Bat Out of Hell (1966) s01e02 Episode Script

[Phone rings]
-Hello?
-Alunbury 8130?
Yes, who is that?
Is that Mr. Paxton?
Ned Tallboy here.
Oh, hello, Mr. Tallboy.
I've just had the inspector here!
He told me about Geoffrey -
about the murder.
I can hardly believe it!
It's true, I'm afraid.
Well tell me, how's Diana?
Is she alright? How's she taken it?
I've just brought her home;
she's bearing up very well, considering.
My God, what a
dreadful shock for her!
Look, old man, please tell her if
there's anything I can do for her anything
Thank you, Mr. Tallboy,
I’ll tell her.
You say the inspector told you
about this morning?
Yes, he called in the garage.
He's only just left as a matter of fact.
-He wanted a key for the car.
-Which car?
Geoffrey's - the Aston,
it's still in the car park, I imagine.
Oh, yes - yes, of course.
Now don't forget to let me know
if there's anything I can do to help
Thank you, Mr. Tallboy.
It's very kind of you.
I'll probably drop in on you later.
Yes, please do, old boy. Do that.
Why did you say that -
about dropping in on him?
No particular reason, I just wanted
to hear what the inspector told him.
You look done in, Diana,
can I get you a drink?
No. I've got a headache,
I'm going to take some aspirin.
-Well, I feel like one.
-Help yourself.
-Mark
-Yes?
That man the one
I identified as Geoffrey
-Well?
-Who was he?
I don't know.
Geoffrey knew.
Geoffrey knew who he was.
What do you mean -
Geoffrey knew?
He knew that man was going
to be found this morning.
That's why he phoned and
told me to identify the body.
Diana, do you realise
what you're saying!
-Geoffrey is dead
-No.
I tell you he’s dead!
Listen, Diana.
I examined him twice.
Once, just after he was shot;
the second time,
five minutes later,
when I was covering the body up.
He was dead, Diana.
Make no mistake about it -
he was dead!
How do you account for
the fact that he disappeared?
Someone took the body from my car;
they must have done.
And the phone call?
I've told you about the phone call!
It wasn't Geoffrey!
It was someone else -
someone impersonating him.
Someone impersonating him?
Do you think I don't know Geoffrey's voice
when I hear it! Do you think I
[Door bell]
-Who is it?
-I don't know.
-Are you expecting anyone?
-No.
I'll go and see.
-It's Thelma Bowen and her husband.
-Thelma?
Oh, you know, she's a friend of mine.
You've met her.
She's got a shop in Alunbury.
She was here yesterday morning;
she arrived just as I was leaving?
Yes, that's right.
Look Mark, I don't
want to see them!
I know what's happened.
She wonders why
I haven't gone away.
You'll have to see her sooner or later;
you might just as well see her now.
Alright, Diana - you go upstairs.
I'll talk to them.
But when did this happen?
This morning - at least,
they found him this morning.
-Where?
-At Benchley Wood.
What was he doing
at Benchley Wood?
We don't know. No one knows.
It's a complete mystery.
I can't believe it
I just can't believe it.
You say Diana's upstairs?
Yes, she's resting. We got back
about ten minutes ago.
Mrs. Stewart's taken it very well,
but she's terribly distressed, of course.
My God, I should think so.
Stay here, Walter. I'm going to see
if there's anything I can do for her.
I don't think I'd go up, Mrs. Bowen,
she's taken a sedative and
she's probably asleep by now.
Don't worry - if she's asleep
I shan't disturb her.
Leave it to Thelma, dear boy.
She knows what she's doing.
She and Diana are very close,
they always have been.
Yes, of course; it's just that
It's terribly difficult to
know what to do.
This has been quite a
shock for me too, Mr. Bowen.
I'll bet it has, dear boy.
But what happened exactly?
All we heard was that
the holiday was off
and Geoffrey was supposed
to have disappeared.
Well, let's defend,
he did disappear.
That's the extraordinary thing.
He and I went to see a
property together - Lyncote Manor.
I dropped Mr. Stewart at the house
and drove over to Oakfield.
I was supposed to pick up
a man called Watling.
-Len Watling - the surveyor?
-That's right.
