My Life Is Murder (2019) s05e02 Episode Script
Catfish
(LAID-BACK MUSIC)
(SIGHS)
Good morning, Chowder.
(INTRIGUING MUSIC)
Madison.
Madison?
It's early. I'm coming.
Ooh.
Uh, when I said we could do with
a couple more indoor plants,
I meant, like, a small peace lily.
You didn't do this?
How could I do this?
Why would I do this?
Morning, sis.
- Will?
- G'day.
I slept on your couch. Hope it was OK.
You didn't buy some magic
beans from a farm and, like,
spill them on the carpet, did you?
Look, I can explain.
(CHILL MUSIC)
What time do you call this?
'Don't start with me' o'clock.
OK.
You've got something in your,
Oh.
Oh, Will stole some trees.
Well, he retrieved them.
- And you were helping him?
- Absolutely not.
He'd better have them out of my
living room by the time I get home.
- Your living room?
- It's like an enchanted forest.
I'm expecting birdlife and deer
to wander through.
- Sounds like you need a distraction.
- Oh, God. Please distract me.
Meet Tiffany Maddox,
Young Businesswoman of the Year
and woman to watch at
the Auckland Corporate Awards.
Seems too young to
have achieved so much.
Yeah, she crammed a lot into her life.
Before she died? What happened?
Two months ago, she was found
floating in a freshwater fish tank
at the aquarium where
she was general manager.
Captain Pete's Underwater Wonderland.
They've got sharks, rays, tropical fish.
You know what they don't have?
Irukandji jellyfish. The smallest
and most deadly in the world.
This guy is Australian.
Not even found in New Zealand.
And yet here you are holding one.
Tiffany died of multiple stings,
leading to a fatal brain haemorrhage.
That little critter was in her clothing.
So somebody imported an
almost invisible murder weapon.
- Any idea how or who?
- Pretty good idea of the who.
- Well, hello.
- Mind on the job.
Jake Brookwell is a marine biologist.
I mean, seriously, hello.
Who has the knowledge and the means
to
bring this jellyfish into the country.
In the weeks before Tiffany died,
Jake had been on a trip
to North Queensland.
Damn it, Jake. Motive?
Plenty. Tiffany was hired
by the aquarium to rebrand.
In other words, cut costs.
So she let him go.
She replaced him with his
younger and cheaper 2IC,
Suzette Crum.
So if everything's pointing to Jake,
how come he's still going
freely about his business
looking good in a wetsuit?
Because the murder weapon
is a jellyfish.
The team searched his boat twice,
but we can't find anything
that's more than circumstantial.
- All right. Better leave it to me.
- Really, Alexa?
- Didn't know you were so shallow.
- How very dare you.
- I'm interested in the jellyfish.
- Sure you are.
Tiffany had worked
for a supermarket brand,
sports shoes,
and completely modernised
an energy drink company,
which she won an award
for all before she was 30.
But shoes and drinks.
I mean, it's not like she
was an expert in aquariums.
Oh, he is very aesthetically pleasing.
Also the prime suspect, Jake Brookwell.
He has a very nice
boat.
And also a video blog about
sharks and sea mammals.
- Oh, I love a sea mammal.
- Should we take a look?
You know what I love?
When the suspect tells you exactly
how they feel about the victim.
OK, so this was a sanctuary and
a sea animal rescue organisation
founded by the great Peter Turlington,
who was a respected marine biologist,
not a pirate.
Captain Pete's Underwater
Wonderland, who is Captain Pete,
and whose idea was it to bring on
some idiot with a marketing degree
so she could destroy his legacy?
OK, so he was a little irked.
Did not hold back a bit.
Which isn't smart if you're about to
murder the person
you're ranting about,
but I suppose it could have been
a heat of the moment crime.
Tell that to the jellyfish,
who travelled 4000km
from northern Queensland
to a tank at Captain Pete's.
Yeah, true.
And then there's
Tiffany's husband, Evan.
Oh, the restaurant owner.
He went to sleep the night of,
thinking that his wife was working late
and didn't realise that he was alone
until the police knocked
on his door the next morning.
He's in hospo, and
she works later than him?
- Why don't you take the widower?
- I'll take the marine biologist.
Sounds like a fun Friday night.
Madison. Can you stop
with jokes about boys?
Madison?
(CHILL MUSIC)
Jake Brookwell?
I'm Alexa Crowe.
Let me guess. Cop?
Well, retired.
I'm just here with a few questions,
if you don't mind.
I heard this, but I didn't believe it.
Which fool decided the Irukandji
would make a good exhibit?
- Yeah. Good question.
- Here's another one.
Which marine biologist went
to North Queensland two weeks
before Tiffany was killed by
this fish from North Queensland?
I went to Queensland to assess
coral, not to catch marine wildlife.
It's like the opposite
of what I stand for.
So you say in your blog.
But you must understand
how suspicious this looks.
Tiffany made you redundant,
you rant about her on your blog,
and the next thing,
she's killed by a fish.
And who knows about fish?
You. The fish guy.
Did you just call me the fish guy?
Yes, and I take it back.
I don't want to be called
the murder woman.
- Do people call you that?
- Sometimes, behind my back.
Perhaps that's why I'm still single,
I don't know.
Look,
I'm not great with change.
I live alone on a boat because
most people annoy me.
Fair.
But in your expert opinion,
how did an Irukandji end up in
an Auckland tourist attraction?
It wasn't meant to be
a tourist attraction.
It was a rescue centre
for rehabilitation, breeding.
But worthy causes aren't
profitable, so they hired Tiffany.
She knows about cash flow, apparently.
Maybe she thought a dangerous
jellyfish would bring in the crowds.
To look at this?
I mean, no offence, jellyfish, but I
just don't see you as a star attraction.
Try again, fish guy.
How about, I wouldn't have a clue.
Cos I'm surplus to requirements
at the aquarium.
And somehow, someone's died, and I'm
the one that's getting the blame.
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
- Oh, please wait to be seated, doll.
- Carol will take care of you.
- Oh, I don't need a table.
- Are you Evan Maddox?
Obviously.
I wonder if we could
just have a quick chat.
Yeah. I don't do
freebies for influencers.
If you want to post about my
establishment, make a reservation.
Wait time is about six weeks.
Like I said, I'm not
after a booking, I, um
I just have some questions
about your recent bereavement.
I don't do reporters.
It's just as well
I'm not one of those either.
I guess you work crazy hours.
Yeah, it goes with the territory.
But your wife worked even crazier hours?
It wasn't unusual for you
to be home before her?
Tiff liked to burn the midnight oil.
That's why she was so
successful at her job.
Hm.
Oh, that's nice. You and Tiffany
have always been fish fans?
- No. That was a gift.
- From Tiffany?
From a client.
Is there anyone you can think of
who
might have had a problem with Tiffany?
I'm sure she pissed a few people
off over the years,
in her line of work.
Corporate downsizing.
OK. Fair, but death by sea
creature is very specific.
- I don't know what happened.
- But you do want to?
Of course I do. I have a
full restaurant out there.
I lost my wife,
but I have to keep going.
Keep smiling.
I don't have the luxury to fall apart.
Thank you for looking into this.
I hope you find an answer.
Excuse me. I'm so sorry. Hello.
Uh, Alexa and Madison?
Suzette, how do you do?
I'm the head aquarist here,
and we still haven't hired a new general
manager,
so I'm currently that, too.
- Thanks for making time for us.
- No, thank you for being here.
I miss Tiffany so much.
She really believed in me,
and we were on our way to
becoming a really kickass team.
It must be hard for a head aquarist
to also be in charge of
the business side of things.
Even just the whole interview
process to replace Tiff.
When I haven't even been able
to bring myself to clear her desk.
Her husband hasn't been over
to collect her things?
He's a busy guy.
Tell me about Jake Brookwell.
Jake was old school.
He never wanted to compromise.
And that's what Tiff needed from us.
All of us.
So you think the police
are right to focus on him?
99% of me is sure that Jake had nothing
to do
with what happened to Tiff.
And the other 1%?
Is wondering how on earth that
Irukandji got into our tank.
(LAID-BACK MUSIC)
Oh, this is where she was found?
(PHONE RINGS)
Sorry, I have to take this one.
