Silent Witness (1996) s23e09 Episode Script

The Greater Good, Part 1

SOLDIERS COUNT IN UNISON MUFFLED ORDERS Left, right, left, right, left, right, left BARKED ORDERS SOLDIERS CHAN Slowest man sets the pace.
This is going to save your life.
When a gas attack happens, you'll have very little notice - a shout.
This canister, it doesn't last forever.
It needs to be changed.
And all of this is going to happen in the middle of a firefight.
SIREN BLARES Wait for it! SIREN CONTINUES Gas, gas, gas! SHOUTING Canisters! Stand by.
Go! PANICKED BREATHING Change the canister! MUFFLED: I can't do it, Sarge.
Get him out! COUGHING AND SPLUTTERING # Testator silens # Costestes e spiritu # Silencium # Testator silens.
# WHISPERED CONVERSATION Ah, here he is.
Morning.
Professor Chamberlain? That's right.
Katherine Dukes.
I'm the one who asked for the second postmortem.
Morning, Professor.
Major Sealy.
Can I ask about this trace of organophosphate? How do you think it got into John's body? Well, it was found in his liver, which suggests a low-level contamination.
So what would it be exactly? We've not been able to identify what type of organophosphate this was, that's why we need to find the source.
The most common exposure's in rural areas.
My son did most of his running through fields - do you think maybe? It's possible - there's extensive use of legal and illegal herbicides, pesticides The press have said this could be a nerve agent.
Right.
Given what we know about the sample, I think that's pretty much a headline looking for a story.
Shall we have a seat? LOW CONVERSATION Detective Inspector Guyatt.
Major Sealy, Katherine, Thomas.
Morning.
The coroner will see us now.
As you know, the Army are conducting their own investigation, at arm's length to ours.
Will you be making a search of the training camp? We will commit whatever resources are necessary.
Who are they? DOG BARKS NEARBY SHUFFLING AND CLATTERING HE BREATHES HEAVILY DCI Karl Guyatt, in charge of the investigation.
Professor Thomas Chamberlain, forensic pathologist, the Lyell Centre.
And? Lt Col Ben Carmichael, Ministry of Defence Liaison Officer.
Thank you.
Now, according to both postmortems, Private John Sealy had a berry aneurysm that had ruptured, causing fatal subarachnoid haemorrhage into the brain.
So .
.
how might it have ruptured? We know Private Sealy collapsed during a training exercise in which he and a number of his colleagues had been put into what's called a respiratory training facility.
Forgive me, can I just ask - is CS gas usually used in these circumstance? Soldiers need to understand how important their safety equipment is.
I went through the same thing in my training.
I see.
And would this have any bearing on Private Sealy's death? As we know from both postmortems, there were traces of cocaine found in Private Sealy's bloodstream.
Yes, yes.
The CS gas getting into his mouth and eyes would have caused his blood pressure to spike, and with concomitant cocaine abuse, that would have been sufficient to blow the berry aneurysm.
M So we're agreed, at least, about the probable cause of death.
That hasn't changed since the first postmortem.
No.
As for the findings of the second postmortem, the traces of organophosphates in Private Sealy's liver sample had no discernible influence over his cause of death.
Would you agree with that, Professor Chamberlain? The trace is small.
However, given the circumstances It had no bearing.
Regardless - until we find out where it came from, we'll never have the full picture, will we? Agreed.
It needs to be investigated.
COUGHING All set then, Padre? Da, you won't be staying in today.
Be prepared to stay the night before the operation and at least a day afterwards.
We're just going in for a pre-op meeting.
What if I need to be operated on today? Immediately? The operation is down for next Tuesday.
I'm going to take another morning off work to drive you in.
I don't like you taking time off - I can get in by myself.
I'm not dead yet, you know.
We're going to speak to the consultant.
She's going to talk you through exactly what'll happen, OK? I wrote my will.
Da This isn't I'm leaving what I have to Ryan.
