Gone (2026) s01e02 Episode Script
Episode 2
1
ALARM BEEPS
Where's Mum?
My messages have only got one tick,
and she's not at Nan's, I tried.
I'll, er, see you at assembly.
We need to tell someone. Dad!
I can't put myself
through that again.
I know I messed it up, Annie.
I know this is my last chance.
We've got a bloke in room one
wanting to report a mis-per.
Again!
He's the headmaster at St Barts.
This is totally out of character -
unprecedented and therefore
of immediate concern.
If you knew in minutes
something was wrong,
why did you take so long
to tell us?
It's not a question of trust.
I don't know the code
because I don't know the code.
I'll make a move.
What is it, Gareth?
Something you want to say to me?
It's been eight years, Annie.
Who's supposed
to be helping who here?
Annie?
DOG BARKS
Is it Sarah?
Michael?
KNOCKS ON DOOR
Michael, it's Annie!
Michael, I'm coming in!
Pick-up is in 12 minutes.
Michael
That needs to go ahead.
You need to listen to me.
No, you listen.
Before we talk about any of this,
the parents and the pupils,
they can't know anything about that.
Any of what?
Whatever it is you've found.
And you've trodden mud
into the carpet!
BELLS CHIME
Prep for tonight are those key dates
from the 1930s, please.
The more we keep refreshing
ourselves on
DISTANT CHATTER
LIVELY CHATTER
Everyone, quiet! Sit down.
Sit. Sedgwick, sit down.
Where's Miss Polly?
The yellow flame
with the valve open,
allowing oxygen to
'Why do they wanna speak
to me at home?'
Well, that's all they said,
that I was to find you
as fast as I could.
Hi, Tara. Hi, Jen.
Hi.
Hi.
Hi.
As fast as I could
and, er, get you back to the house.
OK. Thank you.
OK.
Guv? We've secured the scene.
Just waiting on Forensics.
No!
You're gonna have to walk back now.
But make sure you step in the same
places you've already trodden.
I've cleaned it once already.
Carbon dioxide, or CO2,
is made up of which two elements?
Come on, Sir. No looking
out the window during class!
LAUGHTER
So, pick-up's in five minutes.
The parents will be arriving.
Who cares, Dad?
Well, they mustn't see any of this.
Who cares about any of that?
What?
Why have you got that cloth?
It's her.
We don't know that.
That's who they've found.
No, we know
that they have found a body.
We do not know that it's your mum.
Who else is it gonna be?
She's still missing, apparently.
God, it's been days.
It's all over the news.
Come on, Theo, in you get.
See you later, Mandy.
See you later.
Bye.
Ah, there he is.
Bye, Sir.
Dylan.
Hey.
See you.
See you.
The postmortem won't take place
till tomorrow,
but it's a murder we're looking at.
That's what I'm hearing.
I've been thinking about this.
Hmm?
If she was found
outside the grounds,
it might not be connected
to the school.
Why don't I check the database,
look at other unsolved murders
No.
see if I can't find
any cross-over? Annie.
You don't think
we should be doing it?
I do think we should,
but you shouldn't do it.
I want you here.
I want you
in that house round the clock,
find out everything you can.
The only time you leave,
please, is tomorrow,
when you take them to the mortuary
to get a formal ID.
Just coming now, Bri.
You want me to come with you?
I was the first
at the scene, remember?
I've told you what I want,
and that's to stay put.
That's what
a Family Liaison Officer does. Mm.
What?
'I think I've got it.
It was something Alana said.'
"It's Nan's 75th next week."
Remember? That's an important date.
Yes.
So I tried it.
I went through the dates
for next week.
Monday 30th,
the 30th of the third, 1951.
Tuesday. 31-03-51.
Then when I tried the Wednesday
That's the code.
And the weird thing is,
just looking through it,
she barely calls Michael at all.
Is that so weird?
They're married.
That's what I mean.
Here, though, look.
She's always calling this woman.
"Claire S".
Long chats. Some of them an hour.
So I'm thinking,
we show this to Ivan.
He can call Claire S.
He can find out
what they were talking about
in the days before Sarah died.
Should probably just call her
ourselves, shouldn't we?
Ivan's reviewing the scene.
I'll do it from mine now. Look.
And then we can hand
Sarah's phone back in.
RINGING TONE
AUTOMATED VOICEMAIL MESSAGE
Hello. This is
Detective Sergeant Annie Cassidy.
Can you ring me back as soon
as you get this, please? Thank you.
Done.
CLOCK TICKS
The woman who, erm
who walks her dog past the house,
her name's Melodie.
Someone said
Someone said
Melodie was the one who found Mum.
DOOR CLOSES,
ASCENDING FOOTSTEPS
INHALES,
EXHALES SLOWLY
What do you expect me to be doing?
What do I expect you to be doing?
I expect you to be doing nothing.
Nothing, or crying.
About Mum.
Well, we don't know it's her, do we?
Of course it's her. They've said.
We have to go and identify her.
Tomorrow.
Well, if they need us
to identify her,
they can't be 100% certain that
It's a formality, Dad.
They just need it confirmed.
PHONE RINGS
RINGING CONTINUES
Abbots Lodge.
Oh, yes, hello, Malcolm.
Thanks for calling.
Well, your granddaughter and I
are safe in the house.
