The Chelsea Detective (2021) s04e01 Episode Script
Death on the Aether
1
[PIANO MUSIC]
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- Hello. Nice to see you.
- Hi.
- [CLARE] Hello, hello.
- Oh.
Thank you for coming,
everyone. Genuinely.
Now, for those of you who weren't
at last year's auction,
where were you?
[LAUGHTER]
Details on how to bid are,
well, they are everywhere,
as you can see.
And we have got some amazing packages
for you to bid on tonight.
We have an original Vivienne Westwood.
[PEOPLE EXCLAIMING]
We have a villa on Lake Como.
We have Gray Marshall's Yacht
for the week! Wow.
Thank you, Gray!
Wha-hey to Gray.
Er, now the auction,
it kicks off an hour from now,
which means you have just enough time
to charge up your glasses
with your drinks.
Charge up your phones
and good luck and enjoy, everyone.
Thank you for coming.
[APPLAUDING]
Clare. Er, a word.
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
Sorry to interrupt. I'm heading off.
Thank you for a brilliant party.
Bye.
So, Clare Curtis' charity
do at The Aether.
I mean, the money here,
if this place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
So I've been looking into Bett
What do you want?
[THEME MUSIC]
[CHAIN CLANKS]
Good morning to you too, Bob.
[MOBILE RINGING]
[MAX SIGHS, MUTTERS]
- [LINE RINGING]
- [SIGHS]
[GRUNTS, GROANS]
I'm all right. I'm all right!
You've got, but No! Come back!
Come back!
[RINGING CONTINUES]
Olivia?
Olivia!
[SIGHS]
[LINE DISCONNECTS]
[SIREN CHIRPS]
[MOTOR WHIRRING]
♪
[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]
♪
- Morning.
- Hello.
I saw the police boat this morning.
Wonder what they were looking for.
Turns out a tugboat captain
saw something snagged on Cadogan Pier.
I see one male in his 20s.
- Sir.
- Good morning.
- Sir.
- [MOBILE RINGING]
- Astrid?
- No, my aunt.
It's her birthday tomorrow.
She thinks I've forgotten.
I haven't.
I haven't spoken to Astrid for months.
Well, staying strong. That's good.
Well, she hasn't called me.
- What's today's date?
- Fifteenth.
Oh, no, it's today.
Olivia's birthday is today.
Well, good job you didn't forget.
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
♪
OK, so he's been in the water
less than 12 hours.
But there's a possibility
any useful forensic evidence
may have been degraded
by the saltwater.
Well, what are we saying?
He jumped off a bridge
and hit his head on the way down?
Not unless he bounced.
He has two separate skull contusions,
both frontal, one deeper
than the other,
possibly from a heavy
pointed instrument.
Any idea where he went in?
Ebb tide.
It was a full moon last night.
Should I write down "werewolf"?
High water at Chelsea Bridge
would have been 0315
and peaked at 7.8 metres.
Quicker if you point.
Well, he must
have gone in west of here
because the tidal surge
would have carried him down.
- Any ID?
- Er, yes.
Two things tucked into his phone case.
Coffee shop loyalty card
and his work ID.
Phone is waterlogged.
I send it to Cyber.
[MAX] "LLV?"
Lucas? Surname's illegible.
Oh, the letters in the corner
look like a company logo.
E-C-H-O-S.
Eck-oss?
Echoes.
"Echoes hardware supplies,
Echoes auto repair."
This could be it.
"Executive Chelsea Household
and Operational Services.
"Providing elite homes
with household staff."
Some rich person got tired
of their butler
and threw him away?
Question is where did he buttle?
Is "buttle" the word?
- No.
- No.
♪
Welcome. Joanna Picard.
How may I help you?
DI Arnold, this is DS Walsh,
Chelsea Police.
We're here about
one of your employees
first name, Lucas?
Well, that's Lucas Sullivan.
He's on our books.
Is he in trouble?
We've had to make a formal ID,
but a body was pulled
from the Thames this morning.
- Oh, my God.
- [MAX] I'm sorry.
Sorry, is it "Eck-oss" or "Echoes"?
Echoes.
I chose it because it hints
at legacy. Echoes of the past.
We offer something here
that other household agencies
don't tradition and trust.
Nice pitch.
Here he is.
[LAYLA] What can you tell us
about Lucas?
He's one of our junior
executive household managers.
What, like a butler?
For Clare Curtis.
As in Clothing by Curtis?
Marvellous woman.
This is one of hers, actually.
Was Lucas working last night?
Yep, he was serving drinks at
Clare's annual charity bash,
an auction for her foundation.
- [MAX] Where was this?
- [JOANNA] The Aether.
It's Clare's event Space on the river.
I showed my face.
Couldn't afford to bid
on anything, mind.
Did you speak to Lucas?
Mm. We may have exchanged hellos.
He was busy.
- How did he seem?
- Fine.
- Nothing stands out.
- Was there any trouble?
No, of course not.
Do you know what time
Lucas left the venue?
Er, well, I'm not sure.
I left at 10:00.
He was still there then.
Looks like he was new to the agency.
He joined us a little
over three months ago.
I assume you'll run background checks.
We are famously picky.
Lucas came with sterling references.
He had previously worked
at an Ambassador's residence
in Madrid.
We'll, erm, need a copy
of that employment file.
Do you supply any other personnel
for the Curtis household?
We supply all of their staff.
The household manager,
the housekeeper,
and Clare Curtis' PA.
I'll send you everything I have.
Thank you.
♪
[MAX] Thank you.
Stop.
No OK.
Can you stop, please?
Good morning.
This is DI Arnold. I'm DS Walsh.
Did our colleagues not tell you
this is a potential crime scene?
I explained on the phone
that that particular horse
had already bolted.
Yes. The venue was clean,
top to bottom after the party ended.
[CLAGS]
Pascal, love
Love, could you leave that
for now, please?
Thank you.
Can you tell us about
your function last night?
[CLARE] Mike, my husband, and I
organised a charity event
for my foundation.
Poor Lucas.
I mean, do we know what happened yet?
Was it an accident or?
We're still piecing it together.
Well however we can help.
We understand you own
this venue, Mrs Curtis.
- Yes.
- May we take a look around?
Sorry, we would require a warrant.
It's a private space, you understand.
I didn't catch your name.
Are you Mr Curtis?
No. You're not the first
to make that mistake.
This is Phil, my house manager.
Phillip Hawksley, dogsbody.
Do you know what, I I don't
want to appear obstructive.
We're all still trying
to absorb this news.
Lucas was working here last night.
But I assure you,
nothing happened at the party.
What time did he finish?
- Well, when the party ended.
- Midnight.
Do you know where he went after that?
Well, home, I assume.
You didn't see him meet anyone?
Erm, no.
Do you know if he had a partner?
We leave our personal lives
at the gate.
Discretion is a key part of the job.
Phil, could you check on Pascal?
Excuse me.
We need to see a copy
of your guest list
and any CCTV footage.
Hm. No CCTV, I'm afraid.
My guests can be a fickle bunch
when it comes to privacy.
As for a list of attendees,
I'll need to tick a few boxes first.
Preserving the anonymity
of your peers, or buying time?
My guests attended a charity
event, not a crime scene.
You know, I need to be careful.
If your guests are so concerned with
preserving their anonymity,
maybe they shouldn't have
posted pictures of themselves
all over Instagram and TikTok.
OK. From my end, I will tick
those boxes as fast as I can.
But there is something,
and it's best that
you hear it from me first.
Lucas and I were supposed
to meet this morning.
- Who?
- Oh, no, it was nothing.
It's just that he asked to have a chat
last night, but he was busy,
it wasn't the right time,
so I suggested the morning.
[LAYLA] Why didn't you
mention that earlier?
And do you know what it was about?
Look, I promise you now,
Lucas was alive and well
when that auction ended.
Well, his body was recovered
from the Thames.
♪
[EXHALES]
[EXHALES HEAVILY]
[JESS] Last month, The Aether
was used by the Home Office
for a seminar on work-life balance.
Is that that "finding
of balance" nonsense?
[JESS] What's wrong with it?
It's good to explore new ideas.
Forget about Max's aversion to change.
Oh, I admit I am wary of change,
and you know what that really is? Hm?
An underhand way to abolish overtime.
[CONNOR] I need that.
These renovations are bleeding me dry.
You wait till the baby comes.
[MOBILE VIBRATING]
DC Connor Pollock
Have you seen the acronym they use?
- Smart.
- Yes.
Specified outcomes,
clear Measures of success,
Achievable steps,
Relevant to the problem,
with a clear Timetable.
Well, that's a roundabout
way to spell smart.
How's the guest list, Layla?
- Anyone of interest?
- Take your pick.
NFC?
Yep.
No further comment?
Normal for Chelsea.
Ah.
Well, Lucas Sullivan is visible
in a couple of these photos.
The guests I've approached so far
have all referred us
to their legal teams.
Any worth their salt will get
their clients to talk to us.
We'll just haul them in.
Nobody's above the law.
Even the Curtis household staff
have NDAs we need to navigate.
Well, there's four of them.
Including Lucas,
there's Cate Chalk-Harris, the PA.
Philip Hawksley, the house manager,
Bettina Chalk-Harris,
also Cate's mother,
is the housekeeper.
The bigger mystery is what
Clare Curtis does all day.
Ah, makes money.
OK. Thank you.
My aunt's downstairs.
Desk Sergeant says
she sounds rather distressed.
Well, to be fair, I get like
that on my birthday, too.
OK, so the address
on Lucas Sullivan's work file
is a dud.
They don't know him from Adam,
but our colleagues
up in Manchester
spoke to Sullivan's sister,
who says he's very much alive
and has been working
in Madrid the last two months.
She supplied a photo.
Meet Lucas Sullivan.
Spot the difference.
Then who the hell did we
fish out of the Thames?
♪
[BETTINA] We're all upset
about Lucas, Cate.
- [SNIFFLING]
- Calm down.
Keep
Keep calm and carry on.
Great advice, Mum.
He's dead.
Here.
Hey
If you ask me, Lucas asked
too many questions.
Maybe, just maybe
it caught up with him.
- [SIREN CHIRPS]
- [INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
- Olivia.
- Just popping my head in
- to say "Happy birthday."
- Is it?
Well, it is, isn't it?
I meant the happy bit.
What's happened? I've been trying
to call. Your phone's dead.
Well, therein lies the tale.
Why? Where have you been?
[SIGHS]
I was mugged.
Oh, my God!
- Are you OK?
- Yes. No
Oh, not really. I'm bruised.
Some chancer knocked me over
and ran off with my bag,
with my phone.
- With everything.
- What?
Oh, Max, now don't make a fuss.
I'm allowed to make a fuss.
My old aunt has just been mugged.
- Less of the old, please.
- Sorry.
- Yeah, I didn't
- Did you get a look?
I told everything
to your man at the desk.
It all happened so fast.
Male, white, 20s, grey hoodie.
I spent the entire morning
at the bank,
and they treated me like a criminal
because I couldn't remember
my special name.
And now I've forgotten
all the passwords to my social app.
So I've got that whole farrago
to look forward to.
And Harper Lee was in my bag.
It's her cat.
Her dead cat.
Obviously, Max. I don't walk around
with a stuffed dead cat in my bag.
Yeah, well, that's a relief.
It's a sculpture.
It's a silly,
sentimental trinket that
Izzy made it in her pottery class
the year before she died and
Max said you're an artist.
Well, when you're ready,
maybe you could come back
and sketch us a likeness?
- Oh, no
- That's a wonderful idea.
And actually, I don't know
why my nephew didn't think of that.
I can't get my head around it.
I just keep expecting
Lucas to walk in.
What did the police say?
- Mention me?
- Love of my life,
pain in my arse.
Why on God's green Earth
is any of this about you?
- I'm just asking.
- Yes, I told them you did it.
Not really, obviously.
It'd surprise me if you did.
Oh, come on, Mikey.
Well, maybe I was jealous.
I found out you were shagging.
That's not funny.
Lucky Lucas, eh.
Come on, babe. Look, I'm joking.
I'm just trying
to lighten the mood here.
[WHIRRING]
Yeah.
Are you in favour of this?
If it means I can get home
and have dinner with Ben and the boys,
instead of on my own at 10:00 pm
from the microwave, why not?
Well, I have platinum accounts
for all the food delivery apps.
Go, me.
The tox results for our unknown male.
He was clean.
No alcohol or drugs in his system.
His TOD I can only give an
estimate because of the water.
But a six-hour window.
7:00 pm to 1:00 am.
Severe blood loss
from the head wounds,
but that wasn't the cause of death.
He was alive when he went in?
Significant presence
of fluid in the trachea
as well as pulmonary
and cerebral oedema.
Well, what about the weapon?
Metal. Heavy. Indentations suggest
it was spiked at one end.
Well, the killer probably
dumped it in the river
along with the body.
Do we have a budget
for a team of divers?
Might have the budget for a wet suit.
You can swim, Layla.
Attacker likely right-handed,
facing the victim
Depending on factors
proximity, direction of fall
I'd expect spatter,
maybe on the attacker,
definitely on the surrounding area.
♪
[LLOYD COLE] "Speedboat"
Some have said they OD'ed
on Leonard Cohen ♪
Well, I can see that river
whenever I think about them ♪
[MOBILE RINGING]
The river is cruel
And the water is deeper ♪
- [MUSIC STOPS]
- [CONTINUES RINGING]
- Hello.
- Check your e-mail.
We have a name for our imposter.
The phone company
traced the mobile number
on Lucas Sullivan's work file
to a William Paige.
So I did some digging and found him.
Goes by Billy Paige. 25,
work history has him
listed as a journalist.
Graduated from UWE three years ago.
Limited experience.
But he runs his own podcast,
The Final Paige.
Oh, clever.
Well, I thought you'd like that.
- Oh, is it crime?
- Loosely.
Do you think he ruffled some feathers?
Hm, easier if you have a listen.
Oh.
This morning, with my aunt
The sketch was a nice touch.
Look, I know it's not our case,
but I feel we should do something.
Who was Izzy?
Oh, Olivia's partner.
They were together for over 20 years.
Are you still at work?
No.
Yes. Maybe.
I'll see you tomorrow.
[SIREN WAILING OUTSIDE]
Hello, and welcome to The Final Paige.
With me, Billy Paige.
This week, "The Triple Agent."
The amazing true story
of Ian Mortlock,
the crooked MI5 spy
who lived a double-life.
Mm.
Professor from the university.
Unfortunately, she declined
to be named or to appear
It's all right, Bob.
Go ahead. I'm nearly done.
because if only one tenth
of what she just said is true,
she is a key witness.
♪
[RINGING]
Hey, what do you think of this?
Spiked on one end.
You know, most people
open with "Morning,
how are you?"
Hold it still then. What is it?
A boat hook.
Could this be
what was used on Billy Paige?
Interesting.
What?
Roz?
Hello, stranger.
How are you?
You're looking well.
Good. Same to you, too.
- Mm, good choice.
- Hope so.
What's the occasion?
Belated birthday.
If they're a cat owner,
be careful of the lilies.
They're highly toxic.
Good point. My aunt's not
really into flowers anyway.
Your aunt?
Yeah.
How's your son? How's Kieron?
Well remembered. He's fine, thanks.
He's doing his GCSEs.
I'm trying to help, but God,
it turns out I don't know anything.
Do you want to go for a drink?
- Now?
- No, er
It's a bit early.
Yeah, I meant after work,
but it's fine.
No, no, no. I'm
I'm doing a Couch-to
Well, actually,
I'm, I'm still on the couch,
but I plan to get to 5K eventually.
I'm going on a mini hike
tomorrow evening if you wanted to.
I'd like that.
I will text you the deets.
[SCOFFS] Living with a teenager.
- The details.
- Yeah.
When I saw the flowers
This time,
don't bring your ex
technically still your wife.
No, she sold her gallery.
She's moved back to Germany.
- Great.
- Her mother's sick.
Not so great.
OK. Well, I will see you tomorrow.
Yeah.
♪
A budding journalist
snooping among you
and none of you suspected?
[EXHALES]
No.
You'd think we'd know,
but the man I knew as Lucas,
he was professional,
he was hardworking. He
He was wholly convincing.
Did he get on well with everyone?
Staff, Mr and Mrs Curtis?
We're one big, happy family here.
He must have asked questions.
No, only about the job.
Billy went to great lengths
to work here.
Did he mention anything to you?
Any trouble he might be in?
[SNIFFLES]
It's OK.
Take your time.
Did you know that he had a podcast?
Do you know what he was doing here?
Pretending to be someone else?
No.
You know, chance meetings in London
are rarer than hen's teeth.
I bump into people
I know all the time.
Criminals don't count.
Do I need special equipment?
Roz said hike. You hike.
Used to.
Anyway, Hampstead Heath
is hardly the Moors.
Pair of sturdy shoes?
I know you have them.
Always buy for sturdiness.
Sturdiness beats fashion every time.
I don't know where to begin.
Wait.
Billy Paige's loyalty card.
[PHILIP] I want to help any way I can.
Except when they requested
to search the venue,
my colleagues noted
that you were obstructive
Oh, not at all. If it was my choice.
But I have to prioritise
my employer's interests.
Mr Paige was planning on speaking
with Clare Curtis
the morning after he died.
Did he discuss that with you?
He did. But his probationary
period with us was nearly up,
and he wanted to make sure
Clare would put in
a good word for him with the agency.
I assured him there were no problems.
Why would he care about that?
This wasn't a vacation for him.
I've been asking myself
the same question.
- Thanks.
- The owner says
Billy Paige was a regular customer,
bought a coffee most days,
and on Tuesday he bought two.
So he had company?
It would appear so.
I wasn't even at the party.
Like I explained,
I flew back from Monaco.
I got into Gatwick, I don't
know, just after 1:00 am.
And what were you doing in Monaco?
Well, no disrespect, Detective.
I don't think it's got
anything to do with you.
Hey, this is a murder investigation.
Yeah, and I wasn't in the country,
so I don't really see how
whatcha-get-up-to-in-Monaco,
how that's relevant to you.
That's for us to decide, Mr Curtis.
How would you describe your
relationship with Billy Paige?
We were best mates, weren't we?
We were planning on going
Centre Parcs together.
What exactly do you want me to say?
We hired him. He did the jobs
we couldn't be arsed to do.
Look, I'm sorry the geezer
copped it, all right.
But it's got nothing to do with me.
But he's been here
just under two years.
The landlord said
he was a good tenant.
Never had any complaints.
Landlord might want to reconsider.
[LINE RINGING]
Hi. DS Walsh.
I need a SOCO at 19,
Napoleon Tower, World's End.
Thanks.
[CAMERA CLICKS]
Oh.
I'm guessing that once had
a laptop on the end of it.
Oh.
Oh, hello.
"Tuesday, 10:00 am. Clare chat?"
Well, Billy died that night,
but Clare said she'd arranged
to meet him the following day.
Why would she lie about that?
Why not tell us
that they'd already met?
We need our own chat with Clare.
Did you know Lucas Sullivan
was an alias?
[SCOFFS] No.
Were you in on whatever he was up to?
Did he come to you and ask for help?
Well lured me with the prospect
of appearing on his podcast.
No, thank you.
We're trying to unpick
how a budding journalist
with as far as we can tell,
no relevant experience
in the service industry,
got employed by you
to work in the house
of a multimillionaire client.
Despite your background check.
I was duped.
He was very convincing.
But you did run checks
on Lucas Sullivan, right?
Of course. And they were watertight.
Enough to throw you off the scent?
Either Billy had a knack
for identity theft,
or he knew the real Lucas.
♪
Hello.
A warrant to search The Aether.
Oh.
Well, I'm sure you understand,
but we'll need to refer you
to our legal team.
Well, in the meantime, Mrs Curtis,
we'll continue with our search.
[MAN] Right. Let's go.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
[BEEPS, CLICKS]
10:00 am on Tuesday, where were you?
Here, preparing for the auction.
Not in the World's End Estate?
Why would I be there?
It's where Billy Paige lived.
What did he really talk to you
about at the auction?
I already told ya. He asked to meet.
[MAX] Had you ever met him
socially before?
No.
In his flat,
we found this note indicating
that you had met them.
I I have no idea what this is.
The coffee kiosk near Billy's flat
supplied us with their
recent transaction records.
Your credit card was used there
on five separate occasions
over the last month.
So again, where were you
at 10:00 am on Tuesday?
All right. May I see that, please?
[SIGHS]
All right, this wasn't me.
That card is used by my staff
for expenses and the like.
So you'll know who it was?
Yeah.
[LAYLA] Miss Chalk-Harris.
How long have you worked
for Clare Curtis?
Three years.
And on Tuesday morning,
did you meet with Billy Paige?
Did you know who he really was?
He He
He told me when things got
serious.
You and he
What, you were together?
Why didn't you tell us this before?
I I
I wan wanted to.
Were you at the function
on Tuesday night?
Taking on a fake identity
and holding down a job like that,
Billy must have been
onto something big.
We found this at Billy's flat.
"Clare chat."
Did Billy want to talk to you
about Clare Curtis?
I
I don't
My grandfather had a stammer.
He had this quote
"Because he talked so little,
"his words had a peculiar force.
"They were not worn
dull from constant use."
It's from My Antonia by Willa Cather.
Wonderful book.
You knew Billy better than most, Cate.
Why was he going to such lengths?
What was he hoping to find?
I don't know.
If Billy was
investigating Clare Curtis,
he must have talked to you.
No
honest.
You discovered your boyfriend
was undercover,
and at no point
did you think to ask why?
Can you chase the magistrate
about getting copies
of Clare Curtis' bank statements?
If Billy uncovered something dodgy,
maybe he tried to bribe her.
- [MOBILE CHIMES]
- Excuse me.
Well, my aunt's arrived.
She's in the family room.
ECHOS did carry out background checks
on Lucas Sullivan,
which got me thinking.
Did Billy Paige know Lucas?
- And it appears he did.
- I'll check on her.
Thank you.
Lucas Sullivan
studied hospitality at UWE
at the same time Billy Paige was there
- doing journalism.
- Good find
Well, let's track down
the real Lucas Sullivan
and see what he knows.
Sorry to keep you. One of those days.
How are you?
Oh, I'm OK.
But, you know, it's hard.
When I was at uni,
I got mugged at knifepoint.
It took me a while to feel safe again.
Years later, my first week
on the job, I tried to find
who did it, but never did.
They win twice, don't they?
Yeah.
I know the chances
of you finding the man
who attacked me are slim,
but I thought this might be useful.
Oh, did Max ever tell you
that I once sold a painting
to Sir Terence Conran?
He didn't. Impressive.
He was in Pink Floyd.
- Layla.
- Joking.
[DOOR OPENS]
Sorry.
I tried to take down
as much detail as possible.
I hope this helps.
Yeah, it-it does.
I'll phone London Zoo,
see if they've lost a giraffe.
Hilarious.
Er, wait. Is is that a tattoo?
Yes. I only got a glimpse of it,
but it looks like a bird on fire.
I'm thinking Phoenix?
I was just telling Layla
about Terence Conran.
Do you remember the time
that Habitat bought
one of my designs and put it
on a shower curtain?
Proud day. I bought two.
That's him!
That's the toe rag.
Well,
if that is him, I take it back.
You weren't a million miles away.
I'm sorry.
You'll be paid
until the end of the month.
Clare, you asked for me?
What's going on?
Well, like you don't know.
You're her mum.
Mikey, leave it.
This is more than
just the odd coffee, Cate.
We're not involving the police.
She's been syphoning money
from the accounts
thinking we wouldn't notice.
There's thousands of quid missing.
This This is wrong.
You've made a mistake.
So is this what Billy Lucas,
whatever he calls himself, found out?
You've been biting the hand
that feeds you all this time.
Oh, Cate
How's it going with
your paddle tennis man?
Erm, yeah, good.
Is he still letting you win
every game?
He wishes.
[BOTH LAUGH]
What was the call like
with Billy Paige's family?
Er, tough. Really tough.
Headlines are
they were looking forward
to meeting his new girlfriend.
Did they know what he was up to?
Didn't even know he had this job.
But his da said Billy had landed
a juicy story for his podcast.
Said he was onto something big.
Billy Paige's phone was a write-off,
but Cyber had managed
to salvage a couple of things.
Those Cyber boys
really know their stuff.
- Mm-hm.
- Cyber boys?
Nice try.
If Billy Paige's flat was ransacked,
somebody was after something.
- But what?
- SOCO came up empty
on any matching prints
for those at the flat.
Officers spoke to the neighbours,
nobody saw or heard anything.
I'm pulling up CCTV
from around the World's End.
Ashley's checking the boat hook
that we found at The Aether.
From the shape of the wound,
it's possible that this is our weapon.
Oh, and Cate Chalk-Harris
didn't tell us about
her relationship with Billy.
Might she have a motive?
Crime of passion? If things weren't
as rosy as she makes out.
Take a look at this
from Billy Paige's phone.
Clare Curtis' charity
do at The Aether.
[CHUCKLES]
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
So I've been looking into Bett
Timestamp is Tuesday. 22:16
Any GPS?
Data's corrupted, nothing usable.
And the goodbye ping from his phone?
One-oh-four.
But he went into the water
with his phone in his pocket,
so it could have remained
active for hours.
Does that look like
he's still at The Aether?
Clare Curtis said Billy
was there until midnight.
Unless he docked out early.
Someone jumped him
between there and home
Play the last bit again.
So I've been looking into Bett
Bett?
Is he saying Bettina?
Was he investigating Bettina,
the housekeeper?
♪
[BILLY] ..if the place fell
into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
So I've been looking into Bett
It sounds like he's saying your name.
Or I've been looking into
better ways of
something like that.
That was recorded at 22:16
on Tuesday night.
Was Billy still working then?
[BETTINA] I don't know.
I headed back to the house
just before 10:00.
- [LAYLA] You did?
- It's a bloody mess, eh?
Mr Curtis, this was
a private conversation.
[LAYLA] Er, why was Billy
looking into you?
I have no idea.
Perhaps he discovered
what was going on.
They're gonna find out.
What has been going on?
After you asked to look
at our finances,
we did a bit of
investigating of our own.
My daughter, Cate.
She's been relieved of her duties,
but it's all a huge mistake.
Turns out she's a little thief.
Mike, please!
Is it possible that
Billy discovered this?
No.
Because there's nothing to discover.
Cate's innocent.
She is!
[MAX] You previously told us
you weren't at the auction
on Tuesday night.
But that's not true, is it?
[LAYLA] We've obtained a copy
of your phone activity.
On Tuesday, you sent
quite a few texts to Billy.
Increasingly frustrated.
The last one shortly before 9:00 pm,
you tell Billy, "I'm on my way."
[CATE] No, I
I was there
Not long. I went to
to speak to Billy,
but I left.
I don't like crowds.
"Do not tell her."
What did you mean by that?
[LAYLA] We know you were dismissed
from your post today.
- Is that connected?
- No.
Was it because of this?
Money disappearing
from Clare Curtis' account
alongside a charge
to your personal account.
[MAX] Is that what you didn't want
Billy showing to Clare Curtis?
I
I I am not a thief.
That one payment of £650
is a reimbursement.
Money I was owed.
Tuesday night, I was trying to
- stop Billy
- From?
From speaking to Clare.
I noticed this strange thing
in the finances and
confided in Billy.
[MAX] And what was that?
Money going out of the accounts.
I showed it to Billy. He
He thought it was Mike.
Clare's husband?
I didn't think it was him,
but Billy kept looking.
[LAYLA] And what did he find?
I don't know.
As Clare's PA, you have access
to her financial records.
So if Billy had shown them
to Clare, she'd have known
where they'd come from.
And you'd lose your job.
The irony.
I wish I had stopped him.
He was
perfect.
He made me feel
for the first time that
that this
this doesn't matter.
Oh no, I forgot.
I'll-I'll, er
I'll phone and cancel.
- Cancel what?
- My hike with Roz.
- Go!
- I can't.
- What's more important?
- Well
Max, there is more to life
than work, work, work.
Hey, you've been first in the office
and last to leave
every day for two weeks.
I knew Bob would grass on me.
It's just
the flat, it's a bit of a mess.
When I moved onto the houseboat,
I didn't unpack for months.
There's still a box
I can't quite face.
Go. Now!
♪
Roz.
- Hi.
- Hi.
[ROZ CLEARS THROAT]
[CHUCKLES]
- Erm, this way.
- Oh, great.
How are you?
Yeah, I-I'm good. How are you?
♪
[MOBILE CHIMES]
Find a job you love and you'll
never work a day in your life.
What a crock, eh?
How do you manage it?
Well, my job's a little
different to yours.
If I plant a seedling,
I don't expect it
to text me with updates.
Well,
if you could create a plant
like that, I'd buy it.
[ROZ CHUCKLES]
I can barely keep a cactus alive.
A plant hooked up to an app
might encourage Kieron
to follow in his mum's footsteps.
- How is he?
- He's good.
He said to say hi.
He has a new girlfriend
who understands
none of my references.
My hilarious jokes
are suddenly unfunny granddad jokes.
- Tumbleweeds?
- [LAUGHS] All the time.
[MOBILE CHIMES]
[MAX SIGHS]
If you need to be somewhere,
we can pick this up another time.
No, no, no. Silenced.
Or if you need to keep one eye
on your phone, that's fine, too.
What?
Thank you.
Well, it was always a wedge
between Astrid and I.
Oh. I promised myself I wasn't
gonna mention her name.
I'm impressed it took you an hour.
Well, something else I'm trying
to put on silent occasionally.
Well, Stockholm syndrome is a thing.
[MAX LAUGHS]
What did you buy your aunt in the end?
Oh, a book.
- Any old book or
- Sorry.
Erm, an early edition.
- My Antonia by
- Willa Cather.
- Yes.
- It's one of my favourites.
It's years well, decades.
Now let's just stick
with years since I read it.
Same here.
If you need to get back.
What?
No, no, no, no.
The nearest bookshop.
- What?
- Well
if you have time,
we could hunt for a copy.
Yes.
Right. Well, erm
Hampstead High Street.
Hampstead High Street is that way.
Oh.
Hi. I'm looking for a Charlie Weir.
♪
Mr Weir?
Hi.
Your flatmate said you'd be here.
DS Walsh.
- Can we talk?
- Sure.
What seems to be the trouble?
Were you anywhere near Brompton Park
yesterday morning?
Nah. Not me. Why?
Well, because someone
matching your descript
I'll take that as a yes.
[PANTING]
Oh! Damn it!
[PANTING]
Charlie Weir, you're under arrest
on suspicion of assault and theft.
♪
[SIGHS]
So Clare Curtis' charity
do at The Aether.
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
So I've been looking into Bett
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
So I've been looking into Bett
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
[VOICE FADES] If the place
fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
[PLAYS PIANO]
Erik Satie
♪
[MOBILE CHIMES]
♪
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
Harper Lee.
[LAUGHS]
I see you booked him. Well done.
Took a leaf out of your book.
Acted on a hunch.
Officers recovered that
from Charlie Weir's flat.
Well, I think you should
return it to Olivia.
And if you could do the paperwork,
could you give that to Ashley?
What's that?
A blood sample from the crime scene.
Wait, there's a crime scene?
Well, possibly.
I was watching
Billy's video last night.
So you were also working late.
You could hear the piano at
The Aether in the background.
It's faint, but too faint for
him to still be at the venue.
So this morning,
50 metres away, I found
blood spots on the concrete.
Which, if it is Billy's,
means he wasn't at the auction
till the bitter end.
And Clare Curtis has been lying to us.
Let's keep our focus on The Aether.
Recheck the social media posts.
See if you can spot Billy
in anything after 10:15 pm.
He's here.
Who?
Mike Curtis has come in
for a little chat.
He lied about his flight.
He was back in the UK
earlier than he told us.
You said you left Monaco
and flew back from Nice,
arriving into Gatwick
at 0115 hours on Wednesday.
Correct.
But we checked with the airline.
You weren't on that flight.
Well, I didn't say I was, did I?
But we know you took
an earlier flight from Paris
into Gatwick.
Which arrived shortly
after 6:00 pm, Tuesday.
Where were you between then
and 1:00 am?
I was at home.
I drove straight home
and I stayed there.
Can anyone confirm that?
No. They were all at the do.
Were you? Did you go to The Aether?
No. Look, can't you just
check the CCTV for this?
You told us you weren't in the country
when Billy Paige was killed.
Why did you lie?
We believe that Billy Paige
was investigating your finances.
[JESS] Did you fire Cate
to deflect attention from yourself?
- No.
- Someone was taking money
from your wife's accounts.
Yeah, Cate was.
OK, then explain this.
We believe that Billy Paige
was killed because he was
about to tell Clare what he had found.
And it doesn't make sense that
he'd throw Cate under the bus.
Why not?
Oh, I get it. Because I had
a little secret teenage romance.
You think Billy Lucas,
whatever his name is,
he found out that I was
nicking from my wife?
Excellent work, Detectives.
I mean, come on.
All right, I told a little white lie.
I was in Monaco.
I had a change of plans.
I was booked on that flight,
but then I ended up
getting a train back to Paris
on Sunday, all right?
Well, what change of plans?
My, erm
My old dear lives in Paris.
What? Your mother?
Well, why didn't you
tell us this earlier?
Well, it's just, you know,
it's women, innit?
Yeah. You're gonna have to
give us a bit more than that.
What exactly do you want me to say?
What? That I flew back
in early to kill the help?
All right, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean that.
But Clare's, erm
Well, Clare doesn't
get on with my mum, OK?
So I'm like a rose between two thorns.
I didn't tell her
and I didn't tell you about
my little stopover in Paris.
Well, I mean
anything for an easy life, eh.
♪
Penny for your thoughts.
You couldn't afford it.
Phil? There's, erm
There's something I need to show you.
♪
So
I spoke to the real
Lucas Sullivan over Zoom.
Poor guy was really affected
by Billy's death.
Connor was right about them
being old uni mates.
So did he know Billy
was impersonating him?
Not only did he know,
he gave him permission.
And get this.
"I told him he could use it,
"but I didn't think he'd
actually go through with it.
"It's a rumour.
I told Billy, it's not true."
Well, use what?
Lucas knew Billy loved
a good story to investigate.
He told Billy,
and Billy clearly ran with it.
This is the best part.
It concerns the Curtis housekeeper.
- Bettina Chalk-Harris?
- Yep.
- Can you just tell us?
- This is really annoying.
- Jess!
- What was the rumour?
That, and we're talking decades ago,
when Bettina worked
at the Sandringham Estate,
she had an affair with a senior Royal.
And you can guess the rest.
Illegitimate child, blah, blah.
That's why Billy was undercover.
So Cate was the child.
Our victim was in a relationship
with a woman who may be royalty.
Wow.
That's definitely the best part.
- OK.
- So
So So it certainly widens
the pool of suspects.
Hey, I'm all in for
storming Buckingham Palace.
[BETTINA] I'm sorry I lied before.
[MAX] Why?
Because
in this job,
appearances are everything.
Discretion is paramount.
My clients expect trust
and traditional values.
No exceptions.
So if word had spread,
you were having an affair.
I warned Lucas
Billy to keep his sticky beak out,
but he was like a hound with a scent.
So what is the truth?
I did get pregnant.
I kept it secret.
Why should I explain myself?
I quietly left my post,
and a year later I reappeared
with a baby in tow.
[MAX] Cate?
Cate.
Does she know?
- About?
- About her father.
Did you?
Well
that's why the rumour persists.
No matter how vociferously I deny it.
Her father is the former
head cook at Sandringham.
He's in Miami now. He's a good man,
a live-in chef for a lazy billionaire.
There are lots of those about.
But no, alas, my daughter is not
the future Queen of England.
And Cate explained this to Billy?
I expect so.
So he knew this lead was no good,
then why stay on at the Curtis House?
Well,
I did think it was because he
was in love with my daughter.
[SIGHS]
Hard to tell the difference
between your
"I've cracked it" face
and your "I'm tired,
- leave me alone" face.
- Bit of both.
I'm digging deeper into
the Curtis corporate finances.
Found that "something big" yet?
Chasing ghosts around spreadsheets.
The public-facing stuff,
it's boring, clean.
- As you would expect.
- I mean, too clean.
There are a lot of accounts offshore.
Found a few patterns
that don't look right.
Millions paid into
their charitable foundation.
Millionaires dodging taxes
very NFC.
While you're chasing big fish,
I've been snooping
on the ECHOS' owner,
Joanna Picard.
Five years ago, she got fired
from a housekeeping job
at a stately home in Kent.
- Any reason?
- The plumbing man I spoke to
said he'd get back to me forthwith.
[LAUGHS]
[MAX] You told us before
that Billy was alive and well
when the function ended at midnight.
- Yes.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah.
- Did you see him?
What?
We believe that Billy
came here following a story
about one of your staff.
He then discovered an anomaly
in your finances
and decided that that was the story.
We've noticed large amounts
flying in and out of your accounts
almost on a daily basis.
[SIGHS]
OK, this isn't the bombshell
that you two think is.
I'm sure you both know my background.
Children's homes,
in and out of trouble,
runaway, dropout
The poor little Salford girl
who won against the odds.
I set up the foundation
to help kids like me
who've been dealt a bad hand.
We don't all manage to get out.
I'm in the process
of transferring all
well, it's pretty much all
my wealth to the foundation.
I'm at that age where I've
been thinking about legacy.
Does Mike know about this?
- No.
- How would he react
if he found out?
If Billy had revealed it.
I don't know.
Is it possible Mike was saving
some of that money for himself?
[MAX] And if so,
Mike wouldn't want Billy
telling you what he was up to.
Well, Mike wasn't here
on Tuesday night, was he?
Yes, he was.
His flight arrived from Paris
just after 6:00 pm.
No.
So he was in London long
before Billy Paige was killed.
Paris?
[LAYLA] Where his mother lives.
Oh, yeah, I think he
he did mention that now.
What is this about?
My colleague spoke
to the house manager
at Edwina Manor in Kent, who confirmed
that you were caught stealing.
Allegedly. The dismissal was a farce.
It was completely unproven.
Well, we hear that a lot.
Innocent people
tend to say, "I didn't do it."
And I'll say it
till I'm blue in the face.
Diamond necklace worth £30,000?
It was a mendacious accusal.
Tell me about your
relationship with Billy Paige.
I barely knew the man.
He conned me, remember?
Did you ever visit him?
Stopped by his flat?
Oh, why would I?
My colleague also found this.
Where is this colleague of yours?
From outside Billy's block of flats.
Time stamped 01:56 am
on Wednesday morning,
hours after we believe
Billy Paige was attacked
and thrown into the Thames.
We need your fingerprints
for elimination purposes.
Found a lot of prints in Billy's flat.
What's this?
A search warrant.
You asked about my colleague.
I offered to do this interview
because he's currently searching
your home and office.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
♪
Oh.
The lab said, any moment for the swab.
Any update on the boat hook?
It was clean.
No prints, no DNA.
And this size and shape
isn't a match for the wounds.
Back to square one then.
A similar shape, though?
Yes. So if you can find another one.
I'll give them a nudge.
Oh, er, how was the hike?
Oh. What happened?
Well, despite best efforts,
I still managed to mention Astrid.
Ooh.
You know, I've been on one
one disastrous date
since John and I
And I did the same thing.
So maybe don't mention Astrid
next time.
There will be a next time?
She texted.
There you go. You texted back?
It was on my list.
- Oh, God.
- [ASHLEY] Good news.
The lab managed to extract DNA
from the blood you found,
it's a match for Billy Paige.
There's tonnes here.
Even the offshore stuff.
Billy Paige had a promising
future as an investigator.
Does it fit with Clare transferring
money to her charity?
Yeah, it's all here. But
there's other transactions
the ones the PA's been
dismissed for
Money going to an external account.
It's spread out, under the radar.
Easy to miss. Five grand here,
10 grand there,
100 grand over the past year.
[WHISTLES] I mean, I'd notice
if 10 quid was missing
from my account.
Well, what if Clare Curtis'
charity is a front?
I mean, after all,
this has the hallmarks
of money laundering.
There' so much money going
in and out on a daily basis.
Cate the PA had access to the money.
Yes. So does Mike Curtis.
Was Joanna Picard working alone?
Maybe Mike got wind of Clare's plans
and decided to squirrel away
some of their fortune for himself.
We're checking CCTV
around the Curtis household
to confirm his alibi.
ANPR cameras
caught his car heading east
on the King's Road at 20:41.
Heading home, or to The Aether?
[LAYLA] Whatever Mike's up to,
he wouldn't want Billy telling Clare.
Maybe he cut short his trip
to silence him.
OK. You two find out
why Joanna Picard had that laptop.
You and I will go
talk to the Curtises.
We recovered this laptop
from your offices.
I've never seen that before.
[CONNOR] It belonged to Billy Paige.
Why did you have it?
This has helped us connect a few dots.
It contains what looks like
proof of criminal activity.
Someone has stolen
just shy of £100,000
from various personal
and business accounts
relating to Clare Curtis.
And it wasn't her PA Cate.
[CONNOR] We also found this
bank statement in your name.
This shows one of many deposits
into your personal account.
Can you explain this?
[JESS] You were being very careful.
But then along came Billy.
Was he about to tell
Clare Curtis what you were up to?
I don't know anything about this.
The problem is, Joanna,
that there's a direct
correlation between
the amounts transferred
out of the Curtis accounts
and the deposits paid
into your personal account.
Always 50 percent.
Sorry, I didn't mean to.
I was looking for Clare.
She's out.
Care for one?
No, thank you.
You think you're better
than me, don't you, Phil?
Not at all.
I think you do.
I think coz you've had
a little sip of my life,
you think it's running all the way
through your veins now.
You want what I've got,
don't you, mate?
Why don't you sit yourself down, Phil?
Go on.
Take a load off. Me and you
need to have a little chat.
Did you kill Billy Paige?
- No.
- But you knew he was dead
- when you went to his flat.
- I didn't.
You knew he wouldn't be there
and you had his keys.
- Did you take them off him?
- I didn't know.
Oh, look, all I knew was that Lucas
Billy knew about the money.
And-And
I didn't want any of this.
- This wasn't my idea.
- Then whose was it?
Er, door's open.
Mr Curtis?
[WOMAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]
- Hello?
- I'm in here.
He needs your help.
Please help.
- He's alive. Steady pulse.
- Is he gonna be all right?
DS Walsh. I need paramedics.
31, Wigstone Street, SW3.
Mrs Curtis? What happened here?
I don't know.
I was out.
I found him.
Mikey.
[CRIES] Can you hear me?
[MAX] We have Joanna Picard
in custody.
Do you know where we might
find Philip Hawksley?
Is that who attacked your husband?
- [WHISPERS] You don't
- Just stop!
[CLARE SIGHS]
You know, some days the only
people that I speak to
are paid staff
and paid advisers. All
trying to protect me.
If I could go back, I'd explain.
Explain what?
Just how my life works,
how his life works,
How
we're not the same.
[MAX] Philip Hawksley
- Since this time last year.
- And Mike found out?
I I don't know.
I don't know. I just
I walked in and found Phil
standing over him.
And then he asked me to go with him.
You know, like
like I can just disappear.
And where is he now?
I don't know.
But please, will you tell him
that I forgive him for attacking Mike?
What about for killing Billy Paige?
No, no.
That-that that was
that was Cate or the, erm
That was, erm,
the Picard woman surely.
Was Billy really at the auction
at the end of the night?
Yeah.
Yeah, I think so.
I think Phil, he, erm
That's what Phillip told you.
Joanna Picard and Phillip Hawksley
have been conspiring
to steal money from you.
Only Billy found out.
[LAYLA] That's what he wanted
to talk to you about.
To warn you about Philip Hawksley.
And that's why Philip had to stop him.
No.
Phil?
No, no.
You were his mark.
[SIGHS]
[INDISTINCT PA ANNOUNCEMENT]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
[CLANKING]
♪
[INDISTINCT PA ANNOUNCEMENTS]
[PANTING]
[SIREN WAILING]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Clare told us about your affair.
Did her husband confront you today?
Is that why you attacked him?
[LAYLA] Did he discover
that you've been stealing from them?
How is he, Mike?
Wondered when you were
gonna ask that. He'll live.
And once he's able to,
he'll tell us what happened,
so sit tight.
Let's talk about you
and Joanna Picard.
She tells us it was your idea
to steal from Clare Curtis.
Clare's worth, what, half a billion?
She wasn't gonna miss
5 or 10K here and there.
Could you explain this?
It's from your e-mails.
A receipt for a boat hook.
Purchased the morning
after Billy died.
Clare said the one in The Aether
had been mislaid, so I replaced it.
[MAX] Yes, well, it happens.
Boat hooks go missing all the time.
I found the spot
where you hit Billy Paige.
Fifty metres along from The Aether.
His blood is still there
in the concrete.
Did you know he was still alive
when he went in the water?
You hit him,
you took his keys.
And you told Joanna
to destroy the evidence.
And before you deny it,
you should know
that she's confirmed all this.
[LAYLA] Clare Curtis too.
She's not happy that you used her.
I didn't.
I love her.
That's the problem.
Where it all went wrong.
[SIGHS]
Look
I made a mistake with Billy.
I warned him. I-I gave him a choice.
The day before,
Billy showed me what he found,
and I implored him not to
waste Clare's time with it.
She didn't need to know.
I explained that Clare and I,
we were gonna be together.
Is she all right?
Her husband's in the hospital
and her lover's on the hook for fraud,
GBH, and murder.
I mean
did she ask about me?
What did you explain to Billy?
That he would be compensated.
Handsomely compensated.
As long as he covered up
what he had found.
That night
he wasn't supposed to be there.
I'd given him the evening off.
But in he walked.
Quite the provocation.
[PHILIP] We had an agreement.
But Billy couldn't
ignore a good story.
So when I saw him talking to Clare
I panicked.
I hit him.
I know I let emotions take over,
but what was I supposed to do?
I gave him a choice.
Oh, ho, ho!
I don't know how to thank you!
I'm just sorry the idiot who nicked it
binned everything else.
But why do you think he kept this?
He said his girlfriend liked it.
Oh, Izzy would have loved that.
A fan!
[CHUCKLES]
Late. Supposed to be meeting Dinesh.
Date four?
Er, yeah.
I let him win the last game.
Very noble.
I know.
See you tomorrow.
♪
♪
[SIGHS]
[MOBILE CHIMES]
Ha.
[LINE RINGING]
[MOBILE RINGS]
Max. Hi. I thought
you were ignoring me.
Oh, sorry.
I-I've been meaning to call.
You know, maybe this work-life
balance thing has substance.
[CHUCKLES] Well, if it means
you return my calls.
The thing is,
I'm not very good at this.
Maybe it's my inquisitive mind,
but I always err towards
taking things apart.
You know, I replace the chain,
and then the brakes start squeaking.
Hm.
Well, sometimes
sometimes you just have to accept.
It's time for a new bike.
Yeah.
I enjoyed our walk.
If you're planning another
Saturday. Same time, same place.
Yeah.
I-I'll see you there.
OK. Bye.
[THEME MUSIC]
sync & corrections awaqeded
♪
[PIANO MUSIC]
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- Hello. Nice to see you.
- Hi.
- [CLARE] Hello, hello.
- Oh.
Thank you for coming,
everyone. Genuinely.
Now, for those of you who weren't
at last year's auction,
where were you?
[LAUGHTER]
Details on how to bid are,
well, they are everywhere,
as you can see.
And we have got some amazing packages
for you to bid on tonight.
We have an original Vivienne Westwood.
[PEOPLE EXCLAIMING]
We have a villa on Lake Como.
We have Gray Marshall's Yacht
for the week! Wow.
Thank you, Gray!
Wha-hey to Gray.
Er, now the auction,
it kicks off an hour from now,
which means you have just enough time
to charge up your glasses
with your drinks.
Charge up your phones
and good luck and enjoy, everyone.
Thank you for coming.
[APPLAUDING]
Clare. Er, a word.
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
Sorry to interrupt. I'm heading off.
Thank you for a brilliant party.
Bye.
So, Clare Curtis' charity
do at The Aether.
I mean, the money here,
if this place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
So I've been looking into Bett
What do you want?
[THEME MUSIC]
[CHAIN CLANKS]
Good morning to you too, Bob.
[MOBILE RINGING]
[MAX SIGHS, MUTTERS]
- [LINE RINGING]
- [SIGHS]
[GRUNTS, GROANS]
I'm all right. I'm all right!
You've got, but No! Come back!
Come back!
[RINGING CONTINUES]
Olivia?
Olivia!
[SIGHS]
[LINE DISCONNECTS]
[SIREN CHIRPS]
[MOTOR WHIRRING]
♪
[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]
♪
- Morning.
- Hello.
I saw the police boat this morning.
Wonder what they were looking for.
Turns out a tugboat captain
saw something snagged on Cadogan Pier.
I see one male in his 20s.
- Sir.
- Good morning.
- Sir.
- [MOBILE RINGING]
- Astrid?
- No, my aunt.
It's her birthday tomorrow.
She thinks I've forgotten.
I haven't.
I haven't spoken to Astrid for months.
Well, staying strong. That's good.
Well, she hasn't called me.
- What's today's date?
- Fifteenth.
Oh, no, it's today.
Olivia's birthday is today.
Well, good job you didn't forget.
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
♪
OK, so he's been in the water
less than 12 hours.
But there's a possibility
any useful forensic evidence
may have been degraded
by the saltwater.
Well, what are we saying?
He jumped off a bridge
and hit his head on the way down?
Not unless he bounced.
He has two separate skull contusions,
both frontal, one deeper
than the other,
possibly from a heavy
pointed instrument.
Any idea where he went in?
Ebb tide.
It was a full moon last night.
Should I write down "werewolf"?
High water at Chelsea Bridge
would have been 0315
and peaked at 7.8 metres.
Quicker if you point.
Well, he must
have gone in west of here
because the tidal surge
would have carried him down.
- Any ID?
- Er, yes.
Two things tucked into his phone case.
Coffee shop loyalty card
and his work ID.
Phone is waterlogged.
I send it to Cyber.
[MAX] "LLV?"
Lucas? Surname's illegible.
Oh, the letters in the corner
look like a company logo.
E-C-H-O-S.
Eck-oss?
Echoes.
"Echoes hardware supplies,
Echoes auto repair."
This could be it.
"Executive Chelsea Household
and Operational Services.
"Providing elite homes
with household staff."
Some rich person got tired
of their butler
and threw him away?
Question is where did he buttle?
Is "buttle" the word?
- No.
- No.
♪
Welcome. Joanna Picard.
How may I help you?
DI Arnold, this is DS Walsh,
Chelsea Police.
We're here about
one of your employees
first name, Lucas?
Well, that's Lucas Sullivan.
He's on our books.
Is he in trouble?
We've had to make a formal ID,
but a body was pulled
from the Thames this morning.
- Oh, my God.
- [MAX] I'm sorry.
Sorry, is it "Eck-oss" or "Echoes"?
Echoes.
I chose it because it hints
at legacy. Echoes of the past.
We offer something here
that other household agencies
don't tradition and trust.
Nice pitch.
Here he is.
[LAYLA] What can you tell us
about Lucas?
He's one of our junior
executive household managers.
What, like a butler?
For Clare Curtis.
As in Clothing by Curtis?
Marvellous woman.
This is one of hers, actually.
Was Lucas working last night?
Yep, he was serving drinks at
Clare's annual charity bash,
an auction for her foundation.
- [MAX] Where was this?
- [JOANNA] The Aether.
It's Clare's event Space on the river.
I showed my face.
Couldn't afford to bid
on anything, mind.
Did you speak to Lucas?
Mm. We may have exchanged hellos.
He was busy.
- How did he seem?
- Fine.
- Nothing stands out.
- Was there any trouble?
No, of course not.
Do you know what time
Lucas left the venue?
Er, well, I'm not sure.
I left at 10:00.
He was still there then.
Looks like he was new to the agency.
He joined us a little
over three months ago.
I assume you'll run background checks.
We are famously picky.
Lucas came with sterling references.
He had previously worked
at an Ambassador's residence
in Madrid.
We'll, erm, need a copy
of that employment file.
Do you supply any other personnel
for the Curtis household?
We supply all of their staff.
The household manager,
the housekeeper,
and Clare Curtis' PA.
I'll send you everything I have.
Thank you.
♪
[MAX] Thank you.
Stop.
No OK.
Can you stop, please?
Good morning.
This is DI Arnold. I'm DS Walsh.
Did our colleagues not tell you
this is a potential crime scene?
I explained on the phone
that that particular horse
had already bolted.
Yes. The venue was clean,
top to bottom after the party ended.
[CLAGS]
Pascal, love
Love, could you leave that
for now, please?
Thank you.
Can you tell us about
your function last night?
[CLARE] Mike, my husband, and I
organised a charity event
for my foundation.
Poor Lucas.
I mean, do we know what happened yet?
Was it an accident or?
We're still piecing it together.
Well however we can help.
We understand you own
this venue, Mrs Curtis.
- Yes.
- May we take a look around?
Sorry, we would require a warrant.
It's a private space, you understand.
I didn't catch your name.
Are you Mr Curtis?
No. You're not the first
to make that mistake.
This is Phil, my house manager.
Phillip Hawksley, dogsbody.
Do you know what, I I don't
want to appear obstructive.
We're all still trying
to absorb this news.
Lucas was working here last night.
But I assure you,
nothing happened at the party.
What time did he finish?
- Well, when the party ended.
- Midnight.
Do you know where he went after that?
Well, home, I assume.
You didn't see him meet anyone?
Erm, no.
Do you know if he had a partner?
We leave our personal lives
at the gate.
Discretion is a key part of the job.
Phil, could you check on Pascal?
Excuse me.
We need to see a copy
of your guest list
and any CCTV footage.
Hm. No CCTV, I'm afraid.
My guests can be a fickle bunch
when it comes to privacy.
As for a list of attendees,
I'll need to tick a few boxes first.
Preserving the anonymity
of your peers, or buying time?
My guests attended a charity
event, not a crime scene.
You know, I need to be careful.
If your guests are so concerned with
preserving their anonymity,
maybe they shouldn't have
posted pictures of themselves
all over Instagram and TikTok.
OK. From my end, I will tick
those boxes as fast as I can.
But there is something,
and it's best that
you hear it from me first.
Lucas and I were supposed
to meet this morning.
- Who?
- Oh, no, it was nothing.
It's just that he asked to have a chat
last night, but he was busy,
it wasn't the right time,
so I suggested the morning.
[LAYLA] Why didn't you
mention that earlier?
And do you know what it was about?
Look, I promise you now,
Lucas was alive and well
when that auction ended.
Well, his body was recovered
from the Thames.
♪
[EXHALES]
[EXHALES HEAVILY]
[JESS] Last month, The Aether
was used by the Home Office
for a seminar on work-life balance.
Is that that "finding
of balance" nonsense?
[JESS] What's wrong with it?
It's good to explore new ideas.
Forget about Max's aversion to change.
Oh, I admit I am wary of change,
and you know what that really is? Hm?
An underhand way to abolish overtime.
[CONNOR] I need that.
These renovations are bleeding me dry.
You wait till the baby comes.
[MOBILE VIBRATING]
DC Connor Pollock
Have you seen the acronym they use?
- Smart.
- Yes.
Specified outcomes,
clear Measures of success,
Achievable steps,
Relevant to the problem,
with a clear Timetable.
Well, that's a roundabout
way to spell smart.
How's the guest list, Layla?
- Anyone of interest?
- Take your pick.
NFC?
Yep.
No further comment?
Normal for Chelsea.
Ah.
Well, Lucas Sullivan is visible
in a couple of these photos.
The guests I've approached so far
have all referred us
to their legal teams.
Any worth their salt will get
their clients to talk to us.
We'll just haul them in.
Nobody's above the law.
Even the Curtis household staff
have NDAs we need to navigate.
Well, there's four of them.
Including Lucas,
there's Cate Chalk-Harris, the PA.
Philip Hawksley, the house manager,
Bettina Chalk-Harris,
also Cate's mother,
is the housekeeper.
The bigger mystery is what
Clare Curtis does all day.
Ah, makes money.
OK. Thank you.
My aunt's downstairs.
Desk Sergeant says
she sounds rather distressed.
Well, to be fair, I get like
that on my birthday, too.
OK, so the address
on Lucas Sullivan's work file
is a dud.
They don't know him from Adam,
but our colleagues
up in Manchester
spoke to Sullivan's sister,
who says he's very much alive
and has been working
in Madrid the last two months.
She supplied a photo.
Meet Lucas Sullivan.
Spot the difference.
Then who the hell did we
fish out of the Thames?
♪
[BETTINA] We're all upset
about Lucas, Cate.
- [SNIFFLING]
- Calm down.
Keep
Keep calm and carry on.
Great advice, Mum.
He's dead.
Here.
Hey
If you ask me, Lucas asked
too many questions.
Maybe, just maybe
it caught up with him.
- [SIREN CHIRPS]
- [INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
- Olivia.
- Just popping my head in
- to say "Happy birthday."
- Is it?
Well, it is, isn't it?
I meant the happy bit.
What's happened? I've been trying
to call. Your phone's dead.
Well, therein lies the tale.
Why? Where have you been?
[SIGHS]
I was mugged.
Oh, my God!
- Are you OK?
- Yes. No
Oh, not really. I'm bruised.
Some chancer knocked me over
and ran off with my bag,
with my phone.
- With everything.
- What?
Oh, Max, now don't make a fuss.
I'm allowed to make a fuss.
My old aunt has just been mugged.
- Less of the old, please.
- Sorry.
- Yeah, I didn't
- Did you get a look?
I told everything
to your man at the desk.
It all happened so fast.
Male, white, 20s, grey hoodie.
I spent the entire morning
at the bank,
and they treated me like a criminal
because I couldn't remember
my special name.
And now I've forgotten
all the passwords to my social app.
So I've got that whole farrago
to look forward to.
And Harper Lee was in my bag.
It's her cat.
Her dead cat.
Obviously, Max. I don't walk around
with a stuffed dead cat in my bag.
Yeah, well, that's a relief.
It's a sculpture.
It's a silly,
sentimental trinket that
Izzy made it in her pottery class
the year before she died and
Max said you're an artist.
Well, when you're ready,
maybe you could come back
and sketch us a likeness?
- Oh, no
- That's a wonderful idea.
And actually, I don't know
why my nephew didn't think of that.
I can't get my head around it.
I just keep expecting
Lucas to walk in.
What did the police say?
- Mention me?
- Love of my life,
pain in my arse.
Why on God's green Earth
is any of this about you?
- I'm just asking.
- Yes, I told them you did it.
Not really, obviously.
It'd surprise me if you did.
Oh, come on, Mikey.
Well, maybe I was jealous.
I found out you were shagging.
That's not funny.
Lucky Lucas, eh.
Come on, babe. Look, I'm joking.
I'm just trying
to lighten the mood here.
[WHIRRING]
Yeah.
Are you in favour of this?
If it means I can get home
and have dinner with Ben and the boys,
instead of on my own at 10:00 pm
from the microwave, why not?
Well, I have platinum accounts
for all the food delivery apps.
Go, me.
The tox results for our unknown male.
He was clean.
No alcohol or drugs in his system.
His TOD I can only give an
estimate because of the water.
But a six-hour window.
7:00 pm to 1:00 am.
Severe blood loss
from the head wounds,
but that wasn't the cause of death.
He was alive when he went in?
Significant presence
of fluid in the trachea
as well as pulmonary
and cerebral oedema.
Well, what about the weapon?
Metal. Heavy. Indentations suggest
it was spiked at one end.
Well, the killer probably
dumped it in the river
along with the body.
Do we have a budget
for a team of divers?
Might have the budget for a wet suit.
You can swim, Layla.
Attacker likely right-handed,
facing the victim
Depending on factors
proximity, direction of fall
I'd expect spatter,
maybe on the attacker,
definitely on the surrounding area.
♪
[LLOYD COLE] "Speedboat"
Some have said they OD'ed
on Leonard Cohen ♪
Well, I can see that river
whenever I think about them ♪
[MOBILE RINGING]
The river is cruel
And the water is deeper ♪
- [MUSIC STOPS]
- [CONTINUES RINGING]
- Hello.
- Check your e-mail.
We have a name for our imposter.
The phone company
traced the mobile number
on Lucas Sullivan's work file
to a William Paige.
So I did some digging and found him.
Goes by Billy Paige. 25,
work history has him
listed as a journalist.
Graduated from UWE three years ago.
Limited experience.
But he runs his own podcast,
The Final Paige.
Oh, clever.
Well, I thought you'd like that.
- Oh, is it crime?
- Loosely.
Do you think he ruffled some feathers?
Hm, easier if you have a listen.
Oh.
This morning, with my aunt
The sketch was a nice touch.
Look, I know it's not our case,
but I feel we should do something.
Who was Izzy?
Oh, Olivia's partner.
They were together for over 20 years.
Are you still at work?
No.
Yes. Maybe.
I'll see you tomorrow.
[SIREN WAILING OUTSIDE]
Hello, and welcome to The Final Paige.
With me, Billy Paige.
This week, "The Triple Agent."
The amazing true story
of Ian Mortlock,
the crooked MI5 spy
who lived a double-life.
Mm.
Professor from the university.
Unfortunately, she declined
to be named or to appear
It's all right, Bob.
Go ahead. I'm nearly done.
because if only one tenth
of what she just said is true,
she is a key witness.
♪
[RINGING]
Hey, what do you think of this?
Spiked on one end.
You know, most people
open with "Morning,
how are you?"
Hold it still then. What is it?
A boat hook.
Could this be
what was used on Billy Paige?
Interesting.
What?
Roz?
Hello, stranger.
How are you?
You're looking well.
Good. Same to you, too.
- Mm, good choice.
- Hope so.
What's the occasion?
Belated birthday.
If they're a cat owner,
be careful of the lilies.
They're highly toxic.
Good point. My aunt's not
really into flowers anyway.
Your aunt?
Yeah.
How's your son? How's Kieron?
Well remembered. He's fine, thanks.
He's doing his GCSEs.
I'm trying to help, but God,
it turns out I don't know anything.
Do you want to go for a drink?
- Now?
- No, er
It's a bit early.
Yeah, I meant after work,
but it's fine.
No, no, no. I'm
I'm doing a Couch-to
Well, actually,
I'm, I'm still on the couch,
but I plan to get to 5K eventually.
I'm going on a mini hike
tomorrow evening if you wanted to.
I'd like that.
I will text you the deets.
[SCOFFS] Living with a teenager.
- The details.
- Yeah.
When I saw the flowers
This time,
don't bring your ex
technically still your wife.
No, she sold her gallery.
She's moved back to Germany.
- Great.
- Her mother's sick.
Not so great.
OK. Well, I will see you tomorrow.
Yeah.
♪
A budding journalist
snooping among you
and none of you suspected?
[EXHALES]
No.
You'd think we'd know,
but the man I knew as Lucas,
he was professional,
he was hardworking. He
He was wholly convincing.
Did he get on well with everyone?
Staff, Mr and Mrs Curtis?
We're one big, happy family here.
He must have asked questions.
No, only about the job.
Billy went to great lengths
to work here.
Did he mention anything to you?
Any trouble he might be in?
[SNIFFLES]
It's OK.
Take your time.
Did you know that he had a podcast?
Do you know what he was doing here?
Pretending to be someone else?
No.
You know, chance meetings in London
are rarer than hen's teeth.
I bump into people
I know all the time.
Criminals don't count.
Do I need special equipment?
Roz said hike. You hike.
Used to.
Anyway, Hampstead Heath
is hardly the Moors.
Pair of sturdy shoes?
I know you have them.
Always buy for sturdiness.
Sturdiness beats fashion every time.
I don't know where to begin.
Wait.
Billy Paige's loyalty card.
[PHILIP] I want to help any way I can.
Except when they requested
to search the venue,
my colleagues noted
that you were obstructive
Oh, not at all. If it was my choice.
But I have to prioritise
my employer's interests.
Mr Paige was planning on speaking
with Clare Curtis
the morning after he died.
Did he discuss that with you?
He did. But his probationary
period with us was nearly up,
and he wanted to make sure
Clare would put in
a good word for him with the agency.
I assured him there were no problems.
Why would he care about that?
This wasn't a vacation for him.
I've been asking myself
the same question.
- Thanks.
- The owner says
Billy Paige was a regular customer,
bought a coffee most days,
and on Tuesday he bought two.
So he had company?
It would appear so.
I wasn't even at the party.
Like I explained,
I flew back from Monaco.
I got into Gatwick, I don't
know, just after 1:00 am.
And what were you doing in Monaco?
Well, no disrespect, Detective.
I don't think it's got
anything to do with you.
Hey, this is a murder investigation.
Yeah, and I wasn't in the country,
so I don't really see how
whatcha-get-up-to-in-Monaco,
how that's relevant to you.
That's for us to decide, Mr Curtis.
How would you describe your
relationship with Billy Paige?
We were best mates, weren't we?
We were planning on going
Centre Parcs together.
What exactly do you want me to say?
We hired him. He did the jobs
we couldn't be arsed to do.
Look, I'm sorry the geezer
copped it, all right.
But it's got nothing to do with me.
But he's been here
just under two years.
The landlord said
he was a good tenant.
Never had any complaints.
Landlord might want to reconsider.
[LINE RINGING]
Hi. DS Walsh.
I need a SOCO at 19,
Napoleon Tower, World's End.
Thanks.
[CAMERA CLICKS]
Oh.
I'm guessing that once had
a laptop on the end of it.
Oh.
Oh, hello.
"Tuesday, 10:00 am. Clare chat?"
Well, Billy died that night,
but Clare said she'd arranged
to meet him the following day.
Why would she lie about that?
Why not tell us
that they'd already met?
We need our own chat with Clare.
Did you know Lucas Sullivan
was an alias?
[SCOFFS] No.
Were you in on whatever he was up to?
Did he come to you and ask for help?
Well lured me with the prospect
of appearing on his podcast.
No, thank you.
We're trying to unpick
how a budding journalist
with as far as we can tell,
no relevant experience
in the service industry,
got employed by you
to work in the house
of a multimillionaire client.
Despite your background check.
I was duped.
He was very convincing.
But you did run checks
on Lucas Sullivan, right?
Of course. And they were watertight.
Enough to throw you off the scent?
Either Billy had a knack
for identity theft,
or he knew the real Lucas.
♪
Hello.
A warrant to search The Aether.
Oh.
Well, I'm sure you understand,
but we'll need to refer you
to our legal team.
Well, in the meantime, Mrs Curtis,
we'll continue with our search.
[MAN] Right. Let's go.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
[BEEPS, CLICKS]
10:00 am on Tuesday, where were you?
Here, preparing for the auction.
Not in the World's End Estate?
Why would I be there?
It's where Billy Paige lived.
What did he really talk to you
about at the auction?
I already told ya. He asked to meet.
[MAX] Had you ever met him
socially before?
No.
In his flat,
we found this note indicating
that you had met them.
I I have no idea what this is.
The coffee kiosk near Billy's flat
supplied us with their
recent transaction records.
Your credit card was used there
on five separate occasions
over the last month.
So again, where were you
at 10:00 am on Tuesday?
All right. May I see that, please?
[SIGHS]
All right, this wasn't me.
That card is used by my staff
for expenses and the like.
So you'll know who it was?
Yeah.
[LAYLA] Miss Chalk-Harris.
How long have you worked
for Clare Curtis?
Three years.
And on Tuesday morning,
did you meet with Billy Paige?
Did you know who he really was?
He He
He told me when things got
serious.
You and he
What, you were together?
Why didn't you tell us this before?
I I
I wan wanted to.
Were you at the function
on Tuesday night?
Taking on a fake identity
and holding down a job like that,
Billy must have been
onto something big.
We found this at Billy's flat.
"Clare chat."
Did Billy want to talk to you
about Clare Curtis?
I
I don't
My grandfather had a stammer.
He had this quote
"Because he talked so little,
"his words had a peculiar force.
"They were not worn
dull from constant use."
It's from My Antonia by Willa Cather.
Wonderful book.
You knew Billy better than most, Cate.
Why was he going to such lengths?
What was he hoping to find?
I don't know.
If Billy was
investigating Clare Curtis,
he must have talked to you.
No
honest.
You discovered your boyfriend
was undercover,
and at no point
did you think to ask why?
Can you chase the magistrate
about getting copies
of Clare Curtis' bank statements?
If Billy uncovered something dodgy,
maybe he tried to bribe her.
- [MOBILE CHIMES]
- Excuse me.
Well, my aunt's arrived.
She's in the family room.
ECHOS did carry out background checks
on Lucas Sullivan,
which got me thinking.
Did Billy Paige know Lucas?
- And it appears he did.
- I'll check on her.
Thank you.
Lucas Sullivan
studied hospitality at UWE
at the same time Billy Paige was there
- doing journalism.
- Good find
Well, let's track down
the real Lucas Sullivan
and see what he knows.
Sorry to keep you. One of those days.
How are you?
Oh, I'm OK.
But, you know, it's hard.
When I was at uni,
I got mugged at knifepoint.
It took me a while to feel safe again.
Years later, my first week
on the job, I tried to find
who did it, but never did.
They win twice, don't they?
Yeah.
I know the chances
of you finding the man
who attacked me are slim,
but I thought this might be useful.
Oh, did Max ever tell you
that I once sold a painting
to Sir Terence Conran?
He didn't. Impressive.
He was in Pink Floyd.
- Layla.
- Joking.
[DOOR OPENS]
Sorry.
I tried to take down
as much detail as possible.
I hope this helps.
Yeah, it-it does.
I'll phone London Zoo,
see if they've lost a giraffe.
Hilarious.
Er, wait. Is is that a tattoo?
Yes. I only got a glimpse of it,
but it looks like a bird on fire.
I'm thinking Phoenix?
I was just telling Layla
about Terence Conran.
Do you remember the time
that Habitat bought
one of my designs and put it
on a shower curtain?
Proud day. I bought two.
That's him!
That's the toe rag.
Well,
if that is him, I take it back.
You weren't a million miles away.
I'm sorry.
You'll be paid
until the end of the month.
Clare, you asked for me?
What's going on?
Well, like you don't know.
You're her mum.
Mikey, leave it.
This is more than
just the odd coffee, Cate.
We're not involving the police.
She's been syphoning money
from the accounts
thinking we wouldn't notice.
There's thousands of quid missing.
This This is wrong.
You've made a mistake.
So is this what Billy Lucas,
whatever he calls himself, found out?
You've been biting the hand
that feeds you all this time.
Oh, Cate
How's it going with
your paddle tennis man?
Erm, yeah, good.
Is he still letting you win
every game?
He wishes.
[BOTH LAUGH]
What was the call like
with Billy Paige's family?
Er, tough. Really tough.
Headlines are
they were looking forward
to meeting his new girlfriend.
Did they know what he was up to?
Didn't even know he had this job.
But his da said Billy had landed
a juicy story for his podcast.
Said he was onto something big.
Billy Paige's phone was a write-off,
but Cyber had managed
to salvage a couple of things.
Those Cyber boys
really know their stuff.
- Mm-hm.
- Cyber boys?
Nice try.
If Billy Paige's flat was ransacked,
somebody was after something.
- But what?
- SOCO came up empty
on any matching prints
for those at the flat.
Officers spoke to the neighbours,
nobody saw or heard anything.
I'm pulling up CCTV
from around the World's End.
Ashley's checking the boat hook
that we found at The Aether.
From the shape of the wound,
it's possible that this is our weapon.
Oh, and Cate Chalk-Harris
didn't tell us about
her relationship with Billy.
Might she have a motive?
Crime of passion? If things weren't
as rosy as she makes out.
Take a look at this
from Billy Paige's phone.
Clare Curtis' charity
do at The Aether.
[CHUCKLES]
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
So I've been looking into Bett
Timestamp is Tuesday. 22:16
Any GPS?
Data's corrupted, nothing usable.
And the goodbye ping from his phone?
One-oh-four.
But he went into the water
with his phone in his pocket,
so it could have remained
active for hours.
Does that look like
he's still at The Aether?
Clare Curtis said Billy
was there until midnight.
Unless he docked out early.
Someone jumped him
between there and home
Play the last bit again.
So I've been looking into Bett
Bett?
Is he saying Bettina?
Was he investigating Bettina,
the housekeeper?
♪
[BILLY] ..if the place fell
into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
So I've been looking into Bett
It sounds like he's saying your name.
Or I've been looking into
better ways of
something like that.
That was recorded at 22:16
on Tuesday night.
Was Billy still working then?
[BETTINA] I don't know.
I headed back to the house
just before 10:00.
- [LAYLA] You did?
- It's a bloody mess, eh?
Mr Curtis, this was
a private conversation.
[LAYLA] Er, why was Billy
looking into you?
I have no idea.
Perhaps he discovered
what was going on.
They're gonna find out.
What has been going on?
After you asked to look
at our finances,
we did a bit of
investigating of our own.
My daughter, Cate.
She's been relieved of her duties,
but it's all a huge mistake.
Turns out she's a little thief.
Mike, please!
Is it possible that
Billy discovered this?
No.
Because there's nothing to discover.
Cate's innocent.
She is!
[MAX] You previously told us
you weren't at the auction
on Tuesday night.
But that's not true, is it?
[LAYLA] We've obtained a copy
of your phone activity.
On Tuesday, you sent
quite a few texts to Billy.
Increasingly frustrated.
The last one shortly before 9:00 pm,
you tell Billy, "I'm on my way."
[CATE] No, I
I was there
Not long. I went to
to speak to Billy,
but I left.
I don't like crowds.
"Do not tell her."
What did you mean by that?
[LAYLA] We know you were dismissed
from your post today.
- Is that connected?
- No.
Was it because of this?
Money disappearing
from Clare Curtis' account
alongside a charge
to your personal account.
[MAX] Is that what you didn't want
Billy showing to Clare Curtis?
I
I I am not a thief.
That one payment of £650
is a reimbursement.
Money I was owed.
Tuesday night, I was trying to
- stop Billy
- From?
From speaking to Clare.
I noticed this strange thing
in the finances and
confided in Billy.
[MAX] And what was that?
Money going out of the accounts.
I showed it to Billy. He
He thought it was Mike.
Clare's husband?
I didn't think it was him,
but Billy kept looking.
[LAYLA] And what did he find?
I don't know.
As Clare's PA, you have access
to her financial records.
So if Billy had shown them
to Clare, she'd have known
where they'd come from.
And you'd lose your job.
The irony.
I wish I had stopped him.
He was
perfect.
He made me feel
for the first time that
that this
this doesn't matter.
Oh no, I forgot.
I'll-I'll, er
I'll phone and cancel.
- Cancel what?
- My hike with Roz.
- Go!
- I can't.
- What's more important?
- Well
Max, there is more to life
than work, work, work.
Hey, you've been first in the office
and last to leave
every day for two weeks.
I knew Bob would grass on me.
It's just
the flat, it's a bit of a mess.
When I moved onto the houseboat,
I didn't unpack for months.
There's still a box
I can't quite face.
Go. Now!
♪
Roz.
- Hi.
- Hi.
[ROZ CLEARS THROAT]
[CHUCKLES]
- Erm, this way.
- Oh, great.
How are you?
Yeah, I-I'm good. How are you?
♪
[MOBILE CHIMES]
Find a job you love and you'll
never work a day in your life.
What a crock, eh?
How do you manage it?
Well, my job's a little
different to yours.
If I plant a seedling,
I don't expect it
to text me with updates.
Well,
if you could create a plant
like that, I'd buy it.
[ROZ CHUCKLES]
I can barely keep a cactus alive.
A plant hooked up to an app
might encourage Kieron
to follow in his mum's footsteps.
- How is he?
- He's good.
He said to say hi.
He has a new girlfriend
who understands
none of my references.
My hilarious jokes
are suddenly unfunny granddad jokes.
- Tumbleweeds?
- [LAUGHS] All the time.
[MOBILE CHIMES]
[MAX SIGHS]
If you need to be somewhere,
we can pick this up another time.
No, no, no. Silenced.
Or if you need to keep one eye
on your phone, that's fine, too.
What?
Thank you.
Well, it was always a wedge
between Astrid and I.
Oh. I promised myself I wasn't
gonna mention her name.
I'm impressed it took you an hour.
Well, something else I'm trying
to put on silent occasionally.
Well, Stockholm syndrome is a thing.
[MAX LAUGHS]
What did you buy your aunt in the end?
Oh, a book.
- Any old book or
- Sorry.
Erm, an early edition.
- My Antonia by
- Willa Cather.
- Yes.
- It's one of my favourites.
It's years well, decades.
Now let's just stick
with years since I read it.
Same here.
If you need to get back.
What?
No, no, no, no.
The nearest bookshop.
- What?
- Well
if you have time,
we could hunt for a copy.
Yes.
Right. Well, erm
Hampstead High Street.
Hampstead High Street is that way.
Oh.
Hi. I'm looking for a Charlie Weir.
♪
Mr Weir?
Hi.
Your flatmate said you'd be here.
DS Walsh.
- Can we talk?
- Sure.
What seems to be the trouble?
Were you anywhere near Brompton Park
yesterday morning?
Nah. Not me. Why?
Well, because someone
matching your descript
I'll take that as a yes.
[PANTING]
Oh! Damn it!
[PANTING]
Charlie Weir, you're under arrest
on suspicion of assault and theft.
♪
[SIGHS]
So Clare Curtis' charity
do at The Aether.
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
So I've been looking into Bett
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
So I've been looking into Bett
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
If the place fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
[VOICE FADES] If the place
fell into the river,
the world's economy
would sink with it.
[PLAYS PIANO]
Erik Satie
♪
[MOBILE CHIMES]
♪
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
Harper Lee.
[LAUGHS]
I see you booked him. Well done.
Took a leaf out of your book.
Acted on a hunch.
Officers recovered that
from Charlie Weir's flat.
Well, I think you should
return it to Olivia.
And if you could do the paperwork,
could you give that to Ashley?
What's that?
A blood sample from the crime scene.
Wait, there's a crime scene?
Well, possibly.
I was watching
Billy's video last night.
So you were also working late.
You could hear the piano at
The Aether in the background.
It's faint, but too faint for
him to still be at the venue.
So this morning,
50 metres away, I found
blood spots on the concrete.
Which, if it is Billy's,
means he wasn't at the auction
till the bitter end.
And Clare Curtis has been lying to us.
Let's keep our focus on The Aether.
Recheck the social media posts.
See if you can spot Billy
in anything after 10:15 pm.
He's here.
Who?
Mike Curtis has come in
for a little chat.
He lied about his flight.
He was back in the UK
earlier than he told us.
You said you left Monaco
and flew back from Nice,
arriving into Gatwick
at 0115 hours on Wednesday.
Correct.
But we checked with the airline.
You weren't on that flight.
Well, I didn't say I was, did I?
But we know you took
an earlier flight from Paris
into Gatwick.
Which arrived shortly
after 6:00 pm, Tuesday.
Where were you between then
and 1:00 am?
I was at home.
I drove straight home
and I stayed there.
Can anyone confirm that?
No. They were all at the do.
Were you? Did you go to The Aether?
No. Look, can't you just
check the CCTV for this?
You told us you weren't in the country
when Billy Paige was killed.
Why did you lie?
We believe that Billy Paige
was investigating your finances.
[JESS] Did you fire Cate
to deflect attention from yourself?
- No.
- Someone was taking money
from your wife's accounts.
Yeah, Cate was.
OK, then explain this.
We believe that Billy Paige
was killed because he was
about to tell Clare what he had found.
And it doesn't make sense that
he'd throw Cate under the bus.
Why not?
Oh, I get it. Because I had
a little secret teenage romance.
You think Billy Lucas,
whatever his name is,
he found out that I was
nicking from my wife?
Excellent work, Detectives.
I mean, come on.
All right, I told a little white lie.
I was in Monaco.
I had a change of plans.
I was booked on that flight,
but then I ended up
getting a train back to Paris
on Sunday, all right?
Well, what change of plans?
My, erm
My old dear lives in Paris.
What? Your mother?
Well, why didn't you
tell us this earlier?
Well, it's just, you know,
it's women, innit?
Yeah. You're gonna have to
give us a bit more than that.
What exactly do you want me to say?
What? That I flew back
in early to kill the help?
All right, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean that.
But Clare's, erm
Well, Clare doesn't
get on with my mum, OK?
So I'm like a rose between two thorns.
I didn't tell her
and I didn't tell you about
my little stopover in Paris.
Well, I mean
anything for an easy life, eh.
♪
Penny for your thoughts.
You couldn't afford it.
Phil? There's, erm
There's something I need to show you.
♪
So
I spoke to the real
Lucas Sullivan over Zoom.
Poor guy was really affected
by Billy's death.
Connor was right about them
being old uni mates.
So did he know Billy
was impersonating him?
Not only did he know,
he gave him permission.
And get this.
"I told him he could use it,
"but I didn't think he'd
actually go through with it.
"It's a rumour.
I told Billy, it's not true."
Well, use what?
Lucas knew Billy loved
a good story to investigate.
He told Billy,
and Billy clearly ran with it.
This is the best part.
It concerns the Curtis housekeeper.
- Bettina Chalk-Harris?
- Yep.
- Can you just tell us?
- This is really annoying.
- Jess!
- What was the rumour?
That, and we're talking decades ago,
when Bettina worked
at the Sandringham Estate,
she had an affair with a senior Royal.
And you can guess the rest.
Illegitimate child, blah, blah.
That's why Billy was undercover.
So Cate was the child.
Our victim was in a relationship
with a woman who may be royalty.
Wow.
That's definitely the best part.
- OK.
- So
So So it certainly widens
the pool of suspects.
Hey, I'm all in for
storming Buckingham Palace.
[BETTINA] I'm sorry I lied before.
[MAX] Why?
Because
in this job,
appearances are everything.
Discretion is paramount.
My clients expect trust
and traditional values.
No exceptions.
So if word had spread,
you were having an affair.
I warned Lucas
Billy to keep his sticky beak out,
but he was like a hound with a scent.
So what is the truth?
I did get pregnant.
I kept it secret.
Why should I explain myself?
I quietly left my post,
and a year later I reappeared
with a baby in tow.
[MAX] Cate?
Cate.
Does she know?
- About?
- About her father.
Did you?
Well
that's why the rumour persists.
No matter how vociferously I deny it.
Her father is the former
head cook at Sandringham.
He's in Miami now. He's a good man,
a live-in chef for a lazy billionaire.
There are lots of those about.
But no, alas, my daughter is not
the future Queen of England.
And Cate explained this to Billy?
I expect so.
So he knew this lead was no good,
then why stay on at the Curtis House?
Well,
I did think it was because he
was in love with my daughter.
[SIGHS]
Hard to tell the difference
between your
"I've cracked it" face
and your "I'm tired,
- leave me alone" face.
- Bit of both.
I'm digging deeper into
the Curtis corporate finances.
Found that "something big" yet?
Chasing ghosts around spreadsheets.
The public-facing stuff,
it's boring, clean.
- As you would expect.
- I mean, too clean.
There are a lot of accounts offshore.
Found a few patterns
that don't look right.
Millions paid into
their charitable foundation.
Millionaires dodging taxes
very NFC.
While you're chasing big fish,
I've been snooping
on the ECHOS' owner,
Joanna Picard.
Five years ago, she got fired
from a housekeeping job
at a stately home in Kent.
- Any reason?
- The plumbing man I spoke to
said he'd get back to me forthwith.
[LAUGHS]
[MAX] You told us before
that Billy was alive and well
when the function ended at midnight.
- Yes.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah.
- Did you see him?
What?
We believe that Billy
came here following a story
about one of your staff.
He then discovered an anomaly
in your finances
and decided that that was the story.
We've noticed large amounts
flying in and out of your accounts
almost on a daily basis.
[SIGHS]
OK, this isn't the bombshell
that you two think is.
I'm sure you both know my background.
Children's homes,
in and out of trouble,
runaway, dropout
The poor little Salford girl
who won against the odds.
I set up the foundation
to help kids like me
who've been dealt a bad hand.
We don't all manage to get out.
I'm in the process
of transferring all
well, it's pretty much all
my wealth to the foundation.
I'm at that age where I've
been thinking about legacy.
Does Mike know about this?
- No.
- How would he react
if he found out?
If Billy had revealed it.
I don't know.
Is it possible Mike was saving
some of that money for himself?
[MAX] And if so,
Mike wouldn't want Billy
telling you what he was up to.
Well, Mike wasn't here
on Tuesday night, was he?
Yes, he was.
His flight arrived from Paris
just after 6:00 pm.
No.
So he was in London long
before Billy Paige was killed.
Paris?
[LAYLA] Where his mother lives.
Oh, yeah, I think he
he did mention that now.
What is this about?
My colleague spoke
to the house manager
at Edwina Manor in Kent, who confirmed
that you were caught stealing.
Allegedly. The dismissal was a farce.
It was completely unproven.
Well, we hear that a lot.
Innocent people
tend to say, "I didn't do it."
And I'll say it
till I'm blue in the face.
Diamond necklace worth £30,000?
It was a mendacious accusal.
Tell me about your
relationship with Billy Paige.
I barely knew the man.
He conned me, remember?
Did you ever visit him?
Stopped by his flat?
Oh, why would I?
My colleague also found this.
Where is this colleague of yours?
From outside Billy's block of flats.
Time stamped 01:56 am
on Wednesday morning,
hours after we believe
Billy Paige was attacked
and thrown into the Thames.
We need your fingerprints
for elimination purposes.
Found a lot of prints in Billy's flat.
What's this?
A search warrant.
You asked about my colleague.
I offered to do this interview
because he's currently searching
your home and office.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
♪
Oh.
The lab said, any moment for the swab.
Any update on the boat hook?
It was clean.
No prints, no DNA.
And this size and shape
isn't a match for the wounds.
Back to square one then.
A similar shape, though?
Yes. So if you can find another one.
I'll give them a nudge.
Oh, er, how was the hike?
Oh. What happened?
Well, despite best efforts,
I still managed to mention Astrid.
Ooh.
You know, I've been on one
one disastrous date
since John and I
And I did the same thing.
So maybe don't mention Astrid
next time.
There will be a next time?
She texted.
There you go. You texted back?
It was on my list.
- Oh, God.
- [ASHLEY] Good news.
The lab managed to extract DNA
from the blood you found,
it's a match for Billy Paige.
There's tonnes here.
Even the offshore stuff.
Billy Paige had a promising
future as an investigator.
Does it fit with Clare transferring
money to her charity?
Yeah, it's all here. But
there's other transactions
the ones the PA's been
dismissed for
Money going to an external account.
It's spread out, under the radar.
Easy to miss. Five grand here,
10 grand there,
100 grand over the past year.
[WHISTLES] I mean, I'd notice
if 10 quid was missing
from my account.
Well, what if Clare Curtis'
charity is a front?
I mean, after all,
this has the hallmarks
of money laundering.
There' so much money going
in and out on a daily basis.
Cate the PA had access to the money.
Yes. So does Mike Curtis.
Was Joanna Picard working alone?
Maybe Mike got wind of Clare's plans
and decided to squirrel away
some of their fortune for himself.
We're checking CCTV
around the Curtis household
to confirm his alibi.
ANPR cameras
caught his car heading east
on the King's Road at 20:41.
Heading home, or to The Aether?
[LAYLA] Whatever Mike's up to,
he wouldn't want Billy telling Clare.
Maybe he cut short his trip
to silence him.
OK. You two find out
why Joanna Picard had that laptop.
You and I will go
talk to the Curtises.
We recovered this laptop
from your offices.
I've never seen that before.
[CONNOR] It belonged to Billy Paige.
Why did you have it?
This has helped us connect a few dots.
It contains what looks like
proof of criminal activity.
Someone has stolen
just shy of £100,000
from various personal
and business accounts
relating to Clare Curtis.
And it wasn't her PA Cate.
[CONNOR] We also found this
bank statement in your name.
This shows one of many deposits
into your personal account.
Can you explain this?
[JESS] You were being very careful.
But then along came Billy.
Was he about to tell
Clare Curtis what you were up to?
I don't know anything about this.
The problem is, Joanna,
that there's a direct
correlation between
the amounts transferred
out of the Curtis accounts
and the deposits paid
into your personal account.
Always 50 percent.
Sorry, I didn't mean to.
I was looking for Clare.
She's out.
Care for one?
No, thank you.
You think you're better
than me, don't you, Phil?
Not at all.
I think you do.
I think coz you've had
a little sip of my life,
you think it's running all the way
through your veins now.
You want what I've got,
don't you, mate?
Why don't you sit yourself down, Phil?
Go on.
Take a load off. Me and you
need to have a little chat.
Did you kill Billy Paige?
- No.
- But you knew he was dead
- when you went to his flat.
- I didn't.
You knew he wouldn't be there
and you had his keys.
- Did you take them off him?
- I didn't know.
Oh, look, all I knew was that Lucas
Billy knew about the money.
And-And
I didn't want any of this.
- This wasn't my idea.
- Then whose was it?
Er, door's open.
Mr Curtis?
[WOMAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]
- Hello?
- I'm in here.
He needs your help.
Please help.
- He's alive. Steady pulse.
- Is he gonna be all right?
DS Walsh. I need paramedics.
31, Wigstone Street, SW3.
Mrs Curtis? What happened here?
I don't know.
I was out.
I found him.
Mikey.
[CRIES] Can you hear me?
[MAX] We have Joanna Picard
in custody.
Do you know where we might
find Philip Hawksley?
Is that who attacked your husband?
- [WHISPERS] You don't
- Just stop!
[CLARE SIGHS]
You know, some days the only
people that I speak to
are paid staff
and paid advisers. All
trying to protect me.
If I could go back, I'd explain.
Explain what?
Just how my life works,
how his life works,
How
we're not the same.
[MAX] Philip Hawksley
- Since this time last year.
- And Mike found out?
I I don't know.
I don't know. I just
I walked in and found Phil
standing over him.
And then he asked me to go with him.
You know, like
like I can just disappear.
And where is he now?
I don't know.
But please, will you tell him
that I forgive him for attacking Mike?
What about for killing Billy Paige?
No, no.
That-that that was
that was Cate or the, erm
That was, erm,
the Picard woman surely.
Was Billy really at the auction
at the end of the night?
Yeah.
Yeah, I think so.
I think Phil, he, erm
That's what Phillip told you.
Joanna Picard and Phillip Hawksley
have been conspiring
to steal money from you.
Only Billy found out.
[LAYLA] That's what he wanted
to talk to you about.
To warn you about Philip Hawksley.
And that's why Philip had to stop him.
No.
Phil?
No, no.
You were his mark.
[SIGHS]
[INDISTINCT PA ANNOUNCEMENT]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
[CLANKING]
♪
[INDISTINCT PA ANNOUNCEMENTS]
[PANTING]
[SIREN WAILING]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Clare told us about your affair.
Did her husband confront you today?
Is that why you attacked him?
[LAYLA] Did he discover
that you've been stealing from them?
How is he, Mike?
Wondered when you were
gonna ask that. He'll live.
And once he's able to,
he'll tell us what happened,
so sit tight.
Let's talk about you
and Joanna Picard.
She tells us it was your idea
to steal from Clare Curtis.
Clare's worth, what, half a billion?
She wasn't gonna miss
5 or 10K here and there.
Could you explain this?
It's from your e-mails.
A receipt for a boat hook.
Purchased the morning
after Billy died.
Clare said the one in The Aether
had been mislaid, so I replaced it.
[MAX] Yes, well, it happens.
Boat hooks go missing all the time.
I found the spot
where you hit Billy Paige.
Fifty metres along from The Aether.
His blood is still there
in the concrete.
Did you know he was still alive
when he went in the water?
You hit him,
you took his keys.
And you told Joanna
to destroy the evidence.
And before you deny it,
you should know
that she's confirmed all this.
[LAYLA] Clare Curtis too.
She's not happy that you used her.
I didn't.
I love her.
That's the problem.
Where it all went wrong.
[SIGHS]
Look
I made a mistake with Billy.
I warned him. I-I gave him a choice.
The day before,
Billy showed me what he found,
and I implored him not to
waste Clare's time with it.
She didn't need to know.
I explained that Clare and I,
we were gonna be together.
Is she all right?
Her husband's in the hospital
and her lover's on the hook for fraud,
GBH, and murder.
I mean
did she ask about me?
What did you explain to Billy?
That he would be compensated.
Handsomely compensated.
As long as he covered up
what he had found.
That night
he wasn't supposed to be there.
I'd given him the evening off.
But in he walked.
Quite the provocation.
[PHILIP] We had an agreement.
But Billy couldn't
ignore a good story.
So when I saw him talking to Clare
I panicked.
I hit him.
I know I let emotions take over,
but what was I supposed to do?
I gave him a choice.
Oh, ho, ho!
I don't know how to thank you!
I'm just sorry the idiot who nicked it
binned everything else.
But why do you think he kept this?
He said his girlfriend liked it.
Oh, Izzy would have loved that.
A fan!
[CHUCKLES]
Late. Supposed to be meeting Dinesh.
Date four?
Er, yeah.
I let him win the last game.
Very noble.
I know.
See you tomorrow.
♪
♪
[SIGHS]
[MOBILE CHIMES]
Ha.
[LINE RINGING]
[MOBILE RINGS]
Max. Hi. I thought
you were ignoring me.
Oh, sorry.
I-I've been meaning to call.
You know, maybe this work-life
balance thing has substance.
[CHUCKLES] Well, if it means
you return my calls.
The thing is,
I'm not very good at this.
Maybe it's my inquisitive mind,
but I always err towards
taking things apart.
You know, I replace the chain,
and then the brakes start squeaking.
Hm.
Well, sometimes
sometimes you just have to accept.
It's time for a new bike.
Yeah.
I enjoyed our walk.
If you're planning another
Saturday. Same time, same place.
Yeah.
I-I'll see you there.
OK. Bye.
[THEME MUSIC]
sync & corrections awaqeded
♪