Waking the Dead (2000) s06e03 Episode Script
Deus Ex Machina: Part 1
It's weird.
A guy books into a hotel with the best restaurant in London and then goes on a hunger strike.
SIREN Hello.
Michael Leonard, Sudan desk.
This is Sir Anthony Lane-Kelly, Permanent Foreign Secretary.
Sir Sir Anthony.
Er, Sir Anthony.
I understand that you requested the Cold Case Unit? I heard you were good with old bones.
He's on a hunger strike and we're here to indulge him.
We're here to get him off British soil.
If he dies here, we're the bad guys and he's a martyr.
Just find the damn skull.
With respect, Sir Anthony, we don't normally investigate lost-property cases.
Try not to mistake your current unaccountability for expendability Detective Superintendent.
DOOR OPENS Shall we? BOYD CHUCKLES Leonard Sir? I thought he was on a hunger strike? He's eating.
No, he's drinking.
It'll be a mixture of water, saline and vitamin B1.
He's drawing it out, then.
Well, that is the point of a hunger strike, got to build up the pressure so your demands are met.
Detective Superintendent Boyd.
This is Dr Grace Foley.
This way, please.
Sorry.
Sorry.
Have you found the Mahdi's skull? Now, hang on a minute, we've just arrived.
His Excellency will continue his fast until the Mahdi's remains are returned to the Sudan.
Um, His Excellency also remains our best hope for both the forthcoming elections and its aftermath.
If His Excellency dies, we can write off the Sudan for another generation.
Sewing his lips together's gonna get him elected? He's been in exile, he needs this, the grand gesture.
The Mahdi is our country's hero.
All my father wants is his remains returned for burial.
He's your father and you're watching him die.
He will not die - if you find the Mahdi's skull.
HE SPEAKS ARABIC The Sudan was born out of a bloody war, but so was the United States of America.
How are we different? But in our struggle for independence from the British Empire, we trusted in our religion.
In the Sudan the Mahdi did not let his religion stand in the way of alliances between Muslims, Christians and the followers of tribal gods.
If the head of General George Washington was taken as a war trophy, would the leaders of America be content to let it remain, undiscovered, unmourned, unburied? They don't need us, they need Indiana Jones.
Sir Cyril.
Not exactly my kind of place.
Why did you ask me here? It is not a matter of caprice, Boyd, my masters know you're here.
May I? Mm.
You still have masters? This is a democracy.
Only dictators escape public service.
I may be retired, but I still have responsibilities.
I hear you're the new saint of lost causes, Boyd.
The Mahdi's skull.
News travels fast.
Just two hours ago I was told that I could bring peace to the Sudan.
Am I being set up? I am.
Er, your unit is self-contained, that was seen as a virtue.
I thought it was my expendability.
Please, you should be flattered.
You got the job because they're taking it seriously.
I know nothing about the Sudan or the Mahdi's skull.
The Mahdi rewrote Islam to make himself the harbinger of the apocalypse.
He declared service in his armies equivalent to the pilgrimage to Mecca.
So he's responsible for all our current problems? You can't make your hunger striker responsible for his forefathers' crimes, but, if Khaled Ahmed dies, it would be a disaster for the Sudan and a disaster for us in the UK.
Is that your opinion or the Foreign Office's? My opinion is that nothing in the world will change, whether the Sudan limps on for another hundred years, or shatters into a thousand pieces.
And I love the place.
Sounds like it.
Sometimes the things you love are beyond saving.
But you can't let go.
HE COUGHS I recommended your team, Boyd.
Perhaps I spoke out of turn.
But I wanted to make contact.
There is another matter, one that also calls for a team of semi-detached misfits.
BOYD LAUGHS Now you're flattering me! Indulge me, take my admiration as read.
You once considered re-opening the murder of an Iraqi refugee, Omar Jaffiri.
Omar Jaffiri, yeah, yeah We review it every year, but it's never seemed more hopeful than it did in '93.
All it took was the fall of Saddam.
An Iraqi general was sentenced to death in Baghdad today.
He confessed to Jaffiri's murder, amongst others.
What's this? The entire transcripts of the killer's interrogation.
Jaffiri was killed on my watch, Boyd.
So what am I supposed to find in here? A discrepancy.
You won't miss it.
Well, I won't miss it if I know what I'm meant to be looking for.
Ah, Boyd, Boyd, Boyd.
What is the police oath now? To be faithful, honest and impartial? Yeah, something like that.
What's yours? To keep my mouth shut.
Why should I help you? A chance to bring a transient stability to the Sudan.
The death of Jaffiri is something else.
Why? Because it brings shame on my entire profession.
I'm not exactly a fan of your profession, Sir Cyril.
No, you want everything out in the open, battle lines drawn, enemies identified.
But what if I tell you there is a connection between the death of Omar Jaffiri and the skull of the Mahdi? Would it interest you then? It would, if I believed you.
Believe me.
ALL: ALLAHU AKBAR! ALLAHU AKBAR! REGGAE MUSIC Is it true about the skull? So rumour has it, yeah.
When did it disappear? Ooh, where to start? The Mahdi's tomb was desecrated by British troops in revenge for the death of General Gordon in 1885.
And he was? He was the then governor of the Sudan.
Mahdi's warriors chopped his head off.
Why hasn't someone asked for the Mahdi's skull back before now? They did.
In 1956.
An investigation was requested by the first Sudanese government after independence.
Independence from the British? No.
No, from Egypt, and Egypt got its independence from us.
Right.
And the skull is important now because? Well, the Sudan has had a civil war for almost 50 years.
Two million people have died and more than that have fled the country.
And this guy is putting himself forward as the man who can pull it all together.
Yeah.
Sorry There's been a peace process in place since 2005, but it's shaky.
The skull is a potent symbol of past glory and unity.
Yeah, but the 1956 investigation was a joke.
It's just a list of rumours.
They say the skull might have been used as an ink well, a paperweight, or an ashtray.
hardly going to pull out all the stops, are they? Why is Khaled Ahmed threatening the peace process by risking his life? Politics, politics, politics.
Suppose we find this skull, is a DNA comparison going to work, Eve? After 120 years? Well, it very much depends on the condition.
You know DNA degrades in bones? I didn't.
There are much more sensitive new techniques, Low Copy Number Analysis at 34 cycle PCR.
Anyway, what was I going to say? Oh, yes, about this - Lawrence Olivier's portrayal.
It wasn't particularly accurate.
It was quite a good film though.
Never saw it.
It was good.
The Mahdi was a black African.
That's what I said.
Nubian or Dongolese.
But don't we all look alike 125 years after we die? That's a bit like saying we all look alike when we take our clothes off.
The differences are heightened.
And on skeletons? Narrow the frame of reference and the complexity of a structure comes into focus.
So what about X-rays? I've got some injuries I want you to look at on the old Jaffiri file.
Omar Jaffiri? Omar Jaffiri.
That's the case I was pushing for last year and you knocked me back.
Yeah, his killer was sentenced to death in Baghdad yesterday.
So why bother? So why bother? I've been told there's a connection between the two cases.
Here's a transcript of the condemned man's interrogation.
The Mahdi's skull disappeared in the 1890s.
Omar Jaffiri was killed in 1993.
Can you help me out here? D'you wanna take on the case or not? Hell, yeah.
So tell me, how did the transcripts of a military interrogation in Baghdad find its way into your hands? Well, Sir Cyril Barrett, the MI6 guy.