We're not sure yet,
so let's wait and see.
Even so, I don't think
we should jump t
No, don't come over.
Well, for one thing,
it's a bit late to drive, isn't it?
No, no, I'm not I'm sure
you're fine to drive, I was just
Well, it's half past ten,
and I'm asking you.
I will, yes.
And of course I'll keep you
and Verity informed, don't worry.
Yes, well, good night now.
PHONE BUZZES
'The flowers
were over the top.'
Maybe a tiny bit.
'Shall I come and take them back?'
No, I may as well look after them
now, Craig, save you the journey.
'Look, I got your message.
'I get it.'
I just don't wanna start something
when I'm not sure. That's all it is.
'I get that.
And I saw the press conference.
'Things are busy.
But I just wanted you to be aware.
'Craig Stanhope is available
for emergency coffees
'and overpriced slices of cake
at Bristol cafes of your choosing.'
Is he now?
'Should the need ever arise.
'Do with that information
what you will.
'Have a good day now.'
And you.
DOORBELL RINGS
Morning.
The mortuary's
in a place called Flax-Bourton.
It's about a 15-minute drive
from here.
Once the postmortem is finished,
that's when they're gonna want you
to make the formal ID.
You and Michael.
Alana, the sooner we do it,
the sooner it's done.
Where's your dad?
Where do you think?
Lord of all gentleness
Lord of all calm
Be there at our sleeping
And give us, we pray
Your peace in our hearts, Lord
At the end of the day. ♪
Just a quick reminder
that those of you
not in sixth form revision classes
will be either in cross-country,
rugby practice for the senior sides
or working
on your Cultural projects.
Er, stay still, please.
I'm not finished.
This morning
I was put in mind
of the story of Job.
Job, a successful man, was suddenly
given great hardship by God
but he had no explanation as to why.
What he'd done to deserve it.
But he persevered.
And through perseverance,
he prevailed.
He proved that he was good enough.
As we enter this difficult
last fortnight of term,
with exams and rugby matches
and university interviews,
I want you to remember that.
Have faith
in what you've been doing.
You show us who you really are.
Now as we do every morning,
we will leave in a what?
Lilly Sullivan?
Neat and orderly fashion, Sir.
A neat and orderly fashion.
Off you go.
Has anything occurred to you
overnight about your mum?
Anything you haven't told us
up to this point
maybe because you didn't think
it was relevant, or
maybe it doesn't show her
in the best of lights?
What does that mean?
Well, there are certain things,
aren't there?
In all families,
in all relationships.
We are who we are
when we're outside,
when we present to the world.
But at home, you know
sometimes, things are different.
Maybe something wasn't right.
Really? Like what?
I don't know. That's why I'm asking.
Maybe you could help us work out
what's happened.
She wasn't upset about anything?
Was anybody upset with her?
What about your dad?
What about him?
How were they getting on?
No idea. Like you said,
no-one knows, not really.
I said I've no idea, so there's
nothing to write down. Is there?
You said you were here for us.
To help us.
Yeah.
Not to pry into our lives.
We are. Well, what's my dad
got to do with it anyway?
Because all he does is work.
And when he's not working, he sits
in that chair. That is his life.
And it's not your job
to interrogate us.
That's not what he told us.
Who?
The main detective. The proper one.
Alana, please
No!
Nan and Grandad are coming to stay,
and I'm not even dressed.
The "proper one"?
Please don't.
Annie?
Hmm
We'll need a proper search.
PoLSA, Forensics.
And we should interview
anyone who visits the house.
Just cos we're doing this FLO stuff
doesn't mean we switch off, OK?
Yeah, OK. Where are you going?
To find Michael.
Get this bloody ID over with.
I can't give you
an exact time of death,
but skin colouration
and marks on the neck
suggest cause of death
is strangulation.
Oh, so definitely foul play.
Only I want to issue a statement
the moment it's confirmed.
She's the wife of a headmaster
at a big private school,
so it's got the potential
to kick off a bit.
Speak to the coroner first.
She'll want the family ID doing
before any announcements are made.
BELL RINGS
Excuse me, love.
I'm looking for the staff room.
Er, just up there
and down the corridor. Thank you.
We need another meeting
with the governors,
another update for the parents.
Where's Alana?
Er, home.
Says she can't face it.
Course she can't, poor thing.
I'm going to suggest she takes
two weeks' compassionate leave.
And Michael? Where's Michael?
Helping the police, I'd imagine.
You don't think?
No, Rebecca. We don't think that.
Hi. I'm DS Annie Cassidy.
I'm looking for Michael Polly.
I thought he'd be
with one of your colleagues.
Have you tried his office?
CAR BEEPS
ENGINE STARTS
PHONE BUZZES
Yep?
It's murder.
'Murder by strangulation.'
So I need them here to do this ID.
'I need them here,
otherwise, we can't announce it.'
It's a lot more than the ID,
though, isn't it?
'The staff have got no idea
where he is, so'
If she's been murdered,
and he's decided to go walkies
REPORTERS CLAMOUR
He's not in there.
Then we've got ourselves a problem.
We appreciate you've got
a school to run, a duty of care.
We get all that.
But you need to find him.
Yeah. Exactly.
Yeah. And that makes total sense.
Yeah, absolutely. And even though -
if I can jump in, Trudy,
as deputy head -
even though I'm sure
there's a logical explanation,
I'd be thinking the same, I would.
