Art Detectives (2025) s01e01 Episode Script
Pictures At An Exhibition
1
♪♪
Ting, ting, ting.
Congratulations, everyone.
18 months of hard work.
Isn't that right, Brendan?
You don't need me
for anything else, do you?
All work and no play, that one.
But we have got there.
The Astleigh family collection
all under one roof,
just as it should be.
Your very good health.
- So exciting.
- Now you two are going to be
there at the grand opening
on Friday, aren't you?
I mean, we couldn't
have done it without you.
Restoring my family portraits.
- Much appreciated, sir.
- Isn't it, Dunstan?
Jolly good.
We're absolutely thrilled,
aren't we, darling?
Oh, and, everyone,
a big thank you to Francis Crozier here
from the National Gallery,
who bought the fourth and fifth
Earls here to complete the set.
And apparently, he's
also going to give us a bit
of a presentation.
Let's just say I shall be sharing
something quite explosive.
So what do you think of this thing?
Oh, it's fabulous indeed.
You see, they've done something
very clever, haven't they?
With the daylight coming through.
Uh, Helena. I just wondered
if you'd given
any more thought to my offer.
Yes, of course, it's very tempting.
Well, perhaps we can discuss it later.
Why don't you pop by the coach house.
Francis?
Could I possibly have
a word with you in my study?
Now.
If I must.
♪♪
[Footsteps]
♪♪
[Typing]
What are you doing here?
[Thuds]
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[Children shouting, dog barking]
- English breakfast?
- Oh, wonderful.
- It's hot. Be careful.
- I like this.
It's my mum. Painted by my dad.
Gave it to me just
before he disappeared.
First dates. Eh?
Uh, was the, um, the sofa bed all right?
Fine.
- You should have let me stay on it.
- Yes, I should.
[Phone rings]
- I should
- Yeah, I need to, um
Right.
Oh.
Hello. Rosa, we should do
DI Palmer. Yes.
♪♪
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- Is that him?
- That is DI Palmer.
He makes up the entire workforce
of the Heritage Crime Unit.
God help us.
- Hm.
- What?
Not having him and his
ridiculous painting squad
show up my force.
Stick to him. Tell me what he's up to.
What? Spy on him, sir?
- Don't be so dramatic, Malik.
- Just keep me posted.
Amazing house.
This is the perfect example of
a Victorian Italianate palazzo.
It's like a doll's house on steroids.
Yeah. I'm DI Hollis.
Welcome to Yorkshire.
- God's own country.
- Mick Palmer.
Sorry about
taking the case from under you,
but, um, delicate situation
with the National Gallery.
No, no, it's, uh, it's no problem.
I, uh, I'm sure
you Londoners can teach us
country folk a thing or two.
We're here to offer every assistance,
including one of my finest
constables, PC Shazia Malik.
Looking forward to working
with you, sir.
Pleasure to meet you, PC Malik.
Right. Well, that's your team.
Anything else I can help you with?
- Uh, I was just wondering
- No? Good.
Right. So where should we start?
- [Engine starts]
- Crime scene, sir.
Great shout. Shall we?
- Can I take you back?
- Yeah, sure.
♪♪
[Thunder rumbles]
So what, you investigate paintings then?
All sorts. Really?
Art theft, illegal trafficking,
forgery, fraud.
- And murder.
- Yes.
The victim is Francis Crozier,
who was attached
to the National Gallery.
What else do we know?
He was staying in the coach house,
overseeing the loan of two
new paintings in the gallery.
Yes, the fourth and the fifth
Earls, 18th century,
- artists unattributed.
- Right.
His body was discovered
here this morning
by the owner of the house,
Lord Astleigh, Earl of Halsbury.
Is that it? Anything else to add?
Those are the established facts.
Facts are good,
but interpretation is more important.
So take, for example, your boss, Hollis.
He said he wanted to help. Fact.
But my interpretation is
that he's a bit of a dick
and he wanted to send
me packing back to London.
Am I close?
- Bang on, sir.
- Huh.
Shall we?
[Camera shutter clicks]
- DI Palmer?
- Yes.
Dr. Naoko Yoshida.
The victim was found
at 10 past 7:00 this morning
by Lord Astleigh,
formally identified as
Francis Crozier, 43 years old.
Rigor mortis was still present,
so I'd estimate time of death
between 12 and 18 hours.
[Camera shutter clicks]
Cause of death?
A traumatic brain injury
caused by a series
of blows to the side of the head.
A curvilinear laceration,
most likely caused by a hammer.
Premeditated.
I didn't see many hammers lying around.
Um, any sign of the murder weapon yet?
Still searching, sir. Nothing yet.
It's wine and blood.
- I see we're missing a laptop.
- Any sign of a mobile?
Victim had no defensive injuries.
No bruises or scratches
on the arms or hands.
So Crozier knew his attacker.
[Camera shutter clicks]
Could you let me know when you're done?
Thanks.
- Why did we leave?
- I need a clear view.
It's impossible with all
that banging about.
It could be a robbery.
But then, his wallet was
right there on the desk.
- Yeah.
- Get me his phone records.
Everyone's a critic.
What do you reckon? Local kids?
It's hardly Banksy.
Look at the size of it.
Don't know if I should go in
through the front door
or find the gift shop.
- Good afternoon.
- Good afternoon.
My name is Detective Inspector Palmer
from the Heritage Crime Unit.
- The heritage what?
- Heritage Crime.
This is PC Malik.
Where are the proper police?
- And you are?
- Brendan Kennedy.
Estate manager.
- A proper one, presumably.
- [Chuckles]
I'm asking that nobody leave
the house without permission.
And I will need you to make a statement.
Well, you're not suggesting
it's one of us, are you?
I'm just trying
to get a sense of events.
How well did you know Mr. Crozier?
Not very well at all.
He'd only been here
a few days, a week, perhaps.
Had he been here a week, Helena?
Sorry. This is Helena McGuigan,
my assistant.
He was writing a guide to the gallery,
plus the information panels on the wall.
Did he know anyone else
from around here?
Not that I'm aware.