Stubborn old bastard, he wouldn't tell me what I'm supposed to be looking for.
Mmm, another old man with his lips stitched together.
Yeah.
You know what he called us? A bunch of misfits.
Oh, he knows us, then? Semi-detached, expendable, unaccountable, all in one day.
Makes you feel valued, doesn't it? Mmm, don't let your ego get in the way, Boyd.
Why not? A public servant isn't allowed one.
Servant, not slave.
Or martyr.
I didn't know that DNA degraded in bones, did you? What about that 2,000-year-old ice man that they found, and they traced through his blood line to find out where he came from, what he did She seems to know what she's talking about.
Yeah She said "narrow your terms of reference" - that helps you focus on things, that's good because that's what the team does, which is good, so it's positive, early days, but positive.
I like what she said about us all being different with our clothes off, that was bright.
Get out, Grace.
A Michael Leonard just called.
Ah, it's that little shit from the Foreign Office.
What did he want? Is this the Foreign Office way? Taking meetings in the open air? Please, just sit down.
Not so close.
Not here.
What's your problem? If you're uncomfortable, we can talk at headquarters.
This might be a joke to you, but it's not to me, OK? So are we supposed to find the Mahdi's skull at 8, Lorimer Gardens? Listen, I have given you all I can, OK? Just, please, keep me out of it.
BLEEPING Yeah, I see it Good.
It's on the edge of the university area.
I'll do a title search and I'll see you there, yeah? OK, speak to you later.
OK.
Bye.
Bye.
I don't know if it belongs to Mel, the envelope was addressed to her.
Well, I can't shed any light on how it was stored or who handled it.
There's no mark on the pendant itself.
There is a hallmark on the clasp of the chain, 18-carat, which is interesting, because it's the number 18.
What's the number 18? The letters 'het' and 'yod', eight and ten.
What, so the letters represent the number? In the Hebrew alphabet, yeah.
And 18 means? Well, if you're Jewish it's considered lucky to offer gifts in multiples of 18, but more significantly the number 18 represents life.
So you'd give this to somebody to wish them a long life? Possibly.
Which is more than you're gonna have.
Right, thanks.
Excuse me.
Do you live here, miss? No, no-one does.
We're trying to trace the owners, a company called Scott Grey.
Scott Grey aren't the owners.
They only set up the trust.
If anyone's responsible for the lodge, I guess it's me.
And you are? Elaine Wilson, I'm a medical student and I'm late for class.
So who are the owners? It's owned by a historical society, the Fakirs.
I'm the lodge master.
Historical, like relics from the past? Some What's the problem? You're the lodge master? Master, yes.
So you catalogue everything? Who pimped this crib? Wow.
Scott Grey bought this place? The directors provided funds to buy the leasehold and undertake restoration.
Here's a copy of the inventory with all the historical artefacts.
The directors of Scott Grey, Catherine Braithwaite and James Andrews, why were they so generous? They were both ex-members of the society.
I don't know Miss Braithwaite, but I'm now late for Professor Andrews' class.
There's several problems with the Geneva Convention.
But let's concentrate on interrogation.
Under the Convention, a soldier is only required to give his rank and number.
And what's the assumption? That a good soldier would only speak under torture.
It's designed to protect men like my father.
But better intelligence might have saved his life.
So we overrule the Convention.
Battles are fought on the ground.
Ordinary soldiers are often the best source of intelligence.
No.
My father died as a result of insurgency.
He wasn't facing combat troops, he was trying to maintain security.
If we question Geneva, we've got to make that differentiation.
Security isn't just a wartime issue.
No-one's suggesting we apply wartime measures outside the battlefield.
I am.
By definition, insurgents are operating outside the battlefield.
If certain forms of interrogation are legitimate in wartime, they have to be legitimate at all times.
Geneva recognises that wartime interrogation involves psychological and physical stress, which is exactly why these techniques can't be applied outside of war.
Why? Because they breach universal human rights, freedom, dignity If a state cannot guarantee security, there is no dignity, no freedom and no democracy.
So acute interrogation techniques are legitimate at all times, in all situations? Who's going to apply that? Who wouldn't apply them, if they knew liberty and democracy were at stake? Someone has to be willing to step up to the mark.
Your big night tonight.
Yeah.
You're going to be bloodied.
Dr James Andrews? Can you confirm that you own the freehold to 8, Lorimer Gardens? And you are? DI Jordan.
DC Goodman.
Ah, I understand you spoke to the current lodge master today.
I trust she was helpful.
Yes, she was, thank you.
You're one of the trustees, along with a Catherine Braithwaite.
Do you know her whereabouts? Currently, no, I couldn't say.
You don't know? She travels.
Outside the orbit of a university professor.
When did you last see her? A few months ago.
I gave a paper at Georgetown University, and she was good enough to come along.
Though I expect I put her to sleep.
Sorry I can't be more help.
Was it something I said? 'Fraid so.
Here's the fracture of Jaffiri's left humerus.
The pathologist assumed he was injured in a struggle Jaffiri! The killer said he took Jaffiri by surprise, there's no mention of a struggle.
There are other ways to break bones.
Now, bone is stronger along its length than its width, so any fractures will traverse the grain, but this is unusual.
I've made additional findings - defects adjacent to the articular surface, as though ligaments have been pulled away.
So, tendons being pulled off the bone.
Mmm, taking tiny flakes of bone with them, here and here.
The same defects suggesting extreme rotational pressure was applied to the joint, which would be excruciatingly painful.
Now, could these injuries have been sustained some time before, I mean, you know, like old injuries? There's no evidence of new bone formation, so no sign of healing.
So you're saying that these injuries took place before death, just before death? It would seem so.
So he was tortured before he was killed.
Yes.
And a form of suspension torture.
Hung upside down or hung up or? There are five basic techniques, cross, butchery, when you hang by one or both hands that's butchery by the leg Parrot perch, where you're hung from a bar placed under the knees.
And this - Palestinian suspension.
Palestinian suspension.
Because the Israelis have used it intensively, but they didn't invent it.
There's an older name, "strappado", dating back to the Inquisition.
Right.
So you think that Hadid softened up Jaffiri using this technique before he slit his throat? Would he have needed help to do that? Would strappado be enough to break an arm, though? It mightwith a sudden drop.
Aaggghh! Hassan Hadid.
A Ba'athist general, convicted of the murders of ten prominent Shias, one in London, Omar Jaffiri.
In the transcript of Hadid's interrogation there is no mention of Jaffiri having been tortured before he was killed Yeah, but can we trust this testimony from Baghdad? This guy could have been tortured too, you know.
It wouldn't necessarily negate what he said.
What are you saying? Evidence produced through torture needn't be unreliable? God, here we go, yeah.
"Torture is ethically indefensible.
"It pollutes the entire justice system.
" Yes.
That is the argument, though I didn't think I'd hear you defending it.
I'm not! I'm quoting the British law lords.
But what if it gets results, what do you want? D'you want killers and terrorists to be on the loose? That is a very simplistic defence.
But that's the point.
Sometimes you have to encourage suspects, just a little, to talk.
Yeah, but they still have to be checked, re-checked, analysed, repeated Oh, there isn't always time to do all that work Then your argument is flawed.
Torture isn't a guaranteed short cut to the truth.
Oh, OK, so if Hadid tortured Jaffiri before he killed him, it slipped his memory.
And if he didn't, then somebody else did torture him.
Two-man team, and maybe someone's still out there.
You know, sometimes, you're just not a help.