You're trying him again, yes?
I'm wondering
if this isn't some sort of
delayed shock.
How long since she said he left?
Er, she thinks about ten minutes.
AUTOMATED VOICEMAIL MESSAGE
Voicemail again?
OK, unless you need them to stay
Nope.
I think the best thing
is to let the staff go
back to their classrooms.
Paul, you've volunteered to take
Michael's rugby session
this afternoon
and take the team
to the away match tomorrow. Yeah.
I want you to know, Detective,
we're taking this seriously.
The governors are meeting.
Yeah, I'm taking care of that
personally as staff rep.
It will be my recommendation
that we suspend Mr Polly.
Suspend him?
Alana too.
Suspend him for what?
TRUDY SCOFFS
Well, for their sake
as well as the school's.
I mean, if what you've found
in those woods
if that really is well
if that turns out to be true,
then the school comes first.
It has to.
That's what you always say.
Oh, don't start changing your tune
now, Rory,
just because he's a friend of yours.
No, I'm not.
He's my friend too, you know.
I'm not saying anything.
Well, erm, is there anything
I haven't asked you?
Anything you think I should know?
About?
About your friend Mr Polly?
PHONE RINGS
Think that's your phone, mate.
RINGING CONTINUES
Simone?
'It's not Simone. It's Annie.'
We've been trying to call you.
Sorry, my, er, phone
must have been on silent.
'I want you back at the house
straight away.'
Yes, of course.
Nan?
Nan, this is Annie.
Hello.
I can do that for you if you like.
That's Grandad.
Granddad's finding it rather
difficult to come into the house.
The next step,
like I've explained to Alana,
is to make a formal identification.
But you know it's her.
You told me that outside.
Yes.
Yes, it's just protocol.
I'm sorry, just to be clear,
is it our daughter, or isn't it?
It is your daughter, I'm sorry.
A-And Now
Because this was my next question,
I-I was thinking about this
on the way over here
could it have been
some sort of accident?
She could easily
It was not an accident.
So
Was she killed?
Or did she take her own life?
Malcolm!
Simple enough question.
If it wasn't an accident,
it has to be one of the two.
Well, when Michael gets back,
the next step is
we will go through all
The next step is
for you to answer the question.
Was she killed?
Or did she take her own life?
That's not for me to say.
Isn't it?
No.
Do you know the answer?
I do know, yes.
So you're refusing to tell us?
No. I'm doing what I'm supposed to
do in this Do you have children?
Can you imagine anything worse
for you and your husband
than not knowing
what happened to your child?
I don't have children.
Then try
And I don't have a husband.
Try and imagine.
Malcolm, stop!
Then imagine that being taken.
Now imagine how it feels
if the one person who knows
what happened to that child
is refusing to tell you
how they died.
Grandad
In what way?
Under what circumstances?
One last try.
Was she killed?
Or did she take her own life?
She did not take her own life.
SHE SOBS
BELLS CHIME
Annie, the detective.
Yes, thank you.
She wants you back at the house.
Yes, I am aware, thank you.
I thought that was very inspiring.
Your words this morning, about Job.
He couldn't come to terms
with what was happening to him
at first, could he?
I think you need to go back now.
People are starting to talk.
Yeah.
CAR BEEPS
WHISTLE BLOWS
WHISTLE BLOWS
OK, boys.
Two laps of the pitch, let's go.
Come on! Go, go, go!
I'll take it from here, Paul.
No reason for you to stay.
I've been asked to step in.
You're not taking my team.
And take them to next week's match.
You're not taking them anywhere.
Michael, I'm just trying to help.
Well, that's the thing, Paul,
I haven't asked for your help.
In fact, I'm not even sure
that you're qualified.
One of the main reasons
why you hired me was to teach sport.
What qualifies you?
I've been coaching this side
since 2008.
Yeah, other than the fact
that you appointed yourself coach,
what qualifies you?
Go home. Please.
Alana's upset.
Don't bring my daughter into this.
She's not interested in you.
PAUL CHUCKLES
Is that what she told you?
Here you go.
Whoo! Whoa! Nice one, Sir.
University fullback.
Can you go and get that, please?
That is what qualifies me.
That's a brand new match ball,
so you go and get it
from those woods.
What qualifies you?
Sir?
Keep going!
We need to go to the mortuary, Dad.
If you won't do it, Grandad will.
'Where have you been?'
Just going off and just taking
assembly like nothing's happened.
Driving off places.
Dad?
Yeah, won't be long. On our way now.
Annie says it wasn't an accident.
She said someone did this to Mum.
CAR DOOR OPENS
REPORTERS CLAMOUR
Take a seat.
I'll go in with them.
No.
I think they'd prefer that.
No.
You wait outside so you can be there
for them when they come out.
That's the job.
I know the job, Ivan.
And the end of the discussion.
Now, come on.
Don't turn me into that guy always
going on at you the whole time. OK.
We're a team.
Yeah, OK, we're a team.
I get it, Ivan. But do me a favour.
When he looks at her,
make sure you're watching him.
It's his reaction we're after.
Is that grief he's feeling or guilt?
Yes?
I'll do it.
Dad, we'll do it together.
No, no, if it's not your mum,
I don't want you seeing it. Dad.
