Taggart (1983) s27e04 Episode Script

Fallen Angels

(Screaming) (Glass breaks) Lima five-two.
Urgent assistance required.
(Baby cries) (Water dripping) You did this! I called youse an hour ago.
I could be dead by now.
Bonnie - Go inside and shut the door! Now! What, are you mental? We're flooding! Bonnie! My ceiling's gonna come in! The kids upstairs must've left the tap on.
(Little boy sings) £ We all rolled over and one fell out £ And bumped his head and gave a little shout £ Please remember £ To tie a knot in your pyjamas Hello? £ Single beds are only made for £ One, two, three £ Hello? Chris? Oh! I swapped shifts.
Have a say.
I was going to call you later.
(Mobile rings) (Groans) DS Reid.
How many dead, son? Four.
£ Theme music £ Yes, I know the city like a lover £ Good or bad, it's hard to love another that I've found £ This is no mean town No mean city £ It's the only place that I would be willing to die for £ It's the only life I've ever seen £ This town is so mean £ This town is so mean.
£ (Water trickles) No, no, look at me.
Come on.
Concentrate on my voice.
That's it.
Come on! Come on.
Best thing we can do for that boy is find out who did this.
The parents are Peter and Louise Ferguson.
I got a mobile number from the housing association but it's dead.
Could paper the walls with these.
Where are they now? Put out a call, I want them found.
Ah, the boy wonder.
This way.
Need a minute? I don't want all these people around when I'm .
.
dealing with the children.
Pathologist needs in here so let's clear the area, please.
Overdose? It's possible.
No obvious signs of trauma on the bodies.
I'll leave you to it.
Have you managed to stop the flooding? Yeah, they've shut the mains off.
It was coming from in there but it's locked.
(Tests door lock) Oh.
Looks like Daddy's home.
(Running water) BURKE: Parents separated? Not according to the guy who called it in.
Spoken to the neighbour? Did anybody see him? (Echoed voices) JACKIE: I don't know how you'd come to terms with this.
Jackie, will you check this? Yeah, I will do.
BURKE: I need it now, we can't wait too long.
So, what happened? No! No! Louise, I'm DCI Burke.
This is DI Ross and DS Reid.
Is there someone we can call for you? He killed himself.
Do you work nights, Louise? Are you able to talk to us? I didn't check them.
I should have checked them.
Oh my God, they can't be dead, Pete was looking after them! I need to check them! I checked them.
(Sobbing) What did we get from the house-to-house? A lot.
Peter Ferguson was long-term unemployed.
Pretty much kept himself to himself.
Most of them couldn't even describe him accurately.
A recluse? Managed to struggle down to the dole office right enough.
I think it's fairly obvious what happened here.
Dad feels worthless, can't bare the thought of leaving his family behind so he kills the kids before killing himself.
If he wanted them all to die together, why was he hanging alone in the bathroom? And why not take his wife with him? The kids were placed so carefully on the bed.
They were killed by someone who loved them.
Well, until we get the post-mortem results we do this by the book, right? We always look to the parents first, so let's look.
Find out what you can about the mother.
I can't believe it.
It's awful.
Louise is a cleaner here? Part-time, is it? Look - I'm not interested in benefit fraud, only finding out what happened.
She does full nights.
Do you know her well? We work in pairs when we clean office blocks.
Me and Lou work sometimes together.
So were you working together last night? Yeah.
How long's your shift? 7pm untilwell, about the now.
So, she left early? Yeah, she got a message at reception and she took off.
But you were with her until that time? Yeah.
OK.
Thank you.
Morning.
What can I do for you? You know Louise Ferguson? Aye.
You took a message for her here last night? Aye.
Any idea who it might have been from? He wouldn't leave his name.
Although I suspect it was some kind of job offer.
How's that? Walked straight out.
No intention of coming back, the way she spoke to her supervisor.
Thank you.
DCI Burke? Is it true the whole family was massacred? Can you give me something of the family history? Looking for divine inspiration? Somebody could've climbed up there.
The balcony doors were open.
Nah, this wasn't a house break-in gone wrong.
This was personal.
Mister Burke! Fenn! How's the program going? I'm clean now.
Good for you, son.
Thanks.
I've got a good job too - I'm a courier.
Well, you always did like cars.
Aye.
Got a flat in here.
There's something else too - Bonny.
Ah, well, many, many congratulations, Fenn.
Thanks.
We're, ah, ready to bring them out now.
She's no dead though, dirty slag.
