couldn't kill anyone.
OK.
What is a woman like that doing with a prat like Graham Spate, eh? I mean, come on! Must know his way around the ladies, sir.
Thank you, Jones.
Where are we going? Felicity Law's cottage.
What do you notice about this cottage, Jones? I think you're about to tell me, sir.
Yes, I am.
Felicity Law told Prideaux she found her painting in her loft.
But there ain't no loft.
It's just an expression though, isn't it? It's not evidence.
Oh, all right.
Now, Jones, you're the fisherman.
Look at the loop shape the Bishop has made with his line there.
Yeah, it's a Spey cast.
Yeah, it's a Spey cast.
Yes, it is.
And? Well, you're the expert now.
Well, I can tell you, Jones, as a result of my research, that that kind of casting - the Spey cast - that that kind of casting - the Spey cast - wasn't used or known about until That's 40 years after old man Hogson was dead.
So Bishop's Driftis a forgery too? Yes, and I think Felicity Law knew that.
And I think she knew the identity of the forger too.
Patricia Blackshaw? No, I've seen Patricia Blackshaw's paintings at the Hogson shop and she's truly awful.
But whoever painted this is good.
Very good indeed.
We're looking at a sophisticated proper artist here, not a talentless amateur.
So, intimate local knowledge, profound appreciation of Hogson and a superb technique.
Now, who could that be? Tell you what it is - painting is hard.
Yeah.
Hello again.
You forged Bishop's Drift, didn't you? Matilda, the life drawing class is waiting for you.
Tell them to start without me.
Come with me.
Where are we going? To my father's studio.
My father forged Midsomer Meadow and Bishop's Drift in this room.
He developed a deep respect for Hogson.
He saw him as a fellow radical, an artist struggling against materialism.
Why turn to forgery? It was an accident.
It was an accident.
He was particularly in awe of Hogson's brushwork and in order to understand it better, he made a copy of The Parson Preaching.
A gallery owner from London happened to see it, mistook it for the original and he offered my father £20,000.
So, you're telling us that he couldn't resist the temptation? But your father was a famous artist.
He had a considerable reputation and he was earning lots of money.
His paintings sell for silly money now but back then, we were broke.
He was desperate to keep the school open, so from time to time .
.
he'd paint a new Hogson.
But what about the mistakes he put in, like the Tamworth pigs and the Spey casting - what was all that about? I think at first, he wanted to be found out.
But when the so-called experts began to lap them up, But when the so-called experts began to lap them up, it became a game for him.
Yes, but on the other hand, Yes, but on the other hand, he was at great pains to cover up his tracks, wasn't he? I mean, the preparatory sketch for Bishop's Drift - did he deliberately put that into the Bishop's papers? Yes, so that when the work appeared at a later date, no-one questioned it.
My father left me several forgeries, knowing I'd need the money.
Whenever we ran out, I'd sell a painting.
And that's what happened when Midsomer County Council cut off your grant, is it? Yes.
Felicity and I decided to sell the final forgery in my possession - Bishop's Drift.
We'd pulled off the same scam several times.
Until Mr Graham Spate discovered your little secret.
How did he do that? My father made a record of all the errors in a notebook - the Black Book.
What was that? The Black Book.
It was a sort of insurance policy.
I kept it in my safe.
I kept it in my safe.
But on the night of the auction, it was stolen.
By Spate? He knew where I kept the key to the safe.
Spate could have contacted George Arlington and told him he'd paid £400,000 for a forgery.
Arlington could have murdered Felicity in revenge.
And if there are forgeries in Arlington's collection, he could lose millions.
So, Spate was killed for the Black Book and not the painting.
Whoever's got The Black Book now has great power Whoever's got The Black Book now has great power but could also get themselves killed.
Mr Arlington, could we have a word, please? Mr Arlington, did you kill Felicity Law? That dog don't hunt.
Why in heaven's name would I do that? That dog don't hunt.
Why in heaven's name would I do that? Because you were angry, sir, because she'd sold you a fake painting.
Fake? What the hell are you talking about? Half your collection of Hogson paintings are forgeries.
Did you know that? My entire collection has been examined by the top art historians in the world.
You really should check your facts before making wild allegations.
May I see your bookplease? Thank you.
The Salmon Fly by George Kelson, published in 1895.
I see you've taken the trouble to find out about the technique of Spey casting, sir - developed in Wales and Scotland long, long after Mr Hogson was dead.
Unless I'm under arrest, I intend to leave.
Good day, gentlemen.
The Black Book.
See, you know about the Black Book, don't you? That book has already killed two people.
I think you better go home, sir, before it kills you, too.
(MOBILE RINGS) Arlington.
Mr Arlington, it's Anthony Prideaux here.
What do you want? What do you want? You know what I want.
You have until midday tomorrow, George, or I will ruin you.
Good day.
Ah.
Paul, Ringo, John, George.
The cause of death seems pretty obvious, don't you think? Yes, indeed.
Yes, indeed.
No sign of a weapon, Tom.
Sir? Sir? The last call Prideaux made was to George Arlington.
Now, there's a surprise (!) Ah, and here he is.
Mr Arlington.
Mr Arlington.
Not a pleasant sight, is it? I had nothing to do with this, I swear to you.
I've been in the pub all afternoon.
Come on then, please.
You haven't been entirely honest with me, have you? Now, look, you can see what the situation is.
Now, will you please tell me what was going on between you and Mr Prideaux? He was blackmailing me.
He was blackmailing you? That's right.
He had the Black Book.
He had the Black Book.
He'd identified every forgery in my collection.
The forger had made a small error in each painting.
You're an expert and you didn't notice that? We see what we want to see, don't we? Was he trying to sell you the Black Book? He wanted £1m.
Were you gonna pay it? What choice do I have? A great deal of my wealth is tied up in my Hogson collection.
When was the exchange to take place? Tomorrow.
You people sure know how to ruin a vacation! Oh, I do apologise, sir (!) I'm heading home.
No, no, sir.
Again, I'm sorry, but you can't do that.
And why not? And why not? Because whoever did that to Mr Prideaux almost certainly has got the Black Book.
And it won't take them long to work out that you're the best because you're the richest blackmail target.
Now, listen.
When they contact you, you get in touch with me immediately.
I want you to say that you'll pay them the money.
Arlington's alibi checks out - he was at the pub.
Downed half a dozen whiskies, apparently.
Yes, I bet.
Yes, I bet.
Forensics have got some interesting fibres but don't hold your breath.
SoGraham Spate steals the Black Book from Matilda's safe.
He realises Midsomer Meadow is a fake, so his first port of call is Alan Best.
He steals the painting and offers it to Prideaux.
Look, you go through Prideaux's phone records.
See if he's made contact with any other Hogson owners.
He might well have been blackmailing other people, too, mightn't he? And whoever killed him must know about the Black Book.
Mr Arlington.
Thank you, ma'am.
'Collect £2m in used £50 notes.
Place the money in a shopping trolley and place a plastic bag of groceries on top to hide the money.
Leave the trolley beside desk three of the reading room in Causton Library at exactly 11am tomorrow.
You'll find the Black Book on the desk.
Take it, go home to America and never come back here again.
' Can you raise that kind of money in the time? Two million is a lot.