You know, just some poor woman
lying there Dad, Dad, it is her.
Then I certainly don't want you to.
If it's her, I don't want this to be
the last memory you have of her.
So just, erm, wait here for me.
OK. You ready?
He walks in, the door closes.
He gives a positive ID.
And within ten seconds,
not even that, he's back out again.
As if he didn't care.
Just got a bad feeling about him.
His wife's dead.
You can't exactly blame him
for not sticking round.
Hmm
But we've not come here
to talk shop.
This is cake break. Come on.
Yeah!
Come on, that's yours. Eat it.
What?
Maybe a drink later?
There's, er, that new place
on Gloucester Road. Annie
you're looking at a man
who's doing everything in his powers
not to stuff this up all over again,
so if it's all the same
One step at a time.
Yeah.
One step at a time.
Mm-hm.
SIREN WAILS
Morning, everyone.
In just under an hour's time,
we will be issuing a statement
confirming the discovery
of a body of a woman in her 50s,
found in woodland in Westbury.
That body is now confirmed
to be that of Sarah Jane Polly.
As such, this is
now a full-scale murder inquiry.
FLOs? Back to the school, please.
Let's bring Michael Polly in.
Don't wanna make
a big song and dance
but I want him here,
and I want that alibi tested.
And to know where he disappeared
to yesterday. Exactly.
And the truth about their marriage.
OK. Great. Thank you, everyone.
'The site,
thought to be in woodland
'just a quarter of a mile
away from the school,
'has been cordoned off by police
for the last 48 hours.
'Tragically, perhaps ending
several days of speculation,
'the statement makes it clear
'that police are treating this
as a murder inquiry.
'Now, detectives are yet to name
the woman,
'she's said to be in her 50s,
'but such is the proximity
to St Bartholomew's School
'that many are speculating
'this is the body
of the missing teacher Sarah Polly.
'Robert Murphy, ITV News.'
That's Annie's case, innit?
See, off she goes.
Onto the next lot
and make them suffer.
What's that supposed to mean?
Another murder
she ain't never gonna solve.
We are trying
to get information.
LIVELY CHATTER Please!
Can everybody please just calm down?
It's just been on the bloody news!
Look, given how much
this means to the boys,
I want you all
Back in the car.
Please! If we could all just listen!
Our children are at risk!
This is a total disgrace.
Come on. Let's go.
No, I can't, I've-I've
I've gotta fill the water bottles up
for the team, or I'll
he'll lose his shit again.
Mike? Mike?
I've just spoke to King's.
They're asking if we want
to postpone. Nobody's postponing.
They've offered
the same time next week.
Nobody's postponing.
You get back on the phone,
and you tell them
the game goes ahead,
but Mr Whitchurch will be
looking after the team,
as I am unavailable.
Now, before you go,
let me tell you the thing
that has made me most proud
to be your coach this year.
And that's the fact that
you are all there for each other.
You play as one team.
Whenever any of you makes a mistake,
the rest of you, to a man,
is there to help.
When things go wrong, when
your backs are against the wall,
you do on the field
what you must do in life.
You rally.
And that is why
you are currently invictus,
and it's why you'll remain invictus
at the final whistle this afternoon.
Invictus, Bauri?
Unbeaten, Sir.
Unbeaten, Sir.
Good man.
So you get on that coach,
you listen to Mr Whitchurch,
and you unleash on King's
all your passion, all your talent
and everything
we've been practising this year.
And you do it not for me
or the school
but you do it for each other.
ENGINE STARTS
Go up to the house.
GENTLE CHATTER
BELL TOLLS
HE WEEPS
Oh, God!
SOBBING CONTINUES
Michael?
HE MUTTERS,
WEEPS
HE BREATHES SHALLOWLY
Where's Annie?
She's just gonna take
your dad back to the station
so he can help answer
some more questions.
That doesn't mean you need to worry.
We just have to find out
everything we can about your mum,
every detail, so we can find
the person who did this to her.
Does that make sense?
I'm so sorry. Would you mind
taking your shoes off?
Oh, yeah, of course.
Thank you.
It's also gonna mean
a search of the house.
We have to make sure
we do a proper job.
Is it me, or is the carpet wet?
Wet?
Mm.
I don't know.
He must have cleaned it.
He? As in?
Dad. Dad would've cleaned it. Erm
After everyone came in
the other day, and it got all muddy.
He a stickler for that, is he?
No, Dad doesn't mind, erm
It's Mum
who hates shoes on inside.
That's why he would've done it.
He would've cleaned it for Mum.
Michael,
this is an opportunity for you
to tell us anything
you think might be relevant
or anything you think
you might've previously omitted
or just any
Sorry, I don't understand.
What don't you understand?
You've asked me questions before,
more than once.
This is in your interests, Michael.
How?
By placing you under caution,
we have your words on record.
You have them on record already.
The situation has changed.
But your questions haven't.
Therefore my answer's
yes, this is out of character,
no, there's nothing
I'm not telling you,
and, no, I don't know anyone
who would want to do her harm.
They remain the same.
Here's a different question, then.
A question we've not asked you yet.
Did you kill your wife, Michael?
Come on, Michael, come on.
PHONE BUZZES
Claire S.
Better late than never.
BUZZING CONTINUES
Annie Cassidy.
'Oh, hi.
