The Stolen Girl (2025) s01e02 Episode Script

1
I'm Rebecca. I'm Josephine's mum.
Can I go over to Josie's house to play?
-Mummy, look, we're twins. Look, Mummy.
-[Elisa] Oh, girls. You look amazing.
Sorry. Do you mind not…
[Fred] Oh, she's not back yet.
[Elisa] Well, we need
to go over there now.
We're looking for the woman
who owns the house.
No one lives here.
-It's a holiday let.
-[sighs]
Good morning, everyone.
The missing child is Lucia Blix.
[Selma] Mrs Blix.
Why Lucia? Why you?
There was a woman.
[Shona] Sarah sends several messages.
"Enjoy your little life
while you still have it."
[Selma] This was planned meticulously.
Who are you?
-[Josie] Ten…
-[Lucia laughs]
…nine, eight, seven…
[panting]
…five, four,
three, two, one.
Ready or not, here I come.
[Lucia giggles]
[chuckles]
-Boo!
-[laughing]
[Lucia, Josie laughing]
[Josie] This one's nice.
[Lucia] Yeah. [chuckles]
Oh. Do that one. It's so pretty.
[Josie] Okay.
-[Lucia] Thank you.
-It's okay.
Wow. That's so beautiful. What is it?
It's a birthmark.
Mummy says it's the country
where babies are made.
Huh.
[Lucia] Ooh. They're so high.
[both laughing]
Oh, we can try
your daddy's clothes on now.
Oh.
Daddy's dead, but I'm not…
I'm not supposed to tell.
[Lucia, Josie laughing]
[Josie] How can anyone walk in them?
[Lucia] Oh, I love them.
They're my favourite.
[Lucia, Josie laughing]
They're my favourite too. [chuckles]
They're so comfortable.
They're like slippers.
[chuckles]
-Come up. I'm making hot chocolate.
-[chuckles]
[Lucia] Oh, yes, please. Yes.
[chuckles]
-[giggles]
-The wand. I forgot the wand.
No, no. Stay with me, my love.
Josie, get your pyjamas on.
Choose a book. I'll be down in a minute.
[chuckles, smacks lips]
Is it okay if I call you Lulu?
Yeah, I like it.
Your daddy's a lawyer.
That must be exciting.
Yes, but sometimes it makes Mummy worried.
She gets scared about locking the door.
[sighs]
You can lie on the sofa if you're sleepy.
We can get ready for bed in a minute.
[doorbell rings]
[grunts]
Hmm?
[breathing heavily]
[George] Mummy,
why are you in Lucia's bed?
[inhales deeply]
Oh, hi, Georgie.
[breathes deeply]
Do you want to go back downstairs?
I'm coming.
[inhales sharply] Mmm.
I'm sorry, Georgie. I was sleeping.
[car approaching]
[groans, sighs]
[Fred] Where you going?
For a drive. I've got my phone.
Okay.
[inhales, exhales deeply]
[sighs]
I'm Rebecca. I'm Josephine's mum.
Lucia mentioned your… your
husband is a lawyer.
Did she? Yeah. Fred.
He's a criminal lawyer.
[sighs]
Sorry. Do you mind not…
Sorry. I'm just not comfortable
with people taking pictures
of my daughter without my permission.
-[snorting, grunting]
-[Selma] Oh, okay. That's interesting.
Um, and when you…
When you bought Felicity,
did you know
that pigs could be aggressive?
I had no idea.
She was a tiny little thing.
Used to cuddle up
to the kids on the sofa. Ooh.
-[Felicity grunts]
-Yeah, don't look her in the eye.
She doesn't like it.
Right. No, I wasn't going to.
[inhales sharply, clears throat]
Okay, great. Um, that's great.
Thank you so much, Ian.
Uh, we're just gonna get
a couple of photos of you
-and, um, Felicity together…
-Oh, yeah. Yeah.
…and then, um… Yeah, that's perfect.
Thank you very much.
-Hi, I'm Mike.
-[Ian] It's very nice to meet you.