You can have whatever you want from here, but the money I've got, what there is of it .
.
Ryan needs it more than you do.
Left, right, left I told you we'd be early.
My brother had one of these put in, he still died.
He didn't die from a blocked artery, Da.
I'm just saying, having a stent put in isn't foolproof.
I'm sorry about the will, I just You did the right thing.
I don't want to die.
I'd better go in.
I'm coming with you.
Why? I'm not going to sit here, it's freezing.
Are you coming or what? CONOR GROANS How's Major Sealy? Yep, OK.
Fine.
Keep me posted, will you? Thanks.
Yeah, thanks, bye.
Apparently whilst Major Sealy was in with the coroner this morning, someone broke into his house.
That's awful.
Mm.
And that someone, according to a neighbour, was wearing what she described as Army fatigues.
Do the police think the Army broke in to Major Sealy's house? No, I don't think so, do you? Not in broad daylight and full combat gear, but still You used to be paranoid, but now you know they're after you.
HE CHUCKLES The MOD were out in force today, putting pressure on the coroner, even at this stage.
A soldier died during a training exercise in the hands of the state.
And as we know, the state are sometimes stubbornly reluctant to admit liability for anything.
Nikki? Yeah? Thomas.
Jack.
Won't be a moment.
What do you think? Thomas's birthday! Damn, I forgot.
Yeah, me too.
Clarissa sent me a text to remind me.
Well done, Clarissa.
/f Did you get a card? A card I knew there was something else.
BOTH: # Happy birthday to you Oh, God! It's gone out.
# Happy birthday to you # Happy birthday, dear Thomas # Happy birthday to you.
# Wow! I mean This is It's the thought that counts.
font color= And clearly very little thought.
Huh! font color="#f It looks delicious.
Thank you very, very much.
Oh, Jack, by the way, you are meeting a Detective Sergeant Vail, tomorrow morning first thing at Wood Street Training Camp.
DS Vail? We bought you a present.
I bought you a present.
Technically, yes, but They'd sold out of wrapping paper.
Oh, I see.
A kite.
That's fantastic.
Thank you very much.
How did you? Clarissa said something about Cornwall and kites, I can't remember why Ah, yes.
Yes.
The last time I flew one of these, it cost me my marriage.
Ah.
When's Clarissa back? Not soon enough.
Follow signs to D Barracks.
You'll be met there.
Thank you.
All right, well, if there's nothing else you want to tell me, that's it.
Jack Hodgson, as I live and breathe.
Detective Sergeant, are we now? They must be desperate.
Missed you.
This way.
You must be pleased.
Yeah, I guess it's good to be out of London.
Too many memories? Something like that.
Ah, the Army Liaison team doing .
.
whatever.
Getting cynical in your old age? No, it's my governor, DI Guyatt - he wanted to drive tanks but he failed his physical.
Uh-huh.
This time, it's personal.
Right, let's find the source of this contamination.
Eyes front! There's someone to see you - I've put them in the Einstein Room.
Who? Your brother said he wanted it to be a surprise.
HE SIGHS Who the hell are you? Arthur Simpson.
Private Arthur Simpson.
Fourth Battalion If you wanted an appointment, Mr Simpson, you should have gone through the proper channels I've been wanting to see you for years, Professor.
40 years and seven months to be exact.
Well, I'm sorry I didn't even know it was you I needed to see, but then Mmm? Private John Sealy.
And I knew it was you.
You need to leave! You can change your name, you can change your job, but you can't change what you've done.
The police will be called, this is private property! I was just wondering why you, you of all people, asked .
.
for a second postmortem.
What were you hoping to find, Professor? Have the Army taken over where you left off? Sorry, sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave.
ARTHUR COUGHS HE GASPS FOR BREATH SHUTTER CLICKS RESPIRATOR HISSES RESPIRATOR HISSES Sorry about earlier, Professor.
How did they even let him in? That was my fault.