What's happening? An old lady sitting near desk three.
Whoa.
He's on the move.
He's got the money.
He's leaving the bank.
He's got the money.
He's leaving the bank.
Roger that.
It's all quiet here.
No Wait a minute.
The book's there! He's taken the book and he's left the money.
Well done, you.
Thank you.
What's happening? Nothing.
I can still see the trolley by the table.
Roger that.
Come on, George.
Come on.
Tuck yourself in there.
The blackmailer's picked up the money.
It's Neville Blackshaw.
He's heading your way.
Neville.
Neville Blackshaw.
Mr Barnaby! How are you? I'm very well.
And you are under arrest.
Take your hands off that.
What Where's my money? It's in there, sir.
What are you doing? That's my shopping! It's gone.
My money's gone.
Mr Blackshaw, where is the money? What money? I don't know what you're talking about.
I just went into the library to pick I just went into the library to pick up some shopping.
What - did you forget it? Or did someone ask you to go in there and collect it for them? Patricia rang half an hour ago.
She said she'd got home, realised she'd left the shopping in the library next to desk three.
Well, I work just round the corner, so I popped out to pick it up.
Patricia Blackshaw must have switched the trolleys.
How could you let her do that? (CHURCH BELL) Oh, no! What? She was in there.
Who? The old woman at desk three.
You must be Mrs Blackshaw.
Yes.
My name's Melanie.
I'm here to show you aboard.
May I take your bags? No, thank you.
That won't be necessary.
No, thank you.
That won't be necessary.
Ermwhat are you going to do with your car? Nothing.
Right.
The flight plan has been cleared for your trip to Florence.
Here it is.
A little radio transponder in the bag with the money.
Failed to spot it when your husband walked out with his basket but once you were on the move, we could track you.
Patricia Blackshaw, let me put it to you you killed Felicity Law, Graham Spate and Anthony Prideaux, didn't you? That's a ridiculous suggestion.
No, it's not.
How did the Black Book come into your possession? I don't know what you're talking about! All I'm prepared to say is that my actions were entirely honourable.
I merely sought to expose little Matilda Simms for the criminal that she is and rid the world of fake Hogsons, thus ensuring his reputation for posterity.
Now, if that is a crime, I'm guilty as charged.
Ensuring his reputation for posterity.
That is just not true, is it? Your actions were driven entirely by greed and by a passionate hatred of Arnold Simms.
and by a passionate hatred of Arnold Simms.
You were his pupil and you were also his lover.
It is you, isn't it? You in the painting hanging in the hall? This is the last painting.
I've sold all the rest.
You loved him but he rejected you.
Tell me about that.
That's no business of yours! You did love him, didn't you? It's all too long ago.
He was your teacher, you admired him.
I did admire him, yes.
He was older but so brilliant, so alive.
He was older but so brilliant, so alive.
Yes, we became lovers.
I was so happy.
I wanted to paint, live a bohemian life of adventure and daring.
Oh, I loved him so much.
But he rejected you.
How could he do that? He said it was, er because I had He said it was, er because I had a bourgeois mind.
And Felicity Law took your place.
Mm-hm.
That was the final humiliation.
Despite my perfect beauty, he preferred her! And Felicity Law got a life of art, laughter, sexual adventure.
And all I got was jam, Jerusalem and bloody Neville Blackshaw! Patricia, when did you first realise that someone was forging Hogsons? Oh, Felicity told me.
After the auction, I went round to her cottage to make my feelings plainand .
.
things got a little out of hand.
You greedy old witch! You should have sold it to me! Please Patricia, no more, I beg you.
I was doing you a favour! It was a forgery! I'd long suspected there were forgeries floating around.
Well, paintings kept popping up.
And it occurred to me that if I could get Felicity to tell me who the forger was, I could, well, I could blackmail him or her.
You tortured her, didn't you? No, no, no, no, argh! She was so tough.
She wouldn't tell me a thing.
(SCREAMS) So, you killed her.
What choice did I have? The painting - Midsomer Meadow - that was stolen from Alan Best - did you suspect a connection then? Well, it was very coincidental.
Why did you suspect Graham Spate? Felicity told me enough for that.
He knew his art.
He could have been the forger.
So, I took him a bottle of wine.
And while he was looking for a corkscrew, I hit him over the head.
By the time he came round, I'd got him well tied up.
Argh! Are you the forger? No! Then how do you know it's a forgery? The Black Book.
It lists all the forgeries her father ever made.
Please, no more! Where is it? I don't know! Argh! Anthony Prideaux's got it! We're working together.
Please! I suspect that you've got no qualms about killing Graham Spate.
Nope.
He was such an unpleasant young man.
But then all you had to do was find the Black Book.
Paul, Ringo, John, George.
And write a little note to Arlington.
Cos you knew he'd do anything in the world to protect his collection and his reputation.
Precisely.
I nearly got away with it, you know.
Well, Mrs Blackshaw, I hope when you're in prison, that will be of some comfort to you.
£2m, all there.
If you could just sign this receipt for me please, sir.
Sure.
What are you gonna do with it? You've missed the banks.
My hotel has a good safe.
You want one of my men to escort you? No.
That's very kind of you.
I'll be fine.
You could call me a taxi.
Jones.
Sir.
Where's Arlington? He left for the hotel, sir.
That's not the book.
He switched it at the library.
Cab company says he's not going to the hotel.
He's heading for the art school.
And Matilda Simms is the only one who can prove that half his collection are forgeries.
The students will have gone for the weekend.
She's on her own.
Come on.
Who is it? Come on, come on.
Answer.
(PHONE RINGS) Matilda! Try the studios.
Sir.
Matilda! Miss Simms? Miss Simms? (RIPPING SOUND) It's OK, sheriff.
Miss Simms and I are doing a little business.
You tricked me, sir.
You stole the Black Book.
Miss Simms and I have reached an agreement.
Have you? I will remove the remaining forgeries in my collection and destroy them.
and destroy them.
In return, she will destroy the remaining forgeries her father left, thus bringing an end .
.
to this unhappy chapter.
You told me that Bishop's Drift was the last one.
Did I? Yes.
Sir, if you go on doing that, you'll lose yourself millions.
Since the auction, the value of my Since the auction, the value of my collection has doubled.
And once the art world discovers that half of my collection has been lost, well, I anticipate the value of my well, I anticipate the value of my collection may well double again.
You've got your murderer, Tom.
Can't we just leave it at that? No! What about Patricia Blackshaw? I mean, do you think she'll keep quiet about all this? She knows everything.
What about the other forgeries in other people's collections? Who would believe the rantings of a deranged murderer against the opinion of every art critic in the country? How about we all go downstairs and have a drink? Well, that's a very nice suggestion but we're still on duty and I've got a mountain of paperwork to do.
I've got to be going too.
I've a flight to catch.
Would you be so kind as to take me to my hotel, Barnaby? Oh yes! Certainly.
Glad to be of service (!) Oh yes! Certainly.
Glad to be of service (!) Thank you, Tom.
Oh there's nothing to thank me for.
I shall be running a new course next term on Henry Hogson.
Since you've acquired such an interest, why don't you sign up? You know, there's nothing in the world I'd like better than that .
.
but I can't.
Why not? I mustn't.