Not if I don't agree with you.
What have we got on the skull? The Fakirs.
Founded at the end of the 19th century by a military surgeon.
Lieutenant Dyer, who fell in love with the Arabic world.
Aw, sweet(!) Do they have the skull? No, according to them.
And there's nothing in the inventory.
Let's get Michael Leonard in and we'll encourage him to talk ever so nicely, sweetly, politely, make him tea with lots of sugar in it The Fakirs had a skull.
They used it on certain occasions.
Such as? Anniversaries, initiation ceremonies, things like that.
They used to take it very seriously.
How d'you know all this? I was one of them.
Why didn't you tell me this before? I made an oath.
That was part of the deal.
But you had a prick of conscience? When I believed Khaled Ahmed would carry out his threat, yes, I did.
Look, the only reason I joined the Fakirs was to keep my girlfriend happy, and, yes, I should have spoken out, but But what? You were scared? What of? Let's just say it was in my best interests to keep my word.
What's with all the secrecy? Have you been threatened? I came here voluntarily.
Who is your girlfriend? The one you wanted to please.
Catherine Braithwaite.
Are you still in touch with her? No, erno.
No, I haven't seen her for ages.
We split up not long after that.
She's a translator now She speaks Arabic.
Do you see anyone else involved with the Fakirs at that time? No.
They were mostly junior doctors and medical students.
I was an Orientalist, as was Catherine, so we went our different ways.
You were in the Middle East section.
You ever work the Iraq desk? Er, no.
Have you heard of a man called Omar Jaffiri? No, should I have? That's what I'm asking you.
No, er, his name means nothing to me.
OK.
Thank you, Michael.
Thank you.
Mike, please.
Tu es francaise, non? Oui, pourquoi? Parce que Belle.
I like it.
Maybe you should come and do my flat.
You like the style? I likeI like the style.
I'm pleased.
Right, OK, what have we got? These are drawings made by Leila Jaffiri.
She witnessed her father's murder.
She was too young at the time to be questioned directly? Correct.
What did the original investigation learn from them? What you would expect, suppressed memories, traumatised Is that your opinion? Yeah, I agree.
Classic signs of withdrawal.
But she's not a little girl any more.
That little girl is still inside her.
And that little girl will have memories.
All right, you talk to her, then.
I will.
Jaffiri's wife said he'd been out all night.
She heard the grille open at 6.
30 and the paper boys found his body at seven.
His little girl was in the shop.
The paper boys found her behind the counter.
So the shutters were open.
Yeah, it says, er, Jaffiri opened the shutters from the outside.
Looking at the time frame, 6.
30 when his wife heard the shutters, seven when the body was found Jaffiri can't have been tortured in the shop.
His shoulder must already have been broken.
So who opened the shutters and brought in the newspapers? Hadid didn't mention that in his interrogation, did he? Jaffiri was stabbed in the lower right side of his chest .
.
nicking the adjacent rib.
The blade moved upwards through his lower lung and liver.
He fell to the ground like so.
The blood spurted left.
Which means he must have turned him over Hm-mm.
andcut his throat.
From left to right, the blood pooling over a 125cm diameter.
We make a really good team, you know that? Why, Mr Spence! I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.
Well, it says here 1978 KNOCKING Mmm.
Andrews? I'll call you back.
KNOCKING CONTINUES Why am I always speaking to you through a door? Coming.
Sorry, Wilson.
Your inner sanctum.
Why wouldn't you defend me at the seminar today? I can only stimulate debate, I can't direct it.
If I can provide the space We can arrive at the truth.
It seemed a shame to hide it away in an album.
Look how tightly I'm holding onto Dad.
Just like I'm gonna hold onto you.
I used to, um wake up in the morning, to try and help my father bring in the newspapers.
Before he died.
Before he was murdered.
Do you need a few moments? What? To feel at home? It was quiet SHUTTERS RATTLE Sorry, why are we doing this? I mean, the killer's been caught, he's been sentenced to death.
I can't do this.
DOOR CLOSES This is Catherine Braithwaite, seen at Heathrow.
Coming or going? Coming, three days ago.
We drew a blank on tax records, so we assume she's been working abroad since leaving university.
We knew she was a translator, so we started with the UN and the Pentagon.
She's the CEO of a military contractor based in the States.
So is she a contractor or a translator? She contracts translating services.
And get this, the company's called Scott Grey.
Same company that bought the Fakir Lodge house.
Aren't US military contracts classified information? Freedom of Information Act.
All this comes from the Senate Defence Committee, including her photograph.
Do we know where she is now? No clue.
Time to meet the Fakirs.
MIDDLE-EASTERN MUSIC That'll do, thank you.
Ta.
Thank you.
Jaspers! Thanks a lot.
How many have gone in? I've counted nine.
I've got a good signal.
OK.
If we've got a full house, we should take advantage.
Gotcha! Right! Later! Toodle-pip.
Yep, we're in.
DRUMMING GONG SOUNDS BEEPING AND CLICK Where have you come from, traveller? ECHOING: Where have you come from, traveller? From the desert, oh, Selina Hanom.
How did you travel? By night.
Guided by the star of my beloved.
ECHOING: By night.
Guided by the star of my beloved.
Welcome, oh, Sheik of the Desert.
ECHOES: Welcome, oh, Sheik of the Desert.
SCREAMING If you betray your sacred vows May I be suspended between this world and the next.
BEEPING How did you get in here? The door was open.
May I? It's poly-resin.
Yeah.
But could it have been taken from a mould of the Mahdi skull? Granny Mahdi, maybe.
It's taken from an elderly woman.
Alas, poor Granny.
Don't! Sorry.
OK, Spence.
Thank you.
D'you know why you're here? You want to know the whereabouts of the skull, purported to be that of the Mahdi, Mohammad Ahmed.
Go on.
It's an urban myth.
PHONE RINGS I'm not gonna pretend I've never heard of the story, there's nothing in it.
What have you heard? Probably more than you.
And more about Mohammad Ahmed too, leader of the fuzzy-wuzzies.
You know, big Afro hair, jogging along with spears in their hands.
Why wasn't this skull listed in your inventory? It's plastic.
Hardly a historical artefact, don't you think? See how she's dominating the interview.
Winding him up, answering questions with questions.
What are you getting at? They all have the same surety, which comes from belonging to the pack.
Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves? No, they take themselves very seriously.
That's what Michael Leonard said.
Serious enough to lie about having the Mahdi's skull? Cliques and secrecy are synonymous.
WILSON: What about a policeman? Every pack has its vulnerable point.
Don't bully that boy.
I don't wanna debate this now.
When are we going to debate it? Don't compromise me.
I won't.
You can watch me if you want.
I will.
Good, OK.
Hello.
Hello.
Jaspers.
Yes, sir.
Unusual name.
A German phenomenologist.
My father was a philosopher.
And you're a psychology student? Mm-hm.
What's this? A rope.
Yeahit's a rope.
The last image I have of you is this was tying your hands behind your back.
It's just a tradition, a bit of fun.
How much fun? D'you wanna show me? You were kneeling, yeah? Yes.
You don't have to kneel on the floor, kneel on this, save your jeans.
I just wanna get this picture of you.
When I came into the room, there you were here and there was a woman here.
You had your hands May I? Tie your hands behind your back? Thank you.
This is where the fun starts, eh? And there was a woman here holding a skull.
So then what happened? I can't say.
Why? Because you took an oath? Yes.
To protect what? I mean, if you take an oath, you're hiding something.