Bonny! Act like a slag, that's what people call you.
Shut up! What do you mean? Excuse me.
Oh, go easy there! Michael Anderson? DI Ross.
Oh aye.
What can I do for you? I understand Peter Ferguson used to work for you.
Aye, that's right.
I had to let him go, what, over a year a go now.
Is he in some kind of trouble? Well, I'm sorry to be the one that has to tell you, but I'm afraid he's dead.
Hey? I'm sorry to hear it.
Pete was a good guy.
You said you had to let him go.
I don't want to speak ill of the dead.
But? He wasn't up to the job.
I had to let him go.
I had no choice.
Have you got any gum? Nah, sorry.
Mouth's like an ashtray.
Any more on Pete Ferguson? Yeah, he was diagnosed as clinically depressed after he lost his job.
You OK? Yeah, it's been a long night, ma'am.
So, what have we got? Yeah, well, I spoke to Louise's colleague, Greg Warden.
He was with her until 10:00.
Right, anything else? Are we not just wasting our time? Everything points to the father.
I know what it looks like but it doesn't fit the usual pattern.
Where's the suicide note? Something made him snap.
He wasn't thinking straight.
No.
He'd want his wife to know why he'd done it.
We'd all like to nail someone to the wall for this, Jackie, but we can't change the facts.
Alright! Alright! Let's see what the pathology report tells us.
It's easier to win those battles when you're the same rank.
I'd back you.
Oh, thanks, ma'am, I'm flattered.
I'm just not sure it's the right time.
Don't leave it too long.
He's stable but he's ingested a lot of drugs.
He'll be alright though? We won't know what permanent damage he's sustained till later.
Right.
Let's start with Peter Ferguson.
Suicide.
The scratches on his neck? I haven't missed anything, don't worry.
The blood under his fingernails confirmed he did it to himself.
It's possible he had a change of heart but couldn't get it off.
They were all in fairly good physical health.
Youngest girl had slightly stunted growth on her feet.
She needed new shoes.
The children all ingested a cocktail of drugs.
Same as Carl? No external injuries on the girls but there are on Thomas.
See here - some bruises around the mouth and also some scratches inside his throat.
He didn't want to take the pills.
How could a father do this to his kids? Actually, I put Peter Ferguson's time of death well before any of the children.
What? I don't know who killed these little ones but you can certainly cross Dad off your list.
It's so quiet.
Louise, we just need to know if anything's missing.
And then I'll get you to the hospital.
Your home is supposed to be a safe place.
They re-possessed ours and stuck us in this hell hole with the worst kind of scum.
It was no palace but it was ours.
Everything we worked for and they took it.
It's still standing empty, boarded up.
Such a waste.
(Sobbing) If Pete wasn't working why was his suit out? He was giving, um .
.
evidence, at the enquiry.
What enquiry? Unfair dismissal.
I knew he'd never hurt the kids.
I should have been there.
This is yesterday's postmark.
Have you got any idea what might've been in here? Where is it? Where's what? Where is it? Is there something missing? Callum's kit bag.
It was right here And now it is gone.
I was supposed to wash his kit for tomorrow.
Oh God! (Sobbing) This is everything child protection have on the Fergusons.
Also a file in Louise's maiden name of Harvey.
(Door opens) I want to see my son right now.
You can't stop me.
Actually, we can if necessary.
But let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Louise, I need you to help me.
Why should I? Because you'll get to the hospital a lot quicker if you do.
Had you and Pete fallen out recently? No more than usual.
Did you argue a lot? Things have been tough for us since Pete lost his job.
Nobody wants to employ a man who's been found negligent.
He was diagnosed with clinical depression about six months ago, is that right? He'd been on the happy pills ever since.
He'd rattle if you shook him.
Tell us about Peter.
He slept a lot.
JACKIE: No, tell us about the man you fell for.
Kind.
Funny.
How did you meet? At school.
Childhood sweethearts? We used to bunk off together, go to the park.
Far cry from your life after you had kids, hey? You must have longed for the days when it was just the two of you.
No responsibilities, freedom.
Yeah.
Yeah, alright, there were days when I wished that we'd never had any kids.
How do you think that makes me feel now? Louise, a report has come to light about the death of a Molly Roberts.
You think I murdered my babies? I can't deny her access to her own child.
Louise Ferguson, nee Harvey, was suspected of murdering a toddler, Molly Robertson.
And after enquiries, was found to be innocent.
A two-year-old child left in her care died of extensive injuries! That is enough for me.