Look, I-I think we're all a bit
shaken, Inspector,
but I'm sure I speak for everyone
when I say that we owe it to Mr. Crozier
to push ahead with the
grand opening of the exhibition.
- Seriously?
- Well, yes.
I have done a great deal of work
to get us this far.
I wonder
if we could start with the CCTV.
Oh, yes. Of course.
Helena, could you, um
could you expedite?
Yes. Happy to.
Techie stuff isn't
really my forte, I'm afraid.
I'm sure you have other strengths.
♪♪
Okay.
So this is the system.
Does this cover the coach house?
No, only the main house and the drive.
There's no recording of last night.
Someone's disconnected the camera feed.
They didn't want to
be seen heading over there.
Who has access to the system?
Anyone in the house, really.
But there was nobody else
here last night.
Um, the restorers stayed for a drink,
but they left straight after.
But they wouldn't
have had access to this.
No. Absolutely not.
Can you think of anyone who
had anything against Crozier?
Well, I mean, um
I did hear Francis
Mr. Crozier and Lord Astleigh
are having a row in the study.
Over what?
I'm not sure, but Lord Astleigh
sounded very upset.
Hm.
It was a minor disagreement
over the interpretation
of one of the pictures, that's all.
Where were you last night?
Ah, well, um, I'd had a glass
of wine too many.
I took myself off to bed,
popped a sleeping pill,
and was out for the count.
So you found the body?
Yes. Yes. That's right.
Horribly shocking.
At 7:00 in the morning?
That's an early start.
Uh, yes.
I popped in
while I was out walking the dog.
- What happened here?
- Oh, that, um,
kids, uh, graffitied
the statue on the lawn.
Broke a window and,
uh, vandalized one of the portraits
with a with a paint gun.
The restorers came to pick it up.
It's going to be fine, apparently.
Is it an important piece of work?
Important?
It's the first Earl, Percy Astleigh.
He made the family fortune.
Member of Parliament.
Major philanthropist.
Patron of the arts. [Chuckles]
A bit of a hero of mine, actually.
Did you report it?
Well, no. Uh, I was going to.
But you didn't want the National Gallery
to take their two pictures back.
[Sighs] It has taken
an enormous amount of effort
to get this collection together.
I really wanted to show it to the world
on Friday's grand opening.
I won't be able to return any
of that either.
Not that Arabella will mind.
She has very expensive tastes,
that girl.
[Chuckles]
If there's nothing else, Inspector.
I think we're good. Thank you.
Thank you.
♪♪
♪♪
She looks well miserable.
She's got a face like a wet weekend.
Women at Table.
Could have spent
five more minutes on the title.
Should have spent
five more minutes painting it.
School of Vermeer.
Johannes Vermeer, 17th century, Dutch.
Girl With a Pearl Earring.
Exactly.
He would have done the hands
and the face,
and his students
would have done the rest.
Sounds like a bit of a scam.
"Although unattributed,
the work demonstrates for me
his characteristic use of light
and his ability to create
an intimate sense of mood."
Crozier wrote that?
It's nonsense.
Look at it. It's leaden, it's flat.
It's the composition is all wonky.
There's no signature. It's just wrong.
So it's not worth anything, then?
Well, a real Vermeer
would be worth millions
and school of thousands.
But this is
This is a dud.
SOCO's finished at the crime scene, sir.
- Any sign of the murder weapon?
- No, sir.
♪♪
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Looks like a phone number.
Bank account?
I don't think so.
♪♪
♪♪
Take away.
All right.
20 Sagalee, 54 Peshwari naan.
37 chicken korma.
- What is the point of a korma?
- [Laughs]
- 16?
- 8.50.12.50. £16.
Mm.
- It's pretty decent, actually.
- Not bad.
Hello?
I thought there was something
written on the one, in the bag.
"Triumph equals desire."
Does that mean anything to you?
No.
So Crozier had company last night.
And whoever it was took more
than his laptop and his phone.
There was some paper on the table.
I know exactly who it was.
Lipstick on the wine glass.
Cadmium red. Francis Bacon's trademark.
He said he could get me
a job at the National Gallery.
Said he could pull some strings for me.
He tried to kiss me.
[Sniffles]
I managed to push him away
and told him I wasn't interested.
Well, last night,
someone smashed Crozier
over the head with a hammer.
And you lied about being with him.
- [Sobs]
- Doesn't look good, does it?
Don't blame yourself
for Crozier's behavior.
I don't.
Crozier's laptop is missing.
Did you see it when you were there?
Yeah, he was working when I arrived.
Creep!
He wouldn't even be here
if it wasn't for me.
Hugh didn't even like him.
Do the words "triumph and
desire" mean anything to you?
I don't think so.
How long does the house hold
on to the CCTV recordings.
Seven days. Why?
I'd like to review
the footage from the night
the painting was vandalized.
Okay.
The camera's not great, but
you can see the gallery window.
Is there any more footage?
Yeah. Just one.
So why use a paint ball?
And why shoot that painting?
There's a paintball center
just down the road.
- Let's pay them a visit.
- [Phone rings]
- You'd better get that.
- Yeah.
- I'll, um, wait in the car.
- Okay.
Shit.
Malik. Got an update for me?
It's like "Downton Abbey" here, boss.
- How's Palmer doing?
- He's a bit random.
He keeps going on
about the paintings and that.
- Any leads?
- So Lord Astleigh had a big row
with Crozier the night he died.
He'd be my bet.
All right, well,
keep me in the loop.
I want to be the one
who makes the arrest.
Remember who you work for.
Never in doubt, boss.
♪♪
♪♪
- Help you?
- Maybe.
PC Malik, East Yorkshire police.
DI Palmer.
Just inquiring about
an incident at Astleigh estate.
I heard. A murder in Hillsbury?
- Nasty for Bella.
- Bella?
Bella Hartley. Lady Arabella now.
Now she used to work here. Then
she hooked up with Astleigh.
That's the last we heard from her.
Still, that's her business.
What can I do you for?
You ever have any equipment go missing?
- [Sprays]
- Don't think so.
I mean, it's not Fort Knox.
- We'll need a list of members.
