Dalgliesh (2021) s02e03 Episode Script

LAMP BUZZING
DOG BARKS
POLICEMAN: You mentioned a man.
How would you describe him?
Rita O'Keeffe, Sir.
53, unemployed,
lives with her nephew, Garry Ashe.
POLICEMAN, OUTSIDE: Harry,
go upstairs and have another look.
He found her when he got back
from a night out at 1:15.
Nephew says she drinks.
Often brings men back here.
For money? Sometimes.
Well, that's what he implied.
Pathologist's on his way.
There's at least six stab wounds,
maybe more.
Nothing on the hands.
No sign of a struggle.
Terrific (!)
Sir, er,
a neighbour, Dorothy Scully,
said she saw the nephew leaving
just after midnight.
He said he got back at 1:15.
Well, she says
she definitely saw him,
and he was carrying
a blue plastic bag.
And we just turned up this.
Mr Ashe?
I'm Chief Inspector Dalgliesh.
I'm leading the investigation
into your aunt's death.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Thank you. Remind me
what time you arrived home tonight.
It's in my statement.
Which you took.
Is it possible
you could have arrived home
earlier than you suggested?
"I was out riding my motorbike
until 1:15."
Anyone see you?
I wear a helmet.
And I don't stop
to take people's names as I pass.
I need you to come to Scotland Yard
with me, Mr Ashe.
Not convenient. Tomorrow.
Garry Ashe, I'm arresting you
on suspicion of
the murder of Rita O'Keeffe.
Oh, you don't wanna do this.
You do not have to say anything
unless you wish to do so,
but whatever you do say
may be taken down in evidence.
Disappointing scent, DS Miskin.
What's the word?
HE SNIFFS
Vulgar.
CHATTER
'We've already heard
from the landlord of the Royal Oak
'that Mrs O'Keeffe
was one of his regulars.
'She'd been in the pub
drinking heavily,
'until 11 o'clock
on the night in question.'
Let's turn to the murder weapon.
Can you remind the court
where it was found?
It was found in a blue plastic bag.
Hidden underneath a privet hedge
eight doors down from
Were prints found on the knife?
No. It had been wiped clean.
So you're asking us to believe
that Mr Ashe
brutally murdered his beloved aunt,
who provided a roof over his head
after a lifetime in care,
and that he wiped the knife clean
and decided to dispose of it
not somewhere else -
somewhere in the vast realms
of the metropolis
..but in a neighbour's hedge,
eight doors down?
Perhaps he wasn't thinking clearly.
Or perhaps it was just
arrogance.
Dorothy, I know
you are an honest woman,
and I know you're going to tell
the truth in court.
Yes, I am.
And I think you understand
that the case for the prosecution
rests almost entirely, it appears,
on your identification
of the man you saw
coming out of Mrs O'Keeffe's house
at midnight the night she died.
It was him! Her nephew.
MURMURS FROM GALLERY
You're looking very smart today,
Dorothy.
Is that a new jacket?
Bought it for the court.
RIPPLE OF LAUGHTER
And your glasses
look very smart too.
They're also new.
Yes.
In fact,
I paid a visit to your optician.
He tells me he had need to increase
your prescription three weeks ago.
He was also able to supply me
with a pair of glasses
made to your prescription
you were using on the night
Mrs O'Keeffe was murdered.
Quickly, please.
Mr Ulrick,
my highly efficient pupil
LAUGHTER
..will hand them to you.
Can you put them on, please?
Are you approximately
the same distance from Mr Ulrick
as you were from
the man you saw leaving
Mrs O'Keeffe's house that night?
I would say so, yes.
Can you tell me
how many fingers he is holding up?
Um
Two?
GASPS AND MURMURS
FROM GALLERY
Do you find the defendant,
Garry Ashe,
guilty or not guilty of murder?
Not guilty.
CHATTER FROM GALLERY
Pleasure. Well done.
Look after yourself.
Venetia?
JUDGE BANGS GAVEL
GUNSHOTS
CASINGS CLATTER
BUZZER
Not bad. Well, it's only my second
session, so yes, it wasn't.
Daniel Tarrant.
Kate Miskin.
Yes, I know.
You were with Dalgliesh
on the Garry Ashe case.
That must have been gutting.
It was.
Knowing a dangerous man's been freed
to walk the streets.
Quite something, I hear,
that barrister.
Apparently, she runs rings
around everyone.
SHE SCOFFS
BUZZER
Maybe see you around.
What are you talking about?
You can't stop us. I'm 18.
No No, no.
Aren't you supposed to
congratulate me?