'You asked me to call you back.'
ALARM BEEPS
Where's Mum?
My messages have only got one tick,
and she's not at Nan's, I tried.
I'll, er, see you at assembly.
We need to tell someone. Dad!
I can't put myself
through that again.
I know I messed it up, Annie.
I know this is my last chance.
We've got a bloke in room one
wanting to report a mis-per.
Again!
He's the headmaster at St Barts.
This is totally out of character -
unprecedented and therefore
of immediate concern.
If you knew in minutes
something was wrong,
why did you take so long
to tell us?
It's not a question of trust.
I don't know the code
because I don't know the code.
I'll make a move.
What is it, Gareth?
Something you want to say to me?
It's been eight years, Annie.
Who's supposed
to be helping who here?
Annie?
DOG BARKS
Is it Sarah?
Michael?
KNOCKS ON DOOR
Michael, it's Annie!
Michael, I'm coming in!
Pick-up is in 12 minutes.
Michael
That needs to go ahead.
You need to listen to me.
No, you listen.
Before we talk about any of this,
the parents and the pupils,
they can't know anything about that.
Any of what?
Whatever it is you've found.
And you've trodden mud
into the carpet!
BELLS CHIME
Prep for tonight are those key dates
from the 1930s, please.
The more we keep refreshing
ourselves on
DISTANT CHATTER
LIVELY CHATTER
Everyone, quiet! Sit down.
Sit. Sedgwick, sit down.
Where's Miss Polly?
The yellow flame
with the valve open,
allowing oxygen to
'Why do they wanna speak
to me at home?'
Well, that's all they said,
that I was to find you
as fast as I could.
Hi, Tara. Hi, Jen.
Hi.
Hi.
Hi.
As fast as I could
and, er, get you back to the house.
OK. Thank you.
OK.
Guv? We've secured the scene.
Just waiting on Forensics.
No!
You're gonna have to walk back now.
But make sure you step in the same
places you've already trodden.
I've cleaned it once already.
Carbon dioxide, or CO2,
is made up of which two elements?
Come on, Sir. No looking
out the window during class!
LAUGHTER
So, pick-up's in five minutes.
The parents will be arriving.
Who cares, Dad?
Well, they mustn't see any of this.
Who cares about any of that?
What?
Why have you got that cloth?
It's her.
We don't know that.
That's who they've found.
No, we know
that they have found a body.
We do not know that it's your mum.
Who else is it gonna be?
She's still missing, apparently.
God, it's been days.
It's all over the news.
Come on, Theo, in you get.
See you later, Mandy.
See you later.
Bye.
Ah, there he is.
Bye, Sir.
Dylan.
Hey.
See you.
See you.
The postmortem won't take place
till tomorrow,
but it's a murder we're looking at.
That's what I'm hearing.
I've been thinking about this.
Hmm?
If she was found
outside the grounds,
it might not be connected
to the school.
Why don't I check the database,
look at other unsolved murders
No.
see if I can't find
any cross-over? Annie.
You don't think
we should be doing it?
I do think we should,
but you shouldn't do it.
I want you here.
I want you
in that house round the clock,
find out everything you can.
The only time you leave,
please, is tomorrow,
when you take them to the mortuary
to get a formal ID.
Just coming now, Bri.
You want me to come with you?
I was the first
at the scene, remember?
I've told you what I want,
and that's to stay put.
That's what
a Family Liaison Officer does. Mm.
What?
'I think I've got it.
It was something Alana said.'
"It's Nan's 75th next week."
Remember? That's an important date.
Yes.
So I tried it.
I went through the dates
for next week.
Monday 30th,
the 30th of the third, 1951.
Tuesday. 31-03-51.
Then when I tried the Wednesday
That's the code.
And the weird thing is,
just looking through it,
she barely calls Michael at all.
Is that so weird?
They're married.
That's what I mean.
Here, though, look.
She's always calling this woman.
"Claire S".
Long chats. Some of them an hour.
So I'm thinking,
we show this to Ivan.
He can call Claire S.
He can find out
what they were talking about
in the days before Sarah died.
Should probably just call her
ourselves, shouldn't we?
Ivan's reviewing the scene.
I'll do it from mine now. Look.
And then we can hand
Sarah's phone back in.
RINGING TONE
AUTOMATED VOICEMAIL MESSAGE
Hello. This is
Detective Sergeant Annie Cassidy.
Can you ring me back as soon
as you get this, please? Thank you.
Done.
CLOCK TICKS
The woman who, erm
who walks her dog past the house,
her name's Melodie.
Someone said
Someone said
Melodie was the one who found Mum.
DOOR CLOSES,
ASCENDING FOOTSTEPS
INHALES,
EXHALES SLOWLY
What do you expect me to be doing?
What do I expect you to be doing?
I expect you to be doing nothing.
Nothing, or crying.
About Mum.
Well, we don't know it's her, do we?
Of course it's her. They've said.
We have to go and identify her.
Tomorrow.
Well, if they need us
to identify her,
they can't be 100% certain that
It's a formality, Dad.
They just need it confirmed.
PHONE RINGS
RINGING CONTINUES
Abbots Lodge.
Oh, yes, hello, Malcolm.
Thanks for calling.
Well, your granddaughter and I
are safe in the house.
We're not sure yet,
so let's wait and see.