Ooh, it is very calming in here.
We should get an aquarium for home.
- We already have a rainforest.
- Ha-ha.
But imagine just taking
time to be mindful,
watching the little
fish go back and forth.
Change your screensaver.
- IN BACKGROUND: OK, sure.
- I can definitely do that.
OK, thanks. Bye.
Hey.
Alexa, meet Waru,
the bad boy of the aquarium.
Hello, Waru.
He's been driving us crazy lately.
Escaping at night
and raiding the mollusc tank.
Hey, what's up with the spiny
sea dragons? The tank is empty.
Sometimes they like to hide.
I'll check with the junior
I've just hired.
They might be in the vet room. (SQUIRT!)
(YELPS, GASPS) Oh my God.
Oh, Waru.
Yeah. What did I tell you?
He's such a brat.
I hear you folk are
more intelligent than most.
Yeah, they have nine brains,
one for each arm.
They can use tools and build
shelters and solve puzzles,
but they need a lot of
stimulation and entertainment.
You and me both, Waru.
So, did you see anything that night?
Let me know.
Suzette seemed worried that those
spiny sea dragons weren't in their tank.
Here's a theory.
Jake Brookwell had been liberating
sea creatures from the aquarium.
And Tiffany busted him doing it.
Hey, Ruben, do you have any pets?
The hospo hours don't allow for that.
What about a fish?
I like my fish on a plate
with lemon and pepper.
Just don't tell this guy.
Hey, Jake.
You know Jake the marine biologist?
Of course; he's my neighbour.
- Twice in one day?
- You following me around?
- I'm a regular at Rubens.
- I've never seen you before.
Yeah, I spend a lot
of time on expeditions,
but I always take a couple of loaves of
Ruben's sourdough
whenever I set off.
Oh, please. You're shameless.
Ruben obviously told you
that I make the sourdough.
You make Ruben's sourdough?
Which is why you said it to win me over.
What makes you think
I'm trying to win you over?
Well, you should, because I'm
conducting a murder investigation
and you're a person of interest.
To tell the truth, Alexa,
you're pretty interesting yourself.
Look, Jake, fish have
gone missing from the aquarium.
They weren't rescued by a rebel
marine biologist, were they?
- Well, what fish?
- Spiny sea dragons.
- They were bred there.
- They're only a year old.
Is it true that the octopus gets out
of his enclosure on a regular basis?
Man, he's such a character.
He used to squirt water at Tiffany
whenever she walked past.
I promise I didn't teach him to do that.
You know,
you really ought to stop talking
about how much you disliked Tiffany.
Look, I was perfectly pleasant.
Too pleasant, according to her
weasel of a husband.
- Evan Maddox?
- He's an up-himself douchebag.
So he thought there was something
going on between you and Tiffany?
He told me it was wrong. I might
have also laughed in his face.
Will?
- Will Crowe.
- He's not here.
Alexa, I have someone
I want you to meet.
This is my pet sprat, Damon.
- Are you ready for pets?
- You don't do well with houseplants.
Even I can look after a goldfish.
So tell me about Jake. What did he say?
- Why are you smiling?
- The forearms. Oh, the forearms.
Tiffany's husband, Evan Maddox,
accused
Jake of having an affair with her.
- Oh, and were they? Did they?
- Mm. I can't see it.
He's not a fan.
Not even in a sexy
'I love you, I hate you' way?
Who does that?
Oh, enemies to lovers is
one of my favourite tropes.
Along with friends to lovers,
forced proximity and forbidden love.
Anyhoo,
Jake wasn't interested in Tiffany,
but that didn't stop Evan
from making the accusation.
He could be the type to
have a jealous streak, for sure.
But exactly how jealous?
(CHILL MUSIC)
- Evan Maddox.
- This is my friend Alexa Crowe.
And I'm assuming you still
don't have a reservation?
Why did you accuse Jake Brookwell
of sleeping with your wife?
Wow.
You told the police that
you and Tiffany were happy.
That doesn't seem like the actions
of someone in a secure relationship.
There's no way I'm having
this conversation here,
in my stadium, on my stage,
in my courtroom.
So you and Tiffany weren't
on good terms when she died?
I was devastated when I lost Tiff.
Then I found something out.
Out of respect for her memory,
I wasn't going to tell anyone.
But a few days after Tiff's funeral,
I went to her office at the
aquarium to collect her stuff.
And I found that she had a second phone.
- Do you still have it?
- Yeah.
You'll have to charge it.
It's filled with messages
between her and some Randy guy.
- Do you have a name?
- Randy.
- His name's Randy, Alexa.
- He's from Canada.
Oh. An online thing, then.
Hello?
- Bathroom's down the hall, doll.
- This is a private office.
Oh, yeah, sorry.
Need to get a sign for that door.
So until you found out
about this Randy person,
you thought Tiffany
was 100% faithful to you?
Correct.
But you accused Jake Brookwell
of sleeping with her.
- She'd started a new job.
- She was working late every night.
And have you seen the guy?
She has.
So we're back to not being on good
terms with Tiff before she died.
OK, fine.
I knew something was off.
Husband's instincts, and now I can't
even ask her what I did to deserve
You still have your wedding photo
in pride of place, though.
Nice wedding ring.
White gold.
Same as mine.
I just wish she hadn't kicked me
in the guts from beyond the grave.
(FUNKY MUSIC)
Hello?
Follow the trail of breadcrumbs, Hansel.
Wow, you weren't kidding
about the enchanted forest.
And you got a fish.
Madison did. Sprat Damon.
Hey, check out this picture
of Tiffany's hand.
Notice anything?
Not apart from the
nasty jellyfish stings.
- She's not wearing her wedding ring.
- Ah.
And according to her husband,
Tiffany was having an affair.
He never mentioned that
in his statement.
He only recently found out.
Nasty surprise when he went through her
burner phone and discovered
Randy from Vancouver.
Randy's got a way with words.
So does Tiff.
Be good to locate that wedding ring, eh?
Yeah. I'll take another look
at the victim's property list.
So, this online lover guy?
Madison's tracking him down as we speak.
(CHILL, PURPOSEFUL MUSIC)
Yeah. OK, mate. All right,
we'll get it sorted.
OK. They'll be gone in
a couple of hours.
- Found another buyer.
- Great.
No. Not really. I'm selling them
for less than I've paid for them.
You want me to go and see this
dodgy client and rough him up a bit?
- Oh, like in a police capacity?
- No, not in a police capacity.
No, he kind of didn't
get what he ordered.
These aren't native New Zealand
trees. They're doppelgangers.
- Tried to rip him off?
- Oh, no. I got ripped off.
I thought I was buying
native New Zealand trees.
And in my defence, it's a
common mistake; I googled it.
Well, then it's fine.
So you got scammed by
dodgy suppliers? It happens.
Yeah, but now the client's accusing me.
They look me up,
I don't have a leg to stand on.
Well, that's not fair.
People can change.
Yeah. Should they?
That's the question I keep asking.
Hey, do you want to go and rough
up these dodgy suppliers instead?
Happily. Except they ghosted me.
They're on Facebook Marketplace. I
know. It was a good deal, all right?
Too good to be true, in fact.
Aside from this one very lonely
Facebook profile with only two friends,
- I can't find Randy from Vancouver.
- No online presence at all?
- Nothing.
- So he's a catfish?
Yeah. But you saw
the message from Tiffany
about how nice it was to meet Randy
and to do other things to Randy.
They met in real life.
So, not a catfish, but a fake name.
I'll keep looking.
And did you get the pics
I airdropped to you?
The papers from Suzette's desk?
There's one that looks like a profit
report and a bunch of invoices,
but I'm not sure if
there's anything useful.
Me neither. But I think I know
someone who can shed some light.
Oh, I bet you do.
Madison. Now, what do we say?
No giggling about boys.
Yeah, I'm not giggling.
I'm just teasing.
Besides, I'm not making an excuse
to see him. He invited me to lunch.
What about this one?
Anything out of the ordinary there?
Vet bills have gone down.
Is that good?
Good?
Yeah. If you're no longer
focusing on rescue and rehab,
but trying to become
some kind of circus, sure.