Look at me, Octavia.
He's making a fool of you.
He wants you for your money.
Right.
Yeah, that's what he said you'd say.
You're not to see him any more.
But he loves me.
He doesn't love anyone!
Just because YOU don't love me,
it doesn't mean
no-one else ever will.
Just because
no-one's ever loved you.
OCTAVIA GASPS
Sorry.
I'm sorry.
Mr Ulrick.
Have you done
the prep for Colchester yet?
Not quite, but I'm nearly there
with it. Well, get there.
I want it on my desk
before you leave.
The partners' meeting,
Miss Aldridge.
They've just started.
Have they now?
PHONE RINGS
MAN LAUGHING
Gentlemen. What have I missed?
Apologies, Miss Aldridge.
We weren't sure you'd be attending.
I can't think why. I've never missed
a single partners' meeting.
You are 20 minutes late.
Well, some of us have
cases to argue, Hubert.
We can't all stand around,
looking out of the window,
trying to remember
what day of the week it is.
Um, we were just discussing
Valerie Caldwell.
We're all agreed
that we should make her contract
I think she should go.
She's just about competent,
but she's inexperienced.
And no other respectable chambers
has a
a dolly bird for a clerk.
Ye gods!
Miss Caldwell is proving herself
a very efficient and organised
clerk.
You want to get your hand
up her skirt.
It's what everyone's whispering.
It's embarrassing.
You're making a fool of us.
Madam, madam. Too far.
We should appoint people on merit,
not because of their sex
or how they look
or who they're related to.
Oh, which is aimed at me, I assume?
Well, Mr Ulrick, your son's
hardly shaping up well, is he?
When I become Head of Chambers,
I will systematically deconstruct
the old boys' club.
Have you set
a date for your retirement yet?
Or is that something else
you were discussing behind my back?
You said you weren't interested in
Head of Chambers. Changed my mind.
Everyone else
will have to wait their turn.
The only The only thing
embarrassing this chambers is you.
Really? Why would that be?
With the cases
you choose to take on.
You mean the unwinnable ones
IRA terrorists, paedophiles.
..which I then proceed to win.
Everyone deserves
legal representation. Garry Ashe.
We're still suffering the fallout
from that. What's next? Beelzebub?
Perhaps we could
Can I speak to you outside, please?
Drysdale, now, please.
IN HALLWAY: Because I'm asking you
to. I've done enough for you.
Venetia, all I'm saying
Just bloody do it!
BELL TOLLS
PHONE RINGS
Venetia speaking.
WOMAN:'What do I do, Miss Aldridge?
She's with him now.
'He won't leave.'
PHONE RINGS
Good morning,
Pawlett Court Chambers.
'Hello, this is Mrs Buckley.
Is Miss Aldridge there?'
I don't think so, Mrs Buckley.
Miss Caldwell!
'You see,
her bed hasn't been slept in'
The florist at Hogham Station
has lovely flowers.
As far as I'm aware, I'm first in.
I thought these might brighten up
your corner.
Thank you, Mr Langton,
but you really shouldn't have.
'I'm worried.
It is most unlike her'
KNOCK AT DOOR
Miss Aldridge?
Miss Aldridge, I
BREATH TREMBLING
POLICEMAN: Step aside now.
..could be useful.
Yes, ma'am.
DALGLIESH: DS Miskin,
this is DS Daniel Tarrant.
He's joining the team.
Pleased to meet you.
Hi. It's her, sir. The barrister
who defended Garry Ashe.
The clerk, Valerie Caldwell,
found the body
when she opened up this morning.
Miss Aldridge's housekeeper called
to say her bed hadn't been slept in.
Start taking names and addresses,
please. Yes, Sir.
Not a sight we're likely to forget.
Designed to shock.
Well, the blood's
certainly been staged.
It's not hers.
Rigour, temperature, smell,
all say she's been dead
between 12 and 14 hours.
So either the blood contained
an anticoagulant,
or it was poured later.
This looks like our fatal wound,
a narrow slit about an inch long.
Dagger.
Something sharp on both sides.
MISKIN, IN HALL:
You can't go in there.
Stop that. I've got a right to know
what's happening.
Oh, my God.
Chief Inspector Dalgliesh.
I'm from Scotland Yard.
Hubert St John Langton.
I'm Head of Chambers.
This is Desmond Ulrick.
This is unspeakable.
My, er My blood's missing.
What do you mean, Mr Ulrick?
My son has anaemia.
He needs regular transfusions.
I had some taken
the day before yesterday.
It was in my fridge.