The verdict was accidental death.
No charges were brought of any kind.
More than just a coincidence, Jackie.
Look, it was toddler, hundreds of kids die in accidental deaths every year.
Children are adventurous, they're clumsy! How the hell would you know? Louise was babysitting.
She was 15 years old.
What if you're wrong? We allow her access and something happens? And what if we deny her access and the boy dies? Morning, Doc.
What can I do for you? Oh, I was just collecting some samples for DI Maloney.
I heard about last night.
Don't worry, she's, ah, she's fine.
Pretty rough.
Yeah.
Tell her I dropped by, OK? Mrs Robertson? Ah, sorry, I'm late.
I need to talk to you about Louise Harvey? Can you tell me what happened to Molly? I can't imagine how hard it must've been for you.
Molly was two years old.
I'd lost my husband and she was everything to me.
How did Molly die? She fell down the stairs, broke her neck 'cause that stupid, thoughtless girl hadn't put the gate across.
Louise was only 15 years old at the time - She was recommended to me by a friend.
It was a long time ago.
She got to live her life.
Have her family.
She didn't have to think about my Molly every single second of every single day.
You know, there's a part of me that's glad she knows what it feels like.
Can I ask where you were last night, Mrs Robinson? I go to a spiritualist church.
With about 50 other people.
JACKIE: Doesn't make sense, why would she do it? BURKE: They weren't exactly living the dream, where they? Where did you say you got this? Oh, the flat.
Somebody sent it to Pete.
Really? Security camera footage.
That's Greg Warden.
Well, we know who the woman is.
Why didn't you tell me you were having a relationship with Louise? Used to being a dirty little secret, I suppose.
So you wanted the relationship out in the open? Was she not so keen? Recognise this? No.
What were you hoping to achieve? It's not mine.
It's one thing screwing the man's wife, but sending him the video? Why would I do that? You were hoping to break them up.
No.
Didn't bother you that she went home every night to another man? I get the best of her.
He got the leftovers.
Not any more.
It worked out quite nicely for you, didn't it? One of the downstairs neighbours is giving me a story, but I think it may encroach on your investigation, so I can't use it.
You'd give me this out of the kindness of your heart? The family were practically hermits.
No friends, no family.
I can't get a photograph of the kids anywhere.
So, what do you think? You do your old pal a favour? Sure, I'll do you favour.
You tell me everything you know and I won't have you for wasting police time.
And, Craig, I'm not your pal.
That little bitch downstairs.
She heard you saying the kids would be better off dead.
We couldn't afford to give the kids the life they deserved, that's all I meant.
Is that you in this photo? Is this you having sex with Greg Warden? Yeah.
You quit your job yesterday.
Why? I'd been working three cleaning jobs, my body ached, I'd had enough.
Don't you ever have days like that? You took a call shortly before you left.
Who was it from? Telesales.
I thought you quit because you were planning on leaving Pete.
Running away with Greg, maybe.
You're talking out your arse.
How did Pete react when he found out about Greg? Pete didn't know.
I'm afraid he did.
You boyfriend sent him a DVD in glorious Technicolor.
No, that's not possible.
Isis that why he killed himself? I tried .
.
I tried to call it off with Greg, I really did, I tried! Doesn't look like you tried all that hard.
Her whole family is dead, she has one child left fighting for its life and you're treating her like a bloody serial killer.
She's not being straight with us.
What about Greg? Some people can't handle rejection.
Killing her children is the ultimate act of power.
Why would she do it? A new life, a new man.
A mother killing her children for a man.
Oh, come on! Let's not kill ourselves, Jackie, it's happened plenty of times.
I don't think Greg's our man.
He seemed genuinely surprised when we mentioned that DVD.
Let him go.
Find out whoever sent that DVD - they wanted to destroy that family.
They could well be our killer.
Let's go back to the security guard.
He might give us more info about Greg.
Michael Anderson - I've been looking into this inquiry.
Apparently a workman died, which is why Pete was sacked.
Funny he never mentioned it.
Keep me informed.
Oh, and, er, Louise - I don't think we can trust her with Callum.
She's not our killer.
Let her go to the hospital.
What's this? Female intuition? Hey, hey, what is it with you two! We're on the same team here.
We were all there last night, remember? Jack.
Oh.
I didn't think you were in today.
You OK? Yeah, I've been better.
Chris, I'm really sorry I haven't got back to you.
It's fine.
I'll, er, I'll catch you later.
Sure.