Even so, I don't think
we should jump t
No, don't come over.
Well, for one thing,
it's a bit late to drive, isn't it?
No, no, I'm not I'm sure
you're fine to drive, I was just
Well, it's half past ten,
and I'm asking you.
I will, yes.
And of course I'll keep you
and Verity informed, don't worry.
Yes, well, good night now.
PHONE BUZZES
'The flowers
were over the top.'
Maybe a tiny bit.
'Shall I come and take them back?'
No, I may as well look after them
now, Craig, save you the journey.
'Look, I got your message.
'I get it.'
I just don't wanna start something
when I'm not sure. That's all it is.
'I get that.
And I saw the press conference.
'Things are busy.
But I just wanted you to be aware.
'Craig Stanhope is available
for emergency coffees
'and overpriced slices of cake
at Bristol cafes of your choosing.'
Is he now?
'Should the need ever arise.
'Do with that information
what you will.
'Have a good day now.'
And you.
DOORBELL RINGS
Morning.
The mortuary's
in a place called Flax-Bourton.
It's about a 15-minute drive
from here.
Once the postmortem is finished,
that's when they're gonna want you
to make the formal ID.
You and Michael.
Alana, the sooner we do it,
the sooner it's done.
Where's your dad?
Where do you think?
Lord of all gentleness
Lord of all calm
Be there at our sleeping
And give us, we pray
Your peace in our hearts, Lord
At the end of the day. ♪
Just a quick reminder
that those of you
not in sixth form revision classes
will be either in cross-country,
rugby practice for the senior sides
or working
on your Cultural projects.
Er, stay still, please.
I'm not finished.
This morning
I was put in mind
of the story of Job.
Job, a successful man, was suddenly
given great hardship by God
but he had no explanation as to why.
What he'd done to deserve it.
But he persevered.
And through perseverance,
he prevailed.
He proved that he was good enough.
As we enter this difficult
last fortnight of term,
with exams and rugby matches
and university interviews,
I want you to remember that.
Have faith
in what you've been doing.
You show us who you really are.
Now as we do every morning,
we will leave in a what?
Lilly Sullivan?
Neat and orderly fashion, Sir.
A neat and orderly fashion.
Off you go.
Has anything occurred to you
overnight about your mum?
Anything you haven't told us
up to this point
maybe because you didn't think
it was relevant, or
maybe it doesn't show her
in the best of lights?
What does that mean?
Well, there are certain things,
aren't there?
In all families,
in all relationships.
We are who we are
when we're outside,
when we present to the world.
But at home, you know
sometimes, things are different.
Maybe something wasn't right.
Really? Like what?
I don't know. That's why I'm asking.
Maybe you could help us work out
what's happened.
She wasn't upset about anything?
Was anybody upset with her?
What about your dad?
What about him?
How were they getting on?
No idea. Like you said,
no-one knows, not really.
I said I've no idea, so there's
nothing to write down. Is there?
You said you were here for us.
To help us.
Yeah.
Not to pry into our lives.
We are. Well, what's my dad
got to do with it anyway?
Because all he does is work.
And when he's not working, he sits
in that chair. That is his life.
And it's not your job
to interrogate us.
That's not what he told us.
Who?
The main detective. The proper one.
Alana, please
No!
Nan and Grandad are coming to stay,
and I'm not even dressed.
The "proper one"?
Please don't.
Annie?
Hmm
We'll need a proper search.
PoLSA, Forensics.
And we should interview
anyone who visits the house.
Just cos we're doing this FLO stuff
doesn't mean we switch off, OK?
Yeah, OK. Where are you going?
To find Michael.
Get this bloody ID over with.
I can't give you
an exact time of death,
but skin colouration
and marks on the neck
suggest cause of death
is strangulation.
Oh, so definitely foul play.
Only I want to issue a statement
the moment it's confirmed.
She's the wife of a headmaster
at a big private school,
so it's got the potential
to kick off a bit.
Speak to the coroner first.
She'll want the family ID doing
before any announcements are made.
BELL RINGS
Excuse me, love.
I'm looking for the staff room.
Er, just up there
and down the corridor. Thank you.
We need another meeting
with the governors,
another update for the parents.
Where's Alana?
Er, home.
Says she can't face it.
Course she can't, poor thing.
I'm going to suggest she takes
two weeks' compassionate leave.
And Michael? Where's Michael?
Helping the police, I'd imagine.
You don't think?
No, Rebecca. We don't think that.
Hi. I'm DS Annie Cassidy.
I'm looking for Michael Polly.
I thought he'd be
with one of your colleagues.
Have you tried his office?
CAR BEEPS
ENGINE STARTS
PHONE BUZZES
Yep?
It's murder.
'Murder by strangulation.'
So I need them here to do this ID.
'I need them here,
otherwise, we can't announce it.'
It's a lot more than the ID,
though, isn't it?
'The staff have got no idea
where he is, so'
If she's been murdered,
and he's decided to go walkies
REPORTERS CLAMOUR
He's not in there.
Then we've got ourselves a problem.
We appreciate you've got
a school to run, a duty of care.
We get all that.
But you need to find him.
Yeah. Exactly.
Yeah. And that makes total sense.
Yeah, absolutely. And even though -
if I can jump in, Trudy,
as deputy head -
even though I'm sure
there's a logical explanation,
I'd be thinking the same, I would.