So what are you protecting? Hiding what? Nothing that I'm aware of.
Tell me about the skull.
It's just a toy.
In a minute I'm going to be accused of using stressing technique, but I'm trying to save a man's life.
You know, and there's always the conflict.
There's always that conflict.
Do you know what I mean? Now I want to know where the Mahdi skull is.
Can you please tell me where the Mahdi skull is? No.
You won't tell me? I don't know.
You don't know? You sure you don't know where the Mahdi skull is? OK.
You're not gonna tell me where the Mahdi skull is! Spence! So what did that prove? Did you get an answer? He's telling the truth.
How do you know? Sir, Khaled Ahmed lost consciousness 20 minutes ago.
OK, you and Spence baby-sit the Fakirs.
Grace It's one o'clock in the morning.
I know, you get some coffee.
Where are we going? Civilised society has to have barriers that we don't cross over.
If we keep moving the barriers, where will it all end? What do you do when law and order breaks down? How do we maintain trust and security? That's a hypothetical extreme.
No, it's not, it's not.
Boyd, you have such a bleak view of humanity.
Put it down to 30 years of rubbing up against it.
OK, so if you are advocating torture, on the grounds of security, would you say Pinochet was right, Franco was right, the juntas were right? I'm not advocating torture, it's just extraction of information.
In certain Situations.
Yeah.
Forgive my appearance.
I rarely expect visitors at this time, certainly not attractive women.
Is this the sort of club that welcomes women? If it didn't, I doubt I could carry on.
Thank you, my dear.
What is the connection between the Mahdi skull and Jaffiri's death? I can't tell you, Boyd.
Khaled Ahmed is in a coma.
He could be dead by the morning.
I'm dying too, Boyd.
What are you dying of? It's technical, the old term is consumption.
Consumption is treatable nowadays.
Not mine.
If you're dying, why are you holding back? I've got my reputation, Boyd.
What's the point of a reputation if you're dead? I don't know where the Mahdi's skull is, and my speaking out would not bring justice for Jaffiri.
I would be ostracised, discredited and die a foolish old man.
Isn't that the problem with your profession? If the intelligence services are ever corrupt, no-one speaks out, everyone's in the dark? "In much wisdom is much grief.
" Am I right? "And he that increases knowledge increases sorrow.
" Tell me one thing, was there more than one man involved in Jaffiri's death? Don't leap too far ahead, Boyd.
There are no all-male preserves any more.
Not this club, not even my old profession.
We're through here, Boyd.
Unless you can force a sick man to speak.
Is that your wife? It is.
A bit of a daddy's girl, is she? Sorry I couldn't make the wedding.
Oh, it was very quiet.
You know Michael Leonard is running the Sudan desk? You always said I had such terrible taste in men.
I think I said he was bright and approachable, perhaps a bit weak.
He was clingy, he was a leech.
What do you know about this investigation? Don't worry about it.
I'm not so sure.
I can't leave Wilson fielding questions all night.
That's what she's there for, isn't it? Trust me.
I'll take care of it.
How is he? Stabilised.
Will you consider calling this hunger strike off? No.
His orders were clear.
He can't win an election if he's dead.
Then someone will take his place.
We will not return to the Sudan without the Mahdi's remains.
If her father dies, do you think she'll sew her own mouth up? She's her father's daughter, I think she'll match him step for step.
All the way to death? Yes, I think so.
You know we don't know anything about this Khaled Ahmed guy.
If we get his skull for him he could go back to the Sudan and create a terrorist state.
It's a possibility.
I'd rather deal in probability.
I wanna talk to Michael Leonard again.
What's James Andrews doing here? You know him? He holds the Burkean Chair in Psychology at University College.
What's James Andrews doing here, Spence? Um, he wants to see his wife, Elaine Wilson.
God, I didn't see him as the marrying kind.
Maybe it's the attraction of the older man? Not your type, eh, Grace? No, too cool, too detached.
I've got a book of his here somewhere.
His views are quite similar to yours, Boyd.
My cool detachment you mean? Now don't get paranoid.
Deus Ex Mashina.
Machina.
Machina.
The moment when the god descends onto the stage and wraps up the drama, according to the Greeks.
Why's it in Latin? I don't know.
Why not? I never thought about it.
I suppose some Roman theatre critic.
I thought that'd fascinate you.
Oh! I've got other things to think about.
So why is he like me? Because he advocates the use of stressing techniques in interrogation.
I want a lawyer.
Why am I in an interview room? You wanted to see Elaine Wilson.
Yes, she's my wife.
And she's also the lodge master of thisFakir Society.
As was I once.
Is she one of your protegees? Not at all, Wilson attends my psychology seminars, but she was a member of the society before we met.
And how did you meet her? Was it at a reunion or? Yes.
Why do you want to know? Has your wife told you why she's here? I understand you're looking for the Mahdi's skull.
If so you'll be unlucky.
If the skull exists then the Fakirs have no knowledge of it.
Ah, you can speak for all of them can you? So when were you last the Lodge Master? The Fakirs are the same as they've been for more than 100 years, a glorified drinking society.
They're undoubtedly elitist and self-consciously so, but basically they get together to get pissed.
"Drink to the health of Cardinal Tut" and all that nonsense.
Till you end up with your pants on your head.
Excuse me.
What are you thinking? What are you going to do? I dunno.
Just feed the sound from here into there so that he can hear it.
I'm trying to save a man's life and that's dependent on me finding the Mahdi's skull.
I want you to help me.
I want you to tell me the truth about the skull.
Now I can't force you to tell me the truth, I can't interrogate you.
I can't hurt you, slap you, scream at you because I'm being watched, and listened to.
But I really need you to tell me about the skull.
If there was a skull, why should I help the political ambitions of a man who spoke in favour of Sharia law? I've got this phone.
I've got the newer version of this.
Why does your husband call you Wilson? How do you know that? You call him Andrews? You do! You call him Andrews, that's really weird, that surname thing? Who's Amma? It's a name I call my grandmother.
Oh You close to her? Very close, yes.
How old is she? She's 95.
Does she know you're here? She can wait.
Wow, how d'you think she'd feel about receiving a phone call from a strange man at 3.
30 in the morning? Has she got a phone in the bedroom? She must be flat out, Amma.
How is she on the stairs? PHONE RINGS Do you know how long it takes her to get to the phone? OK, tell me about the skull.
PHONE RINGS AGAIN Here we go.
The skull.
Hello, Amma.
I have your granddaughter with me.
Why don't you get your breath back? You gonna tell me about the skull? Amma (Where's the skull?) It's up here, yeah? MIDDLE-EASTERN MUSIC Boyd said he wanted to speak to Leonard tonight.
Yeah, I know.
He's not answering his phone.
He probably can't hear it over that weird music.
DOOR BUZZES BUZZING CONTINUES "Day 312.
"Our forces captured one of the Mahdi's warriors at the siege lines yesterday.
"General Gordon's chief concern "is the rumours of enemy reinforcements.
"I informed him that the prisoner expected fresh forces to arrive by the river.
" Hello? This is the police.
We need access to the building, please.
DOOR BUZZES OPEN "The question is, would the Mahdi's army arrive "ahead of the British relief force? "The General had a second question.
"Can the prisoner be trusted? "The General wanted to know if you are an honest man.
"I think you're beyond lying.
" Mr Leonard? Mr Leonard? Give me your hand.
Michael? Hand me the torch.