In your opinion,
was Tiffany the sort of
person to have a raunchy online affair?
You know, if they're
cutting costs like this,
I get Tiffany wouldn't care.
But Suzette, I trained Suzette.
And what if Suzette wasn't
OK with the cutbacks?
Is she the sort of person to take
a stand to disagree with Tiffany?
Now Suzette did it?
I have to ask the question.
OK, so does that mean
I'm off the hook, or?
There are other people on my radar.
(LAUGHS) Is everyone you meet
just a potential murder suspect?
My friend Madison says that I have
to expand my social circle, so, yes.
Hi.
How are you enjoying the view,
Sprat Damon?
Is everything to your liking?
My goodness. It's so nice to move
without a branch in my face.
- Well, that was a long lunch.
- Now I have you in my face.
Did Jake get a good grilling?
You know, this
catfish-not catfish thing,
The messages just don't match up
with the picture of Tiffany I'm getting.
- What? Nice girls can't be naughty?
- No, that's not what I mean.
It seems like she was too
busy to be naughty.
Yeah, I can relate.
And
you're right.
Do tell.
Tiffany's IP address and Randy's
IP address are the same place.
And I bet I can guess where.
- Whoa! No, no, no.
- This is a staff only area.
- Good evening, Evan.
- Put that down and get out.
After you tell me this,
why did you invent a fake
internet lover for your wife?
Sorry?
And write months worth
of fictional texts.
You really missed your calling
as an erotic fiction writer.
Get away from my wine collection.
Butterfingers, you know.
Sometimes I am so clumsy.
Please, please, just give me the 1974.
You know what makes me clumsier?
People not telling the truth.
No! You can't even get
that bottle in New Zealand.
Do you have any idea
the strings I had to pull?
Your wife was not having an affair,
and someone wanted to
make it look like she was.
Why? Why would anyone do that?
Well, you tell me, because guess where
Tiffany and Randy
did their sexting from?
How the hell would I know?
Right here, Evan.
Your restaurant, your office.
You created a murder suspect.
Randy from Vancouver doesn't exist.
Wait. Did you not know this?
This is news to you.
So if you didn't write the
fake messages, then who did?
- I don't know.
- Liar.
No, no, no, not the '98 Ginette Ridge.
Oh, the '98 Ginette Ridge.
OK, fine, fine.
Uh, there is someone else
that has access to my office.
- It could have, Could have been her.
- Finally. Who's her?
Come on. Madison.
We've got a mermaid to catch.
Won't be a sec.
You want a coffee here or,
uh, get takeaway?
Might as well have it here.
(QUIRKY MUSIC)
What did you do?
I just checked the kids entertainment
section of Captain Pete's website,
- and this mermaid is,
- We're out of milk.
- Let's just go to Ruben's.
- OK. I just need my sunglasses.
- (CHUCKLES) Allow me.
- Thank you.
I will talk to you later.
So, Angel Strawn is a drama
student who works here part time.
And Evan told you they were having
an affair for about six months?
And Angel created this whole
catfish scenario before Tiffany died,
probably hoping that Evan
would leave his wife for her.
And she planted the
burner phone in Tiffany's desk.
But Evan didn't see anything that
she created until after Tiffany died.
So did Angel get tired of waiting?
Decided to get rid of the wife?
What? You really think
she's a serious suspect?
I talked to her.
Oh my God. That's her.
- A mermaid eating pork and pastry.
- It's so wrong.
Well, guess she got
the heads up from Evan.
- Do you want to go or should I?
- Yeah, I can go.
(GRUNTS)
I just have some questions
about Tiffany Maddox.
- (GRUNTS) Why?
- Why do you want to talk to me?
Cos you were sleeping
with Tiffany's husband.
- What the actual?
- Who told you that?
- Tiffany's husband.
- I'm not here to judge you.
Well, not for that, anyway.
Maybe for the fake profiles you
created and the messages you sent.
Tiffany and Randy from Vancouver.
- It's quite the steamy romance.
- Really?
Tiffany was having a thing
with a Canadian guy?
You wanted Evan to leave his wife,
so you pulled a double catfish.
Oh, look who hasn't pulled
the old double catfish?
Mm, it's really not a thing
that normal people do.
Yeah, well, look, it doesn't even matter
because Evan never
snooped into her messages,
and now he's upset because he thinks
Tiffany actually cheated on him.
That's what you wanted him to think.
Yeah, but when Tiffany was
still alive, so he'd leave her.
And how do you know that Evan only
saw the messages after Tiffany died?
What if he did see them just before?
- Well, then he would have left her.
- Or killed her.
Excuse you. Evan didn't do that.
And you're so sure because, what?
Because I was with him
that night in his office.
- We made love.
- And you were together all night?
We fell asleep,
and when we woke, it was morning,
and Evan freaked because he thought
he'd have some explaining to do.
But when he got home,
Tiffany wasn't there.
- There you go.
- No second helpings for you, Buster.
And get that glint out of your eyes.
She'll never even notice.
OK, so Angel is a
bit of a confused mermaid,
but it does seem that she and
Evan are each other's alibis.
So they're not working as a team.
No, I don't think,
What's that fish doing there?
Sprat Damon? Your pet?
But that's not Sprat Damon.
- It is.
- I'm telling you that it's not.
For goodness sake, Madison.
How can you possibly tell?
All goldfish look alike.
Because Sprat Damon
went down the toilet.
Yeah, he was floating belly up
last night, so I flushed him.
You did what?
Did you just try to deceive me, Alexa?
Deceive you how?
You thought that Chowder
had eaten Sprat Damon,
and you could just replace him with
another goldfish,
- and I'd never know.
- Hello?
Have I told you lately that your
investigative skills
have really come along?
Alexa Crowe, you are busted, and
I'm not gonna let you forget it.
- Kia ora. What's going on?
- Oh, just caught Alexa lying.
That is very harsh.
About a dead fish
that apparently leapt
from the toilet bowl back into its tank.
You should just be grateful that I
care enough to protect your feelings.
Can I just jump in here?
Yes, Harry, please. Go on. I'm all ears.
There was an incident last night.
Someone broke into the aquarium.
It was your mate, Jake Brookwell.
I was worried about the marine
life, so I went in to check on them.
You couldn't do that in
regular business hours?
Not if I wanted to access all areas.
The thing is, Jake,
If I'm trying to prove that someone
did or didn't commit a murder,
then it would be good if they would
fly under the radar
just a little bit.
I didn't kill anyone.
You must know that.
How must I?
Well, because
I am not sorry for breaking in, Alexa.
- I think there's a fish missing.
- Only one?
Yeah, that I noticed.
Stephanie is a beautiful
blue damselfish.
She comes all the way from
Palawan in the Philippines.
So, you haven't been at
the aquarium for a while.
- Could Stephanie have died?
- No. If fish are dying,
there should be reports,
autopsies to see why.
You don't just flush them down the loo?
I'm kidding. Obviously.
- Come with me.
- Where?
Well, murder woman wants to see
fish guy in his natural habitat.
Come on, let's go.
I'm gonna catch up with you in a minute.
Hi, Angel. I'm Alexa Crowe.
I know who you are.
Your friend said some pretty awful
things about my boyfriend yesterday.
Oh, your boyfriend, Evan Maddox?
So he forgave you for the catfish stunt?
We had an amazing talk last night,
and he got that I only did it
because I love him so much.
Hey, I like your earrings.
Thanks. They're basically the
most expensive thing I own.
Evan knows a guy who can get him a deal.
So, the mermaid finally got her man.
- Stephanie's tank.
- Uh-huh.
- What's that over there?
- No. That's not.
It's male, for a start.
Right, so what if something
did happen to the damselfish
and somebody maybe just replaced it,
- hoping no one would notice?
- Who would do something like that?
Someone who meant well.
I mean, not me, obviously.
Oh, shoot.
Bit late for the warning, but
- What warning?
- Stay away. Bye.
Hey. Hey.
Jake.
That octopus is a good shot.
I know you're loyal, but come on, Waru.
I was only going to warn Jake
that the board are thinking
about officially trespassing him.
Well, he was just trying to help me out.
I had some questions
about fish turnover.
I can answer those.
How did the blue damselfish
turn from female to male?