- No members.
We've got some regulars,
but anyone can book a session.
Well, get me a list of bookings then.
I'll see what I can find.
Look who loves his paintball.
Our proper estate manager.
How far back do you want?
Come on.
- [Line ringing]
- Hello?
- It's Derek.
- What?
I've just had the police here.
♪♪
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Front door is open.
Check the window.
[Knocking]
Mr. Kennedy?
♪♪
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[Grunting]
Malik!
Mr. Kennedy!
Get off me!
You're coming quietly.
- [Grunting]
- [Hand cuffs click]
What were you thinking?
That you jumped to conclusions.
Why would we do that?
Because of your conviction for assault?
It's just a bunch of lads
letting off a bit of steam.
Why did you vandalize
Lord Astleigh's painting?
What? What are you talking about?
It was damaged with a paintball gun.
You're a paint baller, aren't you?
You got a problem with Lord Astleigh?
Well, he's my boss.
So, are you stealing
champagne from your boss,
or are you sleeping with his wife?
Bravo, Constable.
Yeah, I do occasionally see Brendan
because it's better
than hanging around here,
bored out of my mind.
And you knew Brendan
from the paintball center.
Him and his mates running around
like they're on "Call of Duty."
Do you think he'd shoot one
of the paintings in the gallery?
He's not stupid.
Well, not that stupid.
And the CCTV?
That was you as well, wasn't it?
Bravo, Sherlock.
I usually reconnect it in the
morning so no one's any wiser.
So, had Crozier discovered
what was happening between you?
Was he blackmailing you?
I'm pretty sure Crozier had no
interest in me or my activities.
He looked down on us.
Bloke in the paintball center
said the same thing about you.
Have you not spoken
to them since you got
the keys to this castle??
The keys to this decrepit,
debt ridden castle.
What a prize.
I apologize
for my colleague's directness.
What we're trying to pinpoint
is what Crozier was working
on before his death.
All Crozier wanted was
to hide away in archives.
At least he didn't have to sit
through his lecture
and his explosive announcement.
What announcement was that?
I don't know.
I suspect he found something in ledgers.
Do you know if it included the phrase
"triumph equals desire"?
God knows.
Crozier barely said two words to me.
Which beats you banging
on about his family history.
So unless you intend to arrest
me for cheating on him,
I've got better things to do.
And they all lived happily ever after.
Crozier had found something
in these archives.
And the answer is in one
of these books or ledgers.
Good luck finding which one.
Yeah.
♪♪
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- [Sniffing]
- Um
♪♪
[Sniffing]
Um
Sir?
[Sniffs]
Bingo.
Chicken korma.
He found something in here
that he was excited about,
something that might be
worth silencing him for.
And something connects Crozier
with the damaged painting.
A lot of somethings. Have a smell.
[Sniffs] Mm.
Title page has been ripped out.
Have you had Crozier's
phone records yet?
Uh, mobile company
are dragging their heels.
- Well, then give him a kick.
- Okay, sir.
Right. Let's call it a day.
Good work today, Malik.
Must be hard with Hollis on your back.
♪♪
Could I get a lift to the hotel?
Got some bedtime reading to do.
♪♪
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Then he's talking about lipstick colors
and The Girl With The Pearl Earring.
- What? The film.
- Um
What's that got to do with anything?
Search me, Boss.
Five minutes later,
he's sniffing some old book,
and he's obsessing
about this vandalized painting
when we're trying to solve the murder.
You've heard the rumor
about him and his dad.
- Mm-hmm.
- Ah, Palmer.
Just talking about you.
Made any arrests yet?
Early days.
So what's the plan?
I want to speak to the restorer,
the person who's fixing
the damaged painting.
You do realize this is a
homicide investigation, Palmer?
Yes, I think they're connected.
Uh, and then, of course,
there's the note.
"Triumph equals desire."
Yeah. Of course.
Well, I'm glad you know
what you're doing.
Good.
PC Malik and DI Palmer.
- Sorry for the interruption.
- That's no trouble.
- Tea?
- Love one.
Dunstan, put the kettle on.
There's a good lad.
Oh!
Colorful.
Duran?
One of the wild beasts. 20th century.
[Speaking French] Matisse and his mates.
That That's by
one of the greats, that is.
An original Dunstan Fisher.
- Dad.
- All right, son.
Parents can be allowed to be
proud of their kid, aren't they?
Not in my experience.
He got a place at art school.
We didn't see the point, did we, Dunst?
Because you can't teach talent.
Besides
we wanted to concentrate
on building up the family business.
Not much work around.
Back in the '90s, we had four
people working here full time.
You here about the murder?
I'd like to inspect
the vandalized painting.
Well, the damage was very localized,
so the repairs have been
pretty straightforward.
- May I?
- Yeah. Go ahead.
♪♪
♪♪
Triumph.
This must be what
Crozier was talking about.
Huh?
The ship's bow has been over-painted.
♪♪
I need to see what's
underneath that paint.
Phone records have come through.
Text messages
from the night of the murder.
All from Lord Astleigh.
- And?
- Not very friendly.
"We need to talk."
"I'm sure we can come
to some arrangement."
"I'll make sure you regret this."
Anything that shows
what they're rowing about?
Uh, no. Nothing specific.
Crozier must have
found something in here.
This lists the inventories of everything
from Astleigh's shipping warehouses.
Ship's going backwards
and forwards from the Caribbean.
I mean, listen to this.
"3rd of March, 1772,
Bristol docks, cargo.
Sacks of coffee, bales of
tobacco, spices, tortoises.
Tortoises?
They'd stack them
upside down like bowls.
- Apparently, it was delicious.
- You're joking.
- Afraid not.
- Mm.
There's pages and pages of this stuff.
But I can't see anything
that would get someone killed.
Right. That's all done.
That what you were expecting?
"Triumph equals desire."
Lord Astleigh's little secret.
Nice work.
Boss.
I think Palmer's about
to make an arrest.
♪♪
- Ah. The first Earl.
- All cleaned up and restored.
Good as new.
The artist wasn't much
of a portrait painter,
but he knew his ships.