He seemed to know so much about you, your family, where you used to work Please, Simone, I'm trying to concentrate.
Shall I call the police? I have no idea what he was talking about, or how he knew what he knew.
Just don't let anything like that happen again.
PHONE PINGS Don't touch my stuff.
I was told this facility would be left so samples could be taken.
font color="#ffff Sick.
Someone did not get the memo.
It's all right, I'll go find out who ordered this.
Unbelievable.
56? HE CHUCKLES Just a number.
A big number.
You don't look it.
Oh! Some of my friends actually think you're cool.
Do they?/fon SHE LAUGHS Ah.
Do you still not tell them what I do for a living? Spending all day looking at dead bodies? They'd think you're weird.
Yeah.
OK.
Here you go.
I told you I'm not doing it.
Not after Cornwall.
Oh, come on! You can't remember that, surely.
What were you, five or something? I was six and a half and you got so angry, saying it was all my fault No-one was blaming you.
It was, just I don't know, just the wind, that's all.
It's why I let it go, Dad.
OK, look.
I promise not to get angry if you promise not to let go of these.
Come on, it's my birthday.
OK.
All right.
How about you hold and throw .
.
and I'll fly? Go on.
Back you go.
That's it.
Keep going.
Keep going.
OK.
You ready? Three, two, one.
Go! Woo! HE LAUGHS Come on, up you go.
Go on.
Oh, wow, that's fantastic.
HE CHUCKLES That is brilliant! SHE LAUGHS Do you want a go? No way! Come on.
Jump in here.
Don't touch the lines! Just touch my hands, yeah? OK.
Hold my hands.
Yeah.
Look, look, you're flying it! THEY LAUGH Still six at heart.
We both are.
Are you saying this was my fault? No, Major, that's If John had got contaminated at my house, I'd have got contaminated.
Have you searched his training camp? According to Jack, it was done this morning.
Clarissa Mullery, the Lyell Centre.
I've checked everything in the house - food, gardening stuff Unfortunately, organophosphates are not always labelled.
No-one's going to want to take the blame for this.
What do you mean? You should have seen them yesterday .
.
lawyers, expert witnesses, Army Liaison.
Talk about "cover your backs.
" Is that how the Army works, Major? I just want this over with.
I can understand that.
But we need to know the truth - what this organophosphate is, and how it got into your son's body.
The truth? Like your son's life, the circumstances of his death are just as important.
Do you know what I think? You're going to find exactly what they're looking for.
No valuables have been taken.
Victoria! Bag, please.
What did I tell you? Are these not your son's? They look like John's, but how those stains got on them But thenI'm away, house gets broken into, there you go.
You believe these were planted? Not by you.
You're doing your job.
As soon as we get the results, we'll be in touch.
Excuse me Yes? NO AUDIBLE DIALOGUE MUFFLED SNIPPETS OF CONVERSATION I'm here to see Professor Dukes.
If you could go through and just sign at the desk, please.
Professor Dukes, Mark's here to see you.
They found one of John's socks and a pair of tracksuit bottoms? Yeah.
And they had organophosphate on them? They're waiting for the test results.
Are you all right?/fo I can see how upsetting this might be - the police going through John's things, but if we're to get to the truth of this I don't know what I think any more.
About the Army .
.
about you.
Why did you ask for a second postmortem? We needed to be sure.
About what exactly? We needed to be sure about how and why John died.
Well, we know how he died, Mother.
Cocaine, CS gas, a berry aneurysm.
Mark.
You're upset Upset?! Ever since he died, all you've talked about is how it might have happened, how we need to have a second postmortem.
What aren't you telling me?! I thought you wanted to know, I was only trying to help.
Maybe I should ask Arthur Simpson.
SHE SCOFFS That man was here earlier.
He showed me a file about you.
Maybe he's the one who broke in to your house.
Was John experimented on?! What are you talking about? SHOUTING: Is that why you wanted a second postmortem? To find You think I experimented on my own grandson? GET OUT OF HERE! It's fine, Simone.