What's this got to do with Tiffany?
Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.
The species is dichromatic.
So males and females
are different colours.
And so Stephanie was a juvenile
when she first arrived here.
And then she suddenly started to
develop this yellowy-orangey tail.
- And we realised
- She is he.
Stephanie became Stephano.
Hm.
That is bullcrap.
Stephanie wasn't a juvenile.
She had a black spot on the base of
her hindmost dorsal ray
and clear fins,
Any half decent hobbyist could
look at her and tell you that.
So either Suzette doesn't
know what she's talking about,
or she's counting on me not to
know what she's talking about.
Hey, where does Captain Pete's
get their fish?
We had an Aussie company who
offered tank-bred species,
or we'd catch individuals sustainably.
Is it expensive to buy only tank bred?
About three times the price, why?
Just wondering.
How did it go with the fish guy?
He doesn't much like being called that.
This is a peppermint angelfish.
Status symbol for high-end
home aquariums.
It's pretty.
Well, I wouldn't be letting
you anywhere near him.
He's worth $30,000.
- What?
- If you can find one.
That is one expensive
cat treat for Chowder.
- He was innocent.
- He's capable.
Well, anyway, I was thinking
that maybe Tiffany got
herself involved in something
Do not say fishy.
Shady.
I was going to say shady.
(LAID-BACK, GROOVY MUSIC)
- Hey, Suzette.
- We're closed.
- I know.
- Do you mind?
What, do you work 24-7 or what?
You were close to Tiffany.
Was she selling fish?
- What?
- Were you doing it together.
Are you still doing it?
- Is Jake putting you up to this?
- Nobody puts me up to anything.
It's just Jake knows his fish.
And Stephanie and Stefano
are not the same guy.
Is there something you want to confess?
Let's go somewhere nice.
You can tell me all about it.
I think Waru has been stealing
more than just crabs.
You're blaming the octopus?
About two weeks ago,
I arrived in the morning
to find that we were
down half a dozen crabs,
and no Stephanie.
Has Waru ever eaten other fish?
No.
But Waru did steal my watch off
my desk a couple of months ago.
I found it in his tank.
What does he have against you?
I took his best friend's job, I guess.
Look, I know Jake thinks that Tiff
was all cost cutting and no ethics.
That's not true.
You know, not long after she started,
there were
these cheaper,
newer suppliers that approached her.
And when I told her about their
practices, she got it. She said no.
And did Tiffany know that
Evan was cheating on her?
Wait, he was?
How do you know?
His new girlfriend told me.
The mermaid.
- Are you serious?
- (CHUCKLES)
Yeah. She had her suspicions.
She was sure he was lying about
all those late nights here.
The mermaid? Really?
- Tiff hired her, she,
- Thanks, Suzette.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(FABRIC RUSTLES)
Hey.
I was reading this article
about you and your mates
that said you can differentiate humans.
That you can like or dislike us,
and cats can do that too.
My Chowder is an excellent
judge of character.
But anyway, this article was
talking about one octopus
who squirted the same lab assistant
every time he passed.
I mean, he didn't like him.
There might have been a reason.
Maybe there wasn't one.
I mean, some people
can be a bit annoying.
Yeah.
(WATER RUSHES)
Waru?
Hey. What's up?
What's up, buttercup?
What you got there?
What is it?
Oh. Good boy.
Rosebank Business Park?
Thanks, Waru. You're the second
best co-investigator I ever had.
Thanks, Waru.
(INTRIGUING MUSIC)
(GARAGE DOOR SCRAPES)
What's it gonna be today?
A rare dragon fish? A bunch of piranhas?
Why are you here?
I just wanted to see where Tiffany died.
I don't know what you think you
know, but this is where Tiffany
used to keep the Captain Pete's
on-display fish.
So the deadly jellyfish
are not for display.
What are they for, I wonder?
Just a freaky bycatch?
See, I don't think any of this is for
Captain Pete's or anyone who works there.
This is all you.
You love a side hustle.
Got your fingers in lots of pies.
I mean, the expensive wine collection,
and you've got a hook up for white-gold
jewellery, the wedding rings,
and, oh, Angel's lovely gift yesterday.
Sorry. What is this all about?
I'm glad you asked.
So you've got a client at the
restaurant who deals in tropical fish.
Even bought you a nice little
school of your own.
But then, one night,
you're talking big over one of
your priceless glasses of wine,
someone mentions they're looking for,
let's say, a blue damselfish.
And you let slip that
your wife runs an aquarium.
Are you with me so far?
So you would take Tiffany's access
card to get in there after hours.
And now Stephanie is living in
someone else's home aquarium.
And you think, my golly,
there's an opening here
for a much bigger operation.
Wow, that is some imagination, Alexa.
We are here, Evan.
I'm not imagining this.
Like, you've got all
your own dodgy suppliers,
but then if somebody wants something
that's a little harder to come by,
well, you'd just nick that card,
wouldn't you?
So, did somebody put in an order
for Waru, the octopus?
That's why you tried to steal him
last night, isn't it?
Waru, he was having none of it, was he?
He squirted you right in the chest.
I saw your jacket.
(CHUCKLES)
A wet jacket?
All right. Whatever, Alexa.
Maybe I got caught in the rain.
Well, you got caught in something.
Waru's sucker marks.
Tiffany caught you out, didn't she?
See, you're such a busy guy.
All your hustles and schemes.
She thought, naturally,
you were up to no good.
And one night, she followed you
from the restaurant.
Thought she might catch you
with another woman.
But what she found was much bigger.
You see, illegally importing
wildlife into New Zealand,
that is huge, Evan. That's big fines.
That's jail time.
And Tiffany wasn't gonna let it slide.
(CLAMOUR ECHOES)
Somehow she ended up in
the tank with the Irukandji.
No, I was with Angel that night.
Yeah, for part of the time.
You met up with her afterwards.
Did your thing in the office.
Just in case you needed an alibi.
And I love how you got back together
with her yesterday,
just to keep her sweet.
Whatever, Alexa.
Try proving that Tiffany
ever stepped foot in this place.
She knew nothing about it.
She's never been here.
And this tank, it's empty.
The nursing tank currently unoccupied.
This tank is empty. Really?
All except for Tiffany's
missing wedding ring.
Why don't you get it?
Get it, Evan.
I mean, seriously, reach in.
- Get it. Grab it.
- Go.
Why? You need that ring.
- I'm warning you.
- Why are you warning me?
I thought that it was empty.
You let that venom cause a fatal
brain haemorrhage in Tiffany.
Just like that, you killed your wife.
She fell.
It was an accident.
You know, if you had got her to the
hospital, she still stood a chance.
But then you'd have to explain all this.
So you threw her in
the back of your car,
took her to Captain Pete's,
and dumped her in the tank.
And that's why that octopus
doesn't like you.
And why he helped me work it out.
You see, you left this behind when
you were last there after hours.
I should warn you, there are
two gentlemen on their way
to collect the stonefish
they spent a lot of money on,
and they won't be happy with someone
messing with their transaction.
What Tiffany was doing with a greedy
blowhard like you,
I'll never understand.
(METAL CLANGING)
Ah, they're early.
I hope you're ready for your
swim with Queensland's finest.
Looks like my gentleman friends got
here before your gentleman friends.
G'day, mate.
- Don't say 'hook, line and sinker.'
- Wouldn't dream of it.
Here's to your new old job
back at Captain Pete's.
Back at the Peter Turlington
Marine Sanctuary and Aquarium.
I'm sorry you didn't
get to say goodbye to Waru.
Wait, he died?
No, no, no. He's fine.
He's almost 3 years old, so I thought he'd
appreciate his last few months in the wild.
You, You liberated the octopus.
You're a good sort, fish guy.
Thanks, murder woman.
(SWEET MUSIC)
I'm investigating Coral Belton's murder.
- Didn't she fall down some stairs?
- It's looking like she was pushed.
You think Doug Belton
killed his wife for a dog?
How far would you go
for the pet you love?
- Hey, Alexa?
- No, we cannot get a dog.
How did you know I was gonna say that?
- You're better than this, Will.
- I'm really not.
Girl detective.
Are you having an affair
with my husband?
No.
- I just felt like a free steak.