You recognize it?
It's just a merchant ship, isn't it?
It's a guineaman.
They were called
that because they traveled
to the West Indies, down the
Guinea coast from West Africa.
It's a slave ship.
Specifically the Desire.
Somebody tried
to cover that up a century ago
because it was toxic even then.
But I reckon you already knew
that, didn't you?
My ancestors did trade
all over the world.
Slave trading was very lucrative.
There were different times.
Everyone was doing it.
Please.
Made a packet, old Percy, didn't he?
Built the family fortune.
Bought the land you still own.
These are the shipping records.
You tore out the first page.
But you should have torn out the back.
The Desireblew up in 1789, and
it was recorded as an accident.
But it wasn't, was it?
It was deliberate.
But worse than that,
it was carrying
580 enslaved Africans on board.
They weren't listed as people.
They were classed as property.
So in insurance terms,
they were worth more dead
than they were alive.
Crozier's explosive revelation.
Not great for PR, is it?
Was Crozier blackmailing you?
No, no, of course not.
There were some papers
taken from his desk.
- [Door closes]
- Was that you?
Thank you. Palmer.
I'll take it from here.
This is now an East Yorkshire case.
- What's going on?
- Lord Astleigh.
I am arresting you for
the murder of Francis Crozier.
- Now, look here.
- You can't do that.
If you can come with us, sir.
Read him his rights, Hawthorne.
This is a disgrace.
Arabella, call the solicitors.
Get them to come down to
the police station
as fast as you can.
And get some money out
of the safe immediately.
I might need bail.
Sorry, Palmer. Early bird and all that.
Be my guest.
Well, you can go back to your,
uh, your museum,
or whatever you call it.
Malik, with me.
♪♪
They think Hugh did it.
I can't believe that.
Well, it doesn't make sense, does it?
It doesn't explain the vandalism.
Why would somebody shoot a painting?
♪♪
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You don't think it was Astleigh, do you?
Don't I? Hollis seems to think so.
Okay. Yeah, that did come from me.
Not my finest moment.
Don't worry. I get it.
It isn't him, is it?
I tried to tell Hollis,
but he wasn't interested.
Go on.
So Astleigh took the notes
from Crozier's desk,
but the paper had dried
and stuck to the table,
which means he took it in the
morning when he found the body.
The murderer would
have taken it there and then.
Exactly.
Good work, Malik. Really.
And Astleigh definitely
didn't shoot the painting.
So who did?
And how did Crozier manage
to spot the renamed slave ship
but not see how bad that was?
"for me his characteristic
use of light."
It's like he's talking
about a different painting.
♪♪
♪♪
[Sniffs]
Not korma again.
Malik let's go.
Oh. Hello, officers.
How can I help?
When did you realize what it was?
- What?
- That it was worth millions.
What was?
- The Vermeer.
- Well, at the gallery?
That's a copy.
Easy for someone of
Dunstan's skill, though, right?
I don't know what you're talking about.
I think you noticed
when you were restoring
the painting for the gallery,
you saw the little tear
that was on the canvas,
and then you realized
that it was one half
of an entirely different painting.
The other half of this.
That's why the composition's all wonky.
And why there's no signature.
And then you got lucky.
A few weeks later
that Vermeer came up for auction,
and you knew it was
the other half of Astleigh's painting.
What a moment that must have been
to know that you had been holding
a genuine Vermeer,
and all you had to do
was reunite the two halves.
And what would it be worth?
Millions.
You just needed to make a copy
and get it into the gallery
before it opened.
It was the smell that was the giveaway.
It's very hard to fake the whiff
of 300 year old varnish.
Oh, come on.
Dunstan wouldn't do a thing like that.
In order to do the swap, you needed
a reason to get back into the gallery.
So why not restore a painting?
I mean, that's what you do.
And one
that was damaged with a paint ball.
♪♪
You chose one of Astleigh's
worthless old paintings.
[Paintball gun fires]
and when you went to collect it,
you did the switch.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Where's the Vermeer?
Where's the real Vermeer?
Is it up in the loft away from your dad?
Dunstan, stop it! Put that down.
No! Why should Lord Astleigh
get to have it?
It's wasted on him.
Old Crozier. Is that what you
killed him with?
What are you doing here?
[Thud]
Oh, my God.
He found out about it.
He was so pleased with himself.
It was his big surprise.
No, no, it wasn't.
He had discovered that the family
had a history of slave trading.
That was his big announcement.
You'd have seen that if you'd
looked on the laptop, but I
I suppose you just got rid of it, right?
No. You're lying. You're lying.
I'm not. You killed him for nothing.
Dunstan, what have you done?
What have I done?
I've wasted my life.
I tried to do the right thing,
but this
Look at us.
Stuck here, scraping a living.
Waiting for crumbs.
I thought this was what you wanted.
No, I wanted more than this.
I didn't want to end up like
Like me?
♪♪
♪♪
[Grunts]
Dunstan Fisher, I'm arresting you
for the murder of Francis Crozier.
You do not have to say anything,
but it may harm your defense
if you do not say something when questioned
which you later rely on in court.
Anything you do say
may be given in evidence.
♪♪
Lord Astleigh has
been released without charge.
Which begs the question,
why did you let me arrest him?
It was a fast moving situation, sir.
Withheld information
pertinent to an arrest.
I tried to tell you. It's just
Well, DI Palmer
- he listened to me.
- You have some nerve, Malik.
From tomorrow morning,
you're on traffic duty.
Actually, sir.
DI Palmer has requested
I join his department.
And so, six weeks later,
Woman at Tablebecomes
Woman in National Gallery.
Look at that. Pride of place.
Love it. Characteristic use of light.
Indeed. So, for the piece de resistance,
look at this.
- There.
- Together at last.
They look almost
as unhappy as the Astleighs.
[Both laugh]
[Woman speaking native language]
[Speaking native language]
Right. Got to go.
Lots to sort before the big move.
Mainly stopping my parents
coming with me.
All right, well, see you in a month.
The Heritage Crime Unit is expanding.
And Hollis is fuming.
Really looking forward to it, boss.