But I know someone who'd enjoy that course very much.
Oh, good.
Thank you.
Oh Tom, what a lovely present! A course on Hogson.
How thoughtful of you.
How thoughtful of you.
I knew you'd like it.
I shall look forward to it.
That Matilda Simms is so interesting.
Yes, she is.
Hello.
I'm so sorry to bother you, but I was just clearing out my loft when I found this.
I don't know how it got there, but it's rather nice.
I don't generally look at paintings found in people's lofts, madam.
There are several house clearance firms locally, if you'd like to try there.
Yes, I know.
I'm so sorry, but it is rather nice.
I've got no space on my walls, but I thought someone might like it.
Erno.
I'm sorry, this isn't something I could help you with.
Oh, dear, but it's so pretty.
The frame's rather nice, I suppose.
I could give you something for that.
Shall we say, hmm, £50? £50? How wonderful! There's a bird bath down at the garden centre that I've had my eye on.
Now I can buy it.
Excellent! A bird bath! How lovely.
I'll just get you some money.
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
I'll just pop down to the Causton Gallery and see what they think.
And if they're not interested, we've got a deal! I have to tell you that, sadly, the gallery you mention does not have an honest reputation at all, sadly.
No, I couldn't recommend the place.
Look, how about I give you £100 for the frame? Look, how about I give you £100 for the frame? Now, how would that be? One hundred pounds! Oh.
Are you sure? Oh.
Are you sure? Yes, yes, absolutely.
You could buy two bird baths! Huh? How generous.
Thank you so much.
I don't believe the Causton Gallery could better that.
The He's a shark.
He'll trick you! Surely not.
Look, erm, here's £200.
Hm? Take it.
Come on! Here's ã400.
Look! I'll give you £1,000.
Mr Prideaux, is there something about this painting you're not telling me? Yes, madam, at £600.
£700? Thank you, sir.
Do I hear £800? £725? No? All done, then, at £700.
This is a very fine example This is a very fine example of a Henry Hogson, the 18th-century landscape artist who lived and worked in Midsomer.
the 18th-century landscape artist who lived and worked in Midsomer.
The scene is of Bishop's Drift, a local stretch of river.
The scene is of Bishop's Drift, a local stretch of river.
The figure is almost certainly Bishop John Fletcher.
The figure is almost certainly Bishop John Fletcher.
As you can seehe's fly-fishing.
Look, mate, don't believe what people tell you.
I'm a nice guy.
Honest.
Ah, Tilly, come.
Tell the man I'm a reformed character.
Leave me alone, Graham.
Haven't you caused enough trouble? Just go home.
Clear off! Oh, dear.
Oh, dear.
Mr Spate.
Pleasant fellow.
Why is it called Bishop's Drift? Good question.
Sorry I'm late.
You can see where the Bishop used to drift his fly downstream, hence the name still used for the spot today.
Knows his stuff.
He certainly does.
When did you first realise that the painting WAS by Hogson, Mr Prideaux? Well, er Well, er When he first laid eyes upon it.
Yes.
Yes, it was obvious.
I bet.
I bet.
In fact Hogson developed arthritis in his early 60s and I have been able to date this painting to 1792 because of the subtle changes in his brushwork.
Yes, yes.
And that date coincides with a payment of £50 made for 'an artistical work' with a payment of £50 made for 'an artistical work' that I found in Bishop Fletcher's papers, along with a preparatory sketch of that painting.
Ladies and Gentlemen - this is Patricia Blackshaw, President of the Hogson Society, who will be bidding on behalf of the society tonight.
And let us hope she is successful.
Thank you.
Let me assure you that, if we win, Let me assure you that, if we win, Bishop's Drift will go on public display for all to enjoy.
Bishop's Drift will go on public display for all to enjoy.
Yeah, and how much have you raised so far, Patricia? Oh, I'm sure the Treasurer of the Society won't thank me for giving you that information.
But I can tell you that Joyce Barnaby and her team have worked tirelessly to fill the coffers.
Wahey! Ah! The moment has arrived.
Ah! The moment has arrived.
Let us take our seats, ladies and gentleman, in the bidding room.
Richard.
Hello, Matilda.
Hello.
Just wanted to say I'm sorry about all that unfortunate business.
My hands were tied.
Yes, but by whom, Neville? Doesn't she run the Simms' Art School where they do the the art therapy? Doesn't she run the Simms' Art School where they do the the art therapy? Yes.
Matilda Simms.
One of her ex-students tried to muscle his way in here just now.
Graham Spate.
One man crime wave.
He was up six- Shush! Now, ladies and gentlemen, shall we settle down? Excuse me.
My name's Alan Best.
So who's going to get the painting, then, eh? Our frozen food man, he seems very interested? Alan Best.
He's got money to burn.
How much have you got? (AUCTIONEER BANGS GAVEL) Ladies and gentlemen, we now come to the main lot, the oil on canvas, Bishop's Drift, by Henry Hogson.
It goes without saying, this is a very rare opportunity to acquire a work by a master landscape artist.
Well, let's get going.
Who will start the bidding at £70,000? Thank you, sir.
I have £70,000.
Do I have 80? 80.
Ninety.
One hundred.
£100,000 I'm bid.
Thank you, madam.
Do I have 110? Thank you, madam.
Do I have 110? One hundred and ten.
Thank you.
He's got it.
We haven't got that kind of money.
One hundred and fifty.
Patricia, we haven't got £160,000.
That's £160,000 to the Hogson Society.
Sshh.
Quiet.
Sir? Hm? I am the treasurer of the Hogson Society and erI am obliged to say that the Society hasn't the funds to cover those last two bids.
that the Society hasn't the funds to cover those last two bids.
I shall continue the bidding in a private capacity.
What on earth are you talking about? I have to have it! Very well.
I have £160,000 to Mrs Patricia Blackshaw.
Sir? No.
No.
At £160,000 .
.
going once .
.
going once going twice.
One hundred and seventy.
(GASPS) Who's that? It's George Arlington.
He owns half the Hogsons in the world.
Stop this.
We'll end up living in a barn! You can live in a pigsty.
I don't care! 300,000.
At the back? Sir? Are we all done? £400,000.
(GASPS) That's enough! Selling at £400,000 Any more? Just give him the painting! At £400,000 for the last time .
.
sold! I don't believe it.
That smashes the record.
Felicity! Congratulations.
I simply can't believe it! Felicity, what are you going to do with the money? Felicity, what are you going to do with the money? Youmoney grubbing degenerate.
Damn you! Patricia, please! The gentleman asked what I plan to do with my windfall, and I will tell you.
I will take £2,000 for a short holiday.
The balance I will donate to the Arnold Simms School of Art, which is run by my dear friend Matilda Simms.
As many of you know, the Simms school does vital work with delinquents and mentally ill, but has recently lost its funding from the Midsomer Council.
I have had a good life.
And my gift will allow Matilda to continue with her important work, And my gift will allow Matilda to continue with her important work, and I ask you all, please, to support her.
Mr Arlington! May I take this opportunity to congratulate you? My name is - I know who you are.
Oh.
Oh.
Come to my hotel tomorrow.
Ten.
We have some business to discuss.
Yes, of course, Mr Arlington.
I'll be there, not a minute late.