[phone chimes]
-Yeah.
-Thank you.
[clears throat]
[phone buzzes]
Hey, Selma.
Where are you?
I'm on the pig.
What?
The out of control pet pig in Warrington.
Local residents have started a petition.
[chuckles] Did you get a picture with
the pig oinking angrily at a small child?
Ha ha. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Photographer is here now.
Look, um, I want to interview Elisa Blix.
Right, yeah, and I want to win a Pulitzer.
The police won't let her do interviews.
Right, yeah.
Okay, but what if I can get her to talk?
Can I have the story then?
What are you thinking?
Okay, so, um…
Right. She's all over social media
for the past seven, eight years,
but before that, there's nothing.
Like no previous jobs, no school photos,
no ill-advised drunken university posts.
Literally nothing.
I think she's maybe changed her identity.
Well, if you could prove,
and I mean prove she changed her identity.
Well… [stammers]
…she's hiding something. I know it.
Then you need to get her to talk,
see what she's got to say.
I can't run it without that.
-Bye, gotta go.
-[sighs]
[Felicity snorting]
Still nothing from the ANPR search?
Not yet.
And are we still working under
the assumption this was a criminal gang?
That Rebecca was hired for the job?
And that she's Sarah Banks?
I want to be honest with you both.
We just don't know yet.
Well, Lucia's been gone five days.
You've got essentially nothing, right?
No leads, nothing.
Believe me,
I am turning over every single stone.
Yeah, well, the odds of finding her alive
go down every single day.
-Fred, please.
-[Fred sighs]
The hard fact is that the people
who took Lucia planned it meticulously.
We've got very little to go on.
[Fred breathes heavily]
[Shona] There is something
I'd like to talk to you about, Elisa.
I wouldn't have chosen to release
that photo of Lucia and Josephine
on social media.
It's essential that we control the
information that's released to the public.
It's essential that
we keep Lucia in people's minds.
That post… It's already been shared
90,000 times. It's helping.
And since you posted that photo,
we've had a vast increase in calls
to the incident room,
and honestly, we're swamped.
Most people are well-meaning,
but the vast majority go nowhere.
I'm just getting the message out there.
[Elisa inhales, exhales deeply]
[footsteps retreating]
[gasps]
Georgie.
Georgie?
Georgie?
Georgie?
Georgie?
Georgie?
[sighs] Oh, God, Georgie, you scared me.
I didn't know where you were.
Come on. Let's go downstairs.
Please don't disappear like tha…
Fred?
[breathes shakily] Fred!
[Fred] Elisa?
They want money. They want…
They want money for Lucia.
[intercom chimes]
[announcer] All prisoners,
the wing office is now open.
[gate buzzes]
[prisoner] Thanks.
Marcus Turner.
[officer] Here we go.
[sighs]
[Elisa] George said
he found the letter this morning.
[Fred] Yeah, according to the footage
on the video doorbell,
it was delivered at 7:47 a.m.
Yes, we reviewed the images,
and because the hat is pulled down low,
we're unable
to use facial recognition software.
Is there any chance it could be someone
linked to your work?
[sighs] I mean, I…
I can't recognise a fucking baseball cap.
I know it's a long shot, but is there
anything about them that seems familiar?
-[sighs]
-Could it be a… a former client?
[stammers] No, no. I mean… [stammers]
-I don't know. I don't know.
-[Shona] Maybe ma-many years ago?
[sighs] I feel like I'm just looking
at a fucking baseball cap.
What do we do?
The envelope and the letter
are being tested,
but it will take a few days.
Well, what about the money?
They said that we've got 48 hours.
[stammers] We have the money,
and we can get it.
[sighs]
Go on. W-What do you think?
I'd advise against
paying the ransom so quickly.
There's nothing here
that only the kidnappers would know,
you know, based on the information
that we released in the press conference
and your social media post.
Lucia's nine years old. [breathes shakily]
She's with strangers.
If money is what it takes to get her back,
then we're gonna pay it.