See ya.
See ya.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Hello, son.
♪♪
♪♪
Sub extracted from file & improved by
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Ting, ting, ting.
Congratulations, everyone.
18 months of hard work.
Isn't that right, Brendan?
You don't need me
for anything else, do you?
All work and no play, that one.
But we have got there.
The Astleigh family collection
all under one roof,
just as it should be.
Your very good health.
- So exciting.
- Now you two are going to be
there at the grand opening
on Friday, aren't you?
I mean, we couldn't
have done it without you.
Restoring my family portraits.
- Much appreciated, sir.
- Isn't it, Dunstan?
Jolly good.
We're absolutely thrilled,
aren't we, darling?
Oh, and, everyone,
a big thank you to Francis Crozier here
from the National Gallery,
who bought the fourth and fifth
Earls here to complete the set.
And apparently, he's
also going to give us a bit
of a presentation.
Let's just say I shall be sharing
something quite explosive.
So what do you think of this thing?
Oh, it's fabulous indeed.
You see, they've done something
very clever, haven't they?
With the daylight coming through.
Uh, Helena. I just wondered
if you'd given
any more thought to my offer.
Yes, of course, it's very tempting.
Well, perhaps we can discuss it later.
Why don't you pop by the coach house.
Francis?
Could I possibly have
a word with you in my study?
Now.
If I must.
♪♪
[Footsteps]
♪♪
[Typing]
What are you doing here?
[Thuds]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[Children shouting, dog barking]
- English breakfast?
- Oh, wonderful.
- It's hot. Be careful.
- I like this.
It's my mum. Painted by my dad.
Gave it to me just
before he disappeared.
First dates. Eh?
Uh, was the, um, the sofa bed all right?
Fine.
- You should have let me stay on it.
- Yes, I should.
[Phone rings]
- I should
- Yeah, I need to, um
Right.
Oh.
Hello. Rosa, we should do
DI Palmer. Yes.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
- Is that him?
- That is DI Palmer.
He makes up the entire workforce
of the Heritage Crime Unit.
God help us.
- Hm.
- What?
Not having him and his
ridiculous painting squad
show up my force.
Stick to him. Tell me what he's up to.
What? Spy on him, sir?
- Don't be so dramatic, Malik.
- Just keep me posted.
Amazing house.
This is the perfect example of
a Victorian Italianate palazzo.
It's like a doll's house on steroids.
Yeah. I'm DI Hollis.
Welcome to Yorkshire.
- God's own country.
- Mick Palmer.
Sorry about
taking the case from under you,
but, um, delicate situation
with the National Gallery.
No, no, it's, uh, it's no problem.
I, uh, I'm sure
you Londoners can teach us
country folk a thing or two.
We're here to offer every assistance,
including one of my finest
constables, PC Shazia Malik.
Looking forward to working
with you, sir.
Pleasure to meet you, PC Malik.
Right. Well, that's your team.
Anything else I can help you with?
- Uh, I was just wondering
- No? Good.
Right. So where should we start?
- [Engine starts]
- Crime scene, sir.
Great shout. Shall we?
- Can I take you back?
- Yeah, sure.
♪♪
[Thunder rumbles]
So what, you investigate paintings then?
All sorts. Really?
Art theft, illegal trafficking,
forgery, fraud.
- And murder.
- Yes.
The victim is Francis Crozier,
who was attached
to the National Gallery.
What else do we know?
He was staying in the coach house,
overseeing the loan of two
new paintings in the gallery.
Yes, the fourth and the fifth
Earls, 18th century,
- artists unattributed.
- Right.
His body was discovered
here this morning
by the owner of the house,
Lord Astleigh, Earl of Halsbury.
Is that it? Anything else to add?
Those are the established facts.
Facts are good,
but interpretation is more important.
So take, for example, your boss, Hollis.
He said he wanted to help. Fact.
But my interpretation is
that he's a bit of a dick
and he wanted to send
me packing back to London.
Am I close?
- Bang on, sir.
- Huh.
Shall we?
[Camera shutter clicks]
- DI Palmer?
- Yes.
Dr. Naoko Yoshida.
The victim was found
at 10 past 7:00 this morning
by Lord Astleigh,
formally identified as
Francis Crozier, 43 years old.
Rigor mortis was still present,
so I'd estimate time of death
between 12 and 18 hours.
[Camera shutter clicks]
Cause of death?
A traumatic brain injury
caused by a series
of blows to the side of the head.
A curvilinear laceration,
most likely caused by a hammer.
Premeditated.
I didn't see many hammers lying around.
Um, any sign of the murder weapon yet?
Still searching, sir. Nothing yet.
It's wine and blood.
- I see we're missing a laptop.
- Any sign of a mobile?
Victim had no defensive injuries.
No bruises or scratches
on the arms or hands.
So Crozier knew his attacker.
[Camera shutter clicks]
Could you let me know when you're done?
Thanks.
- Why did we leave?
- I need a clear view.
It's impossible with all
that banging about.
It could be a robbery.
But then, his wallet was
right there on the desk.
- Yeah.
- Get me his phone records.
Everyone's a critic.
What do you reckon? Local kids?
It's hardly Banksy.
Look at the size of it.
Don't know if I should go in
through the front door
or find the gift shop.
- Good afternoon.
- Good afternoon.
My name is Detective Inspector Palmer
from the Heritage Crime Unit.
- The heritage what?
- Heritage Crime.
This is PC Malik.
Where are the proper police?
- And you are?
- Brendan Kennedy.
Estate manager.
- A proper one, presumably.
- [Chuckles]
I'm asking that nobody leave
the house without permission.
And I will need you to make a statement.
Well, you're not suggesting
it's one of us, are you?
I'm just trying
to get a sense of events.
How well did you know Mr. Crozier?
Not very well at all.
He'd only been here
a few days, a week, perhaps.
Had he been here a week, Helena?
Sorry. This is Helena McGuigan,
my assistant.
He was writing a guide to the gallery,
plus the information panels on the wall.
Did he know anyone else
from around here?
Not that I'm aware.