Well, better luck next time.
There won't be a next time.
George Arlington has pushed the price of Hogson's work through the roof.
At least Matilda will put the money to good use.
Does she need it, love? I mean, I thought her daddy left her a fortune? Oh, that's all gone.
The last few years she's been reliant on a grant from the council.
And with that gone, she was in trouble.
Would I be right in thinking it was Patricia Blackshaw's husband, as chairman of the Arts Committee, who removed her grant? Yes.
But it's just so lovely that it's finally worked out for Matilda.
Dear old Felicity, what a wonderful present.
Nice work.
Daddy would be proud of you.
I think so.
Sleep tight.
Oh, I will.
(PHONE RINGS) Genius.
Hello? Hello? Hello? (PHONE RINGS) Hello? Felicity Law.
'Felicity, The Black Book.
' It's missing.
Someone's got into the safe.
No! 'Shall we call the police?' We can't.
You're in terrible danger.
'You must be very careful.
' I understand.
Don't worry.
'I'll be fine.
' She died about eight hours ago.
And, Tom, signs of torture.
Hm? I think someone held her hand on the hotplate? (DOOR OPENS) No sign of a forced entry, sir.
I wouldn't be surprised if she was the type that left the back door open.
Or else she knew her killer.
(CAR TYRES SCREECH OUTSIDE) Please let me through.
Let me through.
What's happened? I'm sorry.
You can't come in.
This is a crime scene.
Miss Simms, I'm sorry to have to tell you that Felicity Law is dead.
Miss Simms, I'm sorry to have to tell you that Felicity Law is dead.
Oh, no! How? We're looking at a murder investigation here.
Miss Simms, I'm Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby.
I'm in charge of this investigation.
Now, listen, could you tell me, please, when did you last speak to Felicity Law? Last night.
I called her.
What time was that? About 11:30.
W-Why did you call? To thank her.
She sold a painting and she gave the money to the school.
Oh, God! Oh, God! Who'd have done such a thing? (SHOP DOORBELL RINGS) Three, four, five Mr Barnaby! Mrs Blackshaw.
I'm here in my official capacity, I'm afraid.
I have to tell you that erm Felicity Law is dead.
She's been murdered.
Murdered? I was at the auction yesterday and you were very upset, weren't you? You were very angry.
Yes, well, of course I was.
We'd all worked very hard to raise that money.
Where did you go after the auction? Home.
I may not have liked Felicity and her degenerate friends, but I would never wish - I'm sorry, what do you mean by degenerate? You must be aware of the rumours? No, I'm not aware of the rumours.
Ah.
Back in the '70s, there was a great deal of er liberty up at the art school.
Arnold Simms, Matilda Simms's father, was known to work on several canvasses simultaneously.
Felicity Law was one of them.
And your point is what? Merely that beneath that sweet little old lady demeanour, Felicity Law was erm Clearly she thought nothing of carrying on with a married man.
That was 40 years ago.
I'm sure Matilda Simms remembers it like yesterday.
Believe me, this is not what it seems.
All that show about giving the money to Matilda's school? Do people really do things like that out of the kindness of their heart? Hm? Miss Simms! Ermthis is Detective Sergeant Jones.
Thank you for seeing us.
Not at all.
Come in.
Thank you.
Oh, this is very splendid.
When did your father purchase this place? '63.
It was virtually abandoned.
This is my father's work.
It'sit'sit's er very beautiful.
Who's the model? One of my father's pupils.
It's veryintimate.
She was his lover at the time.
Oh, right Nice rods.
Split cane.
They belonged to my father.
I'll show you round.
Excuse me! Thank you.
This is our workshop.
Come to the office later on.
Ha! So, what inspired your father to set up this therapeutic school? Ha! So, what inspired your father to set up this therapeutic school? Arnold thought that life was cruel, short and painful.
Criminal behaviour is often a manifestation of mental illness, a fear of life, a withdrawal from pain.
My father's message was simple.
Make pain your teacher, not your master, and then you can become yourself.
The school has a very high success rate.
Was erGraham Spate a success? Graham was one of only a small number of students who got nothing from their time here.
How many students have you got here? It varies.
Around thirty, usually.
They live here? Some of them.
A few come straight from the streets.
A few come straight from the streets.
The work they do helps them sort out their problems.
Yeah.
Can I help you with anything else, Mr Barnaby? Ermyes.
Could you tell me about Felicity Law? She knew your father, didn't she? Yes.
How well did she know your father? Very well.
She was his lover.
She was in a menage with my father and my mother.
How did your mother feel about that? It's hard to explain.
It's hard to explain.
My father was such a generous character.
The normal rules didn't seem to apply.
He had so much love in him, there was plenty to go around.
Yes, I can imagine that.
Yes, I can imagine that.
She does have the most wonderful body doesn't she, Mr Jones? What do you think, Mr Barnaby? I think she's lovely, Miss Simms.
Isn't she? I understand there's been a lot of local opposition to the work you do here .
Is that right? Yes.
It all came to a head over the Graham Spate episode Oh, Graham Spate.
Caused a lot of trouble, that boy.
Graham came to the school after being released from prison.
He showed great promise as a painter, but it was all too much for him.
He reverted to criminality.
He was the excuse the Arts Committee were looking for to cut off funding.
So the sale of Bishop's Drift comes at a very opportune moment, then? You could say that.
We were scraping along before, but Felicity's gift pulled us out of trouble.
Her death came as a terrible blow.
(FOOTSTEPS) (DOOR SLAMS) What's wrong? Alan, don't do anything stupid.
Sshh.
Be quiet.
(CAR DRIVES AWAY) I want them caught.
Why, yes, we'll, er we'll do our best, sir.
You do that.
You got an alarm system? Well, of course.
I've got sensors on the windows and on the doors.
They must've found some way of bypassing it.
How did they manage to do that? I don't know.
You're the detective, you tell me! Oh, sir.
Sorry.
It's just all been a bit of a terrible shock, actually.
The painting was here.
The painting was here.
Hm.
I was at the auction the other day.
Well, so were you.
So you'll know that another Hogson went for £400,000.
How much do you think your painting would fetch? I think in today's market it must have been worth £500,000.
Maybe more.
Five hun -? Ooph.
What was it insured for? Ooph! I was going to speak to my insurers this week about upping the premium.
Mr Best? Yep? Your neighbours report hearing gun shots last night.
Was it the thieves who fired those shots? No.
Who fired the shots? Things are bad enough as they are.
Look, you have to understand about Hogson.
When you get into him, he changes your life.
I loved that painting.
So, the price of Hogson's work goes through the roof, and Alan Best has his painting stolen.
Coincidence? Coincidence? Hm Here's something for you.
I saw Graham Spate being thrown out of the auction rooms the day of the sale.
Now you're talking.
Yeah.
I'd like you to pay him a visit.
Yes, sir.
And Iam going to do some research.
If we're going to get anywhere with this case, I have to know my Hogson.
Yeah.
Bit of research.
Huh.
Two centuries have passed, and, look, it's pretty much the same, isn't it? This is where he placed his easel.
And this field here is still used to raise pigs.
Different kind of pigs, but otherwise it's just the same.
It's remarkable.
That's why local people love Hogson so much.
He ties the past to the present.