We need to authenticate the letter
and… [inhales sharply]
…frankly, we need proof of life from them.
[gasps]
I know it's awful to have to think
in those terms,
but our best hope
is that they get in touch again
and then we start a dialogue with them.
But they said not to involve the police.
Yeah, yeah. W-We have to appear
to be on their terms, yeah?
This is the advice we're giving.
Ultimately, it is up to you.
[inhales, exhales deeply]
[sighs]
-Thank you.
-Thanks.
[elevator chimes]
[elevator voice] Doors closing.
[pop music playing on radio]
[phone ringing]
[Coolidge] Hi, Selma.
Um, I've got something for you.
-[Selma] Maans, guess what.
-[Maans] What?
There's a fucking ransom letter.
It makes no sense.
Police will be going through
their finances right now, I bet.
-Oh, my God, it smells amazing.
-Hmm.
-Hey.
-Hey.
Jackfruit stew. It's my nan's recipe.
Oh, my God.
Did you get the coriander?
Uh, no. God, sorry, I forgot.
[sighs] My fault.
I should have sent you a voice note
to remind you to read my text.
-[chuckles]
-[chuckles] How was work?
Yeah, fine, you know. Full on.
Yeah, that's really good.
But still better with coriander.
I'll go now.
So there's a ransom demand now.
Didn't hear about that.
It's not public yet.
I got the letter from a police officer
on the investigation.
A police officer
gave you the ransom letter?
Mm-hmm. Well, I mean,
I had to pay him for it.
Well, they're supposed to be looking
for her, not making money off it.
We'd literally know nothing
without leaky police.
[sniffs] And besides, something
about all of this just feels really off.
Yeah, why wait so long
to send the ransom demand?
Yeah, exactly. And why risk
hand delivering it? It makes no sense.
[Fred] No, no, I told you that I needed
to be there for the police interview.
Yes, yes, I did.
No, Pete, it doesn't…
[chuckles] I-It doesn't even…
Look, i-it has to be me, okay?
No one else.
Look, I've, uh… I've got to go.
Yeah, okay, will do, yeah.
Bye.
Is that work? I thought…
I thought Peter was taking your cases.
Yeah, he is,
but now the police are interviewing
my client on the Ellams' case.
Fred, we can get
that money together, right?
Just in case.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm on it.
But we can get it quickly.
Yeah. Look… [stammers]
…I'm looking into it, okay?
Anyway, the police want us to wait.
No. We're her parents, Fred.
We have to make the decision.
[smacks lips] Right, look.
I've, uh, got to go.
Do you really have to leave?
Yeah, the police
are interviewing my client. I do.
I-I-I have to… have to be there.
I can't believe I'm gonna say this,
but please don't go.
I don't want you to go.
What is going on?
-Uh, look, I'm--
-Do you know something?
El, I've got to go.
Fred, if you know something,
you have to tell me, please.
Elisa. [sighs]
I know as much as you, okay?
-I'm asking you not to go, please.
-[sighs] I have to. I've got to go.
Thank you so much, Maria.
I really appreciate it.
I-I have my phone, so if anyone calls
or comes to the house,
I can be back in 20 minutes.
-[George] Bye, Mummy.
-Bye, Georgie, love you.
[Maria] Don't worry. We'll be fine.
[George] Love you!
[gasps]
[sighs]
Mrs Blix? I'm, uh, Selma Desai
from Dash Voice.
-You were told to stay away.
-I know.
I'm sorry, um…
I'm just really keen to talk to you
about your social media campaign.
It's amazing what you've
been doing at such a difficult time.
We wanna help get the word out.
Thank you, but I can't. Not now.
Well, I can come back later.
There's a lot going on.
I know.
I-I just wanna help.
How? How will you help?
I know about the ransom letter.
If you're thinking about paying,
people often use private negotiators.
I've heard they can be better
than the police.
Who told you about that?
The police are gonna tell you not to pay,
but if you do want a second opinion,
I can find someone
for you to talk to about it.
You can't talk about this.
You can't write about it.
