Deadline (2022) s01e02 Episode Script

1
She made it look like a break-in.
It's the oldest trick in the book.
She was a bit of a raver at
Cambridge.
She hooks up with a rich older dude
who conveniently winds up murdered.
There is no way Natalie Varga is
gonna talk to the likes of us.
Ms Varga will be with you shortly.
The police made up their mind. I
killed my husband or had him killed.
In your earlier career you made
yourself extremely unpopular.
I'll give you the interview.
The one everyone wants.
I want you to find the person who
killed my husband.
She can't expect you to actually
find the killer.
She did it. She definitely did it.
What about her alibi? She was
with me. All night. That's it.
Were you sleeping together?
You should come round for dinner.
It's just not very professional.
Let's not kid ourselves there's any
real rapport going on here.
She told me about the painting.
I know what you're thinking.
This looks like blood.
If I had murdered my husband,
it'd be pretty mad to commission
a painting about it.
You think I did it.
Yeah. She's a bloody good actress.
I loved my husband.
Did you kill him?
I know who killed him.
My brother.
I heard someone trying to get in.
And I thought,
"Christ, what if it was the pap just
got through the gate,"
you know, so I went to look.
Andit was Oliver,
just trying his old key.
SHE SNIFFLES
I freaked out. I slammed the door
in his face.
SHE SNIFFLES
By the time I got it together,
he'd gone.
So II ran out, that scumbag,
that pap,
I asked if he'd seen him,
but he just kept taking pictures.
You told me he killed himself.
He's been dead four and a half
years.
Are you sure it was him? What makes
you think he killed your husband?
Stop interviewing me!
He was trying to sense if I was
dealer.
He borrowed money from
someterrible people.
And George was helping him at first,
but then he cut him off
and then that's when he
SHE EXHALES SHARPLY
What's the point?
You're just like everyone else.
It doesn't make any difference what
I think.
Have you reported it? The police?
Where do you think those stories
come from? The press.
There must have been a body when he
killed himself. Who identified that?
Our mother.
Our mother.
SHE SIGHS
What do I do with this?
I don't know what to do.
Let me ask some questions.
Thank you.
Thank you.
How's the investigation coming?
Look, I know you're my biggest fan,
but there is only one of me.
This is in Hungarian. I'm sure you
can source your own translation.
How'd you get it? Same way you do.
Well, if the bent lawyer thing
doesn't work out, you can always be
my sidekick. Strange habit.
Is this an English thing?
Making jokes when a situation least
calls for it.
Even if he is alive,
and that is a pretty big if,
being a junkie or a dealer doesn't
make him a killer.
Read it, Mr Alden.
CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS
George Varga's diary,
everyone he saw the day he died.
Sorry, Pete, I'll have to call you
back.
Hello. Since when have you had
access to Varga's diary?
Since Natalie gave me the password.
Well, Bonds and Rancour are
a bunch of money launderers.
Well, they all check out apart
from one guy. I can't find him -
Elliot Strand.
And you think the killer made
an appointment?
Your five o'clock murderer's here,
Sir.
Natalie thinks her brother
killed George.
The dead brother, who's dead?
She says she saw him yesterday.
That's desperate.
I mean, it's mainly petty drugs
stuff. It's
..2015. He was charged with
attempted murder.
This guy, Lukacs Novak.
Natalie's then boyfriend fell from
a rooftop at a party.
Oliver was charged,
none of the witnesses would testify
and the charges were dropped.
He threw someone off a roof? Jesus.
Then he ran up a massive drug debt,
scuttles back to London,
and conveniently took an overdose.
Wasn't there a body? Yeah,
but the mother identified that,
and we need to check her out.
Well, why? You can't lie,
there's fingerprints, DNA,
dental records.
I've just been onto the coroner.
The mother said she hadn't seen him
for a couple of days,
they did a welfare check,
they broke in.
The mother identified
the handwriting on his suicide note
and the body.
So no call for secondary evidence.
You see, it turns out if you've got
a relative willing to help you out,
it's actually pretty easy to be
declared dead.