Well, it's a chocolate box.
Ah, now, that's where you're wrong.
Lush it may be.
Fecund.
But there's a social realism there, too.
Take another look.
The man on the horse is the land owner surveying his magnificent estate.
He commissioned Hogson to paint Midsomer Meadow as a wedding gift for his wife.
But look here.
as a wedding gift for his wife.
But look here.
Children playing? Sweet.
Take another look.
They're not playing.
They're digging up roots to eat, because they're starving.
You see? They collected them in a basket.
They collected them in a basket.
Well, I have to say, I wouldn't have seen that, not at first glance.
Never underestimate Hogson.
His work's full of it.
Look.
Look.
This picture's called The Parson Preaching.
It hangs in the National Collection.
But notice where his gaze is falling? On the old woman's purse.
Exactly.
Silver tongued Parson James retired in some style after being left a fortune by his parishioners.
It's nice work, if you can get it.
There's a lot to his stuff, isn't there? His oeuvre, Mr Barnaby, his oeuvre.
His oeuvre, Miss Simms.
Mr Arlington, isn't it? George Arlington.
How do you do, sir? I'm Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby from Causton CID.
Now, don't you worry, sir.
I'm just here for a little art appreciation.
Congratulations on your purchase, Mr Arlington.
Thank you, ma'am.
This is Matilda Simms.
She runs the local art school.
Yes, I know about your work.
So this is Bishop's Drift? This is the spot where he set up his easel.
River's changed course a little, but otherwise that's about it.
Your father was a keen fisherman, wasn't he? He was, yes.
I heard what happened to Felicity Law.
Is there any news in the investigation? Well, it's early days yet, sir, but, as they say, we're working on it.
Hello, Graham.
Can I come in? So you've been behaving yourself, then, have you? Absolutely.
I'm a reformed character.
And you don't know anything about the theft of Alan Best's Hogson? Alan who? Did you do all these? Yeah.
I don't know much about art, but I reckon you've got talent.
You're right you don't know much about art.
Well, Matilda Simms thinks you could have gone a long way if you'd carried on.
What does she know? She's just a spoilt little daddy's girl.
Oh, I think she's quite interesting.
Got her hooks into you as well, has she? Ahh.
Is that why you stopped painting? No.
So why did you stop? Crime's more creative.
Well, I'm sorry you think that, Graham.
I thought you'd turned a bit of a corner with art.
It sort of shines a light into the dark areas, doesn't it? You never know what you're going to find, do you? I suggest you stick to plodding, mate.
Because you'd make a useless shrink.
Mm.
It is a nice picture.
I like it.
You can imagine erWordsworth or Houseman coming over the brow of that hill, can't you? Hm? Yeah.
You see, that's the secret to understanding Hogson.
He was an early Romantic.
He was a contemporary He was a contemporary of George Crabbe, you know.
And very lush, he may be, very fecund, but with just a touch of social realism.
Yeah, yeah, very fecund.
It's amazing what you pick up in an afternoon with Matilda Simms.
You met up with her? Yeah, I told you.
Research.
I spoke to Graham Spate about Matilda Simms.
He got very defensive.
I got the impression they'd been close.
That's interesting.
Isn't it? He's done the pigs really well.
My uncle had pigs.
Did he? Yeah.
They're Tamworths, I think.
Yeah.
Good pig, the Tamworth.
Easy to rear and a nice eater.
Yeah.
Good pig, the Tamworth.
Easy to rear and a nice eater.
Mmm! Quite the porcine expert, aren't we, Jones, eh? Do you know anything about Anthony Prideaux? He's got a gallery in the high street.
Stephens, you check up to see if he's got form? Yes, sir.
One, two, three, four, five, six.
Hello, again! Good morning.
Good morning, to you.
How's business? Brisk.
How's business? Brisk.
The auction has stirred the waters.
Yes.
We've sold several prints of Bishop's Drift already.
Have you? Oh! When I think of the pleasure the local people would have got out of seeing Bishop's Drift on public display here, it breaks my heart.
Still, life's full of tragedy.
Yes, indeed like the death of Felicity Law.
Though I shared little with her in this life, I abhor the manner of her passing.
If I remember rightly, at the auction you mentioned a um a preparatory sketch that Hogson made for Bishop's Drift? Do you still have that? Of course.
Come with me.
How did you come by this sketch? Ah-ha! I had a tip-off that Bishop Fletcher's descendents had dumped his papers into a skip outside their house.
I took the whole lot home and I spent a summer going through them and I found this among them.
The thought that out there there might be an undiscovered Hogson? I couldn't sleep a wink for a week! Now, that was in 1979, Now, that was in 1979, and I've been searching for Bishop's Drift ever since.
And there it was, all the time, in Felicity Law's attic? If only she'd have come to me first, instead of that snake, Anthony Prideaux.
(SHOP DOORBELL RINGS) Excuse me.
Yes.
Can I help you? WOMAN: (AMERICAN ACCENT) Hi.
Thank you.
Yes.
Oh, dear.
Well, I think I'm too late.
I was on my way over for the auction when all hell broke loose.
And I got held up in New York and missed the sale of Bishop's Drift.
I was hoping to acquire a Hogson locally.
I thought this might be the place to find out if other works were coming to market? Ideally, something, you know, big.
I wouldn't know, I'm afraid.
Oh.
Sure.
Tell me, is it true Bishop's Drift went for a song? If you consider £400,000 a song, then, yes, it did.
If you consider £400,000 a song, then, yes, it did.
Perhaps you'd like to go and see the exhibition in the gallery? Oh, great! Thanks! Hello! Hi.
I'm sorry I couldn't help but overhear.
You're looking for a Hogson, are you? Yes.
I was on my way over for the auction, when all hell broke loose on the markets.
But I'm here now.
I just had to see Hogson country.
Well, erwelcome.
Thank you.
Are you a Hogson buff? Oh, I eryou know, I dabble.
Well, if you know of anyone that wants to sell, my name's Christine Miller and I'm staying at the Golden Hind Hotel.
Well, I will certainly keep my ear to the ground for you.
It was a pleasure to meet you Mr? I'm Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby from Causton CID.
Well, like I said, it was a pleasure to meet you.
Likewise.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.
And erhave a nice day.
Who's that? That, Jones is Christine Miller, newly arrived from New York.
Or so she says.
The car's owned by an insurance company based in London .
.
which specialises in fine art.
So she's not a fund manager from New York; she's an art insurer from Fulham.
And what is she up to? So.
Sowhat? You were snooping around Alan Best's house taking photographs.
Why? My company insured Alan Best's painting, Midsomer Meadow.
Obviously we're not keen to pay out the 200,000.
If you're trying to get the painting back by offering thieves money, may I point out to you that paying for stolen property is a criminal offence? We call it a finders fee.
Do you, really? It's no defence if you're holed up in court.
We're exploring all options.
It's possible that Best is in financial difficulties and he arranged for the painting to be stolen for the insurance.
Hm.
Now, looka Hogson was recently sold for a record fee - £400,000.
Now, looka Hogson was recently sold for a record fee - £400,000.
Why wouldn't he just put his painting up for sale? A gallery or auction house could ask up to 40%.
Selling is risky.