Anyway, to cut a
long story short,
I couldn't get hold of Watling
and when I got back to the house,
there was no sign of Mr. Stewart.
The next time I saw him was
this morning - at Benchley Wood.
It's incredible. But what happened?
What do you think happened?
It's impossible to say.
His wallet's missing.
I expect he had money in it -
traveller's cheques,
perhaps - he was going abroad.
Is that what the police think?
That someone picked him up?
Well, I don't know what
the police think, Mr. Bowen.
They haven't confided in me.
Who's in charge of the case - Clay?
Yes, that's right. Inspector Clay.
Do you know him?
Well, I've met him.
I know most of the local people.
Through Thelma, of course.
Are you in business, Mr. Bowen?
No, no, no - God forbid.
I'm a writer -
a play writer really;
but I churn out the odd article
for the local press now and again.
Incidentally, talking of Clay,
dear boy, let me give you a tip.
Whatever you do,
don't underrate him.
But why should I do that?
You know what I mean.
No, I'm afraid I don't
know what you mean.
He gives you the impression he doesn't
know his arse from his elbow.
Well, he does.
Curiously enough, Thelma
and I were talking
about you early last night, dear boy.
-About me?
-Yes.
I said that you'd worked
for Geoffrey about a year
and Thelma said it
must be two by now.
I'm afraid you were both wrong.
However, since you're interested,
I joined the firm three years ago.
Did you? I didn't realise that.
-You're the Manager there, aren't you?
-Yes; sort of.
Well, I must say, you've done
very well for yourself.
How is she, Thelma?
Well, she's not too bad,
I suppose, considering.
But I don't honestly think poor
dear realises what's happened.
-Was she in bed?
-No, she was just getting undressed.
She's asked me to try and
get hold of Mrs. Houston.
Mrs. Houston?
That's the housekeeper.
She's away at the moment.
Walter, I'm afraid we'll have to
put those friends of yours off.
I couldn't cope with them -
not tonight.
In any case, I've told
Diana I shall pop back
again just to make sure she's alright.
Yes, of course. Why don't you stay
the night with her, Thelma?
She doesn't want me to.
Anyhow, we'll see.
What are your plans, Mr. Paxton?
Could you stay here until about four o'clock?
Yes, I think so.
Well, I'm afraid I've got
to go back to the shop
and we can't very well leave
her here on her own.
-No, of course not.
-I'll be back here by four o'clock
maybe half-past three
with a bit of luck.
Yes, alright, Mrs. Bowen.
I'll stay until I hear from you.
I don't suppose Mrs. Stewart
would mind if I use the telephone?
Don't be silly, dear boy.
Make yourself at home.
Oh, before I forget - here's Diana's
cigarette case. It was in her coat.
Her coat?
Yes, I took her fur coat
up to London yesterday;
she's having it re-modelled.
She left her cigarette case in it.
Oh yes, I'll give it to her.
I'll do my best to get back
by three-thirty, Mr. Paxton.
Have they gone?
-Yes, but Thelma's coming back.
-When?
-This afternoon.
-Oh, God!
What did she say to you?
Oh she seemed upset; genuinely
concerned about you, in fact.
Yes, she is.
I'm afraid she's going to be a rather
nuisance for a couple of weeks at least.
We'll have to put up with it.
It's not Mrs. Bowen
I'm worried about.
What do you mean?
Diana, listen. We've got
to be careful, both of us.
We've both got to be very careful.
Do you understand?
No, I don't understand.
We haven't got to see
too much of each other.
We certainly mustn't got to
be seen alone together, not
if we can help it.
Mark, what's the matter?
You're worried.
No, I'm not worried, it's just that -
I have a feeling, a hunch,
if you like - about Walter Bowen.
What about him?
I think he knows
about us, I mean.
Why do you say that?
Just something he said.
It wasn’t anything specific,
it was just that he
why are you smiling?
You had me worried for a minute.
Oh, I know Walter.
He always puts on that act -
pretends he knows
everything that's going on.
Well, he doesn't.
He's just a great big phoney.
-He may be a phoney, but
-There's no 'maybe' about it - he is.
He calls himself a writer,
but he hasn't written
anything for years.
If it wasn't for Thelma,
he'd starve.