We've been told
not to speak to the police.
I wouldn't do anything
to risk hurting Lucia.
Look, I have to go.
[stammers]
[sirens wailing]
[Elisa] Hi.
Mrs Blix, I, uh…
I'm so sorry about your daughter.
Lucia's not dead.
No… [stammers] …of course, um…
W-What can I do for you?
I'd like to take out a loan.
£100,000.
And the funds would be for?
I… [sighs] …just need access to cash.
It's a large sum.
We'll need to go through
affordability checks.
Or we can secure it against the house.
Um, sorry, can you tell me
how long this would take to arrange?
We would need your husband
involved in the conversation
as the house is in both of your names.
And, of course, there is the previous loan
already secured on the house.
The previous loan?
Yes, the £200,000 loan
you took out with your husband.
Your signature's on it.
[door closes]
[Elisa breathes shakily]
Why aren't you picking up your phone?
I've just been to the bank.
You forged my signature.
Where is our fucking money, Fred?
I had a journalist ask me today
about the ransom note.
You need to call me.
[consoles blaring]
I haven't seen one of these
since I was wee.
So what, like last year?
-Good one.
-As agreed, Detective.
-Could have put it in something.
Mmm, brown envelope
doesn't look any less dodgy. Trust me.
That's the one
when he delivered the ransom letter.
That's all we've got.
And you've heard nothing since?
Not a peep.
Whoever he is, he's gone to ground.
See you. [grunts]
Hi, uh… [stammers] …it-it's Elisa.
Is-Is Fred there?
[assistant] He isn't. Sorry, Elisa.
Well, where's he gone?
He's in a meeting
with the police and a client.
I can ask him to call you back.
[sighs] Fuck.
Thanks.
What specific threats did they make?
[client] Well,
they didn't write me a letter
or draw me a picture
of exactly what they were gonna do to me.
To my wife, my girls.
I've got to protect my family.
[officer inhales sharply]
Steven, I understand,
but you said you had evidence.
[Steven] Look, I told you I can't…
I-I don't remember.
[officer] Your evidence
has already sent a gang member to prison.
If you change your story now,
the case could fall apart.
Yeah, Mr Bailey is doing his very best
to recall events
that happened over a number of years.
Yeah, and he's doing it
despite considerable risk from people
who routinely intimidate witnesses to,
uh… [sighs] …deter them from testifying.
Yeah, we all know the lengths
that they go to for revenge.
[Fred inhales deeply]
[blows]
[officer] I think we should
stop there for today.
[clicks tongue] Yeah, yeah, let's, uh…
Let's pick this up tomorrow, yeah?
I'll see you out.
[sniffs]
Look, thanks for coming, mate. [sighs]
I know things aren't easy
with everything you've got going on.
[Fred breathing heavily]
[immobiliser beeps]
[engine starts]
[Selma sighs]
[line rings]
Hi, Selma. I'm about to go on a date,
so you've got until I get to the bar.
A date? I… What happened to Gemma?
Selma, for someone so smart, you're a bit…
Forget it. What is it?
Um, uh, yeah, okay,
I know you said
not to use my police contact,
but I think I've got something.
A picture of the man delivering the
ransom demand from their video doorbell,
but the police can't ID him.
I didn't authorise expenses
to pay police officers for information.
But if I can find him,
we get the story first.
Well, do you think you can?
Um, yeah, maybe.
Uh, when we report on high-profile cases,
people contact the office
with information, right?
Yeah, the Green Biro Brigade.
-[Selma] Yeah, nutters.
-Mmm.
Right, okay, um, give me two minutes.
I'll call you back.
Mmm.
[sighs]
[line ringing]
[breathing heavily]
-[line clicks]
-[Shona] Elisa.
Um, hi. It's-It's Fred.
Has something happened?
He's disappeared.
I don't know where he is.
I don't know who else to call. I…
I need you to help me find him.
Apparently he left work hours ago,
but he's still not back.
Okay.
I'm on it. Bye.
-Walker.
-Boss?