- Or four. (CHUCKLES)
Kirk already paid for that?
(SIGHS)
Good morning, Chowder.
(INTRIGUING MUSIC)
Madison.
Madison?
It's early. I'm coming.
Ooh.
Uh, when I said we could do with
a couple more indoor plants,
I meant, like, a small peace lily.
You didn't do this?
How could I do this?
Why would I do this?
Morning, sis.
- Will?
- G'day.
I slept on your couch. Hope it was OK.
You didn't buy some magic
beans from a farm and, like,
spill them on the carpet, did you?
Look, I can explain.
(CHILL MUSIC)
What time do you call this?
'Don't start with me' o'clock.
OK.
You've got something in your,
Oh.
Oh, Will stole some trees.
Well, he retrieved them.
- And you were helping him?
- Absolutely not.
He'd better have them out of my
living room by the time I get home.
- Your living room?
- It's like an enchanted forest.
I'm expecting birdlife and deer
to wander through.
- Sounds like you need a distraction.
- Oh, God. Please distract me.
Meet Tiffany Maddox,
Young Businesswoman of the Year
and woman to watch at
the Auckland Corporate Awards.
Seems too young to
have achieved so much.
Yeah, she crammed a lot into her life.
Before she died? What happened?
Two months ago, she was found
floating in a freshwater fish tank
at the aquarium where
she was general manager.
Captain Pete's Underwater Wonderland.
They've got sharks, rays, tropical fish.
You know what they don't have?
Irukandji jellyfish. The smallest
and most deadly in the world.
This guy is Australian.
Not even found in New Zealand.
And yet here you are holding one.
Tiffany died of multiple stings,
leading to a fatal brain haemorrhage.
That little critter was in her clothing.
So somebody imported an
almost invisible murder weapon.
- Any idea how or who?
- Pretty good idea of the who.
- Well, hello.
- Mind on the job.
Jake Brookwell is a marine biologist.
I mean, seriously, hello.
Who has the knowledge and the means
to
bring this jellyfish into the country.
In the weeks before Tiffany died,
Jake had been on a trip
to North Queensland.
Damn it, Jake. Motive?
Plenty. Tiffany was hired
by the aquarium to rebrand.
In other words, cut costs.
So she let him go.
She replaced him with his
younger and cheaper 2IC,
Suzette Crum.
So if everything's pointing to Jake,
how come he's still going
freely about his business
looking good in a wetsuit?
Because the murder weapon
is a jellyfish.
The team searched his boat twice,
but we can't find anything
that's more than circumstantial.
- All right. Better leave it to me.
- Really, Alexa?
- Didn't know you were so shallow.
- How very dare you.
- I'm interested in the jellyfish.
- Sure you are.
Tiffany had worked
for a supermarket brand,
sports shoes,
and completely modernised
an energy drink company,
which she won an award
for all before she was 30.
But shoes and drinks.
I mean, it's not like she
was an expert in aquariums.
Oh, he is very aesthetically pleasing.
Also the prime suspect, Jake Brookwell.
He has a very nice
boat.
And also a video blog about
sharks and sea mammals.
- Oh, I love a sea mammal.
- Should we take a look?
You know what I love?
When the suspect tells you exactly
how they feel about the victim.
OK, so this was a sanctuary and
a sea animal rescue organisation
founded by the great Peter Turlington,
who was a respected marine biologist,
not a pirate.
Captain Pete's Underwater
Wonderland, who is Captain Pete,
and whose idea was it to bring on
some idiot with a marketing degree
so she could destroy his legacy?
OK, so he was a little irked.
Did not hold back a bit.
Which isn't smart if you're about to
murder the person
you're ranting about,
but I suppose it could have been
a heat of the moment crime.
Tell that to the jellyfish,
who travelled 4000km
from northern Queensland
to a tank at Captain Pete's.
Yeah, true.
And then there's
Tiffany's husband, Evan.
Oh, the restaurant owner.
He went to sleep the night of,
thinking that his wife was working late
and didn't realise that he was alone
until the police knocked
on his door the next morning.
He's in hospo, and
she works later than him?
- Why don't you take the widower?
- I'll take the marine biologist.
Sounds like a fun Friday night.
Madison. Can you stop
with jokes about boys?
Madison?
(CHILL MUSIC)
Jake Brookwell?
I'm Alexa Crowe.
Let me guess. Cop?
Well, retired.
I'm just here with a few questions,
if you don't mind.
I heard this, but I didn't believe it.
Which fool decided the Irukandji
would make a good exhibit?
- Yeah. Good question.
- Here's another one.
Which marine biologist went
to North Queensland two weeks
before Tiffany was killed by
this fish from North Queensland?
I went to Queensland to assess
coral, not to catch marine wildlife.
It's like the opposite
of what I stand for.
So you say in your blog.
But you must understand
how suspicious this looks.
Tiffany made you redundant,
you rant about her on your blog,
and the next thing,
she's killed by a fish.
And who knows about fish?
You. The fish guy.
Did you just call me the fish guy?
Yes, and I take it back.
I don't want to be called
the murder woman.
- Do people call you that?
- Sometimes, behind my back.
Perhaps that's why I'm still single,
I don't know.
Look,
I'm not great with change.
I live alone on a boat because
most people annoy me.
Fair.
But in your expert opinion,
how did an Irukandji end up in
an Auckland tourist attraction?
It wasn't meant to be
a tourist attraction.
It was a rescue centre
for rehabilitation, breeding.
But worthy causes aren't
profitable, so they hired Tiffany.
She knows about cash flow, apparently.
Maybe she thought a dangerous
jellyfish would bring in the crowds.
To look at this?
I mean, no offence, jellyfish, but I
just don't see you as a star attraction.
Try again, fish guy.
How about, I wouldn't have a clue.
Cos I'm surplus to requirements
at the aquarium.
And somehow, someone's died, and I'm
the one that's getting the blame.
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
- Oh, please wait to be seated, doll.
- Carol will take care of you.
- Oh, I don't need a table.
- Are you Evan Maddox?
Obviously.
I wonder if we could
just have a quick chat.
Yeah. I don't do
freebies for influencers.
If you want to post about my
establishment, make a reservation.
Wait time is about six weeks.
Like I said, I'm not
after a booking, I, um
I just have some questions
about your recent bereavement.
I don't do reporters.
It's just as well
I'm not one of those either.
I guess you work crazy hours.
Yeah, it goes with the territory.
But your wife worked even crazier hours?
It wasn't unusual for you
to be home before her?
Tiff liked to burn the midnight oil.
That's why she was so
successful at her job.
Hm.
Oh, that's nice. You and Tiffany
have always been fish fans?
- No. That was a gift.
- From Tiffany?
From a client.
Is there anyone you can think of
who
might have had a problem with Tiffany?
I'm sure she pissed a few people
off over the years,
in her line of work.
Corporate downsizing.
OK. Fair, but death by sea
creature is very specific.
- I don't know what happened.
- But you do want to?
Of course I do. I have a
full restaurant out there.
I lost my wife,
but I have to keep going.
Keep smiling.
I don't have the luxury to fall apart.
Thank you for looking into this.
I hope you find an answer.
Excuse me. I'm so sorry. Hello.
Uh, Alexa and Madison?
Suzette, how do you do?
I'm the head aquarist here,
and we still haven't hired a new general
manager,
so I'm currently that, too.
- Thanks for making time for us.
- No, thank you for being here.
I miss Tiffany so much.
She really believed in me,
and we were on our way to
becoming a really kickass team.
It must be hard for a head aquarist
to also be in charge of
the business side of things.
Even just the whole interview
process to replace Tiff.
When I haven't even been able
to bring myself to clear her desk.
Her husband hasn't been over
to collect her things?
He's a busy guy.
Tell me about Jake Brookwell.
Jake was old school.
He never wanted to compromise.
And that's what Tiff needed from us.
All of us.
So you think the police
are right to focus on him?
99% of me is sure that Jake had nothing
to do
with what happened to Tiff.
And the other 1%?
Is wondering how on earth that
Irukandji got into our tank.
(LAID-BACK MUSIC)
Oh, this is where she was found?
(PHONE RINGS)
Sorry, I have to take this one.
Ooh, it is very calming in here.