Move, move! Police! WHEEZING I broke I broke the vows.
SCREAMING
A guy books into a hotel with the best restaurant in London and then goes on a hunger strike.
SIREN Hello.
Michael Leonard, Sudan desk.
This is Sir Anthony Lane-Kelly, Permanent Foreign Secretary.
Sir Sir Anthony.
Er, Sir Anthony.
I understand that you requested the Cold Case Unit? I heard you were good with old bones.
He's on a hunger strike and we're here to indulge him.
We're here to get him off British soil.
If he dies here, we're the bad guys and he's a martyr.
Just find the damn skull.
With respect, Sir Anthony, we don't normally investigate lost-property cases.
Try not to mistake your current unaccountability for expendability Detective Superintendent.
DOOR OPENS Shall we? BOYD CHUCKLES Leonard Sir? I thought he was on a hunger strike? He's eating.
No, he's drinking.
It'll be a mixture of water, saline and vitamin B1.
He's drawing it out, then.
Well, that is the point of a hunger strike, got to build up the pressure so your demands are met.
Detective Superintendent Boyd.
This is Dr Grace Foley.
This way, please.
Sorry.
Sorry.
Have you found the Mahdi's skull? Now, hang on a minute, we've just arrived.
His Excellency will continue his fast until the Mahdi's remains are returned to the Sudan.
Um, His Excellency also remains our best hope for both the forthcoming elections and its aftermath.
If His Excellency dies, we can write off the Sudan for another generation.
Sewing his lips together's gonna get him elected? He's been in exile, he needs this, the grand gesture.
The Mahdi is our country's hero.
All my father wants is his remains returned for burial.
He's your father and you're watching him die.
He will not die - if you find the Mahdi's skull.
HE SPEAKS ARABIC The Sudan was born out of a bloody war, but so was the United States of America.
How are we different? But in our struggle for independence from the British Empire, we trusted in our religion.
In the Sudan the Mahdi did not let his religion stand in the way of alliances between Muslims, Christians and the followers of tribal gods.
If the head of General George Washington was taken as a war trophy, would the leaders of America be content to let it remain, undiscovered, unmourned, unburied? They don't need us, they need Indiana Jones.
Sir Cyril.
Not exactly my kind of place.
Why did you ask me here? It is not a matter of caprice, Boyd, my masters know you're here.
May I? Mm.
You still have masters? This is a democracy.
Only dictators escape public service.
I may be retired, but I still have responsibilities.
I hear you're the new saint of lost causes, Boyd.
The Mahdi's skull.
News travels fast.
Just two hours ago I was told that I could bring peace to the Sudan.
Am I being set up? I am.
Er, your unit is self-contained, that was seen as a virtue.
I thought it was my expendability.
Please, you should be flattered.
You got the job because they're taking it seriously.
I know nothing about the Sudan or the Mahdi's skull.
The Mahdi rewrote Islam to make himself the harbinger of the apocalypse.
He declared service in his armies equivalent to the pilgrimage to Mecca.
So he's responsible for all our current problems? You can't make your hunger striker responsible for his forefathers' crimes, but, if Khaled Ahmed dies, it would be a disaster for the Sudan and a disaster for us in the UK.
Is that your opinion or the Foreign Office's? My opinion is that nothing in the world will change, whether the Sudan limps on for another hundred years, or shatters into a thousand pieces.
And I love the place.
Sounds like it.
Sometimes the things you love are beyond saving.
But you can't let go.
HE COUGHS I recommended your team, Boyd.
Perhaps I spoke out of turn.
But I wanted to make contact.
There is another matter, one that also calls for a team of semi-detached misfits.
BOYD LAUGHS Now you're flattering me! Indulge me, take my admiration as read.
You once considered re-opening the murder of an Iraqi refugee, Omar Jaffiri.
Omar Jaffiri, yeah, yeah We review it every year, but it's never seemed more hopeful than it did in '93.
All it took was the fall of Saddam.
An Iraqi general was sentenced to death in Baghdad today.
He confessed to Jaffiri's murder, amongst others.
What's this? The entire transcripts of the killer's interrogation.
Jaffiri was killed on my watch, Boyd.
So what am I supposed to find in here? A discrepancy.
You won't miss it.
Well, I won't miss it if I know what I'm meant to be looking for.
Ah, Boyd, Boyd, Boyd.
What is the police oath now? To be faithful, honest and impartial? Yeah, something like that.
What's yours? To keep my mouth shut.
Why should I help you? A chance to bring a transient stability to the Sudan.
The death of Jaffiri is something else.
Why? Because it brings shame on my entire profession.
I'm not exactly a fan of your profession, Sir Cyril.
No, you want everything out in the open, battle lines drawn, enemies identified.
But what if I tell you there is a connection between the death of Omar Jaffiri and the skull of the Mahdi? Would it interest you then? It would, if I believed you.
Believe me.
ALL: ALLAHU AKBAR! ALLAHU AKBAR! REGGAE MUSIC Is it true about the skull? So rumour has it, yeah.
When did it disappear? Ooh, where to start? The Mahdi's tomb was desecrated by British troops in revenge for the death of General Gordon in 1885.
And he was? He was the then governor of the Sudan.
Mahdi's warriors chopped his head off.
Why hasn't someone asked for the Mahdi's skull back before now? They did.
In 1956.
An investigation was requested by the first Sudanese government after independence.
Independence from the British? No.
No, from Egypt, and Egypt got its independence from us.
Right.
And the skull is important now because? Well, the Sudan has had a civil war for almost 50 years.
Two million people have died and more than that have fled the country.
And this guy is putting himself forward as the man who can pull it all together.
Yeah.
Sorry There's been a peace process in place since 2005, but it's shaky.
The skull is a potent symbol of past glory and unity.
Yeah, but the 1956 investigation was a joke.
It's just a list of rumours.
They say the skull might have been used as an ink well, a paperweight, or an ashtray.
hardly going to pull out all the stops, are they? Why is Khaled Ahmed threatening the peace process by risking his life? Politics, politics, politics.
Suppose we find this skull, is a DNA comparison going to work, Eve? After 120 years? Well, it very much depends on the condition.
You know DNA degrades in bones? I didn't.
There are much more sensitive new techniques, Low Copy Number Analysis at 34 cycle PCR.
Anyway, what was I going to say? Oh, yes, about this - Lawrence Olivier's portrayal.
It wasn't particularly accurate.
It was quite a good film though.
Never saw it.
It was good.
The Mahdi was a black African.
That's what I said.
Nubian or Dongolese.
But don't we all look alike 125 years after we die? That's a bit like saying we all look alike when we take our clothes off.
The differences are heightened.
And on skeletons? Narrow the frame of reference and the complexity of a structure comes into focus.
So what about X-rays? I've got some injuries I want you to look at on the old Jaffiri file.
Omar Jaffiri? Omar Jaffiri.
That's the case I was pushing for last year and you knocked me back.
Yeah, his killer was sentenced to death in Baghdad yesterday.
So why bother? So why bother? I've been told there's a connection between the two cases.
Here's a transcript of the condemned man's interrogation.
The Mahdi's skull disappeared in the 1890s.
Omar Jaffiri was killed in 1993.
Can you help me out here? D'you wanna take on the case or not? Hell, yeah.
So tell me, how did the transcripts of a military interrogation in Baghdad find its way into your hands? Well, Sir Cyril Barrett, the MI6 guy.
Stubborn old bastard, he wouldn't tell me what I'm supposed to be looking for.