Chris seems like a nice guy.
He's already spoken for, Robbie.
Do I hear the sound of wedding bells? (Phone rings) DS Reid.
Great.
OK, thanks.
They've traced Lou's mystery caller.
And? Michael Anderson.
Well, well, well.
You could do a lot worse, you know.
Anderson? Chris.
If you've got something to say, just spit it out, Robbie.
I went into your desk, looking for gum.
Sorry.
I think it's great.
So, what, I'll just stick a car seat in the back, shall I? Jackie, I - My job's not in the paper yet, Robbie.
You weren't kidding when you said Pete wasn't up to the job.
One of your workmen died.
Remember Marcus Padrini? 21 years old.
Why didn't you tell me? Wasn't relevant.
I'll be the judge of that.
You blamed Peter? He was the foreman.
It was his responsibility.
That is quite a burden to place on someone.
Look, a man died.
They could have shut me down.
I had to make an example of him.
I'm guessing there was some bad feeling between you, then.
No, no, not at all.
Pete felt awful about what happened.
He never forgave himself.
Well, forgive me if I don't take your word as gospel.
Do you know Louise Ferguson? Pete's missus, aye.
How well do you know her? She met us in the pub, maybe twice.
Someone called her from this office last night.
Well, there must be some mistake.
Phone records rarely lie, Mr Anderson.
I think you know Louise a lot better than you're making out.
He's lying.
Yeah, but we can't prove it.
Graham Smith? The security guard.
Come in.
This month's figures.
Thanks.
They're, er, all in order.
I was about to have a coffee.
You look like you could use one.
It gets to you sometimes, Matt.
You can't help it.
Perhaps it would be wise to get you some counselling.
Yes, I was breast fed, no, I didn't live up to my father's expectations.
And thankfully I enjoy regular, solid bowel movements.
There.
Saved you the money.
I meant the universal you.
But thanks for sharing.
It's the mother.
Yeah? I can't rule her out completely but I've got nothing on her either.
Can I, in all good conscience, deny her access to her boy? You think she did it? I don't know.
Let her see the boy.
Supervised access.
Watch how she acts around him.
(Sighs) I'm here! Hey, baby, I'm here.
I can't do this.
I can't.
Yes, you can.
Listen to me.
You have more in this room than some people ever have.
(Shallow breath) Hey! It's Mum! Baby.
(Music from inside) Ah.
Graham's been having a clear-out.
Somebody's home.
I can hear music.
Come away in.
You're gonna love this.
(Soft rock plays) (Stops music) Must have been watching her for months.
I think we might have found our man.
What's she doing in there? (Sighs) Hi.
Mrs Ferguson, do you know this man? Er, er, it's Graham.
He could never do enough for me.
Let's ask Callum.
No! Erm.
(Clears throat) I don't want anyone upsetting him, so no questions.
We all want the same thing.
We want to know who did this and Callum is the only person that can tell us.
Not today.
Louise! Sir.
Just give her a moment.
Hello.
Do you mind if I sit down here for a wee while? No-one's going to hurt you, Callum.
I promise.
I like your tiger.
Have you seen one of these before? It's cool, isn't it? Thank you.
(Door opens) Get out.
Has Callum said anything to you? Mentioned any names? No, he's still very disorientated.
The only person he remembers seeing is, well, a golden angel in the sky.
Excuse me.
Mr Burke! What are you doing? Come in, come in.
You been having a bit of a spend-up.
So, what can I do for you, big man? What were you doing in the Fergusons' flat? Oh, I wasn't.
I wasn't anywhere near.
You know better than to lie to me, son.
You were seen - a golden angel.
We were flooding.
Bonnie was going crazy.
No-one was answering the door, so I climbed up onto the balcony.
What did you do? Nothin'.
I was trying to find the leak.
Bathroom door was locked, I went into the kitchen to find it but I couldn't.
Why didn't you call an ambulance, for Christ's sake? The kids were already dead.
But they weren't, were they? There was at least one of them still alive! I think I know why you kept your mouth shut.
What did you steal? WHAT DID YOU STEAL? I found this under the kitchen sink.
Jackie.
Oh, sorry, ma'am.
I'm just off to check a file on the Fergusons.
I won't keep you.
Made a decision yet? Can I ask you something personal? You can ask.
Do you have a family? Kids? No.
Because of the job? I'm very happy with the choices I made.
You have to make your own.
Jackie, listen, I'm, er, sorry about earlier.
The test, it's, er, none of my business.
It's OK.