Believe me, darling,
Walter's the least of out worries.
Yes, I hope you're right.
Thelma asked me to give you this.
You left it in your coat.
In my coat?
Yes. Didn't she take your
coat up to London for you?
-Yes, she did.
-Well
That's not mine.
Of course, it's yours,
it was in the coat pocket.
I tell you I've never
It's beautiful,
but it isn't mine.
Don't be stupid, darling.
It's even got your name in it.
"To Diana - who came like a
bat out of hell - Love, Geoffrey."
Mark, I tell you I've never
seen this case before. Never.
What does it mean?
"Who came like
a bat out of hell"?
Hello, Squire!
I called in the garage.
They said you'd probably be here.
Yes, I usually skip
lunch these days.
Sit down, old boy.
What'll you have?
May I have a scotch and soda?
Yes, of course. A scotch
and soda, please Beryl.
We were just talking
about poor old Geoffrey.
She knew all about it.
My God, you know it's amazing
how news travels.
Especially bad news.
Yes, you can say that again.
Tell me, how's Diana?
It's been a terrible shock
to her, of course. Terrible.
But she's a pretty tough woman.
At least, that's how she strikes me,
at the moment at any rate.
Let's hope you're right, she’ll
have to be pretty tough from now on.
Why do you say that?
Well, she'll take over now,
won't she?
She'll run the firm, I imagine.
You've got to be pretty tough
in your business, Squire.
You must know that
better than I do.
Yes, I see what you mean.
Still I imagine you'll
be a great help to her.
I'll certainly do what
I can, of course.
What did the inspector
have to say, Mr. Tallboy?
Well, he told me about Geoffrey
and then he asked me
one or two questions.
About Mr. Stewart?
No, mostly about
myself, old boy.
About yourself?
But why should he be
interested in you, Mr. Tallboy?
I don't know. But he was.
No, as a matter of fact,
that's not strictly true.
I do know why he
was curious about me.
Being a bachelor I've
got a bit of a reputation -
quite unfounded, I assure you;
and he probably thought
I might have heard something.
-About Mr. Stewart?
-Yes.
I don't get it. Why should you have
heard anything about Mr. Stewart?
Women talk, old boy.
Sometimes without realising it.
Oh. Oh, I see.
And had you heard anything?
No. no, not at all, not about
Geoffrey Stewart, that is.
It was a scotch and soda,
sir, wasn't it?
Yes, that's right. Thank you.
Excuse me, Mr. Paxton.
Inspector Clay would like a word with you.
-He's on the phone?
-No, he's here, sir - in my office.
Alright, ask him to come in.
Oh, Mrs. Stewart telephoned -
she wanted to speak to you.
When was this?
About half an hour ago,
you were at the bank.
You should have told me.
Yes, I'm sorry I forgot. I've been
so busy this morning, Mr. Paxton.
Several of the newspapers
have been on to me and
Did Mrs. Stewart say
what she wanted?
No, I asked her,
but she wouldn't tell me.
She sounded very tired,
poor woman.
Yes, I expect she did. I don't
suppose she slept a wink all night.
I know I didn't. Alright Mary,
I'll see the Inspector.
Come in, Inspector. If Mrs. Stewart phones,
tell her I'll ring her back later.
Yes, Mr. Paxton.
Well, sit down.
Have you seen Mrs. Stewart
this morning, sir?
No, I haven't, apparently
she ringed me, but I was out.
I was just wondering
how she was.
As a matter of fact,
I've got some news for her, sir.
I'm hoping that it
might be good news, sir.
-Good news, Inspector?
-Yes.
Well, I know you've a
very busy day ahead of
you, Mr. Paxton, so I
won't waste your time.
I just wanted you to take
a look at these gloves.
Have you seen them before, sir?
-Yes, they're Mr. Stewart's.
-You're sure?
Yes, quite sure.
They were in his car,
in the glove compartment.
He must have left them there.
Yes, I suppose he
must have done.
They're very nice gloves,
aren't they, sir?
I expect he used
them for driving.
Yes, he did.
The curious thing is -
they don't fit him.
What do you mean?
They don't fit him, Mr. Paxton.
Or rather - they don't fit the dead man.
Are you sure?
I'm quite sure. They're too large;
several sizes too large.