We should get an aquarium for home.
- We already have a rainforest.
- Ha-ha.
But imagine just taking
time to be mindful,
watching the little
fish go back and forth.
Change your screensaver.
- IN BACKGROUND: OK, sure.
- I can definitely do that.
OK, thanks. Bye.
Hey.
Alexa, meet Waru,
the bad boy of the aquarium.
Hello, Waru.
He's been driving us crazy lately.
Escaping at night
and raiding the mollusc tank.
Hey, what's up with the spiny
sea dragons? The tank is empty.
Sometimes they like to hide.
I'll check with the junior
I've just hired.
They might be in the vet room. (SQUIRT!)
(YELPS, GASPS) Oh my God.
Oh, Waru.
Yeah. What did I tell you?
He's such a brat.
I hear you folk are
more intelligent than most.
Yeah, they have nine brains,
one for each arm.
They can use tools and build
shelters and solve puzzles,
but they need a lot of
stimulation and entertainment.
You and me both, Waru.
So, did you see anything that night?
Let me know.
Suzette seemed worried that those
spiny sea dragons weren't in their tank.
Here's a theory.
Jake Brookwell had been liberating
sea creatures from the aquarium.
And Tiffany busted him doing it.
Hey, Ruben, do you have any pets?
The hospo hours don't allow for that.
What about a fish?
I like my fish on a plate
with lemon and pepper.
Just don't tell this guy.
Hey, Jake.
You know Jake the marine biologist?
Of course; he's my neighbour.
- Twice in one day?
- You following me around?
- I'm a regular at Rubens.
- I've never seen you before.
Yeah, I spend a lot
of time on expeditions,
but I always take a couple of loaves of
Ruben's sourdough
whenever I set off.
Oh, please. You're shameless.
Ruben obviously told you
that I make the sourdough.
You make Ruben's sourdough?
Which is why you said it to win me over.
What makes you think
I'm trying to win you over?
Well, you should, because I'm
conducting a murder investigation
and you're a person of interest.
To tell the truth, Alexa,
you're pretty interesting yourself.
Look, Jake, fish have
gone missing from the aquarium.
They weren't rescued by a rebel
marine biologist, were they?
- Well, what fish?
- Spiny sea dragons.
- They were bred there.
- They're only a year old.
Is it true that the octopus gets out
of his enclosure on a regular basis?
Man, he's such a character.
He used to squirt water at Tiffany
whenever she walked past.
I promise I didn't teach him to do that.
You know,
you really ought to stop talking
about how much you disliked Tiffany.
Look, I was perfectly pleasant.
Too pleasant, according to her
weasel of a husband.
- Evan Maddox?
- He's an up-himself douchebag.
So he thought there was something
going on between you and Tiffany?
He told me it was wrong. I might
have also laughed in his face.
Will?
- Will Crowe.
- He's not here.
Alexa, I have someone
I want you to meet.
This is my pet sprat, Damon.
- Are you ready for pets?
- You don't do well with houseplants.
Even I can look after a goldfish.
So tell me about Jake. What did he say?
- Why are you smiling?
- The forearms. Oh, the forearms.
Tiffany's husband, Evan Maddox,
accused
Jake of having an affair with her.
- Oh, and were they? Did they?
- Mm. I can't see it.
He's not a fan.
Not even in a sexy
'I love you, I hate you' way?
Who does that?
Oh, enemies to lovers is
one of my favourite tropes.
Along with friends to lovers,
forced proximity and forbidden love.
Anyhoo,
Jake wasn't interested in Tiffany,
but that didn't stop Evan
from making the accusation.
He could be the type to
have a jealous streak, for sure.
But exactly how jealous?
(CHILL MUSIC)
- Evan Maddox.
- This is my friend Alexa Crowe.
And I'm assuming you still
don't have a reservation?
Why did you accuse Jake Brookwell
of sleeping with your wife?
Wow.
You told the police that
you and Tiffany were happy.
That doesn't seem like the actions
of someone in a secure relationship.
There's no way I'm having
this conversation here,
in my stadium, on my stage,
in my courtroom.
So you and Tiffany weren't
on good terms when she died?
I was devastated when I lost Tiff.
Then I found something out.
Out of respect for her memory,
I wasn't going to tell anyone.
But a few days after Tiff's funeral,
I went to her office at the
aquarium to collect her stuff.
And I found that she had a second phone.
- Do you still have it?
- Yeah.
You'll have to charge it.
It's filled with messages
between her and some Randy guy.
- Do you have a name?
- Randy.
- His name's Randy, Alexa.
- He's from Canada.
Oh. An online thing, then.
Hello?
- Bathroom's down the hall, doll.
- This is a private office.
Oh, yeah, sorry.
Need to get a sign for that door.
So until you found out
about this Randy person,
you thought Tiffany
was 100% faithful to you?
Correct.
But you accused Jake Brookwell
of sleeping with her.
- She'd started a new job.
- She was working late every night.
And have you seen the guy?
She has.
So we're back to not being on good
terms with Tiff before she died.
OK, fine.
I knew something was off.
Husband's instincts, and now I can't
even ask her what I did to deserve
You still have your wedding photo
in pride of place, though.
Nice wedding ring.
White gold.
Same as mine.
I just wish she hadn't kicked me
in the guts from beyond the grave.
(FUNKY MUSIC)
Hello?
Follow the trail of breadcrumbs, Hansel.
Wow, you weren't kidding
about the enchanted forest.
And you got a fish.
Madison did. Sprat Damon.
Hey, check out this picture
of Tiffany's hand.
Notice anything?
Not apart from the
nasty jellyfish stings.
- She's not wearing her wedding ring.
- Ah.
And according to her husband,
Tiffany was having an affair.
He never mentioned that
in his statement.
He only recently found out.
Nasty surprise when he went through her
burner phone and discovered
Randy from Vancouver.
Randy's got a way with words.
So does Tiff.
Be good to locate that wedding ring, eh?
Yeah. I'll take another look
at the victim's property list.
So, this online lover guy?
Madison's tracking him down as we speak.
(CHILL, PURPOSEFUL MUSIC)
Yeah. OK, mate. All right,
we'll get it sorted.
OK. They'll be gone in
a couple of hours.
- Found another buyer.
- Great.
No. Not really. I'm selling them
for less than I've paid for them.
You want me to go and see this
dodgy client and rough him up a bit?
- Oh, like in a police capacity?
- No, not in a police capacity.
No, he kind of didn't
get what he ordered.
These aren't native New Zealand
trees. They're doppelgangers.
- Tried to rip him off?
- Oh, no. I got ripped off.
I thought I was buying
native New Zealand trees.
And in my defence, it's a
common mistake; I googled it.
Well, then it's fine.
So you got scammed by
dodgy suppliers? It happens.
Yeah, but now the client's accusing me.
They look me up,
I don't have a leg to stand on.
Well, that's not fair.
People can change.
Yeah. Should they?
That's the question I keep asking.
Hey, do you want to go and rough
up these dodgy suppliers instead?
Happily. Except they ghosted me.
They're on Facebook Marketplace. I
know. It was a good deal, all right?
Too good to be true, in fact.
Aside from this one very lonely
Facebook profile with only two friends,
- I can't find Randy from Vancouver.
- No online presence at all?
- Nothing.
- So he's a catfish?
Yeah. But you saw
the message from Tiffany
about how nice it was to meet Randy
and to do other things to Randy.
They met in real life.
So, not a catfish, but a fake name.
I'll keep looking.
And did you get the pics
I airdropped to you?
The papers from Suzette's desk?
There's one that looks like a profit
report and a bunch of invoices,
but I'm not sure if
there's anything useful.
Me neither. But I think I know
someone who can shed some light.
Oh, I bet you do.
Madison. Now, what do we say?
No giggling about boys.
Yeah, I'm not giggling.
I'm just teasing.
Besides, I'm not making an excuse
to see him. He invited me to lunch.
What about this one?
Anything out of the ordinary there?
Vet bills have gone down.
Is that good?
Good?
Yeah. If you're no longer
focusing on rescue and rehab,
but trying to become
some kind of circus, sure.
In your opinion,
was Tiffany the sort of
person to have a raunchy online affair?