A family disagreement.
If I find out that you're lying to me Professor? Professor Katherine Dukes used to work at Porton Down under her married name, Katherine Sealy.
She was a Government advisor on the use of chemical warfare agents.
So she knows all about organophosphates? Wonder why she didn't mention that to Thomas.
Probably bound by the Official Secrets Act.
Personal NDA.
She's been working at Barton Pharmaceuticals for just over 20 years.
What's the interest in Professor Dukes? Brilliant female scientist.
What's there not to be interested in, Jack? RESPIRATOR HISSING This is the course John Sealy ran three days before he died.
Looks like he stopped halfway through.
Mm.
Yeah.
All the other days, he ran the same course .
.
so why did he stop? Evening, all.
Hey, Mary Poppins.
How was the kite flying? Practically perfect in every way.
Clarissa, it's good to have you back.
Thanks.
We've missed you.
Well, now you're all here Before I forget, can I have the toxicology report on Private Sealy's clothing? Sure.
Before you disappear, Thomas .
.
I have an announcement.
Pub time already, is it? It might well be.
I've decided it's time for me to leave the Lyell.
What? My notice - I think I have to give you a month, Thomas.
I'm not sure, but obviously I'll fulfil whatever Clarissa, no.
You can't.
What are you talking about? I love my work here, working with you all.
I've never been so happy.
I can't imagine what it's going to be like, but .
.
with Mum's death .
.
I just know, deep down .
.
that it's time for me to move on, to focus less on the dead .
.
and more on the living.
On life.
DISTANT PHONE RINGS Thank you.
STRAINED BREATHING NO AUDIBLE DIALOGUE DOOR SQUEAKS OPENS AND KNOCKING Mm, how did it go? I, uh I assume you told them.
Jack said good riddance, Nikki stopped talking to me and Thomas has already found my replacement.
I think we should all go for a drink.
Plenty of time for that.
I hate long goodbyes.
Will you grab my stuff? Did Professor Dukes ask for a second postmortem because she suspected we'd find something else? And was she right? Yeah, she was.
An organophosphate.
Are you sure you don't want to go for a drink? What don't the Army want us to find? HORN BLARES HORN BLARES, TYRES SQUEAL HORN BLARES ENGINE HISSES Yeah, finish off the door-to-door.
You got it working, then? I downloaded the course.
Hopefully if I run the same route John did You might find the cause of the organophosphate contamination.
Worth a look.
There's been a suspicious car crash just down the road.
How far? Uh, a couple of miles.
DS Vail's there.
Can you get down there? Yeah.
EXPLOSION Hey! TYRES SCREECH He had a mask on of some kind, gloves.
Number plate, SK09 something.
There's enough CCTV round here.
I'll go check the house.
I'll head over to the crash site.
CHATTER Da, they had a cancellation.
That's why they've brought it forward a day.
CONOR: You said you were going to take me.
And I will, as soon as I'm finished here.
You get on with what you have to do.
I can get a cab.
Da, I'll be there.
I'll be fine.
Got to go.
See you later.
Get your suitcase packed.
HE COUGHS How is it in there? You want to come in? No, thanks.
Major Mark Sealy.
First, Private John Sealy, then his father.
And now his grandmother.
Nikki? Nearly done.
Major Mark Sealy has been found dead.
His body's on its way here.
And they want us to do the PM? As soon as possible.
Thomas is with DI Guyatt - it would appear that Professor Dukes has also been found dead.
Bloody hell.
I know.
RADIO CHATTER IN BACKGROUND I think Professor Dukes either fell or was pushed over.
Her head impacted on the coffee table here.
THUDDING So did she die and was carried into the bathroom? No.
I don't believe so.
These fingermarks in blood SHE MOANS AND PANTS .
.
suggest she managed to get herself up.
And there are further fingermarks on the architrave and on the door.