Look, I-I think we're all a bit
shaken, Inspector,
but I'm sure I speak for everyone
when I say that we owe it to Mr. Crozier
to push ahead with the
grand opening of the exhibition.
- Seriously?
- Well, yes.
I have done a great deal of work
to get us this far.
I wonder
if we could start with the CCTV.
Oh, yes. Of course.
Helena, could you, um
could you expedite?
Yes. Happy to.
Techie stuff isn't
really my forte, I'm afraid.
I'm sure you have other strengths.
♪♪
Okay.
So this is the system.
Does this cover the coach house?
No, only the main house and the drive.
There's no recording of last night.
Someone's disconnected the camera feed.
They didn't want to
be seen heading over there.
Who has access to the system?
Anyone in the house, really.
But there was nobody else
here last night.
Um, the restorers stayed for a drink,
but they left straight after.
But they wouldn't
have had access to this.
No. Absolutely not.
Can you think of anyone who
had anything against Crozier?
Well, I mean, um
I did hear Francis
Mr. Crozier and Lord Astleigh
are having a row in the study.
Over what?
I'm not sure, but Lord Astleigh
sounded very upset.
Hm.
It was a minor disagreement
over the interpretation
of one of the pictures, that's all.
Where were you last night?
Ah, well, um, I'd had a glass
of wine too many.
I took myself off to bed,
popped a sleeping pill,
and was out for the count.
So you found the body?
Yes. Yes. That's right.
Horribly shocking.
At 7:00 in the morning?
That's an early start.
Uh, yes.
I popped in
while I was out walking the dog.
- What happened here?
- Oh, that, um,
kids, uh, graffitied
the statue on the lawn.
Broke a window and,
uh, vandalized one of the portraits
with a with a paint gun.
The restorers came to pick it up.
It's going to be fine, apparently.
Is it an important piece of work?
Important?
It's the first Earl, Percy Astleigh.
He made the family fortune.
Member of Parliament.
Major philanthropist.
Patron of the arts. [Chuckles]
A bit of a hero of mine, actually.
Did you report it?
Well, no. Uh, I was going to.
But you didn't want the National Gallery
to take their two pictures back.
[Sighs] It has taken
an enormous amount of effort
to get this collection together.
I really wanted to show it to the world
on Friday's grand opening.
I won't be able to return any
of that either.
Not that Arabella will mind.
She has very expensive tastes,
that girl.
[Chuckles]
If there's nothing else, Inspector.
I think we're good. Thank you.
Thank you.
♪♪
♪♪
She looks well miserable.
She's got a face like a wet weekend.
Women at Table.
Could have spent
five more minutes on the title.
Should have spent
five more minutes painting it.
School of Vermeer.
Johannes Vermeer, 17th century, Dutch.
Girl With a Pearl Earring.
Exactly.
He would have done the hands
and the face,
and his students
would have done the rest.
Sounds like a bit of a scam.
"Although unattributed,
the work demonstrates for me
his characteristic use of light
and his ability to create
an intimate sense of mood."
Crozier wrote that?
It's nonsense.
Look at it. It's leaden, it's flat.
It's the composition is all wonky.
There's no signature. It's just wrong.
So it's not worth anything, then?
Well, a real Vermeer
would be worth millions
and school of thousands.
But this is
This is a dud.
SOCO's finished at the crime scene, sir.
- Any sign of the murder weapon?
- No, sir.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Looks like a phone number.
Bank account?
I don't think so.
♪♪
♪♪
Take away.
All right.
20 Sagalee, 54 Peshwari naan.
37 chicken korma.
- What is the point of a korma?
- [Laughs]
- 16?
- 8.50.12.50. £16.
Mm.
- It's pretty decent, actually.
- Not bad.
Hello?
I thought there was something
written on the one, in the bag.
"Triumph equals desire."
Does that mean anything to you?
No.
So Crozier had company last night.
And whoever it was took more
than his laptop and his phone.
There was some paper on the table.
I know exactly who it was.
Lipstick on the wine glass.
Cadmium red. Francis Bacon's trademark.
He said he could get me
a job at the National Gallery.
Said he could pull some strings for me.
He tried to kiss me.
[Sniffles]
I managed to push him away
and told him I wasn't interested.
Well, last night,
someone smashed Crozier
over the head with a hammer.
And you lied about being with him.
- [Sobs]
- Doesn't look good, does it?
Don't blame yourself
for Crozier's behavior.
I don't.
Crozier's laptop is missing.
Did you see it when you were there?
Yeah, he was working when I arrived.
Creep!
He wouldn't even be here
if it wasn't for me.
Hugh didn't even like him.
Do the words "triumph and
desire" mean anything to you?
I don't think so.
How long does the house hold
on to the CCTV recordings.
Seven days. Why?
I'd like to review
the footage from the night
the painting was vandalized.
Okay.
The camera's not great, but
you can see the gallery window.
Is there any more footage?
Yeah. Just one.
So why use a paint ball?
And why shoot that painting?
There's a paintball center
just down the road.
- Let's pay them a visit.
- [Phone rings]
- You'd better get that.
- Yeah.
- I'll, um, wait in the car.
- Okay.
Shit.
Malik. Got an update for me?
It's like "Downton Abbey" here, boss.
- How's Palmer doing?
- He's a bit random.
He keeps going on
about the paintings and that.
- Any leads?
- So Lord Astleigh had a big row
with Crozier the night he died.
He'd be my bet.
All right, well,
keep me in the loop.
I want to be the one
who makes the arrest.
Remember who you work for.
Never in doubt, boss.
♪♪
♪♪
- Help you?
- Maybe.
PC Malik, East Yorkshire police.
DI Palmer.
Just inquiring about
an incident at Astleigh estate.
I heard. A murder in Hillsbury?
- Nasty for Bella.
- Bella?
Bella Hartley. Lady Arabella now.
Now she used to work here. Then
she hooked up with Astleigh.
That's the last we heard from her.
Still, that's her business.
What can I do you for?
You ever have any equipment go missing?
- [Sprays]
- Don't think so.
I mean, it's not Fort Knox.
- We'll need a list of members.
- No members.