And another curious point, Mr. Paxton.
We took the dead
man's fingerprints
before we examined the car.
-Mr. Stewart's car - the Aston Martin.
-Well?
We found a lot of fingerprints
on the car - all shapes and sizes.
But none of them
were dead man's.
Are you suggesting that the
dead man isn't Mr. Stewart?
What do you think?
But Mrs. Stewart
identified the body.
Yes, she did. So did you too,
if it comes to that.
It must have been Mr. Stewart!
Why? The face was disfigured;
badly disfigured.
You certainly didn't recognize
him by his face.
No, but he was dressed the same,
he had Mr. Stewart's clothes on.
He was wearing his signet ring.
-On the wrong finger.
-On the wrong finger?
-Yes, sir.
-Well, what does this mean, exactly?
It means that you and Mrs. Stewart
were mistaken, sir.
It means that Mr. Stewart could,
in fact, still be alive.
Diana! I was just trying
to get you! Shut the door.
I've just had
the Inspector here.
They've found out - about the
body, that it wasn't Geoffrey, I mean.
-Apparently
-Geoffrey's alive.
I told you, didn't I? I told you
that phone call was genuine.
-What is it? What's happened?
-He phoned again.
-When?
-This morning.
-I don't believe it!
-I tell you he telephoned!
Diana, you're mistaken.
You must be mistaken!
-Don't you realise
-Mark, you don't understand!
It wasn't me he phoned,
not this time.
-It wasn't you?
-No.
-Then who was it?
-Thelma.
He telephoned Thelma? When?
I told you; this morning.
She arrived at the house
about an hour ago.
She was in quite a state -
not like her usual self at all.
Tell me exactly what happened.
Well, I was just finishing breakfast
and was talking to Mrs. Houston,
she arrived back this morning.
While we were talking
we heard a car arrive
and a few moments
later the bell rang.
It was Thelma.
I'm sorry, Mrs. Houston, but
I must see her. It's very important.
If she's not in I'll wait.
I'm sorry, madam, but Mrs. Bowen
insisted on seeing you.
Diana, I'm terribly sorry,
bursting in on you like this, but
That's all right, Mrs. Houston,
thank you.
Thelma, what on
earth is the matter?
Diana, I've got
some news for you.
That man they found -
the man at Benchley Wood
It wasn't Geoffrey.
How do you know?
You're not going to
believe this, Diana,
but - Geoffrey's alive.
He telephoned me
-When?
-This morning. About an hour ago.
Are you sure it was Geoffrey?
Are you absolutely sure?
Absolutely, there's
no doubt about it.
Why phone you?
What was the point?
Well, he said if he spoke to you,
you'd only get distressed.
Diana, he wants to see you.
He wants you to meet him
this afternoon at three o'clock.
-Where?
-At the Chichester Motel.
I think he must
be staying there.
Thelma, do you really think
it was Geoffrey you spoke to?
I know it was Geoffrey. Good God,
Diana, I know Geoffrey's voice!
I know it almost
as well as Walter's.
I'm afraid he's in trouble,
Diana - real trouble.
Why do you say that?
Well, he asked me not to
mention the phone call to anyone
and then just as he was
ringing off, he said;
Tell Diana, I've forgiven her
for what happened on Monday,
but I'm ill and I'm in trouble, Thelma,
and I've just got to see her.
-Is that all he said?
-Yes
-Diana, what happened on Monday?
-On Monday?
Oh, we had a row. It was
just before you came.
It was nothing, it
was just a silly row.
We were arguing
about the holiday.
I said it was a terrible
hotel we were going to.
Well, you know how
these things develop.
Thelma, have you told anyone else
about the phone call?
-No, I haven't.
-What about Walter?
He's in London for the day;
he caught the eight-fifteen.
I see. Well - don't tell him,
please, Thelma.
Do as Geoffrey says -
don't tell anyone.
Alright, if that's
what you want.
That's what I want.
For the moment, at any rate.
Before she left I questioned her
again about the phone call.
I suggested perhaps it wasn't
Geoffrey on the telephone,
but someone impersonating him.
She just wouldn't hear of it.
You see, you were wrong, Mark.
It was Geoffrey I spoke to
on Monday night, after all.