Assuming you have a dead body
lying around.
Yeah, we need to find some homeless
addict, someone no-one's gonna miss.
Or Hear me out.
Natalie's a crazy nut job?
Who likes fucking with you.
VEHICLE APPROACHES
"Mary hasn't spoken to her daughter
for ten years.
"'I'd do anything to see my little
Natalie again.'"
Huh! Not sure selling your story's
the way to wangle a reunion.
Mrs Shaw? Hmm.
We're from Umbrella Pictures.
I'm not doing more interviews,
I've got an exclusive
with Take A Break.
We're actually a TV production
company.
We're making a documentary
about your daughter.
With her permission. Yeah.
You wouldn't be here if she had
anything to do with it.
HE SIGHS
Busted.
No-one's pulling the wool over
your eyes. You're dead right,
we don't have permission.
She's a pretty tricky customer,
your daughter.
Well, they're gonna write what they
want about me anyway,
so I may as well make something
out of it. Come in.
I think you're pleased to really
help the public
to see Natalie as a real person,
and not just some icy killer.
What are you, then, the muscle?
I'm James. I'm the presenter.
Hm, I've seen you.
What's the deal, then?
Take A Break paid five grand.
Wow. Have you got a press agent?
No. I did it myself.
Well done. The ladies mags are
usually pretty tight.
What're you offering?
Well, we want to delve into
Natalie's personality, her life,
the situations that led
to this awful
I've already said all that.
Look, Mary.
Do you mind if I call you Mary?
No, it's fine.
Let's be frank. We really want you,
we'll pay whatever it takes.
Get you a car to and from
the studio, make up, new clothes,
all on your terms.
I don't know. We're gonna have to
find a new angle.
We can't just rehash the same old
sad mum story. No offence.
No, I disagree, Barbara.
I think the public would be
fascinated with whatever Mary wants
to say. Maybe.
You get to decide what stays in
or not.
We'll put it in a contract.
It's routine with celebrities.
No, I'm serious, you'll be a face.
You already are.
Hold on, Mrs Sewell hasn't said yes.
Yeah, but she hasn't said no.
Well, let's start with
a list of topics, shall we?
Is that your son?
Yeah.
I'm so sorry. For your loss.
You can put that on the list.
I don't want to talk about him.
No, understood. It's too awful,
losing a child.
You blame yourself.
No. I blame her.
She could've bailed him out
100 times over.
Natalie could've paid off his debts?
Is that why he killed himself?
Barbara, she said she doesn't wanna
talk about it.
How would you feel, having to
identify your own son's body?
I'd struggle.
I don't know if I could.
Well, who else was gonna to do it?
Natalie?
She won't talk about him either
in our interviews.
She does talk about you, though.
Oh. All bad, I suppose.
She's looked down on me from the
day she and Olly arrived.
From birth? Are you recording this?
No, no, no. No.
Do you mind if I just go to
the loo quickly?
I'm sorry, you've had such
a bad experience,
there's a lot of cowboys
out there.
So, you've never recorded people
without telling them?
Honestly, we are not that sort of
journalist,
we are doing a documentary,
we're not a newspaper.
You still want the gossip.
CHATTER CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY
Have you ever been on camera before?
Yeah. Not just a home video,
I mean, professional, in a studio.
HE SNIFFS
So, um, what else can we cover?
George Varga?
Never met him.
You think she'd bring him here?
That's why you should use this
opportunity to tell your side.
INDISTINCT DISTANT CHATTER
James, I think we need to make
a move.
Mrs Sewell's going to think
about it.
TOILET FLUSHES
Have you been in here?
Is Oliver here? Get out. It's a
simple question. Is Oliver here?
Do you want me to phone the police?
Natalie says that Oliver killed
her husband. Oliver's dead. Out!
Cos if you know where he is
and you're hiding him,
that makes you an accessory
to murder.
They're adopted.
"She's looked down on me
from the day she and Olly arrived.
"From birth? Are you recording this?
No."
DEVICE CLICKS
Can we find out who
the birth parents are?
Adoption services don't
share records.