These drops of blood on the carpet show she managed to make her way to the bathroom.
She held herself up on the sink.
SHE PANTS Does the body reveal anything? Yes.
Yes, marks on her forearms.
SHE SHRIEKS Get off! You see, some bruising, that could be defensive wounds.
And .
.
these two nails on her left hand have been broken.
Hopefully, they'll give us the DNA of any assailant.
SHE GASPS In addition .
.
I found this inhaler.
It was on the bathroom floor.
We'll check it for DNA, see whether Dukes or Sealy were prescribed it, cos if they weren't It was left behind.
/f So did the mother and son have a fight, or was it a third person? The man who set fire to the shed? Either's possible.
Look at this.
A boot-print of some kind.
COUGHING BIRDS CAWING Bruising to the sole of the right foot.
Thomas wants to know what footwear the major was wearing.
Looks like combat boots.
I'll send some photos.
And could Major Sealy have been in a fight? There's swelling over the left cheekbone, but this could have been caused by the crash.
Although these linear abrasions could be from somebody scratching him.
And there's discoid bruising on the inner and outer aspect of the upper arms, as if someone has gripped him hard.
I'll tell Thomas.
I'll take some samples for DNA.
Agh! Damn! Damn! That was clever.
SHE GRUNTS Jack? Hey, Vail.
There's some kind of chemical equation here.
Jack Vail? Vail? SHE GASPS Help! Vail! What's happened? Vail! Get some help over here, quickly! Paramedics quickly, please! DISTORTED, INAUDIBLE Get an ambulance! It's all right, it's all right.
I'm here, I'm here.
SIRENS BLARE She going to be OK? Do you know if DS Vail touched anything? I don't know.
She was fine one minute.
I turned around, she's on the ground.
What are you thinking? Look, three people, three generations of the same family, two in the Army, another a scientist who once worked for the MOD.
You think that's the connection? We know Major Sealy's house was broken into, right? Any evidence that someone else was in the car with Major Sealy? I haven't finished my investigation yet, sorry.
Jack? MUFFLED: Jack, are you all right? MUFFLED: Jack? Jesus Christ! Paramedics, over here now! We need to clear this area.
HE GASPS AND MOANS Jack! MUFFLED: Breathe, OK? Look at me.
Focus on me.
Breathe, force yourself to breathe.
INAUDIBLE SIRENS BLARE SHE COUGHS SHE CHOKES AND GASPS Come on.
Keep breathing, please.
Keep breathing.
Deep breaths.
SHE GASPS MONITOR BEEPS Jack, where the hell are you? Bloody hell! You're as bad as your brother.
Oh, hello.
I need a taxi.
Yeah, right away.
Hazardous Area Response Team, immediately.
Two people with the same symptoms and, as yet, no explanation, though I have my suspicions this may well be nerve agent related.
Come on, everybody! This is now a hot zone! We need to be off-site NOW! Fracture at the base of the first metacarpal, distal to the Nikki! You've got to stop the postmortem now.
What? Jack's collapsed at the crash site.
How? What do you mean? They're not telling me much, but .
.
DS Vail, she She's what? Get out now.
MUFFLED BREATHING SIREN BLARES SIRENS BLARE BREATHING MASK HISSES MOBILE RINGS Clarissa, hi.
DS Vail was taken ill at the crash site .
.
with severe breathing problems.
An ambulance was called, but she was dead on arrival.
She's dead? Jack .
.
then started with the same breathing problems.
He's, er He's now in an ambulance.
Where are they taking him? The Middlesex.
I'm on my way! ALARMS BLARE AND MACHINES BEEP MUFFLED: Try to relax as much as you can now.
SLURRED: DS Vail.
We'll be at the hospital very soon.
Here.
I'll put these somewhere safe for you.
BEEPING Stay with me, Jack.
Jack? Can you hear me? Stay with me! SIRENS BLARE # Testator silens # Costestes e spiritu # Silencium.
#
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