What if nobody wanted the painting? Miss Miller, you do know, don't you, that the owner of a Hogson has recently been murdered? that the owner of a Hogson has recently been murdered? And we think whoever stole Midsomer Meadow was involved.
You're dealing with killers here.
I know all about that, but I have a job to do.
Miss Miller, I'm prepared to offer you a deal.
Excuse me.
Ah, Mr Barnaby.
How can I help? How can I help? Could you let me have everything you've got on fly-fishing and pigs, please? Fly-fishing and pigs.
Fly-fishing and pigs.
You can't take those.
They're reference books.
I'll bring them back! Jones.
I have a result.
This, Jones this is a painting of Midsomer Meadow.
Now, you correctly identified the breed of pig in the painting Now, you correctly identified the breed of pig in the painting as being Tamworths.
Now, these got their name from the founding father of the British police force, Sir Robert Peel of Tamworth, who brought some pigs over from Ireland in 1809.
But the breed didn't fully establish itself in England until 1865.
But the breed didn't fully establish itself in England until 1865.
Hogson died in 1810, Hogson died in 1810, which means, does it not, that the painting predates the pigs? which means, does it not, that the painting predates the pigs? Which means BOTH: It's a forgery.
Exactly.
And if Alan Best did arrange to have his Hogson stolen, we now know the reason why.
He knew the thing was worthless.
(PHONE RINGS) Morning, Stephens.
Oh, morning, Sir.
Susan.
Thanks for calling.
Christine Miller's just had a phone call from a man with a Hogson for sale.
She's meeting him in half an hour.
Did he say who he was? Said his name's Toby Smith and that he had got a Hogson for sale at, quote 'a reduced rate'.
(KNOCK ON DOOR) Keep him talking.
Jones, come on.
(KNOCK ON DOOR) (KNOCK ON DOOR) Come in, Mr Smith.
As you know, I'm in the market for a Hogson.
You say you have one for sale? First perhaps, we might establish your credentials as a buyer.
(MOBILE PHONE RINGS) (TURNS OFF PHONE) Sorry.
The Keystone Cops, I presume.
Mr Prideaux.
Right, Jones, take a look around.
See if you can find any more iffy Hogsons.
You'll need a search warrant.
Show me your warrant.
If you're going to carry on like that, sir, I'll take you down to the station right now and charge you with receiving stolen goods.
Thank you.
Carry on, Jones.
Sir.
So which Hogson were you planning to sell Christine Miller, then, Mr Prideaux? I think there's been a misunderstanding here.
It was merely erm an exploratory meeting.
I was merely suggesting that if she was in the market for a Hogson, I could introduce her to someone, who might, perhaps, have a Hogson for sale.
It would help you and it would certainly help me, if you were to answer my questions truthfully.
I am answering your questions truthfully.
Because, as you know, Felicity Law was murdered.
And this is a very serious matter.
So, own up or we have ways and meansetcetera, etcetera.
Well, you've chosen the wrong man this time, Barnaby, because I am made of sterner stuff.
I know, Mr Prideaux.
What do you know? I know that Midsomer Meadow is a forgery.
I know that Midsomer Meadow is a forgery.
No.
Now, that is where you're wrong.
Completely wrong.
Might I suggest you leave art to the experts and concentrate instead on matters within your intellectual grasp? Hm? What makes you think Midsomer Meadow is a forgery? Graham Spate told us.
That name is unfamiliar to me.
He says it was your idea to steal Midsomer Meadow from Alan Best.
I never knew it was stolen.
I know nothing about this Spate or his crimes.
I'm a professional, with an impeccable reputation.
And two previous convictions for receiving stolen goods.
Where's the painting now? Under his bed! Graham?! Graham Spate?! He's in here! Yep.
I'll organise a full search of the house, sir.
OK.
Repeated blows to the skull with a blunt instrument and not so long ago.
The body's still warm to the touch.
And more signs of torture again? Very nasty.
Any ideas? No.
Except whoever did it must have known that painting was a forgery otherwise they would have taken it with them, wouldn't they? Mm.
Good news, Mr Best.
Good news, Mr Best.
Yeah? Yes.
We've got it back! I don't believe it! Excellent.
Aren't you pleased? I'm thrilled.
You don't look it.
What is that on it? That's blood.
Blood?! There's been an incident.
I'll get a Jay cloth.
Now, Mr Best, you must upgrade your Now, Mr Best, you must upgrade your alarm system.
I will.
I'll talk to the insurers about it next week.
Thank you so much.
Er, Mr Best, do you know a Graham Spate at all? The name's familiar.
He's a local tea leaf, isn't he? That's the man.
You ever spoken to him? No.
Cos Graham Spate has just been found murdered, Mr Best.
And according to his phone records, he spoke to you several times on the night Midsomer Meadow was stolen.
Well, I get a lot of crank calls.
Yeah, I'm sure you do.
Curious thing, isn't it, about the Tamworth pigs in your painting there? They weren't introduced into this country until years after old man Hogson had died.
until years after old man Hogson had died.
But I think you know that, don't you? But I think you know that, don't you? I bought this painting in good faith.
Look, Mr Best, I think you should tell me everything that happened.
Somehow, Spate discovered that Midsomer Meadow was a fake.
And he was going to reveal it to the world unless I paid him 50,000 quid.
He knew about the pigs and some of the other errors the forger had made.
Other errors? Other errors? Yeah.
Can you point them out to me? The four swineherd.
Look closely.
Yes? They're The Beatles! Oh, yes! George, Paul, John and Ringo! I knew he wasn't going to be happy with 50,000 quid, so I offered him a better deal.
If he stole the painting and destroyed it, he could have £100,000 of the insurance money.
So what did he do - get greedy, try to sell the painting on instead of destroying it? Yeah.
You do understand, Mr Best, that you are now a suspect in this case? When was he killed? He was killed sometime this morning.
When was he killed? He was killed sometime this morning.
Well, that's me in the clear, then, because I've been in church all morning with Yvonne.
We've been rehearsing our wedding.
Mr Best? I heard the news.
I'm really pleased for you.
Where did you find it? Oh that's a long story.
But there it is.
Mr Best, don't you think we should up your premiums? No, I don't think so.
Oh.
Why not? Cos this is junk! Cos this is junk! I found these.
What do you make of that? What do you make of that? Aww.
Wish she was my art teacher! Forensics have found prints all over the shop.
Have they? He was murdered? Oh, God.
Matilda, er, Miss Simms, if I were to take your fingerprints, would they match those we found all over Graham Spate's cottage? Yes.
Yes.
What were you doing there? I still have a key.
I went there last night.
It was awful.
Why didn't you call us, Miss Simms? I was looking for these pictures.
Well, by the look of it, you were very keen on Mr Spate.
I was in love with him.
Beneath all the anger and violence, there was something very tender.
Would it be fair to say that, er, he hurt you and he damaged the reputation of your school? Do you see where I'm going with this? Are you suggesting that I No! I didn't kill Graham.
I couldn't kill anyone.
OK.
What is a woman like that doing with a prat like Graham Spate, eh? I mean, come on! Must know his way around the ladies, sir.
Thank you, Jones.
Where are we going? Felicity Law's cottage.
What do you notice about this cottage, Jones? I think you're about to tell me, sir.