What about your mate?
She's passed you stuff before.
Kemi? Once. As a massive favour.
OK.
It's not that easy.
I mean, why do you think kids are
taken into care?
Abuse, violence.
Yeah. What if they're not kids
any more?
At least ask.
See what I can do.
PHONE RINGS
Vera. Look, thanks for calling
me back.
I just have a couple of very,
very quick follow-up questions.
Yeah, I'm calling to say I'm going
to have to block your number
if you don't stop leaving messages.
I'm really sorry, it's kind of
an emergency.
Your investigation is not
my problem.
I thought you might want to know
Oliver Sewell is in town.
Natalie's brother. You must have met
him in Budapest.
That's crazy. He's dead.
How well did you know him?
PHONE BEEPS
I met your mother.
Yes?
Well, you know, she sold her story.
She got five grand.
£5,000. Is that right?
You don't seem surprised?
I imagine it's hard to say no when
you're being harassed by the press.
So at least she got something
out of it.
That's, that's funny.
That's exactly what she said.
She showed me your childhood home.
Which she said you were ashamed
of growing up in.
Mary and I have very different
world views.
Let's leave it at that.
OK. Umchanging subject.
I am I'm curious about your
brother Oliver.
How you and he can turn out
so differently.
I mean, you're twins.
Yes, we shared a womb, a life.
Wherever I went, Oliver went.
Cambridge, Budapest.
When it was just us, it was fine.
But with others, he was
Maybe the more I tried to succeed,
the more he wanted to fuck it up.
I don't know.
Can I say "fuck"?
Yeah.
I was scared of him.
He wanted to control every
move I made.
I couldn't have friends,
boyfriends, growing up.
It was like
It was like I couldn't breathe.
But then I was so scared
of losing him.
He was all I had.
Because you're adopted.
Sorry, is that a secret?
She told you? No.
So how?
Is it a secret?
Excuse me.
DOOR CLOSES
FOOTSTEPS APPROACH
I'm surprised Mary hasn't sold that
little nugget yet.
I mean, you can say what stays in
or not.
SHE EXHALES SHARPLY
I'm tired of talking about me.
Let's hear about your family.
That's a short conversation.
Is that why you became a journalist?
Dishing out other people's dirt
because you don't have any?
No. I'm just a nosy fucker.
What went wrong?
When did it all go
Top Ten Serial Killers
and Who Remembers Spangles?
I just wanted an easier life.
Must've been exhausting,
all that stalking and hacking.
What do you want from me? Something.
I'm spilling my guts
and you're just watching.
Well, that's the job.
Sorry, I thought we got a bit beyond
that.
There was a missing girl.
Lucy Gallagher.
The man who took her
..I found out he had access to
a lock-up.
I wanted to be first on the scene
so I broke in.
I found her body.
I contaminated evidence
..that would've had him convicted
of murder.
Is he still out there?
He killed himself.
Did he hurt anyone else
because of what you did?
But if he hadn't killed himself,
he might have.
Thank you.
For coming out of retirement.
I hadn't realised how stressful
this might be for you.
It's fine.
Maybe it's not about me.
Maybe you just miss the rush.
Working on a story that matters.
When someone could spend
the rest of their life in prison
based on how you do your job.
SLOW DANCING MUSIC
Fucking idiot.
Very clever. Go fuck yourself.
You're not getting a drink.
Get another drink.
Like I said, the bar is closed.
I said, piss off, mate!
Come on.
GRUNTING, GLASS SMASHES
Whoa! What you doing?
Is that Oliver Sewell kicking off
at a wedding?
Yeah.
Where did you get all this?
I found them.
And you have permission to use it?
Is that Vera Dorati?
Yeah. With the Oliver that she
claims she doesn't know.
Who's this guy?
Lukacs. Roof guy.
You nicked all this, didn't you?
And used me as your decoy?
What? If he's dead,
he won't miss them.
If he's alive, I'll give 'em back.
Decent of you. Aren't you just
a little bit excited?
Oliver's got form.
He pushed his sister's boyfriend
off a roof.