You're trying him again, yes?
I'm wondering
if this isn't some sort of
delayed shock.
How long since she said he left?
Er, she thinks about ten minutes.
AUTOMATED VOICEMAIL MESSAGE
Voicemail again?
OK, unless you need them to stay
Nope.
I think the best thing
is to let the staff go
back to their classrooms.
Paul, you've volunteered to take
Michael's rugby session
this afternoon
and take the team
to the away match tomorrow. Yeah.
I want you to know, Detective,
we're taking this seriously.
The governors are meeting.
Yeah, I'm taking care of that
personally as staff rep.
It will be my recommendation
that we suspend Mr Polly.
Suspend him?
Alana too.
Suspend him for what?
TRUDY SCOFFS
Well, for their sake
as well as the school's.
I mean, if what you've found
in those woods
if that really is well
if that turns out to be true,
then the school comes first.
It has to.
That's what you always say.
Oh, don't start changing your tune
now, Rory,
just because he's a friend of yours.
No, I'm not.
He's my friend too, you know.
I'm not saying anything.
Well, erm, is there anything
I haven't asked you?
Anything you think I should know?
About?
About your friend Mr Polly?
PHONE RINGS
Think that's your phone, mate.
RINGING CONTINUES
Simone?
'It's not Simone. It's Annie.'
We've been trying to call you.
Sorry, my, er, phone
must have been on silent.
'I want you back at the house
straight away.'
Yes, of course.
Nan?
Nan, this is Annie.
Hello.
I can do that for you if you like.
That's Grandad.
Granddad's finding it rather
difficult to come into the house.
The next step,
like I've explained to Alana,
is to make a formal identification.
But you know it's her.
You told me that outside.
Yes.
Yes, it's just protocol.
I'm sorry, just to be clear,
is it our daughter, or isn't it?
It is your daughter, I'm sorry.
A-And Now
Because this was my next question,
I-I was thinking about this
on the way over here
could it have been
some sort of accident?
She could easily
It was not an accident.
So
Was she killed?
Or did she take her own life?
Malcolm!
Simple enough question.
If it wasn't an accident,
it has to be one of the two.
Well, when Michael gets back,
the next step is
we will go through all
The next step is
for you to answer the question.
Was she killed?
Or did she take her own life?
That's not for me to say.
Isn't it?
No.
Do you know the answer?
I do know, yes.
So you're refusing to tell us?
No. I'm doing what I'm supposed to
do in this Do you have children?
Can you imagine anything worse
for you and your husband
than not knowing
what happened to your child?
I don't have children.
Then try
And I don't have a husband.
Try and imagine.
Malcolm, stop!
Then imagine that being taken.
Now imagine how it feels
if the one person who knows
what happened to that child
is refusing to tell you
how they died.
Grandad
In what way?
Under what circumstances?
One last try.
Was she killed?
Or did she take her own life?
She did not take her own life.
SHE SOBS
BELLS CHIME
Annie, the detective.
Yes, thank you.
She wants you back at the house.
Yes, I am aware, thank you.
I thought that was very inspiring.
Your words this morning, about Job.
He couldn't come to terms
with what was happening to him
at first, could he?
I think you need to go back now.
People are starting to talk.
Yeah.
CAR BEEPS
WHISTLE BLOWS
WHISTLE BLOWS
OK, boys.
Two laps of the pitch, let's go.
Come on! Go, go, go!
I'll take it from here, Paul.
No reason for you to stay.
I've been asked to step in.
You're not taking my team.
And take them to next week's match.
You're not taking them anywhere.
Michael, I'm just trying to help.
Well, that's the thing, Paul,
I haven't asked for your help.
In fact, I'm not even sure
that you're qualified.
One of the main reasons
why you hired me was to teach sport.
What qualifies you?
I've been coaching this side
since 2008.
Yeah, other than the fact
that you appointed yourself coach,
what qualifies you?
Go home. Please.
Alana's upset.
Don't bring my daughter into this.
She's not interested in you.
PAUL CHUCKLES
Is that what she told you?
Here you go.
Whoo! Whoa! Nice one, Sir.
University fullback.
Can you go and get that, please?
That is what qualifies me.
That's a brand new match ball,
so you go and get it
from those woods.
What qualifies you?
Sir?
Keep going!
We need to go to the mortuary, Dad.
If you won't do it, Grandad will.
'Where have you been?'
Just going off and just taking
assembly like nothing's happened.
Driving off places.
Dad?
Yeah, won't be long. On our way now.
Annie says it wasn't an accident.
She said someone did this to Mum.
CAR DOOR OPENS
REPORTERS CLAMOUR
Take a seat.
I'll go in with them.
No.
I think they'd prefer that.
No.
You wait outside so you can be there
for them when they come out.
That's the job.
I know the job, Ivan.
And the end of the discussion.
Now, come on.
Don't turn me into that guy always
going on at you the whole time. OK.
We're a team.
Yeah, OK, we're a team.
I get it, Ivan. But do me a favour.
When he looks at her,
make sure you're watching him.
It's his reaction we're after.
Is that grief he's feeling or guilt?
Yes?
I'll do it.
Dad, we'll do it together.
No, no, if it's not your mum,
I don't want you seeing it. Dad.