Yes, I am.
Felicity Law told Prideaux she found her painting in her loft.
But there ain't no loft.
It's just an expression though, isn't it? It's not evidence.
Oh, all right.
Now, Jones, you're the fisherman.
Look at the loop shape the Bishop has made with his line there.
Yeah, it's a Spey cast.
Yeah, it's a Spey cast.
Yes, it is.
And? Well, you're the expert now.
Well, I can tell you, Jones, as a result of my research, that that kind of casting - the Spey cast - that that kind of casting - the Spey cast - wasn't used or known about until That's 40 years after old man Hogson was dead.
So Bishop's Driftis a forgery too? Yes, and I think Felicity Law knew that.
And I think she knew the identity of the forger too.
Patricia Blackshaw? No, I've seen Patricia Blackshaw's paintings at the Hogson shop and she's truly awful.
But whoever painted this is good.
Very good indeed.
We're looking at a sophisticated proper artist here, not a talentless amateur.
So, intimate local knowledge, profound appreciation of Hogson and a superb technique.
Now, who could that be? Tell you what it is - painting is hard.
Yeah.
Hello again.
You forged Bishop's Drift, didn't you? Matilda, the life drawing class is waiting for you.
Tell them to start without me.
Come with me.
Where are we going? To my father's studio.
My father forged Midsomer Meadow and Bishop's Drift in this room.
He developed a deep respect for Hogson.
He saw him as a fellow radical, an artist struggling against materialism.
Why turn to forgery? It was an accident.
It was an accident.
He was particularly in awe of Hogson's brushwork and in order to understand it better, he made a copy of The Parson Preaching.
A gallery owner from London happened to see it, mistook it for the original and he offered my father £20,000.
So, you're telling us that he couldn't resist the temptation? But your father was a famous artist.
He had a considerable reputation and he was earning lots of money.
His paintings sell for silly money now but back then, we were broke.
He was desperate to keep the school open, so from time to time .
.
he'd paint a new Hogson.
But what about the mistakes he put in, like the Tamworth pigs and the Spey casting - what was all that about? I think at first, he wanted to be found out.
But when the so-called experts began to lap them up, But when the so-called experts began to lap them up, it became a game for him.
Yes, but on the other hand, Yes, but on the other hand, he was at great pains to cover up his tracks, wasn't he? I mean, the preparatory sketch for Bishop's Drift - did he deliberately put that into the Bishop's papers? Yes, so that when the work appeared at a later date, no-one questioned it.
My father left me several forgeries, knowing I'd need the money.
Whenever we ran out, I'd sell a painting.
And that's what happened when Midsomer County Council cut off your grant, is it? Yes.
Felicity and I decided to sell the final forgery in my possession - Bishop's Drift.
We'd pulled off the same scam several times.
Until Mr Graham Spate discovered your little secret.
How did he do that? My father made a record of all the errors in a notebook - the Black Book.
What was that? The Black Book.
It was a sort of insurance policy.
I kept it in my safe.
I kept it in my safe.
But on the night of the auction, it was stolen.
By Spate? He knew where I kept the key to the safe.
Spate could have contacted George Arlington and told him he'd paid £400,000 for a forgery.
Arlington could have murdered Felicity in revenge.
And if there are forgeries in Arlington's collection, he could lose millions.
So, Spate was killed for the Black Book and not the painting.
Whoever's got The Black Book now has great power Whoever's got The Black Book now has great power but could also get themselves killed.
Mr Arlington, could we have a word, please? Mr Arlington, did you kill Felicity Law? That dog don't hunt.
Why in heaven's name would I do that? That dog don't hunt.
Why in heaven's name would I do that? Because you were angry, sir, because she'd sold you a fake painting.
Fake? What the hell are you talking about? Half your collection of Hogson paintings are forgeries.
Did you know that? My entire collection has been examined by the top art historians in the world.
You really should check your facts before making wild allegations.
May I see your bookplease? Thank you.
The Salmon Fly by George Kelson, published in 1895.
I see you've taken the trouble to find out about the technique of Spey casting, sir - developed in Wales and Scotland long, long after Mr Hogson was dead.
Unless I'm under arrest, I intend to leave.
Good day, gentlemen.
The Black Book.
See, you know about the Black Book, don't you? That book has already killed two people.
I think you better go home, sir, before it kills you, too.
(MOBILE RINGS) Arlington.
Mr Arlington, it's Anthony Prideaux here.
What do you want? What do you want? You know what I want.
You have until midday tomorrow, George, or I will ruin you.
Good day.
Ah.
Paul, Ringo, John, George.
The cause of death seems pretty obvious, don't you think? Yes, indeed.
Yes, indeed.
No sign of a weapon, Tom.
Sir? Sir? The last call Prideaux made was to George Arlington.
Now, there's a surprise (!) Ah, and here he is.
Mr Arlington.
Mr Arlington.
Not a pleasant sight, is it? I had nothing to do with this, I swear to you.
I've been in the pub all afternoon.
Come on then, please.
You haven't been entirely honest with me, have you? Now, look, you can see what the situation is.
Now, will you please tell me what was going on between you and Mr Prideaux? He was blackmailing me.
He was blackmailing you? That's right.
He had the Black Book.
He had the Black Book.
He'd identified every forgery in my collection.
The forger had made a small error in each painting.
You're an expert and you didn't notice that? We see what we want to see, don't we? Was he trying to sell you the Black Book? He wanted £1m.
Were you gonna pay it? What choice do I have? A great deal of my wealth is tied up in my Hogson collection.
When was the exchange to take place? Tomorrow.
You people sure know how to ruin a vacation! Oh, I do apologise, sir (!) I'm heading home.
No, no, sir.
Again, I'm sorry, but you can't do that.
And why not? And why not? Because whoever did that to Mr Prideaux almost certainly has got the Black Book.
And it won't take them long to work out that you're the best because you're the richest blackmail target.
Now, listen.
When they contact you, you get in touch with me immediately.
I want you to say that you'll pay them the money.
Arlington's alibi checks out - he was at the pub.
Downed half a dozen whiskies, apparently.
Yes, I bet.
Yes, I bet.
Forensics have got some interesting fibres but don't hold your breath.
SoGraham Spate steals the Black Book from Matilda's safe.
He realises Midsomer Meadow is a fake, so his first port of call is Alan Best.
He steals the painting and offers it to Prideaux.
Look, you go through Prideaux's phone records.
See if he's made contact with any other Hogson owners.
He might well have been blackmailing other people, too, mightn't he? And whoever killed him must know about the Black Book.
Mr Arlington.
Thank you, ma'am.
'Collect £2m in used £50 notes.
Place the money in a shopping trolley and place a plastic bag of groceries on top to hide the money.
Leave the trolley beside desk three of the reading room in Causton Library at exactly 11am tomorrow.
You'll find the Black Book on the desk.
Take it, go home to America and never come back here again.
' Can you raise that kind of money in the time? Two million is a lot.
What's happening? An old lady sitting near desk three.
Whoa.
He's on the move.
He's got the money.
He's leaving the bank.
He's got the money.
He's leaving the bank.
Roger that.
It's all quiet here.
No Wait a minute.
The book's there! He's taken the book and he's left the money.
Well done, you.