You know, if they're
cutting costs like this,
I get Tiffany wouldn't care.
But Suzette, I trained Suzette.
And what if Suzette wasn't
OK with the cutbacks?
Is she the sort of person to take
a stand to disagree with Tiffany?
Now Suzette did it?
I have to ask the question.
OK, so does that mean
I'm off the hook, or?
There are other people on my radar.
(LAUGHS) Is everyone you meet
just a potential murder suspect?
My friend Madison says that I have
to expand my social circle, so, yes.
Hi.
How are you enjoying the view,
Sprat Damon?
Is everything to your liking?
My goodness. It's so nice to move
without a branch in my face.
- Well, that was a long lunch.
- Now I have you in my face.
Did Jake get a good grilling?
You know, this
catfish-not catfish thing,
The messages just don't match up
with the picture of Tiffany I'm getting.
- What? Nice girls can't be naughty?
- No, that's not what I mean.
It seems like she was too
busy to be naughty.
Yeah, I can relate.
And
you're right.
Do tell.
Tiffany's IP address and Randy's
IP address are the same place.
And I bet I can guess where.
- Whoa! No, no, no.
- This is a staff only area.
- Good evening, Evan.
- Put that down and get out.
After you tell me this,
why did you invent a fake
internet lover for your wife?
Sorry?
And write months worth
of fictional texts.
You really missed your calling
as an erotic fiction writer.
Get away from my wine collection.
Butterfingers, you know.
Sometimes I am so clumsy.
Please, please, just give me the 1974.
You know what makes me clumsier?
People not telling the truth.
No! You can't even get
that bottle in New Zealand.
Do you have any idea
the strings I had to pull?
Your wife was not having an affair,
and someone wanted to
make it look like she was.
Why? Why would anyone do that?
Well, you tell me, because guess where
Tiffany and Randy
did their sexting from?
How the hell would I know?
Right here, Evan.
Your restaurant, your office.
You created a murder suspect.
Randy from Vancouver doesn't exist.
Wait. Did you not know this?
This is news to you.
So if you didn't write the
fake messages, then who did?
- I don't know.
- Liar.
No, no, no, not the '98 Ginette Ridge.
Oh, the '98 Ginette Ridge.
OK, fine, fine.
Uh, there is someone else
that has access to my office.
- It could have, Could have been her.
- Finally. Who's her?
Come on. Madison.
We've got a mermaid to catch.
Won't be a sec.
You want a coffee here or,
uh, get takeaway?
Might as well have it here.
(QUIRKY MUSIC)
What did you do?
I just checked the kids entertainment
section of Captain Pete's website,
- and this mermaid is,
- We're out of milk.
- Let's just go to Ruben's.
- OK. I just need my sunglasses.
- (CHUCKLES) Allow me.
- Thank you.
I will talk to you later.
So, Angel Strawn is a drama
student who works here part time.
And Evan told you they were having
an affair for about six months?
And Angel created this whole
catfish scenario before Tiffany died,
probably hoping that Evan
would leave his wife for her.
And she planted the
burner phone in Tiffany's desk.
But Evan didn't see anything that
she created until after Tiffany died.
So did Angel get tired of waiting?
Decided to get rid of the wife?
What? You really think
she's a serious suspect?
I talked to her.
Oh my God. That's her.
- A mermaid eating pork and pastry.
- It's so wrong.
Well, guess she got
the heads up from Evan.
- Do you want to go or should I?
- Yeah, I can go.
(GRUNTS)
I just have some questions
about Tiffany Maddox.
- (GRUNTS) Why?
- Why do you want to talk to me?
Cos you were sleeping
with Tiffany's husband.
- What the actual?
- Who told you that?
- Tiffany's husband.
- I'm not here to judge you.
Well, not for that, anyway.
Maybe for the fake profiles you
created and the messages you sent.
Tiffany and Randy from Vancouver.
- It's quite the steamy romance.
- Really?
Tiffany was having a thing
with a Canadian guy?
You wanted Evan to leave his wife,
so you pulled a double catfish.
Oh, look who hasn't pulled
the old double catfish?
Mm, it's really not a thing
that normal people do.
Yeah, well, look, it doesn't even matter
because Evan never
snooped into her messages,
and now he's upset because he thinks
Tiffany actually cheated on him.
That's what you wanted him to think.
Yeah, but when Tiffany was
still alive, so he'd leave her.
And how do you know that Evan only
saw the messages after Tiffany died?
What if he did see them just before?
- Well, then he would have left her.
- Or killed her.
Excuse you. Evan didn't do that.
And you're so sure because, what?
Because I was with him
that night in his office.
- We made love.
- And you were together all night?
We fell asleep,
and when we woke, it was morning,
and Evan freaked because he thought
he'd have some explaining to do.
But when he got home,
Tiffany wasn't there.
- There you go.
- No second helpings for you, Buster.
And get that glint out of your eyes.
She'll never even notice.
OK, so Angel is a
bit of a confused mermaid,
but it does seem that she and
Evan are each other's alibis.
So they're not working as a team.
No, I don't think,
What's that fish doing there?
Sprat Damon? Your pet?
But that's not Sprat Damon.
- It is.
- I'm telling you that it's not.
For goodness sake, Madison.
How can you possibly tell?
All goldfish look alike.
Because Sprat Damon
went down the toilet.
Yeah, he was floating belly up
last night, so I flushed him.
You did what?
Did you just try to deceive me, Alexa?
Deceive you how?
You thought that Chowder
had eaten Sprat Damon,
and you could just replace him with
another goldfish,
- and I'd never know.
- Hello?
Have I told you lately that your
investigative skills
have really come along?
Alexa Crowe, you are busted, and
I'm not gonna let you forget it.
- Kia ora. What's going on?
- Oh, just caught Alexa lying.
That is very harsh.
About a dead fish
that apparently leapt
from the toilet bowl back into its tank.
You should just be grateful that I
care enough to protect your feelings.
Can I just jump in here?
Yes, Harry, please. Go on. I'm all ears.
There was an incident last night.
Someone broke into the aquarium.
It was your mate, Jake Brookwell.
I was worried about the marine
life, so I went in to check on them.
You couldn't do that in
regular business hours?
Not if I wanted to access all areas.
The thing is, Jake,
If I'm trying to prove that someone
did or didn't commit a murder,
then it would be good if they would
fly under the radar
just a little bit.
I didn't kill anyone.
You must know that.
How must I?
Well, because
I am not sorry for breaking in, Alexa.
- I think there's a fish missing.
- Only one?
Yeah, that I noticed.
Stephanie is a beautiful
blue damselfish.
She comes all the way from
Palawan in the Philippines.
So, you haven't been at
the aquarium for a while.
- Could Stephanie have died?
- No. If fish are dying,
there should be reports,
autopsies to see why.
You don't just flush them down the loo?
I'm kidding. Obviously.
- Come with me.
- Where?
Well, murder woman wants to see
fish guy in his natural habitat.
Come on, let's go.
I'm gonna catch up with you in a minute.
Hi, Angel. I'm Alexa Crowe.
I know who you are.
Your friend said some pretty awful
things about my boyfriend yesterday.
Oh, your boyfriend, Evan Maddox?
So he forgave you for the catfish stunt?
We had an amazing talk last night,
and he got that I only did it
because I love him so much.
Hey, I like your earrings.
Thanks. They're basically the
most expensive thing I own.
Evan knows a guy who can get him a deal.
So, the mermaid finally got her man.
- Stephanie's tank.
- Uh-huh.
- What's that over there?
- No. That's not.
It's male, for a start.
Right, so what if something
did happen to the damselfish
and somebody maybe just replaced it,
- hoping no one would notice?
- Who would do something like that?
Someone who meant well.
I mean, not me, obviously.
Oh, shoot.
Bit late for the warning, but
- What warning?
- Stay away. Bye.
Hey. Hey.
Jake.
That octopus is a good shot.
I know you're loyal, but come on, Waru.
I was only going to warn Jake
that the board are thinking
about officially trespassing him.
Well, he was just trying to help me out.
I had some questions
about fish turnover.
I can answer those.
How did the blue damselfish
turn from female to male?
What's this got to do with Tiffany?
Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.
The species is dichromatic.