We've got some regulars,
but anyone can book a session.
Well, get me a list of bookings then.
I'll see what I can find.
Look who loves his paintball.
Our proper estate manager.
How far back do you want?
Come on.
- [Line ringing]
- Hello?
- It's Derek.
- What?
I've just had the police here.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Front door is open.
Check the window.
[Knocking]
Mr. Kennedy?
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[Grunting]
Malik!
Mr. Kennedy!
Get off me!
You're coming quietly.
- [Grunting]
- [Hand cuffs click]
What were you thinking?
That you jumped to conclusions.
Why would we do that?
Because of your conviction for assault?
It's just a bunch of lads
letting off a bit of steam.
Why did you vandalize
Lord Astleigh's painting?
What? What are you talking about?
It was damaged with a paintball gun.
You're a paint baller, aren't you?
You got a problem with Lord Astleigh?
Well, he's my boss.
So, are you stealing
champagne from your boss,
or are you sleeping with his wife?
Bravo, Constable.
Yeah, I do occasionally see Brendan
because it's better
than hanging around here,
bored out of my mind.
And you knew Brendan
from the paintball center.
Him and his mates running around
like they're on "Call of Duty."
Do you think he'd shoot one
of the paintings in the gallery?
He's not stupid.
Well, not that stupid.
And the CCTV?
That was you as well, wasn't it?
Bravo, Sherlock.
I usually reconnect it in the
morning so no one's any wiser.
So, had Crozier discovered
what was happening between you?
Was he blackmailing you?
I'm pretty sure Crozier had no
interest in me or my activities.
He looked down on us.
Bloke in the paintball center
said the same thing about you.
Have you not spoken
to them since you got
the keys to this castle??
The keys to this decrepit,
debt ridden castle.
What a prize.
I apologize
for my colleague's directness.
What we're trying to pinpoint
is what Crozier was working
on before his death.
All Crozier wanted was
to hide away in archives.
At least he didn't have to sit
through his lecture
and his explosive announcement.
What announcement was that?
I don't know.
I suspect he found something in ledgers.
Do you know if it included the phrase
"triumph equals desire"?
God knows.
Crozier barely said two words to me.
Which beats you banging
on about his family history.
So unless you intend to arrest
me for cheating on him,
I've got better things to do.
And they all lived happily ever after.
Crozier had found something
in these archives.
And the answer is in one
of these books or ledgers.
Good luck finding which one.
Yeah.
♪♪
♪♪
- [Sniffing]
- Um
♪♪
[Sniffing]
Um
Sir?
[Sniffs]
Bingo.
Chicken korma.
He found something in here
that he was excited about,
something that might be
worth silencing him for.
And something connects Crozier
with the damaged painting.
A lot of somethings. Have a smell.
[Sniffs] Mm.
Title page has been ripped out.
Have you had Crozier's
phone records yet?
Uh, mobile company
are dragging their heels.
- Well, then give him a kick.
- Okay, sir.
Right. Let's call it a day.
Good work today, Malik.
Must be hard with Hollis on your back.
♪♪
Could I get a lift to the hotel?
Got some bedtime reading to do.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Then he's talking about lipstick colors
and The Girl With The Pearl Earring.
- What? The film.
- Um
What's that got to do with anything?
Search me, Boss.
Five minutes later,
he's sniffing some old book,
and he's obsessing
about this vandalized painting
when we're trying to solve the murder.
You've heard the rumor
about him and his dad.
- Mm-hmm.
- Ah, Palmer.
Just talking about you.
Made any arrests yet?
Early days.
So what's the plan?
I want to speak to the restorer,
the person who's fixing
the damaged painting.
You do realize this is a
homicide investigation, Palmer?
Yes, I think they're connected.
Uh, and then, of course,
there's the note.
"Triumph equals desire."
Yeah. Of course.
Well, I'm glad you know
what you're doing.
Good.
PC Malik and DI Palmer.
- Sorry for the interruption.
- That's no trouble.
- Tea?
- Love one.
Dunstan, put the kettle on.
There's a good lad.
Oh!
Colorful.
Duran?
One of the wild beasts. 20th century.
[Speaking French] Matisse and his mates.
That That's by
one of the greats, that is.
An original Dunstan Fisher.
- Dad.
- All right, son.
Parents can be allowed to be
proud of their kid, aren't they?
Not in my experience.
He got a place at art school.
We didn't see the point, did we, Dunst?
Because you can't teach talent.
Besides
we wanted to concentrate
on building up the family business.
Not much work around.
Back in the '90s, we had four
people working here full time.
You here about the murder?
I'd like to inspect
the vandalized painting.
Well, the damage was very localized,
so the repairs have been
pretty straightforward.
- May I?
- Yeah. Go ahead.
♪♪
♪♪
Triumph.
This must be what
Crozier was talking about.
Huh?
The ship's bow has been over-painted.
♪♪
I need to see what's
underneath that paint.
Phone records have come through.
Text messages
from the night of the murder.
All from Lord Astleigh.
- And?
- Not very friendly.
"We need to talk."
"I'm sure we can come
to some arrangement."
"I'll make sure you regret this."
Anything that shows
what they're rowing about?
Uh, no. Nothing specific.
Crozier must have
found something in here.
This lists the inventories of everything
from Astleigh's shipping warehouses.
Ship's going backwards
and forwards from the Caribbean.
I mean, listen to this.
"3rd of March, 1772,
Bristol docks, cargo.
Sacks of coffee, bales of
tobacco, spices, tortoises.
Tortoises?
They'd stack them
upside down like bowls.
- Apparently, it was delicious.
- You're joking.
- Afraid not.
- Mm.
There's pages and pages of this stuff.
But I can't see anything
that would get someone killed.
Right. That's all done.
That what you were expecting?
"Triumph equals desire."
Lord Astleigh's little secret.
Nice work.
Boss.
I think Palmer's about
to make an arrest.
♪♪
- Ah. The first Earl.
- All cleaned up and restored.
Good as new.
The artist wasn't much
of a portrait painter,
but he knew his ships.
You recognize it?
It's just a merchant ship, isn't it?