You know, just some poor woman
lying there Dad, Dad, it is her.
Then I certainly don't want you to.
If it's her, I don't want this to be
the last memory you have of her.
So just, erm, wait here for me.
OK. You ready?
He walks in, the door closes.
He gives a positive ID.
And within ten seconds,
not even that, he's back out again.
As if he didn't care.
Just got a bad feeling about him.
His wife's dead.
You can't exactly blame him
for not sticking round.
Hmm
But we've not come here
to talk shop.
This is cake break. Come on.
Yeah!
Come on, that's yours. Eat it.
What?
Maybe a drink later?
There's, er, that new place
on Gloucester Road. Annie
you're looking at a man
who's doing everything in his powers
not to stuff this up all over again,
so if it's all the same
One step at a time.
Yeah.
One step at a time.
Mm-hm.
SIREN WAILS
Morning, everyone.
In just under an hour's time,
we will be issuing a statement
confirming the discovery
of a body of a woman in her 50s,
found in woodland in Westbury.
That body is now confirmed
to be that of Sarah Jane Polly.
As such, this is
now a full-scale murder inquiry.
FLOs? Back to the school, please.
Let's bring Michael Polly in.
Don't wanna make
a big song and dance
but I want him here,
and I want that alibi tested.
And to know where he disappeared
to yesterday. Exactly.
And the truth about their marriage.
OK. Great. Thank you, everyone.
'The site,
thought to be in woodland
'just a quarter of a mile
away from the school,
'has been cordoned off by police
for the last 48 hours.
'Tragically, perhaps ending
several days of speculation,
'the statement makes it clear
'that police are treating this
as a murder inquiry.
'Now, detectives are yet to name
the woman,
'she's said to be in her 50s,
'but such is the proximity
to St Bartholomew's School
'that many are speculating
'this is the body
of the missing teacher Sarah Polly.
'Robert Murphy, ITV News.'
That's Annie's case, innit?
See, off she goes.
Onto the next lot
and make them suffer.
What's that supposed to mean?
Another murder
she ain't never gonna solve.
We are trying
to get information.
LIVELY CHATTER Please!
Can everybody please just calm down?
It's just been on the bloody news!
Look, given how much
this means to the boys,
I want you all
Back in the car.
Please! If we could all just listen!
Our children are at risk!
This is a total disgrace.
Come on. Let's go.
No, I can't, I've-I've
I've gotta fill the water bottles up
for the team, or I'll
he'll lose his shit again.
Mike? Mike?
I've just spoke to King's.
They're asking if we want
to postpone. Nobody's postponing.
They've offered
the same time next week.
Nobody's postponing.
You get back on the phone,
and you tell them
the game goes ahead,
but Mr Whitchurch will be
looking after the team,
as I am unavailable.
Now, before you go,
let me tell you the thing
that has made me most proud
to be your coach this year.
And that's the fact that
you are all there for each other.
You play as one team.
Whenever any of you makes a mistake,
the rest of you, to a man,
is there to help.
When things go wrong, when
your backs are against the wall,
you do on the field
what you must do in life.
You rally.
And that is why
you are currently invictus,
and it's why you'll remain invictus
at the final whistle this afternoon.
Invictus, Bauri?
Unbeaten, Sir.
Unbeaten, Sir.
Good man.
So you get on that coach,
you listen to Mr Whitchurch,
and you unleash on King's
all your passion, all your talent
and everything
we've been practising this year.
And you do it not for me
or the school
but you do it for each other.
ENGINE STARTS
Go up to the house.
GENTLE CHATTER
BELL TOLLS
HE WEEPS
Oh, God!
SOBBING CONTINUES
Michael?
HE MUTTERS,
WEEPS
HE BREATHES SHALLOWLY
Where's Annie?
She's just gonna take
your dad back to the station
so he can help answer
some more questions.
That doesn't mean you need to worry.
We just have to find out
everything we can about your mum,
every detail, so we can find
the person who did this to her.
Does that make sense?
I'm so sorry. Would you mind
taking your shoes off?
Oh, yeah, of course.
Thank you.
It's also gonna mean
a search of the house.
We have to make sure
we do a proper job.
Is it me, or is the carpet wet?
Wet?
Mm.
I don't know.
He must have cleaned it.
He? As in?
Dad. Dad would've cleaned it. Erm
After everyone came in
the other day, and it got all muddy.
He a stickler for that, is he?
No, Dad doesn't mind, erm
It's Mum
who hates shoes on inside.
That's why he would've done it.
He would've cleaned it for Mum.
Michael,
this is an opportunity for you
to tell us anything
you think might be relevant
or anything you think
you might've previously omitted
or just any
Sorry, I don't understand.
What don't you understand?
You've asked me questions before,
more than once.
This is in your interests, Michael.
How?
By placing you under caution,
we have your words on record.
You have them on record already.
The situation has changed.
But your questions haven't.
Therefore my answer's
yes, this is out of character,
no, there's nothing
I'm not telling you,
and, no, I don't know anyone
who would want to do her harm.
They remain the same.
Here's a different question, then.
A question we've not asked you yet.
Did you kill your wife, Michael?
Come on, Michael, come on.
PHONE BUZZES
Claire S.
Better late than never.
BUZZING CONTINUES
Annie Cassidy.
'Oh, hi.
'You asked me to call you back.'