Mmm, another old man with his lips stitched together.
Yeah.
You know what he called us? A bunch of misfits.
Oh, he knows us, then? Semi-detached, expendable, unaccountable, all in one day.
Makes you feel valued, doesn't it? Mmm, don't let your ego get in the way, Boyd.
Why not? A public servant isn't allowed one.
Servant, not slave.
Or martyr.
I didn't know that DNA degraded in bones, did you? What about that 2,000-year-old ice man that they found, and they traced through his blood line to find out where he came from, what he did She seems to know what she's talking about.
Yeah She said "narrow your terms of reference" - that helps you focus on things, that's good because that's what the team does, which is good, so it's positive, early days, but positive.
I like what she said about us all being different with our clothes off, that was bright.
Get out, Grace.
A Michael Leonard just called.
Ah, it's that little shit from the Foreign Office.
What did he want? Is this the Foreign Office way? Taking meetings in the open air? Please, just sit down.
Not so close.
Not here.
What's your problem? If you're uncomfortable, we can talk at headquarters.
This might be a joke to you, but it's not to me, OK? So are we supposed to find the Mahdi's skull at 8, Lorimer Gardens? Listen, I have given you all I can, OK? Just, please, keep me out of it.
BLEEPING Yeah, I see it Good.
It's on the edge of the university area.
I'll do a title search and I'll see you there, yeah? OK, speak to you later.
OK.
Bye.
Bye.
I don't know if it belongs to Mel, the envelope was addressed to her.
Well, I can't shed any light on how it was stored or who handled it.
There's no mark on the pendant itself.
There is a hallmark on the clasp of the chain, 18-carat, which is interesting, because it's the number 18.
What's the number 18? The letters 'het' and 'yod', eight and ten.
What, so the letters represent the number? In the Hebrew alphabet, yeah.
And 18 means? Well, if you're Jewish it's considered lucky to offer gifts in multiples of 18, but more significantly the number 18 represents life.
So you'd give this to somebody to wish them a long life? Possibly.
Which is more than you're gonna have.
Right, thanks.
Excuse me.
Do you live here, miss? No, no-one does.
We're trying to trace the owners, a company called Scott Grey.
Scott Grey aren't the owners.
They only set up the trust.
If anyone's responsible for the lodge, I guess it's me.
And you are? Elaine Wilson, I'm a medical student and I'm late for class.
So who are the owners? It's owned by a historical society, the Fakirs.
I'm the lodge master.
Historical, like relics from the past? Some What's the problem? You're the lodge master? Master, yes.
So you catalogue everything? Who pimped this crib? Wow.
Scott Grey bought this place? The directors provided funds to buy the leasehold and undertake restoration.
Here's a copy of the inventory with all the historical artefacts.
The directors of Scott Grey, Catherine Braithwaite and James Andrews, why were they so generous? They were both ex-members of the society.
I don't know Miss Braithwaite, but I'm now late for Professor Andrews' class.
There's several problems with the Geneva Convention.
But let's concentrate on interrogation.
Under the Convention, a soldier is only required to give his rank and number.
And what's the assumption? That a good soldier would only speak under torture.
It's designed to protect men like my father.
But better intelligence might have saved his life.
So we overrule the Convention.
Battles are fought on the ground.
Ordinary soldiers are often the best source of intelligence.
No.
My father died as a result of insurgency.
He wasn't facing combat troops, he was trying to maintain security.
If we question Geneva, we've got to make that differentiation.
Security isn't just a wartime issue.
No-one's suggesting we apply wartime measures outside the battlefield.
I am.
By definition, insurgents are operating outside the battlefield.
If certain forms of interrogation are legitimate in wartime, they have to be legitimate at all times.
Geneva recognises that wartime interrogation involves psychological and physical stress, which is exactly why these techniques can't be applied outside of war.
Why? Because they breach universal human rights, freedom, dignity If a state cannot guarantee security, there is no dignity, no freedom and no democracy.
So acute interrogation techniques are legitimate at all times, in all situations? Who's going to apply that? Who wouldn't apply them, if they knew liberty and democracy were at stake? Someone has to be willing to step up to the mark.
Your big night tonight.
Yeah.
You're going to be bloodied.
Dr James Andrews? Can you confirm that you own the freehold to 8, Lorimer Gardens? And you are? DI Jordan.
DC Goodman.
Ah, I understand you spoke to the current lodge master today.
I trust she was helpful.
Yes, she was, thank you.
You're one of the trustees, along with a Catherine Braithwaite.
Do you know her whereabouts? Currently, no, I couldn't say.
You don't know? She travels.
Outside the orbit of a university professor.
When did you last see her? A few months ago.
I gave a paper at Georgetown University, and she was good enough to come along.
Though I expect I put her to sleep.
Sorry I can't be more help.
Was it something I said? 'Fraid so.
Here's the fracture of Jaffiri's left humerus.
The pathologist assumed he was injured in a struggle Jaffiri! The killer said he took Jaffiri by surprise, there's no mention of a struggle.
There are other ways to break bones.
Now, bone is stronger along its length than its width, so any fractures will traverse the grain, but this is unusual.
I've made additional findings - defects adjacent to the articular surface, as though ligaments have been pulled away.
So, tendons being pulled off the bone.
Mmm, taking tiny flakes of bone with them, here and here.
The same defects suggesting extreme rotational pressure was applied to the joint, which would be excruciatingly painful.
Now, could these injuries have been sustained some time before, I mean, you know, like old injuries? There's no evidence of new bone formation, so no sign of healing.
So you're saying that these injuries took place before death, just before death? It would seem so.
So he was tortured before he was killed.
Yes.
And a form of suspension torture.
Hung upside down or hung up or? There are five basic techniques, cross, butchery, when you hang by one or both hands that's butchery by the leg Parrot perch, where you're hung from a bar placed under the knees.
And this - Palestinian suspension.
Palestinian suspension.
Because the Israelis have used it intensively, but they didn't invent it.
There's an older name, "strappado", dating back to the Inquisition.
Right.
So you think that Hadid softened up Jaffiri using this technique before he slit his throat? Would he have needed help to do that? Would strappado be enough to break an arm, though? It mightwith a sudden drop.
Aaggghh! Hassan Hadid.
A Ba'athist general, convicted of the murders of ten prominent Shias, one in London, Omar Jaffiri.
In the transcript of Hadid's interrogation there is no mention of Jaffiri having been tortured before he was killed Yeah, but can we trust this testimony from Baghdad? This guy could have been tortured too, you know.
It wouldn't necessarily negate what he said.
What are you saying? Evidence produced through torture needn't be unreliable? God, here we go, yeah.
"Torture is ethically indefensible.
"It pollutes the entire justice system.
" Yes.
That is the argument, though I didn't think I'd hear you defending it.
I'm not! I'm quoting the British law lords.
But what if it gets results, what do you want? D'you want killers and terrorists to be on the loose? That is a very simplistic defence.
But that's the point.
Sometimes you have to encourage suspects, just a little, to talk.
Yeah, but they still have to be checked, re-checked, analysed, repeated Oh, there isn't always time to do all that work Then your argument is flawed.
Torture isn't a guaranteed short cut to the truth.
Oh, OK, so if Hadid tortured Jaffiri before he killed him, it slipped his memory.
And if he didn't, then somebody else did torture him.
Two-man team, and maybe someone's still out there.
You know, sometimes, you're just not a help.
Not if I don't agree with you.
What have we got on the skull? The Fakirs.