Matthew had a bad reaction
to some foreign muck
he was given last year,
so he only uses mine.
I have it taken
from a clinic nearby.
Why store it here?
Because he's a pupil here.
It's easier for him to collect it
and take it to Guy's Hospital.
When did you last see the blood?
Around 5:30 yesterday evening,
I should say.
Is that when you left for the night?
No, I left at 7:15.
I was the last to leave.
Except Venetia.
So you were
the last to see her alive?
Well, I don't know. Er
Probably not.
Mrs Carpenter, the cleaning lady,
comes in later in the evening.
Where did you go after you left,
Mr Ulrick?
I went straight to supper
with Matthew. He was
Look, I-I'm going to say this
because
you will hear it soon enough.
None of us liked her.
She wasn't a nice woman. But
Oh, God.
No, even she didn't deserve this.
You saw the wig
which Miss Aldridge was wearing.
Is that one which belongs to her?
It looks more like
a judge's wig than
It's my grandfather's.
It should be in its wig box
in my room.
I must check to see
if Miss Caldwell is all right.
Mr Langton?
Did Miss Aldridge own a paper knife?
Well I don't think so.
I-I don't know.
You presented her with one, Hubert.
After 20 years of partnership.
Oh, yes.
It was a miniature sword of justice.
Where's DS Tarrant transferred from?
Vice.
You OK with it?
Sure.
The Standard always has a pink
financial section, doesn't it?
Yes, I think so.
It's not here.
So, if the paper knife is
our weapon, which is looking likely,
maybe the killer used the newspaper
to wipe it or conceal it.
Venetia admits her killer.
The killer moves over to the desk.
Venetia stays by the door.
It's someone
she's hoping to get rid of quickly.
The killer picks up
the paper knife
..comes back over,
stabs her through the heart
..and is then dragged
..back over towards the chair.
And then the killer goes and gets
the blood and the wig.
Both of which
they must have known about.
Except there's a time lapse.
Miles thinks
the blood was poured later.
E-Excuse me
What is it?
I need to speak to
Detective Chief Inspector Dalgliesh
as soon as possible.
Not possible, I'm afraid,
not possible.
I-I think that I, and I alone,
can unlock the identity
of Venetia Aldridge's murderer.
Good for you. You can contact
Scotland Yard. Please!
My mother always said sweet tea's
best for shock. Thank you.
How long have you been cleaning
here, Mrs Carpenter?
Er, about a year.
And what time did you begin work
yesterday evening? Eight.
I like to be punctual. I
..always hear
the clock on the Temple Church
as I unlock the door.
So the door to chambers
was definitely locked?
Oh, yes. Yes.
I cleaned reception first
and then the lawyers' rooms.
I did see
Miss Aldridge's light was on, but
..I never disturb her
when she's working.
Did you hear
any noise coming from her room? No.
In Mr Ulrick's room
..did you notice whether
the blood in his fridge was missing?
Er, no, because he doesn't like me
to clean his fridge.
He's very particular.
KNOCK AT DOOR
Sir.
Looks like it's been wiped.
I didn't know it was in there.
No-one ever goes in there.
It must have been very shocking
for you
discovering Miss Aldridge's body.
When did you last see Miss Aldridge?
When she came out of
the partners' meeting.
Yesterday afternoon. Around four.
She went straight to her rooms.
I leave work at six.
I knew she was still here,
and Mr Ulrick was still here.
The Evening Standard.
Does chambers have it delivered?
PRAYING SOFTLY
IN LATIN
Sorry.
I was told I'd find you here.
My sanctuary.
Beautiful.
These angels and saints
guard the law from corruption.
Was Venetia Aldridge corrupt?
Is that why her murderer mocked
her profession in the way they did?
No.
She was honest.
Difficult, argumentative
..but she believed in the law
as firmly as I do.
When you took her
the Evening Standard yesterday,
did it contain
the pink financial pages?
I-I didn't take her a newspaper.
Your clerk said
it was a peace offering.
There'd been an argument
at the partners' meeting.
I didn't take her the paper.
When you left chambers yesterday,
did you go straight home?
I was at home at the usual t
Yes.
What time would you have arrived?
Half past seven?
I'm sure
my housekeeper could confirm that.
Why do you
Thank you.
What was the argument about?
At the partners' meeting.
Venetia and Drysdale Laud
they both want to succeed me
as Head of Chambers.
Venetia's next in line,
but Drysdale sees it as
a stepping stone to becoming a QC.
So, how long have you worked
with the boss?
Nearly 18 months.
How long have you been on the force?