If we can prove that he killed
George Varga,
that'sthat's a big deal for us.
We can't use this. I know that!
You're a journalist,
not a fucking thief!
We are investigating a murder.
And if it turns out Natalie did it,
will you still be this excited?
MUSIC CONTINUES
Cool down, mate.
I'll see you outside, you prick!
I'll shove that camera up your arse!
DOORBELL BUZZES
DOORBELL BUZZES
This is Vera, leave a message.
PHONE BEEPS
Vera, this is James Alden.
I know what happened with Lukacs
in Budapest.
I need to talk to you about Oliver.
I need to know if you've seen him.
Please call me back.
HE GRUNTS
When you read an obituary,
do you feel a compulsion
to check that the dead person
is actually dead?
Or is it only Oliver Sewell?
I wantvery much for you
to stop looking for him now, James.
I am asking you politely.
What do you say?
Fuck off!
HE GROANS
HE WINCES
HE GASPS
This is glucose solution.
Next time it will be pentobarbital.
PHONE RINGS
Hey. Oh, my God! Are you OK?
Have you called the police?
Look, it's not the first time
I've been beaten up
for sticking my beak in.
It's a good sign.
Means we're on to something.
CHILDREN CHATTER
THEY MOUTH SILENTLY
THEY MOUTH SILENTLY
Hey, how quick can you get
to Southwark Park?
What? I need you to make me look
a little less dodgy
around a mother and her kid.
Oh, for God's sake, James.
Quick as you can.
I think it's Oliver's family.
Whose ball is this? It's mine.
Are you sure? Yes.
Are you sure? Yes! OK.
My name's James. What's your name?
My name is Leila.
Leila. That's a pretty name.
What's your last name?
Let me guess. Um, LeilaSmith?
No, Leila Biff?
No, Leila Oobleydoobley?
No. Leila Sewell?
Leila Strand.
Leila Strand? That's a pretty name.
Do you know a man called Elliot?
It's my daddy.
And does he live with you,
your daddy? Yes.
What do you want?!
What did he say to you?
He knows my daddy. What?
No, it'sit's
No, look, I'm a friend. What friend?
He said that he needed to lie low,
so you're right to be careful.
Let me give you my number,
andthen you just call me,
if you need anything?
Or if Oliver wants to get in touch.
I don't know any Oliver?
I mean, Elliot.
I don't know any Oliver.
I'm on your side.
DANCE MUSIC AT LOW VOLUME
Reporting for duty.
You're too late.
I've got another job for you.
What, harassing children?
God-bothering.
We have his treasure in jars of clay
to show that
the power belongs to God
and not to us.
We are afflicted in every way,
but not crushed
Is that a love bite?
..but not forsaken.
Struck down, but not Mosquito.
..always carrying in the body
the death of Jesus.
These things can go on for hours.
I've got a staff meeting.
Do you think it's bad form to talk
to people when
the service is in full swing?
..the death for Jesus' sake
They're having a good old natter.
Yeah. OK. Go on, then.
..is that worthiness of life in you.
Though I walk in the shadow of
the valley of death, I have no fear
because you are with me, Lord. Amen.
CONGREGATION: Amen.
Our Lord can only deliver us
from evil
if we open our hearts to Him.
Are your hearts open? Yes.
Is your heart open? Yes.
I say again, is your heart open?
Yes!
That's right, my brothers
and sisters. Oh, no.
The righteous heart has no fear,
for it burns with light.
Onlyonly the sinner walks
in darkness,
his heart heavy.
Heavy like a millstone.
The heaviness you bear, brother,
is fear.
A sinner's fear of
the Lord's judgment.
The Lord sees your sins.
He knows what you have done.
You will not rest till you open
your heart, brother.
Let the Lord unburden you.
You are walking into the valley
of the shadow of death, alone.
Shona lives at 12, Amber House,
Bermondsey.
You're welcome.
What's wrong? I have to go.
We're not going there.
We're giving this to the police.
Fine. I'll drop you at work.
If she's Oliver's partner
and he lives there,
and from what we know, he's violent,
you do know you can't just turn up
at his house and expose him.