Founded at the end of the 19th century by a military surgeon.
Lieutenant Dyer, who fell in love with the Arabic world.
Aw, sweet(!) Do they have the skull? No, according to them.
And there's nothing in the inventory.
Let's get Michael Leonard in and we'll encourage him to talk ever so nicely, sweetly, politely, make him tea with lots of sugar in it The Fakirs had a skull.
They used it on certain occasions.
Such as? Anniversaries, initiation ceremonies, things like that.
They used to take it very seriously.
How d'you know all this? I was one of them.
Why didn't you tell me this before? I made an oath.
That was part of the deal.
But you had a prick of conscience? When I believed Khaled Ahmed would carry out his threat, yes, I did.
Look, the only reason I joined the Fakirs was to keep my girlfriend happy, and, yes, I should have spoken out, but But what? You were scared? What of? Let's just say it was in my best interests to keep my word.
What's with all the secrecy? Have you been threatened? I came here voluntarily.
Who is your girlfriend? The one you wanted to please.
Catherine Braithwaite.
Are you still in touch with her? No, erno.
No, I haven't seen her for ages.
We split up not long after that.
She's a translator now She speaks Arabic.
Do you see anyone else involved with the Fakirs at that time? No.
They were mostly junior doctors and medical students.
I was an Orientalist, as was Catherine, so we went our different ways.
You were in the Middle East section.
You ever work the Iraq desk? Er, no.
Have you heard of a man called Omar Jaffiri? No, should I have? That's what I'm asking you.
No, er, his name means nothing to me.
OK.
Thank you, Michael.
Thank you.
Mike, please.
Tu es francaise, non? Oui, pourquoi? Parce que Belle.
I like it.
Maybe you should come and do my flat.
You like the style? I likeI like the style.
I'm pleased.
Right, OK, what have we got? These are drawings made by Leila Jaffiri.
She witnessed her father's murder.
She was too young at the time to be questioned directly? Correct.
What did the original investigation learn from them? What you would expect, suppressed memories, traumatised Is that your opinion? Yeah, I agree.
Classic signs of withdrawal.
But she's not a little girl any more.
That little girl is still inside her.
And that little girl will have memories.
All right, you talk to her, then.
I will.
Jaffiri's wife said he'd been out all night.
She heard the grille open at 6.
30 and the paper boys found his body at seven.
His little girl was in the shop.
The paper boys found her behind the counter.
So the shutters were open.
Yeah, it says, er, Jaffiri opened the shutters from the outside.
Looking at the time frame, 6.
30 when his wife heard the shutters, seven when the body was found Jaffiri can't have been tortured in the shop.
His shoulder must already have been broken.
So who opened the shutters and brought in the newspapers? Hadid didn't mention that in his interrogation, did he? Jaffiri was stabbed in the lower right side of his chest .
.
nicking the adjacent rib.
The blade moved upwards through his lower lung and liver.
He fell to the ground like so.
The blood spurted left.
Which means he must have turned him over Hm-mm.
andcut his throat.
From left to right, the blood pooling over a 125cm diameter.
We make a really good team, you know that? Why, Mr Spence! I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.
Well, it says here 1978 KNOCKING Mmm.
Andrews? I'll call you back.
KNOCKING CONTINUES Why am I always speaking to you through a door? Coming.
Sorry, Wilson.
Your inner sanctum.
Why wouldn't you defend me at the seminar today? I can only stimulate debate, I can't direct it.
If I can provide the space We can arrive at the truth.
It seemed a shame to hide it away in an album.
Look how tightly I'm holding onto Dad.
Just like I'm gonna hold onto you.
I used to, um wake up in the morning, to try and help my father bring in the newspapers.
Before he died.
Before he was murdered.
Do you need a few moments? What? To feel at home? It was quiet SHUTTERS RATTLE Sorry, why are we doing this? I mean, the killer's been caught, he's been sentenced to death.
I can't do this.
DOOR CLOSES This is Catherine Braithwaite, seen at Heathrow.
Coming or going? Coming, three days ago.
We drew a blank on tax records, so we assume she's been working abroad since leaving university.
We knew she was a translator, so we started with the UN and the Pentagon.
She's the CEO of a military contractor based in the States.
So is she a contractor or a translator? She contracts translating services.
And get this, the company's called Scott Grey.
Same company that bought the Fakir Lodge house.
Aren't US military contracts classified information? Freedom of Information Act.
All this comes from the Senate Defence Committee, including her photograph.
Do we know where she is now? No clue.
Time to meet the Fakirs.
MIDDLE-EASTERN MUSIC That'll do, thank you.
Ta.
Thank you.
Jaspers! Thanks a lot.
How many have gone in? I've counted nine.
I've got a good signal.
OK.
If we've got a full house, we should take advantage.
Gotcha! Right! Later! Toodle-pip.
Yep, we're in.
DRUMMING GONG SOUNDS BEEPING AND CLICK Where have you come from, traveller? ECHOING: Where have you come from, traveller? From the desert, oh, Selina Hanom.
How did you travel? By night.
Guided by the star of my beloved.
ECHOING: By night.
Guided by the star of my beloved.
Welcome, oh, Sheik of the Desert.
ECHOES: Welcome, oh, Sheik of the Desert.
SCREAMING If you betray your sacred vows May I be suspended between this world and the next.
BEEPING How did you get in here? The door was open.
May I? It's poly-resin.
Yeah.
But could it have been taken from a mould of the Mahdi skull? Granny Mahdi, maybe.
It's taken from an elderly woman.
Alas, poor Granny.
Don't! Sorry.
OK, Spence.
Thank you.
D'you know why you're here? You want to know the whereabouts of the skull, purported to be that of the Mahdi, Mohammad Ahmed.
Go on.
It's an urban myth.
PHONE RINGS I'm not gonna pretend I've never heard of the story, there's nothing in it.
What have you heard? Probably more than you.
And more about Mohammad Ahmed too, leader of the fuzzy-wuzzies.
You know, big Afro hair, jogging along with spears in their hands.
Why wasn't this skull listed in your inventory? It's plastic.
Hardly a historical artefact, don't you think? See how she's dominating the interview.
Winding him up, answering questions with questions.
What are you getting at? They all have the same surety, which comes from belonging to the pack.
Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves? No, they take themselves very seriously.
That's what Michael Leonard said.
Serious enough to lie about having the Mahdi's skull? Cliques and secrecy are synonymous.
WILSON: What about a policeman? Every pack has its vulnerable point.
Don't bully that boy.
I don't wanna debate this now.
When are we going to debate it? Don't compromise me.
I won't.
You can watch me if you want.
I will.
Good, OK.
Hello.
Hello.
Jaspers.
Yes, sir.
Unusual name.
A German phenomenologist.
My father was a philosopher.
And you're a psychology student? Mm-hm.
What's this? A rope.
Yeahit's a rope.
The last image I have of you is this was tying your hands behind your back.
It's just a tradition, a bit of fun.
How much fun? D'you wanna show me? You were kneeling, yeah? Yes.
You don't have to kneel on the floor, kneel on this, save your jeans.
I just wanna get this picture of you.
When I came into the room, there you were here and there was a woman here.
You had your hands May I? Tie your hands behind your back? Thank you.
This is where the fun starts, eh? And there was a woman here holding a skull.
So then what happened? I can't say.
Why? Because you took an oath? Yes.
To protect what? I mean, if you take an oath, you're hiding something.
So what are you protecting? Hiding what? Nothing that I'm aware of.
Tell me about the skull.
It's just a toy.
In a minute I'm going to be accused of using stressing technique, but I'm trying to save a man's life.
You know, and there's always the conflict.
There's always that conflict.
Do you know what I mean? Now I want to know where the Mahdi skull is.
Can you please tell me where the Mahdi skull is? No.
You won't tell me? I don't know.
You don't know? You sure you don't know where the Mahdi skull is? OK.
You're not gonna tell me where the Mahdi skull is! Spence! So what did that prove? Did you get an answer? He's telling the truth.
How do you know? Sir, Khaled Ahmed lost consciousness 20 minutes ago.
OK, you and Spence baby-sit the Fakirs.
Grace It's one o'clock in the morning.
I know, you get some coffee.
Where are we going? Civilised society has to have barriers that we don't cross over.
If we keep moving the barriers, where will it all end? What do you do when law and order breaks down? How do we maintain trust and security? That's a hypothetical extreme.
No, it's not, it's not.
Boyd, you have such a bleak view of humanity.
Put it down to 30 years of rubbing up against it.
OK, so if you are advocating torture, on the grounds of security, would you say Pinochet was right, Franco was right, the juntas were right? I'm not advocating torture, it's just extraction of information.
In certain Situations.
Yeah.
Forgive my appearance.
I rarely expect visitors at this time, certainly not attractive women.
Is this the sort of club that welcomes women? If it didn't, I doubt I could carry on.
Thank you, my dear.
What is the connection between the Mahdi skull and Jaffiri's death? I can't tell you, Boyd.
Khaled Ahmed is in a coma.
He could be dead by the morning.
I'm dying too, Boyd.
What are you dying of? It's technical, the old term is consumption.
Consumption is treatable nowadays.
Not mine.
If you're dying, why are you holding back? I've got my reputation, Boyd.
What's the point of a reputation if you're dead? I don't know where the Mahdi's skull is, and my speaking out would not bring justice for Jaffiri.
I would be ostracised, discredited and die a foolish old man.
Isn't that the problem with your profession? If the intelligence services are ever corrupt, no-one speaks out, everyone's in the dark? "In much wisdom is much grief.
" Am I right? "And he that increases knowledge increases sorrow.
" Tell me one thing, was there more than one man involved in Jaffiri's death? Don't leap too far ahead, Boyd.
There are no all-male preserves any more.
Not this club, not even my old profession.
We're through here, Boyd.
Unless you can force a sick man to speak.
Is that your wife? It is.
A bit of a daddy's girl, is she? Sorry I couldn't make the wedding.
Oh, it was very quiet.
You know Michael Leonard is running the Sudan desk? You always said I had such terrible taste in men.
I think I said he was bright and approachable, perhaps a bit weak.
He was clingy, he was a leech.
What do you know about this investigation? Don't worry about it.
I'm not so sure.
I can't leave Wilson fielding questions all night.
That's what she's there for, isn't it? Trust me.
I'll take care of it.
How is he? Stabilised.
Will you consider calling this hunger strike off? No.
His orders were clear.
He can't win an election if he's dead.
Then someone will take his place.
We will not return to the Sudan without the Mahdi's remains.
If her father dies, do you think she'll sew her own mouth up? She's her father's daughter, I think she'll match him step for step.
All the way to death? Yes, I think so.
You know we don't know anything about this Khaled Ahmed guy.
If we get his skull for him he could go back to the Sudan and create a terrorist state.
It's a possibility.
I'd rather deal in probability.
I wanna talk to Michael Leonard again.
What's James Andrews doing here? You know him? He holds the Burkean Chair in Psychology at University College.
What's James Andrews doing here, Spence? Um, he wants to see his wife, Elaine Wilson.
God, I didn't see him as the marrying kind.
Maybe it's the attraction of the older man? Not your type, eh, Grace? No, too cool, too detached.
I've got a book of his here somewhere.
His views are quite similar to yours, Boyd.
My cool detachment you mean? Now don't get paranoid.
Deus Ex Mashina.
Machina.
Machina.
The moment when the god descends onto the stage and wraps up the drama, according to the Greeks.
Why's it in Latin? I don't know.
Why not? I never thought about it.
I suppose some Roman theatre critic.
I thought that'd fascinate you.
Oh! I've got other things to think about.
So why is he like me? Because he advocates the use of stressing techniques in interrogation.
I want a lawyer.
Why am I in an interview room? You wanted to see Elaine Wilson.
Yes, she's my wife.
And she's also the lodge master of thisFakir Society.
As was I once.
Is she one of your protegees? Not at all, Wilson attends my psychology seminars, but she was a member of the society before we met.
And how did you meet her? Was it at a reunion or? Yes.
Why do you want to know? Has your wife told you why she's here? I understand you're looking for the Mahdi's skull.
If so you'll be unlucky.
If the skull exists then the Fakirs have no knowledge of it.
Ah, you can speak for all of them can you? So when were you last the Lodge Master? The Fakirs are the same as they've been for more than 100 years, a glorified drinking society.
They're undoubtedly elitist and self-consciously so, but basically they get together to get pissed.
"Drink to the health of Cardinal Tut" and all that nonsense.
Till you end up with your pants on your head.
Excuse me.
What are you thinking? What are you going to do? I dunno.
Just feed the sound from here into there so that he can hear it.
I'm trying to save a man's life and that's dependent on me finding the Mahdi's skull.
I want you to help me.
I want you to tell me the truth about the skull.
Now I can't force you to tell me the truth, I can't interrogate you.
I can't hurt you, slap you, scream at you because I'm being watched, and listened to.
But I really need you to tell me about the skull.
If there was a skull, why should I help the political ambitions of a man who spoke in favour of Sharia law? I've got this phone.
I've got the newer version of this.
Why does your husband call you Wilson? How do you know that? You call him Andrews? You do! You call him Andrews, that's really weird, that surname thing? Who's Amma? It's a name I call my grandmother.
Oh You close to her? Very close, yes.
How old is she? She's 95.
Does she know you're here? She can wait.
Wow, how d'you think she'd feel about receiving a phone call from a strange man at 3.
30 in the morning? Has she got a phone in the bedroom? She must be flat out, Amma.
How is she on the stairs? PHONE RINGS Do you know how long it takes her to get to the phone? OK, tell me about the skull.
PHONE RINGS AGAIN Here we go.
The skull.
Hello, Amma.
I have your granddaughter with me.
Why don't you get your breath back? You gonna tell me about the skull? Amma (Where's the skull?) It's up here, yeah? MIDDLE-EASTERN MUSIC Boyd said he wanted to speak to Leonard tonight.
Yeah, I know.
He's not answering his phone.
He probably can't hear it over that weird music.
DOOR BUZZES BUZZING CONTINUES "Day 312.
"Our forces captured one of the Mahdi's warriors at the siege lines yesterday.
"General Gordon's chief concern "is the rumours of enemy reinforcements.
"I informed him that the prisoner expected fresh forces to arrive by the river.
" Hello? This is the police.
We need access to the building, please.
DOOR BUZZES OPEN "The question is, would the Mahdi's army arrive "ahead of the British relief force? "The General had a second question.
"Can the prisoner be trusted? "The General wanted to know if you are an honest man.
"I think you're beyond lying.
" Mr Leonard? Mr Leonard? Give me your hand.
Michael? Hand me the torch.
Move, move! Police! WHEEZING I broke I broke the vows.
SCREAMING