Six months. They're trying
this new graduate fast-track idea.
I honestly can't believe it.
Where was she found?
Behind her desk.
I'm told you argued with her
at the meeting yesterday.
Well, no, we were all arguing.
It's par for the course.
Did you argue about who would
succeed as Head of Chambers? No.
And let me save you
a lot of time and effort.
Rivalries over Head of Chambers,
arguments
over which cases to take on,
they happen in every chambers up
and down the land, day in, day out.
And they do not constitute
reasons to commit murder.
So, what was the argument about?
It was a private matter.
Oh, God
Sh-She wanted me to speak
to her daughter, Octavia.
I know the girl a little.
Venetia and I have been friends
for a long time.
But yesterday
Venetia told me that
Octavia's started seeing someone.
Saying she was engaged.
Venetia wanted me to intervene,
to try to stop it.
Why? Did she not approve of the boy?
Daughter's called Octavia.
SHE RINGS BELL
I'll lead.
No. She didn't.
Because it's Garry Ashe.
I think it would be better
if we spoke alone. Why?
Ashe is my fiance.
What is this, anyway?
We have some very bad news, Octavia.
I'm afraid your mother
was found dead this morning.
She's not dead.
I saw her yesterday. She was fine.
It wasn't a natural death.
Murder?
I'm very, very sorry.
It happened
sometime yesterday evening.
We'll know more
after the post-mortem.
We had nothing to do with it, OK?
So don't start that.
I wasn't
You can't pin this on Ashe.
He was here.
Anna Buckley was here too,
cooking us supper.
You can ask her.
The three of us were here
all evening and all night.
Mrs Buckley says
she'll come up and sit with you.
I don't want her.
I don't need anyone. I've got Ashe.
Our boss will want to see you. Both.
Inspector Dalgliesh.
Chief Inspector, yes.
We very much look forward to seeing
him Kate.
You OK?
It's him. I know it's him.
Housekeeper seems sure he didn't
leave here yesterday evening.
Maybe
he got someone to do it for him.
That's not his style.
He's a loner. Most psychopaths are.
Did you do this?
Ashe knows about birds.
We're doing it together.
I didn't know
you were an ornithologist, Garry.
You don't know anything about me,
Mr Dalgliesh.
Would you wait outside, please?
I want to speak to Octavia alone.
He's told me all about you. And you.
About how you tried to stitch him up
after his auntie died.
We were doing our job.
There was evidence.
Yeah, which you planted.
How did you meet?
At a club. We started dancing.
He bought me a drink.
He didn't even know who I was.
Octavia Your mother is dead.
And it wasn't a random killing.
It was almost certainly
someone who knew her.
Are you absolutely certain
that Ashe didn't leave this flat
yesterday evening,
even for a short time?
Certain.
So bad luck.
He has a solid alibi.
It's too much of a coincidence.
The girl, yeah, she could easily
be covering for him.
Not the housekeeper, no way.
He could have found
a way to sneak out of the house.
He may be a psychopath,
but he's not supernatural.
We now know from Mrs Buckley
that she spoke to Venetia
just after half past seven
on the telephone. So
with Kynaston's confirmed estimate,
we now have a window for time
of death: 7:45 to nine o'clock.
How are we doing with other alibis?
Laud and his wife definitely
picked up their theatre tickets.
The box office manager
remembers Laud.
Ulrick and his son
I called the restaurant where
they had a reservation for dinner.
They confirmed they were there,
but the reservation
wasn't until eight o'clock, so
Carpenter.
Ample opportunity.
No clear alibi. But no motive.
Which leaves us with Langton.
Yes, now we're talking.
Langton's housekeeper says
he wasn't home yesterday
till after nine o'clock.
An hour and a half after he claims.
But his memory seems poor.
He's certainly got
something troubling him.
I found him praying for forgiveness.
SHE SCOFFS
Look, I'm not ruling Ashe out
altogether,
but we can't make him a priority.
He has an alibi,
and he has no access to chambers.
He could have talked his way in.
Can we at least put a tail on him?
No, I can't justify it.
Kate?
Hi.
I was a little dismissive earlier.
I shouldn't have been. I apologise.
It's me. The cardinal sin,
rushing to judgement.
I know this is gonna be difficult
for you. It's fine.
It was never gonna be
just the two of us forever.
I meant about Ashe.
I know you felt responsible
when we failed to get a conviction,
but you weren't.
I was. I failed to properly test
the evidence.
Look, if you want to step back
from this case
I don't want you to,
but I would completely understand.
I don't want to step back.
OK.
Night, Sir.
Night, Kate.