Thank you.
What's happening? Nothing.
I can still see the trolley by the table.
Roger that.
Come on, George.
Come on.
Tuck yourself in there.
The blackmailer's picked up the money.
It's Neville Blackshaw.
He's heading your way.
Neville.
Neville Blackshaw.
Mr Barnaby! How are you? I'm very well.
And you are under arrest.
Take your hands off that.
What Where's my money? It's in there, sir.
What are you doing? That's my shopping! It's gone.
My money's gone.
Mr Blackshaw, where is the money? What money? I don't know what you're talking about.
I just went into the library to pick I just went into the library to pick up some shopping.
What - did you forget it? Or did someone ask you to go in there and collect it for them? Patricia rang half an hour ago.
She said she'd got home, realised she'd left the shopping in the library next to desk three.
Well, I work just round the corner, so I popped out to pick it up.
Patricia Blackshaw must have switched the trolleys.
How could you let her do that? (CHURCH BELL) Oh, no! What? She was in there.
Who? The old woman at desk three.
You must be Mrs Blackshaw.
Yes.
My name's Melanie.
I'm here to show you aboard.
May I take your bags? No, thank you.
That won't be necessary.
No, thank you.
That won't be necessary.
Ermwhat are you going to do with your car? Nothing.
Right.
The flight plan has been cleared for your trip to Florence.
Here it is.
A little radio transponder in the bag with the money.
Failed to spot it when your husband walked out with his basket but once you were on the move, we could track you.
Patricia Blackshaw, let me put it to you you killed Felicity Law, Graham Spate and Anthony Prideaux, didn't you? That's a ridiculous suggestion.
No, it's not.
How did the Black Book come into your possession? I don't know what you're talking about! All I'm prepared to say is that my actions were entirely honourable.
I merely sought to expose little Matilda Simms for the criminal that she is and rid the world of fake Hogsons, thus ensuring his reputation for posterity.
Now, if that is a crime, I'm guilty as charged.
Ensuring his reputation for posterity.
That is just not true, is it? Your actions were driven entirely by greed and by a passionate hatred of Arnold Simms.
and by a passionate hatred of Arnold Simms.
You were his pupil and you were also his lover.
It is you, isn't it? You in the painting hanging in the hall? This is the last painting.
I've sold all the rest.
You loved him but he rejected you.
Tell me about that.
That's no business of yours! You did love him, didn't you? It's all too long ago.
He was your teacher, you admired him.
I did admire him, yes.
He was older but so brilliant, so alive.
He was older but so brilliant, so alive.
Yes, we became lovers.
I was so happy.
I wanted to paint, live a bohemian life of adventure and daring.
Oh, I loved him so much.
But he rejected you.
How could he do that? He said it was, er because I had He said it was, er because I had a bourgeois mind.
And Felicity Law took your place.
Mm-hm.
That was the final humiliation.
Despite my perfect beauty, he preferred her! And Felicity Law got a life of art, laughter, sexual adventure.
And all I got was jam, Jerusalem and bloody Neville Blackshaw! Patricia, when did you first realise that someone was forging Hogsons? Oh, Felicity told me.
After the auction, I went round to her cottage to make my feelings plainand .
.
things got a little out of hand.
You greedy old witch! You should have sold it to me! Please Patricia, no more, I beg you.
I was doing you a favour! It was a forgery! I'd long suspected there were forgeries floating around.
Well, paintings kept popping up.
And it occurred to me that if I could get Felicity to tell me who the forger was, I could, well, I could blackmail him or her.
You tortured her, didn't you? No, no, no, no, argh! She was so tough.
She wouldn't tell me a thing.
(SCREAMS) So, you killed her.
What choice did I have? The painting - Midsomer Meadow - that was stolen from Alan Best - did you suspect a connection then? Well, it was very coincidental.
Why did you suspect Graham Spate? Felicity told me enough for that.
He knew his art.
He could have been the forger.
So, I took him a bottle of wine.
And while he was looking for a corkscrew, I hit him over the head.
By the time he came round, I'd got him well tied up.
Argh! Are you the forger? No! Then how do you know it's a forgery? The Black Book.
It lists all the forgeries her father ever made.
Please, no more! Where is it? I don't know! Argh! Anthony Prideaux's got it! We're working together.
Please! I suspect that you've got no qualms about killing Graham Spate.
Nope.
He was such an unpleasant young man.
But then all you had to do was find the Black Book.
Paul, Ringo, John, George.
And write a little note to Arlington.
Cos you knew he'd do anything in the world to protect his collection and his reputation.
Precisely.
I nearly got away with it, you know.
Well, Mrs Blackshaw, I hope when you're in prison, that will be of some comfort to you.
£2m, all there.
If you could just sign this receipt for me please, sir.
Sure.
What are you gonna do with it? You've missed the banks.
My hotel has a good safe.
You want one of my men to escort you? No.
That's very kind of you.
I'll be fine.
You could call me a taxi.
Jones.
Sir.
Where's Arlington? He left for the hotel, sir.
That's not the book.
He switched it at the library.
Cab company says he's not going to the hotel.
He's heading for the art school.
And Matilda Simms is the only one who can prove that half his collection are forgeries.
The students will have gone for the weekend.
She's on her own.
Come on.
Who is it? Come on, come on.
Answer.
(PHONE RINGS) Matilda! Try the studios.
Sir.
Matilda! Miss Simms? Miss Simms? (RIPPING SOUND) It's OK, sheriff.
Miss Simms and I are doing a little business.
You tricked me, sir.
You stole the Black Book.
Miss Simms and I have reached an agreement.
Have you? I will remove the remaining forgeries in my collection and destroy them.
and destroy them.
In return, she will destroy the remaining forgeries her father left, thus bringing an end .
.
to this unhappy chapter.
You told me that Bishop's Drift was the last one.
Did I? Yes.
Sir, if you go on doing that, you'll lose yourself millions.
Since the auction, the value of my Since the auction, the value of my collection has doubled.
And once the art world discovers that half of my collection has been lost, well, I anticipate the value of my well, I anticipate the value of my collection may well double again.
You've got your murderer, Tom.
Can't we just leave it at that? No! What about Patricia Blackshaw? I mean, do you think she'll keep quiet about all this? She knows everything.
What about the other forgeries in other people's collections? Who would believe the rantings of a deranged murderer against the opinion of every art critic in the country? How about we all go downstairs and have a drink? Well, that's a very nice suggestion but we're still on duty and I've got a mountain of paperwork to do.
I've got to be going too.
I've a flight to catch.
Would you be so kind as to take me to my hotel, Barnaby? Oh yes! Certainly.
Glad to be of service (!) Oh yes! Certainly.
Glad to be of service (!) Thank you, Tom.
Oh there's nothing to thank me for.
I shall be running a new course next term on Henry Hogson.
Since you've acquired such an interest, why don't you sign up? You know, there's nothing in the world I'd like better than that .
.
but I can't.
Why not? I mustn't.
But I know someone who'd enjoy that course very much.
Oh, good.
Thank you.
Oh Tom, what a lovely present! A course on Hogson.
How thoughtful of you.
How thoughtful of you.
I knew you'd like it.
I shall look forward to it.
That Matilda Simms is so interesting.
Yes, she is.