Turns out I'm not.
It wasn't meant to be.
(Door opens) What about the security guard? Boss, I found this amongst Peter Ferguson's papers.
It's a letter he wrote to Anderson complaining about safety standards.
Look at the date.
Three months before the accident.
So why would he stand up in court and accept responsibility? I think I know why.
Where'd you get that? Underneath the Ferguson's sink.
Pete knew Anderson was cutting corners.
So when the accident happened, it was convenient to blame Pete.
Anderson sacked him? The one thing Pete clung on to through this whole sorry time, was that he would get his day in court.
He'd be able to stand up and tell everyone he was innocent.
But .
.
I was sick.
Sick of the hell we were living in.
Michael Anderson offered me 20 grand to get Pete to accept responsibility in court.
And what did I do? I took it.
Told him - Told him to do it for the kids.
And he did? Yes.
Even though it destroyed him? I'm so sorry.
I still don't understand though.
The inquiry was all done and dusted, so why were you still arguing about it? Stupid pride.
Even after all that, Pete still didn't want to take the money.
So, it was pay day.
I was supposed to be there when Anderson brought the money.
But he was late.
I told Callum that he was coming, I told him to take the bag and stash it under the sink.
You look exhausted.
I've just been in with your boss.
Aye, he's like a dog with a bone.
You're colleague just called, they want to talk to you about the man you have in custody.
I'll be right back.
Sure.
This had better be good.
New bruising has appeared on Thomas's arm.
A hand grip.
I thought you were thorough? That's pretty big miss in my book.
Deep bruising can take 24 hours to appear.
Which is exactly why I double check.
What have you got? Clear hand print.
Deep bruise, it was a hard grip.
Thing is, I don't think you're necessarily looking for a man.
BURKE: Right, we need to focus.
She must be somewhere in the city centre.
Yep, that's her there.
We've got her account blocked.
When was this? 15 minutes ago.
Royal Bank Place, heading for George Square.
Where's Callum? Queen St Station.
Jackie! Suspect heading west on Ingram Street, All units, that is west on Ingram Street.
ROBBIE: We've lost visual.
Come on, Louise.
Where are you? We've got her.
Suspect heading north.
North on Miller Street.
Oh, Sorry! Suspect entering St Enoch's underground station.
Which entrance? She's going in the north entrance.
I'm there.
Good work.
I'll cover the south.
Lou! Louise Ferguson, I'm detaining you for the murder of your children.
You do not have to say anything, anything you do say, will be noted - Oh, shit! Robbie! Louise! Nobody wants it to end like this.
Robbie! (Door opening) I understand you want to make a full confession.
That's right.
Good.
Let's start with where you dumped Callum's body.
In the river.
Any particular river? The Mississippi.
It would be a nice gesture, don't you think, to bury all the kids together? Where is he? Somewhere safe.
He's home now.
Course it makes perfect sense.
Pills are the usual weapon of choice, when someone kills a person they love.
They think it's painless.
Humane, you see.
I didn't want them to suffer.
I just wanted rid of them.
Exactly.
It's like in the slaughter house, when they stun the animals.
They think because the animals can't cry out, that they're not in pain, It looks like a peaceful death, but it isn't.
Just like the pills, just makes it easier for the one that's watching.
I did the best I could for them.
You want to know what it was like for your kids? At first they would have been sleepy and delirious, but that's the best bit.
Then their vital organs would have started to shut down, one by one, and the pain would have been unbearable.
A three-year-old having a heart attack.
Stop! I've seen grown men crying for their mummies.
It's all very well dishing out pills to wee girls who take them like sweeties because they trust you but Thomas knew you were trying to murder them, didn't he? Is that why he struggled? Is that why you forced him Stop.
.
.
why you held him down and rammed the pills down his throat! Stop it! Stop it! Oh God.
Am I in trouble? No.
Everything's gonna be alright.
I'm gonna get you an ambulance, OK? No.
Callum, it's OK.
You don't need to be frightened anymore, we know what happened.
Your mum can't hurt you now.
Mum's not gonna get a new life now, is she? No.
No, she's not.
I messed it all up.
No, you haven't - I did.
I didn't leave enough pills for me.
Why? We're better off dead.
So you heard her? Mum just wanted to be free again.
OK.
You're OK.
He found his dad's body.
It's what made him snap.
Locked the bathroom door so his wee brothers and sisters wouldn't get upset.
We didn't make the world, Robbie, we just police it.
Closed Captions by CSI.

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