'What was Mr Langton's relationship
with Miss Aldridge like?'
I don't think
Mr Langton's very well.
He can't remember things.
He gets scared. Angry.
I have to say,
I think he actually hated Venetia.
I've heard him calling her all sorts
of things - under his breath.
Was this because of the sort
of cases she was bringing in?
Partly that.
Partly that she's a woman.
And women are everywhere now.
Maybe even in Number 10 soon.
He's got a thing about me.
He finds
any excuse he can to touch me.
Put his arm round my waist.
Accidentally brush against me.
He follows me sometimes.
Turns up where I am.
He comes and watches me sing
in the choir at Temple Church.
Stares at me like he's
Have you spoken to him about it?
No.
In a way, it's easy to deal with.
He's just an old man
who's going senile. But
..there's a look in his eye like
..it's not just harmless flirtation.
Look into Hubert Langton's past.
Marriages, relationships.
Any complaints made against him,
especially by women.
Sir. See if
there's a pattern of behaviour.
..it's so important.
Detective Chief Inspector!
May I have a word with you, please?
Take him out, please.
Just Look, just a moment, please.
Sorry, sorry.
Who's that? Edgar Froggart.
He was outside chambers yesterday,
claiming he has
the key to Aldridge's murder.
I've spoken to him. All he's got
are a load of old scrapbooks.
I'll talk to him.
He's just a crank
who hangs around murder trials, Sir.
I was very close to Venetia
when she was growing up,
VERY close indeed.
I was her mentor, in many ways.
The man who introduced her
to the law.
Were you her teacher?
Strictly speaking, no.
I was a teacher at her father's
preparatory school for boys.
And ever since,
I have followed her career closely,
attending many of her trials.
Recording
the brilliance of her arguments.
What has this to do
with her death, Mr Froggart?
I-I have a detailed chronicle
of her professional life,
Detective Chief Inspector.
And it occurs to me
that her murderer
may lurk within these pages.
A disappointed client,
an ex-prisoner with a grievance.
This is a loan
of my precious resource,
Chief Inspector.
I know it will be of use. Good day.
'Janet Carpenter.'
She walked into
Pawlett Court Chambers 18 months ago
and asked for a cleaning job.
She was directed to the agency,
and they gave her a job
in a different chambers.
But she badgered them constantly
until she was transferred
to Pawlett Court.
She moved to London
from a village near Winchester
18 months ago
and gave character references
from the local solicitor
and the vicar's wife.
And she's been attending
all of Venetia's trials?
She knew about
the wig and the blood,
and she probably knew
about the paper knife,
and she was in chambers
when Venetia died.
Shall we bring her in?
Not yet. We need more.
I want you to follow her.
I want you to see where she's going,
who she's talking to.
We'll look into her past.
Margaret Jackson? Yes.
Detective Sergeant Kate Miskin.
This is Detective Chief Inspector
Dalgliesh
from Scotland Yard.
Oh. Right.
May we ask you some questions
about Janet Carpenter?
We believe you provided
a job reference for her?
Janet? I-Is she still alive?
RADIO CHATTER
'Janet had a daughter, Dawn.'
And Dawn's marriage broke down.
And she and Janet's granddaughter
came to live with her. Daisy.
She was a lovely little girl.
She sang in our choir.
She went out riding her bike
one afternoon and
..didn't come back.
There was a police search.
We all joined in.
She was found in the woods,
about three miles away.
She'd been assaulted.
And murdered.
This was Anthony Beale.
That's right. You remember.
Janet was remarkable, really.
She went to the trial, every day.
She saw him put away for life.
But Dawn
she couldn't go on.
She took her own life.
In the woods, where Daisy was found.
We lost Janet after that, really.
I tried to talk her
out of going to London.
I knew she didn't know anyone there.
But
she said she wanted a new start.
RADIO:'Control to Sierra 15.'
Sierra 15 to Control, receiving.
'We need you to return to base.'
PHONE RINGS
Dalgliesh.
TARRANT:'It wasn't Venetia.'
According to Beale's file,
his defence was a guy called Curtis.
Local, based in Winchester.
Beale was a repeat offender,
wasn't he?
Yes. Erm, Southampton, 1971.
Summer, I think.
'Just a sec.'
It was a similar case.
Young girl on a bike.
Here we are, Southampton,
not guilty. He was represented by
Venetia Aldridge. Shit.
She got him off,
and he killed again.
OK, get over to Carpenter's now and
bring her in. We'll be back by five.
'Yes, Sir.'
DOORBELL
HE RINGS BELL
Oh