I'm sorry, but I don't
believe her story.
You mean - you think
Geoffrey didn't phone her?
Diana, how could he
phone her? He's dead.
I told you on Monday
night it was Geoffrey
-and you just wouldn't believe.
-Diana, please!
If you don't believe
Thelma's story
then how do you
account for the fact
Look, it's no use asking me to
account for anything, because I can't!
But I still refuse to believe that
it was Geoffrey that telephoned you!
-Then you think we were both mistaken?
-Yes, I do.
You think someone impersonated
his voice so perfectly.
Diana, I'm just as puzzled,
just as mystified by all this,
as you are!
But we've got to face the facts.
But that's precisely
what you're not doing!
After Geoffrey was shot
you put the body in the car.
Later, when you returned
to the garage, he'd disappeared.
Now surely quite apart
from the phone calls,
that proves Geoffrey was still
alive when you left him.
That he managed to
get out of the car
It doesn't prove
anything of the kind!
Then what do you think happened?
I told you what
I think happened.
I think somebody went to
the garage and took the body.
But how would they
know about the body?
How would they know
what was in the car?
I don't know. I just don't know.
Mark, I think you're wrong.
I think Geoffrey's alive and he told
Thelma the truth about himself.
Anyway, we'll soon know.
If he keeps the appointment
He's not going to keep that
appointment and neither are you.
What do you mean?
Diana, listen, don't you realise
this could be a trap of some kind?
A trap? What kind of a trap?
I don't know what kind of
Diana, listen.
I want you to go home and
stay there until you hear from me.
If Geoffrey's alive, he'll contact
you again - he's bound to.
If he's alive.
Alright, Mark - if you think
that's the best thing to do.
I'm sure it is, darling.
Hello, my dear!
It's nice to see you.
Oh, hello, Ned.
-Did Mr. Paxton give you my message?
-Yes, yes, thank you.
If there's anything I can
do for you, my dear.
Anything.
Now please don't hesitate
It's very good of you.
No, I mean it, Diana.
And I'm not just saying this.
Geoffrey was a very
good friend of mine and
Well, if there's anyway
I can help
I'll remember that.
It doesn't matter what
it is, my dear.
I mean anything to do
with the business,
the house - any problem,
my dear.
Please don't hesitate.
I'll be only too happy to help.
You're very sweet.
Oh, Ned - how far is it
to the Chichester Motel?
About 15 miles.
It's this side of the town,
just off the first roundabout.
Thank you.
Why, hello, Mrs. Stewart!
We've been trying to
get in touch with you!
Why?
We've had an anonymous
letter about your husband.
He's dead, after all,
I'm afraid.
We found his body
about half an hour ago.
It was hidden under the culvert.
What happened to him?
He was murdered. Shot.
-Shot?
-Yes.
Yes, according to the doctor
he's been dead for some time,
a couple of days, in fact.
There's a Miss Tracey on the phone,
she wants to speak to you.
-Tracey?
-Yes.
This is the second call;
she rang about twenty minutes
ago and I said you were out.
Who is she? Do we know her?
Well, she has a little sweet
shop in Station Street.
Oh yes, I know.
A funny looking woman.
-Bit dotty, I should think.
-That's right.
Well, tell her I'm engaged and
find out what she wants.
Well - I'll try, but
she's very persistent.
She'll only ring back later.
Alright, put her on.
Mark Paxton speaking.
Good afternoon, Mr. Paxton.
I'm Kitty Tracey.
We've never met but I dare say you
know my little shop in Station Street.
Yes. What can I do
for you, Miss Tracey?
Well, now, I don't know that
you can do anything for me.
It's just that I have
some information for you.
Information? About what?
About a friend of yours -
Mrs. Stewart.
-What about Mrs. Stewart?
-She's been arrested.
-Arrested?
-That's right - for murder.
I don't have to tell you
whose murder, do I, Mr. Paxton?
-When was she arrested?
-This afternoon.
-Where?
-At the Chichester Motel.
How do you know about this?
I made it my business
to find out, Mr. Paxton.
Just as I made it
my business to find out
about you and Mrs. Stewart.
And that other little
matter, of course.
-What other little matter?
-Why The bat out of hell!