Get a BOLO on Fred's vehicle.
He's gone walkabout.
What the fuck's he playing at?
Coolidge, get uniform
to check in on Fred's mother
and any other family in the area.
-We need to find him. Right now.
-Yes, boss.
[sighs]
[Selma] Fuck.
[line ringing]
[Selma] Kaleb, it's a woman,
the person who delivered the note.
I've sent you a photo.
One sec.
[Selma] Look, she's wearing
the exact same hat from the door cam image
and she's constantly spamming us
about our Lucia articles.
The police are looking for a man, right?
-[Kaleb] Are you sure it's her?
-[Selma] I think so. It has to be a hoax.
I'll call the SIO, but she's gonna
wanna know where you got that photo.
I can't give up my source, Kaleb.
You should get to Elisa first.
See if this gives you an in.
The police will be busy
finding this woman.
Okay. Yeah, bye.
[knocks on door]
[knocks on door]
[doorbell rings]
[footsteps approaching]
[Selma] Mrs Blix? Mrs Blix, can we talk?
I-I just wanna talk.
Mrs Blix, I know who that is.
It's… It's actually a woman.
My editor is speaking to the police,
but I wanted to come
and tell you in person.
Who is she?
Her name's Rachel Lamont.
She's a… She's a serial hoaxer.
-A hoax?
-Yeah.
She just moved to the area from London.
Maybe the police weren't aware of her.
We've given the details
to the officer in charge.
Yeah, I'm sorry.
I thought that if it was about money,
then… [breathes shakily] …there's a
chance she might still be alive.
I feel like I'm losing my mind.
It's called ambiguous loss.
The person you love is gone,
but you don't know how, or why,
or if they're coming back.
It's said to be close to torture.
Yeah.
Listen, um, I do want to help.
And the way that Lucia was taken,
it seems targeted.
They wanted Lucia, not just any child.
What do you mean?
Well, if it's personal,
it's likely to be someone you know, right?
So I've been doing background
into you and Fred,
but I can't seem to find anything
about, um,
where you grew up
or where you went to school.
Like, who were you
before you became Mrs Blix?
Wa…
[indistinct radio chatter]
[van doors close]
[sighs]
[car door closes]
[Steven] What? Why are you following me?
We've been over everything
a hundred times.
And in the week my daughter is kidnapped,
you suddenly can't remember anything.
-Did they get to you?
-No.
Did they threaten you? Huh?
Make you retract your story,
is that what this is?
Oh, fuck this.
[both grunting, panting]
[Fred] Did you tell them
about my kids? Huh?
Did they take Lucia?
Are they warning me off?
Will they give her back
if I pull out the case?
-I don't know what you're talking about.
-Did they take her?
Nothing to do with me.
[both grunting, panting]
[Steven] You're meant to be
my lawyer. [pants]
I've not done anything to you.
I'm nothing to do with it.
[Steven coughs]
The fuck, Fred? [grunts]
[yawning]
[gunfire]
[sighs]
[phone buzzes]
[Shona] Morning. What have you got?
[Walker] Check your email.
Europol sent me some footage
from a petrol station in France.
I think it's her.
[Shona] Oh, my God, that's her.
Where was this?
[Walker] Service station
in Northern France. Five days ago.
Right, I want you to get on to
French police and Europol,
see if they can help us
with an ID for the man.
I'm gonna need CCTV from all the other
cameras in the service station.
See if you can work out
which direction they were travelling.
On it now.
[Shona] I'm just with Fred's car.
It's parked in some cul-de-sac
near Wilmslow.
He's nowhere to be seen.
The keys are still in car.
[sighs] What is he doing?
[driver sighs]
Sweetheart, you're here.
What happened?
She's fine. She had a nosebleed.
I had to find her clothes.
Where am I? Where's my mummy?
I am so sorry.
That journey must have been horrible.
If we could have done it any other way.
But you're here now.
And I promise you,
everything is gonna be perfect.
Welcome home, Lulu-Rose.
Come. [chuckles] Come.
Let's go upstairs.