I'm fine. I'll be fine.
I'm thinking about Shona
and the little girl
and what if it puts them in danger?
Why, would it?
Frustrated little men who have
no control over their lives,
who do you think they
take it out on?
Promise me you won't just turn up
there.
Fine. I won't. I won't.
Just get in the car. You will.
You see, this is what happens.
You and your bloody ego.
You get a boner for a story
ENGINE STARTS
..and you cease to give the remotest
shit about people.
Oh, really? Really, you're gonna
leave me here?
You utter, utter fucker!
FOOTSTEPS APPROACH
OK. Come on
It's super hot, you won't have to
bring any clothes. What about money?
I didn't get any Euros. Is it Euros?
Forints. Forints.
They'll get you some, come on.
DOOR OPENS
OK.
Oh, here Yeah.
Why can't I just talk to him?
You have no options here, Shona.
You have no fucking choice, OK?
DEVICE WHIRS
Oi!
What you doing?
I got stuck. I was just taking
a piss.
I'm press, mate.
You're not press.
You're a fucking pap.
You fucking scum! This is my house!
You piece of shit! Jesus, Natalie!
Fucking hell! Do you have any idea
what it's like being scared
every second of every day?
For a fucking photograph!
Get off me! OK. OK.
He's gone. Crazy fucking bitch.
He's gone.
SHE PANTS
They're never gone.
You should know, you're one of 'em.
Why are you here?
Client report.
What happened to the power?
How else do you think he
got inside?
You think the pap did it?
No.
You're not a detective,
you're barely a journalist.
I don't know why I hired you.
I'll find Oliver another way.
He has a daughter.
Leila.
She's about three or four years old.
Your mother met her mother,
Shona, this afternoon.
And then your friend Vera drove
Shona and the kid to the airport.
They're going to Hungary.
Presumably to meet Oliver,
who's living under an alias,
Elliot Strand.
The same Elliot Strand who met
your husband the day he died.
Shall I invoice youor Mrs Molnar?
Does she look like me?
You found all of this out
since yesterday?
You must've cut quite a few corners.
That's why you hired me. Yes, I did.
To keep you out of prison.
You still think I'm involved?
Or you don't care either way.
I'm a journalist.
I keep forgetting, I'm just a story.
You could get a private detective.
And I'm pretty sure I need someone
like you.
Good. Then we can discuss it
tomorrow in an interview.
You've just established the person
who killed my husband is in Hungary.
I've established that he faked his
own death. I've got the tapes.
If I don't cooperate, you walk away
with nothing.
And you walk straight into jail.
You're a scumbag just like that pap.
You wanna give me kicking?
Keep pushing.
When was the last time you lost
control like that?
When I killed my husband.
No, no.
A bad idea.
What now?
Hungary.
No, I meant, will you be covering
this in the interview?
Probably not.
How will you find them?
I'll let you know.
PHONE RINGS
Hey. Does this mean you've stopped
playing Poirot with Natalie Varga?
You got my flowers?
Yeah, did someone die?
I'm sorry. I was a shit.
Have you gone AA?
Are you making amends?
Something like that. What did the
police say about Oliver?
Barbara, I have to call you back.
INDISTINCT TANNOY ANNOUNCEMEN
Excuse me. Can I get in?
Cabin crew, prepare for take off.
Sir, you need to take a seat.
I need to get off.
You need to take a seat. No. I need
to get off the plane, right now.
The door is closed.
Sir, please, take your seat.
The feeling will pass,
I promise you.
It's more common than you think.
I'll get you a glass of water,
no coffee for you.
PLANE ACCELERATES
Maybe you need to consider how
important this trip is.
He's trying to kill me.
We're out of here.
You think Vera knows
Oliver's dealers?
You're gonna wander round Budapest
asking drug dealers if they've seen
a dead man?
LOUD BANG
I know he's here. This whole idea
that Oliver's alive,
if this is something based on what
Natalie said, she's unstable.
I'm just trying to find out who
killed her husband.
I think she did. Watch your back.
GROANING