It's a guineaman.
They were called
that because they traveled
to the West Indies, down the
Guinea coast from West Africa.
It's a slave ship.
Specifically the Desire.
Somebody tried
to cover that up a century ago
because it was toxic even then.
But I reckon you already knew
that, didn't you?
My ancestors did trade
all over the world.
Slave trading was very lucrative.
There were different times.
Everyone was doing it.
Please.
Made a packet, old Percy, didn't he?
Built the family fortune.
Bought the land you still own.
These are the shipping records.
You tore out the first page.
But you should have torn out the back.
The Desireblew up in 1789, and
it was recorded as an accident.
But it wasn't, was it?
It was deliberate.
But worse than that,
it was carrying
580 enslaved Africans on board.
They weren't listed as people.
They were classed as property.
So in insurance terms,
they were worth more dead
than they were alive.
Crozier's explosive revelation.
Not great for PR, is it?
Was Crozier blackmailing you?
No, no, of course not.
There were some papers
taken from his desk.
- [Door closes]
- Was that you?
Thank you. Palmer.
I'll take it from here.
This is now an East Yorkshire case.
- What's going on?
- Lord Astleigh.
I am arresting you for
the murder of Francis Crozier.
- Now, look here.
- You can't do that.
If you can come with us, sir.
Read him his rights, Hawthorne.
This is a disgrace.
Arabella, call the solicitors.
Get them to come down to
the police station
as fast as you can.
And get some money out
of the safe immediately.
I might need bail.
Sorry, Palmer. Early bird and all that.
Be my guest.
Well, you can go back to your,
uh, your museum,
or whatever you call it.
Malik, with me.
♪♪
They think Hugh did it.
I can't believe that.
Well, it doesn't make sense, does it?
It doesn't explain the vandalism.
Why would somebody shoot a painting?
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
You don't think it was Astleigh, do you?
Don't I? Hollis seems to think so.
Okay. Yeah, that did come from me.
Not my finest moment.
Don't worry. I get it.
It isn't him, is it?
I tried to tell Hollis,
but he wasn't interested.
Go on.
So Astleigh took the notes
from Crozier's desk,
but the paper had dried
and stuck to the table,
which means he took it in the
morning when he found the body.
The murderer would
have taken it there and then.
Exactly.
Good work, Malik. Really.
And Astleigh definitely
didn't shoot the painting.
So who did?
And how did Crozier manage
to spot the renamed slave ship
but not see how bad that was?
"for me his characteristic
use of light."
It's like he's talking
about a different painting.
♪♪
♪♪
[Sniffs]
Not korma again.
Malik let's go.
Oh. Hello, officers.
How can I help?
When did you realize what it was?
- What?
- That it was worth millions.
What was?
- The Vermeer.
- Well, at the gallery?
That's a copy.
Easy for someone of
Dunstan's skill, though, right?
I don't know what you're talking about.
I think you noticed
when you were restoring
the painting for the gallery,
you saw the little tear
that was on the canvas,
and then you realized
that it was one half
of an entirely different painting.
The other half of this.
That's why the composition's all wonky.
And why there's no signature.
And then you got lucky.
A few weeks later
that Vermeer came up for auction,
and you knew it was
the other half of Astleigh's painting.
What a moment that must have been
to know that you had been holding
a genuine Vermeer,
and all you had to do
was reunite the two halves.
And what would it be worth?
Millions.
You just needed to make a copy
and get it into the gallery
before it opened.
It was the smell that was the giveaway.
It's very hard to fake the whiff
of 300 year old varnish.
Oh, come on.
Dunstan wouldn't do a thing like that.
In order to do the swap, you needed
a reason to get back into the gallery.
So why not restore a painting?
I mean, that's what you do.
And one
that was damaged with a paint ball.
♪♪
You chose one of Astleigh's
worthless old paintings.
[Paintball gun fires]
and when you went to collect it,
you did the switch.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Where's the Vermeer?
Where's the real Vermeer?
Is it up in the loft away from your dad?
Dunstan, stop it! Put that down.
No! Why should Lord Astleigh
get to have it?
It's wasted on him.
Old Crozier. Is that what you
killed him with?
What are you doing here?
[Thud]
Oh, my God.
He found out about it.
He was so pleased with himself.
It was his big surprise.
No, no, it wasn't.
He had discovered that the family
had a history of slave trading.
That was his big announcement.
You'd have seen that if you'd
looked on the laptop, but I
I suppose you just got rid of it, right?
No. You're lying. You're lying.
I'm not. You killed him for nothing.
Dunstan, what have you done?
What have I done?
I've wasted my life.
I tried to do the right thing,
but this
Look at us.
Stuck here, scraping a living.
Waiting for crumbs.
I thought this was what you wanted.
No, I wanted more than this.
I didn't want to end up like
Like me?
♪♪
♪♪
[Grunts]
Dunstan Fisher, I'm arresting you
for the murder of Francis Crozier.
You do not have to say anything,
but it may harm your defense
if you do not say something when questioned
which you later rely on in court.
Anything you do say
may be given in evidence.
♪♪
Lord Astleigh has
been released without charge.
Which begs the question,
why did you let me arrest him?
It was a fast moving situation, sir.
Withheld information
pertinent to an arrest.
I tried to tell you. It's just
Well, DI Palmer
- he listened to me.
- You have some nerve, Malik.
From tomorrow morning,
you're on traffic duty.
Actually, sir.
DI Palmer has requested
I join his department.
And so, six weeks later,
Woman at Tablebecomes
Woman in National Gallery.
Look at that. Pride of place.
Love it. Characteristic use of light.
Indeed. So, for the piece de resistance,
look at this.
- There.
- Together at last.
They look almost
as unhappy as the Astleighs.
[Both laugh]
[Woman speaking native language]
[Speaking native language]
Right. Got to go.
Lots to sort before the big move.
Mainly stopping my parents
coming with me.
All right, well, see you in a month.
The Heritage Crime Unit is expanding.
And Hollis is fuming.
Really looking forward to it, boss.
See ya.
See ya.
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Hello, son.
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Sub extracted from file & improved by
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