So males and females
are different colours.
And so Stephanie was a juvenile
when she first arrived here.
And then she suddenly started to
develop this yellowy-orangey tail.
- And we realised
- She is he.
Stephanie became Stephano.
Hm.
That is bullcrap.
Stephanie wasn't a juvenile.
She had a black spot on the base of
her hindmost dorsal ray
and clear fins,
Any half decent hobbyist could
look at her and tell you that.
So either Suzette doesn't
know what she's talking about,
or she's counting on me not to
know what she's talking about.
Hey, where does Captain Pete's
get their fish?
We had an Aussie company who
offered tank-bred species,
or we'd catch individuals sustainably.
Is it expensive to buy only tank bred?
About three times the price, why?
Just wondering.
How did it go with the fish guy?
He doesn't much like being called that.
This is a peppermint angelfish.
Status symbol for high-end
home aquariums.
It's pretty.
Well, I wouldn't be letting
you anywhere near him.
He's worth $30,000.
- What?
- If you can find one.
That is one expensive
cat treat for Chowder.
- He was innocent.
- He's capable.
Well, anyway, I was thinking
that maybe Tiffany got
herself involved in something
Do not say fishy.
Shady.
I was going to say shady.
(LAID-BACK, GROOVY MUSIC)
- Hey, Suzette.
- We're closed.
- I know.
- Do you mind?
What, do you work 24-7 or what?
You were close to Tiffany.
Was she selling fish?
- What?
- Were you doing it together.
Are you still doing it?
- Is Jake putting you up to this?
- Nobody puts me up to anything.
It's just Jake knows his fish.
And Stephanie and Stefano
are not the same guy.
Is there something you want to confess?
Let's go somewhere nice.
You can tell me all about it.
I think Waru has been stealing
more than just crabs.
You're blaming the octopus?
About two weeks ago,
I arrived in the morning
to find that we were
down half a dozen crabs,
and no Stephanie.
Has Waru ever eaten other fish?
No.
But Waru did steal my watch off
my desk a couple of months ago.
I found it in his tank.
What does he have against you?
I took his best friend's job, I guess.
Look, I know Jake thinks that Tiff
was all cost cutting and no ethics.
That's not true.
You know, not long after she started,
there were
these cheaper,
newer suppliers that approached her.
And when I told her about their
practices, she got it. She said no.
And did Tiffany know that
Evan was cheating on her?
Wait, he was?
How do you know?
His new girlfriend told me.
The mermaid.
- Are you serious?
- (CHUCKLES)
Yeah. She had her suspicions.
She was sure he was lying about
all those late nights here.
The mermaid? Really?
- Tiff hired her, she,
- Thanks, Suzette.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(FABRIC RUSTLES)
Hey.
I was reading this article
about you and your mates
that said you can differentiate humans.
That you can like or dislike us,
and cats can do that too.
My Chowder is an excellent
judge of character.
But anyway, this article was
talking about one octopus
who squirted the same lab assistant
every time he passed.
I mean, he didn't like him.
There might have been a reason.
Maybe there wasn't one.
I mean, some people
can be a bit annoying.
Yeah.
(WATER RUSHES)
Waru?
Hey. What's up?
What's up, buttercup?
What you got there?
What is it?
Oh. Good boy.
Rosebank Business Park?
Thanks, Waru. You're the second
best co-investigator I ever had.
Thanks, Waru.
(INTRIGUING MUSIC)
(GARAGE DOOR SCRAPES)
What's it gonna be today?
A rare dragon fish? A bunch of piranhas?
Why are you here?
I just wanted to see where Tiffany died.
I don't know what you think you
know, but this is where Tiffany
used to keep the Captain Pete's
on-display fish.
So the deadly jellyfish
are not for display.
What are they for, I wonder?
Just a freaky bycatch?
See, I don't think any of this is for
Captain Pete's or anyone who works there.
This is all you.
You love a side hustle.
Got your fingers in lots of pies.
I mean, the expensive wine collection,
and you've got a hook up for white-gold
jewellery, the wedding rings,
and, oh, Angel's lovely gift yesterday.
Sorry. What is this all about?
I'm glad you asked.
So you've got a client at the
restaurant who deals in tropical fish.
Even bought you a nice little
school of your own.
But then, one night,
you're talking big over one of
your priceless glasses of wine,
someone mentions they're looking for,
let's say, a blue damselfish.
And you let slip that
your wife runs an aquarium.
Are you with me so far?
So you would take Tiffany's access
card to get in there after hours.
And now Stephanie is living in
someone else's home aquarium.
And you think, my golly,
there's an opening here
for a much bigger operation.
Wow, that is some imagination, Alexa.
We are here, Evan.
I'm not imagining this.
Like, you've got all
your own dodgy suppliers,
but then if somebody wants something
that's a little harder to come by,
well, you'd just nick that card,
wouldn't you?
So, did somebody put in an order
for Waru, the octopus?
That's why you tried to steal him
last night, isn't it?
Waru, he was having none of it, was he?
He squirted you right in the chest.
I saw your jacket.
(CHUCKLES)
A wet jacket?
All right. Whatever, Alexa.
Maybe I got caught in the rain.
Well, you got caught in something.
Waru's sucker marks.
Tiffany caught you out, didn't she?
See, you're such a busy guy.
All your hustles and schemes.
She thought, naturally,
you were up to no good.
And one night, she followed you
from the restaurant.
Thought she might catch you
with another woman.
But what she found was much bigger.
You see, illegally importing
wildlife into New Zealand,
that is huge, Evan. That's big fines.
That's jail time.
And Tiffany wasn't gonna let it slide.
(CLAMOUR ECHOES)
Somehow she ended up in
the tank with the Irukandji.
No, I was with Angel that night.
Yeah, for part of the time.
You met up with her afterwards.
Did your thing in the office.
Just in case you needed an alibi.
And I love how you got back together
with her yesterday,
just to keep her sweet.
Whatever, Alexa.
Try proving that Tiffany
ever stepped foot in this place.
She knew nothing about it.
She's never been here.
And this tank, it's empty.
The nursing tank currently unoccupied.
This tank is empty. Really?
All except for Tiffany's
missing wedding ring.
Why don't you get it?
Get it, Evan.
I mean, seriously, reach in.
- Get it. Grab it.
- Go.
Why? You need that ring.
- I'm warning you.
- Why are you warning me?
I thought that it was empty.
You let that venom cause a fatal
brain haemorrhage in Tiffany.
Just like that, you killed your wife.
She fell.
It was an accident.
You know, if you had got her to the
hospital, she still stood a chance.
But then you'd have to explain all this.
So you threw her in
the back of your car,
took her to Captain Pete's,
and dumped her in the tank.
And that's why that octopus
doesn't like you.
And why he helped me work it out.
You see, you left this behind when
you were last there after hours.
I should warn you, there are
two gentlemen on their way
to collect the stonefish
they spent a lot of money on,
and they won't be happy with someone
messing with their transaction.
What Tiffany was doing with a greedy
blowhard like you,
I'll never understand.
(METAL CLANGING)
Ah, they're early.
I hope you're ready for your
swim with Queensland's finest.
Looks like my gentleman friends got
here before your gentleman friends.
G'day, mate.
- Don't say 'hook, line and sinker.'
- Wouldn't dream of it.
Here's to your new old job
back at Captain Pete's.
Back at the Peter Turlington
Marine Sanctuary and Aquarium.
I'm sorry you didn't
get to say goodbye to Waru.
Wait, he died?
No, no, no. He's fine.
He's almost 3 years old, so I thought he'd
appreciate his last few months in the wild.
You, You liberated the octopus.
You're a good sort, fish guy.
Thanks, murder woman.
(SWEET MUSIC)
I'm investigating Coral Belton's murder.
- Didn't she fall down some stairs?
- It's looking like she was pushed.
You think Doug Belton
killed his wife for a dog?
How far would you go
for the pet you love?
- Hey, Alexa?
- No, we cannot get a dog.
How did you know I was gonna say that?
- You're better than this, Will.
- I'm really not.
Girl detective.
Are you having an affair
with my husband?
No.
- I just felt like a free steak.
- Or four. (CHUCKLES)
